《Kono Sekai ga Game da to, Ore dake ga Shitte Iru (WN)》


 CH 1-3

    The youngsters nowadays have no patience and tend to immediately put the blame on someone else.


    Ironically, the elders tend to say ¡®the youngsters nowadays~~¡¯ and this is not restricted to just recently but almost always though. Well, there are times when I think they¡¯ve got a point.


    For example; in the walkthrough pages of popular games, at the frequent questions section (or the faqs or Q&A), there¡¯s always one question mixed in the group.


    Q: I can¡¯t do ***. Bug?


    The *** parts can apply to many things. I can¡¯t do this, I can¡¯t defeat this, I can¡¯t get this, or similar scenarios to that.


    The answers for it also follow a certain pattern.


    For example, something like¡­


    A: It is not a bug. To do ***, read the instruction manual (page ***).


    Please read the instructions before asking.


    You normally should understand that bugs aren¡¯t something that you encounter often, but they are so dependent that the more selfish that person is, the more they seek the reason for the mistake from the outside.


    They don¡¯t investigate or try it out for themselves, and not only would they ask things that you would be able to solve easily just by investigating for a bit, they would blame anything and everything to bugs.


    But New Communicate Online is a different story.


    The walkthrough page of New Communicate Online, the Nekomimi Neko Wiki, doesn¡¯t have such wordy stuff written on it.


    In the Nekomimi Neko Wiki faqs, there¡¯s only:


    Q: About ***. Is it a bug?


    A: Bug.


    That one word answer encapsulates everything about New Communicate Online.


    ¡°This place is¡­¡± (Souma)


    When the changes in my vision had subsided, I was standing on a vast road.


    At the left of the road, there¡¯s a forest; at the right, a prairie.


    I remember having seen the bulletin board closeby and the vegetation of the forest before.


    The outskirts of the first town. This is most likely the neighboring zone of the low level area called the Forest of Beginnings.


    ¡°I should have been inside a city just a few moments ago¡­¡± (Souma)


    Just what in the world happened in that brief moment?


    No matter if we are talking about the infamous New Communicate Online, there¡¯s no such thing like being suddenly thrown somewhere else from just standing in a city.


    Also¡­


    ¡°Maki?¡± (Souma)


    Even when I called her, there was no response.


    The call had been cut off.


    ¡°Eh? It isn¡¯t working?¡± (Souma)


    Not only that, the phone, the mail, and the internet connection functions were unresponsive too.


    I can¡¯t bring up the menu window.


    ¡°A bug again? No, for a bug, this is a bit¡­¡± (Souma)


    It is strange that even the phone is not working.


    That¡¯s not a feature of the game but one that is present in all VR spaces.


    It is impossible that a bug of the game would affect that.


    ¡°Then, there¡¯s an anomaly in the VR machine itself¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I mutter this while still doubtful about it and try to open the game menu.


    There¡¯s no reaction at all there either.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± (Souma)


    Uneasiness spreads in my mind.


    The game menu should have the Save, Load, and Logout functions.


    If I can¡¯t use that¡­


    The wind brushed my cheek when I had begun to grow uneasy.


    ¡­Wind?


    ¡°No way!¡± (Souma)


    I hurriedly crouched on the spot and began touching the grass.


    Each blade of grass, each grain of dirt had a proper sensation transmitted to me.


    ¡°Impossible¡­!¡± (Souma)


    Even if it is a VR game, there¡¯s limits to how much it can process.


    It is normal to skim through parts that are not that necessary to the gameplay.


    New Communicate Online is a game with high realism, but even with that, the sensation of wind brushing your cheeks and the scent of the trees were not recreated.


    The ground and the vegetation you see around is almost the same as the real thing, but even when touching the grass and the soil, you would only get an inorganic feel like that of plastic.


    And yet, the grass and soil I am touching feels no different from that of reality.


    The last shout I heard of Maki replays in my mind.


    ¡ªIf you love games that much, live inside one!!


    At that time, Maki had something similar to the fortune mallet in her hand.


    According to tales, when you swing the fortune mallet, you can grant your wishes.


    Thinking about the situation, Maki was shouting, so she probably swung the mallet down in anger at that time.


    Is it possible that her wish got granted at that time and I ended up inside the game¡­?


    ¡°No, that¡¯s crazy¡­right?¡± (Souma)


    I asked to no one in particular.


    Even I think this is a stupid thing to consider.


    But there¡¯s no other way to explain this situation.


    When I look at my own attire, I see that I am wearing leather armor and leather boots.


    There¡¯s a shortsword scabbard at my waist and a small pouch wrapped around there.


    This is clearly the beginner equipment of New Communicate Online.


    I suddenly thought of something and put a hand into the poach at my waist.


    The moment I did so, the image of two types of bottles, red and blue, showed up in my head.


    When I chose the blue one and took my hand out, the blue liquid bottle was tightly in my grasp.


    ¡­There¡¯s no doubt about it.


    This is one of the 3 healing potions that you possess in the beginning of the game.


    ¡°¡­Seriously?¡± (Souma)


    Moreover, even though I brought out something that big, the size and weight of the poach showed no signs of changing.


    If this were to happen in the real world, it would be a sleight of hand or paranormal activity.


    ¡°If this really is a game world¡­¡± (Souma)


    I resolve myself and smash the potion on the ground.


    The potion bottle was broken into pieces on the ground, and an ear-piercing sound was made as the fragments of the bottle flew about¡­not.


    A blue light spread in the center where the potion was smashed, and a second after that, a silly *powa~n* sound effect was made.


    When I got close to confirm it, there wasn¡¯t a single fragment of the bottle at the place I smashed it at. It had disappeared without a single trace.


    ¡°This really is the world of New Communicate Online¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I look up at the sky and space out at this way too ridiculous of a situation.


    New Communicate Online has 3 types of ways you can use potions.


    Drink, pour, or smash.


    If you drink the liquid, you will of course restore your HP, and if you pour it on your wound, your wound will close up.


    And in the case when you use it on your allies in battle, you can throw the potion at them.


    It is impossible in real life, but when you get hit hard by the potion, the part that got hit by it will recover, and the bottle will disappear right after.


    With just this alone, you can tell that this is not the real world, and that it is working with game logic.


    But that¡¯s not all.


    In New Communicate Online, there¡¯s a famous and, moreover, a still not fixed bug yet that happens when you smash a potion.


    Also known as the bug: The sound¡­is¡­delayed¡­


    I don¡¯t know how you mess it up to make that happen, but the light effect and the sound effect that happens when the potion is smashed has a 1 second delay bug (or more like, they failed to set it right).


    ¡­Right, just like what I witnessed a few moments ago.


    ¡°What¡¯s with this place?¡± (Souma)


    The wind, smell, the feel of the grass and soil; I can tell that I am not playing New Communicate Online here, but the item setting mistakes and everything about it have faithfully replicated the logic of New Communicate Online.


    This is just in case such a happening is possible, but the most logical conclusion I can come to is that I fell into a real world that is exactly in the image of the New Communicate Online world.


    ¡°?! What is it?!¡± (Souma)


    But my thoughts were forcefully put to a stop there.


    I feel like I heard the scream of someone from further into the road.


    ¡°Could it be¡­¡± (Souma)


    I thought for a moment there and soon had an idea of what it was.


    If this world is the world of New Communicate Online¡­


    That might happen¡­


    ¡°Kuh!¡± (Souma)


    There¡¯s no point thinking about it.


    I ran to where the voice rang.


    My body was far lighter than I anticipated.


    That¡¯s right, there¡¯s no doubt.


    This sensation is not that of my body in the real world, but the sensation of when I move my body in New Communicate Online.


    With this, just maybe¡­


    ¡°[Step]!¡± (Souma)


    When I say that, the scenery around me flowed in one go.


    An intense acceleration that would be impossible to experience in real life attacked me.


    A few moments of floating and landing, and then, stunned briefly.


    I shake away the stiffening that happens after using a skill, and I begin running again.


    Looks like I can use skills normally.


    Moreover, the way to use Step is the exact same as the game which you could say is a big plus.


    Step is a basic skill that anyone can use in the beginning.


    But it is a basic skill that has a lot of utility which cannot be ignored.


    ¡°There!¡± (Souma)


    I continued on while confirming the state of my body, and it didn¡¯t take long to see the location of the struggle.


    The first thing I saw was a big wagon.


    An old fashioned wagon that you would rarely see in the real world was stopped dead in the middle of the road.


    And in front of the wagon, there¡¯s people fighting.


    There¡¯s 5 people.


    The first one that comes to my eyes is the back figure of the woman that¡¯s holding a sword.


    And then, I see the 4 lizardmen that have their weapons out with the wagon at their back as if surrounding the woman.


    When I saw this, I grew certain about it.


    I knew it!


    It has begun already!


    The unreasonable starting event that¡¯s said to have brought the death of more than 90% of the playerbase; the infamous Lizardmen Trap!


    You left your hometown desiring fame and fortune, strength and authority, and most of all, seeking thrill and adventure.


    The place you are heading to is a savage land where there¡¯s still monsters and monstrosities prowling about in the mountains and forests, where sword and magic rule; the Rihito Kingdom.


    Beastfolk and demons stroll the cities as if natural, and rowdy fellows called adventurers live by the day -a world where survival of the fittest prevails.


    You continue on your journey in dreams of such glory in those lands, and you finally arrive at the entrance of the Rihito Kingdom, at the place leading to Lamurick Town.


    At the pace you are going, you will be able to arrive at Lamurick by today.


    You were relieved by this, but a scream resonated further into that road.


    ¡°Bandits! Someone, please come!¡±


    After a second of hesitation, you held your treasured sword and ran towards the voice.


    Sounds of metal clashing, and voices of conflict.


    You strain your eyes, and just at the other side, you could see an intense battle occurring.


    Bandits aiming for the stopped carriage, and the merchants protecting this.


    One of the merchants shouts: ¡°An adventurer? I will reward you, so help us out.¡±


    You nod at the merchant without saying a word and lunge at the bandits.


    Your adventure has begun¡­


    I remember the introductory story that was written at the official homepage while I once again look at the scene in front of me.


    It was such a long time ago, I don¡¯t remember it clearly anymore, but it should be safe to assume this is the starting event judging from the positioning.


    The quest that¡¯s also called the first time killer, the Lizardmen Trap.


    I don¡¯t remember the official quest name, but it was probably ¡®protect the merchant¡¯.


    It is not like there was an accurate statistic for it, but it is said that more than 90% of the players were killed at least once by this event.


    As for me, the first time I did this, I had no idea what was going on at all and was easily killed.


    I only understood what was going on after the 2nd time I was killed.


    What¡¯s so difficult about this event is in part because the enemies showing up are strong, but it is also because it is a situation that¡¯s hard to gauge for a first timer.


    Moreover, people who are used to games get caught by this trap more easily.


    I reconfirm the situation.


    The closest one to me is the sword wielding woman who has her back turned to me.


    And then, there¡¯s the lizardmen who have their weapons out with the wagon at their back and surrounding the girl.


    Now then, do you understand?


    At a glance, this situation looks like the lizardmen are attacking the human woman.


    But the Lizardmen are fighting¡­¡­with the wagon at their back.


    On top of that, if you observe more calmly, compared to the woman who has leather armor, a shamshir, and a shield; the lizardmen are wearing normal clothes, and what they have are knives or clubs that seem more like used for self-defense.


    ¡­In other words, this is the picture of a fearsome completely armed female bandit who is attacking innocent merchant lizardmen riding the wagon.


    If you read the story written on the official website and the instruction manual, you would know there¡¯s several merchants, but there¡¯s nothing written about the most important point -them being lizardmen.


    Most players have the preconception that lizardmen are enemies, and coupled with the assumption that there¡¯s no way the side with the numerical inferiority is the assailant, you end up going after the lizardmen.


    When you do that, the NPCs that were your allies will become your enemies, and while you are fighting the lizardmen, the female bandit that you thought was your ally will stab you in the back in the most literal meaning of the word.


    This truly is the Lizardmen Trap.


    No, the lizardmen themselves have no ill-intentions at all. Just because they look scary, they end up getting attacked; a pitiful role they were made to take.


    There was even a player that got killed more than ten times getting caught in this Lizardmen Trap without understanding what was happening. There was a middle schooler who was traumatized by this and was unable to play VR games for a while.


    I don¡¯t know if it was on purpose or it was an oversight, but this unbelievable starting event served to raise the infamy of New Communicate Online.


    Of course, I already know the trick here, so there¡¯s no way I would mess up.


    But even without that, the difficulty of this quest is high.


    The female bandit is someone strong enough that can fight 4 merchants at the same time regardless if there¡¯s a difference in their equipment.


    If you don¡¯t fight while coordinating with the lizardmen, a beginner would easily get killed.


    I take out my sword, and once I get close enough to see their faces clearly, I begin to grow nervous.


    The faces of the lizardmen and the ferocious laugh of the fighting female bandit could be seen in detail.


    Realism that I have never experienced in the game.


    It speaks fluently about the fact that this world is not a game.


    If it were in-game, I would be able to fight.


    No matter if my stats have been reset to their initial ones, I haven¡¯t been playing so casually that I would have a hard time with an enemy at the very start of the game.


    But I am not inside the game right now.


    At the very least, this place is so real that I can¡¯t even tell it apart from reality.


    Also, I don¡¯t know if you respawn after dying in this world.


    Even in the game, NPCs won¡¯t respawn when they die. The respawn system of New Communicate Online was technically loading your save file.


    You simply are returned to the last save point you were in. I am not sure if that is still applicable in this world.


    (Can I do this?) (Souma)


    I am suddenly assailed by uneasiness.


    If my experience in the game still applies here, I should be able to win.


    ¡­Can I?


    The uneasiness was beginning to take hold of my body and was accelerating my impatience.


    ¡°Ah!¡± (Souma)


    I was way too consumed by my thoughts.


    I ended up making more noise than I expected and dropped my sword.


    The female bandit and the lizardmen that were fighting both noticed me, and all faced this way at the same time.


    I hurriedly picked up my sword again, but it was already too late.


    I was exposed to five gazes that I would find hard to say are friendly, and my legs buckled.


    This is bad.


    I had to manage teamwork with the lizardmen, but leaving aside the game world, would the lizardmen ally with me in the real world?


    I am a human just like the female bandit, moreover, came from the same direction as her.


    Wouldn¡¯t you normally misunderstand that I am her ally?


    My heart grew faint at that thought.


    I couldn¡¯t think of anything, but even with that, I still tried to say something, and opened my mouth¡­


    ¡°¡­Uhm¡­¡± (Souma)


    But there was no need for that anymore.


    ¡°Tch!¡±


    The female bandit clicked her tongue and moved to action.


    She turned around without hesitation.


    She understood the danger of getting pincered here and it seems like she will be retreating.


    ¡®That¡¯s a relief¡¯ -that thought of mine was naive.


    She didn¡¯t give up the fight.


    She simply changed the priorities in her objective.


    Her next target was¡­


    ¡°M-Me?!¡± (Souma)


    In order to avoid the danger of being pincered, she would kill the unknown factor that¡¯s me, and then attack the lizardmen.


    This ain¡¯t no joke!


    That¡¯s what I thought and I wanted to do something about it, but my body wasn¡¯t responding.


    ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± (Souma)


    The female bandit was approaching.


    The shamshir in her hand shone eerily, and her cruel smile showed certainty in her victory.


    The distance between me and the female bandit shrunk further and further.


    The 10 meters I should have had was now close to 0 meters.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    This time for sure, the female bandit raised her sword with killing intent.


    Seeing this, I¡­


    ¡°[Step]!¡± (Souma)


    I activated Step practically on reflex at the approaching deadly blade and retreated.


    The speed at which the female bandit swung her weapon wasn¡¯t actually that fast.


    If I had been playing as normal, I should have been able to avoid it without using any skills.


    Also, if I had been my usual self, even if I did choose to use Step, I wouldn¡¯t have used it to go backwards, but to the side.


    But fear made me jump back.


    ¡°Hm!¡±


    Seeing that, the female bandit showed scorn in her face.


    My spine shook.


    (The stun after using a skill!) (Souma)


    That wicked smile made me understand what the female bandit was aiming for.


    Step is an excellent evasion skill for emergencies, but as long as its nature as a skill remains, it creates a stun time after the animation is done.


    Make an attack that you expect to be avoided, and after you make them use Step, you proceed with your real attack.


    That was her aim.


    Even if you are aware of the enemy¡¯s aim, you can¡¯t stop a skill midanimation.


    Step excels in granting a burst of speed, but everything aside from its initial velocity isn¡¯t that fast.


    The female bandit easily caught up to me and¡­


    ¡°This is the end. [Slash]!¡±


    The female bandit activates the skill while shouting.


    Slash is a beginner skill, but the damage multiplier set by the game is far and above that of a normal attack.


    Considering the difference in power between me and the female bandit, this one attack could easily take my life.


    As the drawn blade approaches, I think.


    Aah, why did I think that my experience in the game would work in this world too?


    My game knowledge and experiences, in this world, are¡­


    ¡°[Slash]!!¡± (Souma)


    Obviously invaluable assets!!


    ¡°Wa?!¡±


    The Slash that I did¡­came out one instant later¡­yet it reached the female bandit an instant faster.


    The attack was hindered by the armor, so it didn¡¯t deal much damage, but that damage interrupted the skill of the opponent.


    Why is it that my skill, which I activated later, ended up hitting the female bandit faster than the skill of the female bandit?


    Of course, for this woman who has no game knowledge, it is probably a concept she wouldn¡¯t even be able to imagine.


    By chaining Slash after Step, the initial motions are omitted and the activation is faster. There¡¯s no way she would be able to reach that conclusion.


    But my attacks are not over with just this much.


    As if I would let it end there.


    Slash passed through the body of the enemy, and just when the signs of the slash ending could be seen, at that instant¡­


    ¡°[Step]!¡± (Souma)


    I didn¡¯t let that brief Cancel Point escape, and override the Slash motion with Step to cancel it.


    The face of the female bandit dyes in surprise again.


    Slash and Step may be beginner skills, but they are veritable skills.


    Skills: due to their powerful effects, require long initial motions, and are paired with creating an opening after the skill ends.


    In the first place, in the instruction manual of New Communicate Online, it is written that skills are powerful, but because of the recoil of it, you can¡¯t move for a while after the animation ends. We call that Skill Stun.


    You normally can¡¯t move because of the recoil from overexerting your body, and yet, you further overlap a skill that pushes your body. There¡¯s no way it can be possible.


    ¡­Realistically speaking.


    But¡­only I know this world is a game.


    In the game of this world, there¡¯s a technique¡­no, a system called Cancel.


    It is a technique that was originally born from fighting games, but many games with action elements to it have been implementing this system as well.


    In the middle of certain motions, or at the times when you are about to perform the next motions after you finished the action, you can skip those frames by Canceling.


    This has been included in the latest VR game, New Communicate Online, as well.


    That¡¯s why, having gotten diagonally backwards from her with Step, the moment my feet touched the ground, I shouted once again.


    ¡°[Slash]!¡± (Souma)


    Normally, Step and Slash both create a short stun time after use that doesn¡¯t even reach the second, but it is still a fatal opening nonetheless.


    Because of this stun, it is not possible to use them consecutively.


    That¡¯s why I connected both to animation-cancel the opening it creates.


    ¡°¡ª!!¡±


    If the female bandit had the time to turn back, I am sure her eyes would be wide in disbelief.


    In the first place, Slash is an attack where you lift and swing down.


    And yet, despite me having swung down my arm with Slash just recently, I had already raised my arm all the way up.


    I don¡¯t even know how I moved my own arm.


    But the moment I shouted Slash, my arm was already aloft as if it were natural.


    ¡°Ga-ah!¡±


    My sword was swung in one smooth strike onto her defenseless back.


    This unimaginable attack that came from an unbelievable location led to the female bandit being rendered incapable of doing anything against it, only surrendering to the fate of collapsing powerlessly to the ground.


    ¡°Leaving the rest to you!¡± (Souma)


    When I shouted this, the lizardmen who were absentmindedly watching my fight finally returned to their senses.


    ¡°L-Let¡¯s go!¡±


    With the order of the lizardman that seemed to be the leader, the stopped time began to move again.


    The 4 lizardmen jumped at her at the same time, and captured the female bandit that¡¯s still unable to move.


    Even while I was watching this, I couldn¡¯t move.


    My heart is hammering and breathing is painful.


    I am clearly out of stamina.


    I can use skills consecutively by applying the cancel mechanic, but it also comes with the disadvantage that the stamina consumption gets intense.


    My shoulders were heaving up and down, desperately trying to recover my strength.


    I simply watched the lizardmen swarming onto the female bandit and tying her up while I said this to no one in particular.


    ¡°Just how many hours do you think I have trained to master the SteCanSlash? Don¡¯t underestimate a loner gamer with unlimited free-time¡­!!¡± (Souma)

 CH 4-5

    TLN: Hey guys, just a quick note.


    I understand that this is really different kind of story from the previous ones I have done, but keep the comments civilized. I myself am not a fan of the prologue, but I like how the story progresses and it scratches a lot of good parts in my gamer itch. Also, I choose my stories based on my tastes.


    Btw, does anyone know how to post the chapters on novelupdates? I would really appreciate it :D!


    Anyways, enjoy the chapter!


    ¡ª¨C


    After restraining the bandit so that she couldn¡¯t move (they are apparently going to be handing her over to the town guards just like that), the kind lizardmen merchants¡­


    ¡°Want a ride to the town?¡±


    They asked this, so I politely accepted.


    Well, I already knew that was coming.


    This is the default route.


    It is the same flow of events as the beginning of the game.


    But since the time this world has stopped being a game¡­no, it is a bit different, since entering this world that looks exactly like the game, it would be best to not think the people that were once NPCs will be taking the same action pattern.


    At the very least, the female bandit didn¡¯t have the thought pattern of aiming for the player straight on or aiming to defeat you after the skill stun of Step.


    It would be better to assume that they will be doing actions that are completely unrelated to the game. There¡¯s no assurance that they will act the exact same way as the game when events happen.


    I was thinking that while riding together with them in the wagon and the lizardman that spoke to me before sat by my side.


    ¡°Thanks. You, saved us, there.¡±


    He said this in the characteristic hoarse and hard to understand lizardman voice.


    In the event of before, they would originally say ¡®please help us¡¯, but the first time I played the game, I thought for sure that they were intimidating me there and jumped at them.


    It is actually a chore to understand them, but I have no problems with it now that I am used to the game.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Gotta help each other out.¡± (Souma)


    I give a harmless response.


    And then, the lizardman lowered his voice and asked me.


    ¡°At any rate, that fight, just now, was amazing. That, what was, the real, skill?¡±


    The words he followed had so many weird pauses that I couldn¡¯t understand what he said for a moment there, but I got it in the end.


    In other words, the lizardman thinks that I faked I was using skills.


    In a sense, that¡¯s the logical conclusion.


    Now that I think about it, the NPCs in the game never cancelled their skills.


    Then, it must be the common sense of this world that you can¡¯t use skills consecutively.


    That¡¯s why they must think that I replicated movements similar to that of skills instead of having actually used them.


    It is true that it wouldn¡¯t be strange to have a strategy like that.


    For example; if you jump backwards while shouting Step, the opponent would aim for the moment you get skill stunned and attack you.


    You can use an actual skill there or counterattack them.


    Whichever you choose, if you attack the enemy when they think you are still skill stunned, your chances of winning rise.


    Of course, there was no such mind game in play here. I simply used them consecutively, but I decided to utilize this misunderstanding.


    ¡°Sorry, that¡¯s my trump card. It would be bad for me if my style were to be discovered, so can you please keep it a secret from others?¡± (Souma)


    There were times when we would fight NPCs in the game too. I remember every single one of them being fierce opposition.


    I managed to beat them because I could challenge them over and over even when I died, and because I knew about the game technique that was canceling skills.


    Skill canceling in itself is a highly difficult technique to master, moreover, it is absolutely necessary to have that characteristic familiarity only found in modern people when controlling their character in a VR space.


    I doubt the people of this world can learn that technique easily, but I decided to hide it for now until I have a more clear idea of what my policy here will be.


    ¡°Fumu, I see. Don¡¯t, worry. We have, no intention, of troubling, a benefactor.¡±


    I am not lying, but it was in the gray zone, yet the lizardman merchant nodded generously to my request.


    I do feel a pang of guilt, but it can¡¯t be helped.


    After that, we did some light introductions.


    The lizardman that was speaking to me is the leader of this lizardmen troupe, and his name is Reinhardt.


    It is a super cool name.


    Be it his refreshing personality, and his cool personality, could it be that this person is considered a handsome man by lizardman standards?


    Unfortunately to say, I honestly can¡¯t tell the difference between the faces of lizardmen.


    I forgot to mention this, but in New Communicate Online, there¡¯s a lot of demi-humans, and they live together with humans normally. Lizardmen are one of the main ones.


    There¡¯s no explanation at all about their background in the instruction manual in-game, but well, that¡¯s Nekomimi Neko quality.


    I have already accepted that this is just how this world works.


    By the way, there¡¯s also other beastfolk and demons aside from the lizardmen, moreover, even though they are well designed, the only race players can take when they are making their character is human.


    You can become a nekomimi race(?) which is simply a race that has cat ears accessories on them though.


    By the way, the customization of the body isn¡¯t done with New Communicate Online itself, but a software included in it that is used solely for character making.


    The reality of it is that you can only use the data of your own real appearance almost exactly as it is, and the only two things you can do are: change the color of your skin, and the color of your hair.


    I didn¡¯t use that.


    In other words, my appearance is exactly like my real one. However, because of the nature of this game, there¡¯s a lot of western characters, so I don¡¯t look like the humans of this nation in terms of race.


    Reinhardt retorted to that slightly.


    I thought ¡®that¡¯s rich coming from a lizardman¡¯, but I honestly revealed to him that I am not someone from around here, and after remembering the setting of the game, I added that I traveled all the way to this town aiming to become an adventurer.


    By the way, when I say this in the game, he would say ¡®I will guide you through town¡¯, but I doubt it will be that convenient here.


    I felt it clearly after talking with Reinhardt.


    The residents of this world really aren¡¯t the ones in the game.


    They are real people with free will.


    I was already prepared for that, but from there on, it was almost the same as the game.


    This event is basically the settlement tutorial, and if you follow the lizardman you saved, he will show you the facilities, but it seems like Reinhardt will be guiding me through Lamurick in this world too.


    Of course, I know about the facilities of this game from top to bottom, but I am grateful by the fact that he would give an introduction every time we went into a store.


    It would be one thing if it were in the game, but the clerks in this world are real.


    There are some stores that would be hard to enter for the first time, but thanks to him having introduced me to them, that worry is gone.


    He even helped me out checking in at an inn at the end, and we parted ways after shaking hands.


    In the game world, he was someone that I didn¡¯t even get a name from, but he was a really good guy.


    We promised to meet again, and saw Reinhardt off as I waved my hand.


    ¡°Now then¡­¡± (Souma)


    I could just go back to the inn and sleep, but after walking around the town, there was one place I was too interested in.


    I have already gotten a room at the inn, so it should be okay to give myself one more push.


    It is already getting decently dark out here.


    It is not like I am going to be doing something shady, but when I think about what I am going to be doing from now on, it would be better to act while it is dark.


    ¡°Alright!¡± (Souma)


    I nodded once and began walking in the darkness.


    Sometimes in mystery novels, there would be crazy complicated dying messages, or you would find treasure maps that are strangely detailed.


    There¡¯s cases when they would give good reasons for it, but when you think about it calmly, would you really leave such cryptic messages right as you are dying? There¡¯s also times when I would want to retort that there¡¯s no need to draw such a detailed map in a memo for yourself.


    That¡¯s exactly what was done in the quest of New Communicate Online, the heritage of the thief Meripe.


    Meripe, who betrayed his comrades and escaped with the treasure, got chased after and was killed, but no matter how much they tried to find it, they couldn¡¯t find the treasure he stole.


    You obtained the note of Meripe from a strange twist of fate, and searched for the treasure while relying on the hint left there.


    That¡¯s basically how the quest goes.


    Well, it is a story you hear often.


    The problem of this quest is that you are forced to sweep 3 dungeons around, and at the end, there¡¯s the shocking punchline of ¡®Can you believe it?! The treasure was buried in the garden of Meripe¡¯s house!!¡¯.


    Why did you draw a map when you hid it in your own place?! You actually wanted someone to search for your treasure, didn¡¯t you?! The guys who were searching for the treasure of Meripe, at least properly checked his garden!


    There were a lot of things I wanted to say, but this time around, I would like to be grateful for that.


    Actually, the house that Meripe lived in is right at the back of the inn.


    ¡°It is¡­here, right?¡± (Souma)


    I came all the way to the garden I have seen in the game.


    I have not come here at night, so it gives a different mood to it, but this must be the right place.


    In New Communicate Online, you normally can¡¯t do things like digging or breaking walls unless it is through a special event.


    Even in the Heritage of the Thief Meripe, you would have to find hints in the 3 dungeons, and properly activate the flags for the event before you can dig¡­but this is the real world.


    There shouldn¡¯t be such a restriction here.


    ¡°If I remember correctly, it should be just below the tree¡­over here?¡± (Souma)


    I stab my sword at the place I think it is.


    I soon heard a hard metallic sound.


    ¡°Here, I guess?¡± (Souma)


    I endure and keep my excitement inside me, and use both my bare hand and sword to dig out what was buried.


    But if you were to watch me objectively, I am a man that¡¯s digging in the garden of someone else in the dark.


    This is extremely suspicious behavior.


    I look like a weirdo.


    I felt a bit guilty here that I am skipping the events and cheating here. It made me feel as if I am doing something bad here.


    I get desperate here and dig with more passion in order to quickly finish this.


    The soil was harder than I thought, and I had a hard time digging, but it is fortunate that the place it was buried at was shallow.


    Just a few minutes later, I found a black metal box.


    ¡°Hehehe, I did it¡­¡± (Souma)


    I didn¡¯t do anything special here, but I felt an incredible sense of accomplishment.


    I look around.


    Fortunately, there wasn¡¯t anyone watching.


    I slowly extend my hand towards the box.


    There was decent weight to it.


    This event is supposed to happen around midgame.


    I can expect quite a bit from what¡¯s inside.


    I should be careful here.


    I once again look around.


    It seems like there¡¯s no one watching.


    ¡°It is not like someone was stealthily keeping watch on me, right?¡± (Souma)


    You can¡¯t call my current stats high by a long shot.


    If I were to be targeted by a decently strong thief, I honestly would have no hopes of winning.


    No, this Meripe incident happened more than 50 years ago according to the story.


    In the first place, there should be no one who should know about the existence of this treasure, or someone who holds the rights to this box.


    There should be no one keeping an eye on me, and no person who should be able to tell this is a treasure.


    I am not digging the ground anymore, so I shouldn¡¯t look so suspicious now.


    Yeah, no problems.


    ¡°It is okay, it is okay.¡± (Souma)


    No worries.


    I shake off my fears and look around with a confident expression.


    There really is no one.


    I hurriedly carried the black box in my arm.


    Well, no harm in being careful.


    I look around for one last time, and hold the box as if pushing it onto my stomach so that no one finds out I have a box, and then walk with hurried steps while slouching.


    It was only after I returned to the inn that I noticed that maybe that was making me look more suspicious than necessary.


    ¡°Ooh, boy, you are back! Dinner today is¡ª¡±


    ¡°Sorry! Please leave that for later!¡± (Souma)


    I sped off from the innkeeper who spoke to me and entered my room while still holding the box.


    Even though I didn¡¯t do anything specially taxing, I was running out of breath here.


    I remember the story Maki told me about how she brought 20,000 yen for some school event, and on her way to school, everyone looked like a thief.


    At that time, I thought ¡®what are you getting all scared about for a mere 20,000 yen?¡¯, but now I think I understand how she felt.


    No, I am not that scared, but well¡­let¡¯s say I understand about 10% of it.


    ¡°A-Alright¡­!¡± (Souma)


    I put the black box at the bed and stand warily in front of it.


    I successfully obtained the box, but that¡¯s only half the fight.


    There¡¯s a dial lock at the very center of the jet black box, and I won¡¯t be able to open it unless I get the numbers right.


    ¡°Shall we do this?¡± (Souma)


    I still remember the numbers clearly.


    12076.


    Thanks to having chanted that number over and over, I have memorized it.


    The problem is¡­


    ¡°Getting it wrong would be bad.¡± (Souma)


    If you input the wrong numbers and try to open it, you get an intense electric shock, and receive heavy damage.


    If I were to get hit by that at this point in time, there¡¯s no doubt I would die instantly.


    I went through the trouble of getting it, so it would be troubling if I consulted someone and got it stolen from me.


    I steel myself and dialed the numbers.


    ¡°¡­1¡­2¡­0¡­7¡­6.¡± (Souma)


    I match the numbers, and once I am done, I confirm it again.


    1, 2, 0, 7, 6.


    Alright, it isn¡¯t wrong.


    There¡¯s no such thing here where the numbers are slightly off-center.


    There shouldn¡¯t be any problems with this.


    ¡°Shall I¡­open it?¡± (Souma)


    I hold the box from both sides.


    With this, I can open the box just by lifting my arms.


    ¡­Or get burned to a crisp.


    No, that won¡¯t be happening.


    I am confident that the numbers are right.


    Just by opening this box, the heritage of Meripe will be mine.


    I glare at the box.


    12076.


    The numbers aren¡¯t changing.


    It should be fine.


    No, is this really the box?


    Maybe it was actually 12067?


    No no, that¡¯s impossible.


    I remembered it so clearly.


    ¡°Fuuuh¡­¡± (Souma)


    I wipe off the sweat in my hands.


    ¡°Alright, I can do this!¡± (Souma)


    I say this to hype myself up.


    I thought about using a sword or something to open it, but I soon abandoned the idea.


    It would be pointless to deal with electricity using a sword.


    In the first place, I am confident the numbers are right, so this is a problem of courage.


    It is okay.


    This box was in the same place as the game.


    The password should obviously be the same.


    I resolved myself and put strength in both hands¡­


    ¡°Hey, boy! Dinner is¡ª¡±


    ¡°Uhyaaaaa!¡± (Souma)


    I jumped up at the voice that came from my back.


    When I turned around, there was the innkeeper with eyes wide open, his head peeking through the door.


    ¡°W-What a yelp you let out there. That startled me.¡±


    ¡°W-Wa¡­?!¡± (Souma)


    I could only flap my mouth. My voice wasn¡¯t coming out.


    You said I startled you, but you are the one that startled me.


    I thought my heart would jump out there.


    ¡°At least knock the door.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh? Aah, sorry about that. The door wasn¡¯t locked, so I entered out of habit. Ah right, dinner is ready, so I came to tell you¡­¡±


    He rubbed his smooth head while saying this, and my anger just left me.


    Right, he did say that it came with dinner.


    I am probably also at fault for not confirming a lot of things first.


    ¡°¡­Got it. I will be there real soon, so please wait for me down below.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Alright! You and one other are the only customers today, so get there soon, okay?!¡±


    Just how unpopular is this inn?


    ¡°¡­Alright.¡± (Souma)


    The innkeeper old man left the room, and after confirming that he went to the lower floor, I locked the door this time for sure and turned around to challenge the box once again¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s one way to do it, I guess¡­¡± (Souma)


    Both knees dropped to the floor.


    The box was open.


    Looks like I reflexively opened it after getting surprised from the back.


    I looked inside the box and I could see shiny jewels and ornaments inside.


    First day of my game life.


    ¡­I am rich.

 CH 6

    New Communicate Online has given birth to many a legend, but what¡¯s most impressive about this game is how single player it is.


    There¡¯s stuff like Communicate and Online in its name, and yet, not only is it not an MMO, but there¡¯s not even the function to play with others at all.


    What a damn shock that was.


    According to what I investigated before on the net, this Communicate didn¡¯t come from a VR game or an MMO, but from an action game series, and the company then tried to make a VRMMO which was the craze at present. And so, the production of New Communicate Online began.


    It was a new VRMMO game of the Communicate series, so it was called New Communicate Online.


    It was truly a straight to the point name.


    But, obviously, the company had no knowledge in making MMOs. Moreover, there was an incident of cyberterrorism related to VRMMOs (they hacked into a part of the VRMMO servers, and forcefully played strong lights and sounds to the people playing. No deaths, but several lost consciousness and were hospitalized). Since then, the regulations about it have been really strict.


    In the end, the idea was abandoned because of lack of expertise, and was remade into a normal VR game.


    You would think ¡®then change the damn name¡¯, but because of the cash used for publicity and all sorts of areas, they decided to just jam it in as it is despite it being reckless.


    That said, a buzzing VR game having changed to single player was actually a plus factor for me at the time.


    I have been a loner the whole time even in college, so why should I get involved with others in the game world?


    I was thinking that and, among the many people who were raising cries, wailing at the broken dreams of playing with others, I bought New Communicate Online gleefully on the release date.


    But the real legend of this game began there.


    The final product was riddled with bugs and had no proper form as a game. It was the worst piece of work you could find.


    Characters would suddenly teleport while they are talking, and depending on the order of events, characters who should be dead would show up as if natural.


    If you gather the conditions well and activate 3 specific events at the same time, you can achieve the mass shadow clone secret technique where 3 of the same NPC will appear at the same time. This bug invited a weird laugh from many a player.


    If it is just that much, you could wash it off with a laugh, but there¡¯s also cases where, if you drop a quest item you think was not useful anymore, you wouldn¡¯t be able to get them again, and it would be impossible to clear the game; if two events with the same NPC overlap, the progress of the other one gets erased, leading to a situation where it is impossible to clear the game. There was a whole feast of bugs that would make it impossible to progress the game.


    What¡¯s worse is that it is not only exclusive to story and events.


    Its selling point was supposed to be the exhilarating combat brought from the countless skills, but the combat system was a complete mess.


    The one with the worst reputation was everything surrounding the times when monsters die.


    When they die, they turn into light particles, but those effects were so overloaded that the speed they disappeared was extremely slow¡­leading to being attacked by monsters that should have been dead.


    No, it is not like monsters would come back to life, but if they are in a combat animation just before they die, the attack will still resolve.


    As a result, there was a pitifully high amount of players who were killed by 0 HP monsters, and added to the infamy of New Communicate Online.


    But wait, there¡¯s more.


    Weapon proficiency should be the cornerstone of combat, and yet, despite using a sword, your axe proficiency is what would increase; you use axe skills with spears; not being able to use bow skills despite having a bow equipped. And the final blow: the moment people learned that weapon proficiency had nothing to do with the power of the weapon skills in the first place, countless players who were playing the game seriously lost their marbles.


    The combat balance was also a mess and a half. Even enemies that would fall in the category of metal slimes, after going through the pains of defeating them, would only give experience equal to that of small fries; the opposite is true as well, there would be enemies that give a lot more experience than the boss of the dungeon. There would be cases when monsters would phase through floors and die from fall damage all on their own, ending up with dungeons that have almost no enemies in it; in the worst cases, you could encounter a high difficulty dungeon boss wandering in the field, ending up in an instant-death fest.


    They inflated expectations with pre-rendered videos, creating talk about how pretty and flashy the effects of the skills, which obviously came back to bite them.


    The most famous bug when it came to skills was the so-called ¡®Late Friday Skywalker Incident¡¯. By fulfilling a number of conditions, you can walk in the sky after a midair jump. Depending on the situation, you would have no other way of returning to the ground aside from killing yourself.


    Aside from all those listed, there were as many bugs as there were stars in the sky found in this game.


    The light animation of normal skills being actual solid objects, or how the effects and animations of skills don¡¯t match its range was practically the natural state of the game.


    The specially unique bugs would be the butt of many jokes on the net, and there were even people who began giving them names in amusement.


    A famous one is when you use two spells with intense effects at the same time in your field of vision. The too strong light and sound effects would activate the safety mechanism that was added after the cyberterrorism incident, and you would be forcefully logged out. This was called: Forbidden Fused Spell ¨C Death Flash.


    Even though the effects would lead you to believe you are attacking in a radius of 5 meters, it is actually a disappointing ability that doesn¡¯t even have an aoe of 2 meters. Called: the Empty ¨C White Flash.


    If you are within range of your own aoe, there¡¯s a high chance that you will end up dying. AKA: One Hit One Suicide ¨C Bloody Stub.


    I don¡¯t know if it was a mistake when setting the damage values, but there were times when the damage multiplier would be negative, and when you attack the enemy, you would instead heal them. AKA: The Fist of the Living ¨C Assassin Rage.


    And many more.


    A whole trove of unintended skills were born.


    Leaving aside those bugs that could still be enjoyed in their own way as jokes, there were a lot of things that you couldn¡¯t reach despite being right in arm¡¯s length, and that annoyed a lot of players.


    I have touched on it before. What you can change from the character¡¯s outward appearance is the color of your hair, skin color, and the accessories that can be placed on your head. Aside from all those, you have no choice but to utilize your own body data.


    Moreover, despite only having 3 patterns of hair and skin color, the cat ears accessory you can put on your head has as many as 8 different designs. ¡®Their resources are so misplaced¡¯, ¡®just how much do these dudes love cat ears?¡¯ -topics like those heated up in a bad way on anonymous forums.


    It was at that moment when New Communicate Online began to be called on the net as Nekomimi Cat Offline. <Neko = Cat, Mimi = Ears>


    After that dumpster fire, New Communicate Online is now called affectionately as Nekomimi Neko Offline, or simply Nekomimi Neko, or Nekomimi Neko(lol).


    Only god knows if they are actually calling it that affectionately.


    The game itself came out in that state, so there were of course cries of protest, complaints, and questions like: ¡®I demand a refund!¡¯, ¡®Being online was a load of bull!¡¯, ¡®Do something about these bugs!¡¯, ¡®It suddenly went all dark and I couldn¡¯t move at all. What should I do to fix it?¡¯, ¡®It is burning, everything is burning!!!¡¯.


    This trainwreck was so intense that it even showed up in the news.


    And ironically, this resulted in Nekomimi Neko becoming online in the true meaning of the word.


    The fix patches were distributed around the net.


    Because of this, Nekomimi Neko finally became an online game (if you were not online, fixes would be impossible to apply and you can¡¯t play properly).


    The new patches coming out one after the other, and the bugs that were found at paces surpassing those.


    By the time those patches had gone over the 30th, most of the playerbase had given up on it.


    Even the net bunch that were making a fuss about the bugs, these guys that were in a sense the number one fans of the game, lost interest with time as the novelty of it dimmed, and began searching for other shitty games to bash.


    ¡­The festival was over.


    But, even with that, I still continued playing this game.


    There weren¡¯t many other VR single player fantasy games, and despite all said, I had grown to love Nekomimi Neko.


    Even after 1 year passed since it came out, Nekomimi Neko was still the faulty product it was, and it stopped at version 1.37. It barely managed to fix all the bugs that made the game impossible to finish, but the bugs that were judged to be low priority -like the ones related to skills- were barely touched on.


    But depending on how you think about it, that¡¯s one ¡®feature¡¯ of the game.


    If you enjoy the bugs as well, it can be a unique part of it.


    Skills, weapons, and enemies; leaving aside their quality, the variety was there. Finding useful and amusing things from those was unexpectedly fun.


    That said, I don¡¯t think Nekomimi Neko is the best game.


    I even think that I would be able to find more enjoyable games if I tried searching for them.


    But¡­


    Anyways, I swam the seas of the net, gathered more information than anyone, and most of my time aside from the times when I go to my college classes, I would pour them into Nekomimi Neko.


    It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that around 80% of my college memories are of Nekomimi Neko.


    But well¡­


    ¡°To think that I would end up actually living in the game world¡­¡± (Souma)


    It was at that moment when I finally opened my closed eyes.


    What was reflected in my opened eyes was the scene of a room I have grown tired of seeing, yet it is my first time seeing.


    I have passed countless nights here in my gaming days -a room in the inn at Lamurick.


    I slowly raise my hand.


    In those fingers, there were two rings which were not there when I came to this world.


    The ring that increases your stamina to its highest value and the ring that increases the recovery rate of said stamina which were both found in the Heritage of the Thief Meripe.


    I don¡¯t remember the other items from the heritage that well, but these ones, I do remember well.


    Stamina is one of the stats that you can¡¯t increase with levels, so you have to do that with equipment.


    Equipment that increases the stamina value is already scarce in itself, so this ring that has a high effect despite it being possible to obtain in midgame has taken care of me a lot.


    ¡°So pretty.¡± (Souma)


    I look at the ring shining a beautiful hue which I would never have been able to wear in real life.


    These magic rings that change size according to the user fit right in my fingers.


    I stare absentmindedly at it while thinking¡­


    It is not like I have no lingering feelings towards my previous world.


    But¡­


    ¡°[Energy Arrow].¡± (Souma)


    I did a short chant and shot a basic magic skill, Energy Arrow.


    The small magic arrow born from my finger tip headed to the place I targeted, drew one big circle, but couldn¡¯t manage to make the full turn so it went way off, and because it went way off, this time around it turned the opposite way¡­and so it ended up spinning around like a dog chasing its tail.


    This is what happens when targeted skills are set in the inner circumference of the skill range.


    AKA pinwheel firework. It is a slight trick that can¡¯t even be called a bug.


    It is not like you use it to fight enemies, and it is not like it brings any sort of harm; not harmful but not beneficial, just a small party trick.


    But¡­


    ¡°It really is pretty.¡± (Souma)


    I end up feeling that way.


    I didn¡¯t think I would be able to see this sight outside of a virtual world.


    Just from that, I ended up thinking that it was worth coming here.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The arrow of light eventually disappeared.


    Even so, I closed my eyes as if keeping in the afterimages.


    Aah, yeah.


    I knew it.


    I won¡¯t say I have no lingering regrets from my previous world.


    But¡­


    ¡°¡­This world isn¡¯t bad either.¡± (Souma)

 CH 7-8

    In the world of Nekomimi Neko (New Communicate Online), the trade of goods is done with the mana currency called element.


    You use your exclusive-use crystals that have mana accumulated in it as money to do your groceries and your purchases.


    In this world where the magic culture has developed, you need mana in order to light a fire.


    It has a lot more practical use than gold or gems. Mana holds stable worth and it is specially suitable as the main currency in regions like this one.


    In other words, this is a characteristic setting you would only find in fantasies¡­is what I would want to say, but it is actually because the modern era people have gotten so used to e-money. They were pondering how to manage something similar to that in the game which led to this system.


    It is a dream-crusher of a story, but e-money has become the mainstream when shopping, and stuff like physical currency is almost all gone in modern Japan. It would most likely be a pain to count your gold and silver each time just to do your shopping.


    I honestly think that¡¯s a pain as well.


    You decide on how much to pay, push your crystal, and you are done. I would rather have that.


    While thinking that, I¡­


    ¡°Thank you very much!¡±


    I sold the Heritage of the Thief Meripe that I got last night, and while holding a crystal with a whole lot of elements (E) in it, I exited the establishment.


    Second day of my game life.


    The first thing I did after leaving the inn was to head to the item shop.


    In the end, I couldn¡¯t think of a safe way to carry the box of the Meripe Heritage and just went with it like that to the store.


    I sold the jewels inside it, and I seriously felt like my body was so on guard until the specified E was passed to my crystal.


    I was so nervous the whole time wondering if a thief would come out from a street corner, and every single person that came to vision felt as if they were out to get my box.


    I seriously can¡¯t laugh at Maki on this one.


    Even at the time when entering the store, I thought that the shopkeeper would become a money gremlin and attack me the moment she saw the jewels I had, or maybe I would be hard pressed as to how I got all of this, or that maybe she would look down on me and burst out laughing¡­but none of that happened.


    Of course, I don¡¯t know the clear numbers, but I was properly paid in what I think is the exact same amount as in the game, and the clerk of the item shop gave me a splendid business smile.


    ¡°Thank you very much~.¡±


    She said this and saw me off.


    ¡­Now that I think about it, I wonder why all the item shop clerks are women?


    Anyways, this is one thing off my mind now.


    Jewels have the chance of being robbed, but once you get it in the crystal, there¡¯s no way to steal E without my permission.


    No worries about having it stolen now.


    Well, honestly speaking, if the owner of said crystal dies, the restriction is gone as well, so there¡¯s fellows who would go as far as killing to steal it, but let¡¯s not think about that one.


    With this, I now have 175,300 E.


    Considering how I had 500 E at the beginning, this is quite the rise.


    The reward of quests depends mostly on the difficulty of the quest itself.


    The reward of a midgame quest that requires you to clear 3 dungeons and solve a puzzle is obviously going to be outstandingly high for a beginner player.


    Well, you can¡¯t count on Nekomimi Neko when it comes to the balance in that area either, so there¡¯s times when you would work your ass off and still end up with a measly reward, but the Heritage of the Thief Meripe is a quest that has a reward worthy of the troubles.


    By the way, isn¡¯t the starting 500 E a bit too low?


    I used 200 just to stay in a cheap inn, so I would end up dry with just 2 stays.


    Good grief, what a reckless man this character is.


    ¡°With this, I can buy equipment, but¡­before that, I have to go to the place of the Tutogramps, huh.¡± (Souma)


    The Tutogramps is an adventurer that has retired, and just as the name states, it is the 2nd tutorial assistant.


    Even in the tour of Reinhart yesterday, his name came up, and he told me to ask him if I had any questions.


    He would teach the basics of adventuring to a player, and he also gives you necessary items for adventurers, so there¡¯s¡­no choice of not going.


    The Tutogramps gives 3 items.


    The first one is the Adventurer Bag that can carry more than its appearance tells, and it technically serves as your inventory.


    The Item Box that you can practically store items without any limit and serves as your storage.


    And the item for a quest, the Mysterious Piece of Paper.


    All of them are necessary gameplay items.


    Especially if you are going to be buying equipment, the Adventurer Bag is absolutely necessary.


    The Adventurer Poach you have at the start has the same kind of effect, but that¡¯s mostly to store consumables, so you can only put in 6 types of items.


    Also, it is impossible to store things that are big like equipment.


    The Adventurer Bag itself doesn¡¯t have an infinite amount of space either though.


    That¡¯s where the Item Box comes to play.


    To be more precise, you get the right to use one of the Item Boxes in the city, but it is extremely convenient for throwing your equipment in it.


    The last one, the Mysterious Piece of Paper, is also incredibly useful.


    It looks like a paper that has illegible scribbles in it, but it is actually a necessary quest item to advance the main scenario.


    It doesn¡¯t look that important, so it tends to be trashed when the bag is too full, and when that happens, you get hard locked away from the scenario.


    What¡¯s worse about this is that thrown items disappear after a set amount of time, so say goodbye to clearing the game ever.


    It has been fixed with a patch, so it won¡¯t disappear even if you throw it away. Anyways, this is an item worth attention in that sense.


    Honestly, I am not good at dealing with that old man, but I can¡¯t not go.


    I know that I am being shameless complaining here despite being the one receiving the gifts, but¡­


    In the end, I decided the next place to go would be the house of Tutogramps.


    I began walking straight to the house of the old man.


    After that, I safely got the items from the Tutogramps, but there was no new information there, so I will omit it**.


    Let¡¯s just say that the Tutogramps is the Tutogramps even in this world.


    ¡°With this, I can get my equipment.¡± (Souma)


    I lightly smack the Adventurer Bag I got just now.


    I could freely take items in and out from the Adventurer Bag with the same feel as with the poach.


    With this, I won¡¯t have to worry even if I buy bulky things.


    But what should I do?


    There¡¯s no noteworthy equipment being sold in this Lamurick City.


    Even so, it is still equipment that¡¯s far above the stage I am in, so it would greatly decrease the time I take to level up, but if I am going to be buying stuff, I would like to aim for a bit higher than that.


    Naturally from the beginner city, the enemies around are low level, and the quests are all stuff you get at the very beginning.


    But it is not like there¡¯s no quests that appear midgame and further like the Heritage of the Thief Meripe.


    If I had to give an extreme example of this, it would be the hidden dungeon that is opened once you clear the main scenario which is at the outskirts of the city. There¡¯s of course top class enemies in there.


    It is absolutely impossible for me to clear the dungeon with my current equipment and level though.


    But what I mean here is that, if I aim for the rewards of those quests, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible to get equipment that¡¯s stronger than the ones in the stores.


    ¡°In that case, it really gotta be there.¡± (Souma)


    After thinking about it all the way there, a certain house came to mind.


    ¡°To think I would be coming here again¡­¡± (Souma)


    The place I arrived at while relying on my hazy memory was a normal house that¡¯s slightly off from the center of the city.


    But this house that would at a glance look like any ordinary house is actually where the weapon I personally rank in the top 3 of best unique weapons is sleeping at, Shiranui.


    Unique weapon makes it sound strong, but it simply means that there¡¯s no other way to obtain that item.


    Nekomimi Neko is not a multiplayer game, so there¡¯s no point in having several of the same weapon anyways. Just having the title of Unique doesn¡¯t make it that special.


    Hell, the starting equipment that is the Rusting Sword (Attack: 3) is a Unique Item that can¡¯t be obtained anywhere else.


    ¡°So nostalgic¡­¡± (Souma)


    The one living in this house is an old man called Lang and, completely opposite of Tutogramps, is an incredibly quiet guy.


    I can obtain the katana I want, Shiranui, by doing the chain quest related to Lang-san, but this is another pain in the ass quest.


    First, you have to come often to the place of Lang-san, get close to him, and have him entrust you the letter to his son in the capital.


    Go to the capital to deliver the letter to Lang-san¡¯s son.


    When you do that, you will get a request from the son, so you have to resolve that.


    You have the son write a response to the letter, and give it to Lang-san.


    That¡¯s the flow of events and, finally, after he receives the letter of his son¡­


    ¡°Now that I think about it, there are weapons in my grandfather¡¯s collection. I don¡¯t need it, so take it.¡±


    Is what he would say. Within those weapons, one of those is Shiranui. And so, you finally obtain it.


    It is not just a pain in the ass.


    Even without Shiranui, which is the strongest weapon among its peers of the same level, this quest is worth doing.


    It is one of the rare occurrences in Nekomimi Neko where the story of the quest is good.


    Lang-san, who is not good with words, shows pinches of care and love towards his son.


    The lingering regrets and conflict within his son towards his father after having left for the city.


    Seeing the ice in their relationship thaw through the letters was a truly moving tearjerker even for me.


    It was a splendid quest that I honestly thought I was glad of doing.


    But if you tell me to do that quest again¡­yeah, it is a pain and a half.


    Honestly speaking, the first scenes of getting along with Lang-san are the most heart wrenching, and not in a good way.


    You have to listen to Lang-san for at least 5 times before he entrusts you with the letter, but that¡¯s incredibly difficult to achieve.


    If I remember correctly, I came to this house for around 10 days.


    It is not like Lang-san is hard to please, but he is the quiet type, so if you don¡¯t properly chime in every now and then, that¡¯s it. It is a damn rhythm game!!


    If you mess it up a little bit, the conversation halts.


    You would get told ¡®come again¡¯ and be driven out from the house, and you end up having to listen to the same story again the next day.


    ¡®Why is this guy telling me the same story? Is he senile?¡¯, is what I thought when I was playing, but I wonder if it is the same in this world.


    I do want to try it out, but it doesn¡¯t have to be now.


    Getting Shiranui is my utmost priority right now.


    ¡°But this is troubling¡­¡± (Souma)


    I hesitated in front of Lang-san¡¯s house.


    To be honest, this is a high difficulty mission for me.


    I am a college student that shut himself in his room playing games all the time, so my communication skills have lowered quite a bit.


    Even without that, I am seriously bad when it comes to negotiations.


    Would I be able to talk with Lang-san?


    ¡°No!¡± (Souma)


    Don¡¯t get weak on your knees here!


    I even got the black box.


    I am sure it will be okay this time around too.


    ¡°¡­Fuuuhaaaa¡­¡± (Souma)


    I take a deep breath.


    First impressions are the most important in everything.


    If I do it well from the beginning, I should be able to get Shiranui in one go!


    I steel my resolve and knocked the door of Lang-san energetically.


    ¡°Excuse meee! I heard there¡¯s a famous sword here. Would you sell it to me???¡± (Souma)


    And then, a few minutes later, a single katana was in front of me.


    ¡ª¨C


    Shiranui [Sword: Ootachi]


    Attack: 91


    Weight: 8


    Added Element: None


    Special Ability: None


    ¡ª¨C


    I got my most desired Shiranui!


    Man, the power of money!!


    After having obtained Shiranui without any incidents, I swung Shiranui as I walked with a gleeful mood, but¡­


    ¡°Eh? Wait a moment¡­¡± (Souma)


    I noticed I overlooked something and stopped my feet.


    I can¡¯t open the menu window since the time I came to this world.


    Both the general menu that had the phone and time functions, and the game menu where you could find the status window and the save and load.


    Meaning that¡­


    ¡°How should I equip this?¡± (Souma)


    In the Nekomimi Neko world, you choose the equipment from the menu window, and it is after choosing the equipment there that it reflects on your character.


    That¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t take off my own equipment and the equipment of others by force, and even if I hold a weapon that I don¡¯t have equipped, I won¡¯t be able to use skills, and even if I used it to attack, most stats of the weapon won¡¯t be applied, so there¡¯s practically no meaning to it.


    There¡¯s actually corporate business involved in this, and you can find the underlying cause within the NPCs of this game at a place you can¡¯t see.


    In other words, if you could forcefully take their equipment, there will definitely be horny people who would try to strip the clothes of female NPCs. This game is all-ages, so it would be troubling for them if you could do that¡­


    As for your personal character, if you take off all your equipment, you end up in underwear, so you can¡¯t get naked.


    In that case, even if I have Shiranui, it would be wasted¡­


    ¡°¡­Wait. By that logic, does that mean this stamina ring would be useless too?¡± (Souma)


    I put it on my fingers all naturally, but by the game¡¯s logic, I still haven¡¯t equipped them yet.


    ¡°No, that makes no sense. If I remember correctly, rings adjusting to the size of your finger is a trait of when you equip them. Then, are they properly equipped?¡± (Souma)


    I am beginning to get confused here.


    ¡°Let¡¯s test it out for a bit.¡± (Souma)


    I walk to a random back alley, and search for a place that¡¯s decently open and doesn¡¯t have people.


    ¡°¡­Around here, I guess.¡± (Souma)


    I am in an open space between two houses that¡¯s spacious enough to play catch.


    There¡¯s flowers planted at the corner that¡¯s demarcated by stones. It is written with flimsy writing ¡®flower bed¡¯ and it was a bit heartwarming.


    (I gotta be careful not to step on the flowers.) (Souma)


    While I was thinking that, I got ready with not Shiranui but the Rusting Sword.


    After that¡­


    ([Step]!) (Souma)


    I won¡¯t make the same mistake.


    If I shout the skill name and use cancel to activate skills consecutively, it will be hard to play it off.


    That¡¯s why I give the order in my head.


    ¡°!!¡±


    Sudden acceleration from a totally still position.


    I taste a familiar sensation that ignores the laws of physics.


    And then, the moment both of my feet land on the ground¡­


    ([Slash]!) (Souma)


    I didn¡¯t let that moment escape and activate Slash.


    I hesitated for a bit, but I waited until I finished swinging the sword, and¡­


    ([Step]!) (Souma)


    I once again activate Step.


    Of course, it succeeded.


    I didn¡¯t have the leeway when I was using it in the middle of the battle before, but I now have enough composure to be able to confirm how taxing skills are on my body.


    I am still good to go.


    ([Slash]!) (Souma)


    I once again cancel once the skill ends, and chain it with Slash.


    Until here, it has been the same combo that I used to defeat the female bandit.


    At that time, I didn¡¯t have the rings on, so I was completely out of breath, so it was impossible to go any further than that, but¡­


    (I can still go on! [Step]!) (Souma)


    I take one step forward there.


    Canceling Slash into a Step.


    My vision blurs.


    ¡°Kuuh!¡± (Souma)


    My chest throbbed in pain there.


    A sign of running out of stamina.


    Even so, there¡¯s not that pain like before.


    Continue!


    ([Slash]!) (Souma)


    The pain in my chest was hindering my concentration, but that much isn¡¯t going to get in the way of what has been etched into my body.


    I have practiced Step cancels to Slashes several thousands, several tens of thousands of times in the game world.


    ¡°¡­Hah!¡± (Souma)


    My limit came then.


    I finished swinging my sword, and at the same time as the skill stun went away, I let out a deep sigh and collapsed right then and there.


    ¡°Haah¡­haaah¡­suuuhfuuuh¡­¡± (Souma)


    I take deep breaths to settle down and feel up the feedback.


    The number of skills I can use consecutively has clearly increased.


    If you raise your skill proficiency, the stamina cost decreases, but that alone won¡¯t explain this phenomenon.


    (The rings are showing effect!) (Souma)


    And with that knowledge, there¡¯s only one thing left to test out now.


    ¡°Here we go.¡± (Souma)


    I stand up with unsteady feet.


    I take out Shiranui from the bag, and store the Rusty Sword.


    I take a stance with Shiranui.


    ([Slash]!) (Souma)


    I order the skill.


    Once I did, my body moved on its own, held Shiranui up, and¡­swung down!


    *Swoosh!*


    The sound of cutting wind rang.


    This really is a high level weapon.


    Even when using the same skill, the power is completely different.


    But that¡¯s not what¡¯s important.


    ¡°¡­I managed¡­to use a skill.¡± (Souma)


    With Shiranui in hand.


    In other words, I can equip a weapon without going through the menu screen.


    ¡°The menu can¡¯t be used now that the world is reality, so does that mean that you can now compensate for that lack of a feature with a realistic method?¡± (Souma)


    I give a quick and half-baked deduction.


    Despite just being a simple conjecture, I think it is not that bad of an assumption.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± (Souma)


    And at the same time, something was bothering me with it. I can¡¯t really pinpoint what it is.


    ¡°Oh well.¡± (Souma)


    I am grateful that I can freely change the equipment.


    My immediate worries are solved, and since I have found a place with no prying eyes, let¡¯s test out the skills for a bit more.


    ¡°Should I¡­try that?¡± (Souma)


    The canceling of Step and Slash is a basic technique of players who aim to master Nekomimi Neko (not that there are many to begin with), so just being able to do that doesn¡¯t really qualify you as an expert.


    Skill canceling is the act of overlapping a different skill while a skill is in the middle of animation, but it is not like the timing is at any moment you please.


    Only at the specific moments already set beforehand in the skills, Cancel Points, can this new input be accepted.


    The timings as a whole in Nekomimi Neko are really tight, and if you miss it by anything short of a perfect, you are out.


    In other words, in order to do a Skill Cancel, you have to Order the next skill accurately in the instant called a Cancel Point.


    The skills of Nekomimi Neko have more than 2 Cancel Points set normally.


    When you cancel at the first Cancel Point, we call it Short Cancel; if you cancel at the second or onward, it is called a Long Cancel.


    Both I have been using until now have been Long Cancels.


    Because you need to Order in a shorter span, Short Cancel is of course the harder one to perform.


    I am about to test that out right now.


    ¡°¡­Alright.¡± (Souma)


    I confirm that there¡¯s no obstructions and that it is an open space.


    When you do a Long Cancel of Step and Slash, the skill stun is gone.


    Step makes you jump into the specified direction at high speed, it decelerates in midair, and you land on the ground.


    The 2nd Cancel Point is the moment you land on the ground, and the other Cancel Point is the instant when you reach the highest acceleration and begin to decelerate.


    And so, in exchange for becoming around half of the movement distance if you do a Short Cancel, you can cut off the slower movement of the second half.


    On the other hand, the Slash¡¯s Short Cancel is even more extreme.


    The 2nd Cancel Point of Slash is when you finish swinging the sword, the 1st Cancel Point is -to everyone¡¯s surprise- right after you begin to swing your sword.


    Of course, if you cancel it before you swing your sword down, the attack won¡¯t be hitting.


    But¡­the evolution of it isn¡¯t in the attack.


    What¡¯s important is that, after canceling your skill, just after bringing out the Slash, you can cancel the Slash almost with no time wasted.


    In other words¡­by squeezing in a Short Cancel Slash, you can use another Skill with almost no time lag!


    The movement speed of this Step and Slash Short Cancel combo is overwhelming.


    It is to the point that most people who watched the uploaded video of this technique commented with an ¡®another bug, huh¡­¡¯.


    But when it was proved that this was not a bug but a technique, it switched into surprise and admiration in one go.


    After that, the players tried to learn that movement.


    But, as I said before, Short Cancel is difficult to pull off.


    Especially because, after a Cancel of Step to Slash, you have to do a Cancel from Slash to Step almost immediately.


    Moreover, a sliver off in timing and it won¡¯t activate.


    Most players gave up on mastering that way too tight timing, and this Step and Slash Short Cancel became an advanced technique in Nekomimi Neko.


    And so, because of that tight instant consecutive Cancel control and the violent movement speed when it succeeds, that technique was called the Godstep Cancel.


    It was only after a long long time of being shut in training for this Godstep Cancel that I managed to make it mine.


    It is the fastest speed one can attain in early game, moreover, you can connect it to a skill right after.


    If this technique can be used in this world, that will become a big advantage.


    (After learning other useful skills, I have not done this technique much, but my body should be able to remember the timing!) (Souma)


    It is a combo of the highest difficulty, but I believe I can do it.


    Now is the time to show the results of my gray college days!


    ¡°¡­Alright.¡± (Souma)


    I confirm that my stamina has recovered.


    Ready my sword and¡­go!


    ([Step]!) (Souma)


    I feel the acceleration hitting my body, but I have no time to relish in that feeling.


    I rapidly repeat the Orders.


    (¡­[Slash], [Step]¡­[Slash], [Step]¡­[Slash]!!) (Souma)


    My body moves at a violent speed, and only at the last attack did I finish performing it without canceling¡­


    *Byun!*


    The sound of cutting wind resonates in my ear.


    By the time I noticed, I had moved several meters in a few blinks, and had stopped just after I finished swinging my sword.


    Happiness wells up.


    I paid no mind to my ragged breath and clenched my fist¡­and then noticed¡­


    ¡°¡­!¡± (Souma)


    When I looked around, there was a small person peeking at me from a small road between houses with a dumbfounded expression.


    A young girl that¡¯s most likely from this neighborhood.


    Judging from the watering can in her hand, she must have come for the flower bed here.


    (Crap¡­!) (Souma)


    I could feel the blood draining from my face.


    Could it be that she saw what I did just now?


    No average skill can compare to the Godstep Cancel that utilizes the most advanced cancel technique.


    It should look abnormal in the eyes of anyone.


    It would be troubling if stories of this were to spread in the town.


    Should I silence her?


    No, we are dealing with a child here, so I should just say some half-assed excuse to deceive her¡­


    But before I could arrange my messy thoughts, the girl spoke.


    ¡°Onii-chan, your movements just now were gro~ss!¡±


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡± (Souma)


    The girl left the place just like that all merrily, leaving me frozen in place.


    After a good while of seeing off the girl and her not being in sight anymore, I could only say this in defeat.


    ¡°W-What¡¯s with that about being g-gross¡­? Water your damn flowers¡­¡± (Souma)**


    Are you telling me you can¡¯t see the greatness of this technique? How you cancel the early animation of a swift Step into holding up your sword and back into the dash of a Step and repeat with utmost precision?


    Does this world not see the beauty of animation canceling?!


    ¡­Sagara Souma learns the taste of defeat for the first time in the isekai.

 CH 9-10

    ¡°Shaaaaa¡ª!¡±


    3 goblins run my way while raising cries.


    But I feel no danger.


    Putting it bluntly, there¡¯s no need to even use skills on enemies like this.


    *Swish!*


    First, I slice in two the foremost one that went to my right using Shiranui.


    ¡°Gufu!¡±


    Next, to the left, I ignored the lunging knife and punched the goblin in the stomach.


    I follow the attack on the staggering and pained goblin.


    *Bam!*


    With a full power kick.


    ¡°Gyan!¡±


    The goblin goes down while raising a shameful cry.


    But a shiver ran down my back at that moment.


    And then, an impact assailed me.


    *Pang!*


    ¡°Kuh! So sly!¡± (Souma)


    I got hit because of my carelessness, but there was no damage.


    I instead used the momentum to cut it down with my katana, and moisten my lips in order to distract myself from my agitation.


    *Swish!*


    Lick.


    The only one remaining is the kicked one lying on the ground.


    I hit it real hard with the handle of the sword and¡­


    *Gan!*


    *Thud!*


    After bouncing once on the ground, it perished just like that.


    I defeated 3 enemies, but there was no item drop.


    If you deal the finishing blow on the weak point that¡¯s called a Critical Point, drop rate increases, but there¡¯s no need to go hard on the drops of goblins.


    I have no issues with that point.


    But¡­


    ¡°I messed around too much.¡± (Souma)


    If I continue fighting like this, I can¡¯t complain if something happens.


    I should be careful next time.


    ¡°Let¡¯s change hunting spots.¡± (Souma)


    I nodded at my own words and left the place.


    After my heart was completely broken by that young girl, I left to the field in order to recover my lost confidence.


    I jumped into the armor store and bought the best product of Lamurick which is mithril equipment.


    Well, because I said I wanted mithril products despite having newbie equipment, the clerk looked at me dubiously; since I didn¡¯t know how to wear this nice equipment, I had the clerk help me out; tried doing little tricks like putting paper in between the armor to increase my survival rate; posed a little bit in front of a mirror after changing. As you see, a lot happened, but I safely finished my shopping.


    I actually should have departed after getting an assortment of accessories and items, but I was in a hurry.


    However, there was no need to worry.


    I went to the closest prairie at the north side of the town where the weakest monsters could be found, and fought the goblins and the weakest monsters of Nekomimi Neko which are Rural Slime and its variant, Ugly Rural Slime. They were far weaker than I thought.**


    Shiranui can defeat them in one hit and -even if it is store bought armor- I am using mithril armor that¡¯s a high class item in early game. The attacks of Rural Slimes were nothing.


    I kill them in one hit and, even when I get hit, I receive no damage.


    It was truly one-sided.


    It was good that I learned here that I don¡¯t feel bad killing monsters, but with monsters that are not a threat at all, I don¡¯t know how well I would be able to fight when trouble does decide to visit my doors.


    I move to a place with enemies that are a bit stronger, and decide to fight for real this time around.


    I was fighting in a place called the Beginner Prairie located at the north of Lamurick, and it is the weakest area where monsters around level 3 show up.


    If I go further west from here, I will arrive at the Beginner Forest where level 5-6 monsters show up. With how things are, I would say there would be no problems at all even there.


    I pass the town and head south, to the Sealed Lands where enemies around level 25 show up.


    Right now my level and weapon proficiency is low, but my equipment alone is top notch.


    This is just by feel, but I would say my attack power is equal to that of a level 40 even without skills.


    My defense is around the ballpark of a level 20 adventurer.


    A level 25 monster is by no means above me.


    Of course, I don¡¯t plan on pushing my limits here.


    With the battles at the prairie, I learned that the encounters here are almost the same as in the game.


    They won¡¯t attack unless they catch sight of you.


    I walk while sticking to the walls so that I don¡¯t get found by monsters, and search for my prey.


    Ignore the enemies that are in groups of more than 2.


    Search for a monster that is isolated.


    ¡°¡­Found it.¡± (Souma)


    Excluding the red hat on its head, it is a monster with almost the same appearance as the goblin of before: Red Cap.


    It is a whole lot more aggressive than a goblin and its level is also high.


    If I remember correctly¡­it is level 24.


    (A fitting opponent to test my ability, huh.) (Souma)


    Alone and facing the other way.


    I hold my Shiranui tightly and slowly approach it with stealthy steps.


    And when I approach it to a certain degree¡­


    (¡­Now!) (Souma)


    I dash in one go.


    I activate Step towards the Red Cap, and after doing a Long Cancel on that Step, I mix in a Short Cancel, and Step again.


    ¡°¡­Gih?¡±


    The Red Cap reacted there, but it was already too late.


    The Red Cap was already in the range of my Shiranui.


    ¡°Eat this!¡± (Souma)


    This time around I shout without reservations and activate Slash.


    Not even a scream could come out.


    Shiranui sliced the Red Cap in half without allowing any resistance.


    It is a saving that the cutting sensation isn¡¯t so raw just like in the game.


    The Red Cap froze in place in its turning posture, and changed into light particles.


    On the other hand, I jumped back with Step after having finished swinging, and watched that event unfold.


    In Nekomimi Neko, you can¡¯t relax until the enemy has completely disappeared.


    Those were my precautionary moves for the sake of that.


    The Red Cap eventually disappeared completely.


    And then, at the place where the Red Cap was, the red cap which is its trademark remained there.


    My first drop item.


    This is the same as in the game.


    ¡°¡­Fuuh.¡± (Souma)


    Using skills consecutively really is rough.


    I take a deep breath.


    However, I can tell power is brimming in my body after defeating an enemy beyond my mettle.


    Level Up.


    While on that topic, I learned that I can defeat enemies of this rank with one Slash.


    A start that bodes well.


    ¡°Then, next time, let¡¯s purposely fight them from the front.¡± (Souma)


    I walk onwards to my next prey.


    The strongest enemy in the Sealed Lands are the dog monsters, Mad Hound.


    The other monsters, you can find them acting alone, but only the Mad Hounds are always acting in groups of more than two.


    The ones I encountered this time around were also a group of 2.


    They split to both sides and tried to attack me in a pincer move.


    I of course won¡¯t indulge them by just waiting.


    Even if unintentional, that female bandit taught me that the established tactic to defeat a pincer attack is to defeat any one side first.


    However, the Mad Hounds are far smarter than the monsters in this area, and there will be times when they evade.


    I pulled them in to a satisfactory extent, and aimed for the moment when one of the Hounds accumulated strength in its legs to lunge at me¡­


    ([Step]!) (Souma)


    Jump to the Hound.


    I immediately Short Cancel it with Slash.


    My fastest combo as of this moment cannot be avoided by the Hound.


    The Hound got hit by my attack and raised a death cry as it twisted its body to try and avoid.


    I intentionally don¡¯t cancel the skill stun of that Slash and invite the attack of the remaining one.


    (¡­Here it comes!) (Souma)


    I sense the remaining Mad Hound kicking the ground.


    The skill stun wears off at the same time I felt this, but I won¡¯t be able to make it in time even if I were to turn around here.


    That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t confirm my back and activate Step, jumping to the side to get out from the trajectory of the Mad Hound¡¯s attack.


    When I change the orientation of my body in midair¡­


    (My condolences.) (Souma)


    But it might be difficult to do a Slash in this position.


    In a moment¡¯s decision, I use one other basic skill.


    ([Side Slash]!) (Souma)


    I swing Shiranui as if trying to smash that body from the side.


    No matter how quick a Mad Hound is, it can¡¯t do anything in midair.


    With that direct hit, the Hound disappeared in a burst of light particles.


    ¡°Yup, looking good.¡± (Souma)


    After that, I continued fighting in the Sealed Lands and increased my level by quite a bit.


    The battle senses that I honed in the game are returning to me.


    I also confirmed that I can properly use Side Slash.


    ¡°Shiranui really is nice.¡± (Souma)


    That goes for the skills and the attack power, but what¡¯s most important here is that I am familiar with the use of it.


    In the first place, I have been using sword type weapons since the gaming era, so Shiranui feels right at home in my hand.


    I have done a proper explanation of the weapons, but weapons have their respective categories set like sword and spear. That decides the length of the weapon.


    There¡¯s a Nekomimi Neko-like circumstance for this. The effective range of the skills is set in stone, so the reach of the weapon has nothing to do with it.


    It might not click at first, but what would happen if you use a skill with a weapon that has different range?


    If you imagine that, you will be able to understand the reason.


    For example; if there¡¯s a super long sword here, and a super short sword here.


    The normal reach of the longsword will obviously be far superior, but in the logic of Nekomimi Neko, when you use a skill, their range will be the same.


    Adding more to that, when using skills, even if the longsword looks as if it hit, there would be no damage to the enemy, conversely, even if it looks as if the shortsword doesn¡¯t hit, the damage would register. There¡¯s a lot of inconvenient situations born from this.


    Thus, if it is a sword, all of them are in this range; if it is a spear, all of them are of this range. The reach is already set depending on the type of weapon.


    Also, there are a number of weapons that you could say have upwards compatibility.


    Dagger to Ninja Sword, Spear to Halberd, Sword to Katana, and many others.


    These upwards compatible weapons, for example, the ninja swords are categorized as such, but are also considered daggers, so you can use both dagger and ninja sword skills.


    Of course, the range is set the same as that of a dagger.


    That got a bit long there, but what I am trying to say here is that Shiranui, which has been designed as a katana, has the same range as a sword, and can use sword skills too.


    ¡°As long as I have this sword, I¡ªwa?!¡± (Souma)


    Because I was thinking while walking, I tripped over something.


    I fell on my knees there.


    ¡°Woah¡­¡± (Souma)


    My eyes met with the evil god that was glaring over here.


    Shivers ran down my spine.


    ¡°So this is the relief of the evil god, huh.¡± (Souma)


    The thing I tripped over.


    It is something that can be seen often in this country, especially in the territory of monsters: a relief carved in the semblance of the evil god.


    In the stage of Nekomimi Neko, the reason why there are many monsters in the Rihito Kingdom is because there¡¯s an Evil God sealed closeby.


    My merry mood dampens in one go.


    The level of the last boss, the Apocalypse Demon Lord¡¯s level is 250.


    As for the hidden boss that is the Evil God Fragment, I think it was level 300.


    It didn¡¯t show up in the game, but if this place has been faithfully recreated, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for the actual body of the Evil God to be somewhere around.


    If something like that does exist, would humans even have a chance to win?


    I feel stupid for getting all merry at having defeated a mere level 25 enemy.


    ¡°I have to begin seriously thinking about what to do from here on.¡± (Souma)


    I stand up and mutter this.


    This is something that I should have begun thinking about sooner.


    But I pretended that I was so into the game that had become real, and was avoiding thinking about it all this time.


    Putting it bluntly, if I want to live in this world normally, there¡¯s no need to push myself.


    Being able to safely hunt level 25 enemies means that I would be able to cover the lodging expenses and still have some extra.


    There¡¯s no need to go out of my way to push myself.


    But if the Demon Lord, the Evil God¡­no, if a slightly strong monster were to seriously attack the nation, I would have no means to oppose it.


    On the other hand, if I tackle this as if I were trying to clear the game, that in itself would have its dangers.


    The reason I managed to clear the game was because the save and load existed. Because I could reset. There was a sense of safety in messing up.


    Aiming for a clear in this real world is, ironically, unrealistic.


    Also, even if I managed to defeat the Demon Lord or the Evil God Fragment, there might be the actual Evil God lying in wait.


    I doubt I would be able to win against an enemy that I haven¡¯t even won against yet in the game.


    In that case, the last choice is¡­


    ¡°Returning to my world, huh.¡± (Souma)


    It sounds like the most unrealistic option of all, but I have actually already thought of a method that might bring me back to my previous world.


    However, even if I do it, the chances of succeeding are really low.


    There¡¯s the chance nothing happens, or I might even wind up dying.


    Also¡­.?


    ¡°If I am to achieve that, I can¡¯t stay at a place like this.¡± (Souma)


    I have to become stronger or find strong allies.


    Anyways, if I twiddle my fingers at a town like this, I won¡¯t be able to put it in play ever.


    ¡°Then, I¡­hm?¡± (Souma)


    At the moment when I was about to bring out an answer, I noticed what was off here.


    ¡°Eh? What¡¯s that? A cloud of dust?¡± (Souma)


    Is it a tornado or something of the sort?


    I was wondering if there was such a natural phenomena like that in this world, and then, reached an even more dangerous possibility.


    ¡°Wait, wait. How many hours was I leveling up here?¡± (Souma)


    I asked myself that.


    But I couldn¡¯t think of an answer.


    The menu screen that would normally tell me the time is currently silent.


    If the dust cloud is exactly what I think it is, this is bad.


    I tried to leave that place posthaste, but¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­rry¡­! ¡­O¡­pen¡­ple¡­se¡­!¡±


    The moment I faintly heard that voice riding the wind, I understood that everything was too late.


    Here it comes.


    She is coming.


    The only character that has managed to rule both the popular NPC ranking and the unpopular NPC ranking.


    Because of her overwhelming sense of presence, many players would call her affectionately, and a lot more others would call her with resentment as¡­


    ¡°Train-chan is coming¡­!!¡± (Souma)

 CH 11

    There would be times when you would find people who burn with some strange hatred towards the leveling system of RPGs.


    ¡°Uhm, this may be a crude question to ask, but is it fun to raise your level and defeat the boss easily? Pay attention to your fighting style and traits of your equipment, skillfully winning, losing every now and then; isn¡¯t that what makes a game fun? Why do you go out of your way to make the game boring by adding what¡¯s basically menial work? This is not me talking down on it, I am purely asking because I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    Shut up, I want to feel damn OP over here. If you are going to be spouting all that crap, go play a game with no level system -is what I want to say, but I have found another person who thinks like that.


    ¡­Lo-and-behold, it is the developers of Nekomimi Neko.


    Then, why the hell did you make it a level system?!


    I am not talking down on you guys or anything, I am purely asking because I don¡¯t understand!!


    ¡­Now then¡­


    In SLG or SRPG fantasy types, if you endlessly raise your level in the same map, there will be times when an enemy that you clearly can¡¯t defeat will come to kill off your party.


    But most leveling games have been balanced and the RPG genre that recognizes leveling as one of the fun parts rarely does something like bringing out such an enemy as if they were hurrying the player.


    But Nekomimi Neko is different.


    As if saying the simple act of raising your level is bad, there will definitely come a death reaper on the players leveling in the beginning of the game.


    To be more specific, she shows up when you are leveling up for a long time in the areas around Lamurick.


    The second assassin set by Nekomimi Neko after the Lizardman Trap, AKA Train-chan!


    When you see the name Train-chan, any person with good instincts or has long MMORPG experience will know what this is about.


    ¡®I see, MPK, huh¡¯.


    MPK is an acronym for Monster Player Kill or Killer. It refers to the act of pulling a whole ton of monsters and pushing it onto another player or people who deliberately do this act. Because you are bringing monsters in tow, it has been given the name Train.


    Train-chan is the nickname of an NPC in Nekomimi Neko who does exactly this.


    And so, the players that learn of this think in this way:


    ¡®MPK is dangerous¡¯.


    ¡®I am glad I knew about it beforehand¡¯.


    ¡®But I only fight close to the town, and if someone like that shows up, I should be fine if I run away quickly¡¯.


    However, that¡¯s too naive.


    Super naive.


    With such naivety, you wouldn¡¯t be able to escape the malice of the Nekomimi Neko staff.


    The players who said naive stuff like that and have actually seen Train-chan would normally correct themselves by saying this: ¡°You can¡¯t run away from Train-chan!!¡±


    The cloud of dust gets closer and closer, and the sight of an army of monsters chasing after a girl running at the front¡­


    ¡°PLEASE SAVE MEEEEEE!!¡±


    Hearing her scream, I let out a big sigh.


    This Train-chan is said to be craftier than the Lizardman Trap, but the malicious part about this event is that the person herself has no malice.


    The running of Train-chan when pulling monsters is a sight to behold. Cheat levels of speed and stamina, and also an evasion technique as if she had eyes on her back make it possible for her to run away from any enemy.


    I barely hear stories of Train-chan dying while running away, and the few instances of that were related to bugs.


    With this, there¡¯s no need to save her, is what you would think, right?


    But her outstanding escaping skills disappear the moment she finds someone that can help her, in other words, the player.


    Meaning that, if the player runs away, she will definitely be killed by the monsters.


    If she were the type that actually does MPK maliciously to kill the player, abandoning her would be fine.


    But Train-chan herself has no awareness that she is MPKing.


    Not only that, if only the player didn¡¯t exist, there¡¯s no way this girl with no special traits could cause an MPK.


    She is a beginner adventurer desperately trying to become an exemplary adventurer and, for some reason, only at the times when you are leveling for a long time in the field, does she end up a victim of being surrounded by a drove of monsters that forces her to run away.


    Or rather, she is so kind-hearted that, after troubling you several times with the MPK and overcoming it, she would begin to think about quitting as an adventurer if she is going to trouble the player this much.


    Also, she never abandons the player.


    Even if you ask her to run away first or go call for help at the town¡­


    ¡°I won¡¯t leave you here alone!¡±


    She would exclaim this and would stubbornly not move.


    Therefore, the player has only two choices left.


    Use Train-chan as bait and abandon her despite the bad taste in the mouth it would leave, or fight and protect Train-chan even when knowing it will be a hard-fought battle.


    If you choose the former, it wouldn¡¯t be difficult to escape from there.


    Train-chan would often bring monsters that are fast on their feet, but as long as you don¡¯t attack them, they are all targeting Train-chan.


    Also, only in the cases when it is with Train-chan, the monsters are programmed to not kill the target at once but slowly torment them as they kill them.


    Train-chan would call for help while crying, and then her cry would gradually grow weaker, and at the end she would whisper ¡®I am sorry, Mama¡­¡¯. If you can ignore all that, there¡¯s no event as easy as this.


    Of course, people with a normal mentality would not be able to endure such a heart-wrenching scene, so most people would just spam the reset button, or receive a heavy mental scar at the cost of having survived.


    ¡ªThis is where the saying ¡®You can¡¯t escape from Train-chan¡¯ comes from.


    Then, what happens if you decide to fight?


    Not only do you end up fighting the several dozens of monsters Train-chan is bringing along, you also end up with quite the hindrance that is Train-chan as you fight.


    Even if it is a monster that shows up in the current field you are in, there¡¯s almost no chance of winning if those numbers come to you all at the same time.


    However, Train-chan barely moves the moment she reaches the player¡¯s side, so the player must fight while paying attention to her at all times.


    Trying to fight while helping her is harder than fighting normally alone.


    On the other hand, if you fight as if you were solo, the defenseless Train-chan gets easily killed.


    The players that notice this reality will get flustered, and the monsters attack them in that opening, leading to the obvious conclusion of them being killed too.


    The other pattern that happens often is when you pay too much attention to Train-chan. You can¡¯t bring out your usual ability, and end up getting killed before Train-chan.


    But in those cases, the players would say ¡®I died protecting a girl, so I have no regrets¡¯¡­but there¡¯s no such softness in this game.


    That¡¯s because she definitely won¡¯t abandon the player.


    There¡¯s a slight time lag before your body disappears after reaching 0.


    At that time, the player will have no choice but to witness it.


    ¡°Hang on! Please hang on! No way, because of me¡­¡±


    Train-chan would cry as she laments this and clings onto you¡­


    ¡°Gyaha!¡±


    And because of that, you will witness how the scythe of death falls onto Train-chan¡¯s head.


    ¡­It is honestly traumatic as hell.


    Well, because of that, the players who have experienced this event would say that Train-chan is bad news, would avoid leveling up in the same field, and would advance the game obediently or would change their hunting areas often as they level up.


    It has been a while since I have been to Lamurick Town in the game, so I completely forgot about Train-chan.


    ¡°¡­Now then, what should I do?¡± (Souma)


    Her movement speed isn¡¯t on the level of the Godstep Cancel, but it is faster than my running speed.


    And¡­


    ¡°Mad Hounds, huh.¡± (Souma)


    The ones following behind her are several dozen Mad Hounds.


    The others must have dropped out of the competition because of the speed.


    But Mad Hounds are the most problematic enemies.


    Other monsters not being present can¡¯t even serve as consolation.


    (Should I abandon her?) (Souma)


    This is not far from the gates.


    If I sacrifice her, I certainly can get away safely.


    This world isn¡¯t a game.


    This isn¡¯t a world where a reset button can solve your mess ups.


    The code of adventurers would find no problems in abandoning her here.


    ¡°Just kidding.¡± (Souma)


    I am the one that knows the best that I can¡¯t do something like that.


    Fortunately, my stamina is at full capacity, and I barely have a scratch in my HP.


    It should be okay to deal with something like Mad Hounds for a bit.


    I hold Shiranui tightly as I feel sweat flowing down from the tension.


    Train-chan is getting ever closer.


    ¡°Help! Please help!¡±


    She squeezed out those words with ragged breath, and I¡­


    ¡°Leave it to me! Stand at my back!¡± (Souma)


    I respond with as strong of words as possible.


    ¡°O-Okay!¡±


    Train-chan responded as if surprised by this, passed by my side, and after she reached my back¡­she fell in place there as if she had run out of energy.


    But that¡¯s fine.


    The chasing Mad Hounds stop their feet cautious of me.


    Dozens of Mad Hounds position themselves in a semicircle with me and Train-chan at the center.


    Mad Hounds are sly monsters.


    They know the range of human weapons, so they don¡¯t get close at a certain range.


    They maintain just the right distance where attacks can¡¯t reach, wait for their comrades to go around, and try to attack at the same time.


    That¡¯s why I attack before they do!


    I sweep Shiranui to the left as I Step to the front.


    (I wasn¡¯t planning on revealing my hidden trump card so soon in front of someone, but¡­counting on you, Shiranui!) (Souma)


    There¡¯s only 3 meters of distance from the enemy at the far back.


    I can do this!


    I Short Cancel the Step, and activate a skill on the Hounds that still haven¡¯t been able to react!


    ¡°[Invisible Blade]!!¡± (Souma)


    The moment I shouted this, there was an invisible energy coming out from the tip of Shiranui.


    That easily split apart the left end Hound that was at the forefront.


    ¡°W-Watch o¡ªeh?!¡±


    And it of course didn¡¯t end with that.


    The enemies at the back that looked as if they didn¡¯t get hit by Shiranui¡­the one by the side, the one at the back, at both sides of that one¡­in the blink of an eye, the hounds in the path were sliced off one after the other.


    ¡°¡­Fuuh.¡± (Souma)


    By the moment I finished swinging my sword, all the dozens of Mad Hounds were all sliced in two.


    I defeated all the enemies that were chasing after her, but if the slower monsters were to arrive, it would be troubling.


    I lent my shoulder to Train-chan who couldn¡¯t walk properly yet and decided to leave that place at once.


    ¡°¡­Uhm, that attack just now was impressive!¡±


    After receiving a whole ton of apologies and thanks, she said this.


    Her eyes were sparkling.


    ¡°I have never seen a skill like that! You must be ultra duper strong!¡±


    ¡°A-Ahahahaha¡­¡± (Souma)


    She was singing praises of me.


    This feels awkward.


    By the way, it would be one thing if it were magic, but learning large aoe skills for weapons is quite difficult.


    It would only be after level 50 when you finally learn one if you play normally.


    ¡°I am still level 27. I want to become a full-fledged adventurer soon¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I see¡­¡± (Souma)


    I gave a dry laugh as I was sweating buckets internally.


    I can¡¯t tell her.


    There¡¯s no way I can.


    That I am a level 10 newbie adventurer¡­


    ¡°I am doing my best, but I only know 4 weapons skills¡­¡±


    The Invisible Blade of just now is actually not an aoe skill but a plain close range attack, moreover, it is the same as Slash in that it is a basic skill anyone can use if they are holding the appropriate weapon.


    ¡°But I want to get strong quickly and become a splendid adventurer like you!!¡±


    There¡¯s no way I can tell her that was just a plain Side Slash!!

 CH 12-13

    Let¡¯s say there¡¯s 2 weapons here.


    ¡ª¡ª


    Iron Sword [Sword]


    Attack Power: 40


    Weight: 10


    Added Element: None


    Special Ability: None


    ¡ª¡ª


    Uchigatana [Sword: Katana]


    Attack Power: 36


    Weight: 8


    Added Element: None


    Special Ability: None


    ¡ª¡ª


    Which one would deal more damage if they were used by the same character?


    If we were to go by raw attack power, it would be the Iron Sword.


    But it is actually the latter one, the Uchigatana, that deals more damage in most cases.


    The reason for that is the modifiers in the weapon types.


    It is most likely because of the weapon synthesis system. If it is a weapon of the same level, the attack power is around the same no matter the type.


    No matter if it is a giant axe that looks as if it has a lot of destructive power, no matter how weak a dagger looks, there¡¯s not much difference in the attack power in terms of numbers.


    But once it comes to actually attacking, big differences are born.


    Even with the same attack power, the giant axe deals far more damage than the dagger.


    That¡¯s the weapon type modifier.


    If you take the two listed weapons above, the Iron Sword that¡¯s categorized as a Sword and the Uchigatana that is categorized as a Sword and a Katana, the Uchigatana gets higher attack power because of the weapon synthesis modifier.


    Now then, I think you are close to understanding what I am getting at here?


    That¡¯s right. How I managed to defeat dozens of Mad Hounds in one skill.


    And why is it that I can say with confidence that Shiranui is without doubt the strongest weapon within the weapons of the same level.


    I am about to tell you the trick to that.


    If I were to group up the categories of the close range weapons and their characteristics, it would end up with something like this.


    [Bare-handed].


    It is literally as the name states. In other words, the proficiency when bare-handed.


    There¡¯s a lot of techniques that have knockbacks.


    Because it has modifiers that fall into the character¡¯s stats, there¡¯s times in high level when you would be stronger bare-handed than just using any weapon.


    [Knuckles].


    A weapon you equip on your fists. Even with this on, you can use bare-handed skills.


    There¡¯s a lot of skills with a lot of hits.


    The modifiers are on the low side.


    [Dagger].


    A short bladed weapon.


    There¡¯s a lot of tricky skills.


    Low modifiers.


    [Ninja Sword].


    It is a high grade of the dagger, so it has the same range as the dagger.


    Rather than calling it ninja, it is more like a small katana that a ninja might use.


    There¡¯s a lot of skills used for stealth and assassination.


    Normal modifiers.


    [Sword].


    Basic Weapon.


    A good and balanced skill configuration.


    Standard modifiers.


    [Katana].


    Because it is a higher grade of the sword, it has the same range.


    Its traits are that it is single edged, thin, and light, but the difficulty to obtain it is high.


    It has skills with higher attack power than the sword.


    The modifiers are on the high side.


    [Spear].


    Long range among the weapons you can obtain in the beginning.


    Has an array of thrusting and wide aoe skills.


    Decent modifiers.


    [Halberd].


    Because it is the higher grade of the spear, it has the same range.


    Due to its nature of being higher grade, there¡¯s barely any products of this type at stores.


    Because you learn slashing skills on top of thrusting ones, you can attack many enemies at the same time.


    Modifiers are slightly on the high side.


    [Axe].


    ¡­Axe.


    The range of the skills is short and the speed is slow, but the attack power is high.


    Modifiers are high as well.


    [Giant Axe].


    Giant¡­Axe.


    It is slow, but has an array of really high attack power skills.


    The modifiers are of course high.


    [Greatsword].


    A big sword that¡¯s the same size of an adult man.


    It has both high attack power, single target skills, and defensive skills.


    The modifiers are abnormally high.


    [Otachi].


    A monstrous weapon that has a length of close to 3 meters and it is difficult to unsheathe from its scabbard.


    You obtain otachis at the latter half of the story, and they are all rare and unique.


    Not only are they strong, but if you use skills on top of that, they are stupidly strong.


    Modifiers are humongous.


    ¡­And so, after coming this far, you must understand it clearly now.


    Just in case, I will show the data of Shiranui once again.


    ¡ª¡ª


    Shiranui [Sword: Otachi]


    Attack Power: 91


    Weight: 8


    Added Element: None


    Special Ability: None


    ¡ª¡ª


    In other words, that¡¯s what it means.


    This katana called Shiranui should be categorized as a Sword: Katana, yet -I don¡¯t know who dropped the ball but- it is categorized as Sword: Otachi. That¡¯s clearly an impossible setting. You could call it a bugged item in a sense.


    ¡­Well, you could say katanas and otachis are similar, so I can understand the feeling.


    But you normally wouldn¡¯t mistake it.


    Then, what are the ramifications of this mistake?


    The modifiers of a katana and an otachi are like comparing heaven and earth.


    But obtaining an otachi is a real struggle compared to a katana, and even at the earliest, you obtain one at the last parts of midgame.


    On top of that, because of its length, it is also heavy. It may not be impossible to use it with one hand, but it is hard to use in cramped locations.


    Also, if you carry it at your waist, it would get stuck at walls and it is plain annoying.


    But there¡¯s no such worries with Shiranui.


    It looks like a normal katana, it is easy to use, and when you attack, it has otachi levels of attack power.


    It is honestly the best.


    On top of that, it is categorized as an otachi, so it can use otachi skills.


    In Nekomimi Neko, the length of the weapon doesn¡¯t reflect the skill range.


    In that case¡­


    If you use the otachi skill (like the basic skill [Side Slash] of the otachi), even though you are swinging a katana that isn¡¯t even 1 meter long, a strange phenomenon occurs where the attack range will be that of an almost 3 meter otachi.


    In other words, this is the identity of Invisible Blade.


    Meaning that Shiranui has the ease of use of a katana, has the power of an otachi, and you can get the same attack range that the otachi has when it is necessary; a clearly cheat weapon!


    That¡¯s why¡­


    ¡°At any rate, that was really impressive! Being able to defeat so many Mad Hounds at once!¡±


    The sparkly eyes of Train-chan were stabbing my heart more than necessary.


    That attack was almost 100% the power of the weapon, and if Train-chan knew the trick, even she could do it.


    That said, I can¡¯t really tell her this is actually a technique that takes advantage of an item coding mistake¡­


    This is a vexing situation.


    ¡°Ah, sorry for the late introduction. I am Ina Trail. I am an adventurer and my weapon of specialty is a dagger.¡± (Trail)


    Honestly speaking, I didn¡¯t remember her real name.


    ¡°So you really are Train-chan, huh.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°U-Uhm, I am Trail¡­¡± (Train)


    ¡°No, speaking with myself here.¡± (Souma)


    I wave my hand to brush off Train-chan who is making a dubious expression.


    I thought that would be it, but I noticed that she was staring intently at me for some reason.


    What is it?


    ¡°Uhm, is something the matter?¡± (Souma)


    She hesitantly answered my question.


    ¡°Uuh, your name¡­can you tell me your name?¡± (Train)


    She asked me this with an upward glance.


    Aah, I see.


    So that urging gaze of just now was because of that.


    (But¡­what should I do¡­?) (Souma)


    This is a hazy memory of mine, but depending on your conversation after saving Train-chan, it would lead to an event where she becomes your comrade.


    Of course, even if there was such an event, as long as the player doesn¡¯t invite her, there was no need to bring her along, but that was in the game.


    As long as she is an actual breathing person, I can¡¯t just make her my party member or throw her away at my own convenience.


    I managed with a solo mentality in most of the game aside from the areas where it was necessary.


    Thanks to the bugs, there were no lack of ways to defeat enemies, and in that case, it would be better to be solo since it doesn¡¯t distribute the exp. The exp you get increases.


    ¡­It is by no means because I couldn¡¯t make friends even in a game.


    No, seriously.


    But this is a game and not a game.


    As long as I don¡¯t know what happens if I die, I should stack caution with caution, so making allies and traveling together with them might not be a bad idea.


    When thinking about it in that way, if the trustworthy Train-chan becomes my first party member, that would be great.


    (But¡­) (Souma)


    On the other hand, I have always been adventuring alone, so there¡¯s also a part of me thinking that I should keep with that style.


    There¡¯s a lot of things I would like to keep a secret from others, so there¡¯s also the feeling that I don¡¯t want to increase my allies without a thought, and the admiration Train-chan has for me is, in the end, brought by the power of the weapon.


    I of course am hesitating because increasing my comrades in this way wouldn¡¯t be fair.


    Also, rather than having Train-chan become my ally, her being a train would help me out more in my leveling which is also a hidden desire of mine.


    With all that in consideration, I really should¡­


    ¡°Uhm¡­is that a no?¡± (Train)


    I sank deep in thought, and Train-chan asked with unease.


    That face made me freeze reflexively.


    ¡°Uuh¡­¡± (Souma)


    That expression in a girl is unfair.


    I was honestly thinking about running away without answering, but now that it has come this far, it would be impossible to leave without answering with anything.


    (There is no helping it then.) (Souma)


    I make an excuse to no one in particular.


    While still feeling a bit of regret about it, I resolved myself as if being swayed by her gaze.


    I make as serious of an expression as possible and slowly say.


    ¡°Before that, there¡¯s one thing I have to tell you. I am not as exemplary of an adventurer as you think I am.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh, but¡­¡± (Train)


    I stopped her from answering me by reflex.


    I understand her being surprised.


    But this is the truth.


    I continue speaking as if warning this surprised girl.


    ¡°In the first place, I am not really an adventurer. The only reason I defeated the monsters just now was because of the strength of my weapon, and I couldn¡¯t even hold a sword properly until yesterday.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°No way¡­ B-But then, who in the world are you?¡± (Train)


    So that question really came, huh.


    But I already knew that question was coming, so I opened my mouth in a dignified manner.


    There was only one name that came to mind.


    I made my best face and introduced myself.


    ¡°I am Reinhardt! The prideful merchant, Reinhardt!!¡± (Reinhardt)


    While returning to the town, I told her that I am actually a merchant that deals with weapons, and that just now was the power of a rare item that I am in possession of as a merchant, bringing it forcefully into a development of ¡®w-what?!¡¯.


    Saying any more would make me mess up, so I left it at that.


    When we entered the town, I told her that I had business, and almost forcefully parted from Train-chan.


    ¡°Ah, please wait!¡± (Train)


    She said and chased me, so I used a bit of the Godstep Cancel.


    Or more like, as expected of Train-chan.


    Her speed was so fast I find it hard to believe she was out of breath just a few moments ago.


    ¡°¡­Somehow managed to lose her.¡± (Souma)


    I hid and looked at my back, but there was no one.


    Looks like I managed to shake her off.


    ¡°Fuuhaah¡­¡± (Souma)


    I am glad I managed to run away.


    It pains my heart a bit that I lied to Train-chan, but I really want to avoid having her target me here.


    It troubles me that I didn¡¯t manage to part from her properly, but I already told her that I am a merchant that got strong only because of the strength of an item, so Train-chan shouldn¡¯t be too bothered about it.


    ¡­Probably.


    On the way back to the town, she told me she wanted to thank me for saving her, but I asked her to not divulge anything about my weapon as the reward.


    With this, we are even.


    It is not the best way to put it, but I would say I have cut off my connection with her properly here.


    Blurting the name Reinhardt on the spur of the moment was my only failure here, but well, better than saying my real name.


    If it is a merchant, it shouldn¡¯t be strange for them to have a weapon that doesn¡¯t match their ability.


    It was a lie with that point considered, but the only name I could think linked to that was Reinhardt.


    Now that I think about it, wasn¡¯t that a pretty good choice?


    Even if she tried to search for me again, the only information she will find is about a lizardman that¡¯s clearly far from being me.


    I am planning on moving in a way that doesn¡¯t attract attention for a while, so her information should stop there.


    ¡°If it were the usual, I feel like it would have been fun to be on adventures with her though¡­¡± (Souma)


    This is something I thought of after seeing the relief of the Evil God which happened before Train-chan showed up.


    I have to become strong.


    At the very least, enough so that my life isn¡¯t threatened.


    And what will help me achieve that is actually buried below my feet.


    A highly difficult dungeon with level 250 enemies.


    It is an underground dungeon where the strongest enemy of the game, the Evil God Fragment, sleeps in. The name is the Demonic Sealed Dungeon. It is located in the south of Lamurick, and sleeping below the Evil God relief at the Sealed Lands.


    Normally, you would have to defeat the last boss and use the item you get at that time or it won¡¯t be possible to get to the gate, but this world isn¡¯t a game.


    If there¡¯s something, what should you do? I have already learned about this from the thief Meripe.


    ¡°My weapon is¡­still fine.¡± (Souma)


    Not only monsters and characters, even weapons, armor, and a number of tools have HP and levels set to them.


    Every time you use your weapon or armor, they wear out, and once its HP runs out, it breaks.


    There¡¯s also the illumination type of items like lamps and torches, and barrier items that have an effective time to them; when you use them, their HP lowers, and once it reaches 0, it breaks.


    There¡¯s quests that utilize this system. I have attacked a suspension bridge with HP and broke it, to cut off the path of the enemy.


    ¡­Well, the suspension bridge has an abnormally high HP, so you have to wipe out the enemies first before dropping the bridge, so you have to do something that backwards in order to finish the quest. That¡¯s Nekomimi Neko quality.


    If you want to continue using the same weapon, you have to go to the blacksmith often, but there¡¯s no need to go today.


    I am hungry, so let¡¯s head back to the town for now and get food.


    I had my meal at the inn.


    I obviously had to pay for the meal separately, but I also paid the lodging of tonight while at it.


    Adding more to that, I asked the innkeeper if he had a tool for digging. I didn¡¯t expect anything from this, but he let me borrow quite the tough-looking shovel.


    That was unexpected luck.


    This shovel is apparently being used to tend the garden, but is that true?


    Now that I think about it, there¡¯s a splendid tree in the garden of this inn.


    Could it be that below it, there¡¯s¡­


    I imagined such a stupid thing as I shouldered the shovel and went outside.


    I am feeling like digging some nice holes.


    When I exited the gates, the dubious looks of the gatekeepers were directed at my big shovel, but I ignored them and headed to the Sealed Lands.


    I end some monsters as I go my merry way onto the place where the relief is.


    There were a decent amount of enemies gathered up, but I decided to not use Side Slash.


    There should be no worries, but it is a skill that I don¡¯t want others seeing, and it would be troubling if I end up relying on it.


    ¡°¡­Here.¡± (Souma)


    Fortunately, I arrived at the relief real soon.


    Well, it was pretty close to the town to begin with, and I myself have gone countless times to the hidden dungeon, so I doubt I would be mistaking my way.


    But it will be a first experience from here on.


    ¡°Somewhere around here, I guess?¡± (Souma)


    I shove my shovel at a slightly deeper part from the relief.


    When you hold a certain item over your head, this relief would move, and that would show up a passage that would lead to the upper part.


    Then, if I dig around here, I should be able to dig up the underground passage.


    ¡°The toughness of the soil¡­seems to be okay.¡± (Souma)


    In the game, it was impossible to interact with the soil, but I managed to dig without any issues in this world.


    I may be low level, but my game self has far more physical strength than my real self.


    It is not like I need to dig that deep of a hole, so the digging shouldn¡¯t take long.


    I immediately begin my digging work.


    ¡°Here¡­we go.¡± (Souma)


    I said this and began digging.


    The shovel was pretty easy to use, so I could dig pretty well.


    Don¡¯t think there will be any issues here.


    ¡°¡­¡­.¡±


    The sound of digging up the ground was the only thing reaching my ears.


    There isn¡¯t anything fun in just silently digging, so I decided to sing.


    ¡°One dig for my sake~.


    Two digs for mine sake~.


    Three digs for oneself~.¡±


    No, what the hell is this?


    I sang with my honest feelings, and it ended up being quite the selfish song.


    That¡¯s certainly true, but this is not going to increase my enthusiasm.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± (Souma)


    I am not getting hyped up, but the hole was slowly getting bigger.


    I feel like I have been digging for a good while here, but I wonder how much time has actually passed since I began?


    ¡°¡­Crap.¡± (Souma)


    I forgot that I can¡¯t open the menu window.


    I don¡¯t have a clock, so I don¡¯t know the time.


    If I stay for too long, I might end up calling Train-chan again.


    ¡°Can¡¯t be helped. Let¡¯s dig seriously.¡± (Souma)


    I stopped thinking unnecessary stuff and began shoveling seriously.


    ¡°This is weird¡­¡± (Souma)


    At the time when I dug the ground for around 1 meter¡­


    The ground suddenly became hard, and the shovel wasn¡¯t sinking now.


    ¡°I feel like there¡¯s only a bit left though.¡± (Souma)


    There¡¯s probably only one more step to get there.


    But that one step was far.


    ¡°Could it be a level restriction?¡± (Souma)


    In the game, attacking the walls and ground normally wouldn¡¯t have any meaning. They have no HP or levels set to them, but this world can be interacted with freely.


    The walls and soil of high level areas might be harder than the ones of low level areas.


    In that case, it is also proof that I am approaching my goal.


    Then I¡¯ve got no choice but to brute force it with every fiber of my being.


    ¡°How about¡­this!!¡± (Souma)


    I raised my shovel up high and brought it down onto the ground at full force.


    I feel a nice resistance that vibrates into my body.


    ¡°¡­Ah.¡± (Souma)


    The shovel broke.


    I spaced out only for a moment¡­


    ¡°Then¡­how about this?!¡± (Souma)


    I unsheathe Shiranui with hesitation and¡­


    ¡°EAT THIS!!¡± (Souma)


    I stab it into the ground with everything I¡¯ve got!


    *Zun*


    A strange sensation made me worry if Shiranui had broken, but when I hurriedly took it out, Shiranui was okay.


    I sigh in relief.


    I got swept there with strange excitement and ended up using Shiranui, but it would be disastrous if I were to lose Shiranui here for something like this.


    I checked the place Shiranui was stabbed at and there was a dark hole opened there.


    Looks like it is connected all the way to the underground passage.


    That strange sensation of giving no feedback must have been because it stabbed deep into the cavity.


    ¡°Haha! As expected of Shiranui!¡± (Souma)


    No matter if it is a high level area, it is ground in the end.


    It was no match for a true weapon like Shiranui.


    It is as good as done.


    I threw away the broken shovel and continued digging the ground with Shiranui.


    Because of its shape, I can¡¯t really say it is suitable for digging holes, but it can manage to expand an already opened up hole.


    I got so into it as I continued doing the job, and I somehow succeeded in making it a hole big enough for a person to pass.


    ¡°I did it!¡± (Souma)


    I pump my fist lightly.


    And then, as if blessing my hard work, a penetrating cold blew from inside it.


    I felt something beyond just plain cold, and my body shivered.


    ¡°As expected of the place where the fragment of the Evil God sleeps in. But that¡¯s what I am here for.¡± (Souma)


    At the moment when I leaned over to get a peek inside the hole¡­


    ¡°¡­What are you doing, Reinhardt? ¡­No, Souma-san?¡±


    I look back at the person who clearly called my name.


    (Eh? No, you gotta be kidding me¡­) (Souma)


    My eyes opened wide.


    The one there is¡­


    ¡°That hole¡­and you said Evil God just now¡­ Just what in the world is this all about, Souma-san?!¡±


    The one who was standing there pointing a knife at me as she directed a gaze of caution was Train-chan.


    (¡­Eh?) (Souma)


    Seeing that tormented look of Train-chan, I ended up thinking¡­


    Could it be that¡­maybe¡­


    (¡­There¡¯s a terrible misunderstanding here?) (Souma)

 CH 14-15

    TLN: Hey guys, Reigokai here!


    I will try to make it the last time I write about this. Basically, the reason why I chose this story in more detail.


    You can skip this if you are not interested, but for the ones who are truly wondering why, then stay with me here.


    I can understand how people are not liking this, the reason being that the selling point of this story is completely different from any story I have done so far. That is, this is heavily leaning to the game aspect and abusing it.


    Because of its nature, there¡¯s a lot of background about games that must be set up. It is currently still in the phase where it is molding the world.


    That said, what I like about the story is that it shows how a lack of care from developers and their hate to their demographic can create one mess of a game; how in just a few patches of fixing, they just outright gave up; how the playerbase still found its fun in breaking that game and taking advantage of it.


    Seeing that interaction between players and developers may look ridiculous at first, but it paints a pretty accurate picture, especially in these times. But now that the world is made into a real one, you also see how the residents of the world react to those abnormal actions gamers take for efficiency that would look ridiculous when translated into real life.


    However, the most important point is¡­it is fun for me. Fun is a subjective thing. This could be considered a niche story with its theme. There¡¯s jargon that¡¯s pretty hard to translate. Yet I still find it fun translating.


    I have stated it many times before already, I translate because I find it fun and bring it to you guys to share that fun.


    TL;DR it scratches an itch of mine so I have fun translating it despite the difficulty.


    That¡¯s basically it. The setting up of the world will still continue for a good couple of chapters more, if you are still on the fence, maybe wait for a bit more chapters, if you don¡¯t dislike it outright, that¡¯s okay, novels are varied and you read them with the intention to entertain you. WM, DCFM, and Tsuki are still ongoing, and the new schedule was made in a way so that you can tell when are the days I will begin translating them.


    Anyways, it was a long one. I at least wanted to illustrate my decision here.


    For the ones reading, enjoy the ride along!


    ¡ª¡ª


    ¡°W-Why¡­?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked her this while looking up from the hole, a clear answer came back.


    ¡°After separating from Souma-san, I went to the place of Reinhardt-san.¡± (Train)


    Summarizing her story, this is apparently how it is.


    After separating from me, she really wanted to properly thank me, so she immediately began to look for me¡­no, for the merchant called Reinhardt.


    I thought that it wouldn¡¯t be easy to find people with that level of information, that was my understanding as a modern person, but this is a town that exists in fantasy.


    There aren¡¯t that many people residing here, so when she made use of her footwork, she managed to find him pretty soon.


    But that was of course the merchant Reinhardt and not me.


    I thought that¡¯s where the information would die off, but¡­


    When Train-chan explained the traits of her benefactor to Reinhardt himself. The capable Reinhardt immediately saw through the fact that that was me, and told her about the inn where I am staying at.


    She tilted her head while heading to the inn and, this time around, was told that that person was eating just a few moments ago, but he went off somewhere with a shovel.


    If that had been me, I would have waited until they returned, but as expected of Train-chan with her light footwork, this time around she began asking the people, searching for an adventurer carrying a shovel.


    The result was that she heard from the gatekeepers that there was a guy who went out with a shovel, and then she thought that maybe I had returned to the place where we met for the first time.


    ¡°It is my turn to ask.¡± (Train)


    Train-chan readied her knife again, and asked me with a grim expression.


    (¡­This is bad.) (Souma)


    Right now both of my legs are sunk into the hole.


    Even if my character¡¯s level is low, I have the confidence I would be able to get out of this by using my skill combos.


    But Step is a skill that is weak on upper body movements.


    Even if it is only around 1 meter deep, my combo using Step has been completely sealed with me being inside the hole.


    I would not lose if I were to fight with Shiranui, but I can¡¯t hold back when using it.


    I would end up injuring her.


    I want to avoid that.


    I must resolve this with a talk¡­


    ¡°Even I have heard about it. Talk that there¡¯s a fearsome Evil God sealed deep underground in the Sealed Lands.¡± (Train)


    Train-chan opens up with this as if keeping me in check.


    I didn¡¯t answer with anything.


    ¡°That relief has the Evil God drawn in it, right? And you clearly said just now ¡®fragment of the Evil God¡¯. Y-You are¡­¡± (Train)


    She glared at me with tears in the corner of her eyes.


    ¡°¡­You are a cultist wishing for the resurrection of the Evil God, right?¡± (Train)


    Yikes.


    ¡­Eh, what¡¯s with that misunderstanding?


    Now that she mentions it, I feel like I have indeed fought with enemies that worship the Evil God.


    Does that mean I am being misunderstood as being part of their group?


    ¡°You saving me from the monsters and you saying some weird stuff to deceive me¡­they were all for the sake of not bringing attention to this place and yourself¡­ Am I right?¡± (Train)


    No, you are completely wrong, you know.


    I saved you because I couldn¡¯t stand letting you be killed, and I said some weird stuff to deceive you simply because you were annoying!


    But to think that lie would hit me like a boomerang here!


    I really shouldn¡¯t be throwing lies all thoughtlessly.


    ¡°Even if you lied to me, I wanted to believe in you, Souma-san. But the truth is, I might have thought you were suspicious at that time.¡± (Train)


    ¡°At that time¡­?¡± (Souma)


    But I soon got the answer from the person herself.


    ¡°Yes, at the time when you ran away from me in the town¡­that perverted movement you did¡­can¡¯t be explained as anything but being related to the cultists in some way.¡± (Train)


    ¡°Perverted¡­movements?¡± (Souma)


    I really don¡¯t know what she is talking about.


    Is what I thought, but when I think back on it, I noticed there¡¯s something that fits that.


    (Perverted movements, she said¡­ Is she talking about the Godstep Cancel?!) (Souma)


    That¡¯s a technique only the best of the Nekomimi Neko players can pull off. It is by no means perverted¡­


    But leaving that aside¡­


    ¡°It is a misunderstanding. I have no intention of reviving the Evil God.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°T-That¡¯s a lie! Then, what¡¯s that hole¡­?¡± (Train)


    I shook my head exaggeratedly.


    ¡°If you want to know the truth, come with me.¡± (Souma)


    Saying this, I peek at the hole.


    The inside is dark, but if it is the same as the game, there should be light deep in.


    ¡°W-Wait¡­!¡± (Train)


    I ignore Train-chan and let myself sink into the hole.


    ¡°¡­In we go!¡± (Souma)


    The hole was deeper than I thought.


    I was surprised by the floating sensation, but it is not something that I can¡¯t deal with using my game body.


    I landed without any troubles, advanced for a bit, and waited for her.


    Eventually¡­


    ¡°¡­Kyah!¡± (Train)


    Train-chan fell from above.


    It may be hard to believe, but she is an adventurer. She regained her balance in midair, landed splendidly on both legs, and¡­


    ¡°Hya?!¡± (Train)


    Slipped on the ground, falling on her butt.


    ¡°¡­¡­.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­.¡±


    Awkward silence.


    ¡°I-I have come! Now, please explain!¡± (Train)


    Looks like she has decided to wash it off as if nothing happened.


    She said this with a strong attitude.


    But I didn¡¯t answer her question.


    I turned my back on her and walked deeper into the cave.


    ¡°Wait! You promised you would explain! Why aren¡¯t you telling me anything?!¡± (Train)


    Why, you ask?


    Good grief. You fool.


    Why would there be the need to answer?


    Because¡­


    (Now then, I am in, but¡­what should I do from here on?) (Souma)


    I haven¡¯t thought one bit about how to explain to her yet!


    ¡°¡­Cold.¡± (Train)


    Train-chan hugged her shoulders and muttered this.


    I get her.


    I don¡¯t know about the temperature of this place, but there¡¯s something here that makes normal people tremble.


    Of course, there was no such feeling in the game, but here, it is palpable.


    ¡°We are going deeper.¡± (Souma)


    Even when understanding this, I didn¡¯t have the leeway to worry about Train-chan.


    I was piecing up several patterns of excuses in my head.


    But my mind was all scattered here.


    (If push comes to shove, should I try running away with skills?) (Souma)


    I think about it for a bit.


    The skills I can currently use are all basic skills that don¡¯t require weapon proficiency.


    Slash from Swords; Side Slash from Otachis; Energy Arrow from Magic; and you could say I can use the True Strike from Bare-handed.


    There¡¯s also the movement skill Step that isn¡¯t related to weapons.


    Weapon proficiency increases each time you deal damage with weapons.


    I fought quite a bit in the Sealed Lands, and a bonus is counted in your weapon proficiency depending on your level, so you normally would be expecting a second skill by now, but Shiranui being too strong has become a detriment in this part.


    Proficiency increases by the number of attacks, so because I defeated all enemies in one hit, it instead slowed my growth.


    I entered the hole to get my feet on the ground and make it easier to use Step.


    But she is a fast one, so I can¡¯t really say if I would be able to shake her off.


    It would be one thing in the town where there¡¯s a lot of places where I can hide, but I would get caught immediately if I ran out of stamina here. Also, if I run, I will lose any chance to make excuses.


    I do think that I might as well just tell her everything honestly here but, unfortunately, the real story is actually the hardest one to believe.


    Actually, this world is a made-up one and I got transferred here by a Fortune Mallet¡­ Rather than giving such an explanation, saying I have a digger disease where, if I don¡¯t dig holes, I die sounds more believable.


    Reality is stranger than fantasy.


    Now that it has come to this, I gotta challenge it.


    I will line up all settings I can think of, and I will land at the place that fits the best.


    ¡°Do you know what kind of place this is?¡± (Souma)


    I ask her as if it should be natural for her to know.


    Honestly speaking, I don¡¯t remember the information regarding the Evil God¡¯s seal that well.


    It would be safer to have her spit out the information here rather than tripping at some strange spot and having her look at me even more dubiously.


    ¡°Eh? Isn¡¯t this the cave where a part of the Evil God is being sealed?¡± (Train)


    She asked back.


    Don¡¯t answer a question with a question, is what I think as I respond.


    ¡°You are half right and half wrong. See¡­?¡± (Souma)


    We reach deep inside the dungeon.


    What was there was a big gate.


    An ominous gate that has several holes on it, and there¡¯s torches shining brightly at both sides.


    ¡°This is¡­?¡± (Train)


    ¡°The gate sealing the fragment of the Evil God.¡± (Souma)


    Train-chan¡¯s eyes opened wide at my words.


    ¡°Eh? But isn¡¯t the seal the relief of just now¡­?¡± (Train)


    ¡°That was simply showing the place where the Evil God is sealed at. What¡¯s truly sealing the Evil God is this door.


    ¡­According to some statements, this door leads to a different dimension.


    No matter how many holes you dig, no person would be able to reach the fragment of the Evil God.¡± (Souma)


    I try explaining with a face as if I know a whole lot.


    Well, you actually can¡¯t go through it unless you have defeated the last boss though.


    No no, even if I am reckless, there¡¯s no way I would do something as suicidal as challenging a level 250 dungeon as a level 10.


    I would get killed before I do any bug techniques. Even with Shiranui, I doubt I would be able to get any decent damage.


    In the first place, if the seal gets undone and the monsters get out by some unfortunate incident, Lamurick Town would easily perish overnight.


    ¡°Do you have any knowledge about the seal of the Evil God?¡± (Souma)


    I asked her with an air of superiority.


    I don¡¯t know at all though.


    ¡°U-Uhm, the founding king of the Rihito Kingdom was involved in it, and then the nation was born from there¡­is what I have heard¡­¡± (Train)


    ¡°¡­Only that?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°S-Sorry, I don¡¯t know much about that stuff¡­¡± (Train)


    ¡°I see.¡± (Souma)


    I said this in a bad mood and nodded internally.


    (I see, so that¡¯s how it goes.) (Souma)


    In that case, are the royals descendants of heroes or something like that?


    It is true that, according to the data, the king and princess are pretty strong, so the possibility is there.


    No, you can only see them fight in events, and I do remember them being quite strong.


    ¡°U-Uhm, what¡¯s that?¡± (Train)


    She asked, so¡­


    ¡°It is that.¡± (Souma)


    I answered.


    No, what¡¯s ¡®that¡¯, me.


    Train-chan has a question mark showing just like I have inside my head, and I continue my prodding talk.


    More importantly, Train-chan, not only have you followed me to such a place nonchalantly, you have even forgotten to direct your weapon here.


    She is the type that would easily be deceived by evil men.


    I could call her Easy Heroine-chan from here on.


    I spoke while I was thinking that.


    ¡°In order to open this door, you need an item called Sunlight Pyroxene that serves as one of the keys. Of course, it is to protect the seal of the Evil God here.¡± (Souma)


    This is the truth.


    It is one of the drops you get after defeating the last boss.


    There should be no mistake in my memories there.


    Even if I am wrong, no one can confirm until the last boss is defeated anyways.


    Right, that¡¯s it.


    You can¡¯t confirm anything until after defeating the last boss.


    Let¡¯s go with that.


    ¡°But I heard that the Sunlight Pyroxene that the Rihito Kingdom is supposed to be managing is currently in the hands of the Demon Lord.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°No way!¡± (Train)


    Train-chan raised her voice as if screaming.


    This girl would make a good spectator. Every reaction she does is serious.


    I continue really into it.


    ¡°Of course, there¡¯s no way the Sunlight Pyroxene alone will be able to undo the seal. However, a crucial key for the seal that should be stored with utmost security has fallen into the hands of the Demon Lord. Such a situation should not be tolerated.¡± (Souma)


    When actually thinking about it, that really is the case.


    What was the other seal item?


    I feel like there were also a lot of drops from event bosses.


    Those kinds of monsters should be under the control of the Demon Lord, so I wonder why the Demon Lord didn¡¯t undo the seal of the Evil God Fragment.


    The story was most likely that they were defeated by the player before they managed to undo the seal.


    It would have been safe if it were in the Nekomimi Neko quality world, but I now feel like it would be better to secure one of the seal undoing items as soon as possible.


    While I was thinking that, my mouth continued running.


    Man, it really is running a lot here.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I came here to confirm whether that seal hasn¡¯t been broken.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°S-So that¡¯s how it was!¡± (Train)


    Train-chan raised her voice loudly in surprise.


    Yeah, I am surprised too.


    But I ignored her and acted as if I was checking the door.


    ¡°There¡¯s 10 holes here. Even if the center round hole is for the Sunlight Pyroxene, you still need 9 more items to undo the seal. The chances of this seal being broken are pretty low.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°The seal¡­of this place? Are there a lot of other places with Evil God Fragments?¡± (Train)


    I stay silent at that question.


    I don¡¯t know, so I can¡¯t say anything to that.


    But well, it is called Evil God Fragment, so there should be more.


    And, I don¡¯t know how she took my silence, but Train-chan speaks with a really serious face.


    ¡°Souma¡­-san, even if you are not a merchant or just a plain adventurer, seriously, just who in the world are you?¡± (Train)


    The eyes of Train-chan are steady on a different meaning from before.


    I endured that gaze of her and laughed.


    ¡°I am¡­the guardian of the seal. I move to each location and check the seal of the Evil God.¡± (Souma)


    I ended up blurting that because of her expectant look, but the guardian of the seal¡­? Am I a chuunibyou?!


    ¡°Guardian¡­of the seal¡­?!¡± (Train)


    Train-chan repeated this as if shocked, but please don¡¯t!


    I implore you, don¡¯t repeat those words!


    Train-chan looks at me with sparkling eyes again.


    ¡°Then, that means there are other places where the Evil God is sealed at, right? How are the seals of the other places?¡± (Train)


    ¡°¡­I can¡¯t tell you.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Why?!¡± (Train)


    Because I don¡¯t know!


    But of course I can¡¯t tell her that.


    That¡¯s why I instead pointed my sword at her.


    ¡°Because I can¡¯t trust you!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°E-Eh?!¡± (Train)


    When you get suspected for something, you can turn the suspicion on them to confuse the target!


    It is a basic technique in verbal battles!


    ¡°In the first place, why did you show up at the instant I was investigating the relief? Also when you trailed me. Aren¡¯t you a bit too desperate for someone that¡¯s simply searching for a benefactor?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­¡± (Train)


    I pushed an unreasonable accusation on her.


    ¡°Also, you said you are level 27. How is it possible that an adventurer of that level can be okay after being chased by that many Mad Hounds? Aren¡¯t you the one who is actually hiding something?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°T-That¡¯s not it! A-At that time, I was truly desperate¡­ Please believe me!!¡± (Train)


    Yes, I believe you.


    But I can¡¯t loosen my offensive here.


    I continued.


    ¡°So you are saying it really was a coincidence that you met me there?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Y-Yes!¡± (Train)


    It is actually not a coincidence, but an event though.


    ¡°Can you swear that in the name of God?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Of course!¡± (Train)


    ¡°Then, to the Evil God as well?¡± (Souma)


    I ask viciously.


    Basically, I am implying here that maybe she is the cultist here, but she seriously nodded without getting angry.


    ¡°I¡­am not a cultist, but if you are telling me to swear on it, then I will swear on it even to the Evil God. I swear on God and the Evil God that I met you there by pure coincidence!¡± (Train)


    ¡°¡­Got it.¡± (Souma)


    I knew that from the very beginning, but I said that and nodded.


    I really am the worst.


    Also, Train-chan is truly an angel!


    And so, the result of being one-sidedly pushed a false accusation, mysteriously, we are now mentally in an equal standing.


    A while after that, Train-chan fell silent with a meek expression, but she eventually muttered this.


    ¡°¡­I will be going back.¡± (Train)


    I was surprised by how easily she made a turn here, but I fake calmness here and ask back.


    ¡°Is that okay? I plan on investigating this seal for a while longer.¡± (Souma)


    No matter if I called myself the guardian of the seal, I have no solid evidence.


    A seal guardian is just too cool, but they instead wouldn¡¯t be doing any uncool work.


    There¡¯s more than plenty reason to suspect me¡­


    But the face of Train-chan was clear.


    ¡°I came here pushed by momentum alone, but I can¡¯t stop you by force in the first place, Souma-san. I was saved by you once. That¡¯s why, I will try believing in you just once more.¡± (Train)


    Saying this, she thanked me politely and returned from where we came.


    Train-chan really is an angel!


    But she seriously is so easy!!


    Train-chan disappeared into the darkness of the passage, and¡­


    ¡°I-I did it¡­!¡± (Souma)


    I fell on my knees right then and there.


    I felt pretty disgusted at myself there, but I managed to deceive her to the very end.


    ¡°It really would have been better for me to be the reincarnation of a mole¡­¡± (Souma)


    I am so depleted here that I don¡¯t even understand what I am saying anymore.


    An easy to tell lie like being a mole would have been better.


    I feel like Easy Heroine-chan would have been easily deceived by a lie of that level too.


    No, that would be a bit of a stretch.


    While I stretched both arms and legs on the ground and entrusting my body to the wave of relief¡­


    ¡°¡­What are you doing, Souma-san?¡±


    A familiar voice¡­a voice that I shouldn¡¯t be hearing reached my ears.


    The Train-chan that should have returned after believing in me was standing there with a baffled gaze.


    ¡°W-Why¡­?¡± (Souma)


    Train-chan made a sorrowful look at my question.


    ¡°I actually intended to return to the town just like that, but I can¡¯t anymore¡­ There¡¯s something I must tell you at all cost, Souma-san.¡± (Train)


    What is it?


    What did I miss?


    Did I make a big mistake that would make her doubt me?


    As if splitting apart the spiraling thoughts, Train-chan informed me.


    ¡°¡­The ceiling is so high¡­I can¡¯t go back up.¡± (Train)


    ¡­Aah, right, forgot about that.

 CH 16

    ¡°High¡­¡± (Souma)


    I am referring to the ceiling.


    There¡¯s easily 3 meters to the hole.


    It would be impossible to climb normally.


    ¡°Any tools?¡± (Souma)


    I tried asking Train-chan just in case, but¡­


    ¡°If I had something like that, I wouldn¡¯t be this troubled.¡± (Train)


    She shook her head curtly.


    I once again looked up.


    It is not impossible, but it is by no means something a normal can climb up to.


    That said, if you ask me whether I can do something with the skills I have currently, my answer would be no.


    Step can go up a slope, but it can¡¯t move vertically.


    The conclusion is that there¡¯s currently no means to escape from this cave.


    ¡°Is there nothing you can do either, Souma-san?¡± (Train)


    Train-chan asked me with a weak demeanor as if she were grasping at straws here.


    I would like to give her a hearty response here but¡­


    ¡°¡­Well, at worst, we can open a hole at the side of the stairs and dig our way up.¡± (Souma)


    This is currently the best answer I can give her.


    ¡°Do you have any tools to dig a hole?¡± (Train)


    I kept silent at the question filled with expectation.


    The shovel broke after all.


    (It is not like I have absolutely no means though.) (Souma)


    It is about whether I should dig a tunnel to the surface, make some footholds reaching up, or go straight up by jumping.


    I feel like there are a decent amount of options.


    But I can only think of things that would take time.


    For now, let¡¯s do what we can.


    ¡°This is a bit dark to do work in. Let¡¯s bring some light first.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Okay.¡± (Train)


    I had the completely dejected Train-chan follow me and we return to the sealed door.


    There¡¯s two torches at the door.


    No one would be troubled even if one is gone.


    I pull the torch at the right side and¡­eh?


    ¡°I-I can¡¯t take it out¡­¡± (Souma)


    Looks like I was underestimating this world.


    You couldn¡¯t take torches on the wall inside the game, but I assumed that I could immediately take them with me now that it is a real world.


    ¡°Guguuh!¡± (Souma)


    Even when I try to pull with everything, it doesn¡¯t budge.


    It seems like it is not as if the torch is fit to the wall with metal fixtures, but more like the torch itself is fixed on the wall.


    ¡­This is troubling.


    Even though I went through the trouble of coming all the way here, I can¡¯t bring the torch with me like this.


    (No, switch perspectives.) (Souma)


    Thinking of a great idea, I unsheathe Shiranui in front of the torch.


    ¡°Eh?! W-What are you doing, Souma-san?!¡± (Train)


    Train-chan was flustered at my sudden madness.


    ¡°If I can¡¯t take it, I might as well cut it.¡± (Souma)


    This is the thought process to change a pinch into chance.


    It will take time, but this is the most certain way.


    The only problem is whether the torch will continue working even after it has been cut, but in the worst case, there¡¯s still one other torch remaining.


    If it succeeds, I can get this torch, and even if it fails, the risks are not that high.


    There¡¯s plenty worth trying.


    I take a stance with Shiranui with light feelings.


    ¡°E-Eh?¡± (Souma)


    *Kan*


    A sound that you would find hard to believe came from wood resonated as Shiranui bounced off.


    I can¡¯t even tell whether it dealt damage.


    ¡°No, one more time.¡± (Souma)


    I was a bit flustered as I once again swung my sword towards the torch with full force.


    ¡°Ugh!¡± (Souma)


    *Gan*


    This time around, my sword got stopped at the surface of the torch.


    Is the attack properly registering?


    I can¡¯t tell.


    ¡°¡­It is not working at all.¡± (Train)


    I heard a mutter from my back.


    I get a bit serious now.


    ¡°Please step back.¡± (Souma)


    Of course, there¡¯s only one reason for this.


    It is in order to bring out my strongest attack here.


    I take a stance with katana drawn, and my blade draws an arc with intense fervor.


    ¡°[Invisible Bla¡ª¡± (Souma)


    *Gakin!!*


    Terribly strong resistance came back, and the skill stopped its activation around the time when Shiranui was mid swing.


    Of course, it is not as if the skill didn¡¯t activate.


    The skill activated, but the target was so hard that the skill was interrupted there.


    ¡°¡­It isn¡¯t working at all.¡± (Train)


    Train-chan muttered again from my back.


    But no, it is not like it is not working at all!


    My attack is certainly digging into the wood of the torch.


    It is faint to the point that you wouldn¡¯t be able to notice unless you get close, but I have injured the torch!


    I have basically won at this point.


    If I repeat the same thing countless times, I will eventually be able to cut this torch.


    ¡°Uhm, if you want light, you can use my item, so can we go now?¡± (Train)


    I ignore Train-chan who is saying something at my back and I raise Shiranui once again.


    ¡°[Invisible Blade]!¡± (Souma)


    Shiranui was swung together with my shout and was stopped by the torch.


    I don¡¯t know how many times it is now.


    But the cut of the torch has been made clear enough that it is visible.


    So you¡¯re telling me¡­there¡¯s a chance.


    The result of my hard work is certainly showing.


    Train-chan was noisy at the beginning, complaining at the back, but it seems like she has given up, she stopped saying anything.


    I am honestly thankful.


    But that also made a new problem surface.


    (I overdid it a little bit, huh.) (Souma)


    Not only the torch, even Shiranui has been visibly damaged slightly.


    If I go at this pace, I feel like both will end up being unusable.


    I take a bit of a break and decide to not use skills here anymore.


    What I need here is constant damage despite being slight as it is.


    There¡¯s no need to increase my power by using flashy techniques.


    Fortunately, in the game this world is based on, you don¡¯t get tired no matter how much you swing a weapon.


    No, it is not like the stamina gauge doesn¡¯t go down, but that can be covered by natural regeneration well enough.


    This time around, I switched to normal attacks, and she spoke to me from the back again when I had begun to swing my katana single-mindedly.


    ¡°That¡¯s probably pointless.¡± (Train)


    Train-chan who has not been saying anything for a while now.


    ¡°It is not pointless.¡± (Souma)


    I immediately replied with that, but Train-chan shook her head.


    ¡°The wound that Souma-san made with the skill is already gone. I think that torch has an automatic durability restoration.¡± (Train)


    ¡­I knew that¡­a long time ago.


    It is true that the Invisible Blade I used just a few moments ago is gone now.


    The damage I am dealing to it is so small that the wounds I make disappear soon after.


    Train-chan approached me, who continued swinging my sword despite all that.


    ¡°Hey, Souma-san, I am not trying to squander what you are doing here, but how about stopping that and returning to the entrance with me?¡± (Train)


    She said this with a truly angelic face, but I of course acted as if I didn¡¯t hear her.


    Seeing this, she went¡­


    ¡°Geez, I don¡¯t care anymore!¡± (Train)


    She fumed and sat in place.


    Despite saying she doesn¡¯t care, she is taking a position of watching over me. Anyways, it seems like she doesn¡¯t have any intention of interfering with me here.


    I continued cutting the torch with her at the corner of my eye and, at the end¡­


    ¡°She is sleeping¡­¡± (Souma)


    When I looked back, Train-chan had leaned onto the wall and was sleeping soundly.


    I don¡¯t know if to say she has some nerves of steel here, or that she lacks any sense of danger.


    While being baffled by that sight of hers, what I can do doesn¡¯t change.


    I continued swinging my right arm while feeling the peaceful breathing of Train-chan at my back.


    How much time has passed since we went underground?


    My torch cutting has become pretty methodical, and I could now move Shiranui as if I were mincing cabbage with little to no wasted movement.


    The pure act of cutting down a torch.


    As I continued this chore endlessly¡­


    ¡°So you didn¡¯t¡­attack me in my sleep, huh.¡± (Train)


    She said from the back.


    I look behind in surprise.


    ¡°You¡­¡± (Souma)


    What did I get so surprised about? It is of course because of how Train-chan views herself.


    Just how self-confident can you be to think that you would get assaulted if you were to fall asleep?


    I looked back and directed my gaze at the face of Train-chan¡­at a slightly lower location than that.


    Pardon my words here, but she ain¡¯t no fancy bullet train, she is an average train.


    ¡­I am of course talking about the speed of her legs.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s not it!¡± (Train)


    She must have noticed my lecherous look, she hurriedly covered her body with both arms and shouted.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t referring to that, but in the sense that you would use me as a sacrifice for the Evil God! You know, the kind where you offer the fresh blood of a virgin to open the door!¡± (Train)


    ¡°Aah, right, that stuff.¡± (Souma)


    This woman still hasn¡¯t given up on her suspicions that I am a cultist?


    What was all that talk about believing me?


    I feel like she is just giving excuses for having fallen asleep, but I kinda want to tease her here.


    ¡°And yet, you seemed to be pretty soundly asleep there.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­It was just an act. I was simply assuming a defenseless state to confirm what you would do.¡± (Train)


    Train-chan said as if gloating.


    But it is falling into the amusing spectrum.


    ¡°Your mouth¡­there¡¯s drool, you know¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°You think you can get me with that lie¡ªuh!¡± (Train)


    Train-chan wiped her mouth with the back of her hand taken aback, and her hand got drenched.


    I thought Train-chan wouldn¡¯t be able to bullshit her way out of this one, but she shouted once again.


    ¡°This is fake drool!¡± (Train)


    ¡°¡­So it is fake drool.¡± (Souma)


    Even while we were having that questionable talk, my arm was moving without rest.


    As if finding fault in this, Train-chan speaks again as if in retaliation.


    ¡°I-In the first place, I don¡¯t want to be told that from someone who has been doing something pointless this whole time!¡± (Train)


    But¡­


    ¡°I am almost done.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡± (Train)


    It is about time.


    I took distance from the torch like the first time and¡­


    ¡°[Invisible Blade]!¡± (Souma)


    I activate that skill without any fighting spirit.


    And that one hit¡­


    ¡°E-Eh?!¡± (Train)


    This time around, managed to bring down the torch in one hit.


    The lower half remained by the side of the door, and the upper half that still had fire had fallen onto the ground.


    ¡­Success.


    (Alright!!) (Souma)


    I pump my fist internally.


    I cheerfully take the torch into my hands.


    I turned around to Train-chan as if saying ¡®how¡¯s that?!¡¯, and she said somewhat displeased.


    ¡°I certainly do think that¡¯s impressive, but¡­how are you going to get us outside with that?¡± (Train)


    ¡­Right, I wasn¡¯t thinking about that.


    Is of course not my thought at all.


    After safely obtaining the torch which was my first objective, I returned to the entrance with my spirits on the high rise along with Train-chan.


    I raise the torch I just got and confirm the hole opened up at the ceiling.


    ¡°It really is a tight fit, but¡­I should be able to manage.¡± (Souma)


    It would be difficult with a sword, but nothing a bit of brute force can¡¯t solve.


    I nodded to myself with raised torch while looking up.


    ¡°Just by looking at the state of the hole, we can confirm light coming from above ground, so I don¡¯t think there was a need for a torch though.¡± (Train)


    Train-chan was trying to pour cold water at every single chance she could get.


    Where did the docile Train-chan go?


    While I was thinking that, I put out the fire of the torch and put it inside my bag.


    ¡°Eh?! You are not going to use the torch anymore?!¡± (Train)


    I of course ignore the reaction of Train-chan and unsheathe Shiranui.


    I look at the hole as I adjust my position.


    ¡°Please step back for a bit.¡± (Souma)


    I had Train-chan take distance and ready Shiranui.


    Now, here is where it begins.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do this!¡± (Souma)


    I fix my breathing and Order the skill in a loud voice.


    ¡°[Eternal Heaven¡­¡± (Souma)


    As I say these words, I hold Shiranui aloft¡­


    ¡°Soaring¡­¡± (Souma)


    Take one big leap!


    I ascend at a speed that far surpasses that of Step.


    The sword got caught in the circle of the hole, but I ignored that and continued.


    I had jumped several meters above ground from the bottom of the hole.


    After hanging in the air for an instant¡­


    ¡°Blade]!!¡± (Souma)


    At the same time as I shouted this, I descended sharply diagonally.


    I swing down Shiranui as if intending to split the earth!


    ¡°¡­Fuuh.¡± (Souma)


    After the skill stun had worn off, I kneeled down a little bit away from the hole.


    Escape successful.


    ¡°Whew. Somehow managed to get out¡­¡± (Souma)


    She probably thought I had once again used a weird technique to get out, but no pain no gain.


    It is not like I used a cancel technique or a bug just now. The skill is also exactly as it is.


    The ability of that skill is to move a bit high into the sky, and there¡¯s nothing particularly special about it.


    ¡­That¡¯s right.


    Eternal Heaven Soaring Blade is a skill that you normally learn close to clearing the game if you raise your sword proficiency as your main one without trying anything special. It is the 12th sword skill counting from Slash.


    How is it possible that I have a late game sword skill then?


    Fufufu¡­


    Praise be to the Master Torch!

 CH 17

    ¡°Wha~t will I catch today~?¡± (Souma)


    I hummed cheerfully as I enjoyed fishing.


    ¡°¡­You look pretty happy there, Souma-san.¡±


    I feel like I heard the spiteful voice of an acquaintance, but it must be my imagination, so I don¡¯t worry about it.


    The reason for my good mood is simple.


    It is because I have managed to obtain a super useful item that¡¯s impossible to obtain at such an early stage because of the game system.


    Right now there¡¯s one torch inside my bag.


    This is most of the reason why I am in a good mood.


    ¡®What, a mere torch?¡¯ -you shouldn¡¯t look down on it.


    What I got ain¡¯t just your regular torch.


    It is the level 250 super torch that has HP regeneration ability which has looked after many hardcore Nekomimi Neko users, Master Torch.


    The reason why it is called master when it is just a torch is because this is the best thing to increase weapon proficiency.


    In the first place, the reason why I headed to that sealed cave despite there being no way I would be able to match the underground dungeon in my level is because you can¡¯t even enter it without the items to begin with.


    Even so, I still headed there because I was aiming for this Master Torch.


    Regarding raising the proficiency of weapons, I have spoken about it before.


    Proficiency increases depending on how many times you have hit and dealt damage. If there¡¯s a difference in levels against your opponent, a bonus is added.


    In other words, fight against a high as possible enemy, hit it as many times as possible, deal more than 1 damage. This is the shortcut to increasing proficiency.


    And so, in order to increase weapon proficiency, it was the mainstream method to attack a high level slow monster endlessly with a weapon. But there was a guy who tested out something unusual.


    Instead of hitting a monster, they tried to raise their proficiency by attacking an item.


    For a part of the weapons, armor, and items like lamps and torches that can be broken, not only do they have levels, they have HP set for their durability.


    If the only condition to raise weapon proficiency is to deal damage to the target, wouldn¡¯t it be possible to raise proficiency by hitting items that have level and HP?


    He thought of this and it was proved to be true.


    Instead of monsters, you raise your proficiency with harmless items.


    This could be taken as a brilliant idea at first glance.


    But this was actually not an efficient method.


    First, there rarely are any items that have a higher level than the player.


    Especially with the weapons and armor level, they are mostly set at a level slightly lower than the character level, so it wasn¡¯t an efficient method for the work.


    The only high level item with HP was the suspension bridge quest at the Gigal Mountain which you can find in the beginning, but you have to defeat the mobs around in order to attack it so, in the end, you need a high level.


    Also, even if you obtain high level equipment, the other wall would be the repair costs.


    The HP of items is solely to show the durability of it, so in exchange of barely lowering unless you are reckless with it, it is really low compared to monsters.


    And yet, if you are going to repair it, you require a lot of Element depending on the level.


    Going out of your way to attack an item in order to increase your weapon proficiency is nonsense in a lot of ways.


    Thus, because of these two reasons, it was deemed inefficient to raise your weapon proficiency with items.


    ¡­Until the day the Master Torch was found, that is.


    Any player who has progressed till the hidden dungeon obviously knows about the torches that are in front of the dungeon doors, but there was almost no one who paid it any heed.


    But, one day, a Nameless-san stopped in front of a torch and tilted his head.


    Almost all illumination means in dungeons are made into objects. Putting it simply, they are a part of the scenery and can¡¯t be interacted with by players.


    But only this one, these torches weren¡¯t part of the scenery. They were torches treated as items.


    However, you can bring out as many reasons as you want. Like: they put some effort into the hidden dungeon, or they wanted an actual source of light, or whatever.


    That¡¯s not what he found strange.


    The problem was that, no matter when you came, they would always continue burning.


    In the first place, the reason why torches and lamps have HP is because they have a time limit.


    That¡¯s why torches and lamps slowly lose HP and once the HP is gone, they break.


    But the torches in this hidden dungeon were different.


    Despite them burning the whole time, no matter how long of a time it passed, they wouldn¡¯t break.


    Finding this strange, he tested out several things to solve this mystery, and he discovered that that torch has a massive amount of HP that can¡¯t be compared to that of a torch, has the ability to regenerate its HP, moreover, has a dreadnought level of 250 that was most likely to match the hidden dungeon.


    This discovery drove the Nekomimi Neko players crazy.


    The last boss Demon Lord is level 250 and the mobs before him are around 200, so most players would be around 200 by the time they clear the game.


    Even if it is exclusive for after you clear the game, if you can increase your proficiency with an item that has a 50 level difference, that would be extremely tasty.


    Moreover, it has a lot of HP and it regenerates its HP, so there¡¯s no need to use Element to repair it.


    This information spread in the net, and the Godlike Torch in the underground dungeon became common knowledge in Nekomimi Neko in the blink of an eye.


    The hidden dungeon entrance became the weapon proficiency training ground right before clearing the game. Many players would visit that god torch daily, and would attack it with their weapons as they pleased.


    You can easily see the item parameters in the game, so there¡¯s no need to confirm whether it has been injured or not.


    If you see a 1 damage in your screen, you simply continue hitting. Pretty straightforward.


    There¡¯s no need for any special trick and has no risks.


    On top of that, there was no other thing that could even come close to comparing, so there¡¯s no way it wouldn¡¯t be popular.


    God Torch Worship soon became a top movement in Nekomimi Neko.


    On the other hand, the players that had gone over level 250 and had already cleared the hidden dungeon at the fastest speed were stomping their feet and raging at the realization of this.


    Source: Me.


    ¡­I was that player.


    Eventually, they began to call this underground entrance as the underground dojo of the Master Torch. Even though it is practically exclusive to before you conquer the hidden dungeon, it is a popular spot that¡¯s even compared to the Lookmari Dojo of the Lamurick Town.


    I even went as far as beginning the game all over again and defeating the Demon Lord at a low level (level 183) and raised my weapon proficiency a whole ton.


    I think you already understand, but the reason why I endlessly attacked the torch was not in order to cut down the torch, but to reproduce the Master Torch¡¯s underground dojo, and use the newly learned skill to escape.


    I could tell Train-chan about the torch, but increasing your weapon proficiency at a blinding speed by just hitting a torch is obviously not normal no matter how you think about it. It is kinda like¡­unfair, or cheap.


    That¡¯s why I had Train-chan misunderstand that I was trying to cut off the torch in blind rage and raised my weapon proficiency single-mindedly.


    There¡¯s close to 240 levels of difference between me and Master Torch.


    I could somewhat tell that my weapon proficiency was increasing at a fearsome speed every time I cut it, and I ended up losing sight of when to stop from all the excitement.


    But, thanks to that, not only did I learn the Eternal Heaven Soaring Blade which you normally learn after you are close to clearing the game, thanks to patch 1.09 that fixed the weapon proficiency actually affecting the attack power of the skills, my attack power increased to an extent that can¡¯t be compared to before.


    As long as I have Master Torch inside my bag, I can increase my proficiency no matter where I go, so I am really looking forward to the future.


    But, right¡­


    For now, rather than my weapon¡­


    ¡°Souma-san!¡±


    My thoughts were cut off by the shout of Train-chan.


    When I turned, Train-chan was looking up here with teary eyes.


    Seeing that, I finally remembered.


    Right, I was fishing.


    ¡°Even now, I still don¡¯t know if you are a good guy or a bad guy¡­ But I understand one thing.¡± (Train)


    Of course, this is not your average fishing.


    The fishing line is a rope I bought in the town, and I am fishing in the Sealed Lands.


    And what I am trying to catch is¡­


    ¡°Souma-san is a really horrible person!!¡± (Train)


    ¡­Train-chan shouts at me¡­from below the hole.


    I had no choice but to go to the town and buy a rope to save Train-chan after having escaped from the hole.


    I hung that onto the hole, and thought about pulling Train-chan up, but¡­


    Every time I hung the rope and Train-chan came near¡­


    ¡°A bit more! Just a bit more!¡± (Souma)


    It was amusing how she was jumping for the rope, and I ended up teasing her for the hell of it.


    It can¡¯t be helped that she would say I am a horrible person. It is an act that truly earns me that title.


    ¡°Aah, the length of the rope really isn¡¯t enough~.¡± (Souma)


    I threw out those words and flailed the rope to a height where her hands barely don¡¯t reach.


    Train-chan stretched her arms out here and there while jumping like a cat chasing after a green foxtail.


    And then, she noticed that I am looking at that sight of hers with a grin and said:


    ¡°Your personality is also horrible!¡± (Train)


    She shouted again from below.


    Hm? Didn¡¯t she say she only understood one thing about me?


    I would feel bad playing around with her for too long, so I found a good time and pulled her up.


    Train-chan was safely rescued with my game-like physical strength and¡­


    ¡°I-I will at least thank you for saving me. Thanks. B-But it is not like I trust you yet, Souma-san!¡± (Train)


    She shouted this at the end and ran off to the town at full speed.


    I hope we never meet again.


    ¡°I am tired for the day.¡± (Souma)


    My second day in the game was more heavy than I thought.


    I actually was planning on going to one facility in town, but I decided to do so tomorrow.


    I just returned to the inn.


    I apologized to the innkeeper that I had broken his shovel and to please let me compensate him for it, and he grinned at me with his rugged face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. If you are going to continue being a patron here, a mere shovel is a bargain.¡±


    He laughed it off heartily.


    Contrary to his looks, he is a nice guy.


    I swore in my heart that I would go and buy a new shovel tomorrow.


    ¡°There¡¯s still a bit more before dinner, so come down in around 30 minutes, okay?!¡±


    He said as he pushed my back and I returned to my room.


    After confirming that I can use Master Torch properly and that Shiranui doesn¡¯t show any signs of breaking, I return to the 1st floor.


    I headed to the dining hall and, aside from the guests and the innkeeper, there was someone there who was clearly waiting for me.


    When she sees me, she runs towards me with a big smile.


    ¡°I am Ina Trail who will be staying here from today on! I will be in your care from here on!¡± (Train)


    I ignored this girl who was making a face as if she got me and faced the innkeeper.


    ¡°Sorry, it looks like I can¡¯t be a patron of this place.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Why?!¡±


    And the lesson of today is¡­


    You can¡¯t escape from Train-chan!!

 CH 18-19

    3rd day of my game life.


    A refreshing morning.


    I remember having worked my bones off yesterday, but maybe because of how the game works, there¡¯s no fatigue at all remaining.


    I opened the door in a merry mood and¡­


    ¡°Good morning, Souma-san! Uhm, I have been thinking all night yesterday, and I have decided to stick to you all day in order to get a good grasp of¡ªeh?!¡±


    I immediately did an U turn, opened the window, and jumped out.


    Right when I landed on the ground, I used Heavenly Blade to jump onto a roof nearby, and use Step to move through the roofs.


    I gotta say it is quite a charming escape.


    I managed to escape from that Train-chan completely in just 10 seconds.


    ¡°Crap¡­!¡± (Souma)


    After getting a good amount of distance and landing, I noticed.


    I escaped by reflex, but my plans for today were to go around the stores to do some shopping, so there was no issue in having Train-chan come with me.


    Now that I have run away from her, it would make it harder to see her face to face again, and there is a high chance we will be running into each other. It is now more difficult for me to go to the main street where the stores are lined up at.


    A complete mistake on my part.


    But if you were to suddenly get spoken to after opening your room¡¯s door, isn¡¯t it instinctive that a true loner would want to run away from it?


    ¡°In other words, this is the nature of loners, and it is a chronic disease I will have to shoulder for the rest of my life?!¡± (Souma)


    I wrapped it up neatly there, but it is not really something to be proud of.


    Also, me being a loner was because I prioritized games over human interaction after entering college, so my loner history is pretty short as of now.


    I don¡¯t plan on shouldering that for the rest of my life.


    Or more like, I haven¡¯t told Train-chan my schedule. Meaning that Train-chan was probably waiting in front of my door the whole time. That¡¯s plain scary.


    I am beginning to think it was the right choice to have run away.


    In the first place, I feel as if she is trying to get into my side since the moment I met her, but I have no intention of increasing my party members right now.


    I am going to distance myself from others as much as possible, and devote myself to getting stronger.


    You could say creating distance from Train-chan with this is exactly what I would want.


    I switch gears with that and think of my plans from now on.


    There¡¯s a lot to be done, but no matter what I will be doing, the main constant will be to avoid Train-chan.


    I dealt with her information gathering by taking off my mythril armor that stands out, and wore beginner equipment.


    With this, the factors that can be used to pinpoint me have decreased by quite a lot.


    But I already know that if I stay in the field for more than a fixed period of time, I will end up summoning Train-chan.


    I think this is a difficult one to shake off completely, but there¡¯s no problem this time around.


    I don¡¯t have plans on leaving this town for a while after all.


    A shut-in declaration.


    I said all grandiose, but what I mean is that I don¡¯t want to increase the level of my character that much until I have increased my weapon proficiency.


    I can increase my weapon proficiency efficiently with the torch because my level is low.


    In the current state when I have no means of lowering my level, going out to fight and destroying one of my advantages would be wasteful.


    Well, a 240 level difference turning into 200 probably won¡¯t have that much change, but if there¡¯s anything I can do in the town, I should just finish them all up.


    ¡°¡­What I can do in the town, huh.¡± (Souma)


    I repeat the words that surfaced in my mind.


    When speaking of that, there was one scene that played in my mind vividly.


    There¡¯s 3 growth factors in the characters of Nekomimi Neko broadly speaking.


    Character level, weapon proficiency, and skill proficiency.


    This is an RPG, so it is natural, but the character level increases by defeating monsters and getting exp.


    Normally, the growth rate is higher when fighting strong monsters like bosses or rare monsters, and the trash mobs should be set low, but this is Nekomimi Neko.


    The settings here are haphazard, so there¡¯s clear winning monsters and clear barren monsters.


    Also, because the exp multiplier of items with HP is 0, you won¡¯t be able to level up no matter how many you destroy.


    The exp is taken away completely by the person that dealt the finishing blow, so the dps is at an advantage in leveling up by miles away.


    On the other hand, no matter how much the healer devotes themselves to healing their comrades, you don¡¯t get a single drop of exp; an unfortunate job.


    If Nekomimi Neko were an MMO, the tragedy of everyone in the party being dps would happen at every corner, no doubt about it.


    It really is great that Nekomimi Neko didn¡¯t become an MMO.


    I deviated a bit there, but I have no intention of leveling up right now and I can increase my weapon proficiency as long as I have the torch, so there¡¯s no need to go out of the town.


    In that case, the one thing remaining is increasing the skill proficiency.


    What is skill proficiency? It is the proficiency set individually to skills like Step.


    Skills consume stamina gauge when used, but the cost doesn¡¯t increase even when you raise your level.


    Then, does that mean that, no matter how many times you use skills consecutively, it would still be the same? No.


    This is where skill proficiency comes to play.


    If you continue using the same skill, the skill proficiency increases, and the performance of that skill increases proportional to it. The stamina cost decreases.


    Even if the stamina¡¯s highest denominator is the same, the stamina cost of skills changes, so veteran players can use more skills consecutively compared to beginner players.


    As for the way to increase skill proficiency, it is the simplest. The amount of times you use that skill becomes proficiency as it is.


    It doesn¡¯t matter at all if the attack hits, if damage is registered, or if the target is high level or low level.


    No matter if you hit it against a boss, cancel it, or hit the air, you will get 1 proficiency point as long as you use it.


    It is truly a clear and simple system.


    But that¡¯s exactly why it is also the field that has the least amount of loopholes.


    You can¡¯t use tricks like leveling up in one go by defeating high level monsters or hitting a high level item to level up.


    Even so, if you are thinking of raising it efficiently¡­


    ¡°It really would be the Lookmari Dojo.¡± (Souma)


    I speak out the obvious conclusion and let out a heavy sigh.


    Honestly speaking, I don¡¯t really like the Lookmari Dojo much.


    My interpersonal communication skills are pitiful, and on top of that, I have no special hobbies, so that place is a high hurdle for me.


    Especially when thinking about how I have to do this now in real life. Just the thought alone is making my stomach hurt.


    ¡°But well, might as well just go.¡± (Souma)


    And so, I decide to head to the edge of the town.


    There¡¯s no stores there, but there¡¯s an old and big church which is the sole church in this town.


    ¡ªThe beginning days of Nekomimi Neko.


    At the time when not even Godstep Cancel was created, there was a certain video that gathered the attention of the Nekomimi Neko players.


    The title of that video was ¡®the repenting man¡¯.


    A short video where a man was repeatedly hitting his head on the wall single-mindedly in a white room.


    ¡°It has been a while since I have come here.¡± (Souma)


    I stepped into the space where the sound of a pipe organ was echoing while feeling the peculiar atmosphere of the church.


    Even when it was still an actual game, it has been a while since I have come here.


    I have been in the care of this place for a variety of things in the early game, but the main role of the church in this game is to heal your debuffs.


    It is relatively easy to learn spells that can heal debuffs in Nekomimi Neko, so it is rare to be in the care of this place from midgame onwards.


    However, it is not like I came here to heal a debuff.


    The one other use for the church that all Nekomimi Neko players know of.


    That is the objective of this visit today.


    ¡°Excuse me.¡± (Souma)


    I advance into the church without hesitation, and a kind-looking sister standing there speaks to me.


    ¡°What brings you here today?¡±


    This girl¡¯s name is Mariel-san.


    A sister in this church, and basically the manager of a certain room.


    ¡°Uhm¡­¡± (Souma)


    The pure smile she had was hitting my conscience, but I understand that this guilt will serve as the spice for victory, so I steeled myself and spoke.


    ¡°I would like to use the confessional¡­¡± (Souma)


    The confessional is literally a room where you confess your sins to God.


    That said, the reality is a bit different, but when it comes to the image of a cramped room where the priest and the person confessing enter and are divided by a partition, it is the same in this game.


    It is not clear why there¡¯s a confession room in this game, but in the first advertisements of Nekomimi Neko, there were those that said ¡®the events change depending on your karma! A sin system that creates new drama!¡¯. It was probably made with that in mind.


    Well, in the end, the sin system wasn¡¯t implemented in Nekomimi Neko, and just like the pardon ticket (price: 10,000 E, yet no use), the confessional ended up being completely pointless in terms of the game function, but there were some who loved it.


    When you tell Mariel-san that you would like to confess¡­


    ¡°So you have come to confess. My apologies, but the priest is currently away.¡± (Mariel)


    She would say this and refuse.


    It sounds like an event flag, but the reality is that, if you withdraw here, you won¡¯t be able to use the confessional.


    You have to insist here and¡­


    ¡°Understood, then¡­¡± (Mariel)


    Mariel-san would give in and go into the confessional herself to hear you out.


    It might be a problem if the sister were to take the place of the priest in confessions in the real world, but this is a game, moreover, inside Nekomimi Neko.


    There¡¯s no person who would be bothered by that. Mariel-san is a looker and she is a sister, so you could say it is a whole lot better than a priest. There were even players (mostly men) who would come here to confess just for that.


    I may be digressing here, but no matter how much time you wait, or how many times you come here, the priest-san won¡¯t be coming back to this church.


    He doesn¡¯t come back no matter how long you wait, so there¡¯s theories like ¡®the priest is actually the last boss¡¯, ¡®Mariel-san is a widow¡¯, ¡®Mariel-san = Priest¡¯, ¡®Mariel-san killed the priest¡¯. A whole lot of conspiracy theories flew around, but the truth still hasn¡¯t been made clear.


    If I were to speak about the boring reality here, they probably didn¡¯t model the priest from the very beginning, so they just made a random excuse. Well, it doesn¡¯t matter.


    What¡¯s important is the confessional. This is a special place that clearly stands out from other places.


    According to Mariel-san, the inside of the confessional is the closest place to God, so it is unattached to the impurities of this world.


    Well, I don¡¯t know about this God business, but it is true that this small space is special in the game.


    You could say this is a perfect safe zone.


    In this place, your HP, MP, and even the Stamina don¡¯t deplete, and even if someone hits you with a weapon, there¡¯s no damage. You can¡¯t activate weapons skills and spells to begin with.


    Movement skills like Step are the only thing that can be activated, but if you were to use them in this cramped room, you would definitely hit the wall or the ceiling and your skill would be interrupted.


    There¡¯s no need to use them, and even if you crash, there¡¯s no damage.


    In this fantasy world where swords and magic rule, this space alone works on different principles.


    It really is as if it is a space where God rules.


    ¡­That¡¯s how a normal person would think.


    But a VR gamer to the root would think differently.


    Can¡¯t use weapon skills and magic?


    Doesn¡¯t that mean that you can use movement skills without any stamina cost?


    Even if you use a movement skill, you will just hit the walls or the ceiling and the skill will be interrupted?


    There¡¯s no damage even if you did, or rather, the animation is skipped, so you can rapid-fire them.


    There¡¯s no need to use movement skills here in the first place?


    If you use skills, your skill proficiency increases.


    Alright, everyone!


    Charge onto the walls of the confessional with your movement skills!!


    Is basically how it goes.


    Normally, you would run out of stamina once you use 4 Steps at the beginning of the game.


    On top of that, if you don¡¯t squeeze a Cancel in, the whole animation and the stun after is long, so using Step 4 times would take close to 10 seconds.


    But inside the confessional where there¡¯s no stamina consumption and no damage, that problem is solved.


    No matter how many times you use Step, your stamina doesn¡¯t run out, and even if you crash onto the walls and get interrupted, you don¡¯t receive damage or feel it.


    A certain player utilized this and showed in a video how he did 4 Steps in 1 second.


    The way of doing it is simple.


    Stick your body to a wall of the confessional and repeat Steps with good timing.


    Activate Step, hit the wall, activate Step¡­is the flow you must repeat in short intervals and the skill proficiency increases at an astounding speed.


    From an outside perspective, it is as if you are burning in regret and smashing your head to the wall.


    And so, ¡®the repenting man¡¯ video was complete.


    Every time this video is introduced to someone, they would all rush to the confessional and would try to imitate this.


    You can only raise your movement skills, but the efficiency of it is extraordinary, and there¡¯s no risk.


    But there¡¯s one unexpected issue with this proficiency training.


    There¡¯s an entrance behind this confessional, and at the front there¡¯s a partition and a small table for consultation, so you have to use either the left or right walls for your Step training.


    And then, after finishing your long simple work, you would look at the side and notice¡­


    A pair of eyes watching you the whole time as you smashed your head to the wall repeatedly.


    ¡­That¡¯s right. Mariel-san will see every single bit of the player¡¯s eccentricity.


    You need the permission of Mariel-san to enter the confessional.


    That¡¯s why, at the time when the player is using the confessional, there will definitely be Mariel-san at the other side of the screen.


    I don¡¯t know if the AI of Mariel-san is weak, or because the thought routine setting inside the confessional was skimped over, but even when you do something as crazy as repeatedly hitting your head on the wall, Mariel-san won¡¯t be reacting.


    She will simply judge that you haven¡¯t said anything even though you have entered the confessional and say:


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you have something you wanted to confess?¡± (Mariel)


    ¡°It may be hard, but there¡¯s times when speaking about it will make you feel better.¡± (Mariel)


    She will simply urge you to do your confession.


    What she says will then continue to devolve into confusion.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t say anything, I won¡¯t be able to say anything.¡± (Mariel)


    ¡°Could it be that it was a lie that you wanted to confess?¡± (Mariel)


    And at the end¡­


    ¡°The exit is there.¡± (Mariel)


    Is the only thing she will say, and that in itself would make your chest hurt, but what¡¯s truly fearsome is after that.


    After running out of dialogue, she will stop saying anything and stare at the player.


    What¡¯s the problem with that? You won¡¯t be able to understand just by listening.


    I didn¡¯t have any issues with it at first either.


    But once I actually went to the confessional, I learned about the fearsomeness of it.


    I simply thought it was a bit embarrassing to be stared at.


    But when I looked at her for an instant, I noticed that her face and posture had not changed at all from a few minutes ago, and the gears began to get crooked.


    Mariel-san was just watching me and wasn¡¯t doing anything, but it strangely bothered me.


    Only at the times when I would switch the wall I use would she move her head.


    Slowly, matching my movements.


    Her eyes were following me without her saying anything.


    A cramped space where you can¡¯t distract yourself with something else.


    Even if you tell yourself not to mind it, once it takes root in your mind, you are done for.


    You won¡¯t be able to take it off your mind that she is watching you.


    Even if you try to concentrate on using skills, it won¡¯t go well.


    Even if you manage to concentrate, even if you push Mariel-san to the corner of your conscience, at the time when you return to your senses, you end up being unprepared to see the face of Mariel-san.


    That¡¯s when you learn¡­


    That you are being watched.


    Even when you concentrated and forgot about her, she was watching you the whole time.


    Looking at you.


    Observing you.


    And when you actually look at her eyes, you will see yourself reflected in them.


    Staring.


    Not a blink, just a faint smile plastered on her face, the whole time.


    ¡ªShe has been watching me the whole time!


    Simple repetition can make you zone out easily, so your mind ends up being more susceptible.


    Maybe because of that, around 1 in every 3 people who have challenged this had their hearts destroyed by Mariel-san¡¯s gaze.


    Depending on the person, there¡¯s those that don¡¯t care about it at all, or would even find it as a reward, but it looks like I am none of those. I have the bitter memory of being unable to endure the gaze of Mariel-san and running away to the streets.


    Increasing skill proficiency also tests the strength of the player¡¯s heart, the Lookmari Dojo.


    ¡­However¡­


    Only I know that this world is a game, but this is at the same time reality.


    If it is reality, events that didn¡¯t happen in the game can occur here.


    ¡°So you have come to confess. My apologies, but the priest is currently away.¡± (Mariel)


    That¡¯s why, after one push here¡­


    ¡°Understood. Then¡­¡± (Mariel)


    Just as Mariel-san is heading to the confessional¡­I stop her!


    ¡°No, I would like to silently have a talk with God. That¡¯s why, if you could let me borrow the room for myself¡­¡± (Souma)


    I told her what I was thinking the whole time.


    ¡­How¡¯s that?


    I wait for her reaction.


    ¡°¡­I see. Then, please feel free to use the room.¡± (Mariel)


    Mariel-san smiled gently and said this.


    (Woohoo!) (Souma)


    I cheered internally.


    At this instant, I managed to overcome the biggest hurdle of the Lookmari Dojo!


    I was seen off by the smiling Mariel-san and I entered the confessional.


    Of course, the Mariel-san watching me the whole time from the other side is not there.


    Even though it is a place I frequented, it feels fresh.


    (I can do this.) (Souma)


    I get close to the wall and decide my position.


    Now that this place is reality, I don¡¯t know how long I will be able to use it.


    My natural instincts were telling me not to use movement skills towards a wall, but I shake off the hesitation and use the skill.


    ([Step]!) (Souma)


    *Gon*


    A dull sound was made and my head smashed the wall.


    But despite the painful sound, there was no pain.


    It is okay.


    I can raise my proficiency without any issues in this world too.


    ([Step]! [Step], [Step], [Step]!) (Souma)


    *Gon! Go-go-gon!*


    The rhythmic sounds were telling me of my success in the skills.


    I felt good about it and gradually increased the speed.


    ([Step], [Step], [Step], [Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step]!) (Souma)


    *Go-go-gogogogogon!*


    The speed of the wall smashing accelerated with the increase in the use of Step.


    It is getting fun.


    ([Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step]!) (Souma)


    *Gogogogogogongogogogogon!*


    My concentration is rising!


    Just Step.


    The only thing ruling my mind right now is how to utilize Step even more efficiently to increase the speed even more.


    ([Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step]Skip[Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step]!) (Souma)


    *Gogogogogogongogogogogongogogogogogongogogogogon!*


    It is now that I understand why I was bothered by Mariel-san and escaped.


    It is because I lacked concentration.


    But I can do it now.


    I am in the Zone, I can overcome my limits.


    To untrodden lands.


    I will overcome the wall of 4 skills per second and enter the 5 skills per second¡­no, this is to go¡­even further beyond!


    ([Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step][Step]¡­) (Souma)


    *Gogogogogogongogogogogongogogogogogongogogogogongogogogogogongogogogogongogogogogogongogogogogon¡­*


    Now, let¡¯s go!


    Onwards to what lies beyond the limits!


    Break through the walls!!


    It was at this moment¡­


    ¡°Uhm, I heard some weird noises coming from here. Is the devotee¡ªwait, what are you doing?!¡±


    I think some sort of noise came into my ears, but my concentration won¡¯t be broken by something like that.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know what kind of sin you committed, but you must not! Self-injury won¡¯t resolve anything. God wishes for you to repent for your sins honestly¡­no, I have to stop him first!¡± (Noise)


    The noise was bothering me, but that¡¯s proof that my concentration isn¡¯t enough.


    More, I have to concentrate more on my Steps¡­


    ¡°Stop! Please cease this at once¡­!¡± (Noise)


    I felt as if something soft and warm wrapped around my body.


    What horrible noise.


    But I won¡¯t lose!


    ¡°Could it be that he doesn¡¯t notice from being so concentrated in repenting for his own sins? What a strong desire for self-condemnation and devotion! But more reason to stop him from any further acts of self-harming!¡± (Noise)


    If the noise is trying to lead me astray, I will make that noise into fodder for my own strength.


    At the time when even this softness that tries to bewilder me can¡¯t be felt anymore, I will surely have achieved the ultimate form of concentration.


    ¡°Someone! Please come! At the confessional¡­at the confessional¡­!!¡± (Noise)


    Aah, I can see it.


    The next world is opening up for me¡­


    After that, I was forced into a room deeper in, and was made to repent a whole ton by Mariel-san.


    Yeah, well, you know¡­the sermon of someone in that line of work really does resonate in one¡¯s heart!

 CH 20-21

    TLN: Hey guys, Reigokai here!


    Whew, I managed to do the whole week of WG! Woohoo!


    That was more taxing and fun than I expected. With this, we will be going to a normal schedule and I will take tomorrow off for a break, haha.


    Hope you guys enjoyed it!


    Thanks to the donators and the patreons for the support! :D!


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Thinking about it, this should be natural, but if there¡¯s things you can do in this world when it was a game, there should be things that you can¡¯t do in this world that you could in the game as well.


    Lookmari Dojo is part of that category, but that would be troubling.


    And so, with tears in my eyes¡­


    ¡°It is something that I must do no matter what!¡± (Souma)


    I pleaded and she unexpectedly conceded.


    It is limited to 9 in the afternoon when there¡¯s almost no people who would use it, and they will be placing a mattress that will absorb the impact and sound of crashing onto the wall of the confessional, so if I am going to be headbutting something, to do it there. Those were the conditions to use the confessional.


    It is not like I am doing any headbutting, but it would be a pain to clear the misunderstanding, so I just ignored it.


    Most of all, even if it is with conditions, the use of the room was accepted, so there¡¯s no reason for me to complain.


    The only thing that bothered me is whether it would create strange rumors if I were to use the church at night for something like that.


    Speaking of which, I think I heard rumors about ghosts actually showing up in the church.


    If the church¡¯s ghost is actually a Nekomimi Neko player that came here for the Lookmari Dojo¡­no, there¡¯s no way.


    ¡°Thank you very much!¡± (Souma)


    I stopped the silly thoughts and lowered my head deeply at Mariel-san at the end and left the church.


    At any rate, even though I caused a ruckus that could have devolved into a neighborhood problem, Mariel-san is so kind.


    Even though I should be a problematic individual, after she finished her sermon, she would direct a caring gaze at me and -I may be putting it badly here but- she was talking with so much care as if she were dealing with an explosive.


    As expected from a person who serves God, she is so accepting.


    ¡­Well¡­


    ¡°God wishes for people to do their best in living.¡± (Mariel)


    ¡°There¡¯s still a lot of fun things that you don¡¯t know about, you know?¡± (Mariel)


    ¡°I am sure you will be able to find something if you continue living!¡± (Mariel)


    She jams in preachy words every now and then, but she is a sister, so maybe that¡¯s how it works.


    She says that much to me who isn¡¯t that devout, so the believers must have it pretty rough.


    Anyways, I managed to set things for the future, so I am feeling refreshed here.


    I opened the door of the church in a good mood and¡­


    ¡°I have finally found you, Souma-sa¡ªeh?!¡±


    I saw a familiar face closeby and ran in the opposite direction at full force.


    ¡°P-Please wait!¡±


    And then, as if it were natural, that acquaintance -Train-chan- chased after me.


    Moreover, as fast as always.


    She will catch up with me at this rate, but I made the mistake of choosing to run away, there¡¯s no tall buildings nearby that I can use Heaven Blade to get up to.


    I would like to use Godstep Cancel, but in the current state where my skill level is low, I will run out of stamina really fast.


    Because I managed to stay in the Lookmari Dojo for a bit, I managed to reduce the cost of Step a bit, but the cost of Slash that¡¯s needed to cancel it hasn¡¯t changed.


    Rather than Slash, it would be better to use the Side Slash which I used on the torch, but if I mess up its activation, I might end up slicing a random passerby in two.


    It is so dangerous, I can¡¯t use it in populated places.


    ¡°Why are you running away?!¡± (Train)


    ¡°Because you are chasing me!¡± (Souma)


    We shout at each other while running.


    ¡°T-Then, if I stopped here, what would you do?¡± (Train)


    ¡°I would suddenly remember an urgent matter and run off.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°You would still be running away then!¡± (Train)


    Well, yeah.


    But it is true that a part of me is running away because I am being chased. If Train-chan just gives up, I won¡¯t have to escape.


    This time around, I threw in my own words.


    ¡°Why are you following me around so persistently in the first place?! You still suspect me of being a cultist?!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°N-No, uhm¡­¡± (Train)


    She hesitated in her words for the first time and stopped her feet.


    I could have run away just like that, but the situation wouldn¡¯t be resolved.


    I took a bit of distance and stopped just like her.


    ¡°This morning, weren¡¯t you about to say that you would be following me to get a better understanding of me because you don¡¯t trust me?¡± (Souma)


    When I said this as if cross-examining her, she answered in a subdued voice as if biting her words.


    ¡°Yeah, but I actually almost completely trust Souma-san already, or like¡­uhm, I don¡¯t know about that complicated stuff regarding the Evil God seal and all of that, but I can at least tell that you are not a bad person¡­¡± (Train)


    She is not being clear.


    It is irritating me a bit.


    ¡°Then, why are you chasing after me?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh? ¡­Uhm, because you saved my life, and uhm¡­! You are a type of person I have never seen before, so I wanted to understand you better¡­¡± (Train)


    What¡¯s with that?


    Then that means that there was no need for her to chase me.


    I held back my rising irritation and said with as much composure as possible.


    ¡°Listen here, I intend to be an adventurer here and become stronger.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°M-Me too!¡± (Train)


    She pointlessly chimed for some reason, but I ignored it.


    ¡°I also have information that only I have, and have a fighting style I don¡¯t want others to know. I would like to keep my distance from others for the time being.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I¡­I understand that¡­b-but¡ª!¡± (Train)


    Train-chan was trying to cling on, but I steeled my heart and spoke on top of her words.


    ¡°¡­You are a hindrance. If you are following me around solely out of curiosity, can you please not?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± (Train)


    She froze completely at my words.


    I do feel guilty about this.


    But she is following me out of curiosity, and if not, then for what reason?


    Does she actually still suspect me?


    Or is it because I am a player and because I saved her life, she fell in love with me at first sight?


    ¡­So stupid.


    That only happens in manga and games.


    No, this is a world based on a game, but even in the game, that didn¡¯t happen.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s not it. Please wait.¡± (Train)


    Even with that, she tried to stop me, but¡­


    ¡°Just do your best in your own way. When you feel like you are truly in trouble, ask for me at that inn. I will help you out a bit at the very least.¡± (Souma)


    I didn¡¯t listen to what she had to say, turned my back, and walked off.


    That¡¯s because she really doesn¡¯t need help.


    I may be repeating myself here, but as long as I am not out at the field for an extended period of time, she won¡¯t be chased after by a whole ton of monsters.


    On top of that, she calls herself a rookie adventurer, but there¡¯s rarely any monsters around Lamurick that are over level 30.


    Moreover, she even has the ability to run away from the fast Mad Hounds.


    I don¡¯t know what party she is in or how requested a dagger user is, but there¡¯s no way she can¡¯t get a footing of her own here in this town with her ability.


    And yet, she still tried to stop me.


    ¡°Wait, please wait. I¡­I¡­!¡± (Train)


    But I have no intention of stopping my feet no matter what I am told.


    I was a loner in college.


    It is not like I wished to become one, but it is not like I didn¡¯t wish for it.


    It is not like I don¡¯t want to get involved with anyone, but if there¡¯s something I want to do, I wouldn¡¯t go out of my way to get involved with someone.


    Basically, it means that I have no hesitation in cutting off my relationship with others compared to other people.


    I don¡¯t need a connection with her right now.


    It would be another story if she were helplessly in need of saving, but if not, I have no obligation to lend her a hand.


    Farewell, Train-chan.


    But that resolve¡­


    ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡±


    Was smashed into pieces by her words.


    ¡°What¡­did you say¡­just now¡­?¡± (Souma)


    They were like magic words.


    Those words had enough power to stop the feet of even me who has the nickname ¡®The Phantom of the Class¡¯.


    No, you could even say it is because I am like this that I reacted to it.


    ¡°Can you please say that again?¡± (Souma)


    When I looked back and asked, she repeated what she said slightly shily.


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t have friends.¡± (Train)


    Aah, how can this be?


    I look up at the sky and mutter this in my heart.


    (Train-chan, you were a loner too, huh.) (Souma)


    ¡°I really can¡¯t relax at any moment when I am adventuring alone, so I am always scared of what might come. When I find a hidden room that wasn¡¯t on the map, you would normally get happy about it, but I get uneasy about what might happen¡­¡± (Train)


    ¡°Aah, it happens, it happens! It totally does! I felt kinda awkward eating alone in a crowd of people at college, so I would go eat bread at a stair outside without much people and good sunlight. It makes you feel like you are guilty of something! Even though I haven¡¯t done anything bad, I would reflexively hide when I hear people speak closeby!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°E-Ehm¡­y-yeah¡­? Ah, also, I consider I am doing well for someone adventuring solo, but when I think about how other adventurers think about me, I just can¡¯t relax¡­¡± (Train)


    ¡°Aah, I get that, I get that! I totally get that! I don¡¯t have friends either, so I would always be at the very front row of the class and, thanks to that, I have good grades and get along well with the professors, but you would be worried about the eyes of your surroundings, right?! When I hear a female group at the back talking, I begin to assume that they are talking behind my back despite that not being possible and end up listening in!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°U-Uhm, I think that¡¯s a bit different¡­ A-Also, seeing the adventurers celebrating at the taverns every now and then, I end up getting jealous. They call each other by name and seem to be close to each other. I also want to be like that¡­¡± (Train)


    ¡°Aah, yeah, celebrating is basic, right?! It reminds me of the time when the number one most popular girl in the 1st year class was inviting everyone from the same class to a drinking party! Even though she called them all by name, I for some reason was called by my family name and she said: ¡®Sagara-kun, you won¡¯t be going to the drinking party, right?¡¯! Eh? Why are you assuming I will refuse? Could it be that you are pressuring me into not participating? Anyone would think like that, right?! No, well, I wasn¡¯t going to go anyways¡­ I am grateful she at least asked me, but¡­but¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°U-Uhm, please cheer up¡­¡± (Train)


    And so, my loner talk with Train-chan got heated up in that fashion.


    Well, I myself didn¡¯t find my loner life as painful. I may be complaining here, but I enjoyed my lonely life to a decent extent, so I was talking about it as a funny topic of conversation, but as we continued talking, Train-chan, who was the one who had come to me for consultation, said:


    ¡°You must have had it rough as well, Souma-san.¡± (Train)


    And tried to console me.


    ¡­Eh?


    Anyways, it wasn¡¯t all doom and gloom.


    When talking with Train-chan, I try to talk as if I am a scary guy, but her shocking confession made me talk as my usual self for a while there.


    Thanks to that, we opened up with each other quite a bit, and the result is that I somewhat understand the reason why she is a loner.


    ¡­This is just an assumption, but the reason why Train-chan can¡¯t make friends is most likely because of the game setting.


    This world is a mysterious place that can¡¯t manage to be real or a game.


    Even when it is trying to make a real world that¡¯s no different from reality, it is also trying to keep the game settings faithfully.


    A mix of real and game concepts.


    These two concepts are clashing, mixing in a strange way, and the result is this world.


    The people of this world are mostly like real people instead of game people; I think that they are acting ¡®realistically¡¯.


    Even Reinhardt-san, Train-chan, and Mariel-san have acted in ways that they wouldn¡¯t in the game.


    On the other hand, Reinhardt-san still guided me in the town just like in the game, and Mariel-san let me use the confessional.


    Especially the Train-chan monster train event, it is so unnatural, it can¡¯t be wrapped up as a plain coincidence; an event that mirrors the game exactly.


    In other words, the daily life will ignore the game-like things to a certain extend to move in a realistic manner, but flipping it around, it also means that, when it comes to game events, even if it is slightly deviated from reality, there will be some sort of divine force that will push the situation into one similar to the game.


    And so, let¡¯s think of the Train-chan event with that assumption in mind.


    At the time with the monster train event of Train-chan, Train-chan was always alone, and there was absolutely nothing about party members being killed in the background story.


    In that case, in order to replicate the game events, it would be troubling for her to have a party.


    If I am in the correct train of thought here¡­


    ¡­Train-chan has to live her whole life alone. A person who was born with the fate of being on her lonesome!


    When I asked a couple of questions in order to confirm this, Train-chan seemed to be fine talking with others normally.


    But when she tries to bring the talk to forming a party, some sort of unbelievable obstruction comes into play and things don¡¯t go well.


    ¡°I think I somewhat understand the situation.¡± (Souma)


    I nod heavily and Train-chan looks at me with eyes of expectation.


    ¡°T-Then¡­¡± (Train)


    ¡°Hmm¡­looks like¡­I won¡¯t be able to help you with that.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I see, I am so gla¡ªeeeh?!¡± (Train)


    A good reaction as always.


    But it is not like I don¡¯t want to help Train-chan.


    She is a loner comrade, so it might even be less of a pain if I were to help her.


    ¡°Well, just think about it. The best way would be for me to help you out in making comrades, but I can¡¯t.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°W-Why?¡± (Train)


    Why, you ask?


    Isn¡¯t that obvious?


    It isn¡¯t about Train-chan¡¯s constitution or anything of the sort¡­


    ¡°It is because I am a loner too!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Ah, yes¡­ Sorry for asking.¡± (Train)


    Don¡¯t apologize!


    It makes me feel sad!


    ¡°B-But, in that case, you can be my f-friend¡­you know¡­¡± (Train)


    Why are you stuttering when saying ¡®friend¡¯?!


    ¡®Just how much of a loner are you?¡¯, is what I was thinking while shaking my head to the sides.


    In the game, the player could make Train-chan into a party member, so you could say the simplest solution would be for me to be her friend.


    However, it doesn¡¯t solve the root of the problem.


    Because¡­


    ¡°I plan on leaving this town in the near future and heading to the capital. That¡¯s why I can¡¯t be with you for that long.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Then, I will go with you¡ª¡± (Train)


    ¡°The level of the enemies close to the capital are higher than 50, you know? Also, your ill mother is in this town, right? Can you leave your mother?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Uuh¡­¡± (Train)


    She became an adventurer for the sake of her ill mother.


    Also¡­the game¡¯s Train-chan didn¡¯t leave the town of Lamurick on her own strength.


    It is better to think that I can¡¯t bring her to the capital.


    ¡°That¡¯s why¡­¡± (Souma)


    I told Train-chan who had her head hanging low and dejected.


    ¡°The only thing I can do for you is to train you to a point where you can manage as a solo adventurer.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡± (Train)


    Train-chan raised her head in shock, so I said it once again as if chewing it for her.


    ¡°I know a lot of things that other people don¡¯t. I may not be able to save you from your loner life, but I can make you strong enough that you can manage even while being a loner.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Souma-san¡­¡± (Train)


    Train-chan¡¯s eyes grew watery.


    I hurriedly added.


    ¡°O-Of course, I am not going to do this for free. As a reward, you will teach me things I don¡¯t know, and I want you to cooperate in a small experiment I have¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°That¡¯s okay! I will do anything! We could even do it right now!!¡± (Train)


    Train-chan stood up and took both of my hands.


    Looks like she is going out of control from her happiness of having gotten an ally.


    ¡°Ah, no, it is not that urgent of a thing¡­¡± (Souma)


    I tried to calm down that energy of hers, but Train-chan wasn¡¯t allowing that.


    ¡°It is okay! I will do my best, so ask me anything!!¡± (Train)


    She looks at me with sparkly eyes.


    At this rate, she really might do anything.


    Of course, I am not going to request anything unreasonable, but what would you have done if I had been a bad guy?


    (Can¡¯t be helped¡­) (Souma)


    She probably won¡¯t be settling down at this rate.


    There¡¯s no real need for it to be right now, but I decided to do the simplest experiment.


    ¡°¡­Then, I will tie up both your arms and legs, so can you please roll around the prairie for a few hours?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± (Train)

 CH 22

    Now then, this time¡¯s experiment is to verify the train power of Train-chan, also known as Train Mode.


    The location is the north prairie that¡¯s close to the town and has the weakest monsters.


    First, we wiped out the monsters around with the both of us and, just in case so that accidents don¡¯t happen, I lent her my mythril armor and had her equip it.


    Then, after getting permission from the person herself, I tied her arms and legs up, and preparations were done.


    ¡°If something happens, shout really loudly.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Okay.¡± (Train)


    Leaving aside Train-chan who still has one super dubious look on her face, I take distance from her to a point where I would be able to hear her when she shouts loudly.


    There¡¯s no monsters nearby and I can clearly see Train-chan tied up.


    There should be no issues with my experiment environment.


    The first hour didn¡¯t have any problems and no progress.


    The bored Train-chan was rolling around as if bored and would ask me what time it was every now and then.


    I would answer Train-chan with the clock that I borrowed from her, and in that time, I would use it all in slashing the torch without end.


    Master Torch was healing its wounds the moment it got them with its regeneration ability, and there¡¯s no monster respawns at the vicinity of players.


    Peaceful time with nothing happening passed by.


    The change happened after 1 hour and 50 minutes of the experiment beginning.


    Train-chan had gotten bored from rolling around and was lying down without doing anything, but her state was slowly getting stranger.


    She would flap her legs around as if she couldn¡¯t stay put, rolling around in place; she was clearly losing her calm.


    And then, at the time when two hours had passed since the experiment began, a decisive abnormality occurred.


    Light particles began to gather 10 or so meters away from Train-chan, and goblins suddenly appeared there.


    ¡°A monster spawn!¡± (Souma)


    It is one of the things I was expecting, but I raised my voice at the way too unrealistic sight.


    Monster spawn, or since it is an enemy I have defeated already, a monster respawn is basically a phenomenon where monsters would appear.


    Weak monsters in the field or dungeon would respawn after a certain amount of time, but players would normally not witness that happening.


    The setting is that monsters are a gathering of Element, so it is not strange that monsters would be born from places that at a glance would seem like there¡¯s nothing there. However, they must have judged that showing the sight of monsters just popping out would destroy the fantasy feeling.


    As long as it is not a special event, monsters won¡¯t spawn close to the player, especially within line of sight. Monsters not spawning is a system of Nekomimi Neko.


    But a happening that goes against that logic is occurring right in front of me.


    People have pointed out in the net that Train-chan pulls way too many monsters.


    Even in areas where the monsters have been wiped out or the respawn timers are long, she would still appear with a whole ton of enemies in tow, so people have theorized that maybe Train-chan has a ¡®Train Mode¡¯ that makes monsters forcefully spawn.


    And so, it has been proven here.


    But I notice that this is not the time to be thinking something so carefree.


    The goblins are approaching Train-chan with mouth-licking happiness.


    There¡¯s the level difference and the mythril armor, so I think she will be okay, but it looks like a sight right out of an ecchi fantasy manga right before ¡®that kind of scene¡¯!


    I have to hurry and save her!


    I thought this and was about to rush to where Train-chan is but, this time around, I witnessed something unexpected and outrageous.


    ¡°Kya kyaaaaaa!!¡± (Train)


    Train-chan screamed after noticing the goblins approaching her and¡­


    ¡°No no, you gotta be kidding me!¡± (Souma)


    And she began to roll on the ground while still tied up.


    Moreover, at quite the speed!


    The goblins were eating dust as she rolled into the horizon.


    But it couldn¡¯t be helped.


    Goblins are monsters that are considered the wall of beginners, and they are scary to the point that it would be traumatic, especially now that the world has become real.


    If I had to describe just how scary it is, it would be as scary as a lizardman.


    ¡­Ah, sorry, Reinhardt-san.


    Anyways, something like that showed up from empty space, so Train-chan must have been surprised too.


    ¡°Wait! Wait a moment!¡± (Souma)


    But the direction she ran off to is bad.


    For some reason, she rolled at full speed in a direction that¡¯s not mine or the town.


    It is not to the point where I can¡¯t catch up, but it is abnormal speed.


    Maybe a speed modifier was applied to her when entering Train Mode.


    (I thought that, even if she entered Train Mode, she wouldn¡¯t be able to move if I tied her up, but did it end up creating the opposite effect? I shouldn¡¯t have just tied up her limbs!) (Souma)


    There¡¯s regrets, but it already happened.


    She might have panicked even without being tied, so she might have run away faster at that time.


    I still don¡¯t know what would have been the right answer.


    Anyways, I should chase after her.


    What¡¯s problematic here is that, as Train-chan continued on, trash mobs were spawning one after the other.


    Looks like the forced spawning of monsters in Train Mode is still effective when rolling.


    The amount of monsters she is pulling is steadily increasing.


    I was getting flustered here, but¡­


    ¡°At this rate¡­ah?¡± (Souma)


    But the movements of Train-chan suddenly dulled.


    Even though she was that fast before, she suddenly got slow.


    I soon understood what¡¯s going on.


    ¡°Of course she would get dizzy from rolling that much.¡± (Souma)


    It is a miracle that she held up for this long.


    Are her semicircular canals strong?


    But the situation has become simple now.


    Goblins may be ugly and scary, but they are slow.


    It goes without saying that the weaklings among weaklings, the slimes and rural slimes as well.


    When I easily pass them, I pick up Train-chan.


    I could fight them, but it wouldn¡¯t be the best idea to fight while carrying the groggy Train-chan.


    I escape from the goblins while carrying Train-chan.


    I have a person¡¯s worth on me but, aside from fast monsters like mad hounds, there¡¯s no way I would be caught by goblins who are slow.


    Since the moment I picked Train-chan up, there hasn¡¯t been any new monster spawns.


    So her Train Mode really only shows effect when alone.


    ¡°I would say it is about fine now.¡± (Souma)


    Confirming that the monsters chasing after us were now specks in the distance, I speak to Train-chan.


    ¡°Oi, Train-chan, are you awake? You okay?¡± (Souma)


    Train-chan opened her eyes wide at my voice.


    ¡°E-Eh? Uhm, this is¡­eeeh?!¡± (Train)


    She made a nice reaction right as she came back to her senses.


    I chuckle as I put her down on the ground and cut off the rope.


    ¡°I am sorry for making you tag along with my weird experiment. I should have told you what might happen beforehand.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°N-No, that¡¯s¡­Souma-san!!¡± (Train)


    I look back wondering why the stiffness in her voice increased and¡­


    ¡°Geh!¡± (Souma)


    The monsters that I thought we shook off were chasing after us persistently.


    Looks like the monsters that Train-chan encounters in Train Mode don¡¯t lose aggro.


    What an ill-natured system in every corner of it.


    I thought for a bit about it and¡­


    ¡°Sorry, I am going to pick you up.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh, ah!¡± (Train)


    I once again picked up Train-chan who seems to not have regained her strength yet.


    ¡°Ah, uhm, I can move on my own¡­¡± (Train)


    ¡°It is okay! This is part of the experiment!¡± (Souma)


    Train-chan was about to decline politely, but I stopped her with forced logic.


    (Hmm, I really can¡¯t relax like this.) (Souma)


    I really would like the denseness of a harem protagonist here.


    They would easily princess carry girls and won¡¯t notice that the girls have fallen in love with them, but when I actually do it, it is pretty embarrassing.


    It would be one thing if it had been like before when she wasn¡¯t really clear on her senses yet, but in this situation where there¡¯s no real sense of danger, my attention gets shifted onto me touching a girl.


    That said, I can¡¯t just take my time here doing a love-comedy.


    ¡°I will be slipping past the side of the enemies, so grab on tight!¡± (Souma)


    I said this and began returning from where we came.


    Fortunately, it didn¡¯t take long for Train-chan to get dizzy, so she didn¡¯t pull that many monsters.


    I ran right in front of them and avoided the goblins that were at the front first.


    The rural slimes that were left were easy to deal with.


    The difference in speed is too big, so there¡¯s no need to even pay it any mind to begin with.


    I slip past them without any effort.


    We went back from the path where we came and headed to the entrance of the town.


    Even with that, they were still chasing us, but¡­


    (Knew it.) (Souma)


    The instant we took one step into the town, the monsters spread out as if they had lost interest in us and returned to their respective areas.


    ¡°One worry gone now¡­ Are you okay?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this, Train-chan nodded heavely.


    ¡°Y-Yes, there¡¯s no problem at all. I myself was surprised and lost my composure there¡­¡± (Train)


    ¡°No, that¡¯s fine¡­¡± (Souma)


    Could it be that she is still bothered by the matter of me carrying her while running away? Our conversation is a bit awkward here.


    ¡°Uhm, is it okay to ask?¡± (Train)


    ¡°Y-Yeah, of course.¡± (Souma)


    Train-chan looks at me with a far more serious look than expected.


    Is her question going to be about the monster spawning?


    That certainly was abnormal.


    Or maybe at the time when she was escaping from the goblins¡­is what I was bracing myself for, but she didn¡¯t ask about any of those things.


    ¡°W-Was I properly useful for you?¡± (Train)


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Souma)


    I was bewildered by the way too unexpected question.


    I don¡¯t know what she thought of my reaction, but Train-chan desperately added more.


    ¡°A lot of weird things happened and I panicked and ran away all of a sudden, so I was wondering that maybe you didn¡¯t manage to do your experiment properly because of me, Souma-san¡­¡± (Train)


    Seeing the uneasy Train-chan, I ended up understanding.


    For Train-chan, what¡¯s far more important than the abnormal phenomenon, the unreasonable treatment, and the circumstances of her running away, is whether her newly made comrade has succeeded in what he wanted. Whether she was of use to him.


    I do feel like she is worrying too much here, but she has been alone this whole time, so this reaction might be natural.


    Because she has been unable to interact with others, she has no confidence of being useful to others.


    Hoping that she will get a bit more confidence in herself in the time she is together with me, I answered her as if trying to give her peace of mind.


    ¡°Of course, you were a great help. That experiment just now would have been impossible without you.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°R-Really?!¡± (Train)


    Train-chan¡¯s face grew brighter as if a flower bloomed at my words.


    Her gloomy look of before made a complete turn into a shining face brimming with energy and motivation, and she grabbed both of my hands tightly.


    ¡°U-Uhm, please keep bringing up experiments or anything you want! I will do anything I can!!¡± (Train)


    I made a wry smile at that energy of hers and said energetically as if to answer that spirit of hers.


    ¡°Then, next, let¡¯s try bungee jumping without a rope!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± (Train)

 CH 23

    I understood quite a bit about the use of Train Mode with the experiment at the prairie.


    With this knowledge, I plan on testing out a new thing, but there¡¯s the need to enter a high level area for that.


    However, it would be suicidal if we were to do this without any preparations.


    Train-chan and I decided to go to the town¡¯s item shop and buy the things we need.


    ¡°Oh! This is¡­¡± (Souma)


    The first thing that caught my eye was the Level Appraiser.


    It is an item that can tell the level and name of the thing that it is sticking to, and it is honestly a trash item that has no use in the game, but I feel like it would be a priceless treasure in this world where the menu screen can¡¯t be opened.


    It is 1 for 10E, a really affordable price so, even though it has nothing to do with the experiment this time around, I will buy around 10.


    I immediately got permission from the store clerk and tried it out on myself.


    ¡°Ooh!¡± (Souma)


    The paper pushed onto my arm immediately showed letters.


    [Souma Sagara: LV13]


    Looks like I am still level 13.


    I should have been fighting a decent degree in the Sealed Lands, but no matter how much of a difference in level those enemies are, it seems like defeating trash mobs for 1-2 hours won¡¯t amount to much.


    Train Mode really might be the key to leveling up.


    There¡¯s even more need to put my hopes into the experiments now.


    But what surprised me even more after seeing the appraisal was the name.


    My name was written in kanji** writing when playing Nekomimi Neko, but it looks like this world turns it into katakana** writing, and my name comes before the family name. <Japanese styles of writing. Katakana is mostly used for foreign words>


    It is not like that matters much, but it does make me feel like I have come to an isekai.


    ¡°Souma-san, the gem is over here, you know?¡± (Train)


    Train-chan, who had come together with me, was looking at me in curiosity seeing me suddenly use the appraiser on myself.


    (Oops.) (Souma)


    It would be better to keep it a secret that I am still level 13.


    I shove in all the appraisers in the bag and trot my way to Train-chan.


    I looked around the store, and aside from the level appraisers, I also bought the magic gems and darts, as well as healing items for emergencies, and a clock and shovel.


    The gems and darts are for the experiment, but the clock is for myself, and the shovel is to return to the innkeeper.


    But to think that this store would have clocks and shovels.


    I did think there was a lot of miscellaneous stuff in the game, but when I have a good look again, rather than an item shop, it is more like a general store.


    Anyways, preparations are done.


    I honestly wanted to take a peek at the accessory shop and the weapon store next to this one, but I should prioritize Train-chan right now.


    I endure the desire and leave the town.


    We head northeast.


    Famously known as the leading ghost dungeon of Nekomimi Neko, the Cave of Trials, is the stage of the experiment this time around.


    The Cave of Trials is a dungeon that has one of the highest level enemies in the vicinity of Lamurick. Enemies of over level 70.


    There¡¯s no event or treasure chests at all, and the monsters appearing there are all armored knights with nothing inside.


    The armored knights are not that fast, but they are sturdy and strong, so they are really difficult to defeat.


    But, in exchange, the experience they give can even be called extraordinary.


    That¡¯s why they are a big obstacle for the players and also a big chance for growth.


    That¡¯s what this place is, the Cave of Trials.


    No, that¡¯s how it should have been, but¡­


    ¡°Uhm, are we really going to be doing this here? This dungeon is famous for there being nothing though¡­¡± (Train)


    The reality is that this Cave of Trials didn¡¯t make players grow.


    This place is in a sense called Ghost Dungeon sarcastically. Because of a mess up in the coding, no matter when you come, monsters are all already dead.


    Moreover, the enemies in this dungeon have the highest respawn timer of 255 hours.


    You can¡¯t just wait for more than 10 days, so you would normally give up encountering monsters here.


    However, I have Train-chan with me right now.


    I chose my wording as I began to try convincing her.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s exactly the point of this experiment. Actually, by getting the right conditions in place, monsters will quickly show up. I am trying to confirm this. I would like to do an experiment with that as the basis¡­¡± (Souma)


    I feel like, if I were to tell Train-chan that she has the power to call monsters, she would end up getting dejected right away.


    It is painful that I will be deceiving her here again, but I explain it to her while leaving those areas vague.


    But it seems like Easy Heroine-chan didn¡¯t show a shred of doubt towards me, her eyes burning with passion, and she was clinging onto it with an unexpected drive.


    ¡°S-So that¡¯s why the goblins at that prairie suddenly showed up! You are amazing, Souma-san! Could it be that it is knowledge passed down to the Guardian of the Seal?!¡± (Train)


    ¡°¡­No, please forget about that name¡­¡± (Souma)


    Why do you dig out the dark past of people with pinpoint accuracy?


    No, I dug myself into that one though.


    I held my head as I continued explaining.


    ¡°Anyways, we succeeded in the prairie the last time, so I want to test it out with the enemies here this time around.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Aah, I see! This time it won¡¯t be at the field, but at a dungeon, right?! I am getting excited!¡± (Train)


    I calm down Train-chan who is already getting her steam burning here and explain the steps.


    First, the inside of the cave should be devoid of any life, so we can progress all the way to around the middle of the dungeon.


    We will wait 2 hours there and the Train Mode should activate.


    ¡°If my theory is correct, enemies should show up then. They are strong, but slow. You should be able to escape them with your speed. I would like you to hit each enemy that shows up with a dart once and go even deeper in.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°In other words, we will be counting the number of revived monsters by using the darts.¡± (Train)


    Darts are an attack item.


    It deals 1 point of fixed damage, so it serves as a trump card for metal type monsters, and it can also serve as a marker for when a whole lot of the same enemy shows up.


    I bought 50 of those.


    ¡°No, there¡¯s no need to force yourself to use the darts. We are going to be dealing with level 70 monsters. Prioritize running away, and only use them when you have the leeway to.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Okay!¡± (Train)


    She responded nicely, but I am a bit uneasy about this.


    The enemies are level 70, moreover, the type that has high attack power compared to ones of the same level.


    I am letting her borrow my mythril armor still, but it is in the end just store armor you can find in Lamurick.


    I can only say it is not enough against an enemy like an armored knight.


    My uneasiness shows up in my face.


    I am beginning to think we should not do this.


    ¡°Honestly speaking, this experiment is pretty dangerous. You don¡¯t need to force yourself to cooperate in this¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I¡­will do it. My level is far from that, but I have fought armored knights before. If it is just running away, it will be easy!¡± (Train)


    ¡°But¡­¡± (Souma)


    In contrast, Train-chan was full of determination.


    I still am doubtful about this and she said.


    ¡°Cause you know¡­this¡­is something necessary, right?¡± (Train)


    Those words made my breath stop for a moment there.


    ¡°¡­Yeah, it is necessary.¡± (Souma)


    I nodded as if I had given up and Train-chan smiled.


    ¡°Then, I will do my best¡­for the sake of Souma-san.¡± (Train)


    I was about to correct her there, but I decided against it.


    There¡¯s no need to pour cold water on her determination.


    I instead continue the explanation.


    ¡°This Cave of Trials is shaped in a circle. The deepest area and the entrance -this place- are connected. That¡¯s why, as you go deeper¡­you end up there.¡± (Souma)


    Saying this, I point at the top of the cliff in front.


    Who knows how many tens of meters there are.


    I can only tell faintly what part is the topmost part from here.


    ¡°And that¡¯s where this comes into play.¡± (Souma)


    What I brought out was the Gem that has the spell Feather Fall enchanted to it.


    The Gem is a consumable, but you can activate the spell inside of it one time.


    Feather Fall is a spell that decreases fall speed.


    It will reduce the falling speed and the impact for 1 minute after use.


    I have already given the same thing as this to Train-chan.


    ¡°If you manage to move to the cliff, you will be able to make a big shortcut on your return. Please escape from the monsters and use this to jump off from up there. And then, you will regroup with me waiting here and that¡¯s the end of the experiment.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Got it!¡± (Train)


    As always, her response is really good, but it really is worrying.


    ¡°Are you okay? You know how to use the Gem, right? You won¡¯t be jumping off without doing anything, right?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this, she answered with a laugh.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry that much. It would instead be impossible for me to jump off such a high cliff without doing anything.¡± (Train)


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true. Right.¡± (Souma)


    It doesn¡¯t seem like she is playing tough here or anything.


    Am I just overthinking?


    After that, I confirmed the cautionary points once again, gave her the healing items I bought, and after hammering into her that she shouldn¡¯t be reckless, it was finally time for her to go.


    ¡°Well then, I am off!¡± (Train)


    ¡°Y-Yeah, be careful.¡± (Souma)


    Even when seeing her walk off gallantly, I couldn¡¯t hold back my uneasiness.


    And so, I spent two hours smacking a torch.


    Actually, I have tried reviving the enemies of this dungeon using Train-chan in the game.


    A lot of experimentation has been done to level up using Train-chan, and it is true that Train-chan would show up if you stay cooped in this dungeon until the time comes.


    But that experiment didn¡¯t come to fruition.


    ¡­Because Train-chan, who is pulling the monsters, falls down the cliff and dies in most cases.


    Of course, the one dying is a game NPC, but with the possibility of her dying then, I can¡¯t exactly say it won¡¯t happen here.


    That¡¯s the reason why I went through the trouble of preparing two Magic Gems.


    (In the worst case scenario, I will cast Feather Fall myself!) (Souma)


    I have no experience in casting a spell on a falling target, but I just have to do it as I usually do.


    I am already used to targeting fast monsters in the game.


    I don¡¯t plan on failing when the time comes.


    The clock eventually hits the 2 hour mark.


    (Is it about time?) (Souma)


    I pass my time on high alert so that I am ready anytime Train-chan falls.


    And then, after around 10 minutes¡­


    At the time when I was beginning to get uneasy that maybe something happened to her¡­


    ¡°Souma-saaaaaan!!¡±


    A shout pushed against me.


    At the same time as this happened, I caught sight of Train-chan.


    She looks like a speck because of the distance, but it is certainly her who jumped off the cliff as if trying to escape from the chasing shadows.


    (¡­So it was unnecessary worry, huh.) (Souma)


    My heart was squeezed when Train-chan jumped off the cliff, but it seems like she properly used Feather Fall.


    She was falling slowly here truly as if she were a feather.


    ¡°I did it, Souma-san!¡± (Train)


    Just when I was about to wave back at her who was saying this while waving, I noticed¡­


    ¡°Behind you!!¡± (Souma)


    I shout.


    But there¡¯s no time.


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Train)


    It was already too late by the time Train-chan looked back.


    One of the armored knights that were chasing after her had jumped from the cliff and had coincidentally landed close to her.


    The spear of the falling armored knight lands straight on her!


    ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± (Train)


    Train-chan let out a scream and twisted her body in pain.


    Having been hit by the spear, because of the side-effect of Feather Fall, she gets blown away with astonishing force.


    ¡°Kuh!¡± (Souma)


    The ground is close.


    I immediately activate a skill.


    I close the distance with Godstep Cancel and catch her.


    Maybe because of the effect of the spell, her body was light like a feather.


    That further fanned my uneasiness.


    ¡°! Right, the healing item!¡± (Souma)


    I stupidly spaced out there.


    I soon came back to my senses, reprimanding myself that this is not the time for that, and I brought out a healing potion from the poach.


    I can¡¯t take my leisure time in making her drink it.


    I hesitated for only an instant and immediately smashed the healing potion onto her body.


    The light effect and the sound effect that came a little later.


    Her HP is recovering.


    It should be¡­


    ¡°Oi, are you okay?! Stay with me!!¡± (Souma)


    She is not answering my call.


    I brought out one more healing potion from the poach in a hurry and tried to throw it onto her, but¡­


    ¡°I am¡­okay.¡±


    A small hand stopped me.


    When I looked down, Train-chan was looking at me with her eyes open.


    Looks like she won¡¯t be dying here.


    ¡°¡­Haah¡­¡± (Souma)


    This is the moment that scared me the most since coming to this world.


    I take a deep breath.


    ¡°Let¡¯s move for now.¡± (Souma)


    It would be troubling if more armored knights were to rain down.


    I ignore the thunderous sounds from the back and carry her off with hurried steps.


    I tried using a healing potion on her again after that, but she said it would be a waste and was adamant in not accepting it.


    Despite that, she recovered in around 5 minutes and¡­


    ¡°Ah, oi.¡± (Souma)


    Train-chan shook me off from stopping her, escaped from my arms, standing on the ground with her own legs.


    And then, she faced back towards me¡­


    ¡°I lowered my guard a bit at the end there, but¡­but I properly did it.¡± (Train)


    And said this with a prideful smile.


    And then, she asked me as if she were a puppy seeking praise from her owner.


    ¡°Was I¡­of use to you, Souma-san?¡± (Train)


    She probably finds the utmost joy in being useful for her comrades.


    Just by watching her waiting with bated breath for me to agree with her made me understand this.


    But I shook my head to the sides.


    ¡°I am sorry, but the experiment this time around wasn¡¯t for my sake.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡± (Train)


    I push a small piece of paper onto her arm while she is confused.


    And then, after waiting for the writing to show up, I said¡­


    ¡°¡­Congratulations on leveling up.¡± (Souma)


    The paper I pushed onto her when she had her eyes wide open had this written briefly.


    [Ina Trail: LV57]


    ¡­On this day, Train-chan graduated from being a beginner adventurer.

 CH 24-25

    ¡ªDust to Dust is sweeter than maple honey pudding, and as miserable as the armored knights in the Cave of Trials.


    It is a saying that was born in Nekomimi Neko, but only people who play Nekomimi Neko would understand the nuance of it.


    It is not exactly because of this, but let me tell you the story of the Cave of Trials¡¯ Tragic Knights.


    There would be fields with pronounced cliffs in VR games, and there would be times when players would slip and die.


    But there aren¡¯t many stories about monsters falling out of their field and dying.


    Why is that?


    I don¡¯t know about other games, but the reason is simple in Nekomimi Neko.


    Monsters don¡¯t get close to places where they can fall.


    With this one simple method, the monsters of Nekomimi Neko don¡¯t die from falling.


    The movement sphere of monsters in Nekomimi Neko is predetermined and will only act in that set location.


    Well, if they get hit by a debuff or chase after a player, they can go out of that sphere, but that¡¯s basically how it normally is.


    Meaning that, if their movement sphere is not set below that cliff, you don¡¯t have to worry about monsters approaching that place and don¡¯t have to worry about them falling.


    But there¡¯s a dungeon that does exactly that.


    I am of course talking about the Cave of Trials.


    It is also part of the reason why this Cave of Trials is called Ghost Dungeon.


    The Cave of Trials is a circular shape, and all the monsters there have a movement sphere that encompasses the whole dungeon, moving in a pattern as if they were guards doing their rounds.


    Putting it in another way, the armored knights go around the circular dungeon as they please.


    The soldier type AI can deal with gentle slopes, but can¡¯t deal with stairs and big height differences.


    However, that normally doesn¡¯t matter.


    They don¡¯t set stairs or big changes in height for the patrolling routes of monsters like that, so problems don¡¯t happen.


    But the Cave of Trials alone is a different story.


    Because the dungeon is a circular shape, the starting point and goal are the same.


    The cliff is connected to their movement sphere, so monsters end up walking there.


    Trying to get to the top of the cliff from the bottom is fine.


    They will simply collide with the wall unable to advance, and then turn around and walk off somewhere else.


    But what happens when they try to go from the top of the cliff to the bottom?


    The soldier AI doesn¡¯t have the concept of altitude difference.


    Since it is within the movement sphere, the pitiful armored knight will take that one step to head down the cliff as if it were a normal path, and will fall without being able to do anything.


    The fall damage is calculated by the distance and the weight of the person themselves.


    It is a drop of several tens of meters, there¡¯s no way a heavy weight armored knight can survive that with no preparation at all.


    Moreover, armored knights are the patrolling type that go around the whole dungeon.


    It is random what kind of pathing they take, but as long as the dungeon is a one-way path, they will always end up arriving at the cliff.


    The only difference is sooner or later, but they will definitely fall down the cliff.


    That¡¯s why it will take 2 days at most, 1 day at the earliest for all the knights in the dungeon to be wiped out.


    This is the secret behind why there¡¯s no monsters at all even when players come here, the Ghost Dungeon.


    This truly is Nekomimi Neko quality!!


    That¡¯s basically how it works, but this bug unexpectedly can¡¯t be exploited for profit.


    You can¡¯t get experience from fall deaths, and the drop items will disappear after a while.


    Moreover, because the respawn time is 255 hours on top of a random 48 hour timer, it is not that efficient to wait for the respawn.


    But that¡¯s where Train-chan comes into play.


    With Train-chan, there¡¯s no need to wait for a long respawn timer.


    Just by passing by in her Train Mode, armored knights come back to life.


    Also, we already know that, as long as we don¡¯t come out from the dungeon, the pulled monsters from the train will continue chasing after her.


    After pulling a random number of monsters, she can jump off the cliff, return to the entrance, and by just waiting in leisure, the monsters will revive and jump down the cliff on their own.


    But that would simply be wiping out the respawned monsters and the exp will be wasted.


    That¡¯s where you use the darts.


    Since version 1.28, when monsters that have been affected by debuffs or terrain damage die, the character that attacked it just before will obtain the exp.


    This was apparently an improvement that was won by the most senior players and a certain poison user player being really persistent with the developers.


    But it was quite the persistency.


    When this change was announced, it is said that it was the rare occasion when the comments would show pity to the developers.


    It is true that it is a case that you would feel pity towards the PR


    team of the development, but it is true that this made it possible to level up in the Cave of Trials.


    Darts can deal 1 fixed damage to any enemy.


    Level 70 armored knights have high defense, but Train-chan should be able to certainly deal damage with a dart.


    Next would be to make them jump off the cliff and die from the fall, and Train-chan, who dealt damage to them beforehand, would gain all the exp from that.


    The only danger to this is that the monsters Train-chan respawned will take a path that¡¯s not the cliff and reach the starting point, but we avoided that by starting at the middle point of the dungeon.


    Can¡¯t really say the danger is completely gone with that, but we can leave the dungeon at once if they attack us.


    But as expected from enemies with slow respawn timers.


    It takes more than 2 hours to make the preparations for it, but she increased her level by 30 levels in just a few minutes.


    Moreover, there¡¯s one more merit in this leveling up method¡­


    ¡°Souma-san! I have finished gathering all the items!¡± (Train)


    That we can collect all the drops of the respawned armored knights.


    Looks like all the armored knights have fallen already, and we are currently dividing the work and picking the items up.


    That¡¯s level 70 monsters for ya, the drops are far better than mythril items.


    It is a grade that, rather than calling it for late early game, it would be more like early midgame.


    That¡¯s fine and all, but¡­


    ¡°Ehm, so Train-chan¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°U-Uhm, calling me Train-chan feels distant. I would like you to call me without honorifics!¡± (Train)


    The friendship meter of Train-chan has been shooting up since the incident just now.


    Or more like, calling her Train-chan goes beyond an issue of being distant.


    (¡­This is troubling.) (Souma)


    I did say that I would help her out and that¡¯s not a lie, but it is also not a lie that I plan on leaving in the near future.


    It is honestly troubling for me if she were to get more attached to me than this.


    It would be better to have her wake up for a bit here.


    ¡°I am fine with calling you Ina, but I have a condition. Only if you call me Souma-sama from now o¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yes, Souma-sama!¡± (Train)


    You miss all shots you don¡¯t make.


    She had absolutely no hesitation in calling me with -sama.


    It didn¡¯t work to deter her at all.


    ¡°Sorry, that was a joke.¡± (Souma)


    I immediately picked my ball back.


    Well, I don¡¯t mind calling her by her name.


    Thinking about it calmly, calling her Train-chan the whole time is a bit weird, and calling her Train without anything attached also feels wrong.


    ¡°I will call you Ina from now on, so feel free to call me Souma or Souma-san.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yes, Souma-sama!¡± (Train)


    I kneaded my brows reflexively.


    Is she doing this on purpose?


    No, unfortunately, her eyes are serious.


    ¡°Feel free to call me Souma or Souma-san.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yes, Souma-san.¡± (Train)


    When I repeated what I said, she reverted to her usual way of calling me.


    But it seems like she is a bit dissatisfied with it.


    Did she like the -sama that much?


    (How did it turn out like this¡­?) (Souma)


    I sighed inside my heart.


    Me prioritizing her leveling was half from good will.


    The remaining half is to fulfill my promise first so that it is fine to leave anytime I want. Technically trying to clear myself from nuisances, but I feel like it is having the complete opposite effect.


    ¡°Is something the matter?¡± (Train)


    Train-ch¡ªIna spoke to me from the side in a merry mood, and I responded by shaking my head to the sides.


    ¡°No, it is nothing. We have time, so let¡¯s try out the same thing.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yes!¡± (Ina)


    Ina responded energetically without knowing my thoughts.


    This time around, we managed to make the train succeed without any problems, and she increased her level all the way to 66 in that one day.


    ¡ª-


    Game Style Extra


    TLN: this extra is a Dragon Quest reference.


    Command


    Strength


    Cast


    ¡úTools


    Strategy


    *Pi!*


    Tools


    E Shiranui


    E Beginner Armor


    E Stamina Rings


    Rusted Longsword


    ¡úTrain-chan


    *Pi!*


    What will you do?


    Equip


    Give Away


    ¡úDiscard


    *Pi!*


    You are going to discard that?! Unbelievable!


    *Pi!*


    You are going to discard that?! Unbelievable!


    *Pi!*


    You are going to discard that?! Unbelievable!


    *Pi!*


    What will you do?


    ¡úEquip


    Give Away


    Discard


    *Pi!*


    Souma equipped Train-chan.


    *Deroderoderon!*


    How can this be?! Train-chan was cursed!


    Souma has been cursed!


    What will you do?


    ¡úUnequip


    Give Away


    Discard


    *Pi!*


    *Deroderoderon!*


    Train-chan is cursed.


    You can¡¯t unequip Train-chan.


    What will you do?


    Unequip


    Give Away


    Discard


    *Pi!Pi!*


    What will you do?


    Unequip


    Give Away


    Discard


    *Pi!Pi!*


    What will you do?


    Unequip


    Give Away


    Discard


    ¡úRun Away


    *Pi!*


    Souma ran away from Train-chan.


    But got overtaken!


    You can¡¯t escape from Train-chan!!


    The best seller book that was popular ages ago, VR the New Era, had a passage like this.


    [At the times when controlling your body in the VR space, we move it the same way as we move our own body, but they move their body as if it were their own.]


    It played with words so much it is pointlessly hard to understand, but it might be an expression that illustrates the VR situation of the modern era.


    Just like with other great inventions, the world changed a bit with VR.


    No, it is changing the world even now.


    But, on the other hand, there were people who couldn¡¯t keep up with the new techniques born from VR even if they were few in number.


    That also made me feel that there was a wall between me and the people of this world.


    ¡°The way of using skills?¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Yeah, how do you use skills normally, Ina?¡± (Souma)


    Ina managed to get to level 66 in just half a day, but battles are not defined by level only.


    And as a gamer who isn¡¯t exactly a battle pro, what I can teach her is the way of using skills.


    But I don¡¯t know how this world views skills now that this world isn¡¯t a game anymore.


    I asked Ina the way she activates skills first in order to confirm this.


    I simply asked this question as an opening statement for this topic, and I didn¡¯t even expect that this part would be different from the game, but¡­


    ¡°Uhm, like normal. I simply imagine the skill and say the name in my head¡­¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Imagine the skill?¡± (Souma)


    An unexpected word came out. I ended up asking back unconsciously.


    Ina was confused by my reaction and explained to me courteously.


    ¡°For example; when I use Slash, I would imagine a clear image of me swinging a sword while chanting Slash. If that image and name is correct, the skill activates, you know¡­¡± (Ina)


    Ina looked at me uneasy as if wondering if she said something weird there.


    Looks like that¡¯s the common knowledge in this world to activate skills.


    No, now that I think about it, I think I got an explanation like that in the game too.


    However, it still feels off.


    ¡°But if you do that, won¡¯t you be unable to bring out your skill when you are in a pressuring situation?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this, Ina nodded as if this were natural.


    ¡°U-Uhm¡­yes. If you are not used to it, there will be times when you won¡¯t be able to make a clear image because you are agitated and your skill won¡¯t activate, so it is important to train by repetition so that you can properly make an image of it in your mind¡­


    But isn¡¯t that common sense?


    Is it not for you, Souma-san?¡± (Ina)


    She asked me in wonder, but I am not sure.


    When I use skills, I don¡¯t imagine moves, and just Order with the skill name.


    That¡¯s why I haven¡¯t failed in activating a skill, and there¡¯s no need to train it repeatedly.


    If her ¡®Order¡¯ is simply to think about it, it really might work differently.


    Just like how it is natural for us modern people to learn our mother tongue, there¡¯s basic controls that you learn in VR called Focus and Order.


    Computers have gotten more simple and intuitive in control as time passed, but the foremost end that would in a sense be VR doesn¡¯t need unnecessary stuff like a mouse or keyboard in order to control the machine.


    VR is connected directly to the brain.


    That¡¯s why you only need to be conscious of it, just think of it in order to do all actions.


    Just like how you move your mouse pointer to click the target, or touching the screen of a touch panel, I can Focus on the icon projected in the VR space to select it.


    Just like how you Press the keyboard to write, or Speak in order to use voice writing, you can Order in the VR space for your desired command.


    However, there¡¯s a clear difference between simple silence and Focus, and simple imagination from Order.


    It would be a total pain in the ass if you were to select every single thing you direct your attention to, and your screen would be filled up with letters if everything you think were to be written.


    Focus and Order were made in order to avoid that.


    But if you ask me exactly what they are, I would find it hard to explain.


    Focus and Order are things that our generation can do naturally, so explaining the exact workings of it is difficult.


    If I had to force it into words, it would be ¡®open up your senses, emphasize that part, and push it outside¡¯.


    Focus and Order are basic control commands, so it is naturally being used in the VR game of Nekomimi Neko.


    Bringing out the menu screen in the middle of the game uses Order and selecting in the menu uses Focus.


    Other functions would be Order for the use of skills, and Focus to target the enemy with magic.


    These two techniques are what makes the basics to play Nekomimi Neko.


    People who are not used to VRs will mostly have a VR software to help them out.


    If you turn ON the VR assistant program in the settings, you can play games without the Focus and Order.


    I haven¡¯t used it once so I don¡¯t know, but the way of using skills with VR assistant ON might be the same as Ina explained just now: Imagine the move and chant it.


    Well, I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s really the case.


    But at the very least, I can imagine why the characters of this world don¡¯t use Focus and Order.


    Normally, there won¡¯t be meta talk like menu screen, save, load, and log out from the NPCs that would associate this world to being a game.


    They must have thought Focus and Order, which are deeply rooted to the modern era computer culture, to be a clashing concept in a medieval fantasy.


    I do remember peeking at the system messages, and there were no such phrases in the explanation of the game.


    I think there were a whole ton of points that they should have concentrated on first before the world immersion, but only on the small details are the developers really higher among their peers.


    This is most likely the setting for how the NPCs and Ina would tell you they use their skills even at the time when it was still a game.


    I remember it only faintly, but the explanation of the skills from Tutogramps was also: draw the skill activation in your head and chant the name of the skill.


    If there¡¯s no concept of Focus and Order for the people in this world, activating a skill with Order might be a hidden command in a way.


    That¡¯s fine and all.


    It may not be the common way of doing things, but I can still use skills with Order as normal, so there¡¯s no harm for me.


    But¡­


    (In that case, it would be difficult to teach Cancel to Ina.) (Souma)


    I think this while looking at Ina who has her eyes opened wide from me falling deep in thought.


    The difference between the skill activation of PCs and NPCs.


    This seems to be a small difference, but if you are going to do actions that require fine control, that slight difference can be fatal.


    Skill canceling is a convenient technique, but you will need to activate the skill at the exact timing.


    That¡¯s impossible without Order to activate the skill.


    At the very least, I doubt you can aim for a 1 second Cancel Point window with a fluctuating method like ¡®imagine the movement and chanting¡¯.


    Leaving aside the matter of whether I should spread the technique of skill canceling, I wanted to try and see if Ina could learn it, but it seems like I don¡¯t even need to.


    You could say my way of using skills are all based on the Order method.


    It would be difficult to give her advice on how to use skills.


    In that case, the things I can do for Ina are limited.


    (I didn¡¯t want to use this method that much, but¡­) (Souma)


    But it can¡¯t be helped.


    I tell this to Ina who is still looking at me without moving.


    ¡°Next is weapon training. Ina, I challenge you to a duel!¡± (Souma)

 CH 26

    ¡°I accept the duel against Souma Sagara and swear to compete against each other with the utmost of our arts!¡± (Ina)


    At the same time as Ina shouted this, a white light film covered our bodies.


    This is the proof that the duel has been made official.


    The word duel sounds dangerous, but this is actually a system to make it not dangerous.


    Duels don¡¯t mean it is a death match.


    No matter how intense of a battle it is, when your HP is reduced by the attack of your opponent, a flashy effect will happen, the light film will break, and the duel will end.


    The HP set will differ depending on the conditions made before the duel. ¡®Compete against each other with the utmost of our arts¡¯ means that the duel will end when the damage reaches 50% of the max HP. If this were ¡®We will continue fighting until our strength runs out¡¯, we would have to continue fighting until our HP is 1.


    Flipping that around, it means that, even if you get hit by a strong attack, your HP won¡¯t go lower than that by the attack of your duel opponent.


    It is impossible for your HP to go to 0 which means death, so you can fight without worrying.


    However, this is a feature that only works on the related parties, so there¡¯s no such function like a 3rd party being unable to get involved.


    The HP not going lower than a margin only applies to the duel opponent, so if you were to get hit by an unrelated character or monster in the middle of the duel, your HP can drop to 0 and die.


    ¡­Aah, I won¡¯t forget about it.


    One of the main quests in the story: Duel at the Desert.


    You duel them with the winning condition being getting to 1 HP, but the moment you lower their HP to 1 and think you have won, they end up getting environmental damage from the desert and die.


    In the end, rather than thinking about how to defeat the opponent, you would have to get a grasp of the environmental damage, and would need to heal the opponent as fast as possible for that quest.


    As expected of the Nekomimi Neko developers. Their reputation of ¡®I hate debugging more than the killer of my parents¡¯ is not just for show.


    Anyways, with this, there¡¯s no worries about killing your opponent and we can fight without worrying about killing each other.


    ¡°U-Uhm, Souma-san, what weapon should I use?!¡± (Ina)


    Is she being reserved here?


    I respond with a leisure expression to what Ina said.


    ¡°I told you this is weapon training, right? You can use whatever weapon you want to use, Ina.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°O-Okay!¡± (Ina)


    Ina hesitated for a bit there and took out the shortsword that an Armored Knight dropped.


    That¡¯s a weapon that has both the Dagger and Ninja Sword category, a Wakizashi.


    No, I understand the question here.


    In the first place, why would a western Armored Knight drop an eastern weapon that is the Wakizashi? Also, a Wakizashi is not a Ninja Sword. But that¡¯s Nekomimi Neko quality.


    Leaving aside the name, it is an item dropped by a level 70 monster.


    It is not on the level of Shiranui, but it is decently high in ranking as a weapon.


    Coupled with Ina being level 66, someone like me with beginner equipment would be minced without a chance.


    Against her, I¡­


    ¡°S-Souma-san! Are you sane?!¡± (Ina)


    Ina raised an objection at what I pointed at her.


    ¡°Problem?¡± (Souma)


    I play dumb and Ina shouted with a bright red face.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing but problems! Because that¡¯s clearly¡­clearly not a weapon!¡± (Ina)


    It can¡¯t be helped that Ina would get angry.


    She probably thinks my specialty weapon is a sword or a katana.


    And yet, what I am holding is not a sword or a katana.


    No, it doesn¡¯t fall into the category of any weapon; a wooden stick.


    ¡°It is okay. I won¡¯t be attacking after all.¡± (Souma)


    If I don¡¯t hold a weapon, not only will the weapon power not be counted, the weapon proficiency modifier as well as the weapon skills won¡¯t activate.


    Because I can¡¯t even use the Step Cancel, I won¡¯t be able to use the Godstep Cancel either.


    However, it is necessary for me to use this against Ina.


    ¡°¡­I won¡¯t be holding back, you know.¡± (Ina)


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I want! Come at me at any time!¡± (Souma)


    We had that exchange of words and the battle began.


    Seeing that I wasn¡¯t showing any signs of moving as I told her, she took the initiative.


    She said she wouldn¡¯t hold back, but she really must feel uncomfortable attacking a person without a weapon.


    That attack approached me with half-assed speed and I¡­


    ¡°Eh?!¡± (Ina)


    I easily took that attack with my wooden stick.


    Even though it came at quite the force, there was no impact felt from my hand.


    It must be a game-like correction of some sort.


    There should be no problems then.


    ¡°N-Not yet!¡± (Ina)


    The eyes of Ina grow sharper.


    She may have introduced herself as a newbie, but she is still an adventurer.


    Her profession is to fight.


    There¡¯s no way it would end with just this level of a display.


    She threw away her reservations, pulled back her Wakizashi once, and¡­


    ¡°[Jump Slice]!¡± (Ina)


    She activated a dagger skill without hesitation.


    Even though she did a terribly subdued attack just now, she switched into a skill attack after one step back.


    She probably thought that she wouldn¡¯t be able to get me with a normal attack.


    She is correct in that judgment.


    This is also the correct answer to control the flow of the battle.


    The Jump Slice is a skill with fast speed even within the short sword style and it is most likely the strongest skill in her arsenal.


    It seems like she has no intention of holding back now that she has switched into battle mode.


    I can honestly praise that about her.


    (But¡­!) (Souma)


    Since it is not an activation through Cancel, it has obvious telegraph motions.


    More so since she is shouting the name of the skill.


    I simply place the stick at the trajectory of the skill and¡­


    ¡°No way!¡± (Ina)


    I can easily stop that hit that she intended to be a one hit finisher.


    ¡°Yo!¡± (Souma)


    I instead return the hit while she is skill stunned after using that skill.


    Ina lost her balance, stumbled back, and tried to regain her balance with heavy steps.


    (Yeah, it is working unexpectedly well.) (Souma)


    The battle style of female thieves is like that of a trickster, so this is my first time having a fight with one properly, but it is going better than I thought.


    The bigger factor here is that the fear of death is not here, so I can use my game movements at full right now.


    (I have to persist a bit more for the sake of Ina.) (Souma)


    I ready my wooden stick without lowering my guard against Ina, who is now completely showing battle eyes, while feigning leisure here¡­


    ¡°Come!¡± (Souma)


    I shouted.


    And then, after I don¡¯t know how much time passed since the duel began¡­


    ¡°Why¡­can¡¯t I win¡­?!¡± (Ina)


    She still couldn¡¯t get a hit on me and I continued to take on her attacks.


    Why can I continue stopping the attacks of Ina?


    There¡¯s of course a reason for that.


    First of all, the character stats are inconsequential this time around.


    Stamina and Nimbleness are parameters that don¡¯t change with level ups. I think Ina has higher Stamina and Nimbleness than the normal characters, but there¡¯s not much difference between us at the times when she is not in Train Mode.


    When it comes to hitting attacks and blocking them, there¡¯s no deciding factor here.


    Next would be battle technique. This depends on the individual.


    This is something I noticed after fighting, but the average adventurer probably doesn¡¯t polish their technique when it comes to fighting other people.


    Adventurers fight against monsters by profession to train themselves and there aren¡¯t many humanoid monsters.


    Rather than learning feints that you don¡¯t know if they would work against monsters, it would be faster to just increase your attack power.


    The newbie adventurer Ina doesn¡¯t know much about the intricacies of fighting people and this goes for me too who relies on skills a lot when fighting.


    ¡­That¡¯s why this is the result of the difference between Ina, who has been fighting in reality, from me who fought in the game.


    Getting a grasp of the specs from your controlling character is a basic of games.


    The speed limit of your limbs, the area that your joints can cover, the flexibility of your body; we have a grasp about every single aspect of our character.


    Also, no matter how unreasonable of a movement you do, this body doesn¡¯t feel pain.


    Intense movements do consume your Stamina, but as long as you don¡¯t use skills, there¡¯s barely any worries of me running out of Stamina since I am wearing the rings.


    On the other hand, what about Ina?


    VR AI in recent days is exemplary.


    The movements of humans have been researched to the smallest of details, and they move just like actual humans.


    But putting it in another way, it means that, when trying to do movements that surpass the specs possible for a human, they will end up trying to ground it to human movements.


    Maybe because of this tendency, I don¡¯t know if it is because she is a real human in this world, but she is using that body like a person in reality would.


    That¡¯s the absolute difference between her and me.


    That said, the attacker has an advantage over the one defending.


    Even I would find it hard to continuously block her attacks without any plans.


    Me being able to manage despite that is because of one other game factor.


    ¡°How about this then?!¡± (Ina)


    The sharp attack of Ina assails me who had my posture broken, but I control the wooden stick with only my wrist and stop that.


    ¡°How?!¡± (Ina)


    Ina raised a desperate shout.


    My wooden stick defense barely managed in time, but my posture is still completely broken.


    Thinking about it in a realistic manner, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for me to be pushed by the attack of Ina who has the momentum, and yet, it didn¡¯t happen.


    I somewhat understand it now that I have lived in this world.


    When it comes to battles, it tends to prioritize the laws of the game rather than the laws of physics.


    That¡¯s why, even when it comes to the power of the attack, rather than taking into account the speed and the strength you put in it, the numbers are what heavily affect the damage you deal.


    (I am on a different plane!) (Souma)


    I gloat passionately internally and deflect the Wakizashi with my wooden stick.


    And then, I went on the offensive for the first time since this battle began.


    As if overlapping the unreasonable over the unreasonable posture I already have, I kick the ground and attack Ina.


    ¡°How?!¡± (Ina)


    I once again hear the desperate cry of Ina.


    If this were reality, I wouldn¡¯t be able to do these nonsensical movements, and wouldn¡¯t even think about doing them.


    But it doesn¡¯t matter even if you do movements that a real body would raise screams over.


    At times, even physically unnatural movements can be possible if the specs of your body allow it.


    I am certain of this.


    You could even say I am confident in it.


    Think about it.


    That way, you will be able to get it really quickly.


    There¡¯s no way Nekomimi Neko would have such high level programming like creating strains depending on forceful movements!!


    ¡°Kya!¡± (Ina)


    This time around, Ina raised a natural scream without any exaggeration as I smacked the Wakizashi off her hands.


    ¡°Fuuh!¡± (Souma)


    Having moved this much, even the recovery of the stamina gauge won¡¯t be able to keep up, I guess.


    My body feels heavy as if I just did some intense exercise in real life.


    Well, this should be enough for today.


    I offered a hand to Ina who had fallen onto the ground and said¡­


    ¡°I surrender.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± (Ina)


    This announces the end of today¡¯s training.


    A while after the training in the guise of a duel was over¡­


    ¡°Souma-san, you really are incredible. You are incredible, but¡­uhh¡ª!¡± (Ina)


    Ina really is an adventurer. She must be mortified by the fact that she couldn¡¯t win against me.


    But there¡¯s no souring in our relationship, and we were actually chatting with a closer mood than before the duel.


    It seems like the rift between us has been mysteriously covered by the intense battle.


    That¡¯s undesirable in its own way, but it wasn¡¯t only Ina, I also felt closer to her after the battle.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really understand, but that¡­that felt kind of unfair!¡± (Ina)


    Even with that, it seems like she didn¡¯t find the result of the duel fair and complained to me again.


    Well, I understand why she would want to do that.


    Honestly speaking, I also didn¡¯t think I would be able to overwhelm Ina that much either.


    And, I am sorry for Ina, but I got a bit of confidence after being able to fight that well.


    Learning that my fighting style of using game logic works here really does make me happy.


    ¡°Those weren¡¯t human movements!¡± (Ina)


    Ina still complained here, but she is correct in a sense.


    And that¡¯s also the reason she lost.


    ¡­Well, thinking about it, this is truly simple.


    A simple matter of, the ones who can¡¯t differentiate between game and reality will always receive their just desserts.


    ¡°Ah, speaking of which¡­¡± (Souma)


    I was so into the battle that I was about to forget the original objective.


    ¡°How many dagger skills do you know?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh? U-Uhm, 3¡­¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Test out whether you can use the 4th one later.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Uuh¡­okay.¡± (Ina)


    ¡®There¡¯s no way skills can be learned so easily¡¯, is what Ina must be thinking, she nodded dubiously, but I am confident about this one.


    Not only the 4th skill, she probably has learned the 5th and maybe even the 6th and 7th skill as well.


    (Master Torch, you have been of help once again.) (Souma)


    I mutter this internally and brush the wooden stick I have been holding the whole time in the duel before gently returning it inside my bag.


    When we returned to the town, Ina said that she would be going back to her mother¡¯s place, and I decided to return to the inn after we parted ways.


    Maybe because I have noticed a lot of things today, doing anything right now would feel like a pain, so I want to rest as soon as possible.


    The innkeeper once again was talking this and that about dinner, so I responded half-heartedly, returned to my own room, and slept like a log just like that.


    The next time I opened my eyes was the morning of the next day.


    (I completely slept all the way through¡­) (Souma)


    I get up while reflecting on this and¡­


    ¡°Igyah!¡±


    The moment I did, a strange electric-like sensation ran through my body, making me let out a strange scream.


    (What¡¯s this?) (Souma)


    What¡¯s with this nostalgic and unpleasant feeling as if my whole body is all stiff.


    This is something that I have experienced countless times in the real world. A certain symptom.


    ¡°No no, that¡¯s impossible.¡± (Souma)


    I unconsciously said this and denied it.


    If that were possible, it would have already happened yesterday morning.


    The day before, I was exercising endlessly with Master Torch after all¡­


    But now that I think carefully about it, at the time when I was cutting Master Torch underground, the first half was skills and the latter half was mainly fine cuts, so there wasn¡¯t that much time I was moving my body heavily.


    Even then, I still moved to an unbelievable extent in real world standards, but the movement amount at the duel yesterday went far above that.


    Could it possibly be that¡­


    ¡°Ouch!¡± (Souma)


    The term ¡®muscle pain¡¯ surfaced in my mind together with the pain running in my body.


    Just like how this world is more of a game than real, it is also more real than a game.


    In battle, the game laws take priority, so I moved my body like in the game, and managed to fight just like in the game.


    But the law of reality that dictates ¡®if you do intense exercise, you get tired¡¯ can be considered outside the hemisphere of battles.


    ¡°¡­Ah.¡± (Souma)


    I was so concentrated in thinking that I ended up missing something unthinkable.


    I squandered the control in my body and I ended up leaning to the back on my own¡­and I am falling from the bed.


    (This is bad!!) (Souma)


    Even if I tried to stop from falling or were to fall from the bed, whichever the case, I will end up straining my body.


    If I were to do any forceful movements in this state, what in the world would happen?


    I thought this in the middle of this dire situation.


    ¡­Well, now that I think about it, it is a truly simple matter.


    ¡°Migyaaaaaaaaaah!!¡± (Souma)


    The ones who can¡¯t differentiate between game and reality will always receive their just desserts.

 CH 27

    4th day of the game life.


    It was a morning full of troubles from the very get-go, but Ina heard my screams and ran into the room, making the situation even more hectic.


    ¡°Eh? Souma-san, you have muscle pain? Then, please leave it to me! Massaging is my specialty!¡± (Ina)


    Ina said happily as she sidled up to me.


    I can¡¯t run away because of the muscle pain.


    ¡°No, it is okay, it is okay. I don¡¯t need it!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry! My mother praised me before saying: ¡®You have been good at massages from way back. So good in fact that it is¡­lewd¡¯.¡± (Ina)


    ¡°For someone on sickbed, that¡¯s quite the frank mother you got there! I want it less now that I heard that!¡± (Souma)


    This exchange that, depending on how you see it, you could take it as us flirting, was fortunately stopped by the innkeeper who was wondering what was happening with all the ruckus.


    ¡°Ah, muscle pain? Then, why aren¡¯t you using a potion?¡±


    That one sentence ended it all.


    I didn¡¯t miss how Ina averted her face when the old man said that.


    (This girl knew!) (Souma)


    The muscle pain was healed easily with a potion.


    As thanks, I presented a shovel to the innkeeper and an ironclaw to Ina.


    I then headed off to the town after that.


    ¡°The muscle pain was healed, but I will take it easy checking the town and shopping for today. I won¡¯t be doing anything special, so you are free to do anything by yoursel¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I will come with you!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°¡­Is that so.¡± (Souma)


    She said that with such force in the middle of my words that I lost the ability to say no.


    Seeing Ina walking gleefully by my side, I felt complicated here.


    There¡¯s two reasons why I am prioritizing making Ina stronger.


    Just as I said before, I don¡¯t want to be troubled by her anymore.


    In other words, half the reason is because I want to make it so it is possible for me to leave at any time I want.


    Then, what¡¯s the remaining half? When we do something together, I don¡¯t want her to die.


    I don¡¯t have a grandiose ideal of wanting to protect all the people in the world, but I don¡¯t have such thick nerves that would make me be okay when an acquaintance of mine were to die.


    There¡¯s no way I would want to carry the burden of having a person die because of me, and no matter how annoying someone may be, it is obviously better for them to be alive.


    The ideal would be to live happily at a place away from me, but at the times when they are close to me, I would like to look after them so that they at least don¡¯t die.


    It may be half-assed, but those are currently my honest feelings.


    (But there¡¯s no need for that anymore¡­) (Souma)


    There¡¯s technically no concept of ¡®party¡¯ in Nekomimi Neko.


    As I said before, it is a system where the monster exp is all taken away by the person who dealt the finishing blow, so it is pretty difficult to level up low level people in one go.


    Because Ina has the Train special trait, she managed to level up all the way to 66, but that¡¯s pretty much the peak.


    Train Mode only activates when she is staying in place on a field around Lamurick.


    The underground dungeons are of course not in that category, and the highest level enemies around Lamurick are from the Cave of Trials.


    Leveling to 75-76 would be decently easy, but as you pass the level of the enemies, the amount of exp you can get from those enemies gets lowered heavily.


    When that difference surpasses 5, the exp gets fatally bad.


    Even if we were to use the Train, I doubt we will be able to raise it further than that.


    We would have to leave Lamurick to go to a higher level than that, but the Train of Ina can only activate around Lamurick.


    Without Train Mode, she is truly just an adventurer.


    In the first place, there¡¯s no need for any more levels than that if you are going to be living in Lamurick.


    (It really would be impossible to bring her with me¡­) (Souma)


    I said I played solo almost the whole time in Nekomimi Neko, but that wasn¡¯t the case in my first run.


    I would actually have adventurers of the same level at first as comrades, and would progress while raising their levels evenly .


    At that time, I didn¡¯t think of playing solo or changing my party members.


    You could say that was the time when I enjoyed playing Nekomimi Neko in the purest of forms, but that was the time when my comrades and I would die the most.


    In this world where Save and Load don¡¯t exist, a normal adventurer adventuring together with me in this world is plain suicidal.


    (Then, that brings the question: who would not die even if they were to travel with me?) (Souma)


    If it is at this stage of the game, a whole ton of characters would fall into that category.


    Even if that¡¯s not the case, there¡¯s a lot of cheat class characters in this world who can become your comrade.


    If I could bring those guys into my side, my adventures might advance smoothly from there on.


    The highest level NPC in this game is the NPC, the Phantom Hero Alex.


    A fearless level 200 hero that wears golden equipment and wields unparalleled swordsmanship.


    His specs are so high I would think ¡®isn¡¯t it okay to make this guy the protagonist?¡¯, but I unfortunately have not met him even when I was playing the game.


    His mind apparently has nothing but the thought of ¡®defeat the Demon Lord¡¯, so he would immediately charge into the Demon Lord castle alone when the game starts, and would die before meeting the player.


    Being brave and fearless can at times come and bite you in the ass.


    He is famous for being as suicidal as the armored knights of the Cave of Trials, and you could say he is quite the rare character in a sense.


    But it is actually a recommended character from a developer, and there¡¯s apparently close to 10 special events related to him, but there¡¯s obviously no one who has cleared them.


    Good grief, that¡¯s way too much of a phantom hero.


    In game terms and in regular terms as well, I would like him to live, but it has already been 3 days since the game began.


    If it is just like the game, he should have died a long time ago. So expecting him to do the job might be pointless.


    Let¡¯s think a bit more realistically here.


    When speaking of strong characters I can encounter around here, it would be the Helping Cheetah.


    It is a character that shows up every now and then for the people doing quests, and is famous as the strongest female adventurer in Nekomimi Neko.


    The only one who would be slower if she were to use Step would be her, is the catchphrase that was born from how cheat-like her movement speed is. A katana user that got the wordplay of cheetah and cheater in her nickname.


    She would sometimes show up to help you out clearing a quest once only, but you can officially make her your comrade if you do the chain events that begin from a 1-on-1 with her.


    In both cases, she has fearsome movement speed and attack power to wipe out the enemies, but the evaluation of people when she becomes your ally is that of ¡®questionable¡¯.


    She is so strong and so fast that she ends up finishing the enemies the whole time. Meaning that the players don¡¯t get any exp at all.


    Because of her background story, she won¡¯t go with you to defeat the Demon Lord, but she is so strong that people say she might be able to defeat the Demon Lord by herself.


    She is whimsical yet cold¡­is how she shows herself, but most of her personal events are super cliche love-comedy events, so her character breaks into pieces.


    But well, if I tell you players of over level 300 have been killed dozens of times in order to see those super cliche love-comedy events, would you understand now just how strong she is?


    Whichever the case, she is someone in this world that I don¡¯t want to rely too much on.


    Aside from those, there¡¯s also: the Perverted Warrior Jane, Tea Enjoyer Raiden, the-one-that-must-not-be-named Hole Opener Rose Piercer. Those are all men that, if you exclude their mentality, are actually pretty promising.


    But if you were to ask me if I want them as comrades, I don¡¯t know¡­ No, the last one isn¡¯t an ¡®I don¡¯t know¡¯, I vehemently don¡¯t want to meet him.


    As for other ones, there¡¯s the option of aiming for the nobles that only appear in events.


    From what I have seen in the game¡¯s event battles, the king, queen, and princess of the Rihito Kingdom are all owners of cheat level powers.


    They are so strong you would go: You guys go defeat the Demon Lord, damn it.


    They unfortunately don¡¯t become your comrades in the game, and you can¡¯t meet them aside from events, but it might be possible in this world depending on how I do it.


    Well, I need to head to the capital for that at the very least, so that¡¯s impossible as of this moment.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± (Souma)


    I end up groaning.


    Is it my imagination that the strength of the characters is proportional to how deranged they are?


    There¡¯s no decent person coming to mind to the point that I end up understanding why I played solo.


    (Speaking of proportional to their strength¡­) (Souma)


    In terms of strength alone¡­there¡¯s the Strongest Genius Idiot Mage Sazan who can enter in the candidates.


    Well¡­only join the candidates, that is.


    I feel like the name is self-explanatory, but just making them an ally would make your survival rate decrease by less than half and your deaths will go up by 5 times more. The strongest character that would make masochistic players cry with joy with that minus trait.


    That said, they are the strongest mage candidate in terms of specs.


    Their stats and their magic are stupidly high.


    But that¡¯s why there¡¯s many deaths accompanying it.


    Their bad reputation is endless.


    The AI is so polished in the bad sense of the word that you can only call it a bundle of malice from the developers. It made me recall the raging of the many players.


    Their usual move is to use Concentrate, which doubles the power of the next spell cast, and would use a spell that has a high debuff chance. They would use weak attack spells that would end up waking up sleeping monsters. For some reason, there¡¯s a high chance they would use debuff spells on enemies with low magic defense, and those kinds of enemies are mostly physical enemies, and their only debuff spell is Berserker, so they instead end up strengthening them.


    At times they would go ¡®T-The seal in my right arm!¡¯ and would make a gesture of restraining their rampaging right arm. You would think they are a hopeless chuunibyou, but the seal would really undo and the party would be wiped out.


    If monsters approach too close, they would use an explosion spell to protect themselves and die in the process.


    <TLN: Warning, this is a damn long specific rant about the character. Read if you are curious, but safe to skip. Just go down and search for the dividing line.>


    Wears a weird mask, if they get hit they will shoot magic indiscriminately, would click their tongue if you heal them, they would definitely use a wide aoe fire spell if there are more than 2 monsters, they would use fire spells even for fire element monsters and recover their HP, they would try to use fire spells even inside the water and fail, they would try to use fire magic inside a forest and would turn it into a mountain fire state, and yet, when monsters weak to fire show up, they would use wind magic which they are not even good at. They would sometimes go ¡®fufu¡¯ and when you ask what it is, they would go ¡®no, sorry, I just remembered something funny¡¯.


    They would use long sniping spells to hit powerful inactive monsters to pointlessly switch them to battle state, is unpunctual, would attack monsters in counter stance and get countered, would immediately talk about rates. When we stay a long time without doing anything, they would enter standby mode and talk about themselves on their own, the topic changing every time, moreover, it is inconsistent. They would use their strongest spell regardless of enemy level, so they would overkill them. They would even overkill the HP of the drop items. Because they are using their strongest spell, their spell could not end even when the battle has ended, not only that, they would continue chanting and would slow progress. If you are not careful, your comrades can die from the activated spell after the battle is over. More enemies will be attracted because of the effects of the spell, and because they use their strongest spell no matter the level of the enemy, they would run out of MP, and despite them having paper armor, they would charge into the enemies when they run out of MP and die instantly.


    When they mess up, they will immediately push the blame on others; when they win, they will make a winning pose as if trying to show off you owe them. Has horrible table manners. Doesn¡¯t like leaving the things they like for last. When going up mountains, they would come with hard to move attire. When they get bitten by bugs, they would bitch and cry. They would immediately want to take a break. I would have to carry them all the way down at the end. Would get all conceited when drunk, even when not drinking, they are drunk about themselves. Can¡¯t speak to someone in the eyes, would blame their mask for not being able to do so.


    ¡ª¡ª-<It ends here.>¡ª¡ª-


    Because of them, my stiff shoulders and back pains have grown worse; because of them, there¡¯s global warming. Even with all that, you can only obtain the strongest spell, Stardust Flare, from them, so you have to make them your comrade at least once. They are really really the worst.


    You might think I am lying, but this is all true.


    As proof of this, I am already irritated right now, and even though I don¡¯t have stiff shoulders or back pains, I am suffering from it now. <I actually also felt back pains from translating all that>


    It surely must be because I remembered them.


    (Compared to that¡­) (Souma)


    I look at Ina by my side.


    ¡°Uhm, is something the matter?¡± (Ina)


    I was a bit angry at her in the morning, but her trying to tease me using a massage as an excuse when I had muscle pains can be considered cute.


    ¡°Ina, you really are like an angel.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh? Ueeeeh?!¡± (Ina)


    I watched pleasantly over Ina, who was visibly getting flustered, and swore in my heart to take my time and choose my comrades carefully.

 CH 28

    Ina was in a good mood for a while after I told her she is an angel, but the longer we were moving through the town, the more strange her state got.


    ¡°Souma-san, ahead of here is¡­ah, no, it is nothing.¡± (Ina)


    She would look up at me every now and then, and she would seem somewhat uneasy.


    I was walking without worrying too much about it, but¡­


    ¡°U-Uhm, how about going over here rather than there? Like the main street there.¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Eh? Uuh, no¡­¡± (Souma)


    She suddenly pulled my hand and tried to make me go the opposite direction.


    I was wondering what brought this, but she is looking pretty cornered here.


    ¡°The other day, you were looking enviously at the weapon store and the accessory store, right? If you have no plans today, how about looking around those places to your heart¡¯s content?¡± (Ina)


    Ina said this and pulled my arm.


    It seems like she saw through the fact that I wanted to enter other stores since the time I went out from the item shop yesterday.


    I thought she was dense in those areas, but she is unexpectedly perceptive.


    Could it be that this is Ina¡¯s own way of being considerate? But there¡¯s a place I have to check first.


    ¡°I will go to the store later. But in order to check those stores without any worries, there¡¯s a place I want to see for a bit first.¡± (Souma)


    At the outskirts of the town, in a different direction from the church.


    We are currently heading to the vehicle that¡¯s said to be the fastest in this world, the Magic Airship.


    ¡°Magic Airships are dangerous!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°¡­Really?¡± (Souma)


    The moment we arrived at the terminal, Ina suddenly said this.


    ¡°B-Because a lump of metal being able to fly in the sky is just weird!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Aah, yeah, that¡¯s true.¡± (Souma)


    She began saying stuff that sounded like those people who hate airplanes.


    But it is not like I don¡¯t understand her feelings.


    A Magic Airship is basically like a flying yacht.


    A ship that receives mana into the magic sail to fly in the skies.


    That¡¯s a Magic Airship.


    I don¡¯t know why they didn¡¯t make it a boat plain and simple, but they must have wanted originality or something.


    The originality in Nekomimi Neko exists solely in order to harass the players.


    When speaking of Magic Airships¡­


    ¡°Also, this ship falls, you know?!¡± (Ina)


    So she says.


    A Magic Airship can transport around 20 people.


    It rides the wave of mana that flows in the sky, the Magic Flow, but because the Magic Flow is unstable, you can¡¯t make the ships that big, and their operating times are always fluctuating.


    On top of that, the Magic Flow can change from any small thing, so the chances of accidents are through the roof.


    In the game, it had a 30% chance of crashing which is instead deadly.


    ¡°Moreover, the places it crashes onto are mostly monster dens! It is a different story if you are a merchant with Teleport Stones, but getting on a Magic Airship would be suicidal no matter how you think about it!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think it is to that extent¡­¡± (Souma)


    For example; in the case you get on this and go to the capital from Lamurick, it is fine if you fall close to Lamurick.


    It may take time to return on your own, but the enemies there are around 50.


    It might not be impossible to come back alive.


    But in the case it falls on the other side, in the vicinity of the capital, the worst would be waiting.


    The first time I got on that ship, it crashed splendidly.


    The airship made an emergency landing while I was still confused about what was going on.


    The merchants that were along the ride used their Teleport Stones one after the other to return to the city, and I was left behind in an unknown field all alone.


    I still couldn¡¯t understand what was going on and desperately tried to return to a safe zone¡­and died.


    I learned later that, at worst, you could end up in the level 120 field, the Slime Mold Forest.


    What would happen if players of around level 50 were to end up there.


    ¡­I honestly don¡¯t want to remember that time.


    Anyways, in the case you fall into that kind of place, let me tell you with certainty that players who leveled in Lamurick have no means of surviving.


    ¡°I think people who ride a ship like that are crazy in the head!¡± (Ina)


    That¡¯s why I understand why Ina is this insistent about her opinion here, but¡­


    ¡°Uhm, this place is the boarding terminal of the Magic Airship, you know?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Ah.¡± (Ina)


    The eyes of the people around are super scary.


    She must have thought it was bad, so she did lower her voice, but her opinion stayed unbending.


    ¡°I am not really speaking ill about this ship, but you really shouldn¡¯t ride a ship like this!¡± (Ina)


    No, you are totally speaking ill about it, but I didn¡¯t say it out loud.


    Moreover, her voice is loud again.


    ¡°Eeh, then, what about carriages?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°C-Carriages are also no good!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Uh, why?¡± (Souma)


    For now, I try changing the direction of her spear to cool her down, but it seems like she is excited here.


    ¡°B-Because carriages¡­they¡­they exploit horses!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°A-Aah, yeah, it is a pity for the horses.¡± (Souma)


    They are literally being worked like horses after all.


    Train-chan is seriously a benevolent one.


    ¡°Carriages are no good too, but a-anyways, I think Magic Airships are dangerous!¡± (Ina)


    Ina was heating up endlessly.


    At this rate, it is only a matter of time before they kick us out of here.


    I desperately try to calm down Ina.


    ¡°N-Now, calm down. It is not like I am planning on riding that right this instant and leaving somewhere. I was just checking out for future¡¯s sake¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Y-You must not! If you do something like checking out, you would of course want to ride it!¡± (Ina)


    Am I a child?!


    ¡­That¡¯s not it.


    ¡°I understand plenty well now that you hate Magic Airships. If you don¡¯t like it that much, you can head to the main street first.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh¡­?¡± (Ina)


    Why are you making a pained expression there?


    You want to be with me that much?


    Even if we are both loners, the kind of loner Ina and I are is way too different, and there are times when I can¡¯t understand how she feels.


    Anyways, at this rate, Ina will not be creating a good result even if I were to leave her here.


    Now then, how should I convince her?


    I squeezed out my lacking wits, and somehow managed to bring out a proposal that she might accept easily.


    ¡°You know, we still haven¡¯t sold the drop items in the Cave of Trials, right? It would be nice if we were to do that first¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­we can do that.¡± (Ina)


    I said this without expecting much, but it seems like it was effective.


    Maybe because of her long life alone, she loves being useful to others.


    Her happiness of being given a job and the uneasiness of being left behind were clashing, and I could tell they were heavily conflicting inside of her.


    ¡°You won¡¯t be riding in the Magic Airship at that time, right?¡± (Ina)


    She asked uneasily.


    I noticed that this is the time to attack, so I denied it with exaggerated gestures.


    ¡°Of course not. Look over there. They still haven¡¯t even finished preparations to depart. Even if I wanted to, it is still not departing anytime soon.¡± (Souma)


    My insistence must have shown effect, she finally nodded.


    ¡°¡­Got it. Then, I will go ahead first and sell the items we got from the cave.¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Yeah, counting on you.¡± (Souma)


    I have given all the drop items of the armored knights to Ina.


    She obtained it thanks to me, so she said to at least split the profits, but I told her that it would be a pain, so to take it all, and she easily nodded.


    I personally wanted to leave everything vague and give her everything, but now that it has come to this, it can¡¯t be helped.


    An issue of pushing the earnings might happen again, but I decide to think about it later.


    ¡°I will go there too in a bit, so take care over there.¡± (Souma)


    I pushed in a whole lot of things internally and gave my farewells, and Ina went¡­


    ¡°Yes! Ah, but come real quickly in exchange, okay?! If you don¡¯t, I will write a whole lot of bad things about you at the plaza!¡± (Ina)


    After leaving such ominous parting words, she ran off from where we came.


    Her steps were light.


    She really does seem to be happy to be asked things.


    (I really don¡¯t get her¡­) (Souma)


    Why does she get happy being pushed to do annoying things?


    I really can¡¯t understand that.


    ¡°¡­Haah¡­¡± (Souma)


    Anyways, I didn¡¯t expect Ina to hate Magic Airships this much.


    If I knew that, I would have found an excuse to act separately beforehand.


    Could it be that Ina didn¡¯t move from Lamurick in the game in part because of this?


    Aah, no, that doesn¡¯t have much to do with it, huh.


    ¡°More importantly, the flight schedule¡­¡± (Souma)


    I soon found it with just a bit of search.


    The flight is today at 9 p.m.


    The next one is 8 a.m. the day after tomorrow, and the next one after is on the next day right at noon, the other one is 3 days after; as you can see, the schedule jumps around a whole lot.


    Not allowing your hand to reach the itchy parts, that¡¯s Nekomimi Neko quality.


    The price for a one-way trip to the capital is a surprising 50,000E.


    It is by no means a hard to pay number if I use the remaining money of the Heritage of Meripe, but it is a price setting that¡¯s rough on early game adventurers.


    Well, there¡¯s a 30% chance that the ship will not work, so if they don¡¯t think of the costs for that as well, they wouldn¡¯t be able to do a business with this to begin with.


    They bring reality in a nasty way.


    By the way, the Teleport Stone that Ina mentioned for a bit can allow you to move from city to city in an instant.


    But that¡¯s a rare drop that normally shows up in midgame, and there would be times when it is sold in the market, but that normally goes for around 300,000E.


    I can¡¯t get my hands on that at this moment.


    Other means of transportation would be on foot or carriage, but a variety of events happen when in a carriage, so it is sometimes more dangerous than walking, but it would take a really long time by foot.


    I tested it out with a cleared game save data, taking the shortest route, but it took me almost 2 days in game time.


    There were fields in the way that I wouldn¡¯t even have a chance as I currently am, so the Magic Airship really is the number one candidate to get to the capital.


    Because the Magic Airship changes departing times and traveling routes, the danger changes heavily at every instance.


    I compared the flight schedules and the route schedules to tell when would be the lowest chance of an accident happening. I am relying on my hazy memory here as I pondered.


    ¡°It took me more time than I thought.¡± (Souma)


    I was a bit too into the choosing of Magic Airship routes.


    After returning to my senses, I hurriedly ran to the weapon store, but Ina wasn¡¯t there.


    There were a number of weapons in the drops, but maybe she is in another store?


    Or she might have finished selling them and has moved to a different place?


    I immediately decided to check a different store, but the many weapons decorating the walls stopped my feet.


    Well, she did know that I wanted to go to the weapon store, so she might come search for me here.


    I made that excuse to myself and began checking out the weapons lined up in the store.


    ¡°Ooh, boy! You are looking pretty troubled there. Want some advice from me?¡±


    My eyes were shining in front of the weapons, and a skinhead old man with a strong pressuring voice spoke to me.


    Burly physique, an eyepatch, and bold.


    A person with such presence, you would think it would be better for them to be an adventurer rather than managing a weapon store.


    ¡°Please wait for a bit more.¡± (Souma)


    But I ignored the pressure hitting my back and continued looking at the many weapons lined up.


    I may have experienced this in the game, but it is not like I have much experience seeing real weapons.


    Seeing the weapons that were respectively lined up by sword, spear, and axe category was breathtaking.


    I direct my gaze at the weapon that is priced the highest among them all.


    [Piercing Spear: 6,000E].


    This thing matches the shape and price in my memories of the game.


    I thought there would be the possibility for the prices of the items to change now that the element of reality has been added but, for now, it seems like that¡¯s not the case.


    Ah, it might be a little late to mention this, but E is an abbreviation for Element. Just in case.


    When I looked at the Piercing Spear, a jeering voice hit me from the back.


    ¡°Haha! Give it up, give it up, boy! One of those goes for 6,000E, you know? It ain¡¯t something a green adventurer like you can put their hands on.¡±


    Being told this, I finally noticed it.


    Now that I think about it, Ina still has my mythril equipment.


    My equipment right now is that of a beginner. So that¡¯s why he was speaking to me this much, huh.


    (Now then, what to do¡­) (Souma)


    It would be weird to go out of my way to tell him that I am not a beginner, and when you consider my actual level, I am indeed a newbie.


    But I do have a bit of pride myself.


    Being looked down on this much, don¡¯t you think it is courtesy to strike back and surprise them?


    I wanted a weapon anyways, so this works just fine.


    I stop looking at the weapons on the wall and turn to the skinhead storekeeper.


    ¡°Hmm? What are you tryi¡ª?¡±


    As if sealing any further words, I strike in one go.


    ¡°I will be buying one of each weapon category in this store, the most expensive ones this store has. Can you please tell me the total price for them all?¡± (Souma)


    When I said this clearly, the storekeeper seemed to not understand for a moment there, his eye opened wide, and then he scratched his head as if troubled and said this.


    ¡°Aah, sorry, boy, I am actually a customer too¡­¡±


    Just kill me.

 CH 29

    The person that was giving me weapon advice was an adventurer called Kragus.


    But I don¡¯t care about that.


    No, I know that Kragus-san is not at fault here.


    But I want him to leave me be.


    I want him to leave me alone for now.


    ¡°¡­Haah¡­¡± (Souma)


    In exchange for suffering a damn big embarrassment, I ended up raising the flag with the adventurer. After that, I gave the same order to the real shopkeeper, and after finishing the purchase, I left the store as if running away.


    ¡°You are late, Souma-san!¡±


    It was after that that I managed to reunite with Ina who should have come here before me.


    It doesn¡¯t seem like Ina is angry, but she seems to be a bit sullen.


    ¡°No matter where I searched, I couldn¡¯t find you, Souma-san¡­ I was about to return to the Magic Airship terminal!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°A-Aah, sorry about that. And so, did you manage to sell the items?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Geez, that side was also really difficult, you know?!¡± (Ina)


    According to Ina who said this as if she were happy despite what she was saying, after she went around the many stores to check how much it would sell for, she haggled with them so that they would buy it for as high as possible.


    Having social skills despite being a loner, that¡¯s quite the rare talent.


    ¡°As a result¡­hear this, we got 76,000E!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Ooh!¡± (Souma)


    Honestly speaking, I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s a lot or not, but let¡¯s act surprised for now.


    But I do feel like it is higher than what I expected.


    There were only around 20 drops at most, so it would mean that each drop was around 4,000E.


    ¡°U-Uhm, you said there was no equipment you wanted within the drops, so I sold everything except the wakizashi. Was that okay?¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Hm? Yeah, of course.¡± (Souma)


    I nodded without hesitation.


    The armored knights are mostly heavy armor, so the equipment they drop is mostly armor that has a lot of weight.


    The defense is appealing, but if the weight of your equipment is too high, your movements grow duller.


    The speed decrease from weight applies to skills as well, so there¡¯s almost no loopholes for that one.


    Thinking about the fighting style Ina and I currently have, there was no choice but to give up on them.


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief. Then, if we split that between us two, it would be 38,000E for the two of us!¡± (Ina)


    And she totally wants to split the earnings in two.


    Ina was the one who shouldered all the danger, so I don¡¯t mind her taking it all though.


    However, getting stubborn here wouldn¡¯t make anyone happy.


    From Ina¡¯s personality, she would be happier if I were to take it.


    ¡°Okay then.¡± (Souma)


    I bring out the Crystal that serves as my wallet, and¡­


    ¡°Then, I will transfer it!¡± (Ina)


    Ina pushed her own Crystal onto it and the mana was transferred.


    38,000E was passed to me.


    While at it, she also told me she would return my mythril armor, but I refused.


    ¡°No, I was thinking about having you earn money in the Cave of Trials again soon. It would be troubling to not have good armor when that time comes, right?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Really?¡± (Ina)


    Of course, that¡¯s a lie.


    But it might be good to earn cash in the Cave of Trials.


    Even if we were splitting the earnings, I would say it would still end up being a decent number.


    We were having that talk noisily as we headed to the accessory shop.


    When speaking of accessory shops, it sounds like something a middle or high school girl would love, but the accessories in this world are accessories you wear on the neck, wrist, and fingers. They are all equipment that increases the abilities of the character.


    The effects of each one of them isn¡¯t that high compared to armor, but there¡¯s 1 each for the neck and the wrist, and 2 for the rings, making it possible to equip a total of 4, so you really can¡¯t underestimate the benefits it gives.


    Also, because I can¡¯t change the equipment from the menu screen like in the game, it takes time to change the equipment like armor.


    Rings can be changed readily, so it is easy to change them to match the elements of enemies for example.


    Having them at hand would definitely not be disadvantageous.


    The line-up of the products is still the same as the game.


    Maybe because it is the items from the first town, there isn¡¯t much expensive stuff.


    Rings that increase the defense by a bit, rings that increase the attack power by 5%, rings that allow you to use the basic element spells, a ring that increases the natural regen of HP by around 20%; it is mostly effects that are barely noticeable.


    But there¡¯s also products of interest¡­


    (I will be using a Ninja Sword in the future as well, so this would be the basic choice.) (Souma)


    Within those, I take the Light Element Attack Specialization Ring ¢ñ.


    This ring, despite being a store item in early game, increases the attack power of the light element to 15% in exchange of reducing the attack power of the dark element by 70%.


    By the way, since there¡¯s a ¢ñ, it is a sign that it is a series item. When the roman number goes higher, the effect gets higher too, and when it goes all the way to ¢ô, the light element¡¯s attack power increases by 60% and the dark element¡¯s attack power goes down by 40%, making it a pretty easy to use one.


    Well, ¢ô is not sold in stores, and I have no plans on using something like that.


    I bought the Light Element Attack Specialization Ring ¢ñ without hesitation.


    I don¡¯t have any elemental abilities right now, so it is not like I need it now, but I am sure it will be of use later.


    (If we go by that logic, it is not only elements, I don¡¯t need rings in general for a while¡­) (Souma)


    I don¡¯t plan on taking off my stamina related rings for the near future.


    I can only equip 2 rings, so anymore than this would be¡­eh?


    It bothered me a bit, so I went close to Ina¡¯s side and whispered to her.


    ¡°Hey, what happens if you equip more than 3 rings?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°What?¡± (Ina)


    Was it that weird of a question?


    Ina¡¯s eyes opened wide and¡­


    ¡°Uhm, you can only wear two rings, you know?¡± (Ina)


    Responded with an answer that¡¯s not that much of an answer.


    No, I know that.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean. I am talking about what would happen if I tried to put on more than that.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh? Uhm, you can only wear two rings, you know?¡± (Ina)


    ¡­What¡¯s this?


    Ina suddenly became a really badly made NPC.


    But what would actually happen?


    In the game, you had to do that process through the menu screen, so you could only equip things in the equipment slots.


    But in this world where you can equip them directly in your hand, I feel like I could ignore such restrictions.


    (Well, I can just test it out myself.) (Souma)


    I ask permission from the clerk and wear the Water Ring in my finger.


    ¡°¡­Hm?¡± (Souma)


    When the ring got close to my finger, a strange power came in place and the ring was repelled¡­is what I thought, but nothing of the sort happened.


    The 3rd ring easily fits my finger.


    So easy that I was instead confused about it.


    ¡°It seems like I easily got it in though¡­¡± (Souma)


    When I said this and showed Ina my fingers¡­


    ¡°W-What are you doing, Souma-san?!¡± (Ina)


    She was terribly surprised.


    Not only that, she was practically exploding here.


    ¡°You can only wear 2 rings!¡± (Ina)


    Even if you tell me that, I have actually got them on though.


    What¡¯s going on here?


    But there¡¯s the possibility the effect is not showing despite me wearing it.


    ¡°Uhm¡­ [Water].¡± (Souma)


    I point at the floor and Order the Water spell.


    ¡°Uwah?!¡± (Souma)


    When I did this, water surged onto the floor.


    It hit the floor hard.


    ¡°W-Wait, Customer-san! Please don¡¯t drench the floor!¡±


    The floor of the store is soaking wet.


    The game world wasn¡¯t like that, but it seems like the water in water magic remains in this world.


    It doesn¡¯t seem like I get damaged even if I touch the remaining water. It is not being treated as an ¡®attack¡¯ anymore, but it is still a pain.


    The pain part mainly being that you have to clean it up afterwards.


    Also, the sharp gaze of the Clerk-san is a pain.


    I would have liked it if this wasn¡¯t so half-baked real.


    (Anyways, it means that the effect of the ring is showing.) (Souma)


    But it is possible that the effect of the other rings has been lost.


    I took the Fire Ring and Wind Ring, and told the clerk.


    ¡°Sorry, let me test them out a bit. Ah, I will shoot the spells outside.¡± (Souma)


    And then, after experimenting a whole lot, I could wear one ring on each of the ten fingers, and they all show their effects.


    But it seems like I can¡¯t wear 2 rings on one finger.


    When I pass a ring in my finger, it would automatically fit my size, but when I try to do that with a second ring on the same finger, the first one would get unequipped.


    This is a way too convenient development, but this is most likely a clash of the game setting ¡®You can only equip 2 rings¡¯ and the real logic that is ¡®You can wear several rings¡¯.


    Thinking about what has happened until now, a part of the game settings seem to be controlled by the actions of the person rather than the laws of physics in this world.


    Just like how Reinhardt would want to guide me and how Ina would want to run around the same field as me, the people of this world don¡¯t want to equip a 3rd ring.


    The rings switching when equipping the ring in the same finger is the same as the game.


    You can¡¯t equip a 3rd ring either in the game, but it is easily doable, so in order to fill that up, the idea that ¡®a 3rd ring can¡¯t be equipped¡¯ is slipped into their minds, and this is the result of it.


    I don¡¯t know if that line of thought is correct, but this world is full of holes and contradictions to begin with.


    I decided to just go with that logic.


    But if that¡¯s the case, it is only natural to want to test out a variety of things here.


    ¡°Ina, are you wearing rings?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this, she immediately showed me her left hand.


    ¡°Ah, yes, this.¡± (Ina)


    She is properly wearing 2 rings in her left hand.


    ¡°What¡¯s this one?¡± (Souma)


    I haven¡¯t played this game so much that I would be able to tell the name of the item just by looking at the appearance of a ring.


    Ina puffed her chest out at my question and answered.


    ¡°This is a defense up ring I bought and the other one is a faulty product that reduces the magic damage by 30%.¡± (Ina)


    ¡°I see¡­¡± (Souma)


    As expected of Train-chan.


    She has pretty good equipment despite this being the starting town.


    ¡°This is¡­a memento from my father¡­ Father died when I was young, and his possessions were almost all disposed of, but mother kept this ring alone¡­¡± (Ina)


    This is Train-chan.


    A heavy story was tagged into it.


    ¡°T-Then, how about you try wearing one more ring?¡± (Souma)


    There¡¯s the chance that a backstory event of Train-chan will begin here at this rate.


    I hurriedly stopped her and proposed this.


    ¡°E-Eh? B-But you can only wear 2 rings¡­¡± (Ina)


    ¡°It is okay, it is okay. You might be able to, you know?¡± (Souma)


    I forcefully pushed the hesitating Ina.


    ¡°This is part of the experiment. You said you would cooperate, right?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­yeah. B-But this is¡­ah.¡± (Ina)


    Ina was hesitating, but she stared intently at her own left hand with the rings.


    ¡°I-I will do it. Please do!¡± (Ina)


    She suddenly resolved herself and offered her left hand to me.


    I don¡¯t know what brought her change of mind, but I am grateful that she is going to cooperate.


    I take another of the same ring that increases defense that she said she had bought, bring it close to her left hand and¡­


    (¡­Ah.) (Souma)


    I noticed.


    Ina has rings in her index and middle fingers.


    In that case, if we are going by order, the next one to put a ring on would be the ring finger¡­


    (This is a bit bad.) (Souma)


    This world has a tradition of putting on a marriage ring in the ring finger.


    While feeling a prickling pain at the word marriage, I stealthily moved the ring to the pinky finger and¡­


    *Slide*


    The moment I was about to put it in, the hand of Ina moved to the side.


    She placed her ring finger in front of the ring.


    (I-It is just a coincidence, right?) (Souma)


    I once again tried to put the ring in the pinky finger and¡­


    *Slide*


    It wasn¡¯t a coincidence!


    Her hand clearly showed premeditated moves as she moved the ring position to her ring finger.


    ¡°Uhm, can you make it quick?¡± (Ina)


    I wonder why.


    I could feel a pressure I have never felt from Ina before.


    (W-Well, I am the one asking the favor here, so it can¡¯t be helped¡­right?) (Souma)


    It is not like I lost to this, but I gave up and put the ring in her ring finger.


    The ring was equipped in her ring finger as if it were order-made.


    N-No, this is the effect of the ring, so there¡¯s no real meaning behind it.


    ¡°S-See, you are fine even with a 3rd one.¡± (Souma)


    I hid the panic inside of me and said this purposely as if I didn¡¯t notice.


    But Ina was silent.


    However, after a while, as if she had endured a long time without breathing¡­


    ¡°I-I can¡¯t! I really can¡¯t take it!¡± (Ina)


    She hurriedly takes off the ring in her finger.


    ¡­But not the ring I put in her ring finger, it was the middle finger ring she was wearing before.


    And then, without missing a beat¡­


    ¡°Excuse me, I will buy this!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°No, wait¡­!¡± (Souma)


    She finished her purchase with the Clerk-san.


    It was so lightning fast that I didn¡¯t have the chance to stop her.


    She glanced at her ring finger¡­


    ¡°D-Doesn¡¯t it look like¡­we are m-married?¡± (Ina)


    ¡°No, you?!¡± (Souma)


    She said something outrageous.


    I couldn¡¯t string a proper sentence anymore.


    I didn¡¯t expect her to be the type to say stuff like this.


    But seeing me all flustered, Ina giggled.


    She waved her hand lightly as if saying everything was a lie.


    ¡°Just kidding. It was a joke, a joke. I am not thinking about something that far yet.¡± (Ina)


    Then how far are you thinking?


    It was rare that she would be teasing me successfully here. She said this while gently brushing the ring.


    ¡°But¡­isn¡¯t marriage something that¡­you yearn for a bit?¡± (Ina)


    What she said made me blank out for a bit there but I said¡­


    ¡°¡­No, I don¡¯t yearn for it at all. I definitely won¡¯t marry in this world.¡± (Souma)


    I strongly strongly deny it.


    The marriage system.


    This was a big selling point for Nekomimi Neko that had given up on the MMO path and it is also the biggest pitfall of this game that can¡¯t be compared to the lizardmen trap or Train-chan.

 CH 29.5

    Author¡¯s Note: Writing this one in a detailed manner would end up being pretty heavy in Nekomimi Neko terms.


    There¡¯s people who would get in a depressed mood because of it, so if you are bad with dark stories, please skim through it.


    I will supplement this story in the next chapter, so there will be no problems in your understanding of the story.


    TLN: This is a long chapter. I personally didn¡¯t find it as dark and depressing really, so there¡¯s no need to fear.


    ¡ª


    It has already been 1 month since I came to the capital of Richter in game time.


    We leveled up smoothly, and we have become strong enough to be called mid rank adventurers with pride.


    This applies to the level as well, but most of all, my player skill increased too.


    The biggest one is that I learned how to do the Short Cancel timing of Step.


    I now can connect the Short Cancel Step with skills other than Slash.


    I have the confidence I would be able to defeat the monsters that I had a hard time fighting with at the time I was in Lamurick without getting hit once.


    Speaking of which, even my comrades have increased.


    At first, I was adventuring with only 2 people for a while, but right now it is a party of 4.


    In the beginning, I thought that teamwork in a party wasn¡¯t for me, but I got pretty good in my coordination with these guys, and fighting together with these 4 has become natural.


    I have slowly gotten a grasp of the personality of my two new comrades and now, not only their quirks in battle, I can even recite every single thing they monolog when they are not doing anything.


    One of them is the heavy warrior Edy who is a frontliner.


    His role in the party is tank and dps.


    Edy is a rare greatsword user in this New Communicate Online, and his specialty is more in his attack than his defense.


    But he wouldn¡¯t be able to maintain himself most of the time, so I forcefully gave him sturdy armor so that he would serve as the tank in the team.


    On the other hand, Merlin is the opposite of Edy, the backline type.


    She is a character that¡¯s outright specialized in firepower, and she unfortunately can only shoot attack magic from the back. I have no expectations of her for anything aside from that.


    She is incredibly weak to physical attacks and turns into a complete good-for-nothing once her MP runs out, but she is the strongest dps in our party.


    Our leveling has doubled in efficiency thanks to her.


    And the last one is¡­


    My first comrade and the character I like the most in this game.


    The first comrade is special for everyone, and that applies for me as well.


    It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that half of the reason why I am into this world is because of her.


    ¡°Souma-san, is something the matter?¡±


    She spoke to me while I was spacing out.


    Of course, she is in the end simply an NPC.


    She is not a real human. I know that she is simply saying that because the AI noticed that I am staying in place without saying anything, but even when I knew that, my heart jumped.


    ¡°No, it is nothing.¡± (Souma)


    I endured that feeling and acted tough as I responded.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go¡­Thiel.¡± (Souma)


    She is the first comrade I made in this game, Thiel Rentia.


    I have been helped a lot by her taking the role of healer in the party.


    There were a lot of occasions when we would be wiped out if she wasn¡¯t there.


    For the party and for me as well, her existence has become big.


    And today¡­


    My relationship with her might make a turning point here.


    ¡ªToday is supposed to be a congratulatory day for me and Thiel.


    Thiel is an NPC you can make your comrade in Lamurick, and she is a healer apprentice.


    You can recover your HP and MP by resting in the town, but you can¡¯t go hunting countless times in one day.


    That¡¯s where a healer is useful.


    By paying Element, you can recover your HP and MP in a short timespan.


    Thiel is an apprentice healer there, and if you go there at specific times, she would heal you instead of her teacher.


    Her healing isn¡¯t that different from that of the teacher, but you enter an event that¡¯s like peeking at her inner thoughts.


    If you ask for a healer when you don¡¯t have money, the usual teacher will kick you out, but Thiel would ask for an item instead or would heal you for free.


    You will understand once you get along with her but, at those times, she would pay the money for the treatment from her own pocket.


    On top of treating a stranger, she even paid for them; that¡¯s kindness on an unbelievable level.


    Thiel-san is truly a saint.


    You would think ¡®why are you getting so into a made-up character?¡¯, but I think that¡¯s wrong.


    In the end, the biggest winners in games are the ones who have the most fun.


    For me, rather than thinking of them as NPCs, I think it is a whole lot more fun to get attached to them as if they were actually humans.


    Even if her mind and body are fake, me being happy when Thiel speaks kind words to me are the real deal.


    But, even though Thiel is such a wonderful character, she isn¡¯t that popular when looking at the general picture of the game.


    From what I saw in the official page, according to the last popularity poll after the game sale, Train-chan had taken the tops of the popular and unpopular rankings as a joke character.


    I was on the verge of getting traumatized by her train event the first time I experienced it, so of course a character with that much impact would take over the popularity.


    There¡¯s no doubt her ranking will drop by 10 or 20 spots in the next popularity poll.


    That said, I think it would be difficult for Thiel to take 1st place.


    Thiel was ranked 7th.


    The players will advance in the game, so more characters will be showing up. It would be tough to aim for 1st place.


    When I look at the comments, they would say stuff like her character overlaps with that of sister Mariel-san, that she is an inferior version of Mariel-san, or that she can¡¯t win against Mariel-san in both abilities and boobs. It seems like she is being compared with the sister at the church, but they all have no eye for quality.


    Her charm point is her benevolent heart that wraps up everything. Most of all, she has a trait that no other character has.


    Her aesthetic sense being so nonexistent is a big plus!


    This game has an affection meter set for the characters, and if it gets higher, their friendly lines will increase, and their special events are easier to happen.


    As part of this, when their affection meter reaches a certain threshold, they will tell you what they like, but Thiel would say that she likes the Magic Wand Guernica of all things¡­


    The Magic Wand Guernica is a magic wand that has a design as if it were the materialization of all the pain and hatred of the world, and there¡¯s only one at the magic store of Lamurick.


    Even if the design is like that, if Thiel wants it, I didn¡¯t mind buying it, but its price was 49,000E. We didn¡¯t even have money to take the Magic Airship to get to the capital. We are broke adventurers, so it wasn¡¯t something I could buy.


    I made a one-sided promise like ¡®I will definitely buy it for you once we return to this town¡¯ and then rode the carriage, leaving Lamurick and arriving at the capital of Richter.


    Of course, now that we are mid rank adventurers with momentum, 49,000E is chump change¡­well, I wouldn¡¯t go that far, but it is by no means a price I can¡¯t afford.


    I am thinking of definitely gifting it to her if we go back to Lamurick, but I am about to make a big move before that.


    (I will propose to Thiel today!!) (Souma)


    This is the reason why I called only Thiel outside.


    I am thinking of proposing to Thiel.


    According to the official announcement, they tell you the things they like when they reach 80 in their affection.


    And then, once their affection meter reaches more than 100, the character will accept the marriage proposal of the player.


    That¡¯s right, this is the marriage event.


    The marriage event is a selling point of New Communicate Online, and you apparently can marry most of the major characters of this game.


    I say marriage here, but this game is for all ages, so you can¡¯t do much, but it is natural to want to try marrying a character you like since it is possible.


    By the way, according to official sources, this country is gender free, so as long as there¡¯s characters with marriage flags, whether it is a man, woman, children, elderly, slugs, or whatever, you can marry them.


    I feel like that goes beyond gender already, but that also means that no matter how much you try, characters with no marriage flags cannot be married to. However, I already know Thiel is a marriable character.


    By the way, Edy, Merlin, and Train-chan are characters you can marry to as well.


    I have no intentions of marrying anyone aside from Thiel, but it seems like there¡¯s no problem with poligamy according to the game setting, so you can trigger marriage events with as many characters as you want.


    According to a developer¡¯s comment: ¡°There¡¯s a bit of stuff similar to adultery prevention events, but it is mostly free. Marry with anyone, with as many as you want, and create as much of a harem as you wish (lol)¡±.


    I do feel like that¡¯s way too much freedom.


    But there¡¯s also a clear merit to marriage events in game terms. Players can use a part of the abilities and skills of the marriage partner.


    It was written at the official site that ¡®there might be skills you can¡¯t obtain if you don¡¯t do the proposal event¡¯.


    Poligamy is possible in this game, so you would end up missing out if you don¡¯t marry.


    But there¡¯s always a dark side to tasty deals.


    When it comes to this game that has a lot of bugs and has malicious events enough to stir up the world, this is even more true.


    Especially considering the maliciousness in the quest I did recently, The Blue Bird of Michael, and the quest Dungeon of Sacrifice, there¡¯s no way such a tasty and straightforward event has been prepared.


    From what I can see, this marriage event has a big risk.


    Judging from the explanation of this marriage event, there¡¯s the chance it is a one try challenge, moreover, you can¡¯t try it ever again.


    You can only do a proposal event when the player is close to the monolith.


    It was written in the instruction manual that it is ¡®in order to do your marriage oath to God¡¯, but that¡¯s definitely a lie.


    Because this is written a few lines after.


    [Your data will be saved automatically when you begin a proposal event. You won¡¯t be able to retry regardless of the result of the event, so be careful].


    I don¡¯t know if it is a remnant of when they were developing this as an MMO, but there¡¯s only one save slot in the game aside from the quick save.


    Moreover, when you save, the quick save is also updated, so it is technically impossible to make a backup.


    Of course, you might be able to manage somehow if you tinker with the VR machine itself, but I don¡¯t use those kinds of underhanded tricks.


    In that case, this proposal event really will become a one try challenge.


    This game demands a save in the proposal event because ¡®there will be an irreversible event that you would want to reset when you fail¡¯, or at least that¡¯s what I can deduce from all this.


    There¡¯s 3 conditions to make a proposal event succeed.


    First, present a ring type accessory and put it on them.


    When you do, you have to speak out a set keyword which will activate the confession phase.


    If you say the confession and the partner¡¯s affection meter is more than 100, the confession succeeds.


    Making it possible to marry them.


    But that also means your confession will fail if it is not higher than 100.


    I think there¡¯s probably a big pitfall there.


    In a normal game, you can challenge it as many times as you want even if you fail.


    The penalty I can think of would be that their affection will decrease.


    However, there¡¯s no way such a lukewarm penalty will happen in New Communicate Online.


    There¡¯s the chance it is a simple ¡®you can¡¯t do it again if you fail¡¯, and the worst I can think of is ¡®if you fail, the character won¡¯t be your comrade anymore¡¯. It is possible in New Communicate Online.


    As long as that possibility remains, I definitely cannot fail this event.


    It has already been 3 weeks since I was told the things Thiel likes by the person herself.


    If the affection meter has been rising at the same pace, it should have gone over 100 a long time ago.


    I want to believe it won¡¯t fail.


    We arrived in front of the monolith while I was having an internal conflict here.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, bringing me all the way here?¡± (Thiel)


    Thiel said with a gentle expression that reflects her personality perfectly.


    Her long black hair sways with the wind.


    Even though she is a game character¡­no, it is exactly because she is a game character that I thought she was beautiful.


    ¡­That made me make up my mind.


    ¡°I have something important to tell you.¡± (Souma)


    I take a deep breath and speak out the keywords.


    But¡­


    ¡°¡­?¡±


    There was no special reaction from Thiel.


    Did I mistake the keyword?


    I was about to panic for a second there, but I noticed my mistake soon after.


    I made a mistake in the order.


    I have to give her the ring before saying this.


    (Calm down, calm down. This is just a game.) (Souma)


    I fix my breathing and loosen up the trembling of my body.


    And then, I bring out the ring.


    ¡°This is¡­?¡± (Thiel)


    ¡°A present.¡± (Souma)


    I splurged a bit here and bought the most expensive ring in a store in the capital.


    I put that on her ring finger.


    I actually took off one of her rings beforehand for the sake of this moment.


    ¡°Present? Oh my, thank you very much!¡± (Thiel)


    ¡°No, it is okay.¡± (Souma)


    The human-like reaction Thiel makes in set circumstances by her AI made me gulp.


    ¡°Thiel, I have something important to tell you.¡± (Souma)


    I once again speak out the keywords for the proposal.


    This time around, she raised her head as if she were surprised.


    ¡°Why are you so formal all of a sudden?¡± (Thiel)


    The same gentle smile.


    I finally said towards that smile¡­


    ¡°Thiel, I love you. Please marry me.¡± (Souma)


    This love and marry me are both keywords. The sentences with that will all become proposals.


    There¡¯s already nothing I can do.


    Only pray and wait for her response.


    (¡­How¡¯s that?) (Souma)


    An asphyxiating silence passed.


    And then, her mouth slowly moved.


    The answer was¡­


    ¡°Yes, gladly!¡± (Thiel)


    A big wide smile of hers.


    The strength in my body left in one go after confirming this.


    I was so on edge in a lot of things, but it looks like it was needless worry.


    But this is not the time to relax.


    I may have passed the biggest mountain, but this is only half of the marriage event.


    We will be doing our marriage oaths to God from here on.


    ¡°Then, I will say the oath.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yes.¡± (Thiel)


    We exchanged gazes for a moment, and then we faced each other straight on, and we began our oaths naturally.


    ¡°Sagara Souma and¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Thiel Rentia¡­¡± (Thiel)


    ¡°¡°Swear eternal love under the name of the Only God, Ledistas-sama.¡±¡±


    The moment we both said that¡­


    ¡°W-What¡¯s going on?¡± (Souma)


    3 things happen.


    At the corner of my vision, there was the message [Your game has been saved], light came down from the sky, and a voice resonated in my head.


    <<Congratulations! Truly congratulations!>>


    I was congratulated with a really clear voice.


    Even though I don¡¯t feel animosity from their tone of voice, there was some sort of pressure that intimidates people and something similar to magnanimity.


    <<Let me bless you two for your wonderful love.>>


    Could it possibly be the voice of God?


    There¡¯s apparently a scene like this when you succeed at the marriage event.


    I am impressed by how high the production is here.


    <<The blessing of the Only God in this world, the familiar of the Evil God Dis Aster-sama, the Demon Lord that will bring the end of this world!>>


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡± (Souma)


    I was wondering about this and looked at Thiel, but everything was too late.


    <<Then, let¡¯s grant the blessing of immortality to the bride.>>


    A lightning bolt falls from the sky suddenly and hits the body of Thiel.


    ¡°Thiel!¡± (Souma)


    I shout, but I can¡¯t run to her.


    When in cutscenes, you enter spectator mode, and the player can¡¯t make actions.


    But this is the first time it makes me feel this mortified.


    <<And for the groom, I will give you the blessing that will make you push through your eternal love.>>


    Those words made my unmoving body flinch, but it didn¡¯t seem like anything happened.


    Could it be that this blessing didn¡¯t work on me as a player?


    But I had no time to think.


    <<Be grateful. It is the blessing of the lord of the demons that will never be undone by human hands! Now then, child of men! Be delighted by this one¡¯s blessing, and work even harder for the great Dis Aster-sama!>>


    After saying all that, the presence of the Demon Lord disappears with a loud laugh.


    At the same time as this happened, a message showed in the corner of my eyes: You have obtained a new skill.


    The sky returned to normal, and when the laughter couldn¡¯t be heard anymore, my body could move again.


    ¡°Thiel!¡± (Souma)


    I ran to where Thiel is, who hasn¡¯t moved one step for a while, in fear.


    I forgot that she is an NPC and grabbed her body in desperation.


    ¡°Wa, this is¡­!¡± (Souma)


    I was shocked by that sensation.


    ¡­Hard.


    A hard and cold sensation as if I were touching glass.


    ¡°What? What¡¯s going on¡­?¡± (Souma)


    On top of that, even when I pulled her or hit her, she didn¡¯t move one inch.


    No reaction, as if time had stopped moving.


    An ominous thought surfaced in my mind.


    (Remember. What did that voice say?) (Souma)


    It certainly said ¡®immortal¡¯.


    A shiver ran down my back.


    If she doesn¡¯t move and there¡¯s no change at all, that certainly would make her immortal.


    But would you proudly call that a blessing?


    ¡°Right! Nectar!¡± (Souma)


    I remember about the potion that cures any debuffs that I got in one of our adventures before.


    I fortunately have it always in my poach in case of emergencies.


    ¡°Move! Please move, Thiel!¡± (Souma)


    I smash it onto the hardened Thiel.


    The Nectar certainly did activate on Thiel.


    And yet¡­


    ¡°Why¡­why was she not cured?!¡± (Souma)


    Thiel was still all hardened up.


    The Nectar that should cure all didn¡¯t show any effects.


    The effect of the Nectar should surpass any healing spells the player can use or any treatment methods.


    If even that doesn¡¯t work, I already have no cards I can use here.


    ¡°What¡¯s this bullshit?! Even if it is an event, this is way too unreasonable¡­!¡± (Souma)


    I shake the body of Thiel while shouting.


    Her body was not moving at all.


    But I could move her from her place.


    ¡°Just wait. I will cure you at once.¡± (Souma)


    I head to the church while carrying her body.


    Even if I can¡¯t do it, other people might be able to do something.


    The church can cure abnormal status effects and curses.


    On top of that, the priest Gratia you find there is involved in many events, a shadow powerhouse in this game.


    The detailed background story of him has still not come out yet, but I think he is a strong retired adventurer.


    Sure that he will be able to do something, I opened the doors of the church with Thiel in my arms and¡­


    ¡°No way¡­¡± (Souma)


    I was speechless at that sight.


    Priest Gratia was¡­frozen still in a posture as if he were lecturing the believers.


    I could tell in one glance that it was the same symptom as Thiel.


    (Could it be that they crushed all the people that could cure her?!) (Souma)


    I desperately calmed down my panicking self and dashed out from the church.


    For now, I should carry Thiel to a safe place.


    I know in a corner of my mind that there¡¯s no one who can harm Thiel right now, but that¡¯s actually just an excuse, and I was searching for a place to run away to.


    ¡°For now¡­for now¡­I should reunite with everyone¡­¡± (Souma)


    I head to the inn while carrying the unmoving body of Thiel as if dragging it.


    ¡°Customer-sama?¡±


    When I entered the inn, a staff member of the inn welcomed me with a dubious voice.


    I normally would be irritated by that, but I was relieved after seeing that.


    The people were properly moving in the inn of the capital.


    (That¡¯s a relief. The inside of the inn is still fine.) (Souma)


    I was so relieved that I was about to fall into place there, but I snapped back and headed to my own room.


    It is okay.


    We can still do this.


    It is not like it is settled that Thiel won¡¯t be healed.


    I will regroup with Edy and Merlin, form a plan, and then¡­


    ¡°Edy, Merlin! This is bad. Thiel has¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I opened the door and spoke to Edy and Merlin, and then, I finally noticed the abnormality there.


    Even when I entered the room, they weren¡¯t reacting at all.


    ¡°Why? Why is it not only Thiel but Edy and Merlin as well?¡± (Souma)


    I don¡¯t understand.


    It makes no sense.


    The ones the Demon Lord cursed in the guise of a blessing should have only been the two of us.


    Then why¡­


    (Wait. That guy said ¡®I will give you a blessing that will allow you to push through your eternal love¡¯¡­) (Souma)


    Push through eternal love¡­in other words, I can¡¯t cheat.


    And yet, there was no effect on me.


    Then, who were the ones that were cursed?


    (Could it be that he cursed all the characters that can be married to?) (Souma)


    Impossible!


    It is impossible for there to be such an inhumane event like this in a game!


    And yet, my mind was already accepting that idea.


    I can¡¯t really say Edy and Merlin are major characters, but they are marriageable characters.


    And, I can¡¯t really say for sure, but priest Gratia does have a sense of presence that¡¯s impossible to think he is a mob character.


    He must have been a marriageable character as well.


    ¡°Damn it! Damn it!¡± (Souma)


    I once again ran to the monolith but, this time, alone.


    My objective is not Thiel.


    No, I just want to redo this.


    The unpopulated monolith came to sight.


    At the same time as I ran there, I shouted at the top of my lungs.


    ¡°Load!¡± (Souma)


    I shouted, and chose Load from the menu screen.


    It immediately loads.


    My vision stabilizes and¡­


    ¡°Yes, gladly!¡± (Thiel)


    Thiel was there with her usual face, and I was relieved.


    But this is bad.


    If I don¡¯t do something, she will get hit by the curse of the Demon Lord once again and time will stop.


    I just don¡¯t have to say the oath, but we are talking about this ill-natured game.


    That much won¡¯t be enough to be relieved.


    I should move Thiel from here as fast as possible.


    I tried to tell Thiel this.


    (Thiel, let¡¯s run away immediate¡ª) (Souma)


    ¡°Then, I will say the oath.¡± (Souma)


    And yet, what came out from my mouth was the complete opposite.


    From my mouth?


    This is a recording.


    It is replaying what I said before.


    ¡°Yes.¡± (Thiel)


    But Thiel nodded happily at this.


    I want to stop this, but the spectator mode doesn¡¯t allow me to move my body one inch.


    Even though I haven¡¯t said anything, the event was progressing on its own.


    ¡°Sagara Souma and¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Thiel Rentia¡­¡± (Thiel)


    ¡°¡°Swear eternal love under the name of the Only God, Ledistas-sama.¡±¡±


    Mine and Thiel¡¯s voices and the echoing voice of the Demon Lord.


    <<Congratulations! Truly congratulations!>>


    The flow of events was the same from there on as well.


    The Demon Lord reveals their identity, Thiel is frozen, and several people from the city had their time stopped as well.


    I couldn¡¯t do anything at that time and could only watch.


    Everything ended and¡­


    ¡°Ha¡­haha¡­¡± (Souma)


    I finally understood.


    This is¡­this is exactly the trap set in the marriage event of New Communicate Online.


    The forced save was not to avoid the penalty from failing the marriage event.


    It is so that you can¡¯t escape from the blessing of the Demon Lord that happens when you succeed in the marriage event. The worst kind of trap thought by the developers.


    ¡°Haha¡­hahahahahaha¡­¡± (Souma)


    Thanks to that, I lost all the party members that I passed thick and thin with.


    And I can¡¯t ask for the help of any major NPC that has marriage events.


    ¡°¡­Quit¡­¡± (Souma)


    I muttered this unconsciously.


    But I am sure this shout came from my heart.


    ¡°I am going to quit this shitty game!¡± (Souma)


    I logged out, erased the data of New Communicate Online, and fell asleep without thinking of anything.


    This was around a year back since I began playing the game.


    It was at the time when the nickname Nekomimi Neko didn¡¯t even exist. The time when I was purely enjoying the game.

 CH 30-31

    Inside of the accessory store.


    I frown at the bad memory that resurfaced in my mind.


    The proposal event and the worst event that happens from this: the Blessing of the Demon Lord.


    This is still a trauma of mine.


    One of the selling points of this game is the marriage event, and most of the NPCs that have a character can be married.


    I don¡¯t know if it is because Nekomimi Neko is quite the free world or they simply found it a pain to change events from men and women, but there¡¯s an ocean of people you can marry in this game.


    It ignores gender and race, and as long as it is someone who can be married, you can marry them. There¡¯s mostly no penalty in marrying.


    Moreover, you will get items and skills as a bonus for each one you marry, so you would apparently be losing if you don¡¯t do it.


    The marriage event is easy to trigger.


    <TLN: From here on, the ones who read the previous chapter don¡¯t have to read this part. Look down for the line to see where it ends.>


    First, you present a ring accessory and put it on their finger.


    After that, you have to open up by saying ¡®I have something important to tell you¡¯ in front of the monolith which will move you into the confession phase.


    You will then speak your confession, and if the affection is more than 100, your confession is successful.


    You will safely make the proposal.


    However, making the proposal doesn¡¯t mean marriage.


    That¡¯s the evil part of this game and what makes Nekomimi Neko be Nekomimi Neko.


    When you finish the proposal, it will automatically move to the marriage oath, but the moment you say the oath, you will hear the voice of the Demon Lord from the sky.


    And then, the Demon Lord will give the Blessing of Immortality to the marriage partner.


    This is impossible to avoid, and the characters that get hit by this ¡®Blessing¡¯ will stop still completely as if time had been frozen for them.


    This cannot be healed no matter the means, and they won¡¯t die or get old in that time, but they will be in a state like that of a living statue.


    In other words, the moment the player tries to marry, that beloved partner will be technically petrified, and the players will be shocked by this.


    However, the Blessing of the Demon Lord doesn¡¯t end with that.


    Next, under the pretense of ¡®making the player push through their eternal love¡¯, everyone aside from the ¡®marriable characters¡¯ a blessing will be given to all the marriage partners, and you will forcefully be prohibited from marrying others.


    Because most of the marriable characters are characters you can bring as companions, in the case you are adventuring with companions, there¡¯s a high chance those companions will also get the Blessing.


    You would think only your marriage partner got their time frozen, but then see your companions and the people you are close with having been Blessed too, and then you would receive your second shock.


    What¡¯s so fearsome is not only that.


    As I said before, you can only propose in front of the monolith, but there¡¯s a reason for that.


    In the explanation of the proposal event, there¡¯s a warning written clearly there.


    [Your data will be saved automatically when you begin a proposal event. You won¡¯t be able to retry regardless of the result of the event, so be careful].


    In other words, it will automatically save and you can¡¯t redo it.


    Moreover, this game was intended as an MMO, so there¡¯s only one save file.


    You can¡¯t just replay it with a backup save file.


    The player would lose the companion that they went as far as wanting as a marriage partner, moreover, most core characters will be in a suspended state; your adventure will be hampered.


    ¡ª-<Recap ends here>¡ª¨C


    Of course, there¡¯s no way anyone would be able to predict such a horrible event would happen from confessing, so the players that didn¡¯t get the information beforehand from the internet would get caught in this trap, be shocked, despair, and rage.


    The waves of this were extreme, and at a certain forum, there was even an exclusive thread to complain about this event.


    I would still find it acceptable if it were the penalty of failing an event, but this happens when you succeed.


    Moreover, you can¡¯t reset? That¡¯s going beyond just being evil.


    That said, I am one of the people who got caught in this. I instinctively erased the data from the shock, and didn¡¯t touch Nekomimi Neko for 3 days.


    Putting it in a different way, it also means that I recovered in 4 days and began the game from the very beginning.


    Even so, this shocking event really did take root in me and had completely become a traumatic experience.


    This is actually part of the reason why I mostly played solo.


    However¡­


    Even though this Blessing of the Demon Lord managed to create a flaming hell among the Nekomimi Neko players, in the 8th danger stages on the Nekomimi Neko Wiki, it is the third counting from the lowest. In other words, it has been evaluated with a C rank in danger level.


    Even though this event is such a bundle of maliciousness, why is it ranked C?


    There¡¯s around 3 reasons for that.


    -If you are going to continue the game solo, you can still continue the story (with patches) without any issues.


    -It can be easily avoided if you know about it beforehand.


    -The method to solve this is incredibly easy to imagine and there¡¯s no trick to it.


    That¡¯s basically the gist of it.


    Let me go into detail here.


    About the first one, the demerit of this event is that almost all of your companions won¡¯t be available anymore.


    Most of the store characters are mobs, so there¡¯s almost no issues with using the stores, and the story events (with patches) can still advance even if the characters are frozen.


    Actually, in ver 1.00, it would be impossible to clear the game if you activate the marriage event, but there were so many other worse bugs that did that and more, so it wasn¡¯t that much of an issue at that time.


    It might lack clarity if I explain it like this, so let me give an example here. When speaking of risks, there¡¯s a dungeon with a stupid name like Grand Labyrinth with Absent Minotaur which was far worse than this.


    The dungeon is a gigantic labyrinth as the name states, and you can use a quest item that¡¯s of exclusive use for this place which would change the labyrinth at random to help you out, but there were no means of replenishing the uses of that quest item until version 1.11.


    Normally, that would be fine, but the problem is that the randomly made labyrinth sometimes creates labyrinths that you can¡¯t get to the exit no matter what. Moreover, the resting spot of that dungeon having a save point created many tragic events.


    In other words, if the quest item use reaches 0 and you get a labyrinth that the end can¡¯t be reached, moreover, you saved at that time, it will be impossible to get out of that labyrinth and you are completely done for.


    When that happens, players are only left with the choice of searching for an exit that they won¡¯t ever reach, or erase their data and start from the beginning.


    It would make any grown man cry.


    This quest that was baptized as Minotan Absent Trap was given the honorable B rank with this quest.


    Because of the patches, the current ranking is D.


    Now then, the 2nd reason is: as long as you don¡¯t propose, it won¡¯t happen, so as long as you know the information beforehand, you can avoid stepping on the landmine.


    It is the same as the lizardmen trap. A first-timer killer. So it also means that veterans can avoid them while humming.


    When compared to things like unavoidable story quests or the tornado that occurs with no prelude when you are walking in the desert, the Sudden Death Game in the Desert, which is almost impossible to avoid, you can say the danger level is pretty low.


    And the last one. The method to solve this is simple and clear.


    The Demon Lord goes out of their way to show up as the target for revenge, and even gave the hint of ¡®it can¡¯t be undone by human hands¡¯, so as you can tell, the method to undo this Blessing is to defeat the Endbringer Demon Lord that is the last boss.


    The quests get more and more ill-natured from midgame onwards, so you could say having a straightforward solution is rare.


    For example; the Blue Bird of Michael quest that you can get in Rihiter has no bugs, no battles, and a good reward, and yet, because of how twisted it is, it was given a rank C.


    This quest begins by being asked by the mother of Michael-kun to search for a blue bird that has a mysterious power for the sake of his ill son, but this is quite the rascal of a quest.


    You go around every part of the city for things that might serve for the illness of Michael-kun, he slowly gets better, and when he does, Michael-kun will say ¡®I picked this up at the garden¡¯ and gives you a feather of the blue bird.


    The player will then assume the quest is going well and the illness of Michael-kun is slowly being healed, but it simply ends with Michael-kun getting better, and the quest itself fails.


    In order to clear this quest, you need to go around the city and gather items that are¡­clearly bad for his body.


    When you do, Michael-kun will slowly get weaker, and after repeating that several times, you can find the corpse of the dead blue bird at the bed of Michael-kun.


    There you will learn the shocking truth that Michael-kun¡¯s real identity was actually the blue bird who was acting as her gone child for her sake.


    By the way, after that¡­


    ¡°I promised, so I will pay the reward, but don¡¯t show yourselves in front of me ever again¡­ If I knew this would happen, I wouldn¡¯t have ever asked you for anything.¡±


    Is what the mother of Michael-kun would say and you would clear the quest.


    The one who made this quest is definitely the devil or something.


    As you see now, compared to those quests, this Blessing of the Demon Lord event is actually pretty straightforward.


    This event is certainly a big obstacle for marriage, but everything returns to normal once you defeat the Demon Lord, and if you do the marriage event after that, the event won¡¯t happen.


    A developer commented ¡®You can marry as you please and even make a harem¡¯ and that¡¯s certainly true.


    But why do you need to defeat the Demon Lord before the marriage event?


    If I were to put myself in the mindset of those developers, this is probably what they wanted to say.


    ¡°If you have time to marry, clear the game.¡±


    And the response of the players would be.


    ¡°Then say that from your goddamn mouth!¡±


    At the very least, that¡¯s what I want to tell them.


    One theory said that a Nekomimi Neko staff member created this event as a grudge for not being popular with the ladies, but most of the players in Nekomimi Neko accepted this event in the end.


    Or more like, Nekomimi Neko players who were still playing this dumpster fire of a game even after the reviews wouldn¡¯t be surprised by something of that extent, or players that would learn about the fearsomeness of Nekomimi Neko and quitted, so there were no people who would complain every time for something of that level.


    If the present me were to get caught by that event, I would just go: ¡°Wa?! You did it again, Nekomimi Neko!!¡±


    And then go¡­


    ¡°At any rate¡­wonder if I can steal the items from the frozen ones.¡±


    Is how you would change gears a few seconds later and move on.


    Once you get used to Nekomimi Neko, you all end up like that.


    There would be times when a new player would get caught in that event and complain in the forums, but¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s the default in Nekomimi Neko.¡±


    ¡°You literally signed up for it, lmao.¡±


    Those are the kinds of comments they would get and they would withdraw, so they have practically become features of the game at that point.


    The explanation got a bit long there, but that¡¯s basically it.


    ¡®The other events are worse, so everyone stopped caring¡¯.


    It is truly the worst kind of reason.


    That said, it doesn¡¯t take away the maliciousness of the Blessing of the Demon Lord, and the harm to the player is big in this event despite not even being a bug, and it is certain that it is the one that hits your mind hard compared to other events.


    However, there were still quite a good number of people who would trigger the Blessing of the Demon Lord knowingly before they even defeated the Demon Lord.


    You would usually think this event has only demerits, but there¡¯s a rare skill you can only obtain in this event.


    A special skill you obtain from having your most beloved partner be hit by the Blessing of the Demon Lord: [Incarnation of Fury].


    It is a name as if it was representing the player going mad from rage at this event, but rare skills have power that can be considered Balance Breakers in Nekomimi Neko.


    The Incarnation of Fury is mocked as a one person exclusive skill. It can only be used once every 24 hours, and you can¡¯t use it if there¡¯s comrades nearby (non-hostile NPCs).


    But its effects are truly dramatic.


    For 30 seconds after activation, it increases all the base stats of the player by 3 times, but once it is over, it will lower your base stats to 0.01%. A broken ability has a lot of meanings.


    The target of the skill is your base stats, so it doesn¡¯t affect the modifiers of the weapon and the proficiency, but it is still a lot.


    Spells that tinker with the base stats are important, moreover, even high class magic would be stuff like increasing the physical strength by 50% at most, so you could say the effects of that skill are on a league of their own.


    If I can get that, I would be able to obtain great power that would help me in surviving in this world.


    But even if that¡¯s the case¡­


    ¡°U-Uhm, sorry. Could it be that I made you remember something painful?¡± (Ina)


    I have no intention of going as far as changing the girl in front of me, who is lowering her head and is on the verge of tears, into a silent statue to obtain that power.


    ¡°Ah, sorry about that. It is not something you should be worried about, Ina. It is just that¡­¡± (Souma)


    I said the Blessing of the Demon Lord is still a trauma of mine, but rather than that event in itself being etched in my heart, it is more about having erased the data.


    If I didn¡¯t erase the data there, I could have defeated the Demon Lord after being stripped from my friends, and gotten back Thiel and the others.


    Of course, I know NPCs are not truly alive or have actual feelings.


    But even if their existence was a lie, my feelings of wanting to save them were real.


    I don¡¯t ever want to make an action like that -one that would lead me to regret it.


    That¡¯s why¡­


    ¡°I have decided to definitely not marry.¡± (Souma)


    ¡ª¨C


    Nekomimi Neko Wiki ¨C Event Danger Rank:


    E


    A normal event.


    Let¡¯s clear the game while enjoying these rare and normal events.


    D


    Events with a lot of difficulties and twists.


    But the standard in Nekomimi Neko.


    C


    Events you should exercise caution towards.


    Depending on the situation, it could lead to locking you from clearing the game, or lead to negative effects in your future gameplay.


    B


    Events that must be avoided.


    Impossible to clear with regular means, and it will make it more difficult to clear the story.


    A


    You must avoid these events.


    If you encounter one, there¡¯s a high chance it will be impossible to clear the game.


    S


    If you save after it happened, it will be impossible to progress.


    There¡¯s the chance that you are already done for even if you saved before it happened.


    SS


    It is okay, there¡¯s still hope! ¡­Is what you should tell yourself.


    SSS


    Man, you can play this wonderful game again from the very beginning? You are one lucky bastard!!


    ¡ùThese ranks and explanations are solely for reference.


    ¡°Eh, isn¡¯t this a Transmission Ring?¡± (Souma)


    In order to change the atmosphere that got weird from the marriage talk, I pointed at the ring I found with a bit of an exaggerated act.


    Transmission Ring is, as the name states, a ring that lets you speak to people faraway.


    You would think it is a convenient item if you only hear that, but talking long distance with an NPC isn¡¯t that useful, and they didn¡¯t have the AI to use this.


    It is most likely an item that was made at the time when it was still planned as an MMO.


    I knew about its existence, but I didn¡¯t use it in the game, however, in this world where NPCs are real humans now, it should have some actual use.


    ¡°Do you know how to use this?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked the clerk this, she explained to me politely.


    If you put a finger on the gem part of the Transmission Ring and say the name, you will be registered in it. Next, someone else wears it and they think about the registered person, and it will be possible to call them.


    It seems like there¡¯s a different method that doesn¡¯t require Order, but there should be no problem there.


    I try it out by saying my name and giving it to Ina.


    Ina switched it with the ring on her index finger and called my name.


    ¡°Uhm¡­hello, Souma-san?¡± (Ina)


    When she did, even though I was several meters apart, I heard the voice of Ina as if she spoke into my ear.


    Yeah, that¡¯s it.


    But what should I do when I want to respond?


    When I asked the clerk¡­


    ¡°Sorry, how do I¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Kya?!¡± (Ina)


    I learned the answer before I finished asking.


    Ina was covering her ear in surprise.


    Looks like everything I say can be heard by her while the transmission is on.


    ¡°T-This feels kind of weird. I hear double Souma-san.¡± (Ina)


    Ina said this and I could hear her both from her and directly into my ear.


    It is inconvenient, or more like, a bit ticklish.


    I lower my voice so as not to startle Ina too much and¡­


    ¡°Uhm, this is¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Hiiih!¡± (Ina)


    Looks like that had the opposite effect.


    Ina raised a short scream and jumped.


    By the way, that scream also sounded directly in my ears, and it felt weird.


    Or more like, it is as if we are doing some sort of weird play here.


    To think I would fall into such a predicament with such a mere Transmission Ring.


    What do I even do¡­?


    ¡°How do I stop the transmission?¡± (Souma)


    I ask the clerk, seeking for a solution to this.


    Maybe because it was a normal voice this time around, Ina somehow managed to endure it.


    Rather, because she desperately endured a scream, I could hear her heavy breathing in my ears.


    That¡¯s terribly uncomfortable.


    I didn¡¯t listen to her till the end, so I reap what I sow here, but I would like her to tell me how to stop this as soon as possible.


    The clerk made a troubled expression, being hit by my gaze filled with expectation.


    ¡°Actually, when that begins its transmission, there¡¯s no way to stop it.¡±


    ¡°Eh?!¡±


    ¡°Eeeeh?!¡±


    The two of us screamed at the same time, and the two of us writhed in agony at the same time.


    This is rough in a lot of meanings.


    ¡°T-Then, could it possibly be that we will be like this for the rest of our¡­¡± (Souma)


    The clerk shook her head to the sides at the worry I voiced with rough breaths.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s of course not it. However, I forgot to tell you this, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± (Souma)


    Judging from her way of saying this, there must be a solution.


    And yet, why is she making such a gloomy expression?


    ¡°That ring is actually a one-time use item and will break after a 3 minute call.¡±


    A *pakin* sound rang. I turned around and what was once a ring fell from the finger of Ina.


    (Eh? Don¡¯t tell me I have to reimburse that?) (Souma)


    Fortunately, I managed to escape reimbursement by buying the one other Transmission Ring they had.


    Of course, it is our fault for suddenly testing it out, but the clerk forgot to explain it to us beforehand, or more like, there were so few people buying them, she forgot that they broke until after we had already used it.


    I think it is a convenient item, but it might be dragging its unpopularity from when it was still a game.


    It is at an accessible price of 1,000E for one, and even if there was an accident, I would say it was a good buy.


    It is a product that doesn¡¯t sell at all, so they shouldn¡¯t have suffered that much of a loss.


    I register myself in the Transmission Ring and give it to Ina once again.


    ¡°Thanks. Then, I will keep it in my bag and treasure it, okay?¡± (Ina)


    I thought she would put it on immediately, but she said that and put it in her bag.


    This is unexpected, but Ina said this awkwardly.


    ¡°Because if I think of Souma-san and call your name, it will end up like before¡­ I am sure it will break immediately if I were to put it on.¡± (Ina)


    ¡°I-Is that so? T-Then that way is better.¡± (Souma)


    Does that mean she is always thinking of me?


    It seems like she didn¡¯t mean anything with her words contrary to the marriage talk of before, but that in itself hit me.


    ¡°U-Uhm, Ina, it is better to not say such things so nonchalantly. You might make the other party misunderstand¡­¡± (Souma)


    But Ina laughed it off.


    ¡°What are you saying, Souma-san? There¡¯s no way I would say something like this to anyone aside from you.¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Eh, a-aah¡­right.¡± (Souma)


    I thought for a moment there that she confessed to me, but Ina isn¡¯t flustered at all.


    Meaning that she didn¡¯t try to imply anything with it and simply meant ¡®there¡¯s no one who would talk to a loner like me¡¯.


    To think she is shooting out heavy hitters when she has no intention of it instead of when she is actively trying to seduce me, I can¡¯t underestimate this woman.


    While I was overwhelmed by this unexpected powerhouse¡­


    ¡°But really, thanks a lot. This is my first time receiving something like this from a man. I will treasure this for the rest of my life!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°O-Okay¡­¡± (Souma)


    Ina continues her attack.


    This probably means ¡®I have no friends, so I have not received anything from anyone aside from my mother¡¯, but even when I know that, it still hits me hard.


    I should be retorting with ¡®no, actually use it¡¯, but I ended up missing the opportunity.


    This girl is trouble.


    This girl is currently not Train-chan.


    Right now Ina is¡­


    Heroine-chan!!


    The rush of Heroine-chan was intense after that too.


    Since we were there, we also got one pendant and, since we can wear two bracelets in both arms, I bought 2. I equipped 10 rings for a total of 13 accessories, but because of that, I looked like a frivolous man.


    I wanted to hide both of my hands with 10 rings in this world where you can only wear 2, and¡­


    ¡°If it is okay with you¡­¡± (Ina)


    She said and gave me some gloves casually.


    After that, we went to the magic store we didn¡¯t have the chance to get a peek at, and I ended up buying a large amount of magic books that were displayed at the store.


    I sighed at my wallet that was now miserable and¡­


    ¡°Uhm, want to go to the Cave of Trials? I would like to raise my level a little bit more too.¡± (Ina)


    She tried to be considerate with me there.


    There¡¯s no shadow of her troublemaker times when we first met.


    She is already a reliable partner¡­I won¡¯t go as far as saying that, but it is true that I have begun to think that having Ina with me helps me out a lot.


    Could it be that, now that she has grown out of her loneliness, her hidden consideration skill has blossomed?


    The stocks of Ina are rising endlessly.


    She really might be Heroine-chan.


    After finishing our shopping, we did two sets of trains at the Cave of Trials, and we once again raised the level of Ina and our money.


    It is not on the level of before, but the level of Ina is now 72, and we managed to earn 60,000E.


    I once again received half which is 30,000E, and since another wakizashi dropped, I took that one for myself.


    Train won¡¯t activate if I am not present, however, it really pains me that I am receiving this much despite not doing anything¡­


    ¡°Please don¡¯t worry about it. I definitely wouldn¡¯t have been able to think of this way of earning money without you, Souma-san.¡± (Ina)


    She tried to follow up with that.


    Heroine-chan is seriously a heroine.


    It was already getting late at the time when we sold the items.


    It seems like Ina will be returning to her home again, so we separate for now.


    ¡°Then, we will be parting here for now.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yes. But I feel like I am forgetting something.¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Forgetting something?¡± (Souma)


    But I don¡¯t think we have forgotten to buy anything, and we didn¡¯t bring anything to the Cave of Trials.


    ¡°Ah, sorry. It is probably my imagination! Then, later!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Yeah, later.¡± (Souma)


    We promise to reunite with a natural feel.


    This is also something unthinkable if it had been 1 day ago.


    ¡°Now then, I have to work hard for a bit more!¡± (Souma)


    Parting from Ina, I walked to the outskirts of the town.


    And then, that night¡­


    *Rumble Rumble Rumble Rumble Rumble Rumble Rumble Rumble Rumble Rumble Rumble Rumble Rumble Rumble Rumble¡­*


    ¡°Uhm, actually, can you please do that a little more silently?¡±


    ¡°Oka~y, I will try.¡± (Souma)


    Thanks to the training in the church, my Step proficiency and the level of movement skills have increased. I learned Jump, High Step, and High Jump.


    ¡°Alright!¡± (Souma)


    I pump my fist with Mariel-san¡¯s reproachful gaze at the corner of my eye.


    I won¡¯t say this part is thanks to Heroine-chan, but thanks to her, this has been a smooth day.


    And then, the night passed and the 5th day of my game life came¡­


    ¡°Good morning!¡±


    I was healed by the smile of Heroine-chan who came first thing in the morning.


    Of course, I plan on parting from her for her sake when I leave Lamurick, but it might be okay for me to be grateful for the luck of meeting her.


    Right after I thought that, I learned about it¡­


    That this girl called Ina Trail is Train-chan to the very core.


    ¡°¡­You are Souma?¡±


    The new calamity that she had pulled¡­was in the shape of a beautiful black haired woman.

 CH 32-33

    ¡°You are Souma?¡±


    Someone was waiting for us once Ina and I exited the inn.


    I understood the moment I saw her.


    No, she is the only one I would never mistake.


    ¡°¡­Mitsuki Hisame.¡± (Souma)


    The name of the Helper Cheetah leaked out from my mouth.


    The strongest swordswoman in Nekomimi Neko and the character that¡¯s called the avatar of Nekomimi Neko.


    The most beloved among the Nekomimi Neko staff, and the personification of the ideas of Nekomimi Neko.


    Her glossy black hair flowing until her waist and her crystal white skin as if contrasting it.


    Her slender body that¡¯s covered by a white garment looked as if it would break by a mere touch, giving the feeling of fragility.


    However, the moment you see that expressionless beauty that¡¯s as if saying if you touch her, she will break, you will learn in an instant that she is actually not that feeble of an existence.


    Even so, that way too perfect beauty to a fearsome extent is simply accentuation for everything that colors her.


    Her strongest trait is above that artistic face of hers¡­


    ¡­The *NEKOMIMI* that are proudly enshrined at the top of her head! <Cat ears>


    The staff of Nekomimi Neko must have put their lives on the line for the modeling of the cat ears in this game.


    What was born from that were the cat ears that are so realistic yet lovable, twitching as if they actually have life.


    They would also flap in rare instances.


    When surprised, they would cover themselves on the opposite side.


    When a sound is made somewhere, one would twitch and face the side, and when she is trying to do her best, they would perk up.


    The characters with cat ears probably have their own exclusive AI in their cat ears.


    Those life-like movements, its detail, would portray the actions and aspects of any character.


    Happiness, sadness, anger, fear, surprise; all of those could be portrayed by the cat ears of this game, and the exclusive AI for it actually did show them in the appropriate scenarios.


    Even if they slacked off in a lot of aspects, their cat ears alone had absolutely no holes in their work.


    No, you could even say they are more than perfect.


    They are more lovely than any cat ears in real life, moreover, it doesn¡¯t lose the realism that you can find in real life.


    Even among them, the cat ears of Mitsuki Hisame were called the ultimate and supreme ones together with her character design and her character popularity.


    Quote: ¡°I don¡¯t get bored even when looking at them the whole day¡±, ¡°I feel happy just from watching them¡±, ¡°Uho! These are nice cat ears¡­!¡±, ¡°Nekomimi Neko has jumped ahead 20 years in this field¡±, ¡°You guys, calling them stuff like cute or healing, you all don¡¯t understand the true nature of these cat ears! This level of technique is abnormal! Look! The many pictures here and the designs that utilize them to the fullest. Also, just what kind of algorithm does it run to be able to make such natural movements? Look carefully. See, you can tell just by using your eyes! Technique, algorithm, mofumofu, fluffy¡­cute~healing~¡±, ¡°Marry me, Mitsuki!¡±, ¡°No, I want to marry the cat ears¡±, ¡°The Nekomimi Neko staff are the worst pieces of shit, but I have no choice but to acknowledge the creation of these cat ears¡±, ¡°It is said that they took half a year to create these cat ears, but I have been watching them for 1 year¡±, ¡°The sublimeness of the person herself, even though her bearing makes you think of aloofness, when you touch them, they are so fluffy and mofumofu, so this is a tsunmofu! <The Tsun from tsundere and mofu from fluffy>¡±, ¡°I unconsciously tried to touch them and was cut to death around 10 times by Cheetah, but it is now a good memory¡±, ¡°I want to mofumofu them¡±.


    I don¡¯t really have much interest or affection for cat ears, but the cat ears of Hisame definitely make me want to touch them even if that ends with me being sliced for it.


    A strange attraction that draws me before I have the time to notice¡­


    ¡°S-Souma-san?¡±


    I must have been looking at the cat ears for an unknown period of time, Ina called to me and I returned to my senses.


    When I looked, Hisame hadn¡¯t changed her expression at all and was looking over here just as she was.


    However, the cat ears above her head were slightly bent and showing displeasure.


    Cute~healing~¡­no, that¡¯s not it.


    Just why in the world did she come all the way here?


    I tilted my head, and it seems like she has taken that as me finally coming back to my senses, she spoke once again¡­


    ¡°You are Souma?¡±


    ¡°Eh, yeah, I am Souma¡­¡± (Souma)


    It was only after I said yes that I questioned how she knows my name.


    The reason Hisame is called the conscience of Nekomimi Neko is because she will appear randomly at any time aside from the time when you are fighting the Demon Lord, and would help out the player.


    As long as you fulfill the conditions of the Defense Battle in the Capital of Rihiter, quests and events will show up that require you to have a certain degree of strength in order to clear.


    If you save before such events, you won¡¯t be able to clear them because you are lacking the strength, and there will be many times when you will be locked from progressing.


    But there¡¯s still hope at those times.


    Hisame showing up isn¡¯t that high of a chance, but if she does show up, she will help the player for free.


    Her strength is honestly speaking higher than that of a player that has cleared the game, so there¡¯s no scenario where the enemies would be too strong she won¡¯t be able to clear it.


    Moreover, I don¡¯t know if it is a bug or it was intended, but she would show up naturally even after the Blessing of the Demon Lord event.


    You would think she is someone you can¡¯t marry from that piece of info, but it has been made clear that you can marry her if you make her your ally.


    In the later popularity polls of Nekomimi Neko, she would stand side by side with Princess Shermia for the top spot, but because it was ascertained that you couldn¡¯t marry the princess, Hisame ended up taking the lead.


    I derailed a bit there, but she is that kind of helper character, and even at the time when she meets the player for the first time¡­


    ¡°Do you¡­need my strength?¡±


    She would suddenly offer her assistance.


    There should be no development where she waits for you in front of the inn and asks for your name.


    ¡°I¡­would accept requests from people whimsically, and stave off my daily boredom.¡± (Hisame)


    ¡°Eh? I-Is that so¡­¡± (Souma)


    I know that.


    Or more like, she really was simply killing time by taking the requests of the player.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s anything in this town that you would consider¡­a request¡­but I did get asked a small favor.¡± (Hisame)


    ¡°Favor?¡± (Souma)


    I don¡¯t see where this is going at all.


    ¡°Yes. There¡¯s apparently a guy here in this town that would deceive women with a false identity, threaten the people with gross janky moves, would invite you to a dark hole with a silver tongue, and would use your body as bait to run away.


    There¡¯s apparently a horrible pervert like that, so they wanted me to punish them.¡± (Hisame)


    ¡°That¡­sounds rough.¡± (Souma)


    I said whatever to chime in, but I am somewhat seeing what¡¯s going on here.


    For some strange reason, each thing she said made me feel as if I have heard about it before.


    And the biggest hint was that, when Ina heard about this, she began to tremble.


    ¡°Uhm, by the way, where did you get that favor?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°It was written on the bulletin board of this town¡¯s plaza.¡± (Hisame)


    The moment Hisame said that, Ina twitched.


    (So it was theeeen!!!) (Souma)


    It was at the time when we went to the Magic Airship Terminal.


    Ina went to the store first and said this if I remember correctly¡­


    ¡°Yes! Ah, but come real quickly in exchange, okay?! If you don¡¯t, I will write a whole lot of bad things about you at the plaza!¡±


    Ina probably wrote that stuff on the bulletin board half-jokingly.


    And she completely forgot to erase it.


    I didn¡¯t imagine that this would end up being read by Hisame though¡­


    Now that I think back about it, Ina would sometimes do outrageous stuff.


    As expected of Train-chan.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s not it!¡± (Ina)


    Unable to bear it, Ina tried to explain to Hisame.


    But Hisame stopped that.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. It will end soon.¡± (Hisame)


    Saying this, she waved her hand lightly.


    (¡­Hm?) (Souma)


    Even at that time, I have been watching her cat ears.


    That¡¯s why, when those cat ears perked up, I reflexively used Step.


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡± (Souma)


    What I saw after jumping back was Hisame who had arrived right in front of me in the blink of an eye.


    ¡°Oh, you avoided that?¡± (Hisame)


    A silver streak crossed the place where I was standing a second ago, and¡­


    (Could this possibly be serious trouble?) (Souma)


    Her cat ears were wiggling.


    The katana that had at some point been unsheathed was drawing a trajectory accurately to rip out my life.


    (T-That was close¡­) (Souma)


    I wipe my cold sweat as my feet touch the ground.


    I have fought her in the game countless times.


    That¡¯s because you need to defeat Hisame in a 1v1 in order to make her your comrade.


    The attacks of Hisame have no preliminary movements, and her expression doesn¡¯t change at all.


    Who knows how many times I have been killed by her all so sudden attacks. It was then when I learned the way to see the timings of her attacks.


    It is of course to look at her cat ears.


    Hisame herself is completely expressionless when she attacks, but her cat ears are the only thing that tense up a bit.


    And then, when the cat ears ¡®perk up¡¯, you can tell the timing of the attack.


    There¡¯s a popular saying that ¡®cat ears are worth more than a thousand words¡¯, but my life was truly saved by those cat ears.


    And then, Ina, who had her eyes wide open at the sudden action of Hisame, jumped in between me and Hisame.


    ¡°P-Please wait! I am the one who wrote about Souma-san on that bulletin board! That was just¡­¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Ina, step back!¡± (Souma)


    But that¡¯s pointless.


    I can tell.


    The cat ears of Hisami are wiggling in happiness right now.


    Those are the movements of when she is enjoying a battle.


    There¡¯s no doubt she is thinking it is fine to listen to what we have to say after defeating me.


    Or maybe she is not thinking anything at all.


    ¡°No amount of talking will get through her right now.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°But¡­¡± (Ina)


    ¡°It is okay. Get behind me.¡± (Souma)


    I unsheathe Shiranui and said this strongly to have Ina step back.


    Ina must have felt something from my words, even though she had a worried expression, she obeyed.


    (But, what should I do?) (Souma)


    I may be able to tell the timing of her attacks, but I can¡¯t think of a way to defeat Hisame at this current moment.


    Or more like, I can¡¯t go killing someone over a misunderstanding like this.


    I was trying to hide the agitation inside of me while watching Hisame without lowering my guard for one second, but contrary to my belief, Hisame was not moving at all.


    ¡°I did attack you by surprise after all. I will give you the turn to attack now.¡± (Hisame)


    Not only that, she was saying that with confidence.


    But that¡¯s great for me.


    I have Shiranui in my right hand, and I take out the Wakizashi from the bag and hold it in my left hand.


    Last night, I was so happy about obtaining a new weapon that I used Master Torch to level up my Ninja Sword and Dagger skill level.


    To think it would be of use this soon, but that¡¯s what preparations are for.


    After confirming that Ina has run behind me, I begin thinking about what I should do.


    It seems like her only objective here is me.


    It would be stupid for me to be injured for something like this.


    Let¡¯s have Ina run away and find a nice moment to run away as well.


    I whisper to Ina.


    {Ina, once I attack, run and go into the inn.} (Souma)


    {B-But¡­!} (Ina)


    {It is okay! We wouldn¡¯t be able to run even if we wanted to with the 2 of us.} (Souma)


    {¡­Understood. Please don¡¯t die.} (Ina)


    I can¡¯t promise that¡­


    I once again looked at the cat ears girl.


    I have fought her countless times in the 1v1 event.


    But I have never imagined her being an enemy in the true meaning of the word ever before.


    In the game, she only helped out the player.


    However, now that the game has become reality, it is natural for her to help other people as well.


    I lacked forethought.


    But, even if that¡¯s the case, from all things that could happen, I would prefer if you didn¡¯t take the joke writing on a bulletin board seriously and come to me please.


    Even when we were whispering to each other, Hisame didn¡¯t move.


    However, if I make her wait for too long, I feel like she would say something cliche like: ¡®You are not coming? I will be the one going to you then!¡¯.


    I resolved myself and took a step to the front.


    Fortunately, the people around must have felt the presence of a dispute, so there¡¯s no one around now.


    Because the space around us is decently big, I am in an environment where I can use my skills at full power.


    (I should go then.) (Souma)


    This not being a match or anything, there¡¯s no signal for the match to start or commentary.


    I simply take a stance with Shiranui and activate a skill.


    The one I am using is of course¡­


    ¡°[Invisible Blade]!¡± (Souma)


    The Otachi skill: [Side Slash].


    Because of a setting mistake on Shiranui, the blade can reach places where it shouldn¡¯t be able to.


    For the opponent, it is as if they were attacked by an invisible blade, and it should be impossible to avoid¡­but¡­


    ¡°Fumu?¡± (Hisame)


    Soon after the skill was activated, Hisame moved back as if sliding.


    She got out from the attack range in an instant and the Side Slash hit nothing.


    ¡°You use quite the strange technique.¡± (Hisame)


    Hisame saw through the invisible blade as if nothing and was taking a composed attitude, but there¡¯s ways of dealing with that.


    ¡°Hm?¡± (Hisame)


    At the end of the Side Slash, I Cancel it with a forward Step.


    Hisame showed surprise with her cat ears by the Skill Canceling, and I Canceled that Step too, to chain it to another skill.


    ¡°[Impartial Remnant Blade]!¡± (Souma)


    The range of the slash created along with the shout is bigger than that of the Side Slash of before¡­or at least, it looks as if that¡¯s the case.


    Hisami found this strange while jumping further back.


    And in the small opening that was created there¡­


    ¡°Ina!¡± (Souma)


    I shouted this sharply to urge her to run and I began to run as well.


    At the time when the skill was ending, I did a Step to the side to Cancel, and tried to enter an alley, but Hisame was already in a stance to pursue me.


    Fast!


    Way too fast!


    [She is the only one who is slower when she uses Step.]


    The catchphrase for her surfaced in my mind.


    In other words, her movement speed is faster than Step.


    (She will catch up to me even when I am using Godstep Cancel!) (Souma)


    I reached a decision in an instant. I Short Cancel the Step and switch to High Step, lunging into the alley.


    High Step is the improved version of Step. It has more speed than Step, and you can activate it when canceling Step, but you can¡¯t chain it to a low rank skill like Slash from there.


    But it still let me enter the alley with outstanding speed.


    ([Jump]!) (Souma)


    Instead of Slash, I Cancel it into Jump, and quickly Cancel it with the Dagger skill [Instant Charge] to get past the alley at the highest speed.


    ¡°Kya!¡±


    ¡°Uwa!¡±


    Because I ran past with bladed weapons still in hand, the people on the way were surprised, but I don¡¯t have the time to care about them.


    I weave through the people and¡­


    (Guh! [Step]!) (Souma)


    I Cancel Instant Charge into Step.


    I am already running out of stamina.


    I want to take a breath here, but I can¡¯t be relieved just yet.


    If I move in a straight line, she will catch up once I run out of stamina.


    I jump to the sides as if advancing in a zigzag.


    I once again found a random alley and¡­


    ([High Step]!) (Souma)


    I squeeze out the last of my strength, and Cancel Step into High Step.


    My chest was throbbing in pain from using skills too much.


    I can¡¯t use any more skills.


    I soften the angle on purpose when entering the alley and¡­


    ¡°Kuh!¡± (Souma)


    I crash onto the wall by myself, and Cancel the skill stun by forcefully interrupting the skill.


    My breath was taken away, but there¡¯s no point if I stop acting here.


    ([Hide]!) (Souma)


    I desperately get myself back up, whip my body back to action, and activate the first skill [Hide] from the Ninja Sword.


    A black light bursted in the surroundings for a second and covered my body.


    ¡°¡­Haah, fuuh!¡± (Souma)


    I finally take a breath.


    Hide is a skill that makes it a bit harder to be found when you have not been found yet.


    It will only serve for a bit of respite, but with this, I should be able to¡­


    ¡°You do interesting stuff.¡±


    I felt a cold sensation on my neck.


    Shivers ran down my whole body in an instant.


    (Don¡¯t tell me she followed me?! Even though I used that many skills?!) (Souma)


    I didn¡¯t even need to turn around.


    A cold voice pressed down from my back.


    ¡°I was watching from behind, but it looked like you were using skills consecutively. What kind of trick is that?¡± (Hisame)


    ¡°¡­I am sorry, but I can¡¯t answer that question.¡± (Souma)


    If she was watching from behind, it must mean that she was following right behind the whole time?


    As expected of Cheetah-san. She is way too much of a cheat.


    Even though there¡¯s a dueling event, she normally isn¡¯t antagonistic towards you, so no matter how much of a cheat she is, she is a rare character that didn¡¯t get complaints from players. I feel like that has pulled the rug on me here.


    ¡°The invisible slash that you did at first has me curious too, but the second attack¡­that was a Wide Slash, wasn¡¯t it? I thought it was a useless skill, but to think you would use it in such a fashion¡­¡± (Hisame)


    The second skill.


    I shouted the cool name Impartial Remnant Blade to deceive her, but it certainly is Wide Slash.


    It is a pitiful skill that is called the Empty Wide Slash by the Nekomimi Neko players. Even though the visual effect encapsulates close to 5 meters, it actually only reaches around 2 meters.


    If it were in the game world, it would be one thing, but now that it is reality, there aren¡¯t many people who would be able to ignore the visual effects.


    Especially when her school is mainly aimed at evasion, even if she were to feel it a bit off, there was a high chance she would still avoid even the visual effect.


    ¡°You are different from every swordsman I have met. You have a truly strange fighting style.


    A swordsman, yet not a swordsman.


    If I were to put a name to it, it would be Odd Sword Style.¡± (Hisame)


    For some reason, she gave me a chuunibyou nickname.


    I am happy that she evaluates me highly, but I would like you to move your sword away if that¡¯s the case.


    (Anyways, this is the worst timing. It had to be right after I used Hide of all things¡­!) (Souma)


    I have no defensive means at all.


    I can¡¯t say I have recovered my stamina yet, and if she were to attack me right now, I can¡¯t really hope to avoid it.


    Cold sweat ran down my cheek.


    ¡°For reference, can you tell me how you managed to avoid my first technique?¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s why I decided to ask her to buy time.


    By first technique, I am talking about Invisible Blade, basically Side Slash.


    I am actually curious about how she was able to avoid that.


    ¡°I saw the air trembling.¡± (Hisame)


    ¡­The way skilled fighters talk is on a plane of their own.


    But it is fortunate that she responded to my conversation starter.


    If I can buy time like this, I might be able to manage something.


    ¡°Then¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°If you are trying to buy time here, it is pointless.¡± (Hisame)


    But Hisame heartlessly sliced my words¡­


    ¡°Unfortunately, it seems like it is time.¡± (Hisame)


    I turned my head around, and what was in the corner of my vision was her katana raised.


    And then¡­


    ¡°Farewell¡­forever.¡± (Hisame)


    That katana was swung down towards me¡­


    ¡°Match!¡± (Souma)


    ¡­But right before it did, I raised my voice.


    ¡°A match?¡± (Hisame)


    It seems like my desperate words managed to pull her attention.


    The katana stopped at a paper difference on my neck.


    My heart was trembling at its very depths while I shouted without showing this outside.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Mitsuki Hisame! I challenge you to a 1 on 1 serious match!!¡± (Souma)

 CH 34

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right! Mitsuki Hisame, I challenge you to a 1 on 1 serious match!!¡± (Souma)


    My words made Hisame stop moving.


    It is honestly not something to say when a katana is pushed against me, but I was actually certain that she would stop her katana with this.


    ¡®I challenge you to a 1 on 1 serious match¡¯ are actually the keywords to begin the 1v1 event against her.


    I knew that she would respond to those words.


    The only problem here is¡­


    ¡°Do you really understand the meaning of those words? A serious match means that you will be betting your life.¡± (Hisame)


    That event is not something lukewarm like the duel system, but an actual death match.


    The 1v1 event is originally an event to make Hisame into your companion.


    According to what she has said in the game, she can¡¯t entrust her back to someone who can¡¯t make her yield in a serious match to the death.


    What a great personality she¡¯s got.


    That said, if the player really did kill her, there would be no companion to get.


    You have to fight one of the strongest NPCs, Hisame, without the support of anyone, and lower her HP to less than 10% or you won¡¯t be able to clear this event.


    On the other hand, she will be coming with full intention to kill, so that¡¯s troubling.


    By the way, when you are killed by Hisame in this event, in the case when Hisame¡¯s affection meter is high, she will mutter:


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to lose you in this way.¡± (Hisame)


    And a tear would flow down her expressionless face, which is a famous event, but now that it isn¡¯t a game, that wouldn¡¯t be funny.


    Getting all cute on me when I am dead won¡¯t help at all.


    I would rather have you stop from cutting me down.


    However, that also means that¡¯s how heavily she weighs a ¡®serious match¡¯.


    If she is like that even towards a close person, there¡¯s no way she would hesitate in cutting down a person she just met.


    But I will be killed at this rate.


    Then I have no choice but to go down this path.


    ¡°Obviously! I will wager my life in my fight against you!¡± (Souma)


    I shout this.


    No, it is not obvious at all though!


    I have absolutely no desire to die!


    ¡°I see¡­ Then, I won¡¯t say anything. Let¡¯s arrange for a rematch then.¡± (Hisame)


    But it was effective. After she said this, she easily pulled back her sword.


    However, I would like time.


    Even if we were to fight now, would I have a chance at winning?


    I try thinking about it a bit.


    There¡¯s currently an outrageous difference in ability between her and me.


    She was already strong since the game started, and she possesses cheat level stats.


    And yet, she is even strengthening herself with high level unique equipment.


    Her overwhelming strength comes not only from her cheat stats, but also the performance of her equipment.


    The line-up is:


    Moonlight Katana ¨C Weight: 2


    Sky Feathered Kimono ¨C Weight: 0


    Sprinter Tabis ¨C Weight: 1


    4 Genus Bracelet ¨C Weight: 0


    Explorer Ring ¨C Weight: 0


    For a total weight of only 3. Even with everything combined, it is lighter than a wakizashi.


    That¡¯s way too unfair.


    And yet, their performance is also of the highest level.


    It looks as if she is wearing only thin fabric on her, but that defense is abnormal.


    Shiranui has extraordinary attack power being classified as an Otachi, but it is still in the end a midgame weapon.


    Even if it were to hit, it wouldn¡¯t amount to much damage.


    ¡­Or more like, it is because I knew that that I could attack her in the beginning with everything I had though.


    The clothes she is wearing seem so frail, and not only cut, it looks as if it would burn immediately if you set it on fire, but that¡¯s an unbelievable mistake.


    It seems her kimono and bracelet have almost perfect resistance to the four main elements: Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth; and the magic resistance is also high.


    Dealing magic damage on Hisame has even less hope than dealing physical damage on her.


    She also has high resistance to debuffs.


    I don¡¯t know if it is the kimono having resistance to debuffs or the person herself having high innate resistance, but I have never seen her get a status ailment.


    At the very least, it is impossible for me to debuff her at present.


    On top of that, it is said that the kimono and the tabis add a plus to her nimbleness.


    I won against her after I cleared the game.


    I somehow managed to keep up with her speed using Cancel skills and custom magic.


    However, I can only do custom magic after I go to the capital, and the number of skills I know are obviously not as many as that of my clear save file.


    If I want to win, I would -at the very least- need to be able to keep up with the highest speed of Hisame, and be able to deal effective damage on her endgame class defense¡­


    Eh? Ain¡¯t this impossible?


    ¡°Want to return to the place we were before? You won¡¯t be able to fight at your fullest here, right?¡± (Hisame)


    Without even noticing that agitation in me, Hisame seemed to be raring to go.


    Her cat ears were wiggling happily.


    She is a complete battle junkie despite those cute ears.


    At this rate, I will be pushed into a deathmatch, no questions asked¡­no, into a slaughter.


    ¡°Wait a moment please! I did say we would have a serious match, but I didn¡¯t say we would be crossing swords.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­What did you mean then?¡± (Hisame)


    I immediately dropped the wait and Hisame asked back in a cold tone.


    Her cat ears were standing as if they were in a bad mood.


    ¡°You certainly did say that you would wager your life in this match. Could it be that you are going back on your word?¡± (Hisame)


    With that much killing intent coming out from her, I don¡¯t need to see her cat ears to tell¡­she hates broken promises.


    This is bad.


    ¡°I will of course wager my life on the result of the match. I will give you my life if I lose. But I have no reason to kill you. I refuse to cross swords.¡± (Souma)


    It sounds as if I can win against Hisame there.


    Or more like, I have to give my life to her if I lose?


    I don¡¯t want that.


    ¡°I see. But what kind of match are you thinking of then?¡± (Hisame)


    Her eyes were telling me that my life is forfeit if I say anything foolish here.


    If I say rock-paper-scissors, I feel like she would drop my head right then and there.


    In what competition would I be able to convince her to participate and, at the same time, be able to win?


    I turn my gears at full power as I think.


    (¡­No, that¡¯s not it.) (Souma)


    I must not misunderstand here.


    It is not like I want to win against her.


    I want to escape from this situation.


    Think!


    Think of the best solution to reach that conclusion!!


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± (Hisame)


    Hisame looks at me with her expressionless face I have grown used to seeing in the game since I wasn¡¯t saying anything.


    ¡­Right, I am used to seeing it.


    I know her well through the game.


    It is not only her combat ability.


    Her personality, what she likes, what she honors, and what she dislikes.


    I just have to remember that.


    Mitsuki Hisame is a person with two faces.


    She can get violent in an instant, but she would at times show thoughtful reservation.


    She is whimsical, but she wouldn¡¯t ever break a promise.


    She would take ana inhumane attitude, but she would do her utmost towards the people she likes.


    She has been disciplined strictly since childhood, and her way of speaking is rigid because of the disciplining of her father.


    She has held pride in her speed since way back, and she had the wholesome childhood episode of racing a horse seriously, losing, and crying. She also has a smile-stiffening episode of seriously racing a horse when she grew up and winning.


    She doesn¡¯t show emotions in her face, but it shows a hella ton in her ears.


    She has an iron poker face and there¡¯s barely any witnesses of her furrowing her brows or anything, but there has also been no one who has seen her cat ears stop moving for more than 10 seconds.


    Because of her flowing movements and silent steps, there¡¯s barely anyone who can feel her presence, but even in that time, her cat ears would move busily.


    Her specialties are iai slashes and making yarn dolls.


    Her hobbies are collecting swords and dolls.


    There would be times when those two sides of her combine, and you would witness a bear doll with a half-sheathed demonic sword.


    She has a stalwart mental strength that doesn¡¯t betray a single hint of agitation even when  surrounded by hundreds of monsters, but she is an extremely shy person, and she would scream and curl herself up if she were to be seen in underwear by someone.


    Because Hisame defeats any strong enemy and makes them grovel on the ground, the ones who know her and stand in front of her would tremble, but the person herself is no good with heights, and her legs would tremble at high places. Her cat ears would also tremble along.


    She would stay completely calm and cool even when someone gets killed before her very eyes, and there would be times when she would even sacrifice her own chances of survival to achieve her objective, but there has been a time when a favorite doll of hers lost its arm and she bawled for 3 days.


    She is a master with the katana, but she is especially bad with a kitchen knife.


    In the battlefield, she would cook up the enemies as she pleases; in the household, she would be overwhelmed by the ingredients.


    She is a serious case of battle junkie and it is her way of living, but when she is alone at home, she would say idol stuff like: ¡°I want to become a normal girl¡±.


    That¡¯s the Mitsuki Hisame that I know!!


    This is bad! There¡¯s no openings at all!


    As a moe character!


    ¡°Have you decided?¡± (Hisame)


    Hisame once again spoke to me while I was shuddering.


    Now that it has come to this, there¡¯s no other choice.


    It would be a bit easy-going though¡­


    ¡°Yeah, the match will be coo¡ª¡­n-no, nothing!!¡± (Souma)


    T-That was close.


    When I was about to say cooking, the killing intent of Hisame went up by around 100 times more.


    If I had continued that, I would have been killed on the spot.


    Aren¡¯t there way too many dead-end routes?!


    ¡°If you are making fun of me here¡­¡± (Hisame)


    ¡°Wait! That was a joke just now! I actually already thought of it a long time ago.¡± (Souma)


    Just from being silent for a bit, the dead-end flag was going to stand up again, so I shouted loudly to break it off.


    However, this is by no means a bluff.


    This might be the best future I can proceed with where I don¡¯t kill her, I don¡¯t die, and can change this predicament into a chance. That¡¯s the kind of outstanding move I had thought of.


    That¡¯s why I tell her in a dignified manner.


    ¡°Let¡¯s play tag.¡± (Souma)

 CH 35

    What I said must not have registered with her, she asked me dubiously.


    ¡°Game of tag? In other words, it is a match where I chase and cut you down?¡± (Hisame)


    ¡°There¡¯s way too many wrongs in that!¡± (Souma)


    Rather, there¡¯s only wrongs in that.


    What¡¯s with that violent real game of tag?!


    It isn¡¯t any different from crossing swords, and she is already assuming I will get cut down.


    ¡°That¡¯s not it. You have confidence in your speed, right? But I also have confidence in my ability to run away. So¡­want to have a match with me?¡± (Souma)


    It seems like she wasn¡¯t convinced by my proposal and shook her head to the sides.


    ¡°You were caught pretty easily just now though.¡± (Hisame)


    ¡°That¡¯s because the conditions were not present. If I were to run away without caring for the means, you definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to catch me.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Hm.¡± (Hisame)


    It seems like her mood soured a bit at my tone that could be considered arrogant.


    Her cat ears are tensing up in anger.


    ¡­Cute~.


    No, it is true that that¡¯s cute, but that¡¯s not it. What I mean is that I don¡¯t plan on withdrawing here.


    I might have found a plan that will let me run away from an opponent that I shouldn¡¯t be able to run away from.


    I want to bet my possibilities on that.


    ¡°¡­Understood.¡± (Hisame)


    The first one to yield was Hisame.


    Despite being expressionless, she was emitting exasperation as she spoke.


    ¡°If you are so confident, I don¡¯t mind that being the condition. However, what do we do about the time limit? I honestly have the confidence to catch you in 10 seconds. How much time wi¡ª¡± (Hisame)


    ¡°10 minutes.¡± (Souma)


    I cut off the words of Hisame and said this.


    ¡°¡­Are you sane?¡± (Hisame)


    ¡°I do think I am, yeah.¡± (Souma)


    Her cold eyes clash with mine.


    We look at each other in silence for a while.


    ¡°Looks like you are not lying.¡± (Hisame)


    Seems like her eyes have some sort of lie detector.


    You have all bases covered, huh, Cheetah-san.


    ¡°So, what about the use of weapons? They will naturally be completely prohibited?¡± (Hisame)


    I shake my head to the sides.


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t put any limitations on the use of weapons. I have no intention of having you graze me with your attacks at all.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°You are talking big here.¡± (Hisame)


    I am sweating buckets internally while saying this though.


    This is actually a bitter choice.


    In the case things don¡¯t go as I planned, I would have no chance of winning a game of tag against her without a weapon.


    Then, in that scenario, it would be better for it to turn into a battle.


    Emphasis on the ¡®better¡¯.


    ¡°It is not exactly in exchange for that, but I have my own preparations. Please give me time¡­a whole day.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Time?¡± (Hisame)


    This is what¡¯s important.


    If I were to be told to have the match right now, I would have no chance of winning at all.


    I have to force the talk forward.


    ¡°Right¡­¡± (Hisame)


    Now then, how should I explain it to her?


    I check the basis of my decision, my watch, and it is currently 8:30.


    This should do.


    ¡°Then, the match will begin 24 hours from now. Let¡¯s make it tomorrow at 9.¡± (Souma)


    This town has a bell that rings when the hour hits multiples of 3.


    It is a nice time and easy to understand.


    ¡°Tomorrow at 9¡­no, 5 minutes before that, come to the front of the inn from before. Beginning right at 9, for 10 minutes, that will be our match time. If you manage to touch me within that 10 minute frame, you win. If you don¡¯t, I win. How¡¯s that?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Fine.¡± (Hisame)


    Fortunately, Hisame didn¡¯t make any complaints about it and accepted the time of the match.


    But this is where the battle begins.


    I will wrap things up here in one go.


    ¡°The rules pertaining to the match are as I stated just now. However, there¡¯s a few conditions I want you to accept beforehand.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Conditions?¡± (Hisame)


    I nodded.


    ¡°First, regardless of the match results, you won¡¯t put a hand on the girl who was together with me, Ina.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I had no such intention from the very beginning.¡± (Hisame)


    ¡°Despite that, please promise me this.¡± (Souma)


    I strengthened my tone and she nodded albeit rudely.


    ¡°I promise that I won¡¯t put a hand on her. That said, it is a different story if she is the one attacking me though.¡± (Hisame)


    ¡°That¡¯s good enough.¡± (Souma)


    Hisame is whimsical, but she keeps her promises.


    With this, I won¡¯t have to worry much about Ina.


    No matter how terrible of a situation, death is the end of all.


    That gives me quite a bit of comfort.


    ¡°One more thing. I don¡¯t want you to approach me until the match begins. I want to believe you are not a foul player, but just thinking about the possibility of getting attacked before the match, or you peeking at my preparations for the match, would stress me.¡± (Souma)


    No, I actually believe she wouldn¡¯t do that, but this is important.


    I take distance from Hisame.


    ¡°This distance is¡­around 3 meters. I want you to not get closer than this to me until the match begins.¡± (Souma)


    This is completely my selfishness here.


    It is unknown whether she will accept this one, but¡­


    ¡°What unnecessary worry. But if you wish to, I will promise.¡± (Hisame)


    Alright, got her!


    I pump my fist internally and double check this.


    ¡°¡­It is okay, right? You have accepted it, so if you get within 3 meters of me before the match starts, you will lose before the match. Is that okay?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I said I don¡¯t mind.¡± (Hisame)


    Got her to promise.


    Now things will get quite a lot easier for me.


    But when I sighed in relief, this time, Hisame began to put out conditions.


    ¡°It is not exactly in exchange for that, but there¡¯s two things I want to confirm.¡± (Hisame)


    ¡°¡­What is it?¡± (Souma)


    Did she see through my plan?


    I asked back while thinking this with my drumming heart, but what she asked was something completely different.


    ¡°You still haven¡¯t said the important part. What do you plan on demanding of me if you win?¡± (Hisame)


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± (Souma)


    I was only thinking about getting out of this situation, so I forgot about it completely.


    A one-on-one against Hisame is an event to make her your companion.


    That¡¯s why, if I were to wish for it, she would become my comrade when I win.


    But I honestly think that making her my comrade and activating her chain event would be suicidal.


    I would definitely die midway.


    In that case, I should just decide on whatever¡­


    ¡°You are betting your life here, so I will prepare a decent reward. There¡¯s limits to what I can do, but if it is within my power, I will do anything.¡± (Hisame)


    ¡°Anything?!¡± (Souma)


    The word ¡®anything¡¯ is a word that tickles the desires of a young man.


    If I can do anything, would I be able to mofumofu the cat ears of Hisame for a whole day?


    By the way, how do you mofumofu cat ears?


    I don¡¯t know, but I want to do it!


    However, I hold back my desires and shake my head.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t need anything. Right now there¡¯s nothing I want to ask from you. If I had to ask anything, it would be that I don¡¯t want you to do serious matches like this that forfeits the lives of people anymore.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°You don¡¯t need my strength?¡± (Hisame)


    Her pride must have been hurt since I didn¡¯t desire anything, she said that, but well, that¡¯s true.


    It is not that she wouldn¡¯t be of help, but that the event she activates is way too dangerous, so I can¡¯t keep her at my side.


    I choose my words carefully before responding.


    ¡°I definitely would feel reassured if you were to lend me your strength, however, if there¡¯s no urgent danger, I want to take it easy by myself.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I see. You are a weird guy.¡± (Hisame)


    Her tone is cold and blunt as always, but her cat ears slightly loosened up from the conversation just now.


    She probably has accepted me a bit.


    ¡°And so, there¡¯s no need to talk about that anymore. Anything else?¡± (Souma)


    The moment I asked that, I could tell the atmosphere around her changed.


    She said fearsomely seriously as if the atmosphere of before was a lie.


    ¡°Can you pledge once again here that you will be forfeiting your life if you were to lose this match?¡± (Hisame)


    Is that the weight she places on a serious match?


    I felt as if something with actual mass was pushing down on me.


    I declare this slowly but clearly so as not to lose against that pressure.


    ¡°¡­Yeah, I will bet my life on this match.¡± (Souma)


    When I finished saying this, her pressure withdrew.


    ¡°I see. Then, I have nothing more to say.¡± (Hisame)


    After that, she turned and tried to leave without any grievances.


    With this, the rules have been decided and the negotiation is over.


    I am glad I managed to finish the conversation here.


    ¡°Please wait!¡± (Souma)


    And yet, for some reason, I called Hisame to a stop.


    ¡°Anything more?¡± (Hisame)


    There was no emotion in her turned face.


    Her cat ears are currently showing nothing but interest in me.


    The depths of her heart are calm.


    Even though we just finished a talk about betting lives just a few seconds ago.


    ¡°Hey, why do you fuss so much over life-or-death matches?¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s something I was curious about the whole time in my game time, but it is a question I never got a proper answer about.


    I thought it was wrong to seek too much of a reason for the game characters in Nekomimi Neko.


    But now that the world has become real, maybe¡­


    ¡°I am aware that my sense of values deviate from that of normal people, but I think the important things lie beyond the point between life and death.¡± (Hisame)


    She easily answered my expectation-filled question.


    ¡°I¡­see¡­¡± (Souma)


    I thought she was one crazy battle maniac, but I learned that she has her own set of beliefs in her own way with that answer of hers.


    ¡°That¡¯s why you tried to cut off my head the moment we met?¡± (Souma)


    No matter how you think about it, that¡¯s way too impatient.


    Could it be that she was trying to weigh my sin by whether I can overcome the line between life and death?


    That¡¯s some messed up logic, but if she has a reason like that, it would match her actions.


    I said this with that in mind, but she reacted baffled at my words.


    ¡°What are you saying? There¡¯s no way I would actually kill someone with an empty accusation like that. I was simply trying to gauge your ability by threatening you a bit.¡± (Hisame)


    ¡°I¡­see¡­?¡± (Souma)


    Eh?


    Wait.


    Wait a moment.


    Wait wait wait.


    She said it as if nothing¡­


    She said it as if nothing, but¡­


    Could it be that she said something outrageous just now?


    If I hadn¡¯t avoided the first hit of Hisame¡­


    Or if I didn¡¯t challenge her to a serious match in the middle¡­


    Hisame would have stopped her attack before it hit, then say something like ¡®I was simply testing you¡¯, and that would have ended the battle?


    And yet, I brought out a serious match, put Hisame in the mood despite not having the intention of killing me to begin with, and have now challenged her to a fight of life-or-death?


    Could it be that I did something completely unnecessary, or more like, have poked a lion without the choice of taking it back?!


    ¡°Then, later¡­¡± (Hisame)


    She probably thought she didn¡¯t want to hang any longer around me after seeing me suddenly groaning, she turned her back on me again and walked away.


    What she said just now was certainly shocking, but Hisame looked like an unfettered battle junkie, however, it seems like she is still someone who can draw a proper line.


    (That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t want to do something this deceitful¡­) (Souma)


    There¡¯s certainly things that I can¡¯t just easily give away


    One of those is of course my life.


    And if there¡¯s necessary stones I need to build up in order to protect myself, I won¡¯t hesitate to do so.


    That¡¯s why¡­


    ([High Step]!) (Souma)


    I used a skill aimed towards the back of Hisame.

 CH 36

    ([High Step]!) (Souma)


    I approach Hisame with the fastest movement skill I have.


    She accepted the condition of ¡®If she approaches within 3 meters of me, she loses¡¯.


    In other words, if I get within 3 meters of her, I will win without having to wait till 9 of tomorrow.


    This is practically fraud, but I have already decided to not choose my means.


    I aimed for the moment when Hisame had completely lost interest in me and her back facing me.


    There¡¯s no way she would be able to notice my approach unless she has eyes in her back.


    However, the moment I thought the figure of Hisame blurred¡­


    ¡°I see. That talk about a game of tag was strange.¡± (Hisame)


    I heard the voice of Hisame from behind me.


    No, wa, eh?!


    This is not on the level of being too fast anymore!


    ¡°Those strange conditions had this meaning, huh. Until the match begins, you will become ¡®it¡¯ and chase me, huh.¡± (Hisame)


    Moreover, she has read me almost completely.


    ¡°H-Hoh, you won¡¯t get angry at being deceived?¡± (Souma)


    I bluffed with everything I had and asked this back.


    ¡°A serious match is one where both sides do their very best. Even means close to swindling are valid strategies if within the rules.¡± (Hisame)


    Hisame was unfazed.


    This is a happy miscalculation.


    ¡°¡­That said¡­if you think you can get me with such childish tricks, that certainly is insulting.¡± (Hisame)


    ¡°Ahahaha¡­¡± (Souma)


    Even without looking at her cat ears, I could feel clear anger.


    I can only laugh here.


    ¡°Also, I haven¡¯t told you one thing either. You will eventually understand just how despairing of a choice you have taken.¡± (Hisame)


    After saying this, she departed with a ring on her finger letting out a faint light.


    ¡°Souma-san!¡±


    Once Hisame left, Train-chan -I mean, Ina, ran to me.


    ¡°Ina, you were okay.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yes. I-I am sorry¡­because of me¡­¡± (Ina)


    Ina hung her head down, but half of it was my own fault.


    I won¡¯t say there was no fault on her, but there¡¯s no way anyone would be able to imagine it would turn into a situation like this.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s fine. But there¡¯s something I must tell you.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°What¡­is it?¡± (Ina)


    It is harsh to tell this to her when she is dejected, but I tell her clearly.


    ¡°I promised to train you until you could manage by yourself. But let¡¯s put an end to that here.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡± (Ina)


    She looked up dumbfounded at me after hearing what I said.


    I first tell her what happened with Hisame, and then, about how she is now plenty strong, and that I don¡¯t have the time to help her out anymore. With the guilt of having pulled Hisame, she accepted my words in tears.


    I could tell that she is trying her best here to not cry and that pained my heart, but she still said this valiantly.


    ¡°B-But you don¡¯t mind me helping you, right? I will pinpoint her location with everything I¡¯ve got! Then, I will tell Souma-san and¡ª¡± (Ina)


    ¡°No, that¡¯s most likely pointless.¡± (Souma)


    The reason I jumped at Hisame just now was because I thought that I would profit greatly if it did succeed, but it was mostly for checking.


    It is not like I was seriously expecting success there.


    There¡¯s a reason why she easily accepted my proposal of a game of tag.


    Or more like, it is because I was aware of this that I decided on a game of tag.


    ¡°The ring she has, if she uses that, she can see all of my movements.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Ring?¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Yeah, it is one of her unique equipment: the Explorer Ring.¡± (Souma)


    Explorer Ring.


    It is a ring that tells the current location of the player.


    This is something that was confirmed pretty later in the game, but even if the appearances of the Helper Cheetah, Hisame, are random, the reality is that you would encounter her more often if your affection meter with her is higher.


    According to her setting, she is the type that devotes herself to the people she is close with, so I just accepted it in system terms, but there was an actual reason for this.


    Thinking about it, Hisame would appear even when you are exploring deep in a dungeon.


    I always wondered what kind of mechanism was in place there, but after she becomes your companion, you will learn about the existence of that ring.


    Hisame will make it look like she would whimsically help out the people she coincidentally meets, but she would confirm the current location of the people she has taken a liking to, and would go to the places where they are.


    At that time, the words ¡®You can¡¯t escape from Cheetah!!¡¯ surfaced in my mind.


    I don¡¯t know how this game world works, but judging from her words just now, it must have the effect of knowing my location.


    Also, if it is only running away from me, there¡¯s actually a simpler method.


    The method to move from settlement to settlement in a second.


    The Teleportation Stone.


    She is a warrior type, so she can¡¯t use spatial magic, but she obviously has 1 or 2 Teleportation Stones since she is technically a high ranked adventurer, and she should be able to buy one.


    It would be troublesome if she were to teleport to a different town and return right before the match begins.


    There¡¯s the option of waiting for that moment, but the problematic thing is that, when the place has several monoliths, she can choose where to appear.


    Lamurick has 2 monoliths south and north respectively, so if she is using an Explorer Ring, she would be able to get the upper hand even if I were to wait in one of them.


    When I explained this to Ina, she turned pale white and panicked as if she had lost herself there.


    ¡°T-Then, what should we do? No way you would just wait obediently to be killed¡­¡± (Ina)


    ¡°As if. I will be running away.¡± (Souma)


    There¡¯s a mountain of things I have to do.


    More so if I have to finish them all by tomorrow morning.


    I calm Ina down by telling her that I will manage somehow, and we head to the first objective.


    The same thing we always do. Train earning at the Cave of Trials.


    Without me, she won¡¯t be able to earn money like this in the future.


    I told her that I would be giving away all the drops to her as farewell, but she stubbornly refused.


    I acted separately from Ina after that.


    I wanted to move alone from here on, so I asked Ina to bring the money of the drop items to the inn by tomorrow at 8, 1 hour before the match, and I parted from Ina.


    ¡°Sorry, Ina.¡± (Souma)


    I muttered this towards that back of hers.


    I do think I am a truly selfish guy.


    I don¡¯t know how the match will end.


    I might really be killed and this might be our eternal farewell.


    I should have told her that, but I couldn¡¯t say that to her face.


    That¡¯s why I decided to leave her a letter.


    I returned to the inn, got some writing tools and paper, and began to write a letter to Ina.


    Telling her first to read it in case there¡¯s no directions from me by noon tomorrow.


    Uhm¡­


    [To Ina:


    By the time you are reading this, I will most likely not be by your side anymore.


    But please don¡¯t be sad.


    You should have already obtained enough strength to live by yourself, so if you bring out the courage, even if it is hard to get companions, you should be able to make friends.


    You can hate my selfish self as much as you want.


    But I want you to promise me two things.


    The first one is to not hate Hisame.


    The other one is to please not chase after me no matter what.


    I didn¡¯t train you for the sake of that.


    You are a wonderful girl and your¡­]


    ¡°No no no!¡± (Souma)


    I crumple the letter I was writing.


    When I write a letter, I for some reason get in a weird mood, and I end up writing stuff I normally wouldn¡¯t say.


    It is the letter magic.


    I did my very best to finish a safe letter, and entrust it to the innkeeper together with one other thing I took out from my bag.


    I asked him to give both of them to Ina once she comes tomorrow at 8.


    ¡°What¡¯s with this wooden stick?¡±


    The old man made a dubious expression, but he properly took it.


    There shouldn¡¯t be any problems with Ina for now.


    ¡°Thanks for taking good care of me¡­ So I say, but it is not like I am going to be leaving right now though.¡± (Souma)


    I joked around like that and was about to exit, but a voice called me from behind.


    ¡°Hey, it really is weird that you are suddenly saying that this will be the last day you will be staying here. Or more like, this letter isn¡¯t your will, right?¡±


    He is unexpectedly sharp.


    But I played it off.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way that¡¯s the case. Also, I already have plans on where I will be staying tonight.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Where?¡±


    I answered frankly at the sour question of the innkeeper.


    ¡°The church.¡± (Souma)


    Now then, there¡¯s still a lot of things I need to do.


    I have to do as much as possible so that I don¡¯t leave any regrets.


    I finally did the visit to Reinhardt which I have been postponing the whole time.


    Fortunately, he was still in town and welcomed me with open arms.


    By the way, what I understood at that moment was that Hisame also asked Reinhardt about me.


    It seems like it was here where Hisame learned that I do interesting moves.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t go¡­into detail, but¡­sorry¡­was that¡­bad?¡± (Reinhardt)


    Reinhardt made an apologetic look in his own lizardman way, and I told him to not worry and laughed it off.


    There¡¯s the chance that I won¡¯t be meeting him anymore.


    I don¡¯t want to leave grudges for something like that.


    After that, we chatted without a single shred of urgency, and we bid our farewells with smiles on our faces.


    I looked at my watch and there was still a lot of time left before the next thing in my schedule.


    I use this extra time to head to the Sealed Lands.


    I went underground to get something I forgot and return at once.


    With this, the underground has become pitch black, but well, it can¡¯t be helped.


    After that, I searched for anything useful in the weapon store to kill time, went to the magic store to buy the stuff I couldn¡¯t buy before, did a little mischief at the place of the healers.


    After getting out with faint tears in my eyes, I noticed that my stomach was empty.


    I buy some food and eat while I walk around the town, and the day is running late now.


    It is finally time to head to my last objective.


    Outskirts.


    It is by no means fancy, but when I entered the building I could feel holiness and solemnity in it.


    I made long strides towards the girl deep inside who always smiles and welcomes the guests and¡­


    ¡°Oh my, is that you, Souma-san? It is still a bit early¡­¡± (Mariel)


    Went on my knees.


    ¡°I am sorry, Mariel-san! Please let me borrow the confessional from now on until tomorrow morning!!¡± (Souma)


    Pleading this onto her.


    ¡°Mariel-san really is a good person¡­¡± (Souma)


    I suddenly grovelled, which troubled her greatly, but I fortunately managed to borrow the confessional.


    ¡°I will make this the last time I ask for something like this!¡± (Souma)


    I desperately shouted this, and that seemed to have worked.


    ¡°¡­I see. I thought there was no peak in devotion, but I am sure you have grasped something, haven¡¯t you?¡± (Mariel)


    She said that, so she probably has a faint idea that I am trying to obtain movement skills using the confessional.


    She is kind but fearsome.


    ¡°Right, I don¡¯t have the time to be thinking about that.¡± (Souma)


    My time limit is tomorrow at 8.


    I haven¡¯t experienced an all-nighter in the game world, but I don¡¯t think it is impossible.


    In that time, I will raise my proficiency of Step, High Step, Jump, High Jump, and other movement skills, and, if possible, I want to learn the advanced skill Ground Compression.


    Being able to learn Ground Compression or not will influence the development in the future by a lot.


    I want to learn it as much as possible.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do this!¡± (Souma)


    I pump myself up and get on top of the table.


    Confirming that my head is close to reaching the ceiling, I activate the skill.


    (JumpJumpJumpJumpJumpJumpJumpJumpJumpJumpJumpJumpJumpJumpJumpJumpJumpJumpJumpJump¡­) (Souma)


    Gagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagaga!


    I zoned out in the middle of it, and after doing it around 100 times, I heard a notification.


    And then¡­


    ¡°Thank you very much¡­¡± (Souma)


    I exited the church with unsteady steps.


    In the end, I leveled up my skills all night until very close to the time, so it is already the 6th day of my game life -the day of the match.


    Fortunately, I managed to obtain Ground Compression.


    With this, that¡¯s one worry less.


    It is currently 7:32.


    You could say it is right in time.


    ¡°Uuuh, the sun is so yellow.¡± (Souma)


    Even if it was a place with no damage registration, it seems like doing an all-nighter wasn¡¯t mitigated.


    Ah, but it might heal if I drink a potion.


    I was thinking that while walking unsteadily and¡­


    ¡°You are in a terrible state. Do you really think you can beat me like that?¡±


    I heard a voice I wouldn¡¯t ever forget even if it was after an all-nighter, and I immediately switched to fighting mode.


    I won¡¯t ask something stupid like how she knew I was here.


    She must have used the Explorer Ring.


    I can¡¯t have her looking down on me here.


    I directed provoking words at Hisame who was looking at me at a distance of around 5 meters.


    ¡°What about you? You would be losing if I were to get close to you, and yet, you seem to be pretty carefree here.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Not really. If I get caught by something like that, it just means I only amounted to that much.¡± (Hisame)


    Her usual way of talking.


    But within my expectations.


    No, it is not like I expected her to appear here, but I did think I would meet her one more time before the match.


    That¡¯s why I take out a white stationary from my bag and throw it to her.


    She easily caught it.


    ¡°What is this?¡± (Hisame)


    ¡°A letter for you. Read it after the match is over.¡± (Souma)


    I actually wrote this one at the time when I was writing the letter for Ina as an insurance for after the match.


    ¡°Your will? Well, I don¡¯t mind reading it.¡± (Hisame)


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a will.¡± (Souma)


    I denied it, but it seems like she doesn¡¯t believe me.


    Or more like, her attention is taken by something else.


    ¡°More importantly, are you really okay? That fight before gave me excitement I haven¡¯t felt in a long while. This time will be far more dangerous, and I am looking forward to you showing me your clever schemes though.¡± (Hisame)


    She even said something like that with a serious tone.


    There¡¯s no agitation in her cat ears either.


    She really must be thinking that.


    ¡°Then, I don¡¯t think I will be able to answer your expectations. I will simply be teaching you something obvious.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Something obvious?¡± (Hisame)


    Her cat ears tilted slightly.


    I informed her.


    ¡°It is true that you are fast. However, I will teach you that your speed is the second fastest in this town.¡± (Souma)


    When I declared this, the mouth of Hisame warped faintly¡­truly faintly in what seemed like a smile.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind that.¡± (Hisame)


    She puts a flood of emotions into those short words, and walks off with her back turned.


    I shouted to her back.


    ¡°Hisame! Your speed is a talent that you can be proud of. You could even say that you are the number one among all characters.¡± (Souma)


    No matter how much nimbleness plus equipment the player equips, you can¡¯t reach the realm of her movement speed with normal means.


    However, that doesn¡¯t mean there¡¯s no means to defeat her.


    ¡°But people have always covered up that difference with knowledge and technique. I will be teaching you that today. I will crush you with my everything!!¡± (Souma)


    The moment I said that at the end, Hisame turned back for an instant.


    ¡°The Odd Sword User, Souma. If it is you¡­you may be able to¡­ If you can win against me¡­¡± (Hisame)


    She was about to say something to me but, in the end, she shook her head and cut off her words.


    ¡°No, it is nothing. I will be waiting for you in front of the inn.¡± (Hisame)


    After wrapping it up with that, she ran off at a speed that was hard to follow with the naked eye.


    ¡°¡­Fuuh.¡± (Souma)


    I relax my tense body from the unexpected encounter.


    ¡°It is about time I go.¡± (Souma)


    If I take my sweet time and end up late, that would be irreversible.


    It is finally the decisive moment.


    The 10 coming minutes will decide whether I live or die.


    I walk towards the location of the decisive battle while still in strangely high tension from the all-nighter.


    As I approached the location, the noise of people grew louder.


    Well, that¡¯s natural.


    This time was decided beforehand, so it wouldn¡¯t be strange to be spectators.


    (Eh¡­? My legs¡­) (Souma)


    My legs are buckling at this decisive moment.


    Will I be okay?


    Can I do this?


    Did I miss anything?


    Those doubts were assailing me, impeding my advance.


    Also¡­


    (Was this really okay?) (Souma)


    The worry that I should have resolved a long time ago attacks me again.


    But¡­


    (No, I already decided to do this!) (Souma)


    I crush that with willpower.


    I did so much groundwork for this.


    There¡¯s no turning back.


    Also, I already told Hisame from the very beginning¡­


    That I would be running away with everything I¡¯ve got.


    (Then, no choice but to go!) (Souma)


    I resolve myself and take a step onto the ramp.


    ¡°Customer-san! The Magic Airship scheduled for Rihiter is about to depart!¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes! I am getting on!¡± (Souma)


    And a few minutes after, the Magic Airship with me on it rose to the sky -the only safe zone against Hisame.


    I shouted this towards Lamurick which grew smaller and smaller.


    ¡°I am A FREE LONER!!¡± (Souma)


    In this way, I won against the strongest female swordsman, Hisame, without crossing swords once, and succeeded in escaping an opponent that you can¡¯t escape from.

 CH 37

    There were dangerous instances, but the Magic Airship somehow managed to reach the capital of Rihiter safely.


    I chose the safest Magic Airship among the ones scheduled to be running, so even if it were to crash in the middle, I would at least be able to survive, but I should be grateful that it didn¡¯t turn into anything problematic.


    There¡¯s only one issue.


    There¡¯s one small grievance in me having properly arrived.


    That¡¯s¡­


    ¡°¡­You took your sweet time. This is my first time having someone make me wait two times in the same day.¡±


    At the Rihiter Magic Airship arrival terminal, Hisame was waiting for me there while standing with both arms crossed.


    ¡°Judging from your attitude, you must have read my letter.¡± (Souma)


    Looking at her cat ears, it does seem like she is angry at me, but she isn¡¯t suddenly trying to cut me down.


    If she thinks I have abandoned the match, she wouldn¡¯t be this calm, so this in itself is proof that she properly read the letter.


    By the way, the letter that I gave to her in front of the church read as such:


    [I did say to wait in front of the inn 5 minutes before 9, but I didn¡¯t say the match would begin in front of the inn, right? Tehepero¡î<Sound of sticking tongue out>]


    No, of course I didn¡¯t write something like ¡®tehepero¡¯ though.


    Just to be clear, I have been thinking about using the Magic Airship from the very beginning, since the moment I challenged Hisame.


    It should be fine to assume that things are going according to plan for now.


    ¡ªIn the case I have to challenge Hisame to a serious match and have to decide the conditions of the match.


    The first thing that came to my mind when thinking about the best option was¡­


    (I want to be freed from all this troublesome stuff and be alone already¡­) (Souma)


    It was completely the thought of a hopeless loner.


    But that¡¯s where the foundation of this match was born.


    In other words, ¡®if I use this match as an excuse, won¡¯t I be able to escape from Train-chan too?¡¯ was my thought for this time¡¯s departure.


    If I were to go to the capital in a normal setting, Ina would be against it, and depending on the situation, even try to come with me.


    But in a match with my line on the line against Hisame, if the situation is one where I have no choice but to go to the capital, how would it be?


    Ina was the root of this time¡¯s situation, so her personality wouldn¡¯t allow her to come out too strong against me. If I had to go to the capital to win the match, she would have to accept it.


    Also, doing a round trip from the capital to Lamurick has quite the risk for people in the early game, so she can¡¯t tell me to come back.


    No, I know.


    I understand that this action that is totally utilizing the good will of someone makes me a terrible person.


    But I honestly think that Ina will be able to live a happier life away from me, and when considering the adventures in the capital, bringing along Ina who has a high chance of dying would only be more of a burden for me.


    With me having to go to the capital, this farewell was simply an issue of chance and timing.


    And so, with all that made clear, the rest was simple.


    There was a decently safe Magic Airship the next morning.


    If I set up the match in a way that I can win if I get on it, I would be able to escape from Ina and Hisame.


    That¡¯s where I thought of the game of tag match.


    No matter how fast of a character Hisame is, she can¡¯t win against the crystallization of human knowledge and technique.


    This is obvious, but the fastest in Lamurick Town isn¡¯t Hisame, but this Magic Airship.


    Even in my prime, it took me two whole days to go from Lamurick to the capital, and yet, the airship managed to do so in just a few hours.


    Once it departs, no matter how much Hisame tries, there¡¯s no way she would be able to catch up.


    You could say the Magic Airship is a safe zone in a game of tag.


    However, no matter how fast a Magic Airship is, running away normally from one city to another can be easily countered by using a Teleportation Stone and getting ahead of the other party.


    That¡¯s why I had to create a situation where it wouldn¡¯t turn out in ¡®Riding a Magic Airship in the middle of the match is against the rules¡¯.


    With the latest Magic Airships, it would take around 3 hours to reach the capital of Rihiter.


    That¡¯s why, I would have to set the match at a time when I would certainly be in the sky on the Magic Airship, in other words, 1 hour after the Magic Airship¡¯s departure time, and purposely avoid the starting location of that match.


    Just as I wrote in that letter, ¡®there was no agreement that I should be at a specified location when the match starts, right?¡¯. That was for the sake of giving an out for myself.


    It was honestly a gamble whether she would be accepting this, but as long as I get away with this one, I have practically won.


    Ina hates Magic Airships, and Hisame is afraid of heights.


    The chances were low that she would intrude in the Magic Airship and, just in case, I asked Ina to go to the inn at the time of departure, and also establish the rule that Hisame would lose if she were to be within 3 meters of me.


    A Magic Airship is small.


    If Hisame gets on it, she would almost certainly lose by default.


    What¡¯s left is whether I can safely get on the Magic Airship.


    I decided to not think too much about that part, used my last day to bid farewell to everyone I got along with, and wrapped up the things that I could only do in that town.


    To be more specific, give Ina the Master Torch, get one other Master Torch for my own use, buy the staff that I couldn¡¯t buy before, go meet a long time friend, head to the LookMari Dojo to obtain the skill that would be of use for me in the future; a whole ton of things.


    Especially the last one, the LookMari Dojo, there¡¯s no confessional in the church of the capital.


    I thought learning the convenient skill, Ground Compression, would be useful in the near future, so I went all out there.


    Whether it is a game or real life, an all-nighter is not something you should be doing.


    ¡°¡­It was my first time reading such a displeasing letter like that. I am impressed by how you can use such a deceitful method to get a win.¡± (Hisame)


    Hisame¡¯s cold words stab onto my drowsy head.


    She is saying this with an unfazed expression, but her cat ears are certainly angry.


    Honestly speaking, it is a bit unexpected that she would be waiting for me here. I thought she would continue her journey without caring even if she learned she had been fooled.


    She used an expensive Teleportation Stone to chase after me, so she must be decently angry.


    She is prideful, and her being serious in matches does fit her character.


    ¡°But judging from your tone, you admit that it is my win, right?¡± (Souma)


    It is exactly because she is strict and prideful when it comes to matches that she has no choice but to admit defeat.


    ¡°¡­Right.¡± (Hisame)


    There was a bit of a pause in this response, but that was her answer.


    Hearing this, I pump my fist internally.


    However, the gaze Hisame used to look at me afterwards had strong power residing in them, and I admonished myself for almost lowering my guard there.


    As if bringing that strength right into her words, she brings out a new proposal.


    ¡°I admit my defeat in this time¡¯s match. However, I can¡¯t bring myself to accept this result. I would like another match¡ª¡± (Hisame)


    ¡°But a win is a win, so you will keep your promise, right?¡± (Souma)


    I thought this flow of events was bad, so I hurriedly cut her off and took the initiative.


    ¡°Promise? No, you didn¡¯t ask for anyth¡ªah.¡± (Hisame)


    Looks like she noticed.


    Right, this has all been part of the plan.


    There may be a lot of holes in it, but I am almost sure I will be able to push her here.


    ¡°You won¡¯t be doing any more serious matches, right? That was the promise.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Ye¡­ah¡­¡± (Hisame)


    This is my last card.


    No, this is actually something that I thought of on the fly after Hisame asked me what I wanted if I won, but this should help me push her off here.


    At that time, I asked her ¡®please don¡¯t take serious matches like this anymore¡¯.


    Well, I said ¡®don¡¯t take¡¯ so it is not like she can¡¯t give them out herself or find any sort of workaround for it, but she is a prideful person, so I doubt she would take such deceitful wins by semantics.


    ¡°Hnnnngh¡­¡± (Hisame)


    There must be a whole lot of conflict in her mind.


    Her head is hanging down, so I can¡¯t see her face, but her cat ears are facing this way and are going wild, so she must be panicking here.


    Panicking cat ears are truly a fresh sight.


    (¡­Oh?) (Souma)


    But that suddenly stopped as well.


    She must have reached some sort of conclusion, her cat ears that were moving busily stopped clean.


    ¡°¡­ot¡­¡± (Hisame)


    She said something with her head hanging low, but her voice was so low I couldn¡¯t pick it up.


    I got my face closer to hear what she was saying, and¡­


    ¡°YOU IDIOOOOOOTTTT¡ª¨C!!¡± (Hisame)


    My ears rang at the outrageously loud voice.


    While I was rendered dizzy by the absurd volume of her voice coupled with the gap of her usual self, she ran off somewhere without looking back, and she soon disappeared from sight.


    That was some fearsome display of speed there.


    She might have been faster than a magic airship there.


    ¡°Is she a grade schooler¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I spit out that insult, but I am internally filled with relief.


    With this, I have been freed from two threats.


    In the explanation until now, it looks as if I grabbed a win using deceitful means, but this ¡®way of winning¡¯ was actually what made me ponder the most.


    Winning with deceitful means that had nothing to do with my actual ability is actually the most important part in my plan.


    I said this before, but this Hisami 1v1 event, if I were to clear it as I am now, I will definitely be killed by the chain events that will occur from that.


    No, this is not the same as the game, so I might be able to manage somehow if I do my best, but it is honestly safer to simply avoid events related to Hisame altogether.


    This game normally runs on a free scenario system, so you are free to take any event and quest.


    There are events you must activate in order to clear the game, but the timings for that are mostly decided by the player.


    But a number of events are forcefully activated once a set number of conditions are met, and you are driven into a situation where you have to take it.


    And so, the event that gets triggered from the 1v1 against Hisame is part of the latter group.


    If you win in the 1v1 against Hisame, she would say something like: ¡°My family precepts dictate that I can only marry the person that has defeated me, but there has been no one who has defeated me until now. Leaving aside whether to marry or not, I would at least want to report this to my father¡±. This way too cliche of a story development happens, but the Visit to the Hisame Household event is impossible to avoid.


    Its degree of forcefulness is outstanding. It is not on the level where your body moves on its own, but no matter what you ask anyone, they will only say information regarding the Hisame household, so you would be strong-armed into having no choice but to go to the house of the Hisame to finish the event.


    You won¡¯t be able to have decent conversations with NPCs, so not only the stores like the weapon and item shop, but even the inns will be rendered unusable. You can¡¯t accept any other quests, or if you try to finish a request you already had, they won¡¯t take it.


    Not only that, when you try to give orders to your party¡­


    ¡°Speaking of which, weren¡¯t you going to the house of Hisame? I will wait here, so just go.¡±


    Is what they would say when right in front of a monster.


    Even infants only a few months old would go: ¡°More importantly, wouldn¡¯t it be better to head to the house of Hisame? The house of Hisame is at the west of the capital.¡±


    It already surpasses the funny threshold and enters the horror realm.


    And that¡¯s how you would get dragged into a kenjutsu dojo, and the master of the dojo -the father of Hisame- and 9 of the dojo members would be waiting for you.


    ¡°So you are the strong one that defeated Mitsuki. Could you grant us the honor of a bout?¡±


    And would propose this.


    It is a proposal, so you can refuse, but this one is also practically a forced event, and the system won¡¯t allow you to go out from the dojo until you have a bout with them, and they will ask you endlessly until you nod.


    There will at least be a change when you refuse them 10 times in a row though.


    ¡°I see, so you are saying this much is not enough. Mitsuki, we are going to have a fight with him, so you join too!¡±


    The 1 vs 10 would then have Hisame join for a 11 vs 1, and this time around, you won¡¯t be able to say no.


    It certainly is the complete service of Nekomimi Neko.


    In other words, you end up fighting no matter what, but you obviously can¡¯t activate the dueling system with a 10 vs 1.


    That¡¯s why Hisame¡¯s father would say: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will use the back of my blade¡±.


    He would say this kindly, and would turn the blade of his sword in front of me, but the problem is that everyone aside from the father has reversed blades¡­


    There¡¯s no intention of using the blunt side at all, or like, it is a situation where they are raring to ¡°accidentally¡± kill you.


    Or more like, they went as far as preparing 10 reversed blade swords for the sake of that. It feels like madness already.


    From there on, the development itself is like that of a love-comedy manga, and yet, your life is always being threatened. The events are really aggressive, and I honestly wasn¡¯t too into it.


    It was literally a situation where it is hell if you win, and it is hell if you lose, but I somehow managed to overcome it.


    ¡­Anyways, with this, I have gained some free time to get stronger.


    I will enjoy my life alone in this new city this time for sure, gain enough power to go against the malice of Nekomimi Neko, and search for a method to return to my previous world.


    My adventure has just begun!

 CH 38

    You can use the 1st skill by simply holding the weapon. The 2nd, 3rd and the following skills, you have to learn them. When you reach the 8th skill in the Ninja Sword branch, you learn Infinite Mirage Cage.


    In this game, a mere bug is shrugged off, but the midair jump that was caused by the Friday Party Skywalker Incident, and this Infinite Mirage Cage were fixed with patches.


    This Infinite Mirage Cage was decently difficult to obtain, so there were barely any people who had it, and the impact it created was meager, so it didn¡¯t have much fame on the internet. However, it was a bug that could be considered fatal for the progress of the game.


    This skill would randomly teleport the user at a radius of around 10 meters and slash, which would be repeated countless times. It is an 8th skill, so it should be a decently strong skill, but it was a hard to use skill.


    Randomly at a radius of 10 meters? If you don¡¯t use it in a place where enemies are crammed together, it won¡¯t be hitting to begin with.


    Well, it could be used as an emergency evasion, but there¡¯s damage registration even at the place you teleport, so you can¡¯t avoid AOEs, and the last teleportation spot will be somewhere in the radius, so there would be cases where you would be skill stunned right in front of enemies. You wouldn¡¯t be able to make an immediate decision, and you would often get hit while standing still.


    It is honestly not that much of a usable skill.


    And most of all, there¡¯s a big problem with this skill.


    This skill is a repetition of teleporting and slashing in a short span of time, so your vision will be switching every 0.5 seconds.


    It already surpasses the realm of just getting dizzy.


    There¡¯s of course personal differences, but the players that use this skill would have a high chance of feeling unwell after the skill ends.


    This destructive power created many complaints about this skill, and the vision movement at the use of the skill was way too real, almost turning it into a social problem, and it was to the point where even the other skills with intense movements were adjusted.


    But even with that, the weirdos (80% of the hardcore Nekomimi Neko players are weirdos to begin with. Normal people like me were in the minority) who continued using the skill, found out about a serious bug.


    Named: Crossing the Walls of the Mirage Cage.


    You probably can pretty much imagine what this is about from that name.


    The Infinite Mirage Cage is a skill that randomly teleports you repeatedly, but you end up moving to the last place you were teleported to.


    And the condition of where you will land at the end is ¡®somewhere within a radius of 10 meters where the player can exist in¡¯, so even if that place is a locked room that you normally wouldn¡¯t be able to get into, or an open space that has no means of entering, you can teleport there no questions asked.


    For example; if you use the Infinite Mirage Cage in front of a locked room endlessly, you will eventually end up inside the room, and you can enter places you normally can¡¯t.


    On top of that, it is a space that a player can exist in, so there¡¯s no usual teleportation bug like ¡®ending up inside a wall¡¯, moreover, with that same logic, you can continue using the same skill to return to where you were.


    As long as you have the resolve of fighting nausea, it is a really low risk bug technique.


    That said, if you enter places you shouldn¡¯t, you can begin a chain of events that you can¡¯t imagine, and despite this bug being found out at a late stage of the game, it was patched the fastest.


    The skill was fixed in a way so that the player would return to the location where you casted the ability at first, so the exploit of moving with the skill was now gone.


    Because of this patch, the use of this bug waned, but there were a lot of videos recorded with the use of that skill when it was still bugged, and were spread out on the net.


    One of those was the Masked Rihito Royal Family.


    The royal family is normally exclusive for special events, and maybe because they wanted to give out that special feeling for being royalty, or because it was a pain to make companion events, or because it would be bad to bring around royalty as companions, you couldn¡¯t make them your companions or enjoy normal conversations with them.


    However, the protagonism of the royalty is outstanding in events. There would be the Rihito King, Full Fill, who would show his presence in audience events, and then there¡¯s  Queen Meliaruda and Princess Shermia who would stand at the frontlines in the event Attack at the Capital, defeating enemies with inhuman magic abilities.


    The rarity of their appearances would instead increase the mystery in them, and would touch the heartstrings of people, the queen and princess landed at the top of the popularity poll, and there was even an instance where Princess Shermia fought over 1st place with the Helper Cheetah Mitsuki Hisame.


    What was dropped into that vortex was the video of the Masked Rihito Royal Family.


    The royal palace has a lot of places where you can¡¯t enter, and the only place you can enter normally is the audience room, but the Masked Rihito Royal Family was clearly recorded at a place that¡¯s not there. There wasn¡¯t only the king there, but also the queen and princess that wouldn¡¯t show themselves anywhere else aside from events.


    3 of the royal family facing each other at a place that would normally be impossible to find them in.


    This was of course a situation that would be impossible to find out without the bug of Crossing the Walls of the Mirage Cage.


    But that¡¯s not the only weird thing about that video.


    It is the fact that there¡¯s no conversation at all despite there being 4 people in the same space including the player.


    The king is sitting all grandiose at a chair of the room like when you have an audience with him, and for some reason there¡¯s the queen standing by his side, and the unblinking princess sitting at an opposing chair.


    What this means is that, since all of them are event exclusive characters, there¡¯s not a single daily life conversation or action set on them, so they are all not doing anything, but the game-like beautiful faces of the characters were just staying at that place the whole time, without twitching, as if soulless, and that is fearsome in its own way.


    Maybe because there would be times when you would speak with the queen at the audiences, she would sometimes move her head matching the movements of the player just like with the LookMari Dojo, but the princess wouldn¡¯t move one bit.


    She probably isn¡¯t even breathing.


    I still remember what I thought when I saw this. That no matter how real it looked, Nekomimi Neko is still a game.


    Well, I think the weirdest one is the cameraman that was recording this totally silent and still family for 30 minutes, but this video complicated the talk about the royal family on the internet.


    Princess Shermia got the nickname Doll Princess, and her popularity took a nosedive¡­is what I thought would happen, but this actually had the opposite effect in certain groups, and she overwhelmed Hisame in the popularity ranking in an instant.


    By the way, it was discovered soon after that you can¡¯t marry her, and that popularity was immediately overturned. There was such a drama, but well, that¡¯s fine and all.


    What I want to say here is that there¡¯s a clear difference in AI quality between NPCs of Nekomimi Neko.


    There would be clearly half-assed settings like the Doll Princess, but there¡¯s also the cases where you would find intelligent characters that would answer you so perfectly you would wonder if there¡¯s actually a person controlling it.


    And then¡­


    ¡°Onii-chan, are you a hero~?¡±


    This girl that is sticking onto me who is walking the capital is one of the latter cases.


    (Why is it that I always get annoying stuff stuck onto me right as I arrive¡­?) (Souma)


    I can¡¯t regret it enough.


    Being over the moon from this rare instance of being alone was probably not good.


    After getting down from the Magic Airship, I was thinking of exploring the capital for now, and I accidentally ended up passing close to the capital¡¯s main gate.


    I encountered the super famous mob character that¡¯s considered your baptism to the capital, Poison-tan.


    ¡°Hey hey, Onii-chan, are you a hero~?¡±


    There¡¯s a small grade school-looking girl following behind me.


    She isn¡¯t involved in any events at all, and she is a mob character that you can¡¯t see the name of even when you put the cursor on her. She was given the name Poison-tan by the players and is feared by them.


    I say feared, but it is not like she physically harms the player like the event characters of Nekomimi Neko.


    She simply asks you questions.


    ¡°Are you a hero, Onii-chan?¡±


    She would ask.


    This question itself isn¡¯t that rare of a thing, and in most RPGs, the main protagonist = hero is in a sense the template.


    However, no matter the answer you give, she would give responses that are more human-like than a human.


    For example; if you answer with ¡®yeah, I am a hero¡¯:


    ¡°Uwah, you are so funny, Onii-chan! Cause you are still level 12, right? You are a weakling that can¡¯t even win against a rural slime on the prairies, and yet, how are you going to defeat the Demon Lord?¡±


    She would go straight for the HP in the player¡¯s heart.


    If you answer with ¡®No, I am unfortunately not a hero¡¯.


    ¡°Ah, I see. I am sorry, Onii-chan. Now that I look closely, your face is that of a mob character. If someone that looked like you were to become a hero, everyone would be disappointed. I am really sorry for saying something weird.¡±


    Is how she would come to break your heart.


    Then, if you answer with the best response in a normal game that is ¡®it is still unknown whether I can become a hero¡¯.


    ¡°Wow, Onii-chan! Even though you are far older than me, you can¡¯t even give answers to a simple question? I am impressed that you can live on shamelessly like that!¡±


    She would jam a knife in your heart with her words.


    There would be many variations from that, with plentiful variety in her vocabulary. If you try to get the better of her, she would beat you in an argument with completely different sentences.


    By the way, if annoyed players end up raising their hand on her here, she would fight back with unbelievable strength, you would get pinned on the ground, and be told:


    ¡°Hey hey, how does it feel to rely on violence when you can¡¯t win in an argument against a little girl, moreover, losing and kissing the ground~? Hey~, how does it feel~? Hey hey, tell me~.¡±


    The Nekomimi Neko developers really are on a league of their own when it comes to pissing off their players.


    Honestly speaking, super honest people like Ina and Hisame are one thing, but it is impossible for me to win against this girl when I am not even good at interacting with humans to begin with.


    In the first place, Poison-tan only says some painful stuff, but it is not like she actually does any physical harm.


    Insults can be ignored, but being talked down on as if it were for her own enjoyment really isn¡¯t amusing.


    (Fortunately, I have a means of escape right now.) (Souma)


    There¡¯s a part that changed the most in the character behavior after becoming reality.


    Just like how I didn¡¯t need to go through the usual procedure when obtaining Shiranui, just like how I set up an environment where I can use the confessional by asking Mariel-san at the church, or how I managed to mess with the means of winning a match to avoid the marriage event of Hisame, dealing with a human has infinite possibilities.


    Until now, the only means of dealing with her was to talk with her.


    Her AI accepted no actions aside from that one.


    However, in this world that¡¯s a game and reality, you can do stuff like this¡­


    ¡°Hey hey, Onii-cha¡ªhm?¡±


    Her words stopped suddenly.


    That¡¯s because I took out something from my bag and offered it to her.


    And then, I made the friendliest of smiles and said this.


    ¡°W-Want some candy?¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s right.


    In this world that¡¯s a game and reality at the same time, you can do actions like this that weren¡¯t in the choices.


    If I think of her, not as a game character, but as a precocious brat, the answer naturally shows up.


    Instead of arguing with words, you entice her with something sweet.


    This is the only correct answer I can think of.


    Her response was¡­


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡­Silence.


    Even though she is the most vocal character, she said nothing, didn¡¯t take my offered candy, and ran off to the gate that¡¯s closeby.


    And then, she spoke to the guard standing by the side of the gate.


    I obviously can¡¯t read lips, so I can¡¯t tell what they are saying from afar.


    But I wonder why¡­


    I for some reason could tell what she was saying as she pointed at me.


    ¡°Officer, that guy.¡±


    I ran away at full speed.

 CH 39-40

    Since the moment I decided to have a match with Hisame, I had around 100,000E, but with the 50,000E price of the Magic Airship, and buying the staff at the magic store for around 50,000E, I am completely dry.


    I gave all the earnings from the last day to Ina, so I am one step into being totally broke.


    It is still enough for tonight¡¯s inn expenses, but it would be pretty rough to buy equipment.


    However, do you remember?


    I have bought nothing aside from mythril armor.


    (Going around the capital while still in beginner armor is practically suicide¡­) (Souma)


    Only the accessories, I have bought a lot and worn them.


    Thanks to that, my defense has increased a decent degree, but that¡¯s just a drop in the ocean.


    Speaking of which, I did painfully petty stuff like putting paper between the armor, but I doubt the defense will increase with that.


    ¡°¡­Guess I should sell my weapons.¡± (Souma)


    I acted big and bought all the types of weapons, but I don¡¯t need anything aside from the Shiranui and the Wakizashi for the sword and the dagger.


    If I sell this extra sword and dagger and add the funds I already have, I should be able to buy the lowest grade armor in this city.


    I decided to head to the weapon store first.


    ¡°I have done it now¡­¡± (Souma)


    I was supposed to sell my weapons to get money to buy armor, but for some reason, I fell into the downward spiral of buying a different weapon.


    It would be one thing in the game, but if I do rash actions in this world, it will directly impact my survival.


    Even though I know that¡­


    ¡°But man, that was some treasure I dug up there¡­¡± (Souma)


    There¡¯s an Item Dig Up Candidate List, and it is a system where there would be items displayed randomly.


    Even if it is shown that day at the store, there¡¯s no knowing if it will show up tomorrow.


    ¡°¡­Oh well, that¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s change gears.¡± (Souma)


    I already bought it, so it can¡¯t be helped.


    In the worst case, I can sacrifice Michael-kun¡­no, I can¡¯t do it in this world that has become reality now, but I should be able to manage if I do a number of quests in the city.


    I had no intentions of going out for a while in Lamurick Town, so I should just take this situation as just the right chance to do the same here.


    By the way, I bought 2 weapons.


    The first one is a dagger called a Heat Knife.


    The attack power is low, but it¡¯s an elemental weapon with fire by default.


    And the one other thing I bought was from the random pick up items, and the most recommended item in Nekomimi Neko.


    A small pitch black bag that has a single big hole and 5 small holes.


    They are basically fingerless gloves.


    I immediately put them on.


    ¡°Fuh! My right arm is itching!¡± (Souma)


    I got a bit too into it and said something similar to Sazan.


    Yeah, it looks like these fingerless gloves have strange mana that is not shown in numbers.


    But don¡¯t misunderstand.


    At a glance, these fingerless gloves look like totally normal fancy gloves, but it is a peerless unique weapon that has a special ability.


    ¡­It is a unique weapon, but it is not exactly categorized as an Unique Weapon, so please don¡¯t misunderstand that part.


    This weapon is actually the only weapon that has the same ability as being barehanded even when equipped.


    There might be people who are thinking ¡®Isn¡¯t that the same as knuckles?¡¯, but it is not.


    You can use barehanded skills when you equip knuckles, but the attack power will be calculated from the knuckles, and you can use knuckle skills.


    However, these fingerless gloves alone will have its damage calculated like barehanded when using skills.


    Then, wouldn¡¯t it be better to just not equip that and punch with your bare fists?


    I also think that.


    It is a mystery why the Nekomimi Neko staff made this, but¡­there was probably a chuunibyou within the members.


    W-Well, I don¡¯t think I will need to use these gloves, but not only is it pretty rare for it to show up within the random item pick-up, it is at an accessible price of 200E.


    I ended up buying it.


    (Hmm, I really should enter the guild.) (Souma)


    Looking at the weapons, I ended up wanting to customize a bit.


    And then, my next plan came up thanks to that.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go check out the Warrior Guild.¡± (Souma)


    There are organizations called Guilds in Nekomimi Neko, and by becoming a member there, you will get a number of benefits.


    The most prominent guilds are the Warrior Guild and the Mage Guild, the Thief Guild and the Bounty Hunting Guild. If you become a member, you will be able to use the facilities of the respective guild.


    Within those, the especially important ones are the workshop and the laboratory.


    In the Warrior Guild, you can customize your weapons and armor in the workshop; in the Mage Guild, you can customize your magic in the laboratory.


    Considering the battles in the second half, the customization of weapons and magic are a necessity.


    The Warrior Guild and Mage Guild have branches in other places, but you can only become a member at the headquarters in the capital, so most players who have come to the capital will go to the Warrior Guild and the Mage Guild at least once.


    Those are not the only benefits in entering a guild. By finishing the events prepared on the respective guild, you can raise your standing at that guild.


    That way, you can obtain several privileges, event reward items, and be able to experience the peculiar scenarios prepared for the respective guild.


    There was a lot of effort put into the guild events, and if you were to quantize the main story as 10, the guild events would have a volume of around 4-7 each.


    Moreover, if you finish the events until the very end, you can even see endings for each one.


    The events are also of good quality, and there was a time when I laughed my ass out at the last event of the Warrior Guild: The plan to make all the people into muscle brains. A nation falling from the internal discord of the guild in the last event of the Mage Guild, Purge of the Siren, also made me bite my nails in suspense.


    When you proceed the events up to a certain point, your relationship with others aside from that guild will be devastating, so it will make it impossible to proceed with the main story. No matter how you think about it, this is a fatal mistake that shouldn¡¯t have gotten the go sign. If this wasn¡¯t the case, these guild events would have gotten a higher evaluation.


    Most of all because, once you advance until the end of the Warrior Guild event, most main characters will only be able to say stuff like ¡®Me, defeat, enemy¡¯; if you reach the end of the Mage Guild event, most of the people in the nation will be dead to begin with.


    There¡¯s no way you can proceed with the main story like that.


    That said, with the first patch fix, when you reach the end of the events, you will get a ¡®It was all the player¡¯s dream¡¯ and get returned to before the branching point. That¡¯s way too much of an escape there.


    By the way, the ¡®it was a dream¡¯ punchline as a solution for this had a lot of backlash from the players. The end result was that, after finishing the guild events, you will get a command in the menu screen of ¡®Reverse Guild Events¡¯, letting you keep your stats, and you could now reset the effects born from the guild event.


    With that considered, in this situation where I can¡¯t open the menu screen, I have no means to reset the effects of the events, so getting too deep with the guilds will come with its risks.


    However, becoming a member and using the facilities shouldn¡¯t pose much problems.


    Also, I have replayed this game a lot of times, so I have done the guild registration event countless times.


    The entrance quests for the Warrior Guild and Mage Guild weren¡¯t that complicated, so I doubt I will have much trouble with them even with a low level.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡± (Souma)


    I opened the doors of the Warrior Guild that had the trademark of crossed swords on it with a light feeling, and ended up opening my eyes wide.


    That¡¯s because there¡¯s a blonde handsome man inside.


    ¡°Heya there. As I can see, you are a warrior, right?! No, there¡¯s no need for words! I will give you the honor of exterminating the Demon Lord together with me!¡±


    He suddenly said that.


    His face is one that I haven¡¯t seen once in the game despite my knowledge of it.


    (What¡­is the meaning of this?) (Souma)


    I was completely bewildered by the unfamiliar blonde handsome man in front of me.


    I am confident I have encountered almost all the NPCs in Nekomimi Neko.


    No, there¡¯s of course minor and hidden events in remote places where there might be characters I have never seen before, but this is the capital, and the one I have met here is a blonde handsome man with an extreme character.


    There¡¯s no way I would ignore a person like this.


    And the strangest part is that I encountered him in the Warrior Guild.


    I have come and gone to the Warrior Guild¡¯s headquarters countless times, so I know about all the characters that come here at the very least.


    There was no such event in the guild, and there was no character like this.


    I should judge this as an irregular situation.


    ¡°Uhm, who are you?¡± (Souma)


    I ask his name warily.


    When I did, the blonde man combed his hair with an exaggerated gesture.


    ¡°Oh, sorry for the belated introduction. My name is Alex! The man that will eventually be called the hero that slayed the Demon Lord, Alex!¡±


    ¡°Wa?!¡± (Souma)


    I was left speechless.


    Alex is supposed to be the NPC that¡¯s famous for dying as soon as the game begins.


    There have been reports of people having seen him alive, so it is not like there¡¯s no videos of him at all, but I haven¡¯t seen them.


    If this man really is Alex, then it would make sense why I don¡¯t remember that face of his¡­


    (But what¡¯s the meaning of this?) (Souma)


    Just as Alex said just now, he should have charged at the Demon Lord as the game began and died.


    This is already the 6th day since the game began.


    Normally, he should have charged onto the Demon Lord Castle a long time ago, no, finished his charge.


    ¡°Fuh, what is it? Could it be that you heard my famous name and are nervous? Or maybe your heart withered at the great enterprise of defeating a Demon Lord? No worries, I can defeat the Demon Lord alone. You just need to tag along in my journey as a warrior companion of the hero.¡± (Alex)


    No, you will die if you go alone.


    Is what I thought, but the more I hear about him, the more I feel he is not that different from his game counterpart.


    The difference would be that he is being fuzzy about this companion stuff.


    ¡°Uhm, you plan on defeating the Demon Lord?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right! The important duty of defeating the Demon can only be done by this hero Alex! ¡± (Alex)


    No, you also won¡¯t be able to cut it and die.


    That said, his conduct principle doesn¡¯t seem to have changed much from the game.


    Then, why¡­?


    ¡°Then, why didn¡¯t you go defeat the Demon Lord straight away?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this, his face showed agitation.


    His fishy archaic smile disappeared, and his face changed into that of fear.


    ¡°Yeah, I was planning on doing exactly that just a few days ago. But well, I got the advice from a virtuous mind, and uhm¡­changed that plan¡­¡± (Alex)


    ¡°The advice of a virtuous mind?¡± (Souma)


    Is there a person with enough reason in this world to stop this charging boar hero?


    I find it really hard to believe any amount of reasoning will work on this blonde numb-head though.


    But my question soon melted away.


    ¡°Just when I was thinking about departing from the capital to defeat the Demon Lord, a single girl ran to me, you see. I thought she had come to show her support, but I was wrong. That girl asked me a question.¡± (Alex)


    Eh, could that possibly be¡­


    ¡°Whether I am a hero or not.¡± (Alex)


    I sigh inside my heart.


    I can already predict what happens next.


    ¡°I of course answered that I am a hero, but that girl said that me being a hero is a b-bad¡­joke¡­ That heroes should be more intelligent, and that a hero without a single companion is weird to begin with. She said I would get surrounded by weak fry and die before reaching the Demon Lord¡­ B-Baseless insults and abuse¡­ I¡­I ended up¡­!


    T-That¡¯s not it! It is not like I thought of being violent!


    I-I just grabbed her shoulder to stop her, and¡­eh? How do I feel right now?


    N-No, there¡¯s no way I would feel excitement within the shame at being stepped on by a young girl like that¡­¡± (Alex)


    He was tripping off there and even began exposing dangerous stuff, but I got the gist of it.


    The culprit really was Poison-tan!


    Well, in other words, it is that.


    This muscle-brain dude was easily defeated in an argument by the verbose Poison-tan, moreover, was defeated in physical strength, was pinned on the ground, and his confidence was completely crushed.


    Basically, he is trying to get rid of one of the faults that Poison-tan pointed out, so he is now running about trying to gather companions.


    I can at least see the reason for how it ended up like this.


    Just like how Hisame now takes requests from people aside from me, the people of this world now do the actions they only did to the player to other people as well.


    Putting it simply, Poison-tan only spitted out poisonous words to the player, but now, she spits out poison to other people as well, and her poisonous fangs sank onto Alex.


    Poison-tan has made me suffer so much until now, but a life has been saved thanks to her poisonous tongue, so let¡¯s say Poison-tan did a good job this time around.


    Also, I have never seen the face of Hero Alex, but I personally liked him in the game.


    Him being saved is something to be happy about.


    ¡°W-Well, that¡¯s enough of that talk. And so, I noticed what I am lacking. More importantly, how about it? Will you come with me to defeat the Demon L¡ª¡± (Alex)


    ¡°No.¡± (Souma)


    But this and that are different stories.


    I went through the trouble of getting away from Ina and Hisame to be alone.


    I have no intention of becoming the companion of a weirdo here.


    ¡°P-Please wait! I need a warrior and a priest the most for team balance! You can just follow us¡­¡± (Alex)


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t care.¡± (Souma)


    I have been trying to be polite here, but I accidentally let my true feelings out.


    ¡°W-What is it that you don¡¯t like? Not to toot my own horn here, but I am level 200, you know? Coming with me would be better than journeying with anyone else¡­¡± (Alex)


    I couldn¡¯t bear listening to any more of this.


    ¡°Speaking of which, I forgot I had some other business. I will be excusing myself here.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Wa?! Wait! You¡ª¡± (Alex)


    I brushed off Alex who was still trying to stop me, and left the Warrior Guild.


    ¡°Good grief. Alex has really fallen.¡± (Souma)


    After getting out and confirming Alex is not chasing after me, I spill out that complaint.


    The reason why I liked the Alex from the game was because I sympathized with him challenging the Demon Lord despite not being a match against it.


    Numbers are power in the game and reality.


    It definitely would be easier to achieve your objective with 3 people of the same ability than with only one.


    That¡¯s the same in Nekomimi Neko.


    Nekomimi Neko is a game where your companions pull your leg 30% more than other games, but even with that, the difficulty decreases sharply with companions than without.


    I know that and accept it.


    ¡­However, closing your eyes to such difficulties and challenging the Demon Lord alone; isn¡¯t that what a true hero is? What a brave one should be?


    I won¡¯t say you have to fight alone to be a hero, and I by no means am throwing out the heroes who fight with comrades.


    But I definitely don¡¯t want to become the comrade of a guy that submitted to the insult of ¡®you are not a hero because you don¡¯t have companions¡¯ and began searching for them.


    If I were told that, even if I had been crushed in all other arguments, I definitely would have her take back her statement that you can¡¯t be a hero alone.


    That¡¯s the pride of loner gamers.


    ¡­You could say I am mad, feeling as if loners have been dissed here.


    ¡°That said, from the looks of it, I won¡¯t be able to get close to the Warrior Guild for a while.¡± (Souma)


    He did say he needed a warrior, so he must be keeping an eye on the Warrior Guild for that.


    It is a simple way of thinking, but it certainly is also a valid option.


    However, even if he is high level, I doubt there¡¯s anyone who would want to be comrades with that guy.


    If he plans on keeping on until he finds a companion, getting close to that place in the next few days will most likely net me trouble.


    Well, I will be needing the weapon customization when I get a weapon that has more attack power and effectiveness than Shiranui.


    No need to force myself to get involved with the Warrior Guild for the near future.


    Also, there¡¯s one other guild with important facilities.


    ¡°¡­Here.¡± (Souma)


    The Mage Guild.


    I take a deep breath in front of the door that has a mark modeled on a magic circle.


    The Mage Guild events are more rebellious than those of the Warrior Guild.


    Of course, as someone who has complete understanding of the event details, I doubt I will be having difficulties, but an irregular situation might happen from the world having become reality just like it did before.


    I steeled myself so that I am fine no matter what happens and opened the door¡­


    ¡°¡­Huh?¡± (Souma)


    I encountered a lump of iron.


    It must have noticed me being dumbfounded, the lower half of the lump of iron, the mouth that¡¯s the only part showing any flesh, speaks to me with a high pitched tone.


    ¡°Welcome, mage! Rejoice, you have been blessed with the best luck in the world. The leading magic creator of the world and genius mage, owner of the evil dark right arm, this Sazan-sama will¡ª¡±


    I close the door without saying a word.


    ¡°¡­Fuuh, that was close.¡± (Souma)


    Now that I think about it, there might have been a character like that who wears an exaggerated iron mask like that.


    Nope, I have no recollection of it.


    I totally don¡¯t remember it, but I do feel like the base of that stupid mage was the capital¡­


    No, anyways¡­


    There¡¯s one thing I can say at this point¡­


    ¡°I can¡¯t go to the Warrior Guild or the Mage Guild now¡­¡± (Souma)


    It hasn¡¯t even been 30 minutes since I began moving, and yet, I am now drawing a blank on what to do next.


    ¡°This was a rough day in its own way¡­ Seriously, in a lot of ways.¡± (Souma)


    Now that becoming a member of the Warrior Guild and the Mage Guild is technically impossible, I decided to head to the closest tavern.


    There¡¯s the choice of going to the Bounty Hunter Guild, but the sky was already turning dark now that I took a closer look. A rush of weird encounters has been happening here.


    With how things have been going, I might end up meeting the Tea Drinker or the Rose Piercer at the Bounty Hunter Guild. I would lose it.


    Most of all, I have been working intensely after pulling an all-nighter, so I am so sleepy right now. My body can¡¯t handle it anymore.


    The Bounty Hunter Guild is not a place you register in like the other two, so as long as I have no plans on taking a request, there¡¯s no problem with leaving it for tomorrow.


    By the way, the lodging cost is 1,000E.


    It is the price of 5 fingerless gloves. That¡¯s daylight robbery.


    The old man innkeeper of this city with a scary face and his daughter Alice-chan were both kind, so it is probably a simple difference in the cost-of-living.


    This is the disparity of regions.


    By the way, I spoke a bit with the poster girl Alice-chan at dinner, and she was a really good girl.


    As you can see, Alex and Sazan are lost causes, and there¡¯s cases like Ina and Hisame, so you can tell that this world has barely any decent encounters.


    I won¡¯t go as far as saying I want a fateful encounter with a beautiful girl that falls from the sky or crashes onto me at an intersection, but I think it would be nice to have more encounters with nice normal girls like Alice-chan who speak to me normally and are healing.


    Well, even without Alice-chan, this inn is pretty comfortable.


    At the times when I was in the capital, I would go ¡®this is a game anyways¡¯ and stayed at a horse shed that has no need for money. I had no connections with regular inns, but this place is unexpectedly nice.


    I once again think that after seeing the room that¡¯s one size bigger than the one in Lamurick and the visibly fluffy and clean bed.


    ¡°Alright.¡± (Souma)


    The first thing I do after entering the room is open the bag and bring out the Master Torch.


    A fluffy bed sounds enticing for an all-nighter body, but going to sleep without having achieved anything would feel bad.


    I use Shiranui and the Heat Knife to train my weapon proficiency inside the room, and I will sleep once my drowsiness has reached its peak.


    Today I met Alex, Sazan, and also Alice-chan, so dark clouds are already covering my loner life, but I won¡¯t give up.


    I will survive this world while keeping up my loner life, and prove that being alone reigns supreme.


    I collapsed on the bed while my thoughts were getting heated up by the corrosion of my drowsiness.


    (So soft¡­) (Souma)


    For my current self, this fluffy bed is a gigantic enemy that would be stupid to fight against.


    Drowsiness quickly gained momentum, and I was swallowed in an instant, my consciousness sinking into the darkness.


    And in this way, the shocking 6th day of my game life closed its curtains.


    The next morning, I felt a strange difficulty to keep asleep, and I woke up absentmindedly.


    But maybe because it was still too early, or because yesterday¡¯s fatigue still remains, it was a pain to get up.


    The nice scent of the sheets that tickled my nostrils and the lukewarm bed that¡¯s like the warmth of a person were not allowing me to wake up completely.


    (It really is so fluffy¡­ Hm?) (Souma)


    I feel like the bed is not as fluffy as the time when I slept last night.


    No, it feels really nice to the touch -first-rate even- but I wouldn¡¯t call it a bed¡­it is more like a living being¡­


    Thinking this, I faintly open my eyes and¡­


    ¡°Uwaah¡­¡± (Souma)


    I ended up letting out a voice mixed with shock and admiration.


    But that can¡¯t be helped.


    Looks like the encounter rush is still active.


    Because¡­


    ¡°W-Who are you?¡± (Souma)


    In front of me, on top of my body, there¡¯s a beautiful blue haired blue-eyed girl without a single piece of fabric on her.

 CH 41

    ¡°W-Who are you?¡± (Souma)


    Even when I asked again, the girl on top of me was not responding.


    Not only that, she isn¡¯t moving at all.


    It is as if there¡¯s no reaction at all from her towards my words.


    (W-What¡¯s with this situation?!) (Souma)


    A naked girl being in my bed all of a sudden is in the realm of games and mangas.


    I did say I wanted a fateful meeting, but it is not like I was seeking a meeting like this one.


    (What should I do at times like this?) (Souma)


    I try to show the bare minimum respect and divert my gaze from her naked body, and while I was thinking about a way to break this deadlock¡­


    *Knock Knock*


    A casual knock rang on the door.


    (This pattern is¡­!) (Souma)


    The worst timing.


    Me lying on the bed and the naked girl on top.


    There¡¯s not even the need to think about what kind of misunderstanding this will create.


    Moreover, there aren¡¯t many people who would have business with me at this time of the day.


    The highest probability is someone from the inn.


    In other words, the inn poster girl Alice-chan who I met yesterday.


    (That¡¯s bad!) (Souma)


    The manga and game scenarios I have seen until now flashbacked in my mind.


    My head was boiling in an instant and¡­


    ¡°I-I¡¯m inside!¡± (Souma)


    I shouted loudly at the door.


    But I forgot the most important part of the sentence!


    What I was trying to do there was the method to deal with a situation when ¡®the door is being knocked intensely at a public restroom and you are cooped in because your stomach hurts so much¡¯.


    With this, I can¡¯t even feign that I am not here.


    Now that it has come to this, there¡¯s no choice.


    I hurriedly faced the naked girl and¡­


    ¡°S-Sorry! Hide for a bit¡­uwah!¡± (Souma)


    I tried to hide the girl inside the bed, and we ended up falling onto the bed from pushing her with too much force.


    I felt her soft body with my whole body, and my body grew hot from the impatience and excitement.


    But this isn¡¯t the time to worry about that.


    Maybe because of that sound, the doorknob was being turned heartlessly.


    ¡°Ah, wait a mome¡ª!¡± (Souma)


    My words rang hopelessly, and the door opened¡­


    The person on the other side that had come to call for me was of course¡­


    ¡°Breakfast is ready, so I have come to call¡ªah, s-sorry!¡±


    The one who saw us lying on top of each other on the bed and turned bright red from that sight was¡­the old man that¡¯s the owner of the inn.


    I chased after the old man who immediately ran off, cleared the misunderstanding, and then had no choice but to explain the situation to Alice-chan who ran there to ask what was going on, and had her borrow some girl¡¯s clothing.


    ¡°I understand that there¡¯s that kind of stuff to a certain degree since you are an adventurer-san, but please don¡¯t do too much weird stuff in this inn, okay?¡± (Alice)


    Is how she reprimanded me.


    No, that¡¯s a misunderstanding too, but because I myself don¡¯t understand the situation well either, I couldn¡¯t explain myself well.


    That said, her reaction is better than that of the beet red old man that turned completely useless though.


    Or more like, you are a decently old, old man, so don¡¯t make such an innocent reaction like that.


    The mental damage would have been a lot less if he had gone ¡®last night must have been fun¡¯, is how I was complaining internally as I returned to my own room and¡­


    ¡°Wa?!¡± (Souma)


    I was rendered speechless.


    The blue girl that suddenly showed up in my room was still in the same position as when I pushed her down, in other words, with everything exposed and lying down on the bed.


    I woke up from my temporary surprise and put a hand on my chin at the question that surfaced in my mind.


    (Could it be that this girl ¡®isn¡¯t a human¡¯?) (Souma)


    Her suddenly being naked in my room is already a mystery, but what bothered me most is her reaction, or more like, her lack of any.


    I don¡¯t know what objective she has in coming to my room, but¡­no, if she had an objective, it would be strange to not react at all to my call.


    If her objective was to seduce me, she would have approached me more aggressively, and if that¡¯s not the case, she should feel shame in being naked in front of a man.


    Yet, she shows neither of those. Not only that. Even though she had time alone, she didn¡¯t even try to hide her own body, and there¡¯s not even signs of her having moved.


    Her being a robot is impossible in this world¡¯s setting, but it might be possible for her to be an automaton or a homunculus, I guess?) (Souma)


    I try my best to not look at her body that is lying face up and, in a sense, in a sensational position, as I approach the bed.


    Even so, I am trying to approach her here, so her body will end up in my vision no matter what.


    I did feel slightly bad for that, but it did have its benefits.


    (Now that I see her closely, her body is going up and down faintly, matching her breathing. So she is a living being.) (Souma)


    I slowly stretched my hand towards the girl that is not showing any reaction even when I have gotten close to her.


    The warmth and sensation of her skin is one that I can only judge is that of a human, so I throw away the thoughts that she might be a construct of some sort.


    However, she is not reacting at all even at this point in time, so she doesn¡¯t feel human.


    ¡°You are alive¡­right?¡± (Souma)


    I ended up saying that out loud.


    It simply escaped from me, so I wasn¡¯t expecting any answer at all, but¡­


    ¡°¡­Probably.¡±


    The blue girl opened her mouth for the first time.


    The blue girl¡¯s face tilted slightly towards me who was surprised.


    ¡°I am probably¡­alive.¡±


    She said these vague words clearly.


    There¡¯s a whole mountain of things I want to ask, but Alice-chan showed up with clothes at that moment, so I left the talk for later.


    Alice-chan directed a gaze of scorn at me when she looked at both me and the girl that was still lying there, but she didn¡¯t say anything.


    However, when she was giving me the clothes¡­


    ¡°I will say this just in case, but those clothes¡­are new ones. Even if you try to do w-weird stuff to those clothes, it is pointless, okay?!¡± (Alice)


    She said this and left the room.


    Just what does she think I would do if I were to get used clothes?


    Looks like I am being seen as a super pervert.


    ¡°As I said, it is a misunderstanding¡­¡± (Souma)


    I was plain shocked by the sudden rise in Alice-chan¡¯s evaluation of me being a pervert, but I have to ask the situation to the girl in front of me first before I can even begin to undo this misunderstanding.


    However, it would be troubling for me if she is not in a state where I can listen properly to what she has to say.


    I gave the clothes I got to the girl on the bed.


    ¡°I will be facing the other way, so please wear that for now.¡± (Souma)


    After saying this, I turn my back.


    But, no matter how long I waited, I couldn¡¯t hear the rustling of clothes.


    Or maybe she is changing her clothes without making a sound?


    After a good amount of time I would say was enough to finish changing¡­


    ¡°Are you done?¡± (Souma)


    I asked, but there was no response from behind me.


    Could it be that she already left somewhere?


    Uneasiness welled up inside of me.


    But¡­


    ¡°I will be turning around. Is that okay?¡± (Souma)


    I ask once again and¡­


    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±


    I got a short response.


    It was only that, and yet, I was a bit relieved.


    Looks like my communication with her will be a really rough endeavor.


    I turned around while thinking this, and my eyes opened wide at the appearance of the girl.


    To my surprise, the naked girl that got the clothes of Alice-chan had -lo-and-behold- turned into a naked girl!!


    ¡°Wait, you didn¡¯t change at all!¡± (Souma)


    I ended up shouting from the agitation, and the blue haired girl simply pushed out the clothes to me without changing her expression at all.


    ¡°How do you¡­wear this?¡±


    It sounded like a bad joke, but it seems like she is being serious here.


    It seems like she understands the concept of clothes, but the knowledge on how to wear them was completely gone from her. It seems she really doesn¡¯t even know how to wear normal clothes.


    Left with no choice, I helped her wear the clothes from behind her.


    (T-That was tiring¡­) (Souma)


    The borrowed clothes didn¡¯t have any special way of wearing them, but making a girl wear girl clothes is a first experience for me.


    I was completely mentally exhausted with just this alone, but the real thing starts from here.


    I put on a serious face and look at her.


    (Hmm, this is¡­) (Souma)


    My attention was being taken away by her naked body, so I couldn¡¯t look at her directly. This would be the first time I looked intently at her.


    Her glossy blue hair and pearl blue eyes were her most defining features, but even without all that, she is quite the beauty.


    Her thin body lacks any seductiveness, but she has beauty like that of a piece of art.


    (She is definitely a major character¡­) (Souma)


    Just want to point this out, but it is not like I am observing her with lewd intentions.


    The important characters in a production are in a standing of endearment by the creators, so more strength is put in their design, and the result is that their beauty increases.


    Being beautiful has a high chance that they are in an important position when it comes to Nekomimi Neko.


    It is almost impossible for me to not remember someone like that, but¡­


    (I do feel like I have seen her before, but¡­it just doesn¡¯t click.) (Souma)


    It is not like the time with Alex where I had no recollection at all.


    It is actually the opposite. I feel like I have seen her countless times, but I can¡¯t remember it clearly.


    Maybe her attire and hairstyle are so different that she isn¡¯t matching her appearance in the game.


    (Oh well.) (Souma)


    It isn¡¯t clicking, so I decide to throw that line of thought away.


    I just have to ask the important stuff to the person herself.


    ¡°You can tell me you don¡¯t know if you don¡¯t, and you don¡¯t need to answer me if it is something you don¡¯t want to answer, however, please answer as much as you can, okay?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Okay.¡±


    I rubbed my chest in relief at her honest reaction.


    I decide to ask harmless stuff first, and slowly close in on the answer.


    Then, the first thing to ask is¡­


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Tripped right from the get-go.


    No, she might have circumstances that don¡¯t allow her to say her name.


    If it is something more harmless than her name, it would be¡­


    ¡°Uhm¡­then, what¡¯s your age?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Even her age is a no go.


    No, maybe¡­


    I was assailed by a bad feeling, and began questioning her to clear that up.


    ¡°T-Then¡­level?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Your specialty weapon?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Skill specialty?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Then, gender?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Female¡­probably.¡±


    ¡°Where do you live?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Homeland?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Who are your parents?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Place you like?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Don¡¯t have¡­I think.¡±


    ¡°What food do you like?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I want to eat fruits.¡±


    ¡°Why did you come to this room?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Since when were you in this room?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°How did you get in this room?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°¡­VR, Log Out, Order; do you have any recollection of these terms?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Anything interesting happened lately?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the name of the god worshiped in this nation?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Ledistas?¡±


    ¡°What year is it?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Name of the king here?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°345 to the power of 2?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­119025?¡±


    This girl calculates fast!


    That¡¯s not it.


    (What¡¯s with this girl¡­?) (Souma)


    If she is not trying to deceive me here, it would mean that she doesn¡¯t even know about herself.


    What I could tell from the questions just now was that she is a girl and likes fruits, and that 345 to the power of 2 becomes a crazy number.


    I don¡¯t know what to do anymore.


    If I at least knew her name, I might have been able to remember though.


    While I was thinking that¡­


    ¡°¡­Ah.¡± (Souma)


    I finally remembered the existence of an important item I had.


    I rummage through my bag and bring out a bundle of papers.


    This is the important item I forgot about: the Level Appraisal.


    I have used it on Ina and myself before, so its effects have been proven.


    By putting this on someone, you can tell their name and level.


    ¡°Can I use this on you?¡± (Souma)


    She nodded without hesitation at my question.


    Even if that¡¯s the case, I gently pushed the level appraisal paper on her arm so as not to scare her too much.


    Letters show up on the paper.


    I sigh in relief, thinking that, at the very least, we should be able to take a step forward here.


    ¡°How can this be¡­?¡± (Souma)


    But after seeing the paper on her, I ended up groaning.


    I wasn¡¯t expecting a situation like this at all.


    I once again read the letters of the appraisal paper to confirm I didn¡¯t see wrong.


    £ª¥§?£ª??£ª??©a¡ù£ª : Level 1


    She is bugged.

 CH 42

    To think there would really come a time for me to use this¡­


    (Wait wait, then what does this mean?) (Souma)


    I was confused by the letters that are clearly bugged here.


    Just a few moments ago, I thought this was an event or something.


    The problem is that the person herself is not aware of her memory loss, but an amnesiac girl appearing at the place of the player is a classic development in a sense.


    But if she is bugged, the story changes.


    Or more like, now that I think about it, the characters of Nekomimi Neko can¡¯t be naked.


    Then, there¡¯s no way an event where a character shows up naked in front of the player can exist.


    Or maybe the event did occur, but it got bugged midway and she ended up naked?


    (No, I should think it is the other way around.) (Souma)


    She is bugged, so she is here.


    For example; she was ejected by the system because of the bug, and the result was that she was teleported to the special point in this world that is the player¡­no, that can¡¯t be, huh.


    Being thrown off by the world because of a bug is the thought pattern of a self-conscious person.


    No matter how many thought patterns a game program looks like they have, they are still programs in the end.


    It is not like they have a special artificial intelligence in them, and there¡¯s no way the system of Nekomimi Neko would have such an algorithm.


    Despite all that, this world isn¡¯t machine-like or program-like, most likely because of the power of the Wish Mallet (?) or something, creating a weird mix of game and reality. The fuzzy areas of this world are the result of the ¡®wish¡¯.


    It is hard to think that something like this happened because of a system-like issue like a game bug.


    At the very least, a bug where something suddenly warps to the player wasn¡¯t present in the game either.


    (In that case, was it simply her will to come to my place? No, that¡¯s also¡­) (Souma)


    The problem there would go back to why she would do that.


    If she bugged out after coming to my room, I might not ever be able to know the reason.


    Even with that, I continued asking her questions, and managed to get a bit of a clearer picture.


    She doesn¡¯t have a single piece of memory about herself, and she barely has common knowledge ridden with holes.


    The only proper memory she has is of a few hours before I woke up.


    At that time, she was already naked on top of me, sprawled there until I woke up.


    I asked her if she didn¡¯t have the thought of wearing clothes, or if she wasn¡¯t surprised about having suddenly appeared in a weird place, or if she didn¡¯t think of asking me about the situation, but her answer to those were¡­


    ¡°¡­?¡±


    A simple tilt of her head.


    Looks like she doesn¡¯t understand the questions at all.


    Should I consider this as her being completely bugged?


    There¡¯s a variety of other things I would like to ask, but I doubt I will be getting an answer.


    In that case¡­


    ¡°What should I be calling you with then?¡± (Souma)


    Not having a name would be inconvenient.


    Agreeing on a name should be the priority right now.


    She thought about my question for a bit, and then¡­


    ¡°¡­Ringo <Apple>.¡±


    Is what she said.


    ¡®What¡¯s with that name?¡¯-is what I was on the verge of asking, but I could tell that she simply wanted to eat apples and didn¡¯t think too deeply about it.


    I think that¡¯s way too haphazard of a name, but the person herself chose it, so I doubt she is going to complain about it later.


    Her name for now has been settled, so I decided we should go outside to ask around.


    I ask the innkeeper and Alice-chan first about her¡­about Ringo, with the intention of undoing the misunderstanding of before too.


    ¡°Have you seen this girl before?¡± (Souma)


    The innkeeper thought about it seriously, and Alice-chan had a face of ¡®what a barefaced lie¡¯, but she answered the question in itself seriously.


    However, the conclusion was that the two of them have no recollection of seeing her before.


    If she is a famous character, even without having seen her personally before, they should at least be able to tell from her face.


    The chances of her being a major character lowered a little bit here.


    Also, either the old man or Alice-chan were always at the entrance of the inn, so the problem is how Ringo got in.


    There¡¯s the chance she entered through the window, but the chances of it being a warp or something like that are beginning to sound more plausible.


    ¡°Now then, where to go.¡± (Souma)


    We parted from the two and left the inn, but it is not like I have anywhere to go.


    If I had money, I could go to an information broker, but I unfortunately am broke.


    Well, Ringo likes fruits, so ¡®that¡¯ works just fine.


    I began to walk to the place of a ¡®certain someone¡¯ that¡¯s an information network.


    But¡­


    ¡°Ringo, Ringo, it is over here.¡± (Souma)


    The special trait of Ringo was made clear here.


    She doesn¡¯t do anything she hasn¡¯t been told to do, and even when I do, she would trip over height differences, and if I don¡¯t guide her properly, she would easily run onto walls and obstacles.


    It is as if I am bringing along a super stupid companion in a war strategy game.


    She is not fixing her errors even when I warn her every single time, so I decide to just hold her hand as we walk.


    It is a whole lot of pain, but well, if I just think of this as temporary, I can endure it.


    ¡°But what do I do if I don¡¯t learn about her identity?¡± (Souma)


    She is level 1 despite being in the capital.


    I am level 13, so I can¡¯t say much about others, but I can¡¯t have her journey off alone as an adventurer like I did with Ina.


    (Or maybe her level has lowered because of the bug and she is actually pretty strong?) (Souma)


    Thinking that,  I observe Ringo.


    Before even deciding if she is strong or not, it really feels like there¡¯s something off.


    A feeling as if she usually is in a completely different attire than the one she is wearing right now.


    Especially on her head, I feel like there¡¯s something missing there.


    Leaving that aside for now, I peeked at her face wondering what she is thinking right now, but there was no expression there.


    Or more like, forget about expressions, she isn¡¯t even looking here.


    Hisame is also expressionless and doesn¡¯t react, but Ringo is a different type from that.


    Hisame doesn¡¯t show her emotions to the outside, so she is expressionless, but the expressionless of Ringo is most likely a lack of undulations in her emotions to begin with.


    Also, Hisame is the type that is completely aware of the other party, but doesn¡¯t react, however, Ringo is the type that doesn¡¯t react at all to the people themselves.


    I don¡¯t know which one is worse, but well, they are both bad in their own ways.


    ¡°Hey, Ringo.¡± (Souma)


    When I called Ringo, she faced this way without saying a word.


    When it comes to being obedient, Ringo is by far the better one.


    I honestly am relieved by that part.


    ¡°This is just a figurative question, but would you be able to destroy the bench there with a skill or magic?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this¡­


    ¡°Skill¡­? Magic¡­?¡± (Ringo)


    She asked back in wonder.


    We are beginning from there?-a part of me did think that, but I try to explain to her as politely as possible.


    ¡°In this situation, it would be difficult to destroy something that¡¯s at a certain distance, right? That¡¯s why you would shoot out an energy wave from your sword or use fire, water, lightning or something of the sort to defeat your opponent. That¡¯s what a skill or magic is¡­¡± (Souma)


    Seeing as how things are right now, she really doesn¡¯t seem to remember.


    Judging from her physique, I doubt she is a power fighter, so maybe she was a mage? But it looks like the person herself doesn¡¯t remember, so it can¡¯t be helped.


    I thought about this and was about to say ¡®don¡¯t worry about it¡¯, but at that moment¡­


    Ringo lifted her right arm and¡­


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡± (Souma)


    A violent lightning came out from there.


    The intense light brought forth reached the bench in the blink of an eye and¡­


    ¡°Eh? ¡­Eh?¡± (Souma)


    It turned the bench into smithereens.


    I don¡¯t know what logic it works on, but the bench scattered in an instant with the mysterious laws of the game world, and the only thing that remained there were the small pieces of wood making sparkling sounds and burning.


    That was some crazy firepower, and that¡¯s me lowballing.


    ¡°This is¡­a skill?¡± (Ringo)


    But contrary to what happened, Ringo asked as if she didn¡¯t understand the meaning of what she herself did.


    ¡°N-No, this is¡­¡± (Souma)


    However, even if you ask me this, I also don¡¯t know what the hell is going on.


    If what she did was magic, it far exceeds what a level 1 should be able to do.


    No, there¡¯s one thing I can tell from this.


    ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s run!¡± (Souma)


    We are definitely getting scolded since we broke a bench.


    We somehow managed to run away without getting caught by the guards.


    With the matter of Poison-tan as well, it seems like my fate is to run away from the guards.


    No, I ran away by reflex there, but leaving aside the matter with Poison-tan, this time around was completely the destruction of public property, so I probably should have stayed there and properly explained things.


    I at least write an internal memo to properly settle the matters there later if possible.


    At any rate¡­


    (I think I have seen that lightning somewhere before¡­) (Souma)


    It is a problem that a level 1 managed to use something like that, but I feel like I have seen that outstandingly powerful lightning before in the game.


    But where?


    ¡°¡­Ah.¡± (Souma)


    While I was thinking that, I arrived at the destination.


    That place is¡­


    ¡°Fresh vegetables! Come buy them!¡±


    As you can hear, it is a greengrocer.


    There¡¯s no fantasy-like potato that¡¯s as heavy as an elephant or a turnip as big as a house; it is just your usual greengrocer, a shopkeeper old lady, who is a bit of an information network.


    If you lower your guard, you will end up being made to listen to gossip of the neighbors for around 2 hours, so you have to be careful, but when you don¡¯t have money, you ask her first. That¡¯s the common knowledge of Nekomimi Neko.


    ¡°Oba-chan <old lady>! One apple!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Here you go, 50E!¡±


    It is basic manners since before the gaming era to buy something before asking.


    I buy an apple and throw it to Ringo.


    Both are apple, so it is confusing.


    ¡°You can eat it.¡± (Souma)


    When I gave her the permission, she nodded as if happy.


    Even if she doesn¡¯t know how to wear clothes, she remembers how to eat, huh. She bit onto the apple just like that and¡­


    ¡°A-Aaah!!¡± (Souma)


    Seeing that figure of hers, I let out a scream.


    I run to her and style up her hair.


    Gently put up her disheveled hair, and let it flow to both sides, and what came out was¡­


    ¡°Princess¡­Shermia¡­¡± (Souma)


    The face of a super popular character in Nekomimi Neko.


    The deciding factor was the scene of her eating an apple.


    In the few events of the princess, there¡¯s a scene in the Holiday of the Princess where she eats an apple.


    Thanks to that, I remember it completely now.


    The lightning magic that destroyed the bench.


    That was a spell that she used in the Attack in the Capital, and a great deal of monsters were vanquished by it. It is only now that I remember it.


    ¡­But, with this, everything connects.


    The reason why she didn¡¯t know how to wear clothes, why she wasn¡¯t bothered about being naked, why she didn¡¯t move unless she was told; it is not a bug, but the special AI setting of the princess.


    She was an AI that didn¡¯t move at all aside from events to the point that she was called the Doll Princess.


    If that has been replicated, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for her to be like this.


    The reason why I found her familiar but couldn¡¯t pinpoint it was because she wasn¡¯t in her usual dress, moreover, the tiara she usually has on her well-combed hair was not there.


    Even if that¡¯s the case, I can¡¯t escape from being dumb here for not noticing, but contrary to the popularity of Princess Shermia, the times she showed up in the game were really low.


    I will tell myself that it can¡¯t be helped that I didn¡¯t clearly remember her face.


    I speak to the girl who is munching on the apple, Ringo¡­no, Princess Shermia.


    ¡°I know who you are.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­?¡±


    It seems like she was curious about it, so she raised her head.


    ¡°You see, you are actually this nation¡¯s¡­¡± (Souma)


    I was about to say that, but I stopped.


    (Wait¡­) (Souma)


    It is true that I know her identity now, and there¡¯s now an explanation to why she lacks so much common sense, but that has nothing to do with how her name is bugged.


    The Princess Shermia of the game simply didn¡¯t have a daily routine AI, but she wasn¡¯t bugged.


    In the first place, if this is Princess Shermia, why did she come to my place?


    There shouldn¡¯t have been any event of her coming to the player herself.


    Also, how is this world dealing with the princess having escaped?


    (What¡¯s with this bad feeling¡­?) (Souma)


    Right, it is not only that.


    Princess Shermia is royalty in this country.


    Leaving aside me who has been playing this as a game, is it possible for the people of this city to not know their own princess?


    ¡°I-I am sorry! Wait for a bit!¡± (Souma)


    This bad feeling inside of me was swelling up more and more.


    It feels as if I am missing something really important here.


    ¡°E-Excuse me!¡± (Souma)


    I hurriedly go to where the old lady is, and decide to ask about the princess.


    ¡°I have a question. Are there any strange rumors lately about Princess Shermia?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this, the old lady made a surprised expression.


    ¡°Hm? Who is that?¡±


    Could it be that it is rude to suddenly bring out talk about royalty?


    I was about to falter from the intense pressure there, but I tried asking again.


    ¡°Uhm, as I said, Princess Shermia. Maybe talk about how she has been bedridden from a disease, or she has not been seen around lately?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°No idea.¡±


    I desperately tried to keep on, but there was no response at all.


    Looks like it will be difficult to get anything from her.


    I was about to wrap up the conversation there, but¡­


    ¡°In the first place, who is that Shermia person? Was there a princess with that name in a country nearby?¡±


    I felt like my back froze at the words she followed with.


    It would be one thing if it is other people, but there¡¯s no way this woman that¡¯s supposed to be an information network doesn¡¯t know about the princess of her own country.


    The bad feeling inside of me swells up more and more.


    No¡­ I shake my head to the sides.


    I am sure I am just not getting across properly here.


    Thinking this, I desperately explain myself.


    ¡°Who, you ask? I am talking about the princess of this country. The only daughter of the king and¡­¡± (Souma)


    But my words were heartlessly cut off by the angry shout of the old woman.


    ¡°What nonsense are you speaking here?! There¡¯s only one princess in this country, and she is not called Shermia!¡±


    She threw that impossible thing onto me.


    That¡¯s right, it is impossible.


    There¡¯s no way I would make a basic mistake like this in Nekomimi Neko, and there¡¯s no way there would be such a big difference like the name of the princess being different in this world that¡¯s based on Nekomimi Neko.


    Even with that¡­even with that, I asked her¡­


    ¡°Then, what is the name of the princes of this country?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this, she gave me a look of ¡®You really don¡¯t know?¡¯, and said this.


    ¡°It is Maki L Rihito-sama.¡±


    (Wa?!) (Souma)


    Shock ran through my head as if a club hit my head.


    (What did she say just now?) (Souma)


    My brain was trying to deny those words.


    There¡¯s no character called Maki in Nekomimi Neko.


    There shouldn¡¯t be.


    And yet, why?


    Why does that name sound so familiar?


    I ended up thinking of an impossible scenario.


    I continue sweating buckets of cold sweat.


    The old lady speaks to me as if dealing the final blow to my agitated self.


    ¡°It seems like you are surprised, but no matter what you think, since a long time ago, the princess has been¡ª¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± (Souma)


    I unconsciously cut her off.


    ¡°¡­No, she is not the princess.¡± (Souma)


    At that time, my brain had already imagined an unbelievable thing that couldn¡¯t even be called a guess.


    I was pushed by that thought, and ended up muttering this.


    ¡°No, even if you tell me she is not¡­¡±


    The old woman is saying something, but it is not entering my brain.


    That¡¯s right. She is the princess, but not the princess.


    ¡°Then, that¡¯s¡­¡± (Souma)


    When did it happen?


    I didn¡¯t confirm the names of the royalty in this country.


    That¡¯s why there¡¯s the possibility it has been like this since the moment I came to this world.


    But I am almost sure about it now.


    I have no concrete proof.


    But the circumstances are matching way too well to wrap it up as a coincidence.


    ¡°It probably happened¡­this morning.¡± (Souma)


    Ringo¡­Shermia said she had arrived at my room a few hours before I woke up.


    If it was a few hours before I woke up, it might have been right at 0:00.


    No, I am sure.


    I don¡¯t know when ¡®that¡¯ happened.


    But ¡®that¡¯ happened at the same time as the day changed.


    ¡°Today is¡­¡± (Souma)


    7th day of my game life.


    The 1st day I got to this world was the 1st of July in the real world.


    In other words¡­


    Today is¡­


    ¡°Today is Tanabata!¡± (Souma)

 CH 43

    I try remembering the day I came to this world.


    It feels as if it was a long time ago, but it was only 7 days ago.


    In the first place, the reason I was thrown into this world was because my cousin Maki wished for someone like me to go to a game world with a weird tool she found in her warehouse.


    Even if it wasn¡¯t her intention, I think Maki did quite the terrible thing to me, but leaving that aside, I think a bit more deeply of that time.


    It wasn¡¯t only one tool that was found in the warehouse.


    The 7 balls that can grant any wish, the monkey¡¯s paw that can grant 3 wishes, broken phone booth, a dried well, and the wish mallet that sent me to this world.


    And I remember Maki having found one other thing at that place.


    A long and thin paper that looks completely normal at a glance.


    A tanzaku used for Tanabata.


    Even if you tell me it can grant wishes, I would raise a brow dubiously, but if that Wish Mallet was the real deal, it is possible that the other ones can also grant wishes.


    That day, Maki wrote: ¡®I want to become a princess¡¯.


    Of course, nothing happened then, and I thought until now that that tanzaku didn¡¯t have any special powers. It was simply because the time was not right?


    Should I think that her wish of wanting to become a princess suddenly got granted because it is Tanabata, in other words, July 7th?


    Maki became this world¡¯s princess, Princess Maki L Rihito, and the original princess, Shermia, was dropped from her position and was thrown to my place¡­is a possible scenario.


    Of course, this is just speculation, so I don¡¯t know why Maki became the princess of this world from all places, why there was the need to switch spots with the original princess to fulfill the conditions, why Princess Shermia was send to me bugged instead of disappearing or becoming someone else; there¡¯s a lot of those questions that don¡¯t have an answer.


    But even if I swallow all that miscellaneous strangeness, I do think my speculation is a pretty plausible one.


    This happening at 0:00 o¡¯clock in July 7th is way too much of a coincidence, and I can¡¯t think of any other reason why Princess Shermia would be thrown to my place.


    ¡°You have been mumbling this whole time¡­ Are you really okay?¡±


    The greengrocer old woman said that to me and that brought me back.


    I was swimming in my thoughts there and was brought back out from them.


    ¡°Y-Yeah, sorry. I actually came to this country recently, so my memories are a bit of a mess right now. The princess of this country is Maki¡­Maki-sama, right. Are there any rumors about her?¡± (Souma)


    I hurriedly smooth it over and try asking.


    The eyes of the old woman had completely become the ones of someone looking at a weirdo, so it seems I haven¡¯t fooled her completely, but she is more of a gossip lover.


    My weirdness got blown off to space and she immediately spoke about the rumors of the princess.


    ¡°Hmm, even I don¡¯t hear much gossip about Princess Maki. In the first place, the royals don¡¯t come outside all year long. Oops, keep it a secret that I said that, okay?¡±


    ¡°Ahaha, right. Thanks.¡± (Souma)


    I think while I responded to her.


    If Maki switched with the princess, it must have happened this morning.


    Cause there¡¯s no way that troublemaker Maki would be staying obediently for several days in the castle.


    If there¡¯s no rumors despite that, it would be better to assume that she has come recently.


    What I should be worried about next would be her standing in this world.


    Should I think that she has inherited the princess related flags and her abilities?


    Also, I am personally worried about how much effect she will have in the forced events.


    At the very least, I barely feel any interference from the system compared to the time when I was a player.


    It was the case when I dug out the Heritage of the Thief Meripe without clearing the event flags, and even in the middle of events where you are in spectator mode and can¡¯t move, I managed to move freely in this world.


    If it is Maki who is originally not an NPC of this game, there¡¯s the chance that there¡¯s barely any constraints from events like me, but I am not sure.


    If, at worst, her memories and personality have been turned the same as the ones from the princess of this game, it would be troublesome in a lot of ways.


    Anyways, the people aside from Maki should be taking actions resembling that of the game, so it will be really hard to make contact with Maki.


    The princess coming to the outside aside from events is really low.


    However, if Princess Maki truly is the Maki I know, there is definitely a need for me to have a talk with her.


    But if it instead goes exactly as the game, the chances of Maki being exposed to danger would be pretty low.


    Aside from the Attack on the Capital event, there shouldn¡¯t have been any situations where there was any danger to the princess.


    It should be okay to think I have the leeway of time here.


    I just hope Maki is still the same as in the original world and is in a standing that doesn¡¯t get affected by the constraints of events though. Whichever the case, I would like to get some clues until an event where I can talk to her happens.


    If the one who disappeared was only me, it would simply be a college student living alone who suddenly disappeared, so it wouldn¡¯t have much effect, but the story is different if even Maki came to this world.


    Different from a loner like me, Maki must have a lot of things she left behind in our original world.


    She is a hopeless cousin that causes trouble the whole time, but I want to bring, even if only her, back to our original world.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± (Souma)


    Thinking that far, I reached a bitter thought.


    If I am to prioritize returning, I have to meet ¡®that person¡¯ again.


    I don¡¯t really like the idea, but now that it has come to this, I could go now¡­


    (No, wait wait.) (Souma)


    Even if I go now, there¡¯s nothing I can do.


    Also, before the talk of me lacking the appropriate strength, acting with ¡®that person¡¯ itself is way too dangerous.


    ¡°¡­Wait, let¡¯s calm down.¡± (Souma)


    There¡¯s way too many things I have to do.


    It seems like I am panicking here.


    What should be done first is to think about the things I can do at present, and clear them up one step at a time.


    ¡°¡­Ah.¡± (Souma)


    After calming down, I noticed the girl standing there with an eaten apple a bit further away.


    (What am I doing?) (Souma)


    What I should be prioritizing here isn¡¯t me or Maki, but the girl who has lost everything because of the wish of Maki.


    ¡°Uhm, Sher¡­Ringo.¡± (Souma)


    I was about to call her Shermia, but corrected it soon after.


    She will not be Shermia but Ringo, at least until I tell her.


    ¡°There¡¯s a variety of things I learned about you. I am thinking of returning to the inn for now and explaining that to you.¡± (Souma)


    I said that to Ringo.


    Her eyes were not directed at me, but she made a really micro nod.


    After returning to the inn and having a meal with Ringo, I will be explaining what we will be doing from now on.


    ¡°No way, even when the sun is still this high up¡­¡± (Alice)


    Seeing us entering the room, Alice-chan made a shocked expression for some reason, but I acted as if I didn¡¯t hear her and returned to the room with Ringo.


    ¡°First, about why you lost your memories¡­¡± (Souma)


    This talk will get way too complicated if I tell her about this world being a game and that I came from another world.


    As for the wish granting items, I should make them things that this fantasy world can accept easily.


    I tell her that my cousin wished to become a princess with an item that grants wishes.


    And that there¡¯s the chance that, because of this, the original princess Shermia was bounced off from the world, and ended up at my place.


    If I summarize it to only the main points, there isn¡¯t much to tell her.


    I told her about what I remember of her previous self, but she didn¡¯t show much of a reaction.


    Her lack of reaction was really making me worried here, so I decided to throw the topic to her.


    ¡°And that¡¯s basically it. Is there anything you don¡¯t understand or want to ask?¡± (Souma)


    Even when I asked that, she was looking at nothing without showing any reaction at all for a while, but¡­


    ¡°¡­Name.¡±


    She eventually muttered this.


    ¡°Name?¡± (Souma)


    I asked back reflexively, and she nodded reservedly.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t heard it yet.¡±


    It is a rare instance of her talking, but what she is asking made me tilt my head.


    I did tell her that her real name is Shermia though¡­


    ¡°Ah, do you mean my name?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked her that, she nodded lightly.


    Now that she mentions it, I still haven¡¯t properly introduced myself.


    It is true that I was completely swallowed by the abnormal situation and it escaped my mind.


    ¡°Sorry about that. I am Sagara¡­no, Souma Sagara.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    But even when I introduced myself, she didn¡¯t show much of a reaction.


    It seems like nothing happened despite her being the one who asked.


    (Ah, speaking of which, names¡­) (Souma)


    Her original name is Shermia L Rihito.


    What showed in the appraisal was £ª¥§?£ª??£ª??©a¡ù£ª, so  in terms of the number of characters, it would fit. <The Japanese characters are ¥·¥§¥ë¥ß¥¢?¥¨¥ë?¥ê¥Ò¥È which does match the symbols above.>


    Maybe it is showing some modicum of decorum here after throwing her away by the power of the wish, the 2nd character alone is actually correct.


    After thinking that much, a small question popped up.


    (Would the appraisal change after all the things that happened?) (Souma)


    In game and computer logic, it would be hard for the name data to change in the middle because of the will of the person, but in this world that¡¯s strangely mixed with the digital and reality, her being aware of her own name might have fixed the bug.


    ¡°Can I check your name once more?¡± (Souma)


    Anticipating that, I got her permission and placed an appraisal paper on her arm.


    The result was¡­


    [Ringo Sagara: Lv 1]


    It was something that betrayed my expectations completely.


    ¡°No, isn¡¯t this weird?¡± (Souma)


    I came to my senses and muttered this.


    It has suddenly ended up with me being the sibling or something like that. The random name I chose, Ringo, has become her official name.


    ¡°H-Hey, is that¡­okay with you?¡± (Souma)


    When I showed her the paper, she nodded in such a small way it would be hard for people around to even tell she nodded.


    But it bothers me.


    ¡°Shermia is your real name, you know? Even though you learned that, you are going to continue using a made-up name¡­?¡± (Souma)


    But she simply shook her head to the sides in such a fine manner it was as if it were a pain to do so.


    And then, putting firm resolution in those blue eyes of hers I can feel deep intelligence in¡­she showed the rare sight of raising her head, looked straight at me, and said in a refreshing voice¡­


    ¡°¡­Ringo sounds¡­tastier.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Souma)


    Names can be decided by how ¡®tasty¡¯ they sound.


    It was on this day that I learned that reality.

 CH 44

    ¡°Ringo, you understand what we should be doing from now on, right?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this with nervousness in my voice, she nodded silently.


    Her nodding deeper than usual must be because she properly understands just how grave of a situation we are in.


    In the end, we decided to keep her name as Ringo.


    There¡¯s no one who knows about the name Shermia -including the person herself- to begin with, and there¡¯s no special meaning in using that name. If the person herself likes the name Ringo, that way should be better.


    And what¡¯s most important above anything, we have no time to be worrying about such petty stuff.


    ¡°We might have to say farewell to this place too¡­¡± (Souma)


    Before leaving the room, Ringo and I look at this room that we spent a day together with.


    A clean bed, the chair that Ringo took quite the liking to and had been sitting on the whole time, also, this spaciousness that doesn¡¯t make it feel cramped even with 2 of us here.


    Even though I have only been here for 1 day, thinking about how I won¡¯t be able to return here anymore, I am feeling a bit sad.


    ¡°I already knew this would happen, and yet, I¡­¡± (Souma)


    I muttered this unconsciously, but the situation won¡¯t change even if I mope around.


    Right, everything changed a few minutes ago.


    The origin of all this was the innkeeper old man that came to our room.


    The information that he brought felt as if a knife had pierced my heart.


    Even for someone like me who has been hit repeatedly by the hammer of unreasonable reality every passing day, those words were pretty shocking.


    What he said was¡­


    ¡°Ah, right, yesterday was on the house, but if you two are going to be staying in this room from now on, it will be the price for two: 1,500E.¡±


    A rise in the lodging price!


    Even if I am called the boss of impulsive buyers, I have my sanity.


    It is because I wanted to secure 2 days of lodging that I properly kept 2,360E even after I bought the pick-up item from the weapon store.


    ¡­That¡¯s right, 2,360E.


    After paying one night, I bought an apple, so I currently have 1310E.


    Basically, at this rate, I won¡¯t be able to pay the lodging.


    Of course, if I push the loner life and abandon Ringo, I should be able to stay for 1 night more, but that would hurt my conscience.


    We may both be victims in a sense, but this was a situation caused by my relative, and different from Ina and Hisame, she probably wouldn¡¯t be able to live alone.


    I should look after her, at least until I find a place where she can live safely.


    ¡°In the worst case, the one who loses in rock paper scissors¡­has to spend the night in a horse shed.¡± (Souma)


    I confirm the current situation and begin to feel kinda sad.


    I didn¡¯t imagine I would have to experience that in the real world.


    There was barely any smell or sensation in the game world, but it is most likely different in this world that has become half real.


    Sleeping in that cramped, stinky, and insecure place like that would be a bit too rough on a city person like me.


    My nights in the capital were mostly in horse sheds, but in my first time playing, I was properly staying at inns with my comrades.


    I don¡¯t remember well the price of that inn, but even though I should have known about the price system of the inns, my thinking didn¡¯t go to that area.


    No, the money I had was already at 1,500E by the time Ringo appeared, so it might not have changed the situation much though.


    (Damn it! If I had held it in and didn¡¯t buy the fingerless gloves¡­) (Souma)


    My happiness when I found that in the weapon store and gleefully wore it replayed in my mind.


    I want to punch myself.


    ¡°No, this isn¡¯t the time for regrets. I have to act!¡± (Souma)


    I switch my mood and tighten my fist in front of my chest.


    And then¡­


    ¡°Ringo?¡± (Souma)


    Adversity would at times change people and make them grow greatly.


    Ringo must have felt something from my spirit, she approached this way with slow movements, and slowly moved her hand towards my tightened fist.


    And then, as if trying to display that open hand of hers, she showed a pure smile towards me and¡­


    ¡°¡­With this, you are the one to the horse shed?¡± (Ringo)


    That¡¯s so dark, Ringo-san!


    You have grown in a bad direction in this short amount of time!


    But I can¡¯t stay surprised the whole time.


    ¡°A-Anyways! We need money no matter what! We have to earn 200E today, at the very least!¡± (Souma)


    I tried to muddle out the rock paper scissors matter by shouting that, once again confirming my resolve for no more horse shed, and left the inn prepared to go all out or burn down.


    So I say, but with my current strength, I can¡¯t clear battle quests.


    No battles, can be done in the city, ends in half a day, and can earn money as a reward; with all those prerequisites, the candidates are pretty limited.


    I am not so cornered here that I would do Michael¡¯s Blue Bird. If it is anything aside from that, the one that came to mind immediately was the Lost Guidepost.


    The Lost Waymark is a simple errand quest of ¡®please leave a waymark at the location for my little sister that has no sense of direction¡¯, but¡­this event was said to be impossible to clear.


    The requester will give you 30 ¡®Crumbs of Bread¡¯ to use as a waymark, but just like in that famous fairy-tale, it will simply be eaten by birds if you make that into a waymark.


    He will then give you a white stone instead, but even if you leave that as a guide, the neighborhood kids or passerbys would pick it up, and it will end up with the request failing.


    Even if you leave an item yourself, the children would take it or it wouldn¡¯t serve as a waymark, and the request would fail.


    Then, what kind of item should be used for the waymark?


    Most players gave up there, but a certain player publicized the correct answer on the internet.


    At the Item Shop, there¡¯s an ornament that has more than 100 on their inventory for being the most unpopular thing there by a lot: Fancy Skull.


    This skull¡¯s system setting is: ¡®When you put it down, no one can pick it up¡¯. Even the neighborhood kids that would pick up pointless rocks would ignore it.


    It makes me worry why the hell would the Item Shop have so much of this useless item in stock, but with this, you can finally clear the quest.


    Or more like, different from the breadcrumbs and the white stone, it is around the same size as a human head. Makes you go ¡®how would you know you can use something like that¡¯, but well, this much can be considered easy to understand within the Nekomimi Neko quest standards.


    However, because this skull is a quest item, even when the quest ends, it won¡¯t disappear from the ground the whole time until the player picks it up.


    It would destroy the scenery of the city, so most would immediately retrieve it after clearing it, but no matter where you go, they definitely won¡¯t buy it. An unpopular item to the point of bringing tears to your eyes.


    However, even though it is such an unpopular item, it costs 100E each.


    You need at least 25 at the very least to clear the quest, so it would be 2,500E.


    I don¡¯t have enough money at all.


    Need money to earn money; what a terrible spiral I have fallen into.


    ¡°Can¡¯t be helped. Let¡¯s go to the Bounty Hunting Guild for now.¡± (Souma)


    When speaking of a place where you can earn money when you don¡¯t have much funds, that¡¯s the only place I can think of.


    Battling is completely necessary here, but I might be able to manage depending on the request.


    We decide to head to the Bounty Hunting Guild.


    Bounty Hunting is, putting it simply, something similar to what you find in Adventurer Guilds present often in games. The most common ones would be defeating monsters to earn money.


    Also, it is called the conscience of Nekomimi Neko in a completely different meaning from Hisame.


    ¡­That¡¯s because the requests found on the Bounty Hunting Guild are randomly generated.


    The Bounty Hunting guild gets random subjugation and delivery requests.


    It doesn¡¯t have a guild membership or guild rank system, so you can freely take requests like: ¡®Subjugate 3 Rural Slimes: Valid until the 9th of the 7th month¡¯, ¡®Deliver 2 Wild Dog Drips: Valid until the 10th of the 7th month¡¯.


    It is simple stuff like: if you defeat the designated number of monsters within the fixed time, or deliver the drop items from the specified monster within the fixed time to the guild, moreover, since they are randomly generated, there¡¯s nothing of the peculiar maliciousness of Nekomimi Neko.


    It is a loved system by the Nekomimi Neko players, to the point that they would say: ¡®If you are troubled, go to the Hunter Guild¡¯.


    Well, it is simply because the normal quests are way too evil though.


    A weirdo might be waiting for me there again.


    I slowly open the door that has a distorted request paper mark on it.


    (¡­Alright!) (Souma)


    There are no characters I have to be wary of inside.


    I enter the guild without worries.


    ¡°Now then, let¡¯s check out the bounties that look easy. If possible, delivery ones.¡± (Souma)


    For subjugations, you need to borrow an exclusive crystal at the counter.


    At that time, you need to deposit half of the Element reward.


    You get it back after the request is over, but with my current funds, I don¡¯t know if I can even pay that.


    (Hmm, none look good¡­) (Souma)


    Thinking about my current strength, I don¡¯t want to go to a place with too strong enemies.


    I want to aim for drops in the Deus Plain which has an average level of 50, but I couldn¡¯t find any such request when I skimmed through them.


    But when I was troubled by this, the noon bell tolled.


    And at the same time it did¡­


    ¡°Massive outbreak report has come!¡±


    A man that seems to be from the guild came in huffing and posted a new bounty form at the center of the board.


    The people in the guild all grew noisy.


    ¡°Oi oi, seriously¡­?¡± (Souma)


    And I was no exception.


    ¡°Could it be that luck is smiling on us?¡± (Souma)


    I ended up asking myself this.


    That¡¯s just how surprising this notice was.


    The newly posted parchment stated as follows:


    [Signs of a massive outbreak of Golden Stray Wild Slimes.]

 CH 45-46

    Slimes are originally good neighbors of humans.


    They are terribly docile animals that form communities and live together.


    However, there are certain ones that would stray from their pack.


    The story changes completely in that case.


    Slimes are living beings that maintain stability in a group. The moment they are alone, the stability in their hearts is lost, and their ferociousness increases.


    There¡¯s times when those wild slimes attack people, and they are considered monsters called Wild Slimes.


    There¡¯s also ones that are driven away from their pack because of their difference in appearance.


    They tend to have quite the high combative nature.


    They are called Ugly Wild Slime.


    That said, even if its combative nature has increased, it is still a slime.


    They get subjugated pretty quickly by adventurers.


    But within those slimes, there¡¯s those that bid their time, surviving the whole time while witnessing the deaths of their comrades.


    Those are called with a different name.


    The Wild Slimes among Wild Slimes.


    The loners among the longers.


    In other words, Stray Wild Slimes.


    Not only has it been excluded from the pack, it gets further excluded from the other slimes.


    In other words, a loner to the core Stray Wild Slime is strong.


    These guys who have climbed on the corpses of its comrades possess massive mana, and easily overcome the boundaries of a Wild Slime.


    Moreover, that heart of theirs tempered by the long years of lonely life made it possible for them to master magic that was impossible for Wild Slimes.


    They are enemies that adventurers would avoid if given the chance.


    And then, those Stray Wild Slimes would continue to survive, and from their way too long loner life, their heart would harden to the extreme, and the result of that would be that they would become Metal Stray Wild Slimes.


    Metal Stray Wild Slimes don¡¯t trust in anyone and don¡¯t wish for anything.


    Its closed off heart hardened even its body, and its body is now like metal.


    Their fleeing speed is abnormally high as monsters that have continued living on without a care for anything.


    Even seasoned adventurers would find it hard to catch up to them.


    Different from Stray Wild Slimes, they would run away as soon as they see an adventurer, and thanks to their high defense and nimbleness, defeating them is an almost impossible task.


    However, if you do manage to defeat one, you will get a lot of experience¡­is what people hoped for but, in the end, it was a loner that ran away from everything.


    There¡¯s no way it would have plentiful life experience.


    Or maybe that¡¯s a self-defense mechanism.


    The difficulty of subjugation, the lack of experience and element; all those factors made it so adventurers wouldn¡¯t target them.


    The Metals became true loners.


    On the other hand, there¡¯s the Stray Wild Slimes that would proactively fight adventurers, self-study, and become symbols of shining golden valor.


    Those are the Golden Stray Wild Slimes.


    The toughness and nimbleness of its body is the same as that of a metal one, but the reasoning for running away and the experience and mana it has accumulated in its body is on a whole different plane.


    Despite having tremendous power, it doesn¡¯t desire battle.


    However, the experience it accumulated until its body became golden and its massive amounts of element make it a sought for target by adventurers.


    Moreover, it doesn¡¯t seek conflict, so it doesn¡¯t attack.


    Thus, adventurers compete to get them.


    It is completely different from its unpopular metal counterpart.


    In other words, I am a Golden Stray Wild Slime, but you are a Metal Stray Wild Slime!


    I rest my case!


    That¡¯s the long post in a forum of Nekomimi Neko.


    Basically, he simply made that super long post just for an argument to attack the other party, and in the end, he got beaten black and blue with responses like ¡®Too long didn¡¯t read¡¯, ¡®Creepy¡¯, ¡®Doesn¡¯t that mean you are a loner too?¡¯, and he ended up quitting the forum, but the content of it was a bit interesting, so this post was left at a corner of the Nekomimi Neko Wiki.


    Of course, the explanation of the Wild Slime and stuff is full of BS, but you must have gotten the gist of it somewhat, right?


    The Metal Stray Wild Slime was probably set with barely any experience and money because of a developer mistake, so it was judged to be a monster with no worth, but the Golden Stray Wild Slime has a massive amount of experience and money, moreover, it doesn¡¯t fight back at all.


    By logic, even a level 1 could subjugate it. It is truly the best grinding monster.


    Moreover, if there¡¯s a massive outbreak of them, there¡¯s no way I would let that go.


    There will be a massive outbreak 2 and a half hours from here. It is forecasted that it will last from 2 in the afternoon to 4 in the afternoon today.


    If I do well here, I will easily be able to earn the lodging money of today.


    No, not only that, it isn¡¯t impossible to earn enough money to not worry about it for a while.


    I moved my gaze to the ruckus, and I could see that the adventurers who saw the post were flooding the counter.


    That¡¯s right.


    When a massive outbreak occurs, a Subjugation Contest quest begins in the Bounty Hunting Guild.


    I must not be late to ride in this.


    ¡°Ringo, we are going too.¡± (Souma)


    From what I see, only a few people are in this guild.


    We won¡¯t be missing out here, but I don¡¯t know what will happen if we take our time.


    I pull the hand of Ringo and head to the counter.


    I applied at the counter, and I entered the Golden Stray Wild Slime Subjugation Contest with Ringo as a team.


    We receive the exclusive crystal for the proof of subjugation from the talentless old man receptionist.


    Basically, the mana of the monsters you defeat will automatically enter the crystal that serves as a wallet, and you can use it as element (money), but the Bounty Hunting Guild uses that system to create a crystal that serves as proof of subjugation.


    This exclusive crystal only absorbs the mana of the subjugation target, and when you defeat the set number of monsters, it will be full, and it will tell you that you have finished the subjugation.


    If you bring that to the counter, it will serve as proof of you completing the subjugation request, but as I said before, you need to deposit half of the element reward to borrow it.


    However, the subjugation contest is the only exception. In order to avoid the massive monster outbreak from attacking the city, the first 50 people will be given exclusive crystals for free.


    That¡¯s the first required condition to enter the subjugation contest.


    The subjugation contest is technically a quest that has a mix of subjugation and delivery of the outbreak monster (Golden Stray Wild Slime in this case).


    In the middle of the subjugation contest, you will be in a state where you are in a monster subjugation and a delivery request.


    In other words, if you defeat 10 of the target monster, you will receive the reward of a 10 subjugation request, but if you have 5 of the drop items of the target monster, you will also get the reward of having taken a request to deliver 5 drop items, but you receive them after the contest is over.


    This is way too delicious.


    Also, in the case you are number 1 in the subjugation contest, your prize will jump the reward up to 10 times more.


    By the way, 2nd gets 3 times more, and 3rd gets 2 times more.


    Because the increase in the reward by your placing is so extraordinary, it is standard to aim for these spots in the contest.


    The especially important part here is the team. You can register a team of 3 and divide the reward.


    Just as I said before, I registered with Ringo as a team.


    It is true that a 3rd person would give us more of an advantage, but I don¡¯t want any conflict about the reward later.


    Let¡¯s aim for 1st place and do our best.


    Massive outbreaks and subjugation contests are rare events that would be fortunate if you get them 2-3 times on your way to clearing the game, but it is the biggest bonus event in Nekomimi Neko, and it is also one of the reasons the Bounty Hunting Guild is the conscience of Nekomimi Neko.


    That said, if the target monster is too strong, it will be impossible to participate, and if the place is too far away, you won¡¯t be able to reach that place when the massive outbreak happens.


    Also, it is an actual massive outbreak, so there¡¯s a lot of cases where it will be a lot tougher than normal.


    The sweetness of subjugation contests is normally tasty, but it is not simply an easy event.


    However, it is different this time.


    The location is at the Deus Plain that¡¯s close to the city, the target monster rewards a lot and is not dangerous, and it is a monster I have not seen even once in my playthroughs; there¡¯s no greater conditions than this.


    No risk of dying against the Golden, and if I get 1st place, being a millionaire won¡¯t be a dream.


    Even if we don¡¯t get it, just by defeating several of them, we will get enough money to not worry about lodging expenses.


    Sayonara, horse shed!


    We are going further ahead!


    I feel like I have been going through hell since coming to this world, but it looks like God is watching over me.


    Luck is finally smiling on me.


    ¡°Alright, now that it has been decided, we are making a plan!¡± (Souma)


    There¡¯s only 2 hours till the massive outbreak.


    I need to think of a plan to defeat the Golden Stray Slimes in that time.


    At that moment¡­


    When I was about to leave the guild with a cheerful mood, a voice that had a bit of a different tone from the excited adventurers but was around the same level of emotion reached my ears.


    ¡°Why¡­Why Golden of all things?! A-Aah, at this rate, everything saved up little by little for 300 years by the guild will be¡­ The guild is done for!!¡±


    ¡­Ah, yeah, my condolences.


    I was confirming the specs of Ringo in order to form up a strategy, but a shocking reality was made clear here.


    ¡­Hear this out. She can¡¯t use a single skill or spell!


    Ah, no, not being able to use them is a bit wrong. It is not like she can¡¯t use them even if she trained, but it is simply that she has only learned the basic skills and spells. She didn¡¯t even know how to use the basic skills to begin with.


    Then what was that lightning that destroyed the bench?


    Let me give the conclusion here.


    I was surprised as well, but that wasn¡¯t lightning magic.


    Then what was that lightning? That was¡­her normal attack.


    She didn¡¯t know the existence of skills and magic to begin with, so there¡¯s no way she would know how to activate them.


    How did she manage to do that attack then? Because that was an action that comes naturally to her.


    I don¡¯t know much about AI, so I can only work on guesses here, but maybe ¡®shooting out lightning from your hand¡¯ has been set as an action on the same level of ¡®waving your hand¡¯ or ¡®lifting your leg¡¯.


    Now that I think back on it, Princess Shermia at the Attack on the Capital event, she certainly did defeat monsters with lightning magic so often that it felt like she was doing normal attacks though. But to think it was actually being treated as a normal attack¡­


    Just because she wasn¡¯t intended to be a player companion, that¡¯s cutting way too many corners.


    No wonder she didn¡¯t run out of MP even when she shot them out that much.


    After that, I confirmed the output of her ¡®normal attack¡¯.


    I mainly had it tested out with Master, and I learned a few things.


    First, the AOE is just as its visual effect tells, does multiple hits, but it is non-elemental and treated as physical damage.


    Moreover, because it is physical, it relies on the attack power instead of magic power.


    Also, if she holds a weapon, the power of the weapon itself is counted, but the weapon category modifier and the weapon proficiency modifier isn¡¯t applied.


    Traits that give me a headache.


    This isn¡¯t magic at all.


    There¡¯s no lightning element, and it is even treated as a physical attack.


    She was holding a staff in the event, but if that staff increases magic power, that probably didn¡¯t even have any effect.


    I remembered that and had her hold a weapon, and no matter if it is a sword or an axe, it would shoot out the ¡®normal attack¡¯ from the tip of the weapon, and yet, there was no weapon modifier applied to it.


    How should I put it?


    It is as if you are holding a weapon in your right hand and only your attack power increases, and then you use your left hand holding no weapon to punch faraway.


    I can understand it in data terms, but the real logic behind it makes no sense.


    I decided to just sweep this off as  Nekomimi Neko quality and not think too much about it.


    Anyways, as long as she has this lightning normal attack, it should be a lot easier to defeat the Golden Stray Wild Slimes.


    But having that much power even at level 1, I can only call it fearsome.


    I investigated a lot of other things while at it, and I learned that her stats far surpass that of a level 1.


    What would happen if she were to level up?


    She might end up growing into an even more cheat character than Hisame.


    However, Ringo is abnormal in a lot of ways, so there¡¯s no knowing if she can level up to begin with, and there¡¯s the chance her stats won¡¯t increase even if it does.


    When playing Nekomimi Neko, the most important thing is to doubt everything.


    I will try to keep my hopes not too high for the growth of Ringo.


    Ah, I talked about Ringo the whole time here, but I also plan on participating in the golden hunt.


    Ringo¡¯s lightning normal attack, I will call it Lightning Strike. It is strong and hits multiple times, but the accuracy is pretty bad.


    I touched on it before, but if you hit the vital spot called the critical point, the damage increases, and if you finish it with that, the drop chance doubles. Basically, skills that can aim for the vital point with pinpoint accuracy are important in Nekomimi Neko.


    Right now, I am increasing the Weapon Proficiency of Swords, Otachis, Daggers, and Ninja Swords with Master Torch along with the proficiency of fire magic.


    But most Sword Skills and Otachi Skills prioritize power, so they are not suitable for that job. Ninja Swords have skills that do several hits, but the hits are all spread out, or would be dark element, making it hard to use.


    I don¡¯t plan on changing my double sword style with Shiranui and the Wakizashi, but I should use dagger skills mainly with the Wakizashi this time around.


    The Hexa-Stab that I learned from the dagger branch deals 6 hits at blinding speed in the same place your eyes are locked on¡­or more like, the visual effect is clearly just one stab, and yet, it is registered as 6 consecutive instances of damage.


    I am thinking of using that for the Golden Stray Wild Slime contest.


    The other important one is fire magic.


    You might ask, when did you even use fire magic? The truth is¡­I haven¡¯t used it once.


    Then why is my fire magic proficiency rising? This is thanks to the Heat Knife.


    I don¡¯t know if this is a bug or intended, but in Nekomimi Neko, when you use elemental weapons or elemental skills, your magic proficiency in that element will increase.


    The Heat Knife being an important item is because of this.


    Spells are learned by reading the magic books sold in the Magic Shop, and you can only use them when your proficiency in that element is high enough.


    I bought them in Lamurick, but I have never used fire magic, so it is finally time to debut it.


    Of course, even if I use offensive magic when I am not a mage archetype, it won¡¯t be showing much power, but even with that, there¡¯s a lot of fire spells that are useful.


    Power Up and Petit Plosion are the two main spells I can use now, and they are handy spells that, if I add customizations to them, I will be able to use all the way to midgame.


    Power Up is a spell that shows its effect regardless of magic power. It is a valuable spell that increases the strength of the user by a set percent.


    It is considered one of the mandatory spells for warrior archetypes.


    Petit Plosion is the inferior version of Explosion but, depending on the situation, it is a far easier spell to use. It doesn¡¯t cost much MP and the power of the explosion isn¡¯t that impressive, but it creates a blast that knockbacks enemies and allies alike, so there¡¯s a lot of uses for it.


    I properly bought elemental rings at the Accessory Shop, so it will turn into an even more handy spell if I use those.


    I plan on playing the support of Ringo using those skills and spells, but if given the chance, I want to defeat goldens myself and level up.


    It goes without saying for my beginner equipment, but it really is suicidal if I were to fight while still level 13 in these areas.


    I have to increase my level a bit here, or I won¡¯t be able to go out because of being too scared of monsters.


    That said, I would have liked to stay low level for a while more to increase my proficiency if it hadn¡¯t been for this event, but this is the time where I should prioritize leveling up.


    Weapon Proficiency increase is calculated by the level of the opponent. If the level is higher, you get a 10% increase for each level difference.


    I am a level 13 hitting the level 250 Master Torch, so the level difference is 237, making it 25 times faster to increase the proficiency than normal.


    But even if I raise my level to 150 in the golden contest, the difference is still 100 levels.


    The proficiency will go down to a speed of 11 times faster than normal.


    The efficiency will drop, but the importance of Master Torch will still be there.


    In the first place, considering the normal game balance, challenging an opponent 20 times higher than you is suicidal.


    There¡¯s no level modifiers for attack and defense in this game, but you simply get stronger by increasing your level.


    Unless you have quite the good weapon, armor, and skills, you would normally lose with a 10 level difference.


    It is true that Golden Stray Wild Slimes have unbelievable defense, but Metal and Golden monsters receive 1 damage no matter how weak the attack is.


    Moreover, if you hit the critical point, you get at least 2 damage.


    Even if you don¡¯t have the attack power, if you do multi-hit attacks, anyone can defeat them.


    Ringo will hit them with Lightning Strike and I will run in and use Hexa-Stab to hit its critical point.


    We will aim for 1st place with that plan, and if possible, I will have Ringo refrain from attacking a little bit, and deal the finishing blows to increase my level.


    This is our strategy against the Golden Stray Wild Slimes.


    After that, we also discussed how we will move once the subjugation contest begins.


    Even if we had enough ability to defeat goldens, depending on the competitors, we might have our prey stolen, and we might be unable to fight properly.


    Battling between participants is prohibited, so I am not that worried about that part, but it will heavily rely on whether we can properly get the better of the other participants after the competition begins.


    I must not miss anything here.


    Thinking this, I asked for the opinion of Ringo on a lot of things, but she didn¡¯t do anything aside from nodding or shaking her head.


    I was a bit worried here, so at the end¡­


    ¡°Do you properly understand what we will be doing once the competition begins?¡± (Souma)


    I asked this, and¡­


    ¡°¡­Follow you and shoot?¡± (Ringo)


    She answered briefly.


    What was the point of me desperately explaining to her until now? -Is how I felt, but she isn¡¯t wrong.


    I feel like Ringo is fine like that.


    Also, if we manage to earn money here, I should have more breathing room to think about what to do with Ringo.


    I don¡¯t know what she is thinking, but it seems as if she is unexpectedly into this competition.


    For now, I should think about overcoming this competition with our joint strength.


    ¡°It is almost time¡­¡± (Souma)


    Is it my imagination?


    I feel like the city has gotten a bit noisier.


    I am seeing more adventurer-like people walking with hurried steps to the gate.


    ¡°We should go too.¡± (Souma)


    After confirming that Ringo nodded to those words, we walked towards the gate.


    Onwards to the Deus Plain!

 CH 47-48

    ¡°This is bad¡­¡± (Souma)


    I might have been lacking a bit of foresight here.


    There¡¯s a lot more people than I imagined.


    When I looked at the south gate where we were heading to, there was already a crowd there.


    There were even normal people that are clearly not adventurers lining up there.


    The subjugation contest has a limit of the first 50, so I thought there wouldn¡¯t be that many people, but the outbreak this time around is the Golden Stray Wild Slime with the best experience efficiency.


    Even people who are not participating in the subjugation contest are heading to the plain for the exp. I should have properly taken that into consideration.


    (Maybe I should just take a detour to the east or west?) (Souma)


    That thought surfaced in my mind, but I immediately gave up the thought.


    The Deus Plain at the south gate is close to the city and it is the place with the weakest monsters.


    If it were at another place, it really would be life threatening if I don¡¯t change my equipment.


    In the Nekomimi Neko world, the south is normally the place with the weaker monsters.


    Looking at the kingdom as a whole, the Demon Lord Castle is at the north with the capital being at the center. Lamurick is southeast. With that information, you can piece things together.


    But, on the other hand, the enemies are stronger when faraway from a city, so if you go further south from the Deus Plain, the level of the enemies will increase for a while, and after going through around 3 fields, there will be the highest level dungeon for the south side.


    By the way, the boss in the area is said to be the boss that has killed the most players, King Butcher. I was also minced in one hit when I suddenly encountered it the first time.


    Well, a swordsman is a bad match against it, but in the current version, the level 120 Slime Mold Forest is a lot more of a threat.


    On top of being difficult for a swordsman to fight in, the mold monsters that appear there multiply with the passing of time.


    If you ignore it for several months of game time, the Slime Mold Forest will spread to the cities.


    It is a place that must be dealt with eventually.


    But¡­


    ¡°We are pushing our way through there and getting outside!¡± (Souma)


    Right now is not the time to be thinking about the future.


    I cut off the unnecessary thoughts, pulled the hand of Ringo, and plunged into the south gate.


    When we get across the gate and go out to the field, the amount of people decreased by an astonishing degree.


    Looks like the people loitering close to the gate were really normal citizens.


    There¡¯s no worries of getting attacked by Golden Stray Wild Slimes, and as long as the attacks hit, no matter if it is a regular citizen or a child, they can defeat it.


    The people of the city came to the gate with that in mind, but they don¡¯t have the courage to step into the field, so they are gathering up close to the gate.


    On the other hand, we should be at the field already, but there¡¯s no monsters around.


    I don¡¯t know how this world fills up the explanation for this phenomenon now that it has become real, but in the game, all monsters will disappear from the target location as an omen of a monster outbreak.


    That¡¯s why the people of the city managed to get all the way here, but I have to use this time effectively.


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go.¡± (Souma)


    I urge Ringo on, get out from the vicinity of the gate where the people are accumulating at, and go deeper into the plains.


    I don¡¯t think there¡¯s the need to, but we walk in a way that avoids the gaze of people.


    We take a breath at a place where there aren¡¯t many people.


    ¡°We will be running from here on.¡± (Souma)


    After giving the signal to Ringo, we begin moving for real.


    It seems like the city people accumulated close to the entrance and the adventurers plan on defeating the goldens in groups.


    It is true that you can reduce their escape routes with large numbers, and the chances of defeating them will increase.


    However, the chances of you dealing the finishing blow decrease greatly.


    If you have a way to defeat goldens alone, you should actually avoid people instead.


    The Deus Plain is a location with good vision. The only things you would find here is short grass, the occasional bush, and the big rocks that you can find in important locations. There¡¯s nothing blocking your vision.


    After running for a while, there were adventurers here and there who were thinking the same thing as us.


    However, they were not high in numbers.


    The subjugation contest has 50 participants at most.


    If most of them are in teams of 3, it would mean there¡¯s less than 20 groups.


    I was wondering what to do when I saw the gate, but seeing how things are here, I might not need to adjust my plans too much.


    ¡°Around here should be fine.¡± (Souma)


    At the very least, there¡¯s no signs of players around.


    Also, the shape of the rock in front of me is familiar.


    If my memory serves right, there should have been a spawn point here.


    ¡°Ringo, the first one should definitely appear close to that rock there. Counting on you for the preemptive strike.¡± (Souma)


    When I say this, Ringo at least nodded with her usual gaze that I can¡¯t tell where she is looking at.


    Monsters normally don¡¯t spawn in front of players¡­but this monster outbreak event is an exception. It is one of the few special events.


    The monsters will spawn even in front of the player, and the respawn time is reduced greatly.


    If possible, I want to grasp the trick of this golden hunt without the intervention of others, and with all our preparation working.


    I confirmed my own equipment before the monster outbreak.


    My initial equipment is the same, but considering the risks of getting attacked are low, I switched all my rings aside from the stamina ones from defense to elemental damage increase.


    I learned fire magic, so it would be nice to test it out when I have the leeway.


    My weapons are Shiranui and the Wakizashi as always.


    The otachi modifiers may not be of use here, but Shiranui is the weapon I have with the highest attack right now.


    I actually tried to lend Shiranui to Ringo, but Ringo wanted the Heat Knife more.


    Looks like she took a liking to the heating bright red blade.


    Those are some slightly dangerous tastes there.


    As long as she is attacking with Lightning Strike, her dagger proficiency and fire magic proficiency won¡¯t increase even with a Heat Knife, but the Heat Knife has decent attack power in itself.


    No matter how strong Lightning Strike is, it doesn¡¯t seem to have enough damage to deal more than usual to the goldens, so whichever way is fine.


    At that moment, Ringo raised her face that had been facing who-knows-what until now, and took a stance with the Heat Knife.


    When I look at the time, it is already 10 seconds before it begins.


    I hurriedly got ready.


    ¡°Ringo, once it appears, shoot a Raigeki at full power. I will go in with this when the enemy has stopped its movements¡­ Please, don¡¯t hit me with it, okay?¡± (Souma)


    Ringo properly nodded at my half-joking words.


    ¡°¡­I pray¡­I won¡¯t hit you.¡± (Ringo)


    Don¡¯t pray, do your best to not hit me -is what I wanted to retort with, but time came.


    Light particles gathered and a single creature was born.


    A jelly-like golden body with two cat ear shaped protuberances that are the trademark of Wild Slimes.


    There¡¯s no doubt about it, it is the Golden Stray Wild Slime!


    ¡°Ringo!¡± (Souma)


    The moment I shouted that, Ringo was already moving.


    Lightning surges from the tip of the knife.


    (Fast!) (Souma)


    That attack that even I wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid, the Golden Wild Slime reacted to it.


    But the lightning doesn¡¯t travel straight.


    That thing is as if 5 faintly unraveled lightning arrows were flying at the same time.


    The slime jumped to the side, but one of those lights scraped it.


    No matter how strong of an attack it is, it is a multi-hit attack.


    It understandably didn¡¯t get through the defense of the Slime, but it definitely managed to deal 1 damage.


    She then shot 2, 3 times consecutively without missing a beat.


    (Nice!) (Souma)


    Keeping in mind to hit where it is going to go so that it won¡¯t escape instead of actually hitting the attack, Ringo was herding it with consecutive Raigekis.


    Not only that, it was baited expertly by Ringo, and she finally landed a clean hit¡ª


    (Right, this isn¡¯t the time to enjoy the show.) (Souma)


    I use Godstep Cancel and rush towards the opponent that got a direct hit and had been completely stunned in place.


    Ringo must be showing consideration for me, she stopped shooting Lightning Strikes.


    There¡¯s no obstructions on my way to the Wild Slime.


    I use Step and Cancel to close the distance, and enter the skill range.


    The Wild Slime hasn¡¯t moved yet!


    I Short Cancel the last Step, and activate the dagger skill: [Hexa-Stab].


    Still not moving.


    (I can do this!) (Souma)


    If the target hasn¡¯t moved even at this distance, this attack won¡¯t be missing.


    I switch my reverse grip, lunge onto the Wild Slime, and¡­


    ¡°Oh?¡± (Souma)


    And went through its body.


    (J-Just what in the world¡­) (Souma)


    I look back in surprise, but the Wild Slime had already become light particles.


    But those were scattered by the wind soon after too.


    And that wasn¡¯t the only strange thing.


    ¡°¡­Hm?!¡±


    When I turned around to the pained voice I am not used to hearing, Ringo made a micro frown, and hugged her own body as if enduring something.


    ¡°A-Are you okay?! What in the world happened?¡± (Souma)


    I hurriedly ran there and she said in a weak voice.


    ¡°¡­vel¡­up¡­¡± (Ringo)


    But I couldn¡¯t hear her properly.


    I got my ear closer, and she said once again¡­


    ¡°Level up¡­hurts.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡­I see.


    Looks like leveling up a whole lot in one go is something that hurts the body.


    I leveled one level at a time, and Ina leveled up a whole ton in the Cave of Trials, but the person herself was injured, so that was the least of her concerns.


    But if I take the definition of leveling up as a leap in strength, it would be body modification.


    Then, it wouldn¡¯t be strange to feel a change of some sort.


    Anyways, if the level of Ringo has increased, it means that Ringo dealt the finishing blow on the Wild Slime.


    Meaning that the direct hit of the Lightning Strike was what killed it.


    Thinking about it, monsters remain for a while even when defeated in Nekomimi Neko.


    Looks like the Wild Slime had already perished by the time I had charged in.


    No wonder it wasn¡¯t moving at all!


    Well, this was the first one, so I simply was flustered here. In a sense, this was exactly as planned!


    I desperately make up excuses in my mind and approach Ringo.


    And then, she hesitantly asked.


    ¡°¡­Should I¡­hold back next time?¡± (Ringo)


    I was moved by how Ringo can now be considerate like this and shake my head to the sides.


    ¡­Listen here, Ringo¡­there are times when kindness can hurt people, you know?


    With the Lightning Strike of Ringo and my splendid charge, we defeated the first golden (prematurely died), and without waiting for it to respawn at that point, we moved to search for other goldens.


    This is our plan taking into consideration that I know beforehand about the mechanics of the monster spawning and the respawn amount at monster outbreak times.


    The monster spawning of Nekomimi Neko is incredibly simple.


    There are places called spawn points in fields where monsters will appear, and then¡­


    1st: 50%


    2nd: 30%


    11th: 20%


    Respawn: 600 seconds.


    That¡¯s basically the number of the monster group spawning, their chances of doing so, and the respawn time.


    In the case of the upper one, if the 1st monster is a Wild Slime, the 2nd an Ugly Wild Slime, and the 11th is a set of Wild Slime and Ugly Wild Slime, there¡¯s a 50% chance of the monster spawning in that point being a Wild Slime, 30% being an Ugly Wild Slime, and 20% of it being both Wild Slime and Ugly Wild Slime.


    The respawn time is 600 seconds, so they will respawn in that spawn point 600 seconds after the monsters there are defeated. In other words, new monsters will appear.


    However, most of those settings will serve no purpose in a monster outbreak.


    First, when a massive outbreak flag happens, no matter if the spawning monster chosen is the 1st, 2nd, or 11th, the monster chosen for the outbreak will 100% spawn.


    Right now that¡¯s the golden slime so, no matter what the original monster was, all of them will have golden slimes showing up for sure, or more like, that¡¯s the only thing that shows up.


    I will be digressing here, but in a certain beginner dungeon, there was a goblin outbreak, and not only the small fry monsters, even the boss became a goblin.


    The issue here is that bosses and event monsters alone shouldn¡¯t be overwritten by the outbreak, but they forgot to categorize the important monster as a boss, and the boss ended up turning into a goblin too. Well, it is a mistake that you normally see in Nekomimi Neko.


    By the way, the result was that the dungeon was easily cleared, but you couldn¡¯t fight that boss ever again, can¡¯t get the drop items, and because one of those drops was an event item, it was impossible to proceed with the event; a total mess.


    Anyways, there¡¯s a bigger change than the types of monsters in a monster outbreak.


    All the respawn timers will change to 300 seconds, and it is possible for them to spawn again despite there already being monsters there.


    In other words, regardless of if the monster is defeated or not, a new monster will definitely appear 5 minutes later.


    It might not click, but this is quite the brutal setting.


    According to the Nekomimi Neko Wiki, there¡¯s 50 spawn points in outskirt fields.


    In other words, 50 new monsters will appear every 5 minutes.


    There¡¯s of course not going to be any problems right at the beginning of the subjugation contest.


    You simply have to defeat the monster that appeared nearby, and you would think this is easy-peasy.


    But as the instances pass, there will be points not hunted, and because of injuries and MP running out, your numbers decrease.


    This monster subjugation contest that should have begun with 50 people vs 50 monsters, turns into  200 monsters vs 20 people 30 minutes later.


    However, the spawning of monsters stops at the 10th one; 45 minutes after it began.


    If you can wipe the monsters at that time, the end of the competition will be announced without having to wait for the end of the monster outbreak 2 hours later, but that doesn¡¯t happen unless the player and the participants are really high level.


    I don¡¯t know what will happen in this contest, but I decided on making my strategy with this information as the foundation.


    In summary, there¡¯s 50 spawn points in a field, and 10 monsters will show up from them.


    The result is that there will be a total of 500 Golden Stray Wild Slimes showing up this time around.


    If we can perfectly defeat 250 of those 500, we will definitely become 1st place, but that¡¯s not realistic.


    80 would most likely make us impregnable, but I feel like that¡¯s wishing too high here.


    ¡­That¡¯s why, 50.


    From my calculations, as long as we defeat 50 before the competition ends, our hands might be able to reach victory.


    And if we have to defeat 50 in 2 hours, that would mean we have to defeat 1 every 2 minutes on average.


    If we just camp one spawn point to kill 1 every 5 minutes, we won¡¯t make it at all.


    Confirming that Ringo has already recovered from the drastic level ups, we head with hurried steps to search for the next point.


    ¡°I thought a monster would spawn here though¡­¡± (Souma)


    When I muttered this, Ringo at my side said this.


    ¡°¡­There is¡­a golden.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Souma)


    Even when she tells me that, I couldn¡¯t see it anywhere.


    But¡­


    ¡°¡­Here.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo surprisingly led the way this time, and there certainly was a golden there.


    Does a level up increase your vision too?


    I thought of something silly like that, but what¡¯s more important is the golden in front of me.


    I lowered my speed and whispered to her.


    ¡°Ringo, attack when I give you the signal!¡± (Souma)


    A fleeing monster like the Golden Stray Wild Slime has been set to escape when it has been attacked, but also when a player has approached it to a certain distance.


    I have already mastered how much I can approach by feel before it will run away.


    After I approach as much as possible, I will have Ringo use Lightning Strike.


    I will go around from the side and, this time for sure, I will nail the [Hexa-Stab]!


    I glare at the Slime that is on guard, and after approaching it enough¡­


    ¡°Now!¡± (Souma)


    I shouted.


    At the same time as I did, I went around to the side with Godstep Cancel.


    But¡­


    ¡°Nani?!¡± (Souma)


    The Lightning Strike grazes the sides too, so I can¡¯t jump in carelessly.


    I had her test out her lightning after she leveled up, and the power of it has definitely increased.


    Before the level up, one stray shot hit the rock, and it only had enough power to scratch the rock, but she successfully gouged out the rock after the level up.


    If I were to get hit by that, I would be reduced to nothing.


    But even with a Lightning Strike that strengthened, it can¡¯t get through the defense of the golden.


    I thought it might be possible now that she leveled up, but it seems like it can only deal the normal 1 damage.


    The attacks graze the golden several times and its movements stop.


    (Now!) (Souma)


    I push back my fear and charge towards the golden.


    ¡°¡­Should I¡­hold back?¡± (Ringo)


    The one who said this after the fight was over to me, who had his shoulders drooped, was Ringo.


    However, the conclusion was that the charge did succeed and I managed to hit the golden.


    W-Well, its corpse, that is!


    Moreover, I couldn¡¯t aim for the critical point at all!


    That said, it is true that this is one step forward.


    I shake my head with a resolute look at Ringo¡¯s proposal.


    Of course, up and down, that is!


    No, it would be easy if this were simply a matter of defeating them. Then, for the growth of Ringo as well as for the sake of getting 1st place, it is necessary to adjust the power and make it so that I can properly hit the Hexa-Stab¡­probably.


    According to the Nekomimi Neko Wiki, the HP is a fixed 15 for the Golden Wild Slimes.


    That¡¯s why, even with 3 clean hits of Lightning Strikes, or 5-10 grazes, she can defeat them.


    ¡°One little notch more and I feel like I can get that hit in. Can you loosen your attacks a bit so that it is easier for me to approach?¡± (Souma)


    I am not exactly boasting here, but if I were to use all of my skills, I would most likely be faster than a golden.


    The reason I didn¡¯t make it in time there was because I was scared of the Lightning Strike of Ringo.


    If she adjusts that, I should be able to manage hitting!


    Golden Wild Slime, next time we meet, it will be your last!!


    In my case, when I declare such stuff with full confidence, it is a flag for failure, but it was different this time around.


    On the contrary, after that, things went smoothly to a scary degree.


    The effect of holding back might have shown, I managed to hit the next golden with plenty of leeway.


    ¡­To the corpse, that is.


    For the next one, I tried going for the Critical Point that is at the small mole (some say it is a hair) in the middle of the forehead on all slimes.


    At first¡­it failed.


    In order to aim for the middle of the forehead, I need to get to its front, and by the time I was confused where its front was, the corpse disappeared.


    However, the next one, I managed to scrape the Critical Point, missing it by a slight margin, but I managed to reach the point of almost hitting, so that served as a confidence boost.


    And then, at the 3rd one, I finally managed to hit the center of the Critical Point of the golden with the Hexa-Stab.


    The next one, I hit the Crit Point of the dead golden!


    The next one as well!


    And the one after that too! -I was slowly perfecting the success rate.


    After that, the golden hunt continued without issues, and as the instances go, Ringo¡¯s teamwork improved.


    And then, at the 13th one¡­


    ¡°[Hexa-Stab]!¡± (Souma)


    I finally managed to hit a living slime!


    It was moving, so I didn¡¯t manage to aim for the forehead accurately, but it died from the 6 damage of Hexa-Stab.


    Right after the golden became particles and disappeared, a shock ran through my body.


    A level up!


    A sensation that made me understand the reaction of Ringo happened to me too.


    Vitality welled up from deep within my body, and I couldn¡¯t stay still.


    Wanting to test out that new strength, I dealt the finishing blow on 3 more.


    It is of course not simple to break the defense of a golden. The movements of a living golden are fast, and I could tell that I can¡¯t aim for its Critical Point with my ability, but defeating 3 more spurred on even more growth in my body.


    Remembering the Appraisal Paper, I checked it out, and to my surprise, I have jumped all the way to level 82.


    While at it, I checked out Ringo¡¯s, and it was 107.


    As expected of the questionable balance of Nekomimi Neko.


    The balance breaker of a bonus monster is crazy.


    However, judging from this growth, the Golden Wild Slimes must be level 100.


    I thought they were a little bit higher level, but even if they are bonus monsters, it is a monster that shows up in the level 50 Deus Plain, so it is understandable, huh.


    I deal the finishing blow on one more, and after confirming I am now level 84, I decide to prioritize the hunt rather than leveling up.


    I can level up anytime, but there¡¯s no other chance better than this to get a whole lot of money.


    I give all the experience to Ringo, and continue the high efficiency hunt.


    The result was that the hunt proceeded even more smoothly than before, and by the time it hit the 30 minute mark, I had already counted to 22.


    Considering how we were fumbling at first, this is a pretty good result, I would say.


    At this pace, we might be able to reach the target 50 by the 45 minute mark.


    It is good that, while we were doing this, I could tell that we might not have to try that hard to get 1st place.


    Even if there¡¯s 50 spawn points, this Deus Plain is decently vast.


    It would take a good amount of time to go from spawn point to spawn point.


    I understood here that it is not that realistic to go from point to point to hunt a whole ton.


    In that case, we are most likely the team that¡¯s hunting the most efficiently and have obtained the most points.


    Or maybe it was fortunate that we did our hunting at the deeper area, in other words, at the southern side.


    I barely met any of the competitors, and there were a lot of spawn points that were untouched.


    As time passed, maybe because there have been more spawn points no one touched, the instances where we would find more than 2 goldens in one spot increased.


    This might be unexpectedly easy.


    Just when I thought that, an irregularity happened¡­


    ¡°¡­This is strange.¡± (Souma)


    I have been walking for around 5 minutes, and yet, I haven¡¯t found a single slime.


    I might be missing them just like I did before, so I tried asking Ringo, but it seems it was the same for her.


    Considering there were 2-3 slimes at the spawn points before, this situation is strange.


    Could it be that, different from the game, monster spawning stops in 30 minutes instead of 45?


    While I was having that unease, Ringo whispered¡­


    ¡°¡­There.¡± (Ringo)


    Hearing that relieved me from the bottom of my heart.


    It may be a bit far, but there¡¯s a Gold Wild Slime in my sight.


    ¡°That¡¯s the next one. We are getting it for sure.¡± (Souma)


    Saying something obvious like that, I hurried my steps and got closer to the slime.


    But the moment we approached the slime to the point of being able to see its face clearly¡­


    ¡°Eh¡­?¡± (Souma)


    Wind rushed through the plain.


    Something flowed from the side as if sliding, and it¡­crossed the golden for an instant¡­


    My eyes were taken by that shadow that passed at blinding speed for only a moment, and when I immediately looked back at the golden¡­


    ¡°You are¡­kidding me, right?¡± (Souma)


    The Golden Wild Slime that was fine just a few moments ago was now split in two from the center of its body.


    A little while after, the split slime became light particles and disappeared.


    ¡°¡­Ringo?¡± (Souma)


    At that moment, I felt my sleeve being slightly pulled and looked there.


    When I looked, I could see that Ringo was holding the corner of my clothes as if scared.


    This girl that barely reacted to anything she saw, was showing this much distress.


    This is of course¡­not towards the golden slime that was suddenly sliced in two¡­


    It is not that, but the person that came by at such speed you could mistake it for the wind, passing by the golden, and splitting it in half in an instant.


    It went through the defense of the golden that the Lightning Strike of the leveled up Ringo couldn¡¯t even get through, and possesses enough technique to accurately split it in half from the center at that speed.


    There¡¯s not many who can achieve that in Nekomimi Neko.


    ¡°You¡­¡± (Souma)


    That dry voice leaked out from me.


    The one I am facing is a girl that managed to do the feat of slicing a Golden Wild Slime in two and was looking here as if bored.


    ¡°So slow¡­to the point it makes me yawn.¡±


    There¡¯s only one person who would be able to spit that out towards the Golden Slime that prides on having the fastest speed around the capital.


    The one standing there was, of course¡­


    ¡°Mitsuki Hisame¡­¡± (Souma)


    As you know, it is the ¡®Dummy~!¡¯ person.

 CH 49

    ¡°Mitsuki Hisame¡­¡± (Souma)


    Hisame gave a glance at me who called her name, but didn¡¯t say anything and headed to the place where she defeated the Golden Wild Slime.


    She didn¡¯t show much interest as she bent down and picked something up.


    ¡°Could it be¡­¡± (Souma)


    I look in disbelief at what Hisame picked up.


    That¡¯s something I have seen before¡­no, a way too common sparkly golden something¡­


    She easily spoke the answer to that.


    ¡°Another Wild Slime Gold Coin, huh.¡± (Hisame)


    Hearing this, even though I knew the answer, I was mysteriously shocked.


    A Wild Slime Gold Coin is a Golden Wild Slime drop item, and it is an item that¡¯s possible to submit as a delivery item.


    However, the drop rate is a low 10%.


    This small gold coin carries heavy meaning in this competition.


    Normally, the subjugation and item delivery are counted as a reward of their own.


    The drop rate of a Wild Slime Gold Coin is 10%, so it is actually 10 times more difficult to do compared to just defeating them.


    That¡¯s why the reward for it is 10 times that of a Wild Slime.


    However, it shouldn¡¯t be that easy to obtain an item that has a drop rate of 10%¡­


    (I see, Critical Point¡­!) (Souma)


    I thought the reason why Hisame cut the slime from the middle was because she was showing off her ability.


    But that wasn¡¯t all it was.


    Cutting the middle means to cut the Critical Point.


    Thanks to the critical modifier, the chances of Hisame obtaining the drop item double.


    Double the drop rate means that it would also double the rewards for the delivery items, so the result is that the reward for defeating one would be 1.5 times more than if you were to defeat it normally.


    (Crap, this was completely unexpected.) (Souma)


    I had a sense of superiority thinking that the Critical Point drop rate up system was exclusive for the player.


    However, the story characters have talked about how it is easier to get items if you hit the Critical Points.


    This game system has properly been passed on to this world¡¯s residents as well, and it is common knowledge for adventurers.


    The reason why I didn¡¯t think other people would aim for that is because I still have the bad habit of thinking of the people in this world as NPCs.


    (No, you normally wouldn¡¯t think that.) (Souma)


    Even though I am using my arsenal of skills to its fullest, I still can¡¯t get a hit on the Critical Point of the agile Golden Wild Slime yet.


    Or more like, Hisame is probably the only character in Nekomimi Neko who would be able to achieve that.


    Why is it that, out of the many famous characters, it had to be her showing up here?


    This is just way too unfair.


    (Now that I think about it, Hisame is practically tailor-made for this competition¡­) (Souma)


    High attack power to defeat the high defense goldens in one hit; can catch up with the running goldens and accurately aim for their Critical Point; movement speed that allows her to quickly move to the many spawn points that exist.


    If it is Hisame who has all those 3 points, there¡¯s a chance she will be bringing out a high score that far surpasses my expectation.


    I said we would be fine if we defeated 50, but that¡¯s out of the question.


    Even considering 80 impregnable is questionable now.


    If we want to definitely win against Hisame, we have to defeat 100 ¨Cno, 120 or it would be impossible.


    ¡°I won¡¯t challenge you to a serious match anymore.¡± (Hisame)


    At that moment, Hisame said this as she put the coin in her pouch.


    She is showing a disinterested look as always, but could this be¡­


    ¡°However, you didn¡¯t prohibit me from competing with others for something. Then, I wouldn¡¯t be breaking my promise with you¡ª¡± (Hisame)


    ¡°Could it be that you are still bothered about having lost to me?¡± (Souma)


    Hisame should be able to find enemies that are far more efficient for leveling than Golden Wild Slimes, and I find it hard to believe she would be troubled with money when she can use Teleport Stones as if nothing.


    Could it be that the reason she participated in this competition was because¡­


    ¡°¡­Looks like you were having fun hunting at the corner.¡± (Hisame)


    She blatantly changed the subject!


    Did she really come here because she was mortified about losing to me and wanted revenge?


    But Hisame didn¡¯t falter at all at my gaze of suspicion.


    There were no strange signs from her face and attitude; a perfect poker face.


    If I had to point out anything different from usual, it would be that her cat ears are wiggling around.


    Hisame continued speaking as if nothing while her cat ears were moving dizzyingly.


    ¡°But there¡¯s no need to go ahead from here. I have already killed plenty.¡± (Hisame)


    However, her cat ears perked up pridefully when she said that.


    I have a bad feeling about this.


    ¡°¡­I wonder about that. In a competition, you can¡¯t tell what¡¯s going to happen until you open the lid, you know?¡± (Souma)


    I said that, but I was slightly daunted by her confidence.


    Moreover, even though I tried to shake her there, her cat ears were still standing and didn¡¯t move.


    It seems like she really wasn¡¯t fazed by that.


    ¡°If you really think that, struggle. I will be done soon.¡± (Hisame)


    ¡°Done?¡± (Souma)


    The question I leaked out unconsciously made her cat ears react a bit.


    ¡°¡­Meaning that I will return to the city in 10 minutes. I will wait for you there. Don¡¯t make me wait too long this time around, okay?¡± (Hisame)


    Saying this, Hisame turned her back.


    She went through the opposite direction with the same speed that my eyes barely can keep up with.


    ¡°¡­Souma.¡±


    Being called while I was absentmindedly watching the direction she disappeared into, I returned to my senses.


    It of course was Ringo who was looking up at me worried.


    Maybe because of the game setting, or because her memories have been robbed, Ringo didn¡¯t show much emotion at first, but I feel like she has been slowly showing more and more emotion lately.


    I should properly talk to her here and soften her worries.


    ¡°¡­It is okay, Ringo.¡± (Souma)


    I made proper eye contact with Ringo, placed a hand on her shoulder, and said this firmly.


    ¡°You can get 3 times the reward even with 2nd place!¡± (Souma)


    For some reason, she made a really displeased face.


    That said, I would like to get my spot as high as possible and earn as much money as possible.


    From then on, I wiped off our startegy until now, and thought of a new plan while considering the existence of Hisame.


    First, stop competing with Hisame.


    No matter how I think about it, I doubt we will be able to match the killing speed of Hisame.


    From here on, we should move in a way that doesn¡¯t intersect with Hisame.


    We encountered Hisame a little south from the center of the map.


    She came from the northeast, and ran off southwest.


    I can predict her movements to a certain degree with that information.


    Hisame told me: ¡®You were having fun hunting at the corner¡¯.


    In other words, I imagine she was tracking me with the Explorer Ring.


    If she wanted to meet me before that, she could have done so.


    And yet, she didn¡¯t. Meaning that she didn¡¯t have the intention to.


    Then, why did she come to meet me now?


    Probably because she will be defeating goldens in the opposite direction of me. She has most likely gone around the whole north from here to a certain degree.


    She was steamrolling, or maybe it would be better to call it carpet bombing.


    I wouldn¡¯t think of something that fearsome for anyone aside from her. It is Hisame¡¯s mobility that makes me think like that.


    With those points in mind, I think she most likely moved in a zig-zag from east to west while slowly going from north to south.


    If that¡¯s the case, it is understandable why she would run off southwest after arriving from the northeast.


    I have no solid proof here, but let¡¯s form our thoughts with that basis.


    In that case, how should I be moving?


    One option would be to go full force to the north.


    Even she wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat enemies that haven¡¯t spawned.


    If her steamrolling plan happened at the northernmost side at first, there¡¯s the chance that monsters still hadn¡¯t respawned yet.


    Even if 10 spawn points have no monsters yet, we might be able to find around 6 spawn points with a whole lot of them.


    But that¡¯s a poor plan.


    The north side has a lot of participants aside from Hisame, and there¡¯s the chance Hisame would return to finish the ones she hasn¡¯t dealt with.


    Moving takes time, and if that traveling doesn¡¯t bear any results, it would be shameful.


    In that case, what about doing the opposite? Returning to the south.


    Hisame went south, but if her movements are the same as before, it would take time for her to reach the edge of the south side.


    Also, we began moving from the south slightly to the east, went to the southwest, made a turn, and reached close to the center.


    If Hisame moved exactly as I have speculated here, the edge of the southeast side has still not been touched by either me or Hisame.


    The bad points of this would be that we might be clashing with the participants aiming for the corners.


    Also, while we are moving around the southeast, Hisame will be taking control of all the other areas, holding the danger of not having any hopes for points in other locations.


    (No, even with that, we should go.) (Souma)


    I have already decided to not compete with Hisame head on.


    Then, the best plan here to obtain the most points would be to head southeast.


    ¡°Ringo, let¡¯s return south. There might be places where no one has touched yet.¡± (Souma)


    When I said this, Ringo nodded lightly.


    Also¡­


    ¡°¡­Want to divide?¡± (Ringo)


    She must have felt a threat from the presence of Hisame, she even proposed this.


    But I immediately shook my head to the sides.


    ¡°No, we won¡¯t be changing our fighting style. I think our way of doing things until now is the best one.¡± (Souma)


    I thought for an instant only about dividing to increase the efficiency, but it would most likely prove the opposite effect.


    Or more like, I don¡¯t think I would be able to defeat a Golden Wild Slime alone.


    ¡°¡­Okay.¡± (Ringo)


    It seems like Ringo also can tell that our teamwork until now has been going well.


    She immediately agreed.


    ¡°For now, let¡¯s prioritize moving rather than searching for goldens. We are moving full force.¡± (Souma)


    Confirming that Ringo nodded once again, we began moving southeast while I used Godstep Cancel.


    And then, 1 hour passed since the competition began.


    We were at 22 at the 30 minute mark, but now it is 3 times that: 66.


    Our plan hit the mark, and we managed to find several spawn points that were untouched.


    The next topic to worry about was how to defeat the packs of Golden Wild Slimes, but we skillfully utilized their fleeing nature to our advantage.


    The fleeing type monsters run away if they are attacked or get close to them, but different from when they get attacked, if you get close to them, they will run a certain distance and stop there.


    We also utilized the rule that monsters in outbreaks can¡¯t get out from the area.


    We closed the distance to the goldens little by little, separated the pack, and defeated them one by one when they were divided; or we would corner them all the way to the border of the area, and would defeat them for sure there.


    Of course, chances of failure increase against many, so we failed to defeat 2-3, but we managed to gain a lot of points here.


    We didn¡¯t look to the sides until we reached the southern tip and the full speed run of Ringo is faster than even mine, so she managed to keep up with my Godstep Cancel movement that had breaks in between, which served heavily in the success of this plan.


    Also, there were points outside the southeast area where there were still goldens.


    I don¡¯t know why, but it seems like Hisame didn¡¯t go all the way to the edge of the south side.


    It didn¡¯t go the same way as the southeast with 9-10 in one point, but we did manage to add a few of them to our score.


    Also, there was an unexpected result from this.


    The Ninja Sword: Golden Sakura.


    This is a rare drop from Golden Wild Slimes that has a drop rate of 0.1%, and it is a powerful item, but it isn¡¯t included in the delivery items.


    Honestly speaking, this time around, I would have preferred golden coins, but I can¡¯t be picky here.


    Thinking of the drop rate, being able to get even one can be considered fortunate.


    I decided to use it gratefully and had Ringo equip it.


    By using the Golden Sakura that is far better than the Heat Knife, she can now defeat goldens in one hit, increasing the efficiency of the hunt¡­not really, but it seems like she took a liking to it.


    In the first place, there¡¯s a lot of unknowns when it comes to the strength of Ringo. I don¡¯t know if she surpasses Princess Shermia in the Attack on the Capital.


    Now that I think about it, Ringo had unbelievable strength for a level 1, including the Lightning Strike, but I doubt she would be able to show overwhelming strength like at the time in the Attack on the Capital event.


    That event has a level average of 100, and Princess Shermia was going against level 90 bird monsters with HP on the low side.


    Even so, I doubt she could defeat a monster like that in one hit with a Lightning Strike that simply scratched a rock.


    In that case, Shermia wasn¡¯t level 1 at that time. Maybe her equipment played a part in it, or there was an event modifier placed on her then.


    Anyways, with that Golden Sakura, I have the confidence to say that we managed to obtain the closest to best result we could have obtained in the limited time we have at the plain.


    However¡­


    (That¡¯s still not enough¡­) (Souma)


    Seeing how Hisame acted, 66 doesn¡¯t give me peace of mind.


    I tried searching to see if there¡¯s any others I missed, but I couldn¡¯t find any goldens anymore.


    We encountered a number of teams while at it, but it seems like they didn¡¯t have much luck either.


    Most people were already going back to the city.


    That was at the time when 1 hour had passed since the competition began.


    And yet, we found no goldens to an abnormal extent.


    Were the Golden Wild Slimes really already hunted down completely?


    It is true that there were cases in the game when the remaining people would aim for the monsters missed when there¡¯s someone who is defeating a whole ton of monsters.


    (It is over already, huh¡­) (Souma)


    Now that I think about it, we managed the 50 which was our objective at first.


    I didn¡¯t expect the superhuman Hisame to show up here, but this is still quite the good result.


    It is not set that we have no chance for 1st place.


    I checked the watch and it is showing it is 3:11 p.m.


    That means I haven¡¯t seen new slimes in more than 10 minutes.


    All the Wild Slimes must have been defeated by someone already.


    We worked plenty hard already.


    Putting an end to it here is most likely the correct answer.


    ¡°Then, Ringo, it is about time we¡­¡± (Souma)


    Go back ¨Cis what I was about to say, but I stopped.


    (¡­No, it is¡­not over yet.) (Souma)


    I remembered.


    It would be one thing if it is after the 2 hours when the monster outbreak is over, but the announcement for the end of the competition -which I don¡¯t know how they can tell- from the guild, has not happened yet.


    Since it hasn¡¯t happened, it means that there¡¯s still goldens in this area.


    (There¡¯s still more that were missed? But¡­) (Souma)


    What surfaced in my mind was the small rumor about this Deus Plain.


    If that¡¯s true¡­


    I check the watch again.


    3:12 p.m.


    We can still make it to that place.


    ¡°Ringo, we might still be able to manage something here. We are heading southwest!¡± (Souma)


    I shouted this and ran off without confirming her response.


    At the very least, there¡¯s no worry of her getting lost.


    Our next destination is at the southwest of the Deus Plain, where the biggest rock in this area is located.

 CH 50

    About the subjugation contest in the Deus Plain, from a pretty early stage, there were a number of reports stating: ¡°Even though I should have defeated all the monsters, the competition is not ending¡±.


    However, reports like that coming up in competitions is an usual occurrence, and because there were many such reports of the same thing in other places, it was simply brushed off as ¡®There must have been some you didn¡¯t defeat. Look better¡¯.


    However, a while after Nekomimi Neko came out, even midgame characters who have many enemy search items and abilities suffered from that very same phenomenon, so the suspicion that there must be some sort of bug happening here was born.


    What surfaced at that time was the rumor of the Hidden Monsters at the Giant Rock.


    The rumor is that, at the back of the giant rock southwest, in other words, if you check the south side of the rock, you can apparently hear strange sounds every now and then.


    Those sounds could be heard at 5 minute intervals, but even when the 45 minutes of the monster spawning passes, you can still hear it.


    From this, rumors surfaced that maybe there are special event monsters inside the rock, and that is impeding the end of the subjugation contest.


    However, in the middle of that turmoil, there was a person who moved his attention to the special characteristic of the Deus Plain without being complacent with the conclusion that it is an event monster.


    There would be stuff like bushes and rocks in the Deus Plain at somewhat set patterns, but there¡¯s a place where there¡¯s none of that a bit away from that south giant rock.


    There¡¯s grass growing there just like the other places, but for some reason, there were no spawn points in that area only, and there¡¯s not only no trees, not even small rocks were placed there.


    Also, the strange thing is that: the place with nothing there and the giant rock by the side are almost the same size.


    And then, he (or she) was the first one to discover that this giant rock might have moved for some reason from its original position.


    If that¡¯s the case, the aforementioned strange rumor would have more credibility to it.


    It has already been said that, if there¡¯s an obstruction in the spawn point, monsters will spawn slightly to the side, but in the case the obstruction is gigantic, the spawn of the monster itself will be canceled.


    In other words, because the giant rock was moved to a place that was originally normal, a spawn point ended up being inside the rock, creating a spawn point that is impossible for monsters to spawn.


    This is truly a convincing argument, but if that¡¯s really the case, it can¡¯t be verified.


    After all, you can¡¯t interact with rocks or ground in the game.


    It is an indestructible object, or more like, it wasn¡¯t set to be possible to destroy.


    The rumors eventually withered down, and I had forgotten about it until now.


    However, this world is a game and not a game.


    With this world that is a mix of game and reality, we can confirm that.


    ¡°Ringo, here! Gouge out this place full force!¡± (Souma)


    We moved at full speed to the back of that giant rock, and found the apparent location spoken of in the rumors.


    All that¡¯s left is to open a hole here.


    ¡°¡­Okay.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo, who has faintly increased how much she talks recently, gives me that short response and shoots a Lightning Strike.


    The Lightning Strike of Ringo equipped with the rare drop, Golden Sakura, gouged out the rock with visible progress.


    ¡°Continue, continue just like that! Aiming as low as possible, in a way that the rock doesn¡¯t crumble.¡± (Souma)


    3:14, it will be 15 soon.


    I wait patiently while listening to the ear piercing sounds of the Lightning Strikes.


    ¡°Ringo, stop there!¡± (Souma)


    And then, 3:15:00.


    Particles of light gathered from the cloud of dust and¡­


    ¡°There it is!¡± (Souma)


    From within the gouged out giant rock, one Golden Wild Slime appeared.


    ¡°Damn it, this really tests one¡¯s patience.¡± (Souma)


    A while after that, we were in bliss at the new hunting spot, but as time passed, impatience and irritation accumulated.


    We are currently monopolizing this point completely.


    However, not a single monster showed up at this point, so that would mean it will happen 10 times, in other words, monsters will continue to spawn in a span of 45 minutes.


    If someone were to catch wind of this place at that time, it would get problematic.


    That said, I have no intention of letting go of this place we finally found.


    We of course defeated the 1st one that appeared, and brought the score up to 67.


    If we camp this spot, we should be able to increase our points to 76 without much trouble.


    There will be people who will say that a mere 10 won¡¯t be enough to go against Hisame.


    It is true that, if Hisame had seriously continued hunting until the end, 76 probably wouldn¡¯t have been enough.


    However, Hisame said: ¡®I will be done soon¡¯.


    If Hisame has stopped her hunting in the middle because of self-conceit, there¡¯s still a chance.


    As proof of that, there were spawn points that were still not hunted in the south side.


    Even if it is impossible to get them all, I want to stick on until we get 3 more for 70.


    With that thought in mind, time passed slowly.


    The second one showed up, but we have dealt with 10 at once, so there¡¯s no way we would fail at defeating one at this point.


    We easily deal with it in less than 30 seconds, and 5 more minutes of waiting come.


    There¡¯s no other place we can go to, so we can¡¯t move from here.


    No choice but to wait here.


    A small hand was placed on me when I couldn¡¯t hide my irritation.


    Ringo.


    ¡°Is something the matter?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this, Ringo didn¡¯t answer with anything.


    I was confused here, and Ringo kept her hand on my shoulder in silence, and then¡­


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s do¡­our best?¡± (Ringo)


    She muttered this and soon moved away from me.


    I don¡¯t really get it, but could it be that she was trying to cheer me up here?


    (¡­Right.) (Souma)


    There¡¯s no point in getting impatient here. What¡¯s more important is to use our time efficiently.


    ¡°Alright!¡± (Souma)


    I decided to test out the fire magic that I have been able to use recently in this lull time.


    In Nekomimi Neko, magic is a little more problematic compared to skills.


    Different from skills that can be used as soon as you Order it, magic has ¡®Chant¡¯, ¡®Chant Standby¡¯, ¡®Multi Chant¡¯, and ¡®Time Activation¡¯.


    I need to properly confirm if those haven¡¯t changed from the game.


    ¡°[Power Up]!¡± (Souma)


    In order to use the spell, you have to Order the spell you want to use.


    When you do, the player will enter a set Chant period according to the difficulty of the spell you want to use.


    I say Chant, but it is not like the player has to say something out loud.


    MP will be consumed automatically, and the system will complete the spell on its own.


    That¡¯s great, but in the time you are in Chant State, your stats all around will reduce greatly, and you can¡¯t use skills.


    It is full of disadvantages, so it is normal for mage characters to reduce that time with equipment.


    And then, when you finish your Chant, you enter Chant Standby state.


    In this state, your stats won¡¯t be lowered, but you still can¡¯t use skills.


    In the Chant Standby state, you select your target, and Order the spell¡¯s name again, which will finally allow you to use the spell.


    However, since I have the chance here, I try testing out the Time Activation used by warrior types.


    Time Activation is a technique that allows you to set a time to delay the activation of the spell.


    The benefit of this technique is that, the moment you choose when it activates, you are freed from the Chant Standby, and if you pull it off properly, you can use both magic and skills at the same time.


    Of course, you can use not only skills but spells as well, so you could use the same spell at the same time.


    The disadvantage is that you can¡¯t cancel a Time Activation spell and can¡¯t change targets, so if you mess up the setting, it will be useless, and at worst, end up attacking an ally.


    However,if it is a spell that targets yourself like Power Up, you can set it at Time: 10 seconds.


    And before that time comes¡­


    ¡°[Side Slash]!¡± (Souma)


    I activate the skill with Shiranui.


    The skill activated without any issues, but¡­


    ¡°Kuh!¡± (Souma)


    I felt a dull resistance and the attack bounced off the rock.


    But the 10 seconds set came.


    The Power Up is cast on me then.


    ¡°[Side Slash]!¡± (Souma)


    I activate the skill once again without delay.


    It is different from before I was buffed.


    An even stronger attack hit the rock, and¡­


    ¡°Kuh!¡± (Souma)


    It bounced off.


    It seems like my powered up attack is still not enough to break a rock.


    Just how strong is the Lightning Strike of Ringo that easily managed to do that?


    My shoulders dropped there, but my impatience went off somewhere thanks to that.


    O-Oh well, the spell and the Time Activation worked, so I should be satisfied with that.


    I would like to test out Multi Chant as well, but Multi Chant is a mage technique to increase the power of the spell by chanting the same spell, so I can¡¯t use it.


    I tried testing out Petitplosion after that and it activated without any issues.


    The shabby explosion of Petitplosion drew the attention of Ringo.


    ¡°¡­Fireworks?¡± (Ringo)


    Is what she asked as if finding it fun, so it got in my head and used it like crazy, ended up using all of my MP, and my magic experiment ended there.


    While I was doing all that, I forgot about my worry that maybe people would come, and we smoothly continued our hunt.


    And then¡­


    ¡°[Hexa-Stab!]¡± (Souma)


    We defeated the 8th Wild Slime and I was about to bend down to check if there was a drop item, and¡­


    ¡°Wow¡­ I didn¡¯t expect there to really be Slimes remaining at a place like this.¡±


    I heard the voice of a man from behind.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± (Souma)


    I snapped around.


    There was a single man standing around 10 meters aparts from us.


    That appearance of his made me gulp.


    ¡°Tea Drinker Raiden, huh.¡± (Souma)


    When I unconsciously mutter this, that man, Raiden, smiles as if he found that amusing.


    ¡°Hoh, you know about me? I don¡¯t remember receiving a title like Tea Drinker, but a person I met for the first time knowing my name doesn¡¯t feel bad.¡± (Raiden)


    Tea Drinker Raiden is a 20 year old man with long hair tied up behind him, and gives off the feeling of a general.


    His number one policy is to ¡®meet people that are stronger than me¡¯, and the result of that is that he is a character that is extremely loved by the Nekomimi Neko players.


    His Tea Drinker title came from there. It is apparently from a loved character with a name that has that meaning in a manga of the long past. <TLN: This might be a reference to Yamcha which means drinking tea in cantonese.>


    However, that¡¯s only in the game.


    There was no event where you encountered Raiden in a subjugation contest.


    Despite appearances, Raiden is a level 130 seasoned adventurer.


    Even if our level has increased, he is someone I wouldn¡¯t want as an enemy.


    (¡­What should I do?) (Souma)


    Our score right now is 74 even without counting the Golden Sakura.


    Even if we were to withdraw here, our score can be considered plenty good.


    However, Raiden must have felt that mood from me, he hurriedly spoke.


    ¡°Woah there, no need to look at me with such dangerous eyes. I was simply left with a message from the princess.¡± (Raiden)


    ¡°¡­Princess?¡± (Souma)


    I look at Ringo for an instant there.


    But there¡¯s no way.


    Then, could it be Maki?


    I had that expectation for a second, but¡­


    ¡°Aah, can¡¯t tell when using princess, huh. I am talking about Hisame-san. The one with big ears and uses a katana¡­¡± (Raiden)


    It was completely different.


    Looks like that cat eared samurai is being called princess despite being a samurai.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t find any Wild Slimes anymore, so I went back to the city too. When I did, Princess-san came and told me that there might still be Wild Slimes remaining, and told me about this place.


    I told her that it sounded interesting and I would be checking it, and then she asked me to pass a message.¡± (Raiden)


    ¡°What message?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡®I am waiting in the city¡¯.¡± (Raiden)


    That¡¯s truly simple and I already heard that.


    I spun the gears in my head at the mysterious message and Raiden showed a bad natured smile.


    ¡°No, the message was most likely an excuse. Princess-san might have been unexpectedly worried about you guys. She did say: ¡®If there¡¯s a collapsed adventurer there, bring him to me no matter what¡¯ after all.¡± (Raiden)


    Raiden then followed with an ¡®Oops, I wasn¡¯t supposed to tell you that one¡¯ and laughed in such a blatant manner that it baffled me. It looks like he really is not hostile here.


    At the very least, if I were to believe the setting of the game, he isn¡¯t the type who would deceive or steal sneakily.


    I relaxed a bit there.


    ¡°That said, it seems like you are doing well. How many did you defeat?¡± (Raiden)


    He must have noticed that my guard loosened there, so he made a slightly more forward question.


    I hesitated whether to answer or not, but¡­


    ¡°By the way, I defeated 21!¡± (Raiden)


    Those words relaxed me.


    ¡°¡­Around 90, I guess.¡± (Souma)


    In the end, I answered like that.


    I do feel like he read my lie a little bit there, but I did say ¡®around¡¯ so it is not wrong.


    ¡°Hooh, that¡¯s impressive! I can¡¯t match that at all!¡± (Raiden)


    Raiden got surprised in an exaggerated manner, but the moment I said the number, I didn¡¯t miss that his eyes grew sharper.


    He really feels like a two-faced character.


    This is why I can¡¯t lower my guard in Nekomimi Neko.


    ¡°From what I can see, you two look like newbies though. I knew it, the power of my Horse Hit was not wrong.¡± (Raiden)


    ¡°Uh¡­!¡± (Souma)


    I heard a nostalgic name and almost laughed out loud there.


    But Raiden continued speaking as if amused without being bothered about it.


    ¡°Ah, right, I didn¡¯t tell you. I actually have the eyes to see through the strong, and have the luck of meeting strong people.


    The first time I learned about this was at a horse race, you see.


    I gave the name Horse Hit to this ability that lets me find strong horses, and have treasured it since then.¡± (Raiden)


    Raiden boasted about his power to find winning horses, Horse Hit, all pridefully, but a different name was given among players.


    Raiden shows up countless times in the story and the sub-events, would encounter enemies stronger than himself, and would fight them.


    If you only hear that, it does sound like a protagonist, but the problem is that Raiden¡­would definitely lose those fights¡­


    Thus, a new name was given to this Horse Hit that let him meet strong ones.


    The power to meet strong opponents and put up a good fight, yet lose and bring up the power of that opponent¡­


    In other words, the power: Punching-Bag Horse.


    What is there to hide? Raiden is the number one punching-bag in all of Nekomimi Neko!


    ¡°And so, what will you do from now on? It is about time for the monster outbreak to end. Are you planning on staying here?¡± (Raiden)


    The punching-bag horse of Nekomimi Neko, Raiden, asks me again.


    Even if the monster outbreak time ends, it is not like the monster outbreak monsters will disappear or the subjugation will stop counting, but if you don¡¯t report after 1 hour of the outbreak ending, you won¡¯t get the contest prize.


    ¡°I am thinking of making the next one the last. I will end this after one more comes out at 3:55.¡± (Souma)


    Once it hits 4, the monster outbreak will end, and normal monsters will appear in this map.


    As we are now, we can deal with level 50 monsters, but I am still in beginner equipment, so I can¡¯t risk that.


    I actually already told Ringo that we would defeat 9 and would give up on the last one and go back.


    What bothers me is Raiden coming along.


    ¡°I see. Since I am already here, I will observe that. Oh well, you can look forward to my escort on the way back.¡± (Raiden)


    I don¡¯t know if it is because he is trying to learn about his enemy, or because he likes looking after others, but he proposed this.


    I honestly don¡¯t want to show him how we hunt, but it should be fine to end the last one with the Lightning Strike rush of Ringo.


    I accepted that and decided to wait until the next one came.


    However, I should have thought of it.


    About why Raiden appeared at this timing and at this place.


    ¡°Souma.¡± (Ringo)


    The first one who noticed the signs of this was Ringo.


    The time must have come.


    The light particles gathered and were forming a monster, but¡­it was looking strange.


    ¡°Oi oi, this is quite the big wild slime¡­¡± (Raiden)


    Raiden is throwing a carefree comment on the side, but I had no time to pay him mind.


    (Could it be¡­) (Souma)


    At a place like the Deus Plain, at a spawn point inside a rock forgotten by the game, by the side of Raiden who is said to always be present where a strong enemy is at¡­


    Those 3 points brought the worst possibility in my mind.


    The particles were shaping up a monster.


    That shape fluently spoke that my worst feeling here was right.


    ¡°We are still in the monster outbreak, right? Why is a monster that big showing up here?¡± (Raiden)


    Raiden asked me as if trying to confirm with me, but I couldn¡¯t answer.


    My body couldn¡¯t stop shaking.


    Even though I tried to talk, my mouth couldn¡¯t find the strength to, and my head is in a mess.


    ¡°¡­Souma.¡±


    Ringo had come to my side at some point in time.


    But I couldn¡¯t respond even to her.


    I was simply watching absentmindedly as the light particles shaped up the most wicked of monsters.


    (It is coming¡­!) (Souma)


    An ugly giant covered in soft and flabby white meat.


    A brutal beast swinging a cleaver so thick it could be categorized as a blunt weapon already.


    ¡°King Butcher¡­!¡± (Souma)


    Even within the many bugs in Nekomimi Neko, the one that killed the most players and was supposed to have been patched right from the get-go: the Mincing Festival.


    That fear was about to be reborn into this world.


    RIP in pieces¡­

 CH 51

    Mincing Festival.


    This was born by a simple and human mistake; a bug that can¡¯t be called a bug.


    A mere 2 digit mistake created the most atrocious of slaughters.


    Even now when I hear words related to it, flashbacks of it show up in my mind.


    I have actually experienced the Mincing Festival in my first play when the patch had not been applied yet.


    The first time we arrived at the capital, we were around level 55.


    You technically can only level to 50 in Lamurick, but because we came to the capital by carriage and not Magic Airship, our levels had increased to a certain degree.


    I was told beforehand by the people of the city that the Deus Plain is the place with the weakest monsters around there, so I chose the Deus Plain as my first destination when I came to the city.


    At that time, our party composition was: me as the DPS, the tanker DPS Edy, and the healer Thiel.


    We didn¡¯t have a mage, so it was difficult for us to deal with several enemies at once, but the Deus Plain is fortunately spacious, and the risk of fighting several enemies at once was low.


    I was a bit nervous about fighting in a new place, but I had a bit of leeway in my level, and we managed to defeat the first 2 Stray Wild Slimes that appeared.


    And so, we rode that momentum and went a bit deeper, and what we encountered was the ferocious white giant, King Butcher.


    I was a bit scared by that appearance that was clearly that of an event monster, but there was no information in the city about a special monster in the Deus Plain.


    I thought that maybe it was a rare monster that shows up at a low chance, so I tried getting closer to it and the next instant¡­


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡± (Souma)


    The warrior Edy was crushed in half.


    Despite everything, Nekomimi Neko is rated E for everyone.


    Blood and wounds are not shown, and even the monsters that are defeated are made to get pretty comically distorted.


    Even when humans die, they simply turn into light particles for a truly clean death.


    Despite that, I felt goosebumps all over my body at that time.


    What this brutal monster did was to simply hit Edy with its abnormally thick cleaver.


    However, the result of being hit by that cleaver in the hand of the white giant was that Edy¡¯s body was compressed to half of his height in an instant as he changed into light particles.


    No matter if it is a game, it is not a way for a human to die.


    That one instant was plenty enough for me to understand that we can¡¯t win against this monster.


    I gave the order of retreat to Thiel and I also ran at full speed.


    Judging from its appearance, it should be a thick headed enemy. It has that high of an attack power, so it must be slow too.


    And so, as if proving me right, I could feel the heavy steps slowly growing further away, and right when I was about to breathe a sigh of relief¡­


    ¡°What is¡­?!¡± (Souma)


    The ground suddenly rumbled to an astonishing degree, and I jumped to the side with High Step by reflex.


    And then, a faint instant later, I saw a white giant body run past my side.


    ¡°Thiel!¡± (Souma)


    I shouted the name of my one other companion, but what I saw when I turned around wasn¡¯t her, but her blue clothes turning into light particles and melting into the sky.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± (Souma)


    Even after I was now alone, I still tried to desperately run away.


    However, the result was that it was pointless.


    I miraculously avoided the next charge of the giant, and a shadow covered my face as I barely managed to survive.


    ¡°¡­Ah.¡± (Souma)


    When I raised my head, I fell into complete despair.


    What was standing there was the 2 meter tall white giant.


    The giant of before was still chasing me.


    There was no escape.


    The last thing I saw was a shout of joy and the fearsome giant swinging down its cleaver.


    Now that I think about it, there was absolutely no chance for me to win at that time.


    Most of all, that white giant, the King Butcher, is a boss monster that should be in the lowest floor of a level 150 dungeon that¡¯s 3 fields deeper from the Deus Plain.


    There¡¯s no chance we would have been able to match it when we were around level 50.


    In the first place, why did this level 150 dungeon boss appear in the Deus Plain that should be for level 50?


    It is thought that¡¯s because of a coding mistake in the spawn point.


    I have already explained what spawn points are.


    What monster comes out from those spawn points is decided by the number set in the monster group.


    However, that number is quite the radical one. With just one mistake in the number, there¡¯s the risk of a completely different monster showing up.


    The Mincing Festival is a prime example of this.


    According to a self-proclaimed connoisseur of the situation, one of the staff members mistook the 205 number that represented [Stray Wild Slime x 3] with the King Butcher whose number is 502. It was mixed up in the Deus Plain.


    In other words, all the spawn points where 3 level 48 Stray Wild Slimes should be spawning, there was now a chance that the level 150 boss King Butcher spawns instead.


    The King Butcher would be roaming the level 50 field as if it were a normal field, moreover, the sight of several of them walking around must have been like seeing a hellscape for the people witnessing this.


    This of course made the Nekomimi Neko players rage to high heavens.


    The King Butcher has high attack power even within bosses of the same level. Its normal speed is slow, but it has outstanding charging speed.


    Also, since it has high physical resistance, you can¡¯t stop it with some half-baked attack.


    There¡¯s no way mere level 50 adventurers coming to the Deus Plain would have any means to oppose it¡­


    The lord of the dungeon that descended onto the plain would swing around its cleaver that¡¯s like a blunt weapon, and minced up many players.


    This is what people call: King Butcher¡¯s Mincing Festival.


    Well, we are talking about the Nekomimi Neko players who love adversities anyways.


    There would be cases where people would brag about having defeated a butcher at low level, and there were even players who polished themselves so much against them that they were overfishing, but those are only a really low minority.


    The reality is that I didn¡¯t manage to kill a Plain Butcher in the time the patch came in.


    Since that day, the King Butcher has become a  symbol of fear in my mind.


    ¡°Why is the King Butcher here¡­?¡± (Souma)


    And the problem here is that that King Butcher has once again shown up in front of me.


    The patch should have fixed the King Butcher from appearing in the plains, and we are currently in the monster outbreak period.


    I really wanted to shout here why the hell this guy appeared despite all that, but I actually already have an idea as to why.


    It is true that the King Butcher didn¡¯t appear anymore in the Deus Plain after the first patch.


    This is probably because they fixed the coding of the spawn points.


    However, we are talking about the Nekomimi Neko staff doing the fixing here.


    There¡¯s a good chance they didn¡¯t fix the spawn point that is inside the rock.


    Or more like, I am sure they didn¡¯t.


    And so, King Butcher is originally a boss monster.


    Bosses don¡¯t get overwritten by the monster outbreak.


    ¡­Putting all those points together, it is by no means impossible for a King Butcher to appear.


    While I was thinking that, Ringo and I couldn¡¯t move, overwhelmed by the pressure of the King Butcher.


    However, there was one man who was looking up at the King Butcher and warping his face into a smile.


    It is of course Raiden.


    ¡°Heeh, it has gotten pretty interesting.¡± (Raiden)


    Raiden said this with a nonchalant smile and it melts my frozen body.


    It was simply that an emotion similar to anger welled up from me towards the carefree Raiden.


    ¡°This is not the time to be saying this is interesting! We have to run away at once or¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I raised my voice as if trying to punch that into him, but¡­


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s why you should run away at once.¡± (Raiden)


    Raiden easily brushed it off and stepped forward while bringing out his weapon almost too naturally.


    ¡°What are you saying?! That guy is¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Strong, right? I can tell that too.¡± (Raiden)


    I was baffled by his words.


    It sounds questionable, but Raiden has the ability to detect strong enemies.


    There¡¯s no way he wouldn¡¯t feel the strength of the King Butcher.


    But even if that¡¯s the case¡­


    ¡°Adventurers are¡­a gathering of idiots that plunge into monsters and ruins, and I am no exception. When I see a strong guy, I get excited.¡± (Raiden)


    Even with that, he¡­the adventurer Raiden stood in front of the Butcher.


    ¡°But those idiots¡­no, it is exactly because they are idiots that there are things they must do¡­ Use their strength to protect the ones who can¡¯t fight. That¡¯s my¡­the duty of adventurers.¡± (Raiden)


    That sight was truly like that of an ant against an elephant.


    Raiden didn¡¯t falter a single step even in the face of the completely spawned giant.


    The white giant set its sight on Raiden in front of it as its first prey and let out a roar that would make even your soul tremble, but he glared back at it instead.


    And then¡­


    ¡°You guys, just watch over there! I will now show you the true form of an adventu¡ªhibuh!¡± (Raiden)


    ¡°¡­Ah.¡± (Souma)


    While watching how Raiden got hit by the attack of the Butcher and was flying beautifully in the air¡­


    (Speaking of which, aside from Tea Drinker, he is also called stuff like: Punching-bag Horse, Yamcha, Flier, and Homerun. So that¡¯s what it meant¡­) (Souma)


    I was remembering this.

 CH 52

    The sight of Raiden flying off is truly a sight you would see in a game, but this world is a game and not a game.


    Even if Raiden was the one who got hit¡­if his HP reaches 0, he will die.


    I return to my senses, use High Step, and catch the flying Raiden.


    I don¡¯t know if it is thanks to a game-like setting of some sort, but the impact wasn¡¯t as big as I thought it would be.


    In that time, my gaze alone didn¡¯t separate from the Butcher, but there¡¯s no signs of it pursuing the attack.


    Retaining its posture of having swung its giant cleaver, it observes us 3 as if it were evaluating its prey that has been caught in a trap.


    ¡°Are you okay?!¡± (Souma)


    When I called Raiden, he grimaced while getting up, took out a healing potion from his pouch, and crushed it.


    The healing effect happened with a time lag, and the wounds of Raiden were being healed.


    I place a hand on my chest in relief at that sight for now.


    Raiden is level 130 and the King Butcher is at least more than 150.


    It is a level difference where it wouldn¡¯t have been strange for him to have been killed in one hit, but the reason why Raiden has survived any powerful enemy is because of his abnormal endurance.


    It has been confirmed that the source of his high defense is that Raiden¡¯s defense increases as his HP lowers, so it is said that he might have a special skill.


    However, no matter how high your defense, it doesn¡¯t completely write off the possibility of death.


    In the game, when you die, you die really damn easy, or more like, there¡¯s barely any chance of you surviving till clearing the game if you don¡¯t proceed with events carefully.


    This being reality, this is by no means a situation that we can be optimistic about.


    (¡­Is it coming?) (Souma)


    The Butcher¡¯s gaze sets as if it had been waiting for us to get ourselves back up.


    Because of the fearsome knockback, we got some unexpected distance, but in the face of the giant body of the butcher, something like that serves of little purpose.


    The King Butcher is more than 3 meters tall.


    Just one step from that guy visibly reduces the distance between us.


    ¡°¡­Sorry about that.¡± (Raiden)


    Raiden separates from me and glares at the Butcher like I am as he muttered this.


    I thought he was referring to me having caught his body, but that wasn¡¯t it.


    ¡°Wa?!¡± (Souma)


    In the time my attention was directed at the Butcher, Raiden pushed my body back forcefully.


    And then, with that force, he once again rushed to the Butcher.


    ¡°Run! Go to the city and call Princess-san!¡± (Raiden)


    He shouted this as he ran to the opposite side of the city as if to bring the Butcher away from it, running just right past the side of the King Butcher.


    At that moment, I finally understood the meaning of Raiden¡¯s apology.


    That was most likely an apology of: ¡®I can¡¯t win against the Butcher by myself¡¯.


    In exchange, he will lure it away to have us escape.


    (But that¡¯s reckless!) (Souma)


    It is not a simple difference in level.


    Boss monsters are normally not made to be defeated 1v1.


    The reason why I somehow managed solo in my gaming days was because I took advantage of the many holes in the systems of Nekomimi Neko. On top of that, I could reload after dying, so I could challenge it countless times.


    In the first place, Raiden is more of a heavy warrior than an endurance one.


    He specializes in exchanging blows by utilizing his high defense, but¡­


    ¡°This is not good! Physical attacks don¡¯t work on that monster!¡± (Souma)


    King Butcher is the worst type of enemy he could fight against.


    I don¡¯t know if the setting is that the flabby armor of fat from the Butcher absorbs impact, but pure physical attribute damage is 90% mitigated.


    It also means that the Lightning Strike of our party¡¯s main damage dealer, Ringo, won¡¯t be working here.


    The only one who can use elemental attacks within the group is me.


    (There¡¯s no choice but for me to do this¡­!) (Souma)


    Honestly speaking, that guy is a trauma for me.


    Just seeing that abominable face makes my body tremble, but I crush it with willpower.


    ([Petitplosion]!) (Souma)


    I began the magic chant to provide support.


    I didn¡¯t expect to use it this soon. Though I can¡¯t really say if my magic training will be enough here.


    It is great that I managed to learn that I can use magic with the same feel as when in the game, but because it got in my head and used magic too much, my MP has only recovered enough to shoot 1 spell.


    Even so, I might be able to overturn this situation if I use this.


    ¡°Raiden, I will assi¡ª!¡± (Souma)


    I shouted this and was about to take a step, but¡­


    ¡°You idiot, don¡¯t come!¡± (Raiden)


    He stopped me with a vigorous shout different from his carefree mood of before the Butcher appeared.


    However, I could tell from their exchange that Raiden needs assistance.


    He is barely managing to block the attack of the Butcher with his shield, and he is not letting a clean hit in like the first time, but defense like that working for a few more times would be a best case scenario. The attacks of the Butcher are intense.


    At this rate, it is only a matter of time before he is pushed into submission.


    ¡°You can¡¯t win one on one! But if it is 3 vs 1¡­¡± (Souma)


    I shouted this as I tried to get close to Raiden, but¡­


    ¡°Even if that¡¯s fine with you, what about your company?!¡± (Raiden)


    Those words of Raiden made my feet stop.


    At the same time, my heated head drastically cooled down.


    (Ringo¡­!) (Souma)


    I looked back at the blue haired girl that was following behind me even at a time like this.


    She was looking uneasily at me with only the clothes borrowed from Alice.


    No matter how great her stats may be, there¡¯s no way she would be able to survive an attack from the King Butcher with no defense.


    (I¡­we would fight like this and¡­) (Souma)


    Can we win? -that question surfaced in my mind.


    I have never faced a Butcher with this level and equipment.


    It is completely unknown how much damage we can deal to it.


    If we can¡¯t finish it¡­


    (I will die. Ringo will die¡­) (Souma)


    If I let myself be driven by my violent emotions, I could forget about my fear of death for an instant.


    But¡­


    (Is it okay for me to involve this girl?) (Souma)


    This is a dilemma that was caused by my own mistake.


    If I die, that was my own fault.


    I do feel bad that Raiden got dragged into this, but he chose to walk the dangerous path of an adventurer, so he must have resolved himself to danger like this to a certain degree.


    But what about Ringo?


    She lost her memories and her place to be, and she is simply accompanying me by a whim.


    She probably hasn¡¯t thought about actually living as an adventurer, or being by the side of death.


    Is it really okay to drag a girl like that into this and have her accompany me in a situation where she might die?


    No, even without that reasoning, I wouldn¡¯t be able to endure seeing this silent girl die in front of my very eyes.


    ¡°Guh!¡± (Raiden)


    ¡°Raiden!¡± (Souma)


    Even while I was thinking that, Raiden was being cornered little by little.


    The most important resource right now, time, is being pointlessly consumed by my hesitation.


    And then¡­


    ¡°It is okay, just go!!¡± (Raiden)


    Raiden shouted this as his shield snapped back from the Butcher¡¯s attack.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry!¡± (Souma)


    I reached a decision.


    I wrung out that apology and there was no hesitation from there on.


    ¡°We are running away!¡± (Souma)


    I pulled the hand of Ringo who was looking up at me bewildered and confused, and I ran in the direction of the city.


    This is mortifying, but I can¡¯t use Godstep Cancel.


    Also, I am pulling Ringo who is strangely unresponsive here, so I have no leeway.


    ¡°It is okay! That guy¡¯s defense is top tier, you know? There¡¯s no way he would be defeated by a beast like that!¡± (Souma)


    Ringo was still showing hesitation here, so I said this as if telling this to myself.


    ¡°¡­Right! He has even fought a dragon in an event. Even with that, he still didn¡¯t die. There¡¯s no way a meat tank like that would be¡­would be killed!¡± (Souma)


    I don¡¯t even know who I am telling this to.


    Even so, I felt like something would break if I stopped my mouth from running here, so I continued speaking.


    ¡°You may not know this, but in the game, he has fought one on one against that Hisame and survived! That Hisame, you know? There¡¯s no way a guy like that would be¡­against a mere¡­¡± (Souma)


    Just as I said this, a dull heavy sound as if weighty objects clashed rang behind us.


    That¡¯s why I¡­looked back.


    ¡°Rai¡­den¡­!¡± (Souma)


    Raiden was bent on the ground.


    The big shield he had was broken in half and on the ground. The person himself is lying face up, not moving one bit.


    ¡°What¡¯s¡­that¡­?¡± (Souma)


    Despite everything, Raiden should be a reliable frontline.


    He shows up a lot in many events, and even if he were to self-destruct fighting strong enemies, he is a veteran adventurer that would help out the player in the very beginning, and his tenaciousness when he goes on the defensive should have the seal of approval of many¡­


    ¡°Something like this is¡­¡± (Souma)


    I should have known this already.


    Only I know this world is a game.


    Games have a heartless side where your emotions and technique proficiency will be turned into plain hard numbers.


    That¡¯s especially the case in the world of New Communicate Online.


    I should have understood that this is a world where people can die just like that by one little whim.


    I thought I knew this, but the reality is that I didn¡¯t.


    ¡°That guy¡­¡± (Souma)


    The Butcher is approaching the fallen and unmoving Raiden.


    Raiden is not gone yet.


    He is still alive.


    What is that monster trying to do to him while he can¡¯t move? I could tell clearly what would happen even when looking from afar.


    (Die? He is going to be killed?) (Souma)


    Blood was rushing to my brain.


    My vision was growing warped, and the contours of the world were getting hazy.


    The pulsing on my chest was reaching its limit and I felt like vomiting.


    ¡°Ringo¡­run to the city without looking back.¡± (Souma)


    I did the same that Raiden did to me and pushed Ringo towards the city and moved my legs that had stopped at some point in time.


    Towards the opposite direction I have been going until now.


    Towards the battlefield where the fallen Raiden and the King Butcher are awaiting.


    ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!¡± (Souma)


    I let out a roar as if to distract myself from my fear.


    But the Butcher was not turning my way.


    At this rate, Raiden will be killed before I reach him.


    That¡¯s why¡­


    ¡°LOOK HEEEEERE!!¡± (Souma)


    I throw the Wakizashi with my full power as I shout.


    The Wakizashi flew straight to the Butcher, and¡­it didn¡¯t get lodged into it, but it didn¡¯t draw its attention.


    The King Butcher faces this way.


    But¡­


    (Not enough, huh!) (Souma)


    A mere Wakizashi wouldn¡¯t be enough to draw its attention here.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the gaze of the Butcher to return to Raiden.


    (As if I will let you!) (Souma)


    I used Focus on the ugly face of the Butcher which is its weak point, and was about to make my next move, but¡­


    ¡°¡ª¡ª-?!¡± (Souma)


    A vivid light stripe stretched from right by my side and hit the white giant!


    And it wasn¡¯t just once.


    2 times, 3 times¡­no, to a degree that it would be stupid to count. A ferocious assault of attacks that didn¡¯t allow breathing were hitting the Butcher and, finally, the Butcher completely faced this way.


    Not only that, it changed the direction of its whole body towards the unknown lightning strikes that were assailing it while covering its weak point which is its face.


    ¡°Ringo!¡± (Souma)


    There¡¯s only one person who can do an attack like that.


    At some point in time, Ringo was standing by my side with Golden Sakura in hand.


    ¡°Why¡­why did you come back?! If even you come back, who will bring Hisame¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I pushed down my side that thought of her as reliable for a moment and shouted at her.


    However, Ringo was unfaltering.


    She continued shooting out Lightning Strikes from the Golden Sakura in her right hand with eyes that I can¡¯t tell what she is thinking, but this time around, she properly made eye-contact and spoke.


    ¡°Souma, just do what you want to do.¡± (Ringo)


    As if she saw through my dilemma.


    As if she were adminishing me for using her as a reason for running away¡­


    ¡°I will just follow that back of yours¡­on my own will.¡± (Ringo)


    She declared resolutely.


    ¡°Rin¡­go¡­¡± (Souma)


    Is that the majesty of a princess, or the strength of a person who has resolved herself?


    My will to go against her decision was completely destroyed.


    I have only spent 1 day with her, and I haven¡¯t taken any noteworthy actions for her to like me.


    That¡¯s why this action of hers that could be considered to be out of affection or trust might be from ignorant imprudence or from a misunderstanding that comes from youth.


    However, describing those feelings of hers in such a manner also felt like an insult to her resolve.


    Stuff like her coming along out of a whim or her not understanding the way of life of an adventurer doesn¡¯t matter here.


    No matter if she is inexperienced or lacking common sense, she decided this out of her own will.


    To stand by my side.


    Then, what¡¯s left is¡­


    ¡°Got it. Let¡¯s fight together.¡± (Souma)


    Whether I¡­ Whether we can win against that monster or not.


    That¡¯s all there is to it.


    If we win, no one dies.


    Also, it is not like we have absolutely no means to win against that guy.


    The moment my resolve hardened into cold steel, I felt as if the haze covering my vision cleared up in one go.


    There, for the first time¡­I managed to see the face of the King Butcher.


    I made eye-contact with its eyes that showed absolutely no sign of retreating despite being assaulted by the Lightning Strikes of Ringo, unable to move.


    ¡°This time for sure, we will defeat you!¡± (Souma)


    I take out Shiranui and hold it in both hands as I face the haunting giant in front.

 CH 53

    I wonder if it is because I threw away my hesitation.


    Even though I am going to be having a battle that might kill me, I could feel my head cooling down steadily.


    (First¡­) (Souma)


    I bring out all the potions I could from the pouch, and throw that to the fallen Raiden by the side of the Butcher.


    I don¡¯t have confidence in my throwing accuracy, but fortunately, most of the potions hit Raiden, and it spreads the healing effect.


    I used all my healing potions there, but those were the remaining ones I had when I went with Ina to the Cave of Trials and, in the end, they are potions from Lamurick.


    It has no function of waking him up from his unconscious state, and I can¡¯t expect much from its HP healing, but with this, I doubt he will be dying.


    I finish up one pressing matter, and observe the King Butcher who can¡¯t move from the Lightning Strikes.


    (This¡­won¡¯t hold for long.) (Souma)


    In my first play, I have thought about the best strategy against the Butcher for leveling up.


    At that time, we had our new mage companion put up a smokescreen with magic to stop its movements, and attack it in that opening.


    But that plan crumbled oh so easily.


    I won¡¯t hold such a naive thought like we will be able to push it through just as we are now.


    ¡°Ringo, that guy will probably crouch eventually and ignore the attacks. When that happens, please move behind me in a straight line from him.¡± (Souma)


    I tell this to Ringo who is restraining the Butcher with unending Lightning Strikes.


    She didn¡¯t use it on any living creatures aside from Goldens, so I couldn¡¯t tell, but Lightning Strikes might have a stun or a knockback effect.


    The Lightning Strikes were showing unexpected effectiveness, and we are currently keeping the Butcher in place completely, but it is clear that this is just a temporary measure.


    When the other party tries to escape the Butcher, or gets attacked for a long period of time, it will try to do a charge.


    When he does the preliminary motions for the charge, it will enter a Super Armor state, in other words, no attack will flinch it or interrupt him.


    And then, when the preliminary motions end, that heavy body will come assailing us at unimaginable speed.


    ¡­And that moment will be our biggest window of victory.


    Attacking without flinching or being interrupted means that it is easy to read the timing.


    That¡¯s why I will wait for the attack of the Butcher here, and with the 10th Skill of the Otachi, Absolute Katana Reversal, I will defeat him.


    (I can do it¡­right?) (Souma)


    I ask myself that.


    The Otachi has a lot of skills with astounding damage, and as long as it hits, you could defeat an enemy that¡¯s beyond your mettle. However, because of this, there¡¯s a lot of them that have conditions.


    The 10th Skill, Absolute Katana Reversal, is within those cases, and it competes for the 1st place within the Otachi counter skills for its overwhelming attack power, but it holds a heavy risk on use.


    Since it is a counter skill, it of course will counter an attack that you get when you activate the skill, but it just ain¡¯t that simple.


    The preliminary motion of this skill is outrageously long. First, 2 seconds before you can do a counter, 3 seconds when the counter is activated successfully, and if it doesn¡¯t activate, you won¡¯t be able to move for around 2 seconds.


    Moreover, you are in Super Armor state at that time, so knockbacks are nullified.


    On top of that, no other action of the player can be registered at this time, so you can¡¯t use skills or spells in that time frame, and it is impossible to cancel no matter what methods you use.


    Super Armor sounds cool and all, but if you flip it around, in exchange for not being interrupted, no matter how strong the attack you receive, you won¡¯t be sent flying back, so you can¡¯t take distance.


    If you use this skill while you are surrounded by strong enemies, the counter might activate, but the player will no doubt die.


    The next problem is that the counter time frame is really rough.


    Even though the preliminary motion is 2 seconds, the counter window is only 0.3 seconds.


    In order to successfully do a counter, you have to detect the attack of the enemy 2 seconds beforehand, and then, make sure you receive an attack between the 2 seconds and 2.3 seconds after.


    Moreover, the attack you receive in that time won¡¯t be mitigated at all.


    Even if you try to counter an attack that kills you outright, you will simply die.


    This is a clear minus when fighting an enemy like the King Butcher that has high attack power.


    And the last one.


    Even when you clear all the conditions and counter, that doesn¡¯t assure you from defeating the enemy.


    The attack you will be countering with is¡­a vertical slash of the same element as the attack the user received.


    For example; if you receive a fire element attack from a fire element monster, when you counter, you will counter with a fire element attack.


    There¡¯s no knowing if the attack will work against it. In the first place, your counter isn¡¯t an AOE or in the direction you receive the attack, but a vertical slash to the front.


    There¡¯s the risk of the opponent avoiding it or attacking in a completely wrong direction from the very beginning.


    As expected of a skill from Nekomimi Neko. So many buts in between.


    However, this skill has the power to consider it worth using despite all of these risks.


    Also, if you cut the Butcher with a vertical slash using the long range of an Otachi, that attack will hit the head which is its weak point.


    There¡¯s no skill other than this to defeat the Butcher.


    (That¡¯s why, all that¡¯s left is whether I can get the timing right or not.) (Souma)


    My skill and the Butcher¡¯s charge are the same in that you can¡¯t avoid or cancel it once you begin the motions.


    Once the Butcher begins its charge, it has no way of avoiding my counter.


    However, the Butcher¡¯s charge is fast.


    If I want to match the counter there, I will have to make 1 second adjustments.


    It may sound easy, but 1 second is a short time that would pass the moment you think ¡®Now!¡¯.


    Also, depending on my condition, there will definitely be a 0.1 second deviation even if I were to do the same motion.


    Thinking about it normally, you could say such micro management of time would be impossible.


    (But I can do it. I should be able to.) (Souma)


    I have been repeating the process of animation canceling in windows that are less than 0.1 seconds for thousands to millions of times.


    I have devised complicated and original combos with the Time Activation spells and skills, and have succeeded in performing them.


    My time management when I am concentrated is already polished to the level where it could be considered a special skill.


    ¡­Even if others can¡¯t do it, me -Sagara Souma- a severe Nekomimi Neko player, who has spent most of his college days in this game, should be able to do it.


    That¡¯s why, in this faint moment¡­


    I will forget that this world is reality.


    Right now, I am looking at a virtual world in that big and obnoxious VR machine.


    What exists in this world is me and the game data.


    The scene in front of me is all a bunch of numbers, therefore, there¡¯s nothing that can¡¯t be calculated.


    I have to believe that.


    I eye measure the distance with my head that has cooled down to a chilling extent.


    I obviously don¡¯t remember how long it takes for the preliminary motions of the charge.


    That¡¯s why, when the Butcher begins its charge, I calculate how long it takes for it to reach here.


    (3¡­no, 4 seconds¡­or more¡­?) (Souma)


    I once again replay the scene burned in my mind; the time when the Butcher charged at my companions and minced them.


    That speed, the distance, the time it took to reach us¡­


    I try to dig out all the information from my fragmented memory.


    (¡­Done!) (Souma)


    4.1 seconds since the start of the Butcher¡­no, since the moment it would take for me to recognize that the Butcher will start.


    That¡¯s my answer.


    I will gamble my own life¡­no, the fate of everyone on this timing.


    The moment I decided on the timing of the attack, the King Butcher began its preliminary motions for the charge as if it had been waiting for that.


    ¡°Ringo!¡± (Souma)


    Ringo moved behind me at the same time as I shouted this as if already prepared.


    Even in the case the Butcher targets Ringo, it will definitely crash onto me first.


    Preparations done.


    (¡­Come!) (Souma)


    The Butcher finished the preliminary motions, and the moment it starts will signal the beginning.


    I concentrated on the Butcher, who had turned smaller as if charging up its strength, in order to not miss ¡®that moment¡¯.


    Concentration creates a pseudo acceleration in thoughts, and can lengthen 1 second infinitely.


    There¡¯s practically no change in the movements of the Butcher.


    However, I feel like I can see how his body is accumulating the power like a spring, and how it will fly off at any moment.


    And then, that time finally came.


    An explosion happens behind the Butcher!


    No, it was sudden acceleration that would make you think that.


    However, I have not let the timing escape.


    The moment I saw the start of the Butcher, I also began the Order.


    (2 seconds of preliminary motion, so¡­here!) (Souma)


    2 seconds passed, and I utilized my trump card, which is the Absolute Katana Reversal.


    At this point, there¡¯s nothing I can do anymore.


    All that¡¯s left now is to pray the activated attack will be hitting the Butcher.


    Slowly, my body traces the preliminary motions of the skill.


    The Butcher is approaching.


    How was the timing?


    Too fast?


    Too slow?


    ¡­The answer came soon.


    (It begins!) (Souma)


    2 seconds passed in the time when the Butcher still hadn¡¯t reached the range of the Otachi.


    The distance between me and the Butcher is so vast, to the point it made me uneasy.


    Obviously, it is impossible for the attack of the Butcher to hit me within 0.3 seconds.


    ¡­But that¡¯s how it should be.


    Even if the attack of the Butcher doesn¡¯t reach me, the moment my brain recognized the beginning of the counter registration time, my vision was already covered by an explosion.


    ¡ªFire spell: [Petitplosion].


    This is my trump card that I finished the chant of and have left in standby this whole time before the escape.


    The explosion of this spell that I set the Time Activation for 4.1 seconds ago will damage anyone that¡¯s within its AOE, regardless if it is friendly or not.


    In other words, I am no exception.


    (Kuh!) (Souma)


    The explosion attacked me, but it didn¡¯t do much damage.


    A spell of mine who has low magic power isn¡¯t that big of a deal, and the damage multiplier itself of Petitplosion isn¡¯t that high.


    But, on the other hand¡­


    My body that has registered the fire element attack of Petitplosion automatically enters into counter motion!


    This is my true trump card.


    If I were to do the counter after I have received the attack of the Butcher, I wouldn¡¯t make it in time at all.


    That¡¯s why I attack myself and activate the counter at the perfect timing.


    It is technically a self-activated counter.


    A fighting style that pure fantasy residents wouldn¡¯t even begin to imagine¡­the gamer fighting style!


    Both of my hands holding Shiranui raise naturally.


    At that moment, the blade of my sword transformed into a long fire tongue.


    ¡°GOOOOO!!¡± (Souma)


    As if striking everything along with my fears, the flame blade was swung down the moment the white giant entered the range of the Otachi.


    And it hits the head of the white giant directly as if it gravitated towards it.


    ¡°Gwaaaaaaaaaaah!!¡±


    What erupted was an ear-piercing scream.


    The feedback from my hands, the sensation of having broken something¡­


    (I did it!) (Souma)


    The giant couldn¡¯t take this one attack either.


    The weak point, which is its head, was hit directly, making its giant body fumble, dropping its cleaver, falling on its knees, and¡­


    (¡­Eh?) (Souma)


    Held on.


    ¡°Gaaaaaaah!!¡±


    The giant roared once again.


    However, it wasn¡¯t from pain but pure rage.


    The one the giant glared at with its cruelly smashed face was¡­


    (¡­This is bad!) (Souma)


    The hatred of the giant pierced through my body.


    Even if the damage was high, the King Butcher has still not lost its fighting spirit.


    He soon grabbed back the cleaver he dropped and raised it.


    (This is bad bad bad bad bad!) (Souma)


    I can¡¯t move because of the skill stun.


    I can¡¯t cancel this stun.


    I won¡¯t be able to avoid this attack!


    (Move! Move move move!) (Souma)


    My heart was screaming at my body not moving as it wishes to.


    The skill stun isn¡¯t ending.


    My body isn¡¯t moving!


    (Damn it! [Ground Compression]! [High Step]! [Step]! [Jump]!) (Souma)


    Even when knowing it was pointless, I continued shouting out the skills.


    But my body didn¡¯t react.


    The cleaver so big it is like a blunt weapon closed onto both of my eyes.


    ¡°Souma!¡±


    The Lightning Strike poured onto the Butcher as if screaming, diverting the attack slightly.


    Even so, it didn¡¯t manage to stop the attack.


    The attack was diverted slightly, but I watched how it was heading towards my body in slow motion¡­


    ([Ground Compression]! [Ground Compression][Ground Compression][Ground Compression][Ground Compression]¡ª) (Souma)


    And then, that time suddenly announced its end.


    ¡°Fuh!¡±


    My breath stops.


    An impact on my chest that couldn¡¯t be processed by my head.


    My thoughts were bleached white from the attack.


    Even so, my gaze was reflexively directed towards the impact in my chest.


    It was an unbelievable sight.


    The giant cleaver sunk into the armor and easily destroyed it.


    The giant weapon didn¡¯t stop at that.


    I clearly envision my end.


    As if proving me correct here, the deadly weapon that destroyed my armor will tear apart my body next¡­


    (Aah, I am dea¡ª) (Souma)


    My strangely stretched vision was cut off there.


    ¡°Guaah!!¡±


    A scream came out from my mouth.


    My vision spins.


    Spins.


    And then, a sound and impact.


    I don¡¯t understand what happened.


    ¡°Uguh¡­!¡±


    I can see the sky, I can see the ground, see the sky again¡­I don¡¯t even know where I am anymore.


    Pain ran through my whole body.


    I don¡¯t feel Shiranui which was supposed to be held in my hands.


    However, I was overwhelmed by something that was assailing me, and by the time I noticed, the ground and the sky took half and half of my vision and spread before me.


    ¡°Aaah¡­¡± (Souma)


    A groan escapes from my mouth.


    My whole body hurts.


    The sensation of scorching fire comes from my chest.


    I honestly don¡¯t want to confirm what¡¯s going on.


    Just that¡­I am alive.


    And from the sight in front of me, I can tell that I have fallen sideways on the ground.


    I barely understood here that, the moment I was prepared for death, the skill stun was undone and I was sent flying.


    (I¡­lost¡­) (Souma)


    The sense of defeat looms over me.


    I did my all.


    I used all of my experience and knowledge, won a dangerous gamble, and landed the hit.


    But even with that¡­


    The absolute wall that is stats couldn¡¯t be overcome.


    Even with the Otachi and skill modifiers, I couldn¡¯t fill up the difference between us two.


    I lost.


    And at the same time, I understood¡­


    I will die.


    Not accomplishing anything in this world, unable to return to my original world, killed in these plains by a monster and disappearing into light particles.


    I am beginning to somewhat feel like that¡¯s fine too.


    My body isn¡¯t moving an inch anymore.


    I can¡¯t even tell if there¡¯s pain or not anymore, but my whole body is burning, and all of my sensations are growing distant already.


    If I close my eyes here, I feel like I can attain peace.


    If I had to speak out one regret, it would be¡­


    ¡°Souma!¡±


    As that voice rang, my last regret came running towards me.


    Seeing that, I was relieved from the bottom of my heart.


    I desperately move my lips as if saying it is its last job¡­


    ¡°Run¡­¡± (Souma)


    Did my voice properly come out?


    I can¡¯t tell.


    However, for some strange reason, I feel like it was transmitted to her.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    There was no response.


    No, she responded to me with action.


    The golden ninja sword was thrown away in front of me.


    What was dropped there was her weapon: the Golden Sakura.


    (I¡­see¡­) (Souma)


    This is¡­her answer.


    Dropping her weapon.


    It means she is willing to run away.


    (That¡¯s¡­a relief¡­) (Souma)


    A part of my heart was saddened by this, but I was covered by a big veil of relief.


    With this, I have no regrets anymore.


    Now, all that¡¯s left is to pray Ringo will manage to run away while the Butcher turns me into a corpse.


    That¡¯s what I thought.


    And yet¡­


    (What¡­are you doing?) (Souma)


    Even though she should have already thrown away her weapon, I saw her putting a hand on her own waist.


    That¡¯s weird.


    That should be the one other weapon that¡¯s several times weaker than the Golden Sakura, the Heat Knife.


    (Why¡­?) (Souma)


    She held the Heat Knife, but there¡¯s no point in that.


    The element of the weapon is not counted in the Lightning Strike.


    Even though she should know that¡­


    But I was the one who didn¡¯t get it.


    I am the one who didn¡¯t get anything at all.


    ¡°¡­I won¡¯t let you. Definitely not.¡± (Ringo)


    I watch how Ringo strings up those words with indescribable emotions.


    And then, with knife in hand, she ran towards the Butcher without hesitation, and the foolish me finally understood.


    Close combat.


    Even if Lightning Strike doesn¡¯t get the element added, if she attacks directly with the knife, the element will obviously be counted.


    She threw away her strongest point that is the Lightning Strikes and plans on fighting blade to blade against the Butcher with a single knife.


    To protect me.


    To save someone like me.


    But that¡¯s beyond reckless.


    She has no experience in close combat, and all her stats are below that of the King Butcher.


    That can¡¯t be called reckless anymore.


    That¡¯s just suicide.


    (Don¡¯t¡­!) (Souma)


    I tried to stop her¡­


    Tried to tell her to stop the foolishness¡­


    I whipped my unmoving body and forcefully stretched out my hand.


    ¡­But that hand grabbed nothing.


    (Reach¡­ Reach¡­!) (Souma)


    I stretch my hand.


    I try to.


    But my hand isn¡¯t moving as I want.


    ¡°Aaah¡­¡± (Souma)


    I tried to scream to not go.


    But my voice isn¡¯t coming out.


    (Reach¡­ Reach¡­) (Souma)


    She runs.


    There¡¯s no hesitation at all in those steps.


    She will soon be arriving in front of that giant.


    When that happens, that¡¯s the end. She will easily die then.


    I can¡¯t let that happen.


    That alone must be avoided!


    (Reach! Reach, reach¡­REACH!!) (Souma)


    I desperately squeeze out my voice and try to stretch out my hand.


    ¡°A-Aaaah¡­!¡± (Souma)


    My tired out body couldn¡¯t move and my voice couldn¡¯t even manage a shout anymore.


    But, at that moment¡­


    (¡­It reached!) (Souma)


    That hand¡­touched the golden handle.

 CH 54

    (With this¡­!) (Souma)


    I hold the Golden Sakura with my hand that has lost its strength.


    That hand was shaking, and rather than calling it holding, it is more like I am pinching it with the strength I can bring out.


    However, that doesn¡¯t matter.


    As long as there¡¯s the fact that I am holding it, that¡¯s enough.


    Even if I try to speak, I can¡¯t let out my voice anymore.


    But that doesn¡¯t matter.


    Even if my words can¡¯t be heard by anyone, it is still enough.


    That¡¯s why, with my hand still on the Golden Sakura, I shout the Order loudly in my mind.


    ([Bloody Stab]!) (Souma)


    Right after that, an impossible to describe power pushed my perishing body into action.


    My hand I thought couldn¡¯t move anymore made smooth movements, and dealt a fast stab towards midair.


    However, there¡¯s no target to stab onto.


    That thrust obviously hit nothing, and the skill motion ended without stabbing anything.


    ¡­Or so it looked.


    But change certainly happened.


    In my body, that is.


    ¡°Aaaaaaah!!¡± (Souma)


    The wounds were being healed.


    Power is welling up in my body.


    My stamina was recovering to a state before the battle, or even more than that.


    A mere second after doing the skill.


    With my legs that couldn¡¯t move before, I stood on the ground again.


    ¡°Ringo!!¡± (Souma)


    However, what I saw when I stood up was Ringo being hit by a side-punch of the Butcher and being sent flying without being able to do anything.


    I could tell the blood in my face was draining as I ran towards where she fell.


    Ringo is not wearing armor.


    If she really did get a direct hit from the Butcher¡­


    (¡­No!) (Souma)


    I could see the broken Heat Knife in the hand of Ringo who was sent flying.


    She barely managed to receive the hit of the Butcher with the knife.


    In this game, you can mitigate the damage of attacks even if you receive the hits from equipment other than shields.


    I will believe that Ringo is okay.


    (Make it in time!!) (Souma)


    I chain the Short Cancel of Step, High Step, and Ground Compression, and go to her side at the fastest speed.


    I see her still in the air, jump at the end, and¡­


    ¡°[Shadow Snatch]!¡± (Souma)


    Activate the dark element skill, Shadow Snatch, of the Ninja Sword.


    Jet black claws wrap around Ringo in midair, and at the same time as it kills the momentum, it heals her wounds.


    With the momentum lost, Ringo¡¯s body falls to the ground, but unfortunately, I can¡¯t catch her with both arms like manga heroes.


    If I stop the skill combo here, Ringo will fall onto the ground, and I won¡¯t be able to move because of the skill stun.


    ¡°Kuh, [Ground Compression]!¡± (Souma)


    I was already at the limit of my stamina, but even when aware of this, I pushed myself a bit here and chain it to Ground Compression.


    Rather than catching her with Ground Compression, it is more like I kidnapped her out of the air as I take distance from the Butcher.


    ¡°Guh!¡± (Souma)


    We both fall onto the ground.


    However, thanks to that, the skill stun was canceled, and while being careful about Ringo, I soon got back on my feet.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this, Ringo showed a violent reaction.


    She turned her face this way with such quick movement I have never seen from her before.


    ¡°Sou¡­ma?¡± (Ringo)


    The eyes of Ringo were opened wide as if she didn¡¯t believe what she was seeing.


    Judging from this, I would say she has no issues with her body.


    ¡°Sorry for making you push yourself there. But it is alright now.¡± (Souma)


    It seems like I worried her, so if possible, I would like to give her an explanation, but there¡¯s no time for that.


    We may have taken distance here, but this still can¡¯t be considered a safe area.


    I take my eyes off Ringo and quickly stand up.


    ¡°¡­Souma¡­¡± (Ringo)


    The uneasy voice of Ringo rang at my back, but I answered her without looking back.


    ¡°It is okay. Just leave the rest to me.¡± (Souma)


    All the conditions have been gathered.


    There¡¯s enough stamina.


    My concentration is on the rise, and I have a new weapon.


    That¡¯s why¡­


    ¡°I will defeat that guy.¡± (Souma)


    I take a step towards the Butcher as if showing my own will.


    I faced the King Butcher from the very front, and I once again grew certain of it.


    (¡­It is wounded.) (Souma)


    Within the bosses of Nekomimi Neko, there¡¯s the type that weakens when they are damaged, or the type that awakens power and comes to kill the player; fortunately, the Butcher is the former case.


    Its movements are clearly more sluggish compared to when the fight began.


    It seems like my do-or-die attack wasn¡¯t wasted.


    That said, that¡¯s not exactly what¡¯s linking to my certain advantage here.


    Most bosses that weaken when they are in critical condition possess high health regeneration, and the Butcher should be in that category too.


    I need to settle this battle while the advantage is still there.


    (If it is with the Golden Sakura¡­) (Souma)


    I can pull off a fighting style that I couldn¡¯t with Shiranui, and bring out more power than the Wakizashi.


    The Ninja Swords, due to their nature, have a lot of techniques that can¡¯t be used unless you get close to the target, but if it is against the Butcher whose movements are dulled because of the damage, it might not be impossible to hit.


    (Also¡­) (Souma)


    I still have one other trump card.


    The Light Element Damage Specialization Ring I.


    When I went to the accessory shop in Lamurick with Ina, I bought one element specialization ring of each element and¡­7 Light Element Damage Specialization Ring I.


    The element specialization I rings lower the power of the opposite element by 70%.


    Then, what happens if you equip 2 of those rings?


    In this game, the element amplification and weakening effects are additive.


    In other words, 2 times 70 is 140.


    The element modifier is 100% by default, so 100 minus 140 equals -40.


    Also, the power of the elemental attack is decided from the multiplier of the attack x element modifier.


    Meaning that¡­


    When you attack someone with a dark element attack while equipped with 2 of these rings, lo-and-behold, you heal the target!


    How did I manage to recover in an instant when I was on the verge of death?


    The answer obviously lies there.


    The Ninja Sword skills have a lot of assassination and stealth type skills, and because of that dark image, there¡¯s a lot of skills that have the dark element by default.


    Giving out a specific example, it would be the Shadow Snatch I used just now.


    The second one would be the finishing move that¡¯s even called a bugged skill, Bloody Stab.


    You should be able to connect the dots by now.


    Bloody Stab is a dark element skill, moreover, it is a bugged skill that deals damage to yourself too when you use it.


    When you use this equipped with 2 Light Element Damage Specialization Ring I, 40% of the damage from Bloody Stab will heal your HP.


    40% is nothing to scoff at.


    There¡¯s many cases when healing magic doesn¡¯t show satisfactory effects on physical characters.


    On the other hand, if you use all your ring slots, you can use the Bloody Stab which uses no MP and barely costs anything, moreover, it scales with physical strength.


    ¡­That¡¯s when it was in the game.


    The circumstances are different in this world.


    You could only use 2 rings max because of system limitations, but in this world, you can equip a whopping 10.


    And right now I have equipped all 7 Light Element Damage Specialization Rings in my fingers.


    My dark element is right now -70 x 7= -490.


    Taking out the 100% from its original number, and there¡¯s still -390%.


    The self-recovery of Bloody Stab is 4 times your attack power.


    It is understandable that my HP would go to full in an instant.


    Moreover, it isn¡¯t only those 2 that are dark element attacks.


    The King Butcher bends down.


    That¡¯s the signal for the 2nd battle between me and him.


    ¡°[Step]!¡± (Souma)


    At that moment, I used a skill and closed the distance with the Butcher in one go.


    I have no intention of taking my time.


    The movements of the injured Butcher have clearly dulled compared to when the battle began.


    I will go in like this and settle this in one go.


    (Here it comes!) (Souma)


    The one facing me with hardened resolve is the Butcher with its cleaver.


    It gets wary of my approach and raises that giant mass of iron.


    ¡°[High Step]!¡± (Souma)


    But I have no intention of going along with him.


    I Cancel Step with High Step.


    I close in onto that giant body with speed that surpassed the expectations of the Butcher!


    But the Butcher managed to deal with that speed.


    He immediately swung down his cleaver towards me.


    On the path for a direct hit!


    However¡­


    (That¡¯s still slow!) (Souma)


    I raised the gear one notch more!


    ¡°[Ground Compression]!¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s the fastest movement skill in my arsenal.


    If it had been the Butcher in perfect shape, it would have been a different story, but the giant with its dulled movements can¡¯t deal with this speed at all!


    I dive into close range distance just like that.


    A giant something passed me by from behind, but there¡¯s no point if it doesn¡¯t hit.


    (Here!) (Souma)


    At the same time, the left hand of the Butcher that didn¡¯t hold a weapon stretched out to try and grab me.


    But right when it happened, I¡­


    ¡°[Jump]!¡± (Souma)


    Had already canceled the Ground Compression, activated Jump, and had already jumped high above.


    The Butcher lost its target and its left hand grabbed air.


    And then¡­


    I was now in the air, right in front of the Butcher¡¯s face that was bent forward from its own attack.


    I am now at close range to the Critical Point of the giant, its face!


    (This is¡­the end!) (Souma)


    I activate the last skill while looking at the shocked face of the Butcher!


    What I will be using is the 3rd dark element skill of the Ninja Sword.


    ¡°[Assassin Rage]!!¡± (Souma)


    The 13th skill of the Ninja Sword.


    The 13th Skill was originally supposed to be a high power skill, but because its damage multiplier was set to the negatives, it healed the enemy instead. In other words, it was seen as a landmine skill.


    But what happens if you use it while you have a negative dark element modifier?


    Negative and negative makes a positive.


    Moreover, it is a big negative like -390% which would normally be unthinkable.


    The answer is obvious.


    This technique that was ridiculed as the Saving Blade** became the ultimate killing sword that can even bring down giants! <A pun of the Saving Fist from Fist of the North Star>


    ¡°This is¡­THE END!!¡± (Souma)


    The black blade that was shot out together with my shout encroached on the white giant.


    Black and white; these two opposites clashed for only an instant.


    The attack clad in darkness warped the white and terrifying face and¡­


    ¡°Gugyaaaaaaaah!!¡±


    Destroyed it.


    ¡°Guh!¡± (Souma)


    After defeating the Butcher with the effect of the skill, my body continued to move forward.


    It went to the back of the giant, and I rolled on the ground without being able to mitigate the fall.


    (Did I¡­do it?) (Souma)


    I should have defeated it this time around, but there¡¯s no fanfare or the last death cry of a giant like the ones you find often in games.


    I hurriedly looked back after I landed on the ground, and I saw the body of the giant slowly changing into light particles and melting into the air.


    ¡°It is over¡­right?¡± (Souma)


    I muttered this, unable to believe the sudden end.


    Even when I look at the place where the giant body of the Butcher was, the only thing that remained were the drop items.


    The signature weapon of the King Butcher that was the source of many player deaths, the Greatsword: Meat Cleaver. Also, the consumable item that increases your strength slightly, Power Seed.


    Those are the only things at the place where the Butcher was.


    But we have no time to be spacing out here.


    ¡°Crap! The time!¡± (Souma)


    I look at the watch.


    According to the watch that didn¡¯t break in the fight before, it is 3:59.


    ¡°Ringo, that rock!¡± (Souma)


    I throw the Golden Sakura to her while saying this, and she immediately shoots a Lightning Strike at the giant rock where the Butcher came out from.


    Ringo must have understood my intention here, she tried to destroy the upper part of the giant rock to have it cave in, but¡­


    ¡°This is bad! The spawn¡­¡± (Souma)


    The time came heartlessly.


    The clock marked the next minute, light gathered into the spawn point inside the rock, and¡­


    ¡°¡­Done.¡± (Ringo)


    However, that light was crushed by the raining rocks from above.


    I was nervous for a while there, but there¡¯s no signs of monsters jumping out from inside the rock.


    Looks like it really is over with this.


    ¡°Haaaaah¡­¡± (Souma)


    I let out a big sigh of relief and collapsed right then and there.


    This time around, it was seriously dangerous.


    The dangers until now, I have had some leeway in them or had some sort of comedic element to it, but this one was seriously purely dangerous.


    I can only call it luck that we managed to overcome this.


    No, it is of course not purely luck.


    ¡°You saved me there, Ringo.¡± (Souma)


    I told this to Ringo, who came to me, and thanked her from the bottom of my heart.


    It is also because she crushed the last spawn point, but if Ringo hadn¡¯t been here, there were a lot of things I wouldn¡¯t have been able to manage.


    I once again give her my thanks.


    ¡°¡­Hn.¡± (Ringo)


    But Ringo¡¯s fever time must have left as the danger left.


    I don¡¯t know if she heard what I said. She simply moved her head up and down in a way that would be impossible to see unless you concentrate on her.


    Her expression may look mysterious in a way, but she probably has simply returned to her expressionless look that¡¯s not thinking of anything.


    That raises a lot of questions in itself, is what I was thinking as I looked at Ringo¡¯s face, but¡­


    ¡°¡­What¡¯s¡­that?¡± (Ringo)


    The words of Ringo made me look at my chest.


    When I did, a white thing was peeking out from the broken opening of my leather armor.


    It was exposed from the attack of the Butcher¡­my ribs¡­no, that¡¯s not it¡­


    ¡°A-Aah, I see. So that¡¯s what it was. Ahahahahahaha!!¡± (Souma)


    The moment I noticed what it was, I fell into a fit of laughter.


    ¡°¡­?¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo tilted her head lightly at me suddenly laughing like crazy here, but I couldn¡¯t stop laughing here.


    It must be the backlash from the tension leaving me.


    I rolled around laughing for a while with Ringo not saying anything.


    (Aah, seriously, this is why a game world is interesting.) (Souma)


    Immediately after I did the fire counter, I got a direct hit from the Butcher while I was skill stunned.


    And yet, how is it that I managed to survive despite my level and stats being low?


    The answer to that is here.


    (Even petty stuff like this can¡¯t be underestimated.) (Souma)


    The thin white thing that was peeking out from my leather armor and saved my life¡­is what I left inside my armor the whole time as insurance since the time at the armor store.


    A quest item that, despite being an important item, got lost a lot, so it was ranked up into a valuable item that can¡¯t be destroyed.


    The Mysterious Scrap of Paper that the Tutogramps gave me.

 CH 55

    ¡°To think you guys would be able to defeat that big dude by yourselves.¡±


    While I was hung up about the paper and all that other stuff, Raiden had woken up.


    It seems like he healed his wounds with his own potion and he is looking more energetic than I thought.


    ¡°I would like to talk about a lot of stuff with you guys, but this place is still dangerous. Let¡¯s go back to the city at once.¡± (Raiden)


    The monster outbreak ending also means that normal monsters will begin to spawn.


    I nodded at the words of Raiden, quickly picked up the drops of the Butchers, and we head back to the city.


    Now then, about those drop items, Ringo and I went through a lot of pain to put the Meat Cleaver into the bag.


    It is the drop item of a level 150 dungeon boss.


    No, if I exploit the bug, I could get as many as I want, so it is not exactly unique, but it is treated as an Unique Weapon.


    It is categorized as a greatsword which has high stats by nature, and its base attack power is outstanding, but there¡¯s one problem with it.


    ¡ªThis Meat Cleaver has an outstanding 66 weight.


    It is 6 times that of a normal sword, and 8 times that of Shiranui, and 33 times that of Hisame¡¯s moonlight katana.


    Even if the last one doesn¡¯t really serve as a good reference, it is weight that you could even just rename it as an iron pillar.


    There¡¯s no way you can use it properly with that much weight.


    I feel bad for saying this, but it is completely a joke weapon.


    Just how strong was that Butcher-san?


    The other drop item is the Power Seed which I didn¡¯t know if to use it or not. In the end, I put it in the bag.


    The Power Seed is as the name implies, a mysterious seed that you feel power well up when you eat it. It has the effect of permanently increasing strength.


    Not only the Butcher, but monsters that you can only defeat once will always drop one of these seeds, so it is not exactly rare, but permanent stat increase items are really alluring for gamers, you know.


    The problem is that the stat increase of seed items is pretty small, so even in the old version when the plains were terrorized by Butchers and you hunted them for a whole day to collect those seeds and used them all at once, the effect was barely noticeable.


    Honestly speaking, raising your level is a whole lot faster.


    I can¡¯t expect much from using one here, so I decided to just decorate the inside of my bag with it.


    The announcements of the subjugation contest will happen after 1 hour of the monster outbreak, so there¡¯s still time, but I am actually a bit unsure whether we can properly return to the city while fighting the monsters.


    That¡¯s why we returned with Raiden to make him our bodyguard of sorts, but it actually was needless worry.


    ¡°That young lady is incredible¡­¡± (Raiden)


    The moment monsters approach, Ringo would deal with them with Lightning Strike.


    I was slightly apprehensive about showing our cards to Raiden, but he already knows that we defeated the Butcher and defeated close to 90 goldens.


    As long as she doesn¡¯t shoot the Lightning Strikes consecutively, it will simply look like an unusual spell, and if we show a bit of our cards, it will instead lessen suspicions.


    I gave the Golden Sakura to Ringo, so I am using the Wakizashi right now, but with the attack power of the Assassin Blade that has been boosted to 4 times its power by the rings, I can defeat monsters without any issues like how Hisame did against the goldens as long as they don¡¯t have elemental resistance.


    The choice of me fighting is there, but Ringo didn¡¯t give any chance for me to approach them, and was defeating them all, so it can¡¯t be helped.


    Raiden and I were following behind Ringo without any worries as we headed towards the city.


    On the way, we introduced ourselves and did some chatting, and eventually, Raiden made a serious expression and said this.


    ¡°¡­You and I fought for our lives against the same enemy. That¡¯s why I think of you as a comrade in arms.¡± (Raiden)


    ¡°No, that¡¯s¡­¡± (Souma)


    We are the ones who spawned the Butcher, so there was fault in me.


    Also, I did turn tail once, so it made it hard for me to speak out here.


    However, as if Raiden didn¡¯t care about those technicalities, he shook his head to the sides and continued speaking.


    ¡°I will say this because I don¡¯t want to hide things unnecessarily to a comrade in arms, but I was actually watching a bit of your battle with the Butcher. The very last part of it, the part when you defeated that giant.¡± (Raiden)


    ¡°My fight¡­?¡± (Souma)


    Raiden nodded heavily.


    According to what Raiden said, he woke up around the time when the Butcher sent Ringo flying.


    At that time, his body couldn¡¯t move, but he could clearly see that I was lunging towards the Butcher.


    ¡°When I learned that the Princess-san was worried about you, I thought spring had finally come to the Princess-san.


    And after I actually saw you, it reinforced that hunch of mine since you didn¡¯t look strong.


    ¡­But that wasn¡¯t the case.¡± (Raiden)


    Raiden¡¯s eyes turned this way.


    A sharp light resided in those eyes like the time when he was facing the Butcher.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t know if that isn¡¯t the case or not, but at the very least, her being interested in you was by no means simply because she fell in love with you.


    Those strange movements you did when you closed in on that guy, and that strange skill you used to put an end to it; they were both things I have never seen before.


    I can somewhat understand why the Princess-san called you the Strange Sword User.¡± (Raiden)


    Looks like Hisame intends to spread the name of Strange Sword User.


    It is in a sense an effective way to enact revenge.


    I want to complain about a lot of things regarding that, but I decide to forget about it for now, and try to point it out to Raiden.


    ¡°If possible, I would like my fighting style to not be known that much¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I know. I told you that we are comrades in arms, right? I won¡¯t betray a friend.¡± (Raiden)


    ¡°¡­Thanks.¡± (Souma)


    How to say it¡­ This punching-bag character is a really nice guy.


    But that wasn¡¯t the end of what the nice guy had to say.


    ¡°That said, the truly strong ones will gather the attention of the masses sooner or later.


    I feel like it won¡¯t be long before the rumors of the Strange Sword User spread in the whole kingdom.¡± (Raiden)


    ¡°Spare me from that.¡± (Souma)


    If this really is Hisame trying to harass me here, I would say she succeeded with flying colors.


    While I was feeling weary here, we finally caught sight of the city¡¯s gates.


    ¡°We finally got back.¡± (Souma)


    Only 2 hours have passed since we left, and yet, it feels strangely nostalgic.


    We catch up with Ringo who was a bit at the front and all 3 of us cross the gate.


    ¡°Now then, I will regroup with my comrades at the plaza. What will you guys do?¡± (Raiden)


    When we cross the gate, the noise of people immediately seizes the surroundings.


    Raiden asked this with a louder voice than when we were in the plains.


    I respond with the same volume.


    ¡°We will go to the plaza as well.


    We plan on making the report right as we get there, so we will be splitting there.¡± (Souma)


    Normally, the finished request must be submitted at the counter of the Bounty Hunting Guild directly, but the subjugation contest is a special event, so it is treated differently.


    The subjugation report and announcement will be done in the central plaza of the city.


    The 3 who had the most points will be called to the special stage, and the total number of monsters subjugated and their items delivered will be read out loud, and it will be publicized who was the winner in front of a whole crowd.


    Raiden of course knows this, so he said this while looking at the big stage that can be seen from all the way here.


    ¡°Well, even if you call it splitting, we will be meeting soon after the announcement though.


    Because of the Princess-san overdoing it, the subjugation numbers are pretty tilted to one side.


    The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place are most likely set with the Princess-san, you, and my team.¡± (Raiden)


    ¡°Hoh, is that so?¡± (Souma)


    If that¡¯s true, that¡¯s good news.


    My face loosened there unconsciously, and Raiden grinned as he said:


    ¡°You may be a comrade, but I won¡¯t hold back when it comes to a competition. We will do our best to win.¡± (Raiden)


    ¡°Challenge accepted¡­is what I want to say, but the monster outbreak is already over.¡± (Souma)


    There¡¯s no enemies to defeat anymore, so there¡¯s no point in doing your best here.


    When I responded with that, Raiden made a wry smile.


    ¡°¡­True.


    Well, it is simply a state of mind¡­ Oops, it seems like my companions have come to get me.¡± (Raiden)


    Raiden cut off his words in the middle and, at the place he looked at, there was a man and woman who seemed to be strong looking over here.


    Those two must be Raiden¡¯s companions.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s meet again on the stage!¡± (Raiden)


    ¡°Yeah, later!¡± (Souma)


    Ringo and I see off Raiden who walks to his companions while greeting them cheerfully.


    ¡°¡­Again at the stage, huh.¡± (Souma)


    Raiden said he won¡¯t be holding back, but I am sorry to say that our position is definitely 2nd or higher.


    We missed the last 2, but we managed to hunt 74 goldens.


    We might not win against Hisame, but I doubt we will lose to anyone else.


    Also, if I remember correctly, Raiden said he defeated 21.


    If he says that gets him 3rd, there¡¯s no need to worry about the other participants.


    (Hm¡­?) (Souma)


    I felt like something was off here, but I shook my head and returned to my senses.


    I feel like I found a strange part, but it is probably not something to worry about.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go as well.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Okay.¡± (Ringo)


    When I say this to Ringo, who has been silent until now, responded shortly with that.


    I don¡¯t know if it is because she isn¡¯t good with crowds, but when there¡¯s other people, she seriously doesn¡¯t speak at all.


    No, she doesn¡¯t talk that much even when we are alone, so it might not be that different.


    ¡°Here, huh.¡± (Souma)


    The report of the subjugation contest is done at an exclusive tent, and it is made in a way that you can¡¯t see the outside.


    There¡¯s still 30 minutes of leeway here, but there¡¯s no harm in doing it sooner.


    Thinking this, I approached the tent, and a familiar young man walked towards me.


    ¡°Heya there! Keeping it up until this late, you must have worked really hard!¡±


    He is talking awfully familiar here.


    Judging from his attire, he must be an adventurer too, but this is clearly our first time meeting in this world, and the proof of that is that I don¡¯t remember his name.


    But he is certainly an adventurer that can become a companion in Nekomimi Neko.


    ¡°Well, yeah.¡± (Souma)


    I want to tell him that I worked 100 times harder than he imagines, but that would be simply me venting here.


    I should get along with people in my same profession.


    I gave a safe answer.


    The young man¡¯s smile turned frivolous.


    ¡°I see, I see. Working hard is nice.


    ¡­By the way, the one walking together with you was Raiden-san, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and?¡± (Souma)


    This is probably the main topic.


    That young adventurer lowered his voice and I purposely responded with a normal tone.


    But the adventurer doesn¡¯t seem to be bothered by this.


    He instead lowered his voice even more, as if he were scheming something.


    ¡°I knew it¡­ So, how much did you get?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± (Souma)


    He asked me something I didn¡¯t get at all.


    What is he saying all of a sudden?


    I thought that, but he ignored my reaction completely and said as if impatient here.


    ¡°I am talking about money. He bought it from you, right?


    I sold mine at an increased rate of 30% from the companions of Raiden-san, so I was wondering how much was the rate of others.¡±


    ¡°W-Wait a moment!¡± (Souma)


    I don¡¯t know what he is talking about.


    I don¡¯t, but it doesn¡¯t sound like this is good for me.


    (Speaking of which¡­) (Souma)


    And then, I remember something¡­


    Right now, after hearing the words ¡®companions of Raiden-san¡¯, I got what the strange feeling of before was.


    When we were talking about our subjugation numbers, Raiden said  ¡®I defeated 21!¡¯.


    But if he defeated them together with a team, would he have said ¡®I¡¯?


    In that case, there¡¯s the chance that the 21 of Raiden isn¡¯t the full number of Raiden¡¯s team, but the subjugation number of Raiden himself.


    In the first place, Raiden isn¡¯t the type who would boast about his own results.


    It is already suspicious just from the fact that he was the one who brought that topic out.


    If I am correct here, Raiden is an unbelievable schemer here.


    (I see, he poured a cold one on me, that Tea Drinker.) (Souma)


    While I was thinking that, my body that was relaxing returned to being tense.


    This world is a game and not a game.


    What I am competing with here are not puppets controlled by a program.


    They have knowledge and intelligence; actual people.


    ¡°H-Hey, as I said, how much¡ª¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but ask that question somewhere else. See ya then. We have business here.¡± (Souma)


    A person that seemed to be a staff member of the Bounty Hunting Guild was waiting there.


    ¡°You must be a participant of the competition, right?


    We have been waiting.


    Now then, please present the subjugation crystal and the delivery items.¡±


    Now all that¡¯s left from the subjugation contest that showed unprecedented developments is to wait for the announcement of the results.


    It is finally the last scene of the Golden Stray Wild Slime Subjugation Contest.

 CH 56

    Finishing the report, we left the tent at once.


    I was a bit wary wondering if the young adventurer was still there at the entrance, but it looks like he just gave up and went off somewhere.


    ¡°¡­Fuuuh.¡± (Souma)


    I take a deep breath.


    An event that moves a lot of money really does make me nervous.


    I thought I got a bit of resistance after the Heritage of Meripe, but the numbers this time around are on a whole other level.


    Leaving aside the crystal, if the delivery items were to be robbed, it would have been troubling, but that worry is now gone.


    The moment I finished the report, I felt like the weight on my shoulders had come down.


    When you defeat a Golden Wild Slime, you can get a whole lot of experience and money, but you also get a high reward for doing the delivery item request.


    To be more specific, you get 10,000E for defeating 1; as for the drop item, 1 is 100,000E.


    Defeating just 1 is enough to take care of 10 days in that scam inn, or 6 days with both me and Ringo.


    If that¡¯s not enough to make it click, it would be 50 fingerless gloves.


    If you defeat 20, you can surpass the heritage of Meripe, so you can tell just how outrageous this is, right?


    However, it is almost impossible to encounter a Golden Stray Wild Slime in a time outside of monster outbreaks.


    If we think about the balance, there¡¯s even people who would say that 10,000E for defeating one is just not enough, so I might really have to be grateful that the monster chosen for the monster outbreak was the golden.


    If this were completely the real world, I would have to worry about embezzlement, but this world shows the tendency of being faithful to the game systems the more defined they are.


    I can¡¯t say for sure, but faking a total amount or denying the pay was something that didn¡¯t happen in the game, so I think it should be okay.


    That¡¯s why it is one worry less.


    Even if by some unexpected event, I am not within the first 3, we will still be getting enough to not worry about lodging expenses anymore.


    Even in 3rd place, 1 nets you 20,000E, and one gold coin is 200,000¡­


    (Aah, I see.) (Souma)


    That¡¯s when I finally understood the talk of the young adventurer and the strategy of Raiden.


    There was the talk of buying gold coins, but the gold coins are of course referring to the delivery item this time around, Wild Slime Gold Coin.


    When a normal participant submits this to the guild, they get 100,000E.


    However, what would happen if Raiden and his group were to buy them for 130,000E to 150,000E?


    The participants that don¡¯t think they will be placing in the top 3 will be enticed by the money and would sell their gold coins immediately.


    On the other hand, Raiden seemed to be sure that he would be getting top 3.


    The 3rd, 2nd, and 1st place get an increase in the prize by 2 times, 3 times, and 10 times respectively.


    In other words, they will definitely be getting 200,000E or more for each gold coin.


    Even if he were to buy all of the gold coins for 150,000E, it would not be a loss at all.


    No, they would be assured a profit of 50,000E.


    Also, different from having defeated them himself, as long as you have the item, they won¡¯t be asking you how you got them.


    This can be said in cases other than the contest too. You can obtain the items after accepting the request, or get them from other people like Raiden, or even have them before accepting the request. Anyways, anything is okay as long as you submit them.


    In other words, even if you increase the drop item reward by buying them from others in the competition, it isn¡¯t against the rules.


    He was trying to make me misinterpret the total subjugation number of his team, inviting carelessness, and aimed to buy the drop items of the other participants as he aimed to overturn the placements.


    I don¡¯t know if to call him experienced or just petty, but that was quite the meticulous scheme.


    Well, Raiden did have a part of him like that in the game.


    When lives are at stake, or he encounters a strong enemy or is in a dangerous situation, he will show his manly side, but when that¡¯s not the case, he would be two-faced, and would use petty schemes to earn some small change.


    Well, he normally will be close to someone even better than him when he is doing those schemes, so he ends up easily crushed though.


    That¡¯s why he can¡¯t escape his punching-bag horse reputation.


    (Oh well.) (Souma)


    Considering our result of 74, I doubt that degree of scheming can overcome us so easily.


    I have no intention of buying gold coins to go against Raiden, and even if I did now, there would be no point.


    There¡¯s really only one person we have to be on guard about.


    ¡°You took your sweet time. I was tired of waiting.¡±


    The samurai girl whose cat ears are twitching and is looking at us with cold eyes.


    The sudden appearance of Hisame made Ringo be on guard, and she pointed the Golden Sakura at her.


    For now, I put a hand in front of Ringo as if to block her, and I also respond in a provoking manner.


    ¡°And you came back pretty fast. Please spare me from your excuses about how you could have won if you had stayed until the end once you lose, okay?¡± (Souma)


    Hisame was expressionless as always, but her cat ears jumped at that.


    ¡°Of course. In the first place, it is impossible for me to lose.¡± (Hisame)


    She is incredibly confident here, but her confidence can be her biggest weakness as well.


    I instead spoke to Hisame as if admonishing her.


    ¡°I have said this countless times, but in competitions, there¡¯s no knowing what will happen until you open the lid.


    Do you know the story about the turtle and the rabbit?


    Even while you were relaxing in the city, we were working hard.


    This difference¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°No, even with that, you definitely can¡¯t win against me.¡± (Hisame)


    But Hisame cut me off.


    I thought that maybe she was still thinking about getting revenge and blood rushed her head, but her cat ears are docile here.


    On the contrary, she directed somewhat downtrodden cat ears at me as she spoke.


    ¡°I had my expectations on you for a little bit.


    That match from before¡­


    It is true that the details of it are the worst, but I felt like you had ¡®something¡¯ that might surpass me.¡± (Hisame)


    ¡°¡®Something¡¯?¡± (Souma)


    Hisame didn¡¯t say anything towards my question.


    She simply shook her head and continued speaking.


    ¡°However, it seems like that was a misunderstanding.


    You said you continued working hard even while I was resting, right?


    It is true that you might have done your very best even after I returned to the city.


    But that¡¯s too late.


    You should have made your move before I ended.¡± (Hisame)


    After saying all she wanted to say, she turned around.


    ¡°The announcement will begin soon.


    That¡¯s when the answer will be shown.¡± (Hisame)


    She left those words as she parted, and Ringo and I couldn¡¯t stop her.


    ¡°Everyone, it is finally the long awaited moment!


    We will now be announcing the results of the Golden Stray Wild Slime Subjugation Contest!¡±


    I could hear the magic amplified voice of the announcer in the plaza that¡¯s tightly packed with people.


    There being more people than expected is most likely because a lot of money will be moving here.


    Or maybe there were people who went out to hunt goldens within the ones here.


    Anyways, it is finally time to announce the results of the subjugation contest.


    ¡°Just as everyone knows, the target of this time¡¯s contest was the Golden Stray Wild Slime!!! An incredibly high dividend monster.


    I am just a civil servant here, so I don¡¯t know the details, but it was apparently a jostle of new records, and there might be a reward that might push the guild to the brink or something.


    Who is going to be the winner in this competition?


    And what will happen to the management of the Bounty Hunting Guild in the future?


    Everyone, please watch until the end!!¡±


    The one saying all this on top of the stage is the female announcer that I have seen countless times in the game.


    Her frivolousness is witty, and it heated up the people gathered at the plaza in one go.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s go right in. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd this time around.


    Let¡¯s call the 3 teams who have obtained a monetary reward that would make your eyeballs jump out.


    The teams that have been called, respond in a loud voice and please come up to the stage!¡±


    Those words made the people in the plaza go silent.


    Some would show their curiosity out in the open by looking around, wondering who are the teams fortunate to get the high placements; some would put both hands together, praying to be within the top 3.


    The ones who were called first here are¡­


    ¡°Then, here are the first ones.


    Team Raiden!


    Please come up to the stage!¡±


    It is Raiden and his team.


    Following the aloof Raiden are the skilled man and woman I saw at the plaza.


    The people around directed gazes of envy while opening the way for them.


    The fact that Raiden and his group really were called means that it is almost certain we will be called too.


    My heart was drumming here while thinking this.


    I was waiting in that state of mind, and the next one to be called was¡­


    ¡°The 2nd one is actually not a team but a single participant! Can you believe it?!


    Mitsuki Hisame-sama!


    Please come up to the stage!¡±


    It is Hisame.


    She jumped out from the crowd and landed on the stage in one leap.


    It is not like she likes being flashy, but she stands out no matter what she does.


    When Hisame got on the stage, everyone went ¡®Uoooh!¡¯, ¡®Kyaaaah!¡¯, ¡®Mitsuki-samaaa!¡¯.


    It seems like Hisame is unexpectedly popular in this city.


    No, that¡¯s fine and all but¡­


    Now there¡¯s only 1 remaining.


    Will we really be called here?


    If it is the same as the game, I thought that there would be no issues, but maybe they won¡¯t call us by some sort of mistake¡­?


    While that uneasiness was gnawing at me¡­


    ¡°Now then, it is finally time to announce the last team.¡±


    The moment of truth has come.


    The last ones the announcer called were¡­


    ¡°The last team¡­Team Sagara-sama!


    It is a rare team of 2.


    Now then, please come up to the stage!¡±


    It is us.


    Of course, I knew we would be called, but I was relieved from the bottom of my heart when our names were called.


    On the other hand, I could hear the cries of remorse from the people who were not called last.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Ringo.¡± (Souma)


    It is good and all that I was relieved our name was called, but there¡¯s no point in staying here the whole time.


    Ringo and I walked the path that people were opening up for us.


    ¡°Yo! You really did come.¡± (Raiden)


    When I got up the stage, Raiden with a grin on his face and the usual expressionless Hisame waited for me there.


    I lifted my hand to greet them, and the announcer lined me up by the side of Hisame.


    Despite Ringo being a former princess, it seems like she is not good at dealing with the gazes of people, so she quickly moved behind me.


    ¡°Now then, let me introduce you once again to the teams that have achieved high scores in this competition.


    Beginning from the left side, we have Team Raiden-sama.


    Mitsuki Hisame-sama.


    And Team Sagara-sama.¡±


    With all 3 teams having come up to the stage, it is now explanation time.


    Aside from our introductions, she also explained in an easy to understand way how 1 subjugated golden is 10,000E, and 1 delivery item is 100,000E. And that 3rd place gets 2 times the reward, 2nd gets 3 times, and 1st gets 10 times.


    Of course, I am already tired of hearing that explanation.


    I decided to check out the state of the participants on the stage in the meantime.


    First, Raiden and his teammates.


    I don¡¯t know what¡¯s so funny, but Raiden has been grinning this whole time, and I don¡¯t see much fighting spirit from his teammates.


    This must be what¡¯s called a seasoned adventurer.


    Then there¡¯s Hisame at my side.


    She is still expressionless, with a stalwart posture as she faces the front.


    Her ears are also standing proudly.


    It seems like she is not nervous.


    As for Ringo, she was stiff like a statue behind me, and was watching the back of my head.


    I doubt there¡¯s anything interesting there, but well, she decides what to do.


    She is cute enough to fight for 1st place in the popularity ranking, so I feel like cheers would be raised if she were to come to the front though¡­


    (Aah, I see.) (Souma)


    There¡¯s this many people watching.


    If we were to get 1st place, we might stand out as millionaires.


    That¡¯s troubling, is what I was thinking as I began counting golden slimes in my boredom.


    ¡°Now then, sorry for the wait! It is finally time for the long awaited results!¡±


    The announcer informs everyone about the start of the main event in this competition.


    ¡°Starting off, from the left side.


    Announcing the reward of Team Raiden-sama!!¡±


    As her voice echoed, the sound of drum rolls resonated, stirring up the expectations of the audience.


    After stirring it up as much as possible, the female announcer speaks.


    ¡°Subjugation number: 37! Delivered Items: 11! Total reward¡­1,470,000E!!¡±


    When the amount came out from her mouth, the audience boiled in excitement.


    1,470,000 is not a number that you see often even as an adventurer.


    Even more so the case if you are living normally in the city.


    However, this astounding reward isn¡¯t solely the result of the hunting from Raiden and his team.


    If the subjugation number is 37, his delivered items should have been 3-4 when considering the drop rate.


    The reason it is 3 times that is because he bought the gold coins from the other people.


    Considering how he couldn¡¯t buy them from me, Hisame, and the other teams aiming for high placements, that¡¯s quite the good number he got.


    But¡­


    (We won!!) (Souma)


    Even so, it didn¡¯t reach our number.


    I was scared there for a moment, but with this, it is certain we got 2nd or higher.


    Now, everything will be settled with how many goldens Hisame defeated.


    ¡°For now, this would be the team with the highest number. Could there possibly be a team that surpasses 1,470,000E here?!¡±


    The announcer stirs things up in that fashion, but there¡¯s obviously one.


    The announcer knows this as well.


    ¡°Now, the next on the list is Mitsuki Hisame.¡±


    The moment she said this, cheers surpassing the announcement of Raiden covered the venue.


    ¡°It goes without saying that Mitsuki Hisame-sama is an extremely capable adventurer, but just how many Golden Stray Wild Slimes did she end in one swing?! Even I, as the announcer, am excited by this!¡±


    Even though she should know the results already, she was going all out in hyping up the audience.


    The cheers get louder in response to this.


    And then¡­


    ¡°Now¡­now now now now, it is finally time to announce the results of Hisame-sama!!¡±


    Will I win, or will Hisame win?


    Everything will be settled in these few seconds.


    ¡°The reward of Mitsuki Hisame-sama is¡­¡±


    I perk up my ears and wait.


    The crowd had fallen silent at some point in time, and a silence that was painful to the ears and tension reigned the place.


    Ringo, who was watching the back of my head, said ¡®¡­ah, a split hair¡¯ which strangely remained in my head.


    And then, finally¡­


    ¡°Subjugation number: 251! Delivered Items: 52! Total Reward: 7,710,000E!! Can you believe this?! She far surpassed Raiden¡¯s team and is now the tentative 1st place!¡±


    The audience heated up in one go at the results that far surpassed their expectations.


    On the other hand, I let out a sigh and drooped my shoulders.


    (I see. Went above half the number, huh.) (Souma)


    It is not like I didn¡¯t expect this situation at all.


    Hisame was talking about this being over pretty often.


    That means she defeated 251 of the total 500 goldens that exist.


    If she defeats 251 beforehand, even if all the others are defeated by one other team, it would still be 249.


    Moreover, when Hisame defeated the golden, she aimed for the Critical Point that increases drop rate.


    Even if you defeat close to the same number, if you defeat them in the normal fashion, you definitely won¡¯t be reaching her numbers.


    Hisame¡¯s ¡®over¡¯ also meant that there was no chance for anyone aside from her in winning.


    However, even if the calculation is there, there¡¯s no way a normal person could defeat 251.


    Moreover, she did so without forming a team; all on her own.


    That¡¯s no normal skill.


    (She really is something else.) (Souma)


    Even in the future, no matter how much I level up, I am sure I wouldn¡¯t be able to accomplish the same thing as her here.


    That achievement of hers was so great that I felt fine about praising her honestly for this even in this situation.


    ¡°Also, defeating 251 means that she has set a new record in this subjugation contest! This record heavily offsets the past 105 record. Everyone, one more round of applause for her!¡±


    The announcer said something and the venue got heated up again, but I didn¡¯t pay it heed anymore¡­


    (¡­It is over.) (Souma)


    The result is clear already.


    There¡¯s no point in hearing our result anymore, and the audience isn¡¯t listening either.


    ¡°E-Everyone! There¡¯s still one more team left! I implore you, please be silent for a moment!¡±


    This degree of excitement was probably unexpected, the announcer was flustered from stirring the crowd too much, but the ruckus was not calming down at all.


    Not only that, the people around were going¡­


    ¡°Hisame! Hisame! Hisame!¡±


    They were doing a Hisame call.


    There was already no one who was interested in our results.


    ¡°N-Now then!!


    3rd Team!!


    Team Sagara-sama¡¯s results!!


    Will be announced!!¡±


    She must have given up on calming the crowd down, with a desperate tone, the announcer pushed through.


    While listening to the loud and peeved female announcer, I search for Hisame.


    And then¡­


    ¡°Subjugation Number: 87!! Delivered Items: 74!! Total Reward: 8,270,000E!! And so, the winners are these two!!


    CONGRATULATIONS!!¡±


    I look at Hisame who is standing dumbfounded on top of the silent stage.


    Hey, did you know, Hisame?


    This is the power of the ones who never give up till the very end (and bugs)!!

 CH 57-58

    For the Nekomimi Neko players, bugs are your common neighbor, your biggest enemy, and also your best friend.


    The bug I used this time around is of course within the best of the friends.


    It was called the most convenient and useful bug in Nekomimi Neko history, and every time there¡¯s a patch, it was continuously said ¡®this time for sure, they have fixed it¡¯, and yet, it remained till the very end.


    Known as: Corpse Knockbug.


    When you hit the Critical Point and finish them, the drop rate being 2 times higher is the normal system within Nekomimi Neko. An official setting that even NPCs know about.


    It is true that it is a convenient system, but there¡¯s monsters that are hard to aim for the Critical Point. Their movements may be too fast, and there would be times when you wouldn¡¯t be able to take advantage of that system properly.


    However, one day, there was one person who said: ¡°When you finish an enemy on the Critical Point with a multi-hit skill, the drop rate shoots up¡±.


    If this is true, the fighting style against enemies with important drop items would change.


    A ton of players rode on this theory.


    The result of the tests was that: ¡°Looks like it is correct, but we don¡¯t know what¡¯s the logic behind it¡±.


    The results varied between people, so a unified conclusion couldn¡¯t be made.


    The only common denominator was that: ¡°Using skills with a high number of hits and high attack power will make it easier for items to drop¡±.


    However, after what a certain player testing this said, the situation made a drastic change.


    In other words, in the time when the item drop is being verified, he delayed the attack timing to when the enemy monster was dead¡­and his multi-hit skill connected, but the drop rate was increased even then.


    No, on the contrary, he tried to replicate that same situation several times, and it seemed like the drop rate in the cases when he hit them when dead was higher than when he did so when they were alive.


    When hearing that report, all the players went ¡®no way¡­¡¯, but at the same time, every single one of them thought: (No, it might be possible with Nekomimi Neko¡­).


    And then, a new test began.


    What was made clear there was a shocking truth.


    In the first place, how is it that the 2 time increase when you deal the finishing blow on the Critical Point is being calculated?


    The answer was: When ¡®the attack hits that Critical Point¡¯, if ¡®the HP is lower than 0 after the damage calculation¡¯, then ¡®drop rate increases x2¡¯.


    That¡¯s pretty half-assed, but if this had been a game other than an RPG or Nekomimi Neko, there wouldn¡¯t have been any problems.


    The moment the HP touches 0, the hitbox of the monster disappears, and no matter if it is a multi-hit attack, only one modifier instance is applied when you deal the finishing blow.


    However, do you remember?


    In Nekomimi Neko, the corpse of monsters remain for a while even when they die, moreover, there will be times when players can get hit by the attacks from that corpse.


    But that also means you can hit monsters when they are dead.


    And it is obviously easier to aim for the Critical Point of the monster compared to when it is alive. Attacking the Critical Point of a monster¡¯s corpse isn¡¯t difficult, and if it is a dead monster, no matter how weak of an attack it is, if the HP is lower than 0, if you hit the Critical Point, it will fulfill the condition of the drop rate increase.


    Also, the drop rate up calculation is a simple x2, so for each hit you land, it goes 2x, 4x, 8x, and so on.


    What does this mean?


    It means that: by hitting the Critical Point of a monster¡¯s corpse, you can drastically increase the drop rate.


    This is Corpse Knockbug.


    Increase the drop with low risk. A welcome bug exploit for Nekomimi Neko players.


    Now then, the drop items heavily influence your placement and total reward in this competition.


    There¡¯s no reason not to abuse the Knockbug.


    I have been forming my winning plan around the Knockbug Technique to win this subjugation contest.


    This is something I thought when the subjugation contest of goldens was decided.


    When Ringo stops its movements with Lightning Strike, I will run in and hit the Critical Point with Hexa-Stab.


    We will aim for 1st place with that plan, and if it is possible, I will have Ringo hold back a little in her attacks, and have me deal the finishing blow to raise my level.


    That was our strategy for the Golden Stray Wild Slimes.


    If I had to go in more detail about it, it would be ¡®Ringo defeats the goldens with Lightning Strike, and when it dies and stops moving, I cause a Knockbug with Hexa-stab.


    With that, it is almost certain that Golden Stray Wild Slimes will drop gold coins, so we aimed for 1st place with the reward from that.


    This time around, I used the 6 hit skill, Hexa-Stab.


    When the Corpse Knockbug is done with this, the item drop rate will increase by 2 to the power of 6.


    In other words 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 = 64 times higher drop rate.


    The drop rate of the Wild Slime Gold Coin is 10%, so the drop rate when you use the bug technique is 640%.


    It is impossible for several of the same item to drop through this because of system limitations, but it easily assures the drop of the item.


    The reason why we missed them at first was because there¡¯s a downside in using the Corpse Knockbug technique to win the subjugation contest.


    This technique also increases the rare drop rate.


    Because the rare drop calculation is done before the normal drop calculation, if the rare drop happens, then we won¡¯t get the normal drop that is the Wild Slime Gold Coin.


    The Golden Sakurai rare drop of the goldens has a drop rate of 0.1%, and after the Corpse Knockbug, it is 6.4%.


    Considering the rate, it wouldn¡¯t have been strange at all for it to drop 3 more times, but I don¡¯t know if to call it lucky or unlucky, but in the end, it only dropped once.


    But there was one more miscalculation.


    It is of course the existence of Hisame.


    I didn¡¯t think we could get 1st place with the subjugation numbers to begin with.


    It may be strong in the random elements, but this is still a Nekomimi Neko event.


    I did expect a somewhat strong character to participate, even if I didn¡¯t expect it to go as far as being Hisame.


    But no matter how strong the enemy, I thought we would be able to get ahead with the difference of the reward for each kill.


    Normally, you get 10,000 for the subjugation, and if we calculate the average of the delivery item, it is around the same, so a total of 20,000 for each kill.


    On the other hand, we are assured a gold coin drop, so we get 10,000 for the subjugation, and 100,000 for the item, so a total of 110,000 per kill.


    If the enemy defeats them normally, if we were to defeat 80, even if the other side defeats the remaining 420, they can¡¯t match us, so our win is assured then and there.


    If I could defeat at least 50, the other side would need to defeat 275, so it would be hard to lose.


    That¡¯s what I thought.


    But with Hisame accurately hitting the Critical Points, she was a monster that earned an average of 30,000 per kill.


    Due to this, my safe margin was not a safe margin anymore.


    Moreover, judging by what Hisame said, the chance that she was aiming for more than half was now present.


    After 1 hour passed, we succeeded at the Corpse Knockbug 66 times.


    That¡¯s around 7,300,000E. In the case Hisame managed to get more than half, her numbers shouldn¡¯t reach 7,500,000E.


    And, at that time, there was no way of me knowing, but Hisame actually defeated 251 goldens, and managed to get a total reward of 7,710,000E.


    If we didn¡¯t search for the spawn point of the giant rock or if Hisame had continued hunting even after going over 251, we would have definitely lost.


    In that sense, you could say this is the victory of the ones who didn¡¯t give up.


    (Yeah, it really was a close fight.) (Souma)


    Ringo and I received the award together, and I reminisce on this time¡¯s competition in that fashion.


    The reason no people are calling this clearly strange record as cheating must be because this world is half a game.


    They probably know that it is impossible to cheat in this competition.


    After the announcement of my results, the venue went silent for a moment, but when she announced my victory once again, they raised loud cheers to congratulate us.


    Despite there being a lot of extremely crafty events, Nekomimi Neko has a lot of good people too.


    ¡­Well, even that is within the plans of the developers. They make the worst events even when there¡¯s no ill-intent from them, so it made the players suffer even more though.


    Anyways, getting praised by others is great.


    A smile surfaced naturally in my face, and I waved back towards everyone who was directing congratulatory words towards us.


    (¡­No, that¡¯s not it.) (Souma)


    It is not exactly everyone.


    Almost all the people here are congratulating us, but there¡¯s at least one exception.


    The exception is¡­


    ¡°¡­Impossible¡­¡±


    Rather than calling it expressionless, it is more like her emotions have flown off somewhere from the disbelief, standing there with her cat ears facing down.


    It is Hisame.


    After the announcement of the results, it is now the prize award.


    However, because our prize is an explosive amount for being 1st, it is apparently difficult to give us the prize here, so we were told to please come to the Bounty Hunting Guild¡¯s headquarters to accept it.


    I was a bit uneasy from this development that wasn¡¯t in the game, but¡­


    ¡°They most likely have their preparations to make, so no need to hurry there, okay?!¡±


    Judging from this courteous attitude, I doubt they are going to be shirking payment here.


    We walked around the city as told, and decided to take it easy as we headed to the guild to receive our prize.


    ¡°Ringo, think about what to do with the money we will be getting, okay?¡± (Souma)


    We walked through the city as I said this.


    Things I would like to buy when I have money, things I need to buy; a whole lot of things were overflowing in my mind, and I was feeling merry here.


    After going around for a good while, we arrived at the Bounty Hunting Guild, but¡­


    ¡°Temporarily¡­closed¡­?¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s what was hanging there.


    My confidence of not shirking payment because of the game¡¯s system shook heavily there.


    But reconsidering that maybe they will give the prize even if they are not operating, I opened the door.


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    I thought it might be locked, but the door easily opened, and there were a whole ton of people talking with the lights on.


    Looks like they are working.


    I put a hand on my chest in relief, took a step inside, and was surprised.


    (W-What is this?! This sudden and overwhelming feeling as if I am on the Away side!!) (Souma)


    The inside of the guild has clearly made a complete turn compared to when I saw it at noon.


    Stuff like [Economic Modesty], [One day One Meal], [I won¡¯t be selfish until I win], [Money is important] were written there. Posters that were clearly not there before were now posted here and there, moreover, the one at the reception is an old man!


    ¡°Haaah, my ears have not been working well recently¡­¡±


    He said this monologue, appealing to his bad ears.


    Is it an office inspection? There¡¯s a girl I see often in the city who is speaking with a middle-aged employee at the other side of the counter.


    ¡°Father, you work here?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It is an important job that protects this city indirectly. Right now¡­there¡¯s trouble with money, but I am sure it will be okay. Father will work hard for the sake of our family, okay?!¡±


    They were having that nonsensical conversation as if saying the outside world is a harsh one.


    On top of that, for some reason, there¡¯s a female guild staff member by the side who is carrying a child and saying: ¡°I am sorry, the pay this month is going to be tight. If I could get my salary, I would be able to provide for you¡±.


    Moreover, there¡¯s a young staff member and an elderly staff member talking about how important their job is for the country and the city.


    ¡°¡­Really?! Then, it would be terrible if this guild were to be gone.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. That said, the country does provide supporting funds, so it wouldn¡¯t go down with just anything. But if they had to suddenly pay a total of 82,700,000E on that very same day, it might go under.¡±


    It was so incredibly barefaced that even someone as dense as me could tell¡­


    In other words, it is that¡­


    (These guys are trying to make me give up on the prize by attacking my conscience!!) (Souma)


    And in this way, the stage switched from the plains to the guild, and the last and biggest fight of the Golden Stray Wild Slime Subjugation Contest began!!


    ¡­Probably.


    We are completely on the Away side inside the guild.


    But why did it turn out like this?


    (Could it be that¡­) (Souma)


    This is just conjecture, but because of the game system, the staff members can¡¯t deny paying me the prize money.


    That¡¯s because not paying you the prize money didn¡¯t happen in the game.


    Just like when Ina tried to put on 3 rings, there must be some kind of mental restriction in them, so if I were to demand payment, they wouldn¡¯t be able to refuse me.


    The guild staff must understand this instinctively, and are taking this approach because of this.


    If they are done for once I say it, they just have to make it so that I don¡¯t say it.


    There would be times when the player would forget about receiving the reward.


    It is a bit of an irregular scenario, but if we were to say ¡®we don¡¯t need the prize money¡¯, they probably have the freedom to accept that.


    (That said, what should I do?) (Souma)


    I obviously didn¡¯t expect this situation.


    If this is simply them not wanting to pay a large sum of money, I could push it through, but I feel like they are actually on the brink here.


    If they can pay in the game, they should be able to here as well, is the kind of thinking I had until now, but I had no event in my game time where I got a monster outbreak of goldens that deals with an astronomical sum of money, so maybe it is simply that no one knows, but this is probably what happens when you hit around 99,999,999E.


    Our total reward is 8,270,000E, and with the 1st place bonus, it is 10 times that which is 82,700,000E.


    It is pretty close to 99,999,999E.


    If I were to push through here and the guild goes under, and I end up getting hate from that, it wouldn¡¯t be fun.


    That said, giving up on as much as 80,000,000E is out of the question¡­


    I fall into thought and¡­


    ¡°¡­Prize money, please.¡±


    She might have gotten bored, or maybe she saw that I was troubled here. At some point in time, Ringo came forward and said this.


    (Ooh, that¡¯s impressive, Ringo!) (Souma)


    In this case, not being able to read the room is the best.


    The guild¡¯s atmosphere froze at those words, and the old man at the counter went¡­


    ¡°M-My ears have not been working well recently¡­¡±


    He was trying to resist here, but judging from the buckets of sweat, I doubt he is going to last long.


    In contrast, Ringo¡¯s next action was excellent.


    Without even denouncing his clear attempt to escape, she simple went:


    ¡°¡­Are you going to break¡­your promise?¡± (Ringo)


    She tilted her head and asked this.


    That¡¯s rough.


    They brought children and babies on us here, but innocent words are at times the most powerful psychological attack.


    A sour mood spread around the guild, and the forehead of the old man finally began to sweat a waterfall.


    I feel like it is only a matter of time before the guild gives up.


    This is by no means me seeing the situation wrong, but the one who moved first was a person deep inside at the other side of the counter.


    ¡°I would like to hear about it too, Guild Master-san. Why are you not paying the money?¡±


    The one who smacked the hard-hearing old man was a girl who came here for a workplace tour.


    I was surprised about how the old man at the counter is the guildmaster, but seeing who that girl was was not on that level of surprise.


    (Now that I take a closer look, that¡¯s Poison-tan!) (Souma)


    Unknown name, unknown age, a poisonous girl with bottomless battle power; Poison-tan.


    I thought it was a girl I saw often in the city, but it was actually a girl I saw often in the city.


    But this girl that should only show herself walking around the city is for some reason here.


    Is the middle aged staff member there really her father, and she simply came to meet him?


    I was curious about this, but I learned the answer soon after.


    ¡°That¡¯s strange~. Even though I came here to help out since you asked me to help, why is it that I am being made to help out in doing a bad thing~?¡± (Poison)


    Hearing this, I nodded internally.


    She is like a bundle of presence and personality, but her appearance alone is that of a normal city child.


    She was probably scouted as an extra while she was walking around the city.


    (I feel bad¡­) (Souma)


    Learning about the situation, I felt deep pity.


    This is of course not towards Poison-tan who was brought here with a half-assed excuse.


    I am pitying everyone from the Bounty Hunting Guild who were so hurried that they ended up getting the worst person they could.


    ¡°B-But if they were to take the prize money here, tomorrow, the guild would¡­¡±


    The old man that¡¯s supposed to be the guildmaster refuted this as if he didn¡¯t understand what was going on and¡­


    (Aah, he spoke back.) (Souma)


    I ended up facing the sky after seeing that.


    That¡¯s probably the worst choice you could take in this situation.


    ¡°Heeh, is that so?¡± (Poison)


    As proof of this, see?


    Poison-tan¡¯s lips curved into a smile as if she were a hunter who had found her prey.


    Just what poison will she be spitting out here?


    My brain can¡¯t even begin to imagine.


    The only thing I know here is that there¡¯s no other choice for the guildmaster other than paying the prize money.


    ¡°Sorry for the wait. Here¡¯s the 82,700,000E.¡±


    10 minutes later.


    The guildmaster, who had his heart completely broken by Poison-tan, gave me a crystal with the prize money while out of breath.


    ¡°Thank you very much.¡± (Souma)


    Saying this, I receive the crystal and observe the guildmaster once more.


    There¡¯s already no light in his eyes in less than 10 minutes as if he had aged in one go.


    Is that also because of the stress?


    It felt like the already thin hair of the guildmaster was even thinner in presence than before.


    ¡°Uhm¡­there¡¯s something I would like to ask¡­¡± (Souma)


    It is not like that¡¯s the reason why, but I didn¡¯t end the talk there and spoke to him.


    His eyes devoid of light wearily look at me.


    ¡°I suddenly got this high sum of money and am troubled about how to use it. That¡¯s why I was wondering if you could tell me.¡± (Souma)


    There¡¯s no reaction from the guildmaster even when I said that.


    This guy doesn¡¯t get a hint.


    But if I say the next words, I am sure he will bite.


    ¡°For example; lending the money to a place that will definitely pay me back.¡± (Souma)


    His reaction was dramatic as expected.


    Light returned to the withered eyes of the guildmaster.


    ¡°C-Could you possibly mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I was thinking of lending a bit of money to this guild.¡± (Souma)


    The moment I said that, not only the guild master, the whole guild raised cheers.


    ¡°T-Then, please do¡­¡±


    I answered the guildmaster, who looked like he was going to jump on me at any moment here, with a smile.


    ¡°Now, please calm down. For now, I will lend half of the prize money: 40,000,000E. How¡¯s that? I am fine with the interest being 10% every 10 days.¡± (Souma)


    The guildmaster fainted.


    ¡°¡­I was just kidding there though.¡± (Souma)


    The 10% every 10 days is actually an interest rate that is used in black-market loaning places.


    10% isn¡¯t anything, is what you would think and would leave it be, and then, it will swell into 2 times the amount in 3 months with the magic of numbers. It is of course illegal in Japan.


    In this case, if we go with the loan of 40,000,000E, the first interest would be of 4,000,000E.


    They have to return the equivalent of 4,000 lodging days every 10 days or the debt gets bigger and bigger, so you could say that¡¯s excessive.


    Of course, I have no intention of doing such greedy business.


    Or more like, I don¡¯t plan on making it big by lending money.


    This was simply a joke to loosen up the guildmaster.


    I was a bit shocked that he actually took it seriously.


    Well, after that, I spoke to both the guildmaster and Poison-tan, and lended the Bounty Hunting Guild 40,000,000E which both sides agreed on.


    They said that they just have to manage for a few days, and judging from their motivation, I would say they will be returning the money within 9 days.


    However, this won¡¯t be them paying a prize money from the guild, but returning a personal debt, so I can¡¯t expect the game system to assure me anything here, so there¡¯s no knowing if I will actually get it back.


    Meaning that there¡¯s the risk of them playing dumb or shirk the payment.


    Normally, I would be worried about it, but since Poison-tan is in the middle of this deal, I am not that worried.


    Since Poison-tan has served as witness of this deal, if the guild were to do something unsavory here, the guild master will have to bid farewell to his hair.


    Well, in the worst case, I don¡¯t really mind not getting the remaining half.


    Even after splitting the 42,700,000E with Ringo, I am still left with 20,000,000E.


    With that much, I can do pretty much everything that I wanted to do.


    Of course, having as much money as possible is nice and all, but with this much money in my hands, I should be a bit more broad-minded.


    For now, let¡¯s forget about all that pain in the ass and just be happy about not needing to worry about money anymore.


    I thought of it like that, but it seems like this world of Nekomimi Neko doesn¡¯t allow such peace.


    ¡°You again, huh¡­¡± (Souma)


    The one who appeared in front of us again was Mitsuki Hisame.


    ¡°If this is about challenging me to a match, or a complaint about the subjugation contest of before¡­¡± (Souma)


    I tried to get ahead of her and crush the possibilities, but Hisame shook her head.


    ¡°It is not that. There¡¯s something I would like to request of you.¡± (Hisame)


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡± (Souma)


    I changed my attitude towards her different tone from usual.


    She then proposed this expressionless and her cat ears standing while I was on guard.


    ¡°I promise the best treatment that no other job would be able to match. How about you come to my dojo and put your strength to use?¡± (Hisame)

 CH 59

    The moment I heard that proposal, I could feel chills run down my spine before I even thought about whether to accept or not.


    Could this possibly be¡­


    ¡°Ringo, try to say something!¡± (Souma)


    I faced Ringo without missing a beat and shouted this.


    Ringo looked at me intently, and after a moment of silence¡­


    ¡°¡­Split hairs¡­increasing?¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Alright!¡± (Souma)


    It may not make sense at all what I am going ¡®alright!¡¯ about here from a 3rd person¡¯s perspective, but this means that I have at least avoided the worst situation.


    I am scared by that nonsensical ¡®split hairs increasing¡¯, but that in itself is proof enough that this is actually what Ringo would say.


    When I got invited by Hisame, I thought that the chain event of Hisame had begun, and I thought my life left me there, but it seems like that wasn¡¯t the case.


    That¡¯s because the survival rate of the chain event that happens when you win against Hisame is not only crazy low but also impossible to avoid.


    Once you fulfill the conditions of the Hisame Household Visit Event, all characters aside from Hisame will only talk about the household of Hisame until you get to the dojo with Hisame.


    But Ringo properly (?) answered me.


    It should be okay to assume we are still safe from the chain event.


    ¡°Is something the matter?¡± (Hisame)


    Hisame tilted her cat ear in wonder and I answered with a ¡®nothing¡¯.


    ¡°Tell me in more detail.¡± (Souma)


    I decided to listen to what she has to say.


    Putting it simply, it seems like Hisame wants to scout me to her dojo.


    ¡°I said my dojo, but it is more accurate to say it is the dojo of my family.¡± (Hisame)


    I want to say I know that, but from what I know in the game, the dojo of the Hisame family (literally named Hisame Dojo) is really big.


    Apparently around half of the country¡¯s knight order and the famous adventurers have a connection with the Hisame Dojo in some way or form.


    Monsters affect the lifestyle of the people in this world for good or for bad, so the influence of knights and adventurers is strong.


    If they have connections with half of those, the influence of the dojo itself can¡¯t be underestimated.


    Thanks to that, they apparently have a boatload of money.


    I see, it is such an incredible place, so all the people in the city would match what they say, huh¡­ I won¡¯t go as far as accepting that, but it is a place where all the disciples prepare reverse blades to harass the bethrothered of the daughter, and would prepare a weird building, so I can tell that they have a lot of assets.


    ¡°But why tell me that?¡± (Souma)


    If it is such a famous dojo, they must have droves of people who would want to teach there even without inviting me.


    When I asked this, Hisame¡¯s cat ears tilted forward and she began speaking.


    ¡°This time¡¯s subjugation contest¡­normally, it should have been me who won since I defeated more than half of the monsters. However, you surpassed that common sense. I am sure now that you are different.¡± (Hisame)


    It is my first time seeing someone who can defeat more than half of the monsters by themselves, so the common sense breaking goes both ways. Also, despite you saying all this, it looked like you were pretty shocked at the stage, you know.


    Well, better not say that out loud.


    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®different¡¯?¡± (Souma)


    I instead urge her to continue on.


    When I did so, Hisame abided.


    ¡°You use skills I don¡¯t know of, and even the skills I know of, you use them in a way I don¡¯t know. I feel like you know techniques I don¡¯t know¡­no, techniques that this whole nation doesn¡¯t know of.¡± (Hisame)


    She said something like that without getting embarrassed.


    (Techniques that this whole nation doesn¡¯t know of, huh¡­) (Souma)


    If you can consider game techniques on that level, then yeah, that might be true.


    Even if she puts me on such a high pedestal, it doesn¡¯t click with me.


    ¡°I also heard that the girl there can shoot out lightning consecutively with enough power to shave off rocks. With the common sense of skills and magic, that¡¯s impossible.¡± (Hisame)


    Looks like the lightning of Ringo has leaked too.


    I was about to think why, but there was no need to. It must have been Raiden.


    He said he only saw us defeating the Butcher, but now that I think about it, if he was awake at that time, it is natural for him to also have seen how she shaved off that giant rock.


    Even though he said he doesn¡¯t betray a comrade in arms, he is actually a man with a loose mouth.


    ¡°If you accept this offer, you will get fame and wealth that no other place can provide you, and you will be able to receive assistance in materials from the dojo connections around the whole nation. That knowledge you have¡­can you please use it to rear the future?¡± (Hisame)


    Saying this, she wrapped up the talk.


    As if saying ¡®how about this?¡¯, the tip of her cat ears were twitching.


    ¡°Aah, I get it.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Is that so. Then¡­¡± (Hisame)


    ¡°But I have no intention of accepting.¡± (Souma)


    The moment I said this, her cat ears jumped up.


    ¡°W-Why?!¡± (Hisame)


    That¡¯s a rare sight. Even her voice is showing she is flustered.


    But asking me why is troubling.


    I did listen to her, but I didn¡¯t have any intention of accepting from the very beginning.


    It is true that, if I were to leak out all my information to the world, the world would become a better place, and I would also have an easy life.


    I do want to see a knight order where they can all move with Godstep Cancel, or adventurers that attack the weak point of a dead monster.


    However, the information I have of Nekomimi Neko is information that I obtained by throwing away my college life; in other words, my fortune.


    I am sorry for the adventurers of this world who are fighting with their lives on the line, but even if this is selfish, I am not such a nice person as to just say ¡®okay fine¡¯ so easily and let that fortune of mine go.


    On top of that, me being a teacher in exchange for money is out of the question.


    In these 7 days since the time I came to this world, that¡¯s the exact image of the game, a lot of things happened.


    I am sure there will be even more disasters assailing me in the future.


    In order to go against the unfair system of Nekomimi Neko, I have no leeway to stop my legs.


    Also¡­


    ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t think you people will be able to take on the weight of my knowledge.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°The weight of your knowledge?¡± (Hisame)


    If it is just surface level knowledge, that¡¯s fine.


    But in order to master every single aspect of my knowledge, they definitely need to think in a gaming manner.


    To accept my knowledge means to accept the fact that this world -and them in correlation- was artificially made.


    Right now, only I know this world is a game.


    No, if Maki is really here, she probably has also noticed, or I might tell her.


    But that¡¯s all there is to it.


    I have no intention to spread that truth to any more people than that.


    It is the most simple reason.


    ¡°Why are you currently here?¡± (Souma)


    Hisame may hold pride towards her own dojo.


    You could even call it the best place in the world.


    But that contradicts her behavior of jumping out of the dojo and traveling around.


    ¡°The reason why you left the dojo is because you wanted something that the dojo doesn¡¯t have, right? The powerful opponent that you wish to fight to the death was not in the dojo. That¡¯s the same for me. What I wish for is not there. That¡¯s why.¡± (Souma)


    I noticed that Hisame¡¯s attitude changed when I said that.


    She looked down and fell completely silent.


    Could it be that that was too harsh for her?


    Just when I was thinking about how to follow it up¡­


    ¡°In other words, you also wish to find a powerful opponent to overcome the boundary of life and death?¡± (Hisame)


    Seeing her mouth, I noticed I was mistaken here.


    It is faint¡­extremely faint, but I could see that her usual expressionless face was smiling.


    Looking even closer, I could see that her weapon, Tsukikage, had been unsheathed.


    She is completely in combat mode.


    ¡°Good grief, that was such a detour. You could have just told me from the very beginning. It is alright. The powerful opponent you wish for is here.¡± (Hisame)


    That¡¯s when I noticed what she was misunderstanding here.


    She doesn¡¯t care at all about the pride of her own dojo or its influence.


    The new techniques or rearing the future was all just a front.


    (This girl! She was just putting an excuse here to call me to the dojo and get a rematch with me!!) (Souma)


    She was vexed that she lost against me in the competition, but because of her promise, she can¡¯t challenge me to a match.


    She must have thought that inviting me to the dojo will give her a chance to fight me and brought out this offer.


    She is one unmoving battle junkie.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s begin. I am ready anyti¡ª¡± (Hisame)


    ¡°Y-You idiot! As if I would do that! Or more like, sheath that katana! People are coming!¡± (Souma)


    I hurriedly looked around.


    Fortunately, there aren¡¯t many people passing by, and they haven¡¯t seen her unsheathing her weapon, but if they were to see this, who knows if the guards will be called.


    ¡°But¡­¡± (Hisame)


    ¡°You promised!¡± (Souma)


    She tried to persist here despite all that, so I brought out the promise.


    ¡°¡­Right.¡± (Hisame)


    Hisame sheathes her katana dejected.


    She must have thought there¡¯s no more business here since she can¡¯t fight, so¡­


    ¡°If you change your mind, tell me anytime. You are the only good opponent I have found. I definitely won¡¯t give up.¡± (Hisame)


    She easily turned around and walked off.


    ¡°What a troublesome fellow¡­¡± (Souma)


    I didn¡¯t expect to be seen as a rival.


    Thinking about how these types of exchanges will continue happening in the future, I myself get dejected.


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go.¡± (Souma)


    I told this to Ringo who had unsheathed the Golden Sakura at some point in time while I was disheartened, and we walked off.


    That said, the troublesome one is Hisame.


    I feel like she will poke her head out once I forget about it, and would try to challenge me to a match by throwing some skewed logic.


    I didn¡¯t like the idea of that, but¡­


    But that was needless worry.


    ¡°¡­Souma.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°I know. I know, so don¡¯t say anything.¡± (Souma)


    Something strange has been following behind me since that time.


    The stalker seems to be someone really fast, and every time I turn around, they would hide at a street corner or at the shadow of a sign, and at times they would hide on top of a tall building.


    That technique was perfect.


    Their way of hiding their body, erasing their presence, with concentration and reaction speed that allowed them to react to my movements. I could tell they have enough technique and proficiency to be called a master.


    But why is it?


    Seriously, why?


    (Why is it that only your cat ears are not hidden at all?!) (Souma)


    In every single hiding spot, the cat ears would always be poking out.


    There¡¯s not even the need to doubt the identity.


    (Ignore, ignore. Just pretend we haven¡¯t noticed!) (Souma)


    I force that thought into me and continue walking around the city.


    We went through so much effort here to get this much money.


    At least in times like this, I want to forget about everything and enjoy life.


    I was thinking that while I was walking, and the talk of two city girls entered my ears all too naturally.


    ¡°¡­About that cafe¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it is the cafe that is at the west of Hisame-sama¡¯s household, right? I have gone there too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah. It is popular, so I think I should go to this dojo of Hisame-san, but¡­¡±


    I unconsciously stop my feet. Those two didn¡¯t direct their attention at us and left without stopping.


    (What was that¡­just now¡­?) (Souma)


    I didn¡¯t listen carefully there, but that conversation was kind of weird, or like¡­they were inserting a name I am familiar with every now and then¡­


    But despite the unnatural conversation, I don¡¯t see the people around being bothered by it.


    (Was that¡­my imagination?) (Souma)


    Maybe I am just being too sensitive here.


    I shake my head wondering if I am too tired here, and when I tried to walk on, this time around, the voice of an adventurer passing by entered my ears.


    ¡°Oi oi, if you stay like that forever¡­ Man, you gotta head to the Hisame household¡¯s dojo at once.¡±


    ¡°You idiot. Even I know that the Hisame household is west of the capital!¡±


    ¡°Ha! What are you saying? If you want to go to the dojo, head west!¡±


    No, it wasn¡¯t my imagination!


    The conversation was clearly weird.


    Moreover, no one being bothered by the strangeness of the conversation is even weirder.


    How did it end up like this?


    I don¡¯t get it at all, but there¡¯s no doubt about it.


    The chain event of Hisame is beginning!

 CH 60-61

    The information of Hisame¡¯s household being strangely inserted in the conversations of the people in the city is wondrous, yeah, but let¡¯s try to calm down here as much as possible and put our thoughts in order here.


    The conversation of the people in the city is clearly unnatural, but that¡¯s why I feel like it is a bit hasty to think the Hisame event flag is completely standing here.


    I don¡¯t know how much of my game knowledge will apply here, but in the game, when the Hisame House Visit Event began, the NPCs wouldn¡¯t talk about anything other than the Hisame household.


    Right now, the information of the Hisame household is being inserted in their normal conversations, so it is probably in the middle.


    There was no such half-assed state in the game, but having finished the 1v1 event without triggering the Hisame House Visit Event is not normal to begin with.


    If the event is acting as if it is bugged because of this, I feel like this situation would be somewhat understandable.


    (But why? What was the trigger for this?) (Souma)


    I turned the gears in my brain.


    This didn¡¯t happen yet when I was at the guild.


    Meaning that the trigger really must have been when I met with Hisame.


    Let¡¯s try doing my guessing work here.


    In the first place, the event of Hisame is: Challenge Hisame to a 1v1, do a life or death battle, win that, have your ability acknowledged, be called to the house of Hisame; that¡¯s basically how it goes.


    When I ¡®challenged Hisame to a 1v1¡¯ and ¡®won against Hisame¡¯, we didn¡¯t fight with our lives on the line or get my ability recognized, so I managed to avoid being called to her house.


    You could say the event didn¡¯t occur because I didn¡¯t fulfill 3 of the conditions.


    But this time around, I had a match with Hisame unintentionally, got my ability recognized in a way, and even if the motive was impure, I was called to her house.


    This might have been acknowledged as having fulfilled 2 of the conditions, and the Hisame chain event is on the verge of happening.


    What¡¯s this feeling like I am lining up evidence to bring out a guilty verdict?


    If this is true, this world really is fuzzy on a lot of fronts, but since the base is the base, it is scary that I can¡¯t really it is strange even if it is this half-assed.


    ¡°¡­Are you okay?¡± (Ringo)


    While I was standing there, Ringo spoke to me worried.


    ¡°Y-Yeah, I am okay. It is nothing.¡± (Souma)


    The only oasis of my heart is Ringo.


    Maybe because she is an event character, or because she is a bugged character, it doesn¡¯t seem like she is affected by the Hisame event yet.


    ¡°More importantly, we have to decide where to stay tonight. Is there anywhere you want to go?¡± (Souma)


    The encirclement of Hisame is closing, and I feel like I am almost checkmated here already, but I am tired for the day.


    Fortunately, money is one thing we are not lacking at all, so there¡¯s no need to worry about lodging expenses.


    Even if Ringo wanted to go to the most expensive super extravagant hotel of this city that costs 20,000E per night, I plan on accepting.


    ¡°¡­I do.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo, who normally doesn¡¯t request for anything, nodded clearly at this, and said the name of the place.


    It was¡­


    ¡°Fuuh¡­¡± (Souma)


    I don¡¯t know how many times a sigh has leaked out from my mouth today.


    But that can¡¯t be helped.


    The place we will be staying at tonight is on a whole other level.


    I have been staying in cramped rooms until now, but this time around, we have reserved a whole building for ourselves.


    This refined old style wooden building has great ventilation, and you can even enjoy the night wind brushing your cheeks.


    Also, the mattresses prepared aplenty are all from the highest quality straw.


    A somewhat nostalgic smell warmed us up, and at times it would serve as the food for livestock.


    You should know by now.


    The place we are staying in tonight is the place we spoke of before.


    ¡­That¡¯s right, the horse shed!!


    (Why did it end up like this?!) (Souma)


    Why do we have to stay in a 0E horse shed when we have become millionaires?!


    I went on my knees on the straw bed, but the reason is obvious.


    Wanting to stay in a horse shed was the wish of Ringo.


    When we didn¡¯t have money, I said that the one who lost in rock-paper-scissors will have to stay in a horse shed, and at that time, Ringo got me with a surprise attack, and I thought that she was forcing me into a horse shed, but¡­


    (To think that was out of good will¡­) (Souma)


    It seems like she thought a horse shed was like a theme park where you can interact with horses too, so when I asked where she wanted to stay, she immediately said this.


    It may have been an unexpected answer, but I was the one who asked.


    I thought she would give up immediately after seeing the actual thing, but I was too naive.


    Ringo didn¡¯t change her facial expression at all, or more like, she seemed to be happy.


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s stay here.¡± (Ringo)


    She immediately reached that decision.


    If Ringo is into the idea, it can¡¯t be helped.


    And so, Ringo and I will be staying in this horse shed, but¡­


    (No matter how you think about it, this is not a place people should be passing the night at.) (Souma)


    In the first place, this horse shed, even if it was provided by the neighboring inn, doesn¡¯t have chairs or beds, and not all sides have walls, so we are exposed to the wind the whole time.


    I don¡¯t know if they thought we were poor adventurers for asking to stay at a place like that and pitied us, but the innkeeper provided us with plentiful straw to serve as a mattress and hay, so it is not cold, but it is completely visible from the outside.


    The horse shed on the other side actually has horses, and they are munching on the same hay that we are using as mattresses. I can only laugh at this point.


    Normally, I would consider a place like this too dangerous to sleep, but this time around, there was the option for a bodyguard with us, so there¡¯s no worries on that front.


    I don¡¯t know if to call it the fortune within the misfortune, but as long as the cat ears peeking out from the corner of the inn are there, our safety will be assured.


    (Right, let¡¯s shift my way of thinking.) (Souma)


    I just have to think that being able to feel the outside wind and see the scenery outside is in a way elegant, and the straw bed tickles my childish heart.


    It is rare to see Ringo this merry. She would dive into the straw, hoist it up, split the tip of the straws and go ¡®split hair¡¯ and was enjoying herself like that.


    I am truly glad to see that she is satisfied here.


    (Ooh!) (Souma)


    I tried to change my mood here by looking at the sky, and there was a carpet of stars and a big moon, shining a graceful light that made me stare in fascination.


    (A full moon, huh¡­) (Souma)


    This world has the waxing and wane of the moon like Earth.


    In a sense, the moon of this world and that of Earth are connected.


    I might have missed this beautiful full moon if we stayed in a normal inn.


    Thinking about it like that, I kind of feel like I won here.


    (A beautiful full moon and a full starry sky. Refreshing wind and the smell of hay. The sound of insects and animals¡­ Hey, this really isn¡¯t that bad.) (Souma)


    I am feeling better now.


    While I was thinking that I might be able to sleep more peacefully today than usual, a white horse at the neighboring horse shed moved.


    And then, as if reading the atmosphere, it looked up at the sky and neighed loudly.


    ¡°Neighihihisame-sama¡¯s house is at the west of the city!¡±


    ¡­Yup, I take back what I said.


    I feel like I am going to be getting terrible nightmares.


    That way too peculiar neigh of the horse and the sneeze coming from a street corner somewhere were bothering me as the hectic 7th night slowly passed.


    I thought there would be no way I could sleep in such a terrible environment, but night passed at some point in time.


    ¡°Humans can surprisingly sleep anywhere, huh¡­¡± (Souma)


    I was overcome by deep emotion there. I rubbed my sleepy eyes and looked by my side, and Ringo was sleeping there.


    We are talking about Ringo who was called the Doll Princess.


    I was wondering what to do if she were to be sleeping with her eyes open, but fortunately, she had them properly closed.


    That said, even though I observed her for a while, she didn¡¯t move one bit, so I was worried, but you could say that¡¯s the usual for her.


    Oh well, let¡¯s have her wake up for now.


    Thinking this, I was going to speak to her, but¡­


    ¡°Ooi, Ringo, it is mor¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I reconsidered it in the middle and stopped speaking.


    Yesterday, not only the people of the city, even the horse of the neighboring horse shed was affected by the Hisame event.


    It would make me happy if it settled naturally while I was sleeping, but I doubt the situation has gotten better.


    Fortunately, it didn¡¯t seem like Ringo got affected by it yesterday, but that doesn¡¯t mean that¡¯s the case today.


    Imagining even her going on about the house of Hisame made me falter a bit here.


    Speaking of which, what happened to Hisame?


    Remembering that she was following us the whole time, I looked at the corner where the cat ears were poking out.


    ¡­Not there.


    ¡°Hisame? Not there, huh.¡± (Souma)


    I tried looking around to check the corners that one can hide in, but she wasn¡¯t there either.


    Figures she would leave at night.


    Well, if she wants to, she can find my location immediately with the Explorer Ring, so I doubt this means she gave up, but I thought I could loosen up my shoulders here, and the moment I returned my gaze¡­


    ¡°Uwah!¡± (Souma)


    There were two triangular things poking out from the mountain of hay in front of me, and it rose up.


    ¡°I knew it. You noticed me, huh.¡±


    Arms came out, then a face, then Hisame showed up.


    ¡°What are you doing¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I was about to ask her if she is a ninja or something, but I feel like that¡¯s not too far from the truth.


    I was completely baffled by this, but Hisame waved her head around and shook off the straw on her face and ears.


    ¡°It was cold, so it couldn¡¯t be helped. It seemed like you noticed me anyways.¡± (Hisame)


    She was acting oh so naturally.


    Well, I did hear her sneezing in the middle of the night, so it seems like even Hisame can¡¯t win against the cold.


    Seeing the cat ears that jumped out, I thought for a second ¡®it must be because she is a cat¡¯, but it is most likely because of her attire.


    She only has the bare minimum on her in order to push her speed to the very limits.


    She only has a katana with 2 weight and 2 small adventurer bags.


    What she is wearing is called a Sky Feathered Kimono. It possesses outstanding defense despite its appearance, but it doesn¡¯t look like it has much protection against cold, and then there¡¯s her tabis and accessories.


    It doesn¡¯t look as if that would help mitigate the cold of the night.


    But considering her strength, you could say that¡¯s a cheap price to pay.


    Movement speed that surpasses even Godstep Cancel and blinding attack speed.


    If you can get that speed, even if you were to feel a bit cold from being lightly dressed¡­hm?


    (Maybe I could use this?) (Souma)


    Her light equipment is part of what makes her nimble.


    But there might be a way to exploit that.


    She does have her own weak points.


    If I were to aim for those parts, maybe¡­


    (Wait, why am I thinking as if I were to fight Hisame again?) (Souma)


    I give a side-glance at Hisame who is brushing off the hay from her body with a composed expression.


    Whether I give up and go to the house of Hisame, or continue running around like this, there¡¯s already no point in fighting her.


    The event is already in progress, so there¡¯s no need to go out of my way to jump into danger and fight Hisame¡­


    (No, not really¡­?) (Souma)


    Right.


    The event is almost beginning, but it is not complete yet.


    If I break the flag here, there¡¯s a chance I can avoid it.


    ¡°¡­Hisame.¡± (Souma)


    The moment I reached that conclusion, I naturally called her.


    ¡°What is it?¡± (Hisame)


    She had just finished pinching off the last straw, and responded without showing much interest.


    However, that was only until I spoke the next words.


    ¡°Actually, want to have a match against me?¡± (Souma)


    Hisame stopped moving.


    I could feel her gaze clearly seize my figure.


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± (Hisame)


    She probably can¡¯t believe I have changed my stance when I have been stubborn until now.


    It isn¡¯t only Hisame, there might be people who would think I have lost my mind challenging her.


    However, this is the best method I have thought of.


    The best method to avoid the Hisame event.


    I said there¡¯s 5 conditions to activate the Hisame House Visit Event, but there¡¯s no need to think about what¡¯s the most important one within them.


    The point about Hisame calling you to her own house.


    As the name states, you literally visit the house of Hisame, so as long as you are not called there, there should be no problem.


    If I can¡¯t crush that part, no matter if I fulfill the other conditions, the event will most likely not begin.


    In that case, the matter is simple.


    The reason why she is trying to call me to her dojo is simply because she is trying to fight me.


    That¡¯s why, if I fight him here beforehand, Hisame will lose the reason to call me to the dojo, and the event flag will be broken.


    But the problem will be after the fight.


    Last time, I mistook the strength of the event flag, and ended up leaving regrets.


    That¡¯s why I won¡¯t hold back in that front.


    ¡°Yeah, I am serious. No deceiving like before. I will fight you seriously. In exchange, I want you to accept my condition.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°What¡­condition?¡± (Hisame)


    Hisame¡¯s cat ears lower a bit and a thorny atmosphere spreads.


    The last time, and the time before that one, she fell in the pitfall of rules.


    It seems like she won¡¯t step into that carelessly.


    But I purposely act as if I didn¡¯t notice it, and just tell her my condition one-sidedly.


    ¡°I want you to retract your invitation to the dojo. That¡¯s regardless of whether you win or lose. Don¡¯t give me something like ¡®you lost, so come to the dojo¡¯ or ¡®you won, so succeed the dojo¡¯.¡± (Souma)


    If I win and I still end up progressing the event, there would be no point.


    That¡¯s why this condition is natural.


    ¡°Got it.¡± (Hisame)


    She must have thought it would be rougher conditions.


    Hisame easily nodded to this.


    That does give me peace of mind here, but it is still not over yet.


    Honestly speaking, this is only insurance.


    My real intention is the match with Hisame.


    Even if I manage to avoid going to the dojo, I have to do something about this current situation where Hisame is interested in me or it won¡¯t serve to fix the root problem.


    Having Hisame not approach me is the final objective and I plan on making that happen in this match.


    I have around 2 ideas on how to achieve that.


    Have her think ¡®there¡¯s no point in fighting him¡¯ by losing easily, or defeat her so thoroughly, she would think ¡®I don¡¯t want to fight this guy ever again¡¯.


    This time around, I am trying to take the latter option.


    In order to do that, I have to properly prepare the stage.


    I speak once again.


    ¡°Also, I say a match, but this is simply a competition. No life or death business here. We will properly use the Duel system, decide on a place properly, and it is possible to end the duel by knockout, stage out, or giving up.¡± (Souma)


    I am talking here as if it is a demand, but they are by no means bad conditions, and you could even say it is weird to begin a match without setting at least these rules.


    No matter how much she complains about it, she gotta accept this much, but¡­


    ¡°Fine. There¡¯s also that recent promise after all. Let¡¯s fight with those conditions.¡± (Hisame)


    She must have judged there¡¯s no trap here from looking at my attitude.


    She does look a bit sad here, but despite her being wary about it, she easily accepted the conditions.


    ¡°It will be 3 days from now, at daytime. If possible, at a place where there aren¡¯t many eyes around.


    If you can keep that, I don¡¯t mind you being the one choosing the location.¡± (Souma)


    I pass over the right to choose the location and time to show my sincerity.


    It is also because I don¡¯t have to worry about Hisame pulling any funny moves with that.


    ¡°Then, 3 days later, at this time, behind here.¡± (Hisame)


    That¡¯s an immediate decision fitting of Hisame as if saying she doesn¡¯t care about where we fight.


    Of course, I have no issues with that.


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t mind that.¡± (Souma)


    I nodded lightly.


    If I remember correctly, what¡¯s behind here is a small garden.


    It is decently big, and there¡¯s not much worry about people watching.


    And so, the second stage for my battle against Hisame was decided.


    (¡­Hm?) (Souma)


    That¡¯s what was decided, but Hisame, who normally leaves as soon as her business is over, was staring at my face intently without showing signs of moving.


    No, not only that, she is tilting forward and looking into my eyes.


    ¡°I-Is something the matter?¡± (Souma)


    Because of her usual way of acting, I normally don¡¯t get conscious about it, but Hisame is popular enough to get the top popularity rank, and has a terribly good appearance.


    Putting it simply, she is an outstanding beauty.


    Being approached by someone like that so closely, I ended up getting flustered.


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t notice until now since I didn¡¯t get this close to you before, but now I look closely¡­¡± (Hisame)


    At that moment, a rustling sound rang at my back.


    ¡°Ah, y-you woke up?¡± (Souma)


    It was Ringo.


    She woke up and looked at me with spaced out eyes.


    It is not like there¡¯s anything I should feel guilty about, but for some reason, I got even more flustered.


    Her vigor must have cooled down because of this, Hisame moved back her closed in face.


    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s meet again here 3 days later.


    ¡­Don¡¯t forget I have the Explorer Ring.¡± (Hisame)


    She casually pointed this out and walked off.


    ¡°¡­Over?¡± (Ringo)


    I thought Ringo would say something about Hisame, but that was the only reaction she had.


    I told her ¡®yeah¡¯ and nodded.


    Ringo didn¡¯t show any much interest in it and was looking, not at  me, but at the other horse shed at the back.


    I followed that gaze of hers.


    The white horse of yesterday was there, and when it noticed our gaze¡­


    ¡°Neigh!¡±


    It neighed blatantly in that fashion.

 CH 62

    ¡°See ya. Thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You guys may be having it rough, but hang on, okay?!¡±


    It seems like the innkeeper is misunderstanding here. He pushed our backs with warm words and we left the inn.


    Even if we call it lodging, it was a horse shed.


    It is not like there¡¯s a key or we have them safekeep our items, so it is not like there¡¯s any obligation to do the checkout procedure, but I decided to at least say farewell to the innkeeper.


    The innkeeper spoke normally, so the Hisame event should have disappeared, but it is hard to say for sure when it was just a short conversation.


    Since I have the chance here, I decided to confirm with the number one blabbermouth of this city.


    That person is obviously¡­


    ¡°Oba-chan, two apples!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Right on. 100E! Hm? And here I was wondering who you were. You are the one from yesterday¡­¡±


    The information network of the city, the greengrocer Oba-chan.


    ¡°Yes, sorry for bothering you before.¡± (Souma)


    Saying this, I received 2 apples and gave one to Ringo.


    They are both called Ringo which makes it confusing.


    Ringo received it and looked at it with passion, and I once again faced Oba-chan.


    For now, it doesn¡¯t seem like she is going to be talking about the house of Hisame.


    However, I can¡¯t say it is completely in the clear, and since I am here, it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to gather information.


    I once again talked to Oba-chan.


    ¡°By the way, have you heard new rumors about the princess?¡± (Souma)


    Oba-chan makes a wry smile at my words.


    ¡°What are you saying? There¡¯s no way a new rumor would be going around from one day to another.


    ¡­Is what I want to say, but¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something?¡± (Souma)


    After what I said, Oba-chan did a pointless ¡®this is just between us, okay?¡¯ and spoke to me in a lowered tone.


    ¡°The princess has been a bit of a truant lately. There¡¯s been talk about how she is giving trouble to the people of the castle.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha, I see.¡± (Souma)


    We are talking about Maki here who, despite being a weak 7 years old, has seized the path of a troublemaker, wrote Maki Mikami in crayons at the walls of the neighborhood, and was thoroughly scolded by her parents.


    If she really switched places with the princess, there¡¯s no way she would be staying still.


    By the way, writing Mikami was apparently a spelling mistake, and her parents and I have been teasing her forever about this, but considering her age at that time, her writing in kanji could actually be considered intelligent.


    Despite her being like that, she was strangely good in her studies.


    Anyways, with this, the chances of the princess being Maki are now higher.


    (Are you¡­really here in this world¡­?) (Souma)


    I direct my gaze at the castle.


    If I remember correctly, Princess Shermia should have a room for herself at the Rihito Castle in the center of the capital, at the higher floor of the west tower.


    Living at the highest floor must be a royal pain in the ass, but well, to be blunt here, that¡¯s plainly for event scenario convenience.


    (There¡¯s no way her of all people would stay put at a place like that.) (Souma)


    If only I could get in contact with Maki in some way.


    While I was thinking that, I noticed that there was a simpler method to know if the princess really is Maki.


    I brace myself and ask.


    ¡°B-By the way, what kind of person is Princess Maki? Now that I think about it, I haven¡¯t asked about her appearance after all.¡± (Souma)


    Oba-chan made a baffled expression at my belated question in every sense of the word as she answered.


    ¡°You really don¡¯t know anything about the princess. Maki-sama is a small and cute black haired girl.¡±


    Cute and has black hair. It does match Maki.


    But even Hisame matches the description of black hair, and just from her being small doesn¡¯t exactly set anything in stone.


    ¡°Is there anything else?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked further, Oba-chan thought for a bit.


    ¡°Hmm, right. When speaking of other traits¡­ Ah! How could I have forgotten such a defining trait?¡±


    ¡°A defining trait?¡± (Souma)


    Did she have a trait that stood out that much?


    I think back on it and Oba-chan moved her face even closer. She whispered to me as if she were talking about an incredible secret here.


    ¡°I said the hair of the Princess-sama is black, but you know, the surprising thing is that that black hair¡­¡±


    Oba-chan cut off her words there as if teasing me, and then said all dramatically.


    ¡°Has really beautiful split hair!!¡±


    ¡°¡­Excuse me?¡± (Souma)


    Did I hear wrong?


    I think I heard an incredibly rude comment there.


    ¡°Uhm, what did you say just now?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Split hair, split hair! The Princess-sama has split hair!¡±


    Oba-chan looks at me as if saying ¡®incredible, right?¡¯.


    I don¡¯t get it at all.


    ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t know what split hair is? Split hair is like a hair that is split out like a tree branch¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, I know that! Anyone has split hair¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I noticed it after saying it out loud.


    Now that she mentions it, there were white hair or bald characters in the game, but I feel like they didn¡¯t go as far as recreating split hairs.


    If that¡¯s being taken as a peculiar trait, then that means there¡¯s the chance the people in this world don¡¯t have split hairs.


    On the other hand, if it is exactly like the game, my appearance should have been scanned with an exclusive machine to replicate it faithfully.


    I didn¡¯t take care of my hair at all, so it wouldn¡¯t be strange for me to have split hairs that are not present in this world.


    And if split hairs are that rare of a thing, there¡¯s the chance they treasure it like a four-leaf clover.


    Could it be that¡¯s why Ringo was strangely interested in my split hairs?) (Souma)


    No, we are talking about Ringo here, so it was possible she might simply like split hairs, but if it is true that split hairs are rare in this world, the chances of the princess being Maki are even higher now.


    I was excited by the unexpected clue, but this is actually not the time for that.


    Danger really was coming at me from unexpected places.


    The fear that assaulted me was¡­


    ¡°Oh my! Now that I look closely, you also have split hairs! Heeh, that¡¯s rare. Show me for a bit.¡±


    It was in the form of a huge woman.


    ¡°Eh? W-Wait¡­¡± (Souma)


    The greengrocer Oba-chan was looking intently somewhere around my eyes.


    Speaking of which, Hisame approached me in a similar fashion, but when this old lady does it, the intensity is on another level.


    ¡°What are you getting all embarrassed about? It is alright, it is alright. I am not going to eat you or anything.¡±


    Oba-chan approaches me while shaking her big body and saying this.


    Her mouth was curled up in a grin.


    Those glaring eyes like that of a bird of prey at ready.


    Contrary to her words¡­


    (I-I am going to be eaten¡­!) (Souma)


    I felt a threat to my body.


    A white something moved in between me and Oba-chan as if to block her way.


    And then, a voice that barely has any intonation reached our ears.


    ¡°No¡­ That¡¯s¡­mine.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo stretched out her arm as if covering the gaze of the old lady.


    ¡°Speaking of which, you were also there before¡­¡±


    Oba-chan was caught off-guard by the sudden intrusion of Ringo, and her attention was diverted from me.


    I hurriedly took distance from Oba-chan.


    ¡°T-Thank you for everything. We will be going now!¡± (Souma)


    I pulled the stretched out hand of Ringo and left the greengrocer with hasty steps.


    Once I couldn¡¯t see the old lady after turning at a corner, I finally sigh in relief.


    ¡°Sorry about that, Ringo. You honestly saved me there.¡± (Souma)


    When I thanked her, Ringo shook her head.


    ¡°¡­It is important¡­after all.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°I-I see.¡± (Souma)


    No matter how rare it may be, I feel like the only one who finds so much worth in split hairs is Ringo.


    Split hair is simply wounded hair to begin with.


    I will at least point it out to her.


    ¡°But this is my hair, I¡¯ll have you know.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I know.¡± (Ringo)


    She answered immediately as if there wasn¡¯t even the need to think about it.


    I wasn¡¯t sure there, but it seems like she really did come in just because I was troubled there.


    Ringo really is way too much of a good girl; so good that it is wasted for her to be following me.


    ¡°Ah, right.¡± (Souma)


    I still haven¡¯t given Ringo the money. In the first place, I still haven¡¯t readied a crystal for her to put in the money and an adventurer bag.


    She helped me out a lot in the Golden Subjugation Contest, so how about I give her those quality of life things as presents at the Item Shop?


    ¡°I want to go to the Item Shop next. Is that okay with you?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this, Ringo nodded silently.


    I pumped my fist internally at that response.


    If I prepare the crystal and bag, I will be able to return my favor to Ringo a little bit, and there¡¯s also one thing I want to try out now that I have leeway in money.


    I have been thinking about it the whole time.


    At the times when I dive deep into a dungeon, there would be many times when I would think stuff like: ¡®if only I bought antidotes¡¯, ¡®aah, if only I hadn¡¯t been stingy and bought those medicinal herbs¡¯, ¡®if only I had bought a rope to get out of this hole¡¯; there would be a lot of things I would regret about.


    But most of them would be after the fact.


    By the time I regret it, the items would be unreachable.


    That¡¯s why it would be nice if there were a skill or tool that allows you to buy stuff at a store no matter the place, but games with that are far and few in between.


    Unfortunately, that doesn¡¯t exist in Nekomimi Neko either.


    But this is what I think.


    Maybe there¡¯s actually a more simple method. Even if it won¡¯t be exactly the same, it might be possible to do something similar¡­


    In other words¡­


    ¡°Excuse me! Give me everything in the store!!¡± (Souma)


    At this moment, we began our shopping that forgoes any self-restraint.

 CH 63

    There were a variety of things in that Item Shop.


    All kinds of healing items, debuff recovery items, adventuring tools like tents, and consumable items like darts that you can use to attack from afar.


    Unfortunately, there were no Teleportations Stones which I was looking forward to, but I did find the super rare permanent stat boost item, Speed Seed, from the pick-up items, and there were a whole lot of enticing items lined up.


    There¡¯s also the Flower Fire (Rat Form) that¡¯s an attack item that, when you use it, a rat shaped fire will assail allies, allies, and mostly allies.


    There¡¯s the handy adventurer bag, Cooler Box, which stops the deterioration of food items by freezing the time of items placed in it.


    There was a recording setting in the VR machine menu when it was still a game, so there was no practical use for this item: Video Recording Device (In other words, magic version of a video camera).


    (Pick-up items really are nice¡­) (Souma)


    The many enticing trash items were charming me to no end.


    This is why I can¡¯t stop visiting the Item Shop.


    (Also, it is nice that we got a stockpile of items.) (Souma)


    One difference between when it was VR and now that it is not is that, when it was a VR game, the merchandise was lined up at the store front.


    There¡¯s of course exceptions, but most VR type games would run out of items in stock when the items placed visibly in there are gone, so in principle, you can¡¯t do something like buying 99 potions.


    For example; if there¡¯s 20 potions at the store front, if you buy them all, you can¡¯t buy anymore potions, so you need to wait until the next day for merchandise to restock.


    Only selling what¡¯s on exhibition even though they have more in store lacks realism in and of itself, but the reality in the game and the reality of the real world really is different.


    This time around, we managed to buy the items that were in the warehouse too.


    Around as much as 3 times that of what¡¯s lined up at the storefront.


    With this, I doubt we will be lacking in items for a while.


    That¡¯s why this time¡¯s ¡®buying out the whole store¡¯ was a success!


    While I was reminiscing about this time¡¯s incident as if escaping from reality¡­


    ¡°Souma, I can¡¯t carry this.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo spoke to me from the back.


    I thought that maybe Ringo would be able to, but yeah, it was impossible even for her.


    ¡°¡­Got it. I will tidy it up now.¡± (Souma)


    I give up and turn to my back.


    What was there was the thing that was making me worry the most right now.


    The mountain of skulls that are piling high up even now.


    The store clerk of the Item Shop was dumbfounded at first, but the moment she found out that we really had the ability to pay for it all, she quickly went out and flipped the CLOSED sign, and after giving me a really nice smile, she brought out the things in the warehouse and sold them to me.


    I asked her if it really was okay to sell even the things in the storage, but they can restock in less than a day, especially for the fast selling healing items.


    They will be closing for today, but there¡¯s apparently no issues with business from tomorrow on.


    Looks like this is the result of emulating the game system, and I was curious about where they get that many items, but before I could ask that, she brought me to the storage without missing a beat.


    And then, when I saw what was piled up in there, I was left speechless.


    The store clerk girl looked at me with a smile and said happily:


    ¡°You really helped us out there. We were really troubled about not being able to sell a single one of these even though they were being stocked up more and more.¡±


    I nodded internally and went ¡®obviously¡¯ after hearing what she said.


    As if anyone would buy this tasteless item that has only bad effects because of the game system.


    ¡°[Fancy Skull]¡­¡± (Souma)


    It is a quest item, and in system settings, it is an item that No NPC will pick up. An ornament of questionable taste.


    It looks like a jet black human skull.


    That¡¯s the kind of unpopular item it is.


    There was someone in the game of Nekomimi that bought all 25 lined up at the storefront 4 times, so there¡¯s at least more than 100 in the storage despite it being a pick-up item.


    But to think there were these many stored up.


    Right before the subjugation contest, I did think about buying 25 of these for the quest, Guidepost for the Lost, but what are you telling me to do by showing me this storage packed to the brim with this?


    Unknowing of my complaints, the clerk speaks to me with a merry voice.


    ¡°I am impressed you know the name. But this is being called Cursed Skulls by the customers. Forget buying, they don¡¯t even get close to them. Because of that, the sales of the store have definitely decreased.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you lining them up at the storefront?¡± (Souma)


    Is that also a constraint from the game system?


    But I feel like there¡¯s no need to line up something that stands off so much despite clearly causing negative effects.


    When I asked this baffled, the expression of the clerk clouded.


    ¡°I did think about taking them off countless times. It is still fine when they are still packed up in a box, but once we exhibit them, I always end up creeped out and can¡¯t pick them up.¡±


    Saying this, she made a melancholic expression as if the atmosphere from before was a lie. It doesn¡¯t look like she is joking at all here.


    (Aah, I see!) (Souma)


    The Fancy Skull is an item with the game effect: ¡®If you place it on the ground, no one can pick it up¡¯.


    That¡¯s probably activating even when they place it on the shelves.


    Not only is it a product that customers can¡¯t hold, it is a product that not even the clerk can move¡­


    It truly is a Cursed Skull.


    Of course, that ¡®curse¡¯ doesn¡¯t affect me since I am a player.


    If it is me, I can easily get rid of these Fancy Skulls.


    No, but actually¡­


    (I honestly don¡¯t need that many¡­) (Souma)


    Just as I said before, you need 25 to clear the Guidepost for the Lost.


    I don¡¯t mind buying 30 to have some in hand, but who knows how many dozens, no, how many hundreds of skulls here.


    ¡°Uhm, around how many¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°3,000.¡±


    The clerk answers instantly.


    I frown.


    ¡°Uhm, I am sorry, but this is¡­¡± (Souma)


    I can¡¯t buy this much.


    When I was about to say I was going to cancel the purchase, the clerk laughed as if trying to stop it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, customer-sama, you are not so stingy as to take back what you said yourself, right? ¡­Isn¡¯t that right, golden champion, Sagara-san?¡±


    That smile made me choke on my words.


    She knows my name.


    Judging from her tone, she must have been watching the announcement for the subjugation contest.


    In that case, she not only knows our names, but also that we have 80 million E.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. Normally, 3,025 is 302,500E, but I will round it up to 300,000E for you!¡±


    I had no words anymore towards the clerk with a big smile.


    Speaking of which, I somewhat remember that the last time I was killed was because I was talking with this clerk.


    What surfaced in my mind while I was speechless was¡­


    (I was pushed defective products!!) (Souma)


    Lesson: When splurging, properly check the products beforehand.


    Now then, the talk was wrapped up albeit my grievances, but the problem here is not buying all the items in the store, but how to store them.


    But the answer was within the items I bought today.


    That¡¯s right, the super convenient item that I was planning on gifting to Ringo, the Adventurer Bag.


    In the game, you can only hold one adventurer bag, but it seems like this is regulated with the same mental restraint like with the rings.


    But flipping that around, it means that it doesn¡¯t affect me.


    I lined up the colorful adventurer bags and put in the store products one after the other.


    Attack items in the red adventurer bag, healing items in the blue adventurer bag; and just like that, I change the color depending on the type of item.


    But with just this much, I would have to carry a whole ton of adventurer bags.


    That¡¯s why I pack them into my original adventurer bag horizontally.


    The adventurer bags within the adventurer bags.


    It works the same way as dividing computer folders.


    With the item folder, there¡¯s the attack item folder, weapon item folder, and so on. By dividing them like that, you can easily tell where is what.


    But there¡¯s a bit of a disadvantage in this.


    Different from the time when I placed the item directly into the adventurer bag, now I have placed an adventurer bag in the adventurer bag, so I wouldn¡¯t just have to take out the item I want from the adventurer bag, but bring out the adventurer bag that has that adventurer bag with the item and once again put that adventurer bag into that adventurer bag. Compared to before when it was direct, those extra steps make it a pain to the point that the sentence before was one step away from being a confusing mess.


    Well, this is a problem that can be solved by placing the often used items in my poach and the outermost bag.


    I will slowly think about the item sorting after we have settled on a base.


    When I asked the clerk to place the items in the bags by item type, she was skillfully throwing the store products one after the other, so that should be okay.


    She is a clerk despite all of that, so I doubt there¡¯s any problem with the sorting there.


    More importantly, the most immediate problem right now is the Fancy Skull.


    I am the only one who can place these skulls, which were packed up tightly in the storage, inside the bags.


    But think about it.


    3,000 is a massive amount.


    Even if I put 1 in every second, it would take around 50 minutes.


    The man that continued putting in skulls for 50 minutes.


    That¡¯s enough to make people run away.


    Actually, I am one of those people.


    (I am rich now, and yet, why did it end up like this¡­?) (Souma)


    Are you telling me that Nekomimi Neko doesn¡¯t even allow an upstart-like enjoyment?


    I ended up spitting out complaints internally, but I am the one who said I would be buying them, and if not only the clerk but even Ringo can¡¯t pick them up, there¡¯s no choice but for me to do something about it.


    The apple that I bought for myself, I ended up giving it away to Ringo, and she waved her hand while eating it as if saying ¡®do your best~¡¯.


    I looked at that bitterly as I continued packing up the skulls.


    ¡°Thank you very much~! Hope for your future patronage!¡±


    I receive the voice of the item shop clerk that must be on cloud nine right now with my back.


    (I am not going to come back here ever again, you idiot!) (Souma)


    I spit that out immaturely in my mind.


    Well, I bought that many items, so there really might not be any need to come back ever again.


    That said, I feel like I might actually come take a peek every now and then for the pick-up items.


    In the end, it took close to 1 hour for me to finish packing the skulls, and after we finished the purchase, we left the store.


    The total price was: 980,000E.


    I have long been numbed in the cash front, so I can¡¯t tell if it is cheap or expensive.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s just round it up to 1,000,000E!¡±


    The store clerk said this as if she were doing us a favor here, but it was clearly more expensive now.


    I didn¡¯t even retort to that and just stared at her intently, and she must have reflected on it.


    ¡°I-It was a joke, you know? You really did help me out here.¡±


    She then said this while lowering her head 90¡ã, so I did feel I did something good there for a little bit.


    From the clerk¡¯s perspective, I must have been the perfect sucker.


    Anyways, believing that there shouldn¡¯t be any dishonest billing because of the game system, I pay the 980,000E straight out.


    No, I did something like buying the items in the storage which couldn¡¯t be done in the game, and she did discount the skulls, so I don¡¯t know how much to trust in that game system logic, but to tell the truth, I couldn¡¯t even bother.


    ¡°Done~¡­¡± (Souma)


    It was just shopping, and yet, I am wasted.


    I feel like I bought some unnecessary things there, but in terms of money, it was only 300,000E.


    I shouldn¡¯t really worry about it.


    The mental torture I received was even pricier than all of that.


    ¡°¡­Thanks¡­for the hard work.¡± (Ringo)


    The kindness of Ringo diminished a bit of that pain.


    (Oh, right¡­) (Souma)


    While I was packing in the skulls, I had Ringo prepare a crystal for her exclusive use, and an adventurer bag for herself.


    However, splitting the money in front of a stranger would be weird, so I still haven¡¯t done it.


    ¡°Ringo, lend me your crystal.¡± (Souma)


    I say this and receive the crystal from Ringo and pass her half of the prize: 21,350,000E.


    With this, my crystal has around 20,400,000E, and Ringo has 21,350,000E in hers.


    Is what I calculated, but¡­


    ¡°¡­Give it.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo immediately took my crystal away and returned the 21 million E.


    Now there¡¯s only 350,000E remaining in Ringo¡¯s crystal.


    Of course, that¡¯s still a lot, but it doesn¡¯t even compare to 20,000,000E.


    ¡°O-Oi!¡± (Souma)


    I raised my voice in surprise, but Ringo answered unfazed with her usual unfocused eyes.


    ¡°¡­It is okay. You seem¡­to know more about that, Souma.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°No, know more, you say. But you must have things you want to buy too. Like maybe your own weapon and armor¡­¡± (Souma)


    But Ringo said without hesitation.


    ¡°I will have Souma¡­buy everything.¡± (Ringo)


    She unreservedly declared that she will be sponging off me.


    But that¡¯s¡­


    ¡°In other words, you will be with me from now on too?¡± (Souma)


    Ringo finally matched my gaze at my question.


    ¡°¡­Am I¡­a bother?¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo looked like her usual expressionless self, but her eyes seemed to faintly shake there.


    ¡­I wonder about that.


    I think about it.


    I seriously think about what I have been averting my gaze from the whole time.


    I am a loner at heart, but despite it being a short time, I managed to work well with Ringo because she normally doesn¡¯t have any presence at all.


    It is weird that she doesn¡¯t have presence despite being such a peculiar character, but when there¡¯s no business, and there¡¯s nothing to do, Ringo really doesn¡¯t do anything to an astounding extent.


    She is watching all spaced out without focusing on anything.


    That¡¯s abnormal in the eyes of others and it might be scary depending on the person, but you could say she has a good affinity with me.


    How to say it, I prefer being alone, but it is not much of a pain being with her.


    This may be a terrible way of putting it, but you could say she is a convenient partner for me.


    Also, her fighting ability is not lacking at all.


    Her special ability, Lightning Strike, is powerful, and her base stats are high too.


    That means she is strong, which is the most important part.


    In Nekomimi Neko, the reason why I played solo was because of the trauma of having lost my companions.


    But if it is a companion that¡¯s stronger than me, I might be able to adventure together with her.


    And most of all.


    ¡°¡­No, you are not a bother.¡± (Souma)


    I ended up thinking that it would be lonely not having her by my side despite me being a loner, so this is already my loss.


    ¡°The two days I was with you were more fun than normal.¡± (Souma)


    The moment I said that, for some reason, the face of Train-chan¡­Ina surfaced in my head.


    I didn¡¯t think Ina would be able to keep up with my adventures from here on, so I left her in Lamurick practically deceiving her.


    It is not like I am mourning this.


    Even when I think about it now, I would still arrive at the same conclusion, and even if it is selfish, I still believe it connects to her own happiness.


    ¡°¡­Okay. Thanks.¡± (Ringo)


    However, I couldn¡¯t help but overlap the shadow of Ina in her.


    With that feeling still looming on me, I asked.


    ¡°But is that okay with you, Ringo? I will probably be dragging you to danger from here on. With 20,000,000E, you could live safely in the city¡­¡± (Souma)


    But Ringo shook her head to the sides without hesitation.


    And then, she said this.


    ¡°If I am not with you¡­I feel like you would die really quickly¡­¡± (Ringo)


    Those words I didn¡¯t even expect from Ringo finally made me laugh out loud.


    (What. If you say that much, I¡¯ve got no choice.) (Souma)


    I resolved myself.


    ¡°Ringo!¡± (Souma)


    I called her name strongly and presented my right hand to her.


    Ringo looked at me intently for a while as if trying to gauge my intent, but her eyes eventually showed understanding.


    ¡°¡­Souma.¡± (Ringo)


    Could it be that she is nervous?


    That Ringo showed the gesture of a scared uneasy child and stretched her hand out to me.


    And then, I felt a faintly moist and soft sensation pushed onto my right hand.


    ¡°¡ª!¡±


    At that moment, I couldn¡¯t speak.


    Ringo was looking at me and I looked at Ringo.


    Our gazes intersect.


    ¡°Sorry, Ringo.¡± (Souma)


    And then, I slowly, very very slowly, looked down at my right hand that Ringo was touching.


    ¡°¡­This is not what I meant.¡± (Souma)


    In my right hand, there¡¯s 2 beautifully eaten apples dutifully placed there.


    ¡­Ringo really is a confusing name. <TLN: Ringo means apple.>

 CH 64

    ¡°W-Well, let¡¯s do this again.¡± (Souma)


    After receiving the eaten apples of Ringo, we went around all the major stores, and we checked a variety of things while shopping big.


    The first one we went to was the accessory shop that was by the side of the item shop.


    After we went to the store, I finally noticed that I completely forgot about testing out equipping rings to Ringo.


    I did have her try it out, but it seems like Ringo also finds it hard to equip more than 3 rings.


    It is not like it would be impossible to force her to, but¡­


    ¡°¡­It feels uncomfortable. If I had to compare it to something, it wouldn¡¯t be an event flag, but the same as the Lightning Strike. It involves the character¡¯s ability data.


    She may be bugged, but it seems like the settings on that front still remain.


    The item shop mistake still remains vividly in my mind.


    There¡¯s a lot of accessory variety and a lot in storage, and they are also decently pricey, so buying it all would be wasting too much money.


    I find whatever looks useful, and decide to buy the max amount Ringo and I can equip.


    It is an important choice, but the first thing to get are the elemental rings that allowed me to defeat the Butcher.


    I couldn¡¯t expect much benefits from the level I rings in Lamurick, but the ones here that go all the way to III are pretty promising.


    The specialization I increases damage by 15% and reduces by 70%, but the specialization III increases damage by 45% and reduces it by 50%. The increase flies off.


    If I use all 10 element specialization rings, the Light Specialization Damage Ring I would have -6 times in the Dark Element Modifier.


    That¡¯s quite the modifier, but the element modifier when using the level III ring goes as high as 5.5 times.


    Also, if it is less than 7 rings, it would normally be better to use specialization III, so against someone you know the elemental weakness of, it would be really effective.


    Well, around midgame, you will have a crazy ton of monsters that are immune to all elements, so it is questionable if I could use them all the way, but it doesn¡¯t hurt to be prepared.


    As for Ringo, after consulting with the person herself, in order to increase the power of Lightning Strike, we decided on having her equip rings that mainly increase the physical strength dramatically while decreasing magic power equally as dramatically.


    The specialization items that have demerits like the ones that reduce the opposite element heavily have around 3 times more of an increase than the normal equipment with no downsides.


    The lack of a good sense of balance really is Nekomimi Neko quality, but if you properly utilize this, you win big.


    She already had high stats to begin with, so it should allow her to deal even more powerful attacks.


    After that, we got some random power up ones and bought a stamina up ring from the pick-up items that looked good, and immediately headed to the next store.


    The next place we went to was the weapon store.


    If I were to buy all the weapons, it would be troublesome in another meaning from money, so just like at the time at Lamurick, we bought the best weapon of each category, and bought all the weapons with elements and additional effects.


    But, unfortunately, there aren¡¯t many powerful weapons currently being sold at the store in the capital.


    When speaking of weapon stores, there should be an event like the strongest demonic sword guran-something placed stealthily around, and the player would coincidentally find it¡­ It would be nice if that were the case here, but there¡¯s no way there would be such a convenient thing in Nekomimi Neko of all places.


    The most that would happen would be that you would get deplorable events like ¡®if you touch the weapon you get cursed¡¯ or ¡®the legendary weapon scam¡¯, but this time around, there weren¡¯t even those events happening.


    The only elemental weapons I got were wind and light. As for attack power, we only found weapons that were below that of the Golden Sakura.


    Looks like I will have to rely on the attack power of the Meat Cleaver-san for now.


    The next one we head to is the armor store.


    The number one objective is of course to update our equipment.


    With this, we can finally solve the close to rock-bottom issue of having beginner equipment and having no equipment.


    First, we check all the armor with additional effects and elemental resistance that could help us in the future, and we buy two of each.


    And then, I decided to begin a careful search of my real objective.


    There wasn¡¯t anything with that high of defense on the pick-up items, so I quickly decided to buy the best store armor in the capital which is the orichalcum type armor.


    However, even if I wrap them all up as orichalcum, there¡¯s a variety in weight and attributes.


    I thought it would be better for Ringo to use robes for mages, but her physical strength stat is clearly higher than mine, and Lightning Strike is a physical attack, so there¡¯s no point in magic bonuses.


    In the end, we both bought warrior sets and equipped them immediately.


    ¡°Yup, looking good.¡± (Souma)


    The grade of the equipment increased, but the equipment weight barely changed, and the defense increased drastically.


    Orichalcum armor is for around level 90, so with us having increased our levels defeating goldens considered in the equation, we have secured defense on the level of a mid tier adventurer.


    Also, I changed my equipment, but I continued placing the paper below the armor.


    I thought for a moment whether to give it to Ringo instead, but the paper would be all crumpled, so I decided not to.


    Ah, the reason is of course because Ringo¡¯s fingers are way too clumsy, so the paper would be messed up. There¡¯s no other reason than that.


    ¡­Yup.


    Different from Ina, I knew from the very beginning that it is not like Ringo doesn¡¯t have ¡®that part¡¯, but when I got conscious of it again, I ended up getting a bit flustered.


    A while after that, I couldn¡¯t look at Ringo in the face for a while, but let¡¯s keep that a secret.


    Trying to get rid of that pink feeling, the next place I headed to was the magic store.


    When we arrived at the store, I bought the Healing Staff that was displayed for generations in the center of the store for 1,000,000E.


    A single staff being worth 1 million is shocking, but that¡¯s because it is a price that doesn¡¯t take into consideration being bought.


    Actually, this Healing Staff is only shown at the store the first time the player visits, and when you go there in the following days, the staff is already gone.


    On your next visit, the store owner will tell you ¡®the staff was bought by a rich noble¡¯ even though you didn¡¯t even ask, and ¡®if you want the staff, how about negotiating with them personally?¡¯. And when you go to the house of that noble, they will give you a practically impossible task¡­is how it goes, but as if I care.


    I was upfront with the owner that I would buy it for 1 million E, so sell it to me, and bought it at once before unnecessary events happen.


    After that, we did normal shopping, but well, there wasn¡¯t much to think about in the shopping at the magic store compared to the accessory store.


    The items with magic imbued in them are within the jurisdiction of the item shop, and the only thing that¡¯s being sold at the magic store are the magic books and staff category weapons.


    I bought all the magic books that were not in Lamurick, and there was an earth element staff within the pick-up items, so I bought that only.


    And with this, my shopping at the magic store is over.


    ¡°Alright, with this, we have gone around much of everywhere.¡± (Souma)


    I thought shopping would be fun if you can buy anything, but being able to buy anything has its own set of annoyances.


    Well, this was a necessary step to do. There¡¯s probably no need to do shopping for a while now.


    ¡°We used quite a lot there¡­¡± (Souma)


    When I investigated the crystal, it was now down to 30,300,000.


    You could call it quite the expense, but considering there won¡¯t be any need to go to a store for a while, this is within acceptable boundaries.


    (No, that¡¯s not clear yet.) (Souma)


    This is not the end of today¡¯s shopping.


    Rather, you could even say we will be doing the biggest purchase of today.


    What we will be going to buy from here on.


    It is going to be the biggest purchase in my life, and what will show the true upstart colors.


    ¡°Now then, Ringo, we are going to be buying a house!¡± (Souma)


    Buying a home.


    Just like in many games, you can buy a house and make it your base in this game as well.


    A house can simply be a storage for your collection and a substitute for inns, but depending on the grade of your house, there will be a variety of facilities that will help you out in your adventures.


    The reason why I wasn¡¯t that hung over the Warrior Guild and the Mage Guild was because of this.


    When you buy a high rank house, you can even do the weapon and magic customization without being a member of the Warrior Guild and the Mage Guild.


    In the game, it is not like I lived in the house, and even if I am going to, there¡¯s no need to have a big house because I would be living alone anyways, so I was satisfied with just the 3,000,000E.


    But this time around is different from then.


    I silently turn back.


    ¡°¡­Will there be¡­split hairs?¡± (Ringo)


    There was my companion who tilted her head at my sudden stare.


    (It really would be better to buy a bigger house.) (Souma)


    It is not because of the incident at the armory store, but living in a cramped house together would have its issues.


    We could go for a one rank higher house that costs 5,000,000E. No, might as well just go all the way up and buy the highest ranked house for 20,000,000E.


    When I asked for Ringo¡¯s opinion, she said: ¡°¡­Hm, wherever¡¯s fine.¡±


    What a dependable reply.


    Well, I do feel like Ringo would just sit at the corner of any house and just stare into space, so how big it is or what facilities it has might not be of her concern at all.


    Then I will be the one making the final decision.


    It is not like I have hopes from a house like that, but¡­


    ¡°Since we can, let¡¯s just buy the most expensive one!!¡± (Souma)


    We decided on our home with my throwaway spirited voice.


    There were no issues with the purchase and the other miscellaneous procedure.


    I paid the 20,000,000E in one go, registered as the owner of the house, and received the key to the house.


    Ringo and I registered as the owners of the house, so there¡¯s no need for a key when entering the house, but it is apparently going to be used between us owners.


    I don¡¯t feel the need for that right now, but we might have to talk about stuff like that later.


    But for now, it is all about this house.


    The house that I bought at a hefty sum of 20 million E is close to the royal castle. In other words, it is a big mansion at the center of the capital, located in the first class district.


    This house costs a ridiculous amount, but quite a lot of players have bought this house, so information about it was posted on the net a lot.


    Its reputation is the best, and it was highly praised as ¡®anyways, it is an amazing place¡¯ on the net which has a lot of spicy takes.


    When I saw it with my own eyes, I understood what they were saying.


    I don¡¯t know about location and all that stuff, but not only is it pointlessly big, but it is also 3 floors big.


    There¡¯s more than 20 bedrooms inside, a stupidly big dining room, pool, and bath. There¡¯s also all types of production facilities packed up.


    Being this extravagant, it made me worry about theft, but the security in this house is more than perfect. There¡¯s traps to fend off intruders, shoo away thieves, and even contraptions that prevent people from taking away items.


    This game has become reality.


    Living safely is even more important now than it was when it was a game.


    However, what surprised me the most was actually after I entered the building.


    First of all, in order to provide the energy to operate the devices of the facilities, you have to provide mana to the crystal at the entrance; in other words, element.


    Now that it is lit up, the facilities around the place should have begun moving.


    ¡°Now then, let¡¯s both open it together for the first time.¡± (Souma)


    Ringo and I match our breathing and we slowly open the double door that has identified us as the owners of the house.


    ¡°Wa?!¡± (Souma)


    My mouth hung open at the sight deep inside.


    The moment I opened that door, there was an artificial spring and water fountain taking over my view.


    ¡°W-Wow¡­¡± (Souma)


    That leaked out from my mouth.


    What¡¯s so impressive about this is that, despite the size of the water fountain being that big, the size of the spring isn¡¯t enough, so the floor around was all drenched.


    I entered the house and hurriedly stopped the water fountain.


    Being welcomed by the Nekomimi Neko quality at my first step inside! How exciting!

 CH 65

    We wiped the water that flew around, and after leaving the luggage at the place that looks like the living room, we began our exploration in the big mansion with key in hand.


    The first floor has the dining room and the kitchen, and also the indoor pool and bath, and also a whole ton of bedrooms.


    Even if I call them bedrooms, each room has their clear distinctive feature. There¡¯s a room with all its furniture stuck at the ceiling; other one with all the wallpapers bright red; a room that is plastered full of photos from a woman to the point that you can¡¯t even see the walls; there¡¯s even a room that like a trompe l¡¯oeil**, unable to tell where you are just by entering it. There were a whole ton of rooms that would be interesting as a joke, but definitely wouldn¡¯t want to stay in.


    These types of jokes are the ones that anyone can think of, but your common sense gets in the way and you can¡¯t do it. And yet, here they are. You could say it is very Nekomimi Neko-like.


    Not a single place was decent, but within all of those, I chose the one that seemed the most decent in comparison. A retro room with a clear old style TV and phone.


    From the looks of it, it completely destroys the fantasy setting of the world, but the TV and phone are just decoration, and you can¡¯t actually use them.


    It seems like the Nekomimi Neko developers had a shred of common sense left, which relieved me a bit.


    When I decided on my room, Ringo immediately decided her room to be the room that has all the things inside heart shaped.


    It is all pink and an unexpectedly liveable-looking room, but the only worry I had was that the bed is also heart shaped which would make it hard to sleep with your legs stretched out.


    I asked Ringo just in case if she was okay with this, and she said with confidence: ¡°¡­It is okay.¡±


    I am sure it will be okay.


    Normally, I would pursue the matter further, but at that time, there was a place I wanted to go to no matter what, so I was impatient here.


    ¡°Now that we have decided on the rooms, there¡¯s a place I would want to go for a bit. Is that okay?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Okay.¡± (Ringo)


    When I opened up with this, Ringo gave a short response, and tried to follow me.


    I hurriedly stopped her.


    ¡°No, wait for a moment. I am sorry, but I want to go to this place alone.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Why?¡± (Ringo)


    Why, you ask?


    Isn¡¯t that obvious?


    ¡°That¡¯s because I am going to the bathroom right now!¡± (Souma)


    And so, I head to the giant bath.


    In the game, you couldn¡¯t take off your clothes, so it was completely a bathroom for aesthetics, but that¡¯s different in this world.


    I somehow managed to convince Ringo who was going to follow me because she was worried, and I quickly took off my clothes at the dressing room, and arrived at the massive bathtub.


    Since the time I was exploring¡­no, since way way back, I have had my eyes on this.


    I have not bought this house before, so I obviously haven¡¯t been to this bath before, but this place was popular even when it was a game. Getting high praises like: ¡®It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say I bought this house for this¡¯, ¡®You definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to enjoy a bath in real life like this¡¯, ¡®the place most fitting to be called paradise¡¯, ¡®a bathtub you can dive into is so novel¡¯, ¡®I learned that feeling your soul leave your body must mean this¡¯, ¡®Even when I thought about quitting it, I always end up there again. In a way, you could call it the bath of the Devil¡¯.


    Because I kept the policy that I don¡¯t need a house this big, I never bought this house, but I have been interested in this bathroom since way before.


    ¡°That said, it really does feel like a massive bath-house.¡± (Souma)


    When I muttered this to myself, that voice of mine echoed slightly in the vast bathroom.


    It is a room of around 10 meters squared, around half of it is all the bath.


    It is already a bath-house or a hot spring at this point.


    ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s go!¡± (Souma)


    I suddenly jumped into the bath.


    The setting in this world is that, apparently, thanks to the automatic clean water device that moves with magic in this world¡¯s baths, baths never get dirty.


    They probably found it a pain to animate the water getting dirtier, so they just thought up some random lore for it, but I am now grateful for their half-assed attitude.


    (Eh? It is not as hot as I thought¡­) (Souma)


    It looked like a hot spring, so I imagined hot water, but the temperature of the water isn¡¯t that big of a deal.


    That said, it is not like it is lukewarm. That warmth gradually transmitted to my whole body.


    ¡°Hwaaaah¡­¡± (Souma)


    I ended up leaking out a loose voice.


    I have been tense the whole time since coming to this world, so it has been a while since I have been at a place where I can just let go and relax like this.


    After enjoying the warmth of the bath for a while, I move to the main event.


    I take a deep breath and dive into the bath in one go.


    (Ooh!) (Souma)


    I hesitantly opened my eyes inside the water.


    What was there was an ethereal sight.


    There was a crystal releasing light in the center of the bath, and was spreading light all around like a crystal ball, creating a piece of art from light inside the water.


    Moreover, because this crystal was distorted slightly by the water, there wasn¡¯t an instance where the light was exactly the same as before.


    That world of light and water that changed by the second was stealing away my words.


    (I see. This is a sight that can only be seen in this world exactly because it is a game world.) (Souma)


    When my initial excitement calmed down, the leeway to analyze that beauty came with it.


    I have not used a single tool, and yet, I can see this sight clearly inside the water mostly because of the underwater system of Nekomimi Neko.


    The shocking thing is that, in the game of Nekomimi Neko, there¡¯s no ¡®you will feel pain if you run out of breath inside the water¡¯, even if you open your eyes in the water, your eyes won¡¯t hurt, and you can even talk normally in it.


    That¡¯s because being inside water is difficult to replicate with the VR machine, and there¡¯s underwater dungeons and underwater battles in Nekomimi Neko.


    There will be a slight debuff in speed, and to reproduce the effect of not being able to breath, your HP slowly drops, but you basically can act pretty much the same way you do on land.


    (So this is what they meant about definitely impossible to experience this in real life.) (Souma)


    It is hard whether to call this world a game or reality, but it technically means that, it is exactly because systems of the game still remain that there are things you can enjoy exclusively because of it.


    (It is about time I resurface.) (Souma)


    I won¡¯t be running out of breath here, and because the water isn¡¯t that hot, I feel like I could dive indefinitely, but if I dive completely, I will end up losing HP little by little.


    I endure the reluctance of parting with it, and bring my head out of the water for now.


    ¡°Fuuh¡­¡± (Souma)


    I entrust my head onto the edge of the bathtub and have my body float willfully on the water.


    I got to see something beautiful I wouldn¡¯t have been able to see anywhere else, so that alone made me think it might have been the right idea to buy this house.


    And most of all, it is nice that I can take it easy like this without worrying about anything.


    (I feel like¡­I want to stay like this¡­forever¡­) (Souma)


    The backlash of being tense the whole time must have hit me here.


    The way too comfortable space was making my consciousness grow distant.


    Being dragged by this, my head slowly lowered and, eventually¡­


    ¡°¡ªSouma! Souma!¡±


    Someone called my name and I woke up.


    ¡°Rin¡­go¡­?¡± (Souma)


    When I look, there¡¯s Ringo desperately shaking my body, and calling me with an agitated voice that¡¯s completely different from usual.


    I was wondering why she was being so desperate here but, at that moment, I noticed the abnormality in my body.


    (My body¡­feels heavy¡­?) (Souma)


    If I had to put it in a gaming perspective, it would be a state where I have barely any HP left.


    What in the world happened to me?


    I look around unnerved and I am still inside the bathroom.


    It seems I was laid down close to the bath face up.


    ¡°Just¡­what happened here?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this with my tongue that wasn¡¯t responding well, Ringo explained to me the situation.


    I wasn¡¯t coming out from the bathroom, so she came to call me in front of the bathroom, but I didn¡¯t respond even when she called.


    She then finally got worried there and entered the bathroom, and there I was, sunk inside the bathtub.


    (Could it be that I sank just like that while I was dozing off?) (Souma)


    Now that I think about it, I have the faint feeling that my consciousness was growing more distant.


    But how does that connect to this fatigue in my body?


    (Ah, I see! When inside the water, you get percentage damage, so¡­) (Souma)


    There was an underwater dungeon boss that never showed up no matter how many times you went in the initial bugs.


    The reason for that is because they forgot to code it as an underwater boss, so because of the constant underwater damage penalty, it died.


    Without the underwater attribute, even bosses die, so there¡¯s no way a mere player with no equipment would be able to go against it.


    Thinking that far, I felt chills down my back.


    Different from the real world, this world lacks a lot of the feedback for when you are in the water.


    It is true that falling asleep in a bath in the real world is dangerous, but if you sink inside of the water, you would wake up.


    But it is a different story in this world.


    Here, even when inside the water, you don¡¯t feel suffocation, and the water isn¡¯t that hot, so even if you dip your head all the way down, you won¡¯t jump out from the heat.


    Being inside the water is instead comfortable, and there¡¯s no factors that would make you wake up even when you sleep in it.


    On the other hand, your HP will continue lowering in accordance with the underwater penalty.


    It was fine now since Ringo found me, but if no one had noticed and I continued sleeping¡­


    (I¡­might have died.) (Souma)


    I came to the realization that I was actually, no joke, about to die here, and I felt my blood chilling again through my whole body.


    Also, now that I think about it, there¡¯s no way the well-seasoned Nekomimi Neko players would praise a plain big bath that much.


    They probably noticed the trap in it a long time ago.


    You can relax more than anywhere else, and when you really do relax, you naturally sink inside the water, and eventually lose your HP and die.


    That¡¯s what they meant by ¡®the place most fitting to be called paradise¡¯, ¡®your soul leaving your body must mean this¡¯, ¡®The bath of the Devil¡¯!


    (Nekomimi Neko really is unbelievable.) (Souma)


    Even in your own house that¡¯s supposed to be the safest place in the world, at the place where you can relax the most, there¡¯s a trap. Who would even imagine that?


    Just a few minutes ago, Ringo said: ¡°I feel like you would die¡­if I am not with you, Souma¡­¡±


    She did prove that she was right.


    I was about to thank Ringo again and then¡­


    (E-Eh? Wait a moment¡­


    ¡­Isn¡¯t this the bathroom?) (Souma)


    I ended up noticing something that completely slipped my mind.


    ¡°¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I once again look at the appearance of Ringo.


    She is wearing the same things as when we parted ways. Even the armor that we bought at the armory store.


    Even her armor is wet most likely because she saved me, but it should be fine in this world.


    You could even say it is preventing her clothes from being see-through.


    ¡­The bigger problem here is me.


    (Could it be¡­) (Souma)


    I slowly drop my gaze as if in prayer.


    ¡°Uwaaaaaaah!!¡± (Souma)


    The next instant, I jumped up and hid my body from Ringo.


    This is obvious, but my intention was to bathe, so I am completely naked!


    ¡°¡­Are you¡­okay?¡± (Ringo)


    On the other hand, the one other related party was completely nonchalant.


    It is true that there was the emergency of me being on the verge of dying there, but it looks as if she doesn¡¯t feel anything at all about seeing my naked body.


    ¡°N-No, I am okay¡­I am okay!¡± (Souma)


    If Ringo got embarrassed here too, it would be troubling, so this is good and all, but that is sad in its own way.


    I knew from the very beginning that Ringo has no such shyness, and yet, here I am, feeling all sorts of complicated emotions. The heart of a man is a complicated one.


    Anyways, I don¡¯t think my heart will be able to endure if I were to continue exposing my naked body to her.


    ¡°W-Well then, I will be getting out soon, so go out first and wait for me there.¡± (Souma)


    I asked this of her as if pleading.


    In contrast, Ringo plainly went:


    ¡°¡­Okay.¡± (Ringo)


    She simply nodded.


    Without a single shred of shame, she stood up and headed to the door of the bathroom.


    And then, while I was seeing her off with my bright red face from the embarrassment, Ringo, who was walking fast without any hesitation¡­


    ¡°¡ª?!¡±


    Suddenly slipped.


    *Pang*


    Making that kind of sound as she crashed onto the floor.


    ¡°Ringo?!¡± (Souma)


    She may be an airhead, but she is not clumsy, but she is by no means clumsy, so it is rare to see Ringo mess up like this, but it might be because of the floor being slippery.


    I tried to run her way but¡­


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m fine.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo firmly stood up and stopped me from approaching her.


    I put a hand on my chest in relief, but I soon noticed something strange.


    Even though Ringo should have gotten up without a single wound, she never turned to look at me.


    ¡°Could it be that she hit her face when she fell just now¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I got worried about that and called her again, but as if rejecting that, Ringo went:


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m¡­fine.¡± (Ringo)


    She was vehemently refusing to show me her face.


    ¡°¡­Bye.¡± (Ringo)


    Saying this short response, she walked off without turning her face my way once.


    After that, I went to check on Ringo once I finished changing, and there were no wounds on her face contrary to my worries.


    ¡°Hey, could it be that you are angry about what happened?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­No.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo didn¡¯t look me in the eye properly for a while after that.

 CH 66

    Regarding the bath, when one is inside, the other one must always be on standby at the dressing room.


    While inside, you have to speak out at set times.


    Those were the 2 conditions placed.


    Why is there a need to keep in contact constantly when inside the bathroom? This one can¡¯t be helped.


    If we had an item that gives us the underwater attribute, it would be a different story, but all such items are time limited items.


    Probably even Hisame doesn¡¯t have an item like that.


    Speaking of which, there was an opinion on the internet that said: if I had a match with Hisame at an underwater dungeon with an underwater attribute item, I might be able to win against Hisame even at low level.


    But there were no instances of finding Hisame at an underwater dungeon, so that idea was abandoned.


    I did say before that Hisame would show up randomly anywhere to help the player aside from when you are defeating the Demon Lord, but now that I think about it, I haven¡¯t heard reports of her appearing in underwater dungeons, tall towers, or flying cities. She might actually be very particular about it.


    ¡­Could it be that, if I manage to bait her properly into a bath and fight her there, I could win easily?


    But well, I wasn¡¯t really thinking about buying a house at that time, so that¡¯s already passed anyways.


    Aah, what a wasted opportunity.


    ¡°¡­Souma¡­are you there?¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo¡¯s voice mixed with desperation entered my ears.


    ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± (Souma)


    I was desperately trying to escape from reality here, but that voice once again made me conscious of it.


    The reason why my thoughts have been scattered for a while now is because Ringo is bathing right now.


    There might be people who would say ¡®And what about it?¡¯, but I have to be conscious of Ringo who is naked by the other side of the door, by the side of her undressed clothes, and the sound of splashing water every now and then.


    I don¡¯t know about other people, but this is not a situation that I can stay unfazed in as a loner.


    ¡°¡­Souma?¡± (Ringo)


    I don¡¯t even know who is the one making the regular checks here anymore.


    The innocent voice of Ringo that doesn¡¯t know the anguish I am facing right now echoed in the place.


    ¡°Y-Yeah, I am here! I am definitely here!¡± (Souma)


    I responded in a loud voice.


    ¡°¡­Hn.¡± (Ringo)


    I heard the somewhat satisfied response of Ringo and I held my head even harder than before.


    After that brief moment of heaven or hell, we decided to go to bed early.


    Of course, this was by my request.


    If this is just the first day, I worry for the future, but I want to believe I will get used to it.


    ¡°See you tomorrow then.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­See you.¡± (Ringo)


    We parted ways in front of our rooms. Ringo went to the neighboring room that¡¯s made only of hearts and pink colors, and I went to my retro room with a TV and phone.


    A few minutes after that¡­


    ¡°¡­So, why are you here, Ringo?¡± (Souma)


    Ringo was standing in my room with a futon full of heart patterns.


    Even if the room is not locked, I didn¡¯t expect her to enter just a few minutes after.


    No wonder she didn¡¯t say ¡®see you tomorrow¡¯ when we parted ways in front of our rooms.


    I look at Ringo with a gaze of protest, but¡­


    ¡°¡­I will sleep here.¡± (Ringo)


    She didn¡¯t show any signs of faltering and declared this one-sidedly as she tried to lie down by the side of my bed.


    I obviously hurriedly stopped her.


    ¡°W-Wait a moment! We even decided on our own rooms, right?! Why do something like this¡­?¡± (Souma)


    Ringo received my words without feeling any remorse and said this clearly.


    ¡°You will die¡­if I take my eyes off you.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Don¡¯t say something so ominous!¡± (Souma)


    Aah, geez.


    I scratched my head.


    It seems like the incident at the bathroom turned the worry switch of Ringo on.


    She is acting purely out of good intentions, so I can¡¯t come out too strong here.


    ¡°¡­Can¡¯t be helped.¡± (Souma)


    I throw the bear plushie near my pillow to her.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t bring a pillow, right? Use that.¡± (Souma)


    A gentleman would give up the bed here, but I feel like, if I do that, she would actually settle down here.


    That said, I don¡¯t have the courage to sleep in the same bed, so this is as much as I can concede here.


    After Ringo stared at the bear plushie for 10 whole seconds¡­


    ¡°¡­Thanks.¡± (Ringo)


    She said this and placed it below her head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about something like that.¡± (Souma)


    I said that almost reflexively, and then I suddenly felt guilt.


    Ringo has really saved me so many times, to the point that I wouldn¡¯t be here without her.


    Compared to that, can I really say that I have properly and sincerely faced Ringo?


    Haven¡¯t I been hiding way too much about myself by using the fact that Ringo lacks common sense?


    Rather than calling it for the sake of Ringo, it is more for my own sake.


    I am suddenly assailed by the guilt of not telling Ringo her own identity.


    ¡°¡­Hey, Ringo.¡± (Souma)


    I am on the bed and Ringo is below it.


    Because of our position, we can¡¯t see each other¡¯s faces, and even if we could, the only light source is the moonlight coming in from the window.


    But that kind of situation allowed me to speak out things that I normally wouldn¡¯t be able to.


    ¡°Have you noticed that I know things that normal people wouldn¡¯t know?¡± (Souma)


    There was no answer to that question for a while.


    I thought that maybe she was already asleep, but a low voice eventually replied.


    ¡°¡­Somewhat.¡± (Ringo)


    You could say that¡¯s a Ringo-like answer.


    I continue talking with a wry smile.


    ¡°Never thought about why I know those things? Maybe, you wondered where I got that knowledge¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I cut off my words there and waited for Ringo¡¯s response.


    If Ringo answers with a ¡®No¡¯, I plan on stopping this topic there.


    There¡¯s no need to force this topic out if the person herself isn¡¯t interested.


    But if she answers with an ¡®I am interested¡¯, then I think it might be okay to explain to her.


    Leaving aside whether to tell her about this world being a game, I can at least tell her about how I was raised at a really far away place different from here.


    But after a silence longer than before, what Ringo said was neither of those.


    ¡°¡­Game?¡± (Ringo)


    In a low voice, one that I can¡¯t feel confidence in, she certainly said that.


    She voiced out the ¡®correct answer¡¯ that no one should know about.


    ¡°Why¡­do you¡­?!¡± (Souma)


    I was panicking.


    The word ¡®game¡¯ should exist in this world too.


    But this world doesn¡¯t have advanced games that require the use of a computer.


    There¡¯s no way there would be.


    The games in this world should be simple ones that don¡¯t use machines, so it normally wouldn¡¯t be tied with knowledge.


    Noticing me panic, Ringo began explaining in a broken fashion as if flustered by my oversensitive reaction.


    ¡°¡­You said it before.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Before? Before when?¡± (Souma)


    Ringo answered my panicked question.


    ¡°Yesterday, big¡ª¡± (Ringo)


    However, before she could finish speaking¡­


    *Jiriririririririri!!*


    A piercing sound resonated in the room and erased her voice.


    ¡°W-What was that?!¡± (Souma)


    I reflexively jumped up from the bed.


    *Jiririririririririri!!*


    That sound that was like the sound of an alarm came from the jet black object placed at the corner of the room.


    You could call it an antique from an old era before the VR era.


    If I remember correctly, it was called the black phone.


    (What bad timing.) (Souma)


    I thought it couldn¡¯t be used in the morning, but maybe the reception is different?


    In the first place, I don¡¯t think anyone would call the phone at this time. Anyways, I will know once I answer.


    ¡°Hello?!¡± (Souma)


    I spoke with irritation towards the person at the other side of the phone.


    ¡°¡ªill.¡±


    I heard a faint voice from the phone.


    But it was so low I couldn¡¯t pick up what they said.


    ¡°You, what are you sa¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡ªI¡ªill.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Souma)


    For some reason, I couldn¡¯t pick up everything they were saying.


    But the next time.


    The third time, I could hear it clearly.


    ¡°I will kill you.¡±


    At the same time as my words processed those words.


    ¡°Hate, hate, hate, hate, hate. I hate them. Unforgivable. Comrades. Die. We are dead. You die, become comrade. Definitely definitely kill you.¡±


    The sudden torrent of words made me let go of the phone.


    ¡°What was that just now¡­?¡± (Souma)


    It was like a line-up of words that were filled with malice.


    I stared at the black phone on the floor creeped out, and right after I muttered this¡­


    *BAM!!*


    A sound as if something exploded rang behind me.


    I reflexively looked behind me and gulped.


    ¡°Wa?! T-This is¡­¡± (Souma)


    There was a bright red handprint on the wall.


    There wasn¡¯t something like that when I entered the room.


    Just why¡­?


    When I was thinking about this, a BAM sound rang again.


    ¡°The handprints¡­¡± (Souma)


    Increased.


    A new bright red handprint was engraved there as if an invisible person was advancing.


    *BAM! BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM!!*


    After that, the explosive sounds rang continuously as if a dam had broken, and the invisible something announced its advance.


    The handprints creeping about on the walls seemed as if they were approaching me.


    (Damn it! What in the world is happening?) (Souma)


    I don¡¯t get what the hell¡¯s going on here, but I feel like staying here is dangerous.


    ¡°Ringo, we have to leave this place at¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I felt instinctive fear here, but when I was about to say we should go outside¡­


    *Za¡­zazaza¡­*


    A new allophone rang from my side.


    Not only that¡­


    (The TV!) (Souma)


    The TV screen that didn¡¯t show anything no matter what I did was showing a faint image of a person.


    No, that¡¯s not all¡­


    ¡ª¡­Won¡¯t¡­away¡­


    A creepy voice rang.


    And then, a woman with long hair crawled out from that TV screen as if crossing the 2D world to the 3d one.


    ¡ªI won¡¯t let you run away!!


    It jumped at me with its pair of legs.


    So much was going on, my body was not moving on command.


    ¡°Souma!!¡±


    But the sharp voice of Ringo rang in the darkness an instant faster than those arms reached me.


    A flash shone the dark room brightly, and it blew away the woman that jumped at me.


    Ringo¡¯s Lightning Strike.


    ¡°Y-You saved me there.¡± (Souma)


    I thank Ringo with a slightly high-pitched voice. Ringo grabbed my hand without a single smile and tried to bring me to the exit of the room.


    ¡°Outside¡­quick¡­!¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°But that one just now¡­¡± (Souma)


    The moment I was about to say this.


    ¡ªWon¡¯t let you run¡­


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Souma)


    I once again heard noise from the TV.


    When I looked back at this¡­


    ¡ªWon¡¯t let you run¡­!


    The long haired woman that should have been defeated before was creeping towards us at outrageous speed.


    ¡°Wa?! You gotta be kidding me!¡± (Souma)


    We hurriedly left the room.


    And quickly closed the door.


    ¡°With this¡­¡± (Souma)


    I couldn¡¯t finish saying that ¡®we managed to escape¡¯.


    Clattering noises rang and the doorknob was being turned at terrifying speed.


    ¡°S-Shit!¡± (Souma)


    I jumped at the door a breath faster than the door being opened.


    I barely managed to stop the door from opening.


    But the strength trying to force the door open was strong, and I doubt I will be able to last long.


    ¡°Ringo, the key!¡± (Souma)


    After opening all the rooms on the first floor, we left the house key at the table in the living room.


    In order to lock this door, either one of us must go get the key.


    ¡°¡­Wait for me.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo really is reliable at times like this.


    She didn¡¯t panic or asked for instructions twice, and quickly turned around.


    ¡ªI won¡¯t¡­I won¡¯t let you¡­run away!!


    ¡°Guh!¡± (Souma)


    Strong blows were shaking the door ceaselessly.


    My body is on the verge of being blown away at every instance.


    But I am desperate too.


    I place my back on the door and stand ground with my legs with all my strength.


    ¡ªOpen! OPEEEN!!


    At the same time as that eerie voice rang as if it echoed directly in my mind, an especially strong impact crashed onto the door.


    At this rate, the door will give out before I even run out of strength.


    ¡°Ringo! Not yet?!¡± (Souma)


    I ended up shouting.


    That prayer must have reached¡­


    ¡°Here, Souma!¡± (Ringo)


    The voice of Ringo pierced through the darkness.


    I properly caught the shining thing that came flying.


    The house key.


    ¡ªI won¡¯t let you run! Never!!


    The resentful voice still rang. I endure covering my ears and jam the key into the keyhole.


    I scold my trembling hand and turn it.


    The moment it was locked, I could tell that the pressure on the other side of the door decreased.


    The voice and the banging continued for a while, but it eventually weakened¡­


    ¡ªWon¡¯t let you run. Won¡¯t let you¡­


    A few seconds later, the room turned silent.


    (¡­We did it?) (Souma)


    I slowly slide down and sit in place.


    Even though I took a bath not long ago, I ended up breaking into cold sweat.


    I was sitting in the dark corridor for a few seconds without moving.


    ¡°¡­Cheer¡­up.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo, who had cheekily brought out the bear plushie, tapped my shoulder.


    Unfortunately the electricity (?) in the corridor is gone.


    I don¡¯t remember having anything to do with that, so it is probably made in a way that it goes out at a certain point in time.


    Considering the situation right now, that¡¯s quite the unpleasant setup, but I won¡¯t pursue that topic right now.


    ¡°¡­[Light].¡± (Souma)


    I chant the basic light spell and create the bare minimum amount of light.


    As one would expect from a spell that anyone can use, it is only as bright as a lighted up fingernail, but having this makes a lot of difference.


    ¡°Ringo, don¡¯t lower your guard.¡± (Souma)


    I say this as I advance the corridor.


    The incident at the bathroom happened just recently, so I didn¡¯t exactly have my guard lowered, but I lacked way too much awareness that this is the world of Nekomimi Neko.


    The death trap at the bath was most likely unintended with various other elements coming into play to create it, but it is by no means a bug.


    The many events that came from the childish heart of the Nekomimi Neko staff that have absolutely no self-restraint, they are set up in really malicious locations. You could even say they are the second biggest enemy in Nekomimi Neko.


    This is my personal opinion, but if we were to line up the things that you must be careful about in Nekomimi Neko by danger level, the 1st place would be the bugs, the 2nd would be the maliciousness of the developers, 3rd the NPCs, and 4th would be the monsters.


    Even when I knew the deplorable personality of the Nekomimi Neko developers, I just concluded that there should be no dangers since it is my own home, and didn¡¯t avoid the TV and phone that were clear landmines. You could say that was my own mistake.


    That said, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s horrible setups like this in all the rooms.


    Thinking back on it calmly, that felt like an amalgamation of classic horror film tropes.


    The concept of the room just now was most likely ghosts and scary experience.


    In other words, I pulled quite the bad card there.


    If we explore, we should be able to find a room with concepts that are not that harmful.


    Also, it is good that we managed to ascertain that the abnormalities inside can be quelled down if you lock it.


    Even if we pull a dangerous room, as long as we have the key, we can avoid the worst.


    (But this is taking so long.) (Souma)


    Did the rooms feel so apart from each other before?


    Or is it my sense of distance going weird because we are advancing through the darkness?


    While I was feeling uneasy about it, we found a new room.


    ¡°We are entering.¡± (Souma)


    I said this and slowly turned the doorknob, and then peek inside.


    (¡­Eh?) (Souma)


    The inside was a normal room to an unexpected extent.


    It is around the same size as the ghost room, but there¡¯s no abnormalities with the furniture and the walls, and it doesn¡¯t look dangerous.


    It only has the bare minimum furniture compared to other rooms, but I feel like this is plenty enough for sleeping.


    (The concept is simplicity, I guess? But I feel like there was no such room before¡­) (Souma)


    That said, the room wasn¡¯t locked and there¡¯s electricity.


    There¡¯s no doubt it is a room we have explored before.


    Could it be that it was so normal that it didn¡¯t leave much of an impression?


    (Hmm, guess I should leave the conclusions for later.) (Souma)


    A room this normal is rare, and I should be able to learn something if we were to investigate this room further.


    ¡°First, let¡¯s confirm whether this room really is safe or not.¡± (Souma)


    It would be troubling if we were to get attacked while sleeping like before.


    We investigated the room while wary of our surroundings, but there wasn¡¯t really anything suspicious.


    If I had to mention anything, it would be that there¡¯s an awful lot of places with metal fixtures for the furniture.


    ¡°¡­Well, no point overthinking.


    Let¡¯s be on guard so that we can move immediately when something happens and rest here.¡± (Souma)


    When I said this, Ringo nodded and looked at the floor at the side of the bed as if troubled.


    The futon of Ringo has been left in my room.


    That said, I don¡¯t have the courage to open that room again and get the futon.


    ¡°T-Then, let¡¯s use this bed together.¡± (Souma)


    Fortunately, the bed in this room is pretty wide.


    If we sleep on one corner and the other, there won¡¯t be any inconveniences.


    Also, in the case something like before happens again, it would be troubling if Ringo is too far from me.


    That¡¯s why this is an unavoidable measure.


    While I was giving excuses to myself, Ringo moved without hesitation.


    She ran to the bed one step faster, and placed the bear plushie at the side of the bed, affixing it to a metal fixture, and jumped onto the bed.


    And then she directed a gaze at me as if saying ¡®you are not coming in?¡¯.


    ¡°A-Aah, yeah, right.¡± (Souma)


    I follow her example and enter the bed from the opposite side.


    I tried to stay as far to the side as possible, but Ringo took a spot in the middle, so our arms are touching a little bit.


    Now that I think about it, there¡¯s only me and Ringo in this big house -excluding the vengeful spirit.


    There¡¯s no way I can stay completely calm.


    My heart was drumming.


    (Aah, damn it! Calm down, my heart!) (Souma)


    If Ringo finds out, it would be pretty awkward.


    I continued chanting it to calm down.


    That wish must have been transmitted, or maybe it had nothing to do with it, but an abnormality happened the next instant.


    Heaven and earth flipped around.


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Souma)


    I obviously wasn¡¯t prepared for such an abrupt happening, so I fell into the air without being able to do anything.


    ¡°Guh!¡± (Souma)


    I fell for around 2 meters and crashed onto the floor with the blanket and everything.


    No it is not the floor.


    (This is¡­the ceiling¡­?) (Souma)


    The pattern of the floor is the same as the pattern of the ceiling that was calming my heart down before. No, it is the very same.


    I helped Ringo by my side, who had fallen just like me, and I looked at the place overhead where we were.


    The bed we were sleeping at just a few moments ago is sticking to the ceiling.


    (I see!) (Souma)


    The weird open distance between rooms.


    The metal fixtures placed meticulously everywhere as if fearing that the furniture would shift.


    And the reason why I didn¡¯t remember this room despite having come once.


    This means one thing.


    (The first time we found this room, it was when it was the room with all the furniture on the ceiling!) (Souma)


    No, that¡¯s not really accurate.


    It is most likely that the floor and ceiling of this room rotate 180¡ã at fixed times.


    Since the position of the floor and the ceiling were reversed when we first came, I thought this was a normal room with the furniture fixed to the ceiling.


    The rooms being strangely apart from each other must be in order to set up the contraption for the flipping of the room.


    ¡°What an unbelievable house¡­¡± (Souma)


    I ended up complaining.


    I do get their childish nature, but I would like them to think about the people who are living in it.


    Anyways, we can¡¯t rest in a room like this.


    I¡­


    ¡°¡­Bear-san.¡± (Ringo)


    I pulled Ringo, who was looking at the bear fixed at the ceiling as if regretful, and left the room.


    The next room we went to was the room of Ringo.


    I don¡¯t really like the overdose of pink here, but if it is simply the taste of a girl, it sounds liveable¡­is what I thought, but¡­


    ¡°W-What¡¯s going on?!¡± (Souma)


    The moment Ringo and I sat at the heart shaped bed, I felt the ground move again.


    I thought it was going to rotate again, but the rotation this time around was horizontal.


    The bed began to spin like a merry-go-round the moment we sat there.


    Then the lights of the room flicker and the pink color switched to a gaudy one. Moody music played from somewhere, and the voice of a woman going ¡®ahn¡¯ and ¡®ahaan¡¯ echoed¡­


    ¡°This place is¡­¡± (Souma)


    There¡¯s no doubt what the concept of this room is.


    Could this possibly be a love¡­


    ¡°A-Anyways, we are leaving!¡± (Souma)


    This room is terribly bad for the education of Ringo!


    I pulled the hand of Ringo and hurriedly escaped this room.


    And the place we ended up at was the room closest to the entrance.


    A normal living room with no bed or anything at all.


    I feel like we won¡¯t be able to sleep no matter what room we go to.


    Then, it would be best to just sleep in this spacious room that has no accommodations for sleeping needs, but also has no contrivances.


    Ringo must be tired too.


    ¡°Let¡¯s sleep here.¡± (Souma)


    She didn¡¯t object to that.


    Fortunately, the sofas in this room are big and high quality, so it is plenty enough for someone to lie on it.


    I brought out just the blankets from the rotating room and the wallpaper room, and we laid down on the sofas opposite to each other with a table in between.


    This time around we said ¡®good night¡¯ and closed our eyes at our respective sofas.


    (Aah, damn it!) (Souma)


    Even though I know nothing should happen here, I have gotten hyper sensitive.


    Every single time I hear a sound, I would jump up.


    I am barely getting any sleep here.


    (Haah, I miss the horse shed¡­) (Souma)


    Now that I think about it, I don¡¯t know why I was complaining when I was sleeping there.


    That place had decent enough space to sleep in and a warm bed.


    Thanks to the moonlight, there was plenty of vision around, and the most you would have to be wary of were thieves.


    It was like paradise.


    (I was living the life back then, huh¡­) (Souma)


    While I was thinking that, my shoulder was tapped.


    Looks like Ringo couldn¡¯t sleep and has come to interact with me.


    (Good grief¡­) (Souma)


    I can¡¯t sleep at all either, so I am honestly happy about this, but if I were to respond to her here, it is even less likely that we will get to sleep here.


    I steel my heart and decide to ignore her.


    But¡­


    *Tap tap¡­tap tap*


    Ringo was not stopping.


    I have been pretending I was asleep, but that¡¯s turning into a pain in and of itself, so finally¡­


    *Tap tap¡­tap tap tap*


    When Ringo was beginning to tap me on the shoulder harder than before, I reached the limit of my patience.


    ¡°Oi, Ringo, let me sleep already.¡± (Souma)


    When I raise my voice¡­


    ¡°¡­I am here¡­though?¡± (Ringo)


    The voice of Ringo came from far away.


    (¡­Eh?) (Souma)


    Judging from Ringo¡¯s voice just now, Ringo has not moved from the sofa at the opposite side.


    (Then, who has been tapping my shoulder for a while now?) (Souma)


    Chills ran down through my whole body.


    Something fearsome is looking at me. That kind of feeling was seizing me.


    But if I don¡¯t turn around, nothing happens.


    I squeeze out my courage and turn my body to the other side.


    And then, there it was¡­


    ¡®Something¡¯ was on the table that should have nothing on.


    ¡°A-Aah¡­¡±


    A shadow floating in the darkness.


    That form that¡¯s impossible for a person.


    Thick and ugly arms and legs to the point of being called abnormal.


    The yellow that is coloring its body gaudily.


    There¡¯s no doubt about it.


    The identity of the shadow is..


    ¡­The bear plushie that Ringo had taken a liking to.


    ¡°Haah¡­¡± (Souma)


    I sighed.


    I already saw a ghost, so if I were to get scared by this, I would be lacking courage.


    ¡°Good grief. Giving me a fright.¡± (Souma)


    I once again laid down on the sofa hugging the plushie and spit out that complaint.


    But I suddenly noticed.


    (Eh? Wait a moment.


    This plushie should have been left in the rotating room¡­?) (Souma)


    The moment I thought that, my arm was tapped again.


    There¡¯s of course no shadow around.


    While thinking that¡¯s not possible, I look at the plushie in my hands, and the mouth that should have been smiling lovingly¡­split apart widely¡­


    I won¡¯t let you run away¡­


    ¡°Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!¡±


    The night of fear continues¡­!


    Author: It won¡¯t.

 CH 67

    ¡ªAfter passing the night of fear, we went to a certain private house.


    ¡°Thanks, Souma-san. Because you came here to visit countless times, my son Michael is feeling this good now¡­¡±


    ¡°No, it is still too soon to thank me. Your request was not to ¡®make your son feel better¡¯, but to ¡®find the Blue Bird¡¯, right?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Y-Yeah, that¡¯s right, but my son has gotten better, so¡­¡±


    I stopped her from continuing the argument and said this.


    ¡°I found the blue bird.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh?!¡±


    The one who reacted instantly wasn¡¯t the woman but the son, ¡®Michael-kun¡¯.


    After looking at him knowingly, I said this.


    ¡°¡­The blue bird is among us.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Among us? Meaning, in this room?¡±


    The mother of Michael-kun showed me a shocked expression as if she didn¡¯t understand what I was saying.


    Compared to that, Michael-kun¡­no, the boy being called Michael-kun looked pale.


    He was waiting for my words with a pale white face as if he had noticed something.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. There¡¯s only my comrade Ringo, you, me, and one other person in this room.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°T-Then¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, you should know the answer, right?¡± (Souma)


    It seems like she noticed it too now.


    ¡°Could it be¡­¡±


    Saying this, she looked at her own son¡­at who should be her son.


    ¡°Looks like you have realized it now.¡± (Souma)


    While hiding my bitter memories from that appearance of his, I once again face him.


    And then, proclaim this.


    ¡°How about you give it up already, Michael-kun¡­no, Blue Bird!!¡± (Souma)


    At the place I was pointing straight at was the trembling Michael-kun¡­the Blue Bird disguised as him.


    ¡°N-No, I am not the Blue Bird! ¡­R-Right, proof! Where¡¯s your proof that I am the Blue Bird!¡±


    ¡®Michael-kun¡¯ makes a ruckus agitated.


    But I already predicted this would happen.


    ¡°¡­Then, let me hear about it, Michael-kun. You said you picked up this Blue Bird Feather in the garden. Is that right?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Y-Yeah! Are you telling me you are labeling me as the Blue Bird because I picked up that feather?! Anyone would be able to¡ª¡±


    I calmed the agitated Michael-kun and walked over to the place in the room where there¡¯s a certain something.


    I slowly pick it up.


    ¡®Michael-kun¡¯ saw that and raised his voice in surprise.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s the bear plushie that you gave to me the 3rd time you visited me!¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Actually, I had a faint idea about your real identity back then. That¡¯s why, despite knowing it was bad, I set this up.¡± (Souma)


    When I stretched my hand there, the mouth of the cute bear placed there curved up, opened, and a small magic device was found there.


    ¡°What¡¯s that¡­?¡±


    ¡°A video recorder. As for what exactly is that, it would be better to just watch and see.¡± (Souma)


    I answered the question of Michael-kun¡¯s mom while I was operating the video recorder that I bought at the Item Shop from the pick-up items.


    And then, the state of the room a few hours ago was projected in mid-air.


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t!¡±


    ¡®Michael-kun¡¯ shouts, but the footage doesn¡¯t stop.


    That video has ¡®Michael-kun¡¯ transforming into a blue bird, and plucking off a feather.


    ¡°Michael¡­you¡­¡±


    The mom of Michael-kun groaned with a face as if she couldn¡¯t believe this and looked at him.


    Before she could say anything while enraged¡­


    ¡°Please wait.¡± (Souma)


    I stepped in front of her as if covering him.


    ¡°Please listen to what he has to say.


    ¡­You can speak for yourself, right?¡± (Souma)


    I tell the first half to the mother and the latter half to him.


    The young man, the Blue Bird, began talking.


    ¡°Michael-kun was¡­my friend¡­¡±


    He met Michael-kun at the garden, and they became good friends that surpassed the barrier of race. Eventually, the disease Michael-kun was born with worsened.


    The Blue Bird desperately tried to cure him with his healing powers, but his efforts didn¡¯t bear fruit.


    ¡°At the end, Michael-kun told me: ¡®Please take care of my mom in my place¡¯. That¡¯s why¡­that¡¯s why I¡­¡±


    The Blue Bird told all this while crying and the mother of Michael-kun hugged him.


    ¡°A-Auntie¡­I am s-sorry. I have been deceiving you¡­this whole time¡­¡±


    ¡°It is okay. I actually knew it all along; that Michael had died.


    ¡­I am sorry.


    Because of me, you ended up suffering so much.¡±


    Bullets of tears began falling from the eyes of the Blue Bird at her words.


    ¡°A-Auntie¡­I¡­I¡­¡±


    ¡°It is okay. You did your best, for me and for Michael.


    There¡¯s no way I can fault you for that.


    ¡­Hey, what¡¯s your real name?.¡±


    ¡°Blue. My name is Blue.¡± (Blue)


    Hearing this name, Michael-kun¡¯s mom smiled.


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s a good name. Blue, you are my benefactor, and you are¡­my one other son. It is okay for me to think like that, right?¡±


    ¡°M-Mom¡­!¡± (Blue)


    A waterfall gushed out from the eyes of the Blue Bird, and they both hugged each other tightly.


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go.¡± (Souma)


    Seeing this, I said this to Ringo and we exited the house.


    They must need some time alone.


    The last time I looked back, they really looked like a real parent and child.


    ¡°I am truly truly grateful, Souma-san.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Souma-oniichan!¡± (Blue)


    I scratched my head at the two who lowered their heads deeply.


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t do much. Also, I did get my reward and everything.¡± (Souma)


    I continue speaking after doing a light chuckle.


    ¡°More importantly, please have a good life together. That would be the best reward I could get. Ah, also¡­¡± (Souma)


    I said this as if I just remembered it.


    ¡°Please treasure the bear plushie I gave you, Blue-kun. It is a one-of-a-kind valuable thing, so make sure not to let go of it.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Okay!¡± (Blue)


    I felt a little bit of guilt seeing Blue-kun nod energetically at this and was relieved by his response.


    I wished them happiness and¡­


    ¡°¡­Bear-san.¡± (Ringo)


    I pulled the hand of Ringo who was looking at the house as if with lingering regrets, and we left the house of Michael-kun.


    ¡°Haah, that was quite the hard work there, but I am glad it went well¡­¡± (Souma)


    We turned at an intersection, and when we couldn¡¯t see Blue-kun and the others, I finally relaxed.


    Do you remember?


    The quest, Blue Bird of Michael, is a quest where you make the Blue Bird disguised as Michael-kun feel better without being able to find the Blue Bird and fail the quest, or give bad stuff to the body of the fake Michael-kun and kill him. This is a quest that has you decide on these two unreasonable choices.


    But now that the game has become somewhat realistic, I can now take choices in between.


    I already went to the house of Michael-kun 13 times just today alone in order to progress the quest, but thanks to that, we managed to finish the quest while keeping the Blue Bird, Blue-kun, alive.


    Or more like, don¡¯t they think of me as weird for visiting 13 times in a single day?


    This game element really is fearsome.


    While I was reminiscing about the events this time around and how tiring it was¡­


    *Tap Tap*


    Maybe she is trying to comfort me when I am tired. My right side of the waist was tapped as if trying to console me.


    Ringo really is kind.


    I tried to thank her here, but¡­


    ¡°Thanks, Ringo. But I am o¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Souma, I am¡­over here¡­¡± (Ringo)


    I heard Ringo¡¯s voice from my left.


    (Eh? Then, the one who tapped my waist was¡­) (Souma)


    Being pushed by a bad feeling, I look at my right, at the waist that was tapped.


    There was a familiar yellow silhouette there.


    ¡ª*Grin*


    ¡°GYAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!¡± (Souma)


    Quest: Blue Bird of Michael¡­Clear!!


    ¡°¡­Bear-san.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo said this happily as she hung her bear plushie on her left side.


    The plushie was swaying slowly left and right as if it were game hunted by a hunter, and it is a bit scary.


    I find that way of carrying it a bit questionable, but the one being hung like that is¡­grinning as if having fun¡­so let¡¯s just say it is fine.


    And most importantly¡­


    ¡°¡­Souma¡­let¡¯s do our best.¡± (Ringo)


    Seeing Ringo in such a good mood, it made me not care about how my petty plan failed.


    I shake my head and switch gears.


    ¡°Y-Yeah, let¡¯s go on just like this.¡± (Souma)


    It is true that we have a lot of money, but there¡¯s also valuable items within the quests that can¡¯t be bought with money.


    I plan on getting as many of those today.


    I think of all the events that happen in this city.


    Considering the time since the game began, or the time it has passed since I arrived at the capital, my current level and abilities, and also the amount of events I have done, the flags that are currently up are¡­


    ¡°Right. Then, the next one¡­¡± (Souma)


    The party venue of a certain noble.


    A single well-dressed man was taking attendance, and the showy banquet was about to start.


    ¡°Now then, let¡¯s celebrate the fortuitous 62th birthday of my brother, Richard! Chee¡ª¡±


    At that moment¡­


    ¡°Please wait!!¡±


    The banquet was suddenly grinded to a halt by an out-of-place voice.


    The one who spoke was a man no one in the venue knew.


    Right, the person was obviously¡­


    Me.


    ¡°W-What¡¯s with you, coming here all of a sudden¡­?¡±


    The man that was doing the speech glares at me.


    But I instead pointed at that man and denounced him.


    ¡°The incident still hasn¡¯t happened, but I will say it here.


    Today, the brother Richard-san will be poisoned; tomorrow, the eldest brother Rack-san will be killed using the contraptions of the residence; the day after tomorrow, his wife will be cornered into suicide; the night of the 3rd day, he will use a maid to kill the 3rd son, Ruck-san; at the 4th day in the morning, he will lead the eldest sister Rana-san to the balcony with silver tongue, and will have her suffer heavy injuries from leaning on a broken handrail. At evening of the same day, he will set monsters to kill the 2nd son Rick-san; in the 5th day at early dawn, he will make the 2nd daughter Rina-san and 3rd daughter Runa-san fall into fear and doubt, and make them kill each other; at the 6th day, he will spike the dinner of the 6th son Rock-san with a poison extract. The culprit of all these serial murders is¡­


    You, Greg-san!!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Huh?!¡±


    Almost everyone in the venue looked at me with eyes of: ¡®what¡¯s this guy saying?¡¯.


    I continue without being bothered by that.


    ¡°Not only that. You are also the one who killed your father 2 years ago. The proof is below the biggest tree of this garden. At that place, you will find the true will he left behind and¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Alright! Just stop!¡±


    The one who stopped me was the brother of Greg, Richard.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t enough to insult my little brother by accusing him of trying to kill me, but also our father?! Nonsense!! My little brother Greg¡ª¡± (Richard)


    But there was someone who cut off the speech of Richard.


    ¡°I did it.¡±


    The very person he was defending, Greg.


    ¡°Eh, wa, Greg?! Wait, what?!¡± (Richard)


    He left behind the confused Richard and said.


    ¡°But I regret nothing! That¡­that man was a demon! Him¡­and all of his lineage must be taken out from the root! I had to! If I didn¡¯t, how would I apologize to the now gone Matilda? How would I¡­uwaaah!!¡± (Greg)


    The wailing of Greg echoed in the party venue.


    Seeing Greg who was ugly crying and the party participants that were speechless, I said this out loud, unable to endure it.


    ¡°What a sad case it was¡­¡± (Souma)


    And in this way, the 7 days bloodstained revenge tale of the distinguished family of the Rihiter Kingdom, Swift, closed its curtains before it started.


    Quest: [Throb! Serial Murders of a Whole Bunch of Nobles]¡­Clear!!


    ¡ªAt this basement, there¡¯s countless chemicals enough to rule the air in the place, and the ingredients for those were crudely placed here and there.


    Maybe because he is in a place like this, or because of the physiology of the person himself, the alchemist there with a burned cheek and glaring eyes looked terribly dangerous.


    He spoke to me with a tone of voice that didn¡¯t betray his appearance, a voice that I could feel madness in despite him trying to act calm.


    ¡°¡­Yes, I needed the Resurrection Nostrum no matter what in order to cure my daughter¡¯s disease. But the market price of that medicine is 2,000,000E. Even when I know it can be found in the Mage Guild, it wasn¡¯t something that a commoner like me could buy. That¡¯s why I decided to get the ingredients and make it myself.¡±


    ¡°I see, I see.¡± (Souma)


    I nodded heavily at the words of the alchemist.


    ¡°I have taken several years, going through every part of the world, and I have obtained 4 of the 5 ingredients. But the last one, the ingredient from a flying dragon that is living at the northern mountain range, the Claw of the Blue Flying Dragon, I couldn¡¯t get it at all.¡±


    ¡°Fumu, fumu.¡± (Souma)


    I chimed in to the words of the alchemist by nodding deeply.


    ¡°I ask this of you seeing that you are an adventurer. Please defeat that flying dragon in my stead, and bring it to me.¡±


    ¡°¡­I have listened to your story.¡± (Souma)


    I heard what I wanted to hear.


    In that case, time is of essence.


    I quickly stood up.


    ¡°T-Then, are you going to get the Claw of the Blue Flying Dragon for the sake of my daughter?¡±


    And then, the man asked me this as if clinging onto me.


    I answered with a smile.


    ¡°No, I will buy the medicine from the guild.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh?!¡±


    Quest: [Dearest Wish of the Alchemist]¡­Clear!!


    ¡°My family has been having difficulties sleeping. Just before, there was a strange¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ah, the reason for that is because of this cursed antique watch, so I will take it away~.¡± (Souma)


    Quest: [Strange Happenings at the Clock House]¡­Complete!!


    ¡­And so, the last quest of today.


    ¡°Aah, did Annie get home safely¡­?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you worrying too much, Kenny? You are the big brother of Annie, right?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°It is because I am her brother that I know my little sister¡¯s lack of a sense of direction!¡±


    I see. A wise saying.


    ¡°But it is okay. I have left a whole ton of waymarks, so she won¡¯t be getting lost.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I hope that¡¯s the case¡­ Her bad sense of direction is on a whole other level after all.¡±


    That¡¯s right. The last quest I took today was The Guidepost for the Lost.


    If I manage to safely get the girl Annie, who has a bad sense of direction, to come back safely to her house from her giant playground that is the hut of a certain forest, I clear the quest.


    That said, this isn¡¯t that difficult of a quest.


    The hut isn¡¯t that far from the house and I have a whole lot of Fancy Skulls that can serve as waymarks.


    It is already getting dark, so there¡¯s the chance she won¡¯t be able to see the jet black skulls. That¡¯s why, instead of going for 25, I went all out and lined up 250.


    It went far and above being waymarks and more like a line already, so it would be weirder if she were to get lost with that.


    But, at that moment¡­


    ¡°O-Onii-chan¡­¡±


    The door of the hut opened and Annie, who was supposed to be heading to the house, jumped in.


    ¡°A-Annie, what¡¯s the matter?! Could it be that you really did get lost again?¡±


    The brother Kenny asked, but Annie shook her head to the sides.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s not it! O-On my way to the house, mom told me not to enter the house.¡± (Annie)


    ¡°Don¡¯t enter the house? What do you mean by that?!¡± (Kenny)


    According to Annie, who told us all this while crying, she somehow managed to reach their house following the skulls, but what was waiting for her there was her mother standing angry with arms crossed.


    According to the mother, the traffic of the road is being hampered by the lined up skulls, and a part of the city is in big chaos.


    Some say that the skulls might be tools for a ritual by the cultists.


    It has become pretty big.


    People can¡¯t get close to them because of how ominous they are, and because the horses get scared, wagons can¡¯t pass either.


    There were courageous people who were going to try and get them off, but in the end, they couldn¡¯t even touch the skulls.


    The skulls are drawing a line to the house of Kenny and Annie, and the other end leads to the playground of those two, so the culprit of this was already clear.


    Her mother was fuming and proclaimed: ¡°I won¡¯t let you into the house until you clean up all the skulls!¡±.


    Driven away, Annie tried to retrieve the skulls while crying, but they were too creepy in the end, and she ended up running back to the hut.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I wonder why this silence is so painful to my ears.


    Looks sharper than spears were piercing me.


    Even Ringo, who is supposed to be my ally, felt like she was looking at me with cold eyes.


    Unable to endure the prickling silence, I had no choice but to speak out.


    ¡°Aah, uhm, for now¡­you know¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡®For now¡¯ what?¡± (Kenny)


    Kenny throws words with zero empathy.


    I was slightly scared by that threatening attitude of his as I spoke.


    Quest: [Guidepost for the Lost]¡­Great Success!!


    ¡ùThe skulls were moved away by the staff after the quest was over.

 CH 68

    10th day of my game life.


    It has been a while since I have woken up after a good night of sleep.


    I worried about where to sleep yesterday, but I decided on bringing a bed with the big adventurer bag to the red room, and Ringo and I slept on it.


    Courage was required to sleep in the red room, so I tried having Ringo scribble on the walls, and it surprisingly worked greatly (in an avant-garde art meaning).


    Well, no matter how the walls are, it will be the same once you close your eyes -is the kind of truth I reached to, and I quickly fell asleep.


    The red room is apparently a stress theme trap room. A theme park mouse appeared at midnight and persistently whispered to me: ¡°Do you like *****?¡±, but I was sleepy, so I ignored it and it went away.


    That said, even if we managed like that with the room, who knows what will happen if we leave the bear plushie be, so I formed up a plan.


    It would be scary to have it suddenly appear when I take my eyes off it, so I decided to hug it in my sleep.


    Keep your allies close and your enemies closer.


    I feel like that¡¯s not exactly right, but the bear feels nice to hug.


    That said, waking up refreshed wasn¡¯t only because I slept plenty enough.


    Yesterday was a day with a lot of progress.


    I managed to clear a lot of quests, and some of them, I cleared them even better than when it was a game.


    I finished the [Blue Bird of Michael] without having the Blue Bird die; in the [Throb! Serial Murders of a Whole Bunch of Nobles], I solved the case without having anyone aside from the father die.


    I would say this is a result that surpasses that of having finished the quest.


    I always end up perceiving this world the same as the game, but this is both the game and real life.


    The people living in this world are not a mass of data but humans in flesh and blood.


    If I managed to save those people with my game knowledge, that¡¯s a happy conclusion.


    I use the flow of the events to my advantage, interfere at different parts than that of the game, and bring out results that are far better than that of the original event.


    It also served to fuel my confidence that this policy of mine is correct.


    It was also a day with a lot of results when it came to strengthening our fighting power.


    I increased the weapon and elemental proficiency on every front once I returned home, but I also obtained quite a variety of good things from the quests.


    Especially the murder case reward. The rewards you get depend on what stage you stop the murders of Greg.


    In order to begin your search, you have to wait until Richard has died, and you have to do complicated steps in order to gather the evidence and keywords to accuse Greg as the culprit, but there¡¯s no such limitations in this world.


    We managed to save Richard who couldn¡¯t be saved in the game, so the reward got ranked up too.


    Within those, there was the Unbending Fortitude Necklace that greatly increases the Max HP and Stamina, which was an unexpected reward.


    I equipped it at once, and I feel like I got somewhat stronger with that.


    Let¡¯s just say it is as expected from the quest of a noble.


    While I was playing around with the necklace self-satisfied, Ringo spoke to me.


    ¡°¡­Souma¡­in a good mood?¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Hm? Aah, yeah, I might be. Or more like, I am impressed you could tell.¡± (Souma)


    Did it show that much in my face?


    I rubbed my face reflexively¡­


    ¡°¡­Because your split hairs are up.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°That¡¯s simply bed hair!¡± (Souma)


    Don¡¯t add any weird traits to my hair.


    Being pointed out, I brushed my hair instead of my face this time around.


    I at least fixed myself up at the body mirror, but my reflection in the mirror began to make poses different from mine, so I immediately left.


    ¡°But well, it is true that I am in a good mood. I got something nice yesterday after all. See this, for example.¡± (Souma)


    I showed her the magic book that I got as a reward from the Blue Bird of Michael.


    ¡°¡­This?¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Yeah, a magic book I have been aiming for this whole time. It is called Last Heal. Its casting time is awfully long, but it is super valuable.¡± (Souma)


    By the way, the sub-heading of the magic book is The Last Prayer of the Sacred Bird.


    Considering the contents of the quest, that just feels evil, but it is fine since he didn¡¯t die.


    ¡°¡­Super?¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Yeah, when you use it, the visual effect of a big blue bird will show up, and all the people in a radius of 3 meters will be healed in every aspect and be buffed.¡± (Souma)


    By the way, this spell cannot be obtained anywhere aside from this quest, so you could call it a unique spell.


    A quest where you can¡¯t obtain a rare spell unless you kill a character. Let¡¯s just say the wickedness of the developers is on a whole other level.


    ¡°Well, in the 30 seconds that all those effects show up, you can¡¯t use skills and spells, so you could say that not being able to move is a small disadvantage.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Small?¡± (Ringo)


    Despite Ringo looking spaced-out, her retorts are unexpectedly sharp.


    ¡°N-No, it is not like having long effects is full of disadvantages, you know? See, even the strongest skill of the Otachi has a really long casting time within the weapon skills, but depending on how you use it, it can be useful, I guess¡­¡± (Souma)


    It is a spell that will be helping us out from here on.


    I tried to defend Last Heal, but I feel like no amount of excuses will work on the clear eyes of Ringo.


    I gave up on a lot of things and diverted the topic.


    ¡°¡­Uhm, anyways, I was thinking about telling everyone that we will be moving.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Telling?¡± (Ringo)


    I nodded at Ringo who seemed to have taken an interest in what I said.


    ¡°Yeah, I have a few acquaintances here in this city, but they all probably don¡¯t know where we live yet. That¡¯s why I was thinking about telling them.¡± (Souma)


    Honestly speaking, I moved a lot yesterday.


    It should be fine for me to coop up in my house for a while and take my stance in this city.


    No, this is not really because Ringo was cold, so my motivation to move lowered.


    It is difficult to attack an impenetrable castle.


    At those times, you should lower down, and wait for the other side to invite you.


    I give up hurrying a solution and decide to just wait patiently.


    It seems like Ringo had no objections to that either.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll go too.¡± (Ringo)


    She shows motivation despite being expressionless.


    Well, having motivation is good.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go to the Bounty Hunter Guild first.¡± (Souma)


    And so, I decided to go do my greetings one day late after moving.


    The innkeeper and his daughter Alice-san where we stayed before, the staff of the Bounty Hunting Guild and Poison-tan, the clerk of the Item Shop and the Michael-kun family we got along with before, and also Kenny and Annie siblings from the Guidepost for the Lost; I decide to tell them all that I have moved to a house.


    I thought it would be hard to explain to them where we are, but there was no need for that.


    It seems like the mansion we live in didn¡¯t have a buyer for a long time. The mysterious Nekomimi  Mansion is apparently famous in this city.


    The origin of that name?


    I didn¡¯t notice either, but there¡¯s an orca-like ornament at the top of the mansion, and when you look at it from afar, it looks like cat ears.


    Those developers¡­just how much do they love cat ears?


    ¡°¡­Done?¡± (Ringo)


    After we parted ways with Kenny and the others, Ringo said that to me.


    ¡°No, not yet.¡± (Souma)


    There¡¯s still the biggest one left.


    ¡°Rejoice, Ringo.


    You will be able to eat what you like the most.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Two apples, Oba-chan!¡± (Souma)


    And so, the place we went to was obviously the greengrocer.


    ¡°You really come here often¡­¡±


    The Oba-chan seemed to be baffled by me.


    But when it comes to information, it really gotta be here.


    ¡°Did you come here to ask about rumors of the princess again?¡±


    Oba-chan says this with a wry smile, and I respond with a wry smile of my own.


    ¡°It is not like it is always for that. I just came here to tell you that we moved to a new place.¡± (Souma)


    We told her that we were now living in the cat-ear mansion, and Oba-chan immediately understood.


    It seems like the cat-ear mansion really is pretty famous.


    ¡°But you two, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°B-By the way, any new rumors?¡± (Souma)


    With the information network of Oba-chan, she might already know that that house costs 2 million E.


    I asked about any recent rumors in a way because I wanted to divert the topic.


    We are talking about this old lady that likes gossiping.


    Even if she knows that I am diverting the topic here, I know that she will ride along with it.


    ¡°Right. Since you are an adventurer, you probably would be interested in the mace-wielding mauling girl that has suddenly begun shining recently, but when speaking about rumors of today, it would be that one.¡±


    ¡°Aah, that one, huh.¡± (Souma)


    When I directed my gaze ¡®there¡¯, Oba-chan nodded.


    ¡°Judging from your reaction, you also know.¡±


    ¡°Yes, or more like, I might know more than your average person in regards to this.¡± (Souma)


    I was already told a whole ton about this rumor by the other people when we were doing our moving greetings, so I think I am the one who knows the most about it already in this city.


    ¡°It is about the mysterious writings at the plaza, right?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Right right, that one!¡±


    Knew it. She must have wanted to talk about it.


    Oba-chan lowered her voice as she told me the details.


    ¡°Judging from all the information, it was apparently done last night. It doesn¡¯t seem to be dangerous though.¡±


    ¡°Eh, really?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°That¡¯s according to the Knight Order¡¯s investigation. It is not like it has magic casted on it, and they don¡¯t know what effect it has; they can¡¯t move it, but they can break it.


    Even if it is a summoning circle, they have broken most of them already, so there¡¯s no danger.


    And so, it seems like the Knight Order planned on wrapping this up as a prankster that simply wanted to stand out.¡±


    ¡°¡­Judging from your way of speaking, that¡¯s not the case, right?¡± (Souma)


    From here on comes the information I wanted to hear about.


    I tilted my body forward and Oba-chan grinned.


    ¡°Yeah, the one who showed up there was the all-so-interesting princess of yours. It seems like she really didn¡¯t like that the front of her house was invaded. It seems like she was really riled up, saying that she wanted the culprit hauled to her place.¡±


    ¡°¡­I see.¡± (Souma)


    I held back my excited heart and chimed in.


    ¡°In the first place, the one who said those were writings was the princess. In my eyes, it only looked like they left behind weird stuff on the ground. It seems like they looked like symbols or letters from a high place.¡±


    ¡°I see. It is a kernel in gaming. And so, any clues as to who is the culprit?¡± (Souma)


    Oba-chan frowned at that question.


    ¡°I wonder. By deciphering the writings, it is apparently someone named Mikami. But by the time I saw it, they already dealt with more than half of them, so I don¡¯t know how they reached that conclusion¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, actually, I transcribed the writings there.¡± (Souma)


    Saying this, I bring out a paper from my pouch.


    ¡°Really?! I would definitely like you to show me that!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay. Uhm, judging from the angle of the room of the princess¡­it would be like this.¡± (Souma)


    Saying this, I faced the paper towards the Oba-chan.


    Oba-chan groaned after seeing it.


    ¡°I see. This certainly does make the culprit someone named Mikami! You really helped out here! I have to tell my gossip friends at once!¡±


    ¡°No no, don¡¯t mind it. I want this culprit to be caught at once too after all.¡± (Souma)


    I waved my hand as I said this and her expression darkened.


    ¡°Really. I hope the Knight Order catches them¡­¡±


    ¡°It is okay. Placing so many of those at once, there should surely be traces. Even if they did it at night, there should be witnesses. I am sure the culprit will be caught soon.¡± (Souma)


    I gave my farewells there and told Ringo, who was eating apples with both hands, that we will be leaving now.


    In the middle of that, at my back¡­


    ¡°That said, why were there all those skulls at the plaza¡­?¡±


    I heard the voice of Oba-chan, and it soon disappeared in the congested streets.


    ¡°Now then, let¡¯s go back home.¡± (Souma)


    I said this to Ringo as I once again looked at the paper I showed Oba-chan.


    This is obvious, but no matter how many times I see it, it is not like the writing is going to change.


    In the paper I have in my hand¡­.


    ¡°Only you would read this as ¡®Sanjou¡¯**, Maki.¡± (Souma) <Meaning Arrived>


    Were the words ¡®I have arrived¡¯ (¥ª¥ìÈýÉÏ) that were written at the plaza last night. <This is a really hard to explain one. It is a pun with Mikami (ÈýÉÏ) and Sanjou. The Èý of Mikami being 3 (San) and ÉÏ being Up (Jou). Sanjou translates to arrived. ¥ª¥ìÈýÉÏ = Ore Mikami (Ore Sanjou) would then translate into I have arrived.)

 CH 69

    TLN: Hey guys, sorry for posting so late!


    Had something urgent to do.


    Anyways, enjoy!


    ¡ª¡ª


    You should know by now. The culprit that lined up the skulls at the plaza, the Fancy Skulls, was me.


    The reason for that is to have the soldiers or knights of the castle capture me¡­and I will infiltrate the castle just like that.


    I was thinking about how to meet Maki, but the security of the castle is pretty tight.


    Since the incident of the Masked Family video, a patch was implemented where, if you get found out entering the castle, you are done for in one go, so infiltrating it is hard.


    Even if you leave a message with someone, only the king and queen meet the princess deep in the castle.


    Judging it would be difficult by normal means, so I decided to switch my thinking.


    If I can¡¯t enter, I will have them invite me instead.


    The idea I had was to write in big characters at the plaza and have Maki see that from her room.


    If Maki is at the same position as Shermia, from that west tower, she should be able to see the plaza at the center of the city.


    If I write the characters real big, I should be able to send a message to Maki without taking a single step into the castle.


    But there¡¯s a lot of people at the central plaza.


    If it is just writing, it will be erased immediately, or be obscured by the crowd of people.


    What came to mind there were the Fancy Skulls.


    If I make characters with this item that no one picks up, I won¡¯t have to fear them being erased immediately, and since no one will get close to them, you should be able to see them clearly from above.


    Fortunately, I have 2,000 in my inventory, so I have plenty enough to write characters with that.


    While I was cleaning up for the quest Guidepost for the Lost, I decided to line up the Fancy Skulls at the plaza and created a message.


    What got me thinking was what would the message be.


    What¡¯s important is to make the number of strokes low, and it has to be something that Maki would be able to tell it is me who wrote it.


    Making too complicated characters would be difficult and would take time.


    It would also increase the chances of reading it wrong when seeing them from above.


    And so, writing Sagara Souma which has a lot of strokes and is complicated is out of the question.


    That said, I am not sure if she would get it if I were to write Souma. It would also make it obvious for others that I am the culprit.


    My final objective is to get caught and be brought to the castle, but if I get apprehended before the message gets through to Maki, there would be no point.


    What I thought of was ¡®I Mikami (Ore Mikami)¡¯.


    Normal people would see this and not understand anything, but it is a different story with Maki.


    When Maki was young, she wrote on the neighborhood walls ¡®Maki Mikami¡¯ and me and her family poked fun at her a whole ton.


    In other words, writing ¡®XXXX Mikami¡¯ is an appeal to Maki about how I know her since her time in Japan.


    Therefore, ¡®I Mikami¡¯ is a message that only translates to Maki: ¡®I am in this world¡¯.


    Now that I have gotten to this point, the rest is simple.


    If the message reaches Maki, she will want to meet the person that placed those skulls.


    I have to leave clues of where that person is for the sake of that.


    When they investigate the skulls, they will definitely hear about the Guidepost for the Lost incident, and that I bought them at the Item Shop.


    That¡¯s why I told Kenny, Annie, the Item Shop clerk and several others where I live.


    The setup is complete.


    I doubt Maki would give violent orders towards me, so at the earliest, I would like the knights to come to my house by today, and then get escorted by the knights to the castle where Maki awaits.


    ¡°And so, I plan on taking it easy at home today.¡± (Souma)


    When I told this to Ringo, she made a rare stiff face.


    ¡°¡­What about me?¡± (Ringo)


    She is probably asking what she should be doing in the case I get taken to the castle.


    I of course understand the worry of Ringo.


    No matter if this is a plan that hinges on Maki doing something about it, I will be taken there as a criminal.


    Honestly speaking, I didn¡¯t expect her to treasure me this much.


    I kind of did it like a prank. In my head, it would be something like when someone writes at the schoolyard ¡°I love ****-chan!!¡± or ¡°I am here¡±.


    Maybe what I used wasn¡¯t the most ideal?


    They are called skulls, but they are in the end fake, and they have a peculiar charm to them.


    Anyways, I tell Ringo in the most kind tone I can muster to relieve her worries.


    ¡°No need to worry that much. Even if it comes to the worst case, they will learn that I am the only one that can touch those skulls, so you won¡¯t be made an accomplice. If anything happens, there¡¯s also the prize money we have left at the guild, so you can just stay at home¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I will go too.¡± (Ringo)


    An instant response.


    Looks like she was worried about the opposite of what I was thinking.


    ¡°No, but¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Go too.¡± (Ringo)


    Seems like she isn¡¯t bending here.


    (It is gonna be hard to convince her¡­) (Souma)


    I was about to say something, but I stopped.


    Even if I say it here, there would be no end to it.


    ¡°No point thinking about it right now. I plan on fighting a strong opponent in the near future. I want to make preparations for that, so can you help me out?¡± (Souma)


    When I told Ringo this, she seemed displeased, but she begrudgingly nodded.


    ¡°¡­By strong opponent, do you mean Hisame?¡± (Ringo)


    She asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. That¡¯s why this is just in case¡­¡± (Souma)


    Just when I was about to answer her, I suddenly noticed.


    ¡°Eh? Why do you know that I am going to fight Hisame? When we were talking at the horse shed, you should have been sleeping¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­I woke up¡­in the middle of it.¡± (Ringo)


    She woke up to our conversation, but she didn¡¯t want to get in our way, so she didn¡¯t say anything and just waited silently.


    I do remember that my conversation with Hisame ended because Ringo made a sound, but Ringo was awake from way back, and she probably slipped or something, making her make a sound.


    Looks like she had to be considerate with me.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s how it is, so I was thinking about using the facilities of this mansion in order to make my battle as advantageous as possible.¡± (Souma)


    What I plan on using mainly are the magic gems I bought at the Item Shop, so it shouldn¡¯t have much to do with my strength.


    I simply want to increase my advantages here.


    ¡°¡­Heading¡­to the second floor?¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo made an uneasy expression, but I understand her worry.


    By checking just 1/3rd of everything -simply the 1st floor- we found many outrageous things.


    I can¡¯t even imagine what will happen if we check the 2nd and 3rd floor.


    ¡°Ah, but it is okay. I have a secret plan.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Secret plan¡­?¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo tilted her head, and I pointed at the key on the table.


    ¡°I plan on not taking that with me today.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Oh, this place is like a room of paintings and sculptures.¡± (Souma)


    The first room we opened when we came to the 2nd floor seems to be a room to make artistic creations.


    Just as I said, I didn¡¯t bring a key which you could say was a positive.


    ¡°As I thought. Rooms with crafting facilities are not locked.¡± (Souma)


    The key of this mansion, rather than protecting from intruders, is more like sealing the problematic stuff.


    If I had to put it in gaming terms, it would be that opening the room with the key is the beginning condition for the event.


    Turning that around, it means that the locked rooms have problematic stuff sleeping in them.


    On the other hand, the kitchen, living room, and bathroom on the 1st floor were not locked either.


    With this, you can assume that these rooms have no need to be locked in order to seal what¡¯s inside, meaning that there¡¯s no problematic event flag.


    And thus, if I want to find the facilities for production, I just have to go to the rooms that are not locked.


    ¡°Anyways, paintings and sculptures, huh. How nostalgic¡­¡± (Souma)


    The moment I learned that I could draw and make sculptures in this game, I was moved and thought: ¡°This game has a system that can even judge art? New Communicate Online is impressive!!¡±.


    But when I learned how they evaluated the art, it changed to disappointment and exasperation.


    Nekomimi Neko has stuff like painting contests too, but the evaluation of that drawing isn¡¯t about what was drawn, but how complex it was. To be more specific, the type of colors you used, how many lines you made, and how long they were.


    In other words, instead of a drawing that has a single super beautiful stroke, randomly drawn lines of 3 different colors would be evaluated higher.


    When I learned of this, my disappointment was immeasurable and my day was ruined. Since then, I stopped drawing in Nekomimi Neko.


    That said, it is still nostalgic.


    I walked to the painting corner and picked up a single brush.


    (Will Ringo be happy if I give it to her?) (Souma)


    Remembering how Ringo was scribbling the walls of the red room as if enjoying it, I thought this.


    In the first place, there¡¯s no need for a workshop this big just to draw.


    It is enough with just a paintbrush.


    ¡°Set.¡± (Souma)


    When I raised the paintbrush and Order this, a pure white canvas in a pretty frame suddenly appeared in front of me.


    Looks like I can use this skill even in this world.


    Artistic tools like paint brushes have a unique skill that allows them to bring out materials by using Element, and it activates if you Order with Set.


    By the way, big paint brushes bring out big canvases, and small paint brushes bring out small canvases to match.


    The brush apparently has a color placed with magic, so you can infinitely use that specific color without the need for paint. But because of this, you can¡¯t paint with a different color unless you get the paintbrush of that color.


    You can¡¯t make a new color, so it is a system that is really inconvenient for people who want to take painting seriously.


    (Speaking of which¡­) (Souma)


    How about the sculptures?


    Is what I think as I pick up the iron chisel there and shout ¡®Set¡¯.


    When I did¡­


    ¡°Uwa!¡± (Souma)


    An iron cube suddenly dropped in front of me and I ended up stepping back in reflex.


    This is the material for sculpting.


    When you hold a chisel in hand, you can use Set skill and the material that matches the size of that tool will appear.


    This time around, I was holding a big iron chisel, so a big chunk of iron dropped.


    The only problem is that¡­


    ¡°I knew it¡­¡± (Souma)


    When I bring down the chisel onto the chunk of iron, the chisel bounced off with a *clink*.


    Because the carving tool and the raw material will be made of the same material, you can¡¯t properly carve it with the tool you used to call the raw material.


    Just thinking about it normally, you would be able to tell that it is impossible to carve wood with a wooden tool.


    No, it might be possible in real life, but it has already been proven that it is impossible in the game.


    Or more like, you can¡¯t gift or sell the sculptures you make, there¡¯s no events where they are useful, and people wouldn¡¯t talk about sculptures at all.


    Basically, there¡¯s almost nothing in the sculpting system.


    This is also one darkness of Nekomimi Neko.


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go.¡± (Souma)


    Remembering the sculpting system dropped my mood.


    Thinking about giving it to Ringo later, I place several paint brushes and chisels into the bag, and leave the room.


    ¡°For the next one, I would like it to be the magic or weapon customization room.¡± (Souma)


    There¡¯s a decent amount of convenient things in the crafting systems, but the importance of the weapon and magic customization are on a whole other level.


    You could say it is necessary to tune my weapons and spells here in consideration of the battle against Hisame and what lies ahead of that.


    I opened the next room with that expectation in mind, but¡­


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡± (Souma)


    When I peeked inside that room, there was a sight I had never seen before.


    ¡°This is also a crafting room, right?¡± (Souma)


    I tilted my head and entered the room together with Ringo.


    This room had an interior design that was fancier than any other room I have been to until now, and there were collections of weapons and things exhibited that seemed like they had some history behind them decorating the walls.


    ¡°Could this possibly be a treasury¡­? If that were the case, it should be locked. Maybe it is an exhibition room.¡± (Souma)


    Saying that, I picked up a golden wine cup that was there and¡­


    *PANG!!*


    An ominous sound rang, and the door that was open wide closed on its own.


    ¡°Wa?! What¡¯s the meaning of this?!¡± (Souma)


    I hurriedly ran to the door, but it won¡¯t open.


    ¡°?! I see!!¡± (Souma)


    It was at that moment when I realized the identity of this room.


    I ended up noticing.


    This is the ¡®Come over here, Thief¡¯!!


    It is a trap against thieves that exists in the 20,000,000E house, and I have heard about its name before.


    By purposely leaving the room open, you invite thieves, and when the thief picks up something inside, the door will close and trap them inside.


    A treacherous trap that certainly does sound like something the Nekomimi Neko developers would like.


    But we should be able to escape as owners of the house.


    Thinking this, I investigated the door and found a keyhole.


    I breathe a sigh of relief.


    ¡°What a relief. Looks like we can get out of here if we have the key¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Key, on top of the table.¡± (Ringo)


    Right.


    I assumed we would not be using it anyways, so I left the key in the living room.


    Could this possibly be¡­


    (N-No!!) (Souma)


    I shake my head violently.


    I have overcome countless crises like this.


    ¡°A-Ahahaha, don¡¯t worry, Ringo. Skills and magic exist for the sake of moments like this. [Petitplosion]!¡± (Souma)


    I chant the spell in order to desperately calm myself down.


    ¡°E-Eh?¡± (Souma)


    The usual sensation I get when using magic is not there.


    ¡°[Step]! [Jump]! [Slash]!¡± (Souma)


    Even when I Order using the skill name, there¡¯s no reaction at all.


    The ominous term ¡®Ability Nullification Space¡¯ floated in my mind.


    ¡°¡­I will¡­¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo¡¯s desire to do something must have been stirred after seeing that, she directed the Golden Sakura at the door.


    I hurriedly ran to the side.


    The Lightning Strike flies off from the Golden Sakura right after and makes a direct hit at the door.


    Right, Ringo¡¯s Lightning Strike isn¡¯t a skill but a normal attack.


    With this¡­


    ¡°Nothing?!¡± (Souma)


    But the door didn¡¯t have a single scratch.


    Seeing this, I noticed¡­


    ¡°An Indestructible Object¡­¡± (Souma)


    After that, Ringo tried to shoot her Lightning Strikes at the walls around, but the result was the same.


    Walls and door that can¡¯t be destroyed because of the system.


    And a space where skills and magic can¡¯t be used.


    (How can this¡­be¡­) (Souma)


    I ended up sitting down in place.


    As expected of Nekomimi Neko¡­or maybe I should be cursing my own carelessness.


    Anyways, I have understood one thing here.


    ¡­Looks like we have been confined in our own home.

 CH 70

    I body slammed the door for a while and considered picking the keyhole, but that effort didn¡¯t bear fruit.


    (Aah, I failed here¡­) (Souma)


    Even when knowing it is pointless, regret controls my thoughts.


    Now that I think about it, this room was clearly suspicious, so I shouldn¡¯t have touched anything carelessly. In the first place, I should have been on guard the moment I thought this didn¡¯t look like a crafting room. I should have left Ringo outside at the very least.


    This is after the fact, but having left the key was a minus.


    Even if I didn¡¯t plan on using it, I thought that they might try to lead me into using it if I were to bring it with me.


    Since I am not going to be using it, I thought it would be safer to leave it behind, but it looks like that was the mistake.


    (What should we do¡­?) (Souma)


    The worst part about this is that this place ¡®isn¡¯t a place meant to trap the Player¡¯.


    If this were the usual malicious trap of the Nekomimi Neko staff, the way to escape would be hard to get or be ill-natured, but there would definitely be one.


    But this is a countermeasure for when thief NPCs invade.


    I don¡¯t know if thieves actually enter your house, but this is a joke room that was made with that intention in mind.


    In other words, there¡¯s a high chance it was not made with the possibility of escaping by your own means.


    ¡°We might have to wait for help¡­¡± (Souma)


    Saying this, I laid down sideways.


    I am glad this happened when I have a lot scheduled.


    We left so many flashy traces behind.


    People from the castle will come here to capture me, and there¡¯s also my duel promise with Hisame tomorrow morning.


    There¡¯s also the faint possibility that the Bounty Hunting Guild might have prepared the money and someone from there comes or Poison-tan.


    (Whichever the case, there¡¯s no need to worry.) (Souma)


    Thinking that far, I felt a bit relieved.


    If we were to get confined here, we wouldn¡¯t be able to do much of anything.


    But if I switch my way of thinking here, you could call it a break that suddenly came to us.


    For now, it doesn¡¯t seem like there¡¯s any traps aside from not being able to get out, and there¡¯s no signs of anything attacking us from the outside.


    Depending on your perspective, this could be considered the safest place in this mansion.


    I face back to tell my companion about this conclusion.


    ¡°Ringo, help will definitely come, so there¡¯s no need to worry¡ªah, no, it is nothing.¡± (Souma)


    Even without telling her anything, Ringo was sitting somewhere close without showing much worry, staring at space, so I just decided to not say anything.


    Now that I think about it, the Princess Shermia in the game would not move for several hours. Not only that, she would even pass a whole day without saying a single word.


    Passing hours of doing nothing must be right in her alley.


    (Then, I will do what I can too.) (Souma)


    I brought out Master Torch and a whole lot of weapons, and then rolled Master Torch on the ground and took a stance with my weapon.


    How many hours have passed since we were locked up here?


    Fortunately, the cooler box I bought at the Item Shop has a number of provisions and beverages, so there¡¯s no issues with food. The oxygen problem I was internally worrying about doesn¡¯t seem to be an issue for now.


    (But there¡¯s nothing to do¡­) (Souma)


    Can¡¯t really call it a break if it is simply boring.


    Single-mindedly hitting Master Torch will eventually bore me, and even if I want to test out the results of it, my skills are currently sealed.


    It may not be the case for Ringo, but for me, not saying a single word in this place is pretty rough.


    ¡°¡­Hey, Ringo¡­¡± (Souma)


    Unable to endure, I finally spoke to Ringo who has not moved an inch to the point that it made me worry if she was dead.


    ¡°¡­?¡± (Ringo)


    Looks like she is not dead.


    The face of Ringo faintly moved this way.


    ¡°Aah, uhm, it is just, you see¡­¡± (Souma)


    I noticed that I didn¡¯t think about what to say to her.


    I tried thinking about a conversation topic, and then, I remembered.


    Our conversation before about the origins of my knowledge was interrupted at the part where Ringo said ¡®game¡¯.


    ¡°Uhm, what we talked about before. About why I know a variety of things and if you have an interest in that.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­None.¡± (Ringo)


    I was about to connect that to the talk about ¡®game¡¯, but I got an unexpected response which made me stop my words there.


    ¡°You have no interest? Stuff like why I have strange knowledge¡­or where I came from?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Not really.¡± (Ringo)


    It is not like that¡¯s definitely the case, but it felt as if she said she had no interest in me, and that was a bit shocking.


    That¡¯s why, even though I didn¡¯t have the intention to¡­


    ¡°Uhm¡­you wouldn¡¯t think anything of me returning to my homeland?¡± (Souma)


    I ended up throwing her such an ill-natured question.


    But Ringo didn¡¯t falter.


    ¡°I will come with you.¡± (Ringo)


    She said straight on.


    I honestly wasn¡¯t expecting her to answer this fast.


    But in order to go to my homeland, you would have to cross the walls of the world.


    That¡¯s most likely thicker and taller than Ringo thinks.


    That¡¯s why I changed my question.


    ¡°But my homeland is really far away, and it is a place where your common sense until now wouldn¡¯t work at all.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I will follow.¡± (Ringo)


    Her answer didn¡¯t shake at all.


    I was more worried than anything about this.


    ¡°If I am the only one who can go back and you can¡¯t follow me?¡± (Souma)


    A small pause happened before she answered this one.


    ¡°¡­I will search for you.¡± (Ringo)


    But the essence of the answer hasn¡¯t changed at all.


    That¡¯s basically you following me still.


    I add a question.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t find my homeland?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Search more.¡± (Ringo)


    How stubborn.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t find me even after searching the whole time?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Search until I do.¡± (Ringo)


    How incredibly stubborn.


    ¡°If my homeland is somewhere that definitely cannot be found?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Search until I die.¡± (Ringo)


    She finally ended up throwing her whole life into it.


    ¡°Sorry. That¡¯s all.¡± (Souma)


    I sighed.


    She sounds like a spoiled child.


    Well, Ringo¡¯s life experience is technically around 3 days.


    I am sure her one-sided values will be corrected little by little.


    Thinking this, I forcefully convinced myself.


    I forcefully convince myself like that.


    I fell silent, and this time around, Ringo was the one who asked me a question.


    ¡°¡­Are you¡­returning to your homeland?¡± (Ringo)


    A really straightforward question fitting of Ringo.


    I thought about it for a bit and shook my head to the sides.


    ¡°I won¡¯t return¡­for now, that is.¡± (Souma)


    Hearing what I said, Ringo stayed silent for a while.


    But¡­


    ¡°¡­Good.¡± (Ringo)


    After saying that, she didn¡¯t move anymore like a statue.


    A while after, Ringo approached me.


    ¡°Did something happen?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this, Ringo showed a somewhat strained atmosphere despite being expressionless.


    ¡°Souma, you¡­¡± (Ringo)


    And tried to say something to me.


    ¡°What is it about me?¡± (Souma)


    Ringo didn¡¯t continue, so I asked back in wonder, and she made a slightly flustered expression and averted her gaze.


    That gaze of hers falls onto my hand.


    ¡°¡­Is that¡­preparation for your duel?¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Eh? Y-Yeah, you are half-right.¡± (Souma)


    I was surprised at how she threw the topic in all of a sudden, but I noticed that I haven¡¯t explained what the Master Torch is to Ringo.


    Of course she would think it strange if I were to endlessly hit this without any explanation at all.


    Since there¡¯s the chance here, I explained about how this is an item to train your weapon proficiency and how strong it is against Hisame who I plan on fighting.


    ¡°¡­Can you win?¡± (Ringo)


    After Ringo listened to everything, she made the natural question.


    I take out a magic gem from my pouch before I answer her question.


    ¡°I think I can win if I use this.¡± (Souma)


    What I showed her after saying this was the normal gem that I bought at the Item Shop.


    This gem that has mid rank attack magic in it doesn¡¯t look so reliable as to defeat Hisame at all.


    Ringo must have thought the same.


    ¡°¡­Any plan B?¡± (Ringo)


    She asked.


    Hisame has almost complete resistance to all 4 elements.


    Would a gem that you can buy in the store really be effective against Hisame?


    This question is natural as well.


    But I obviously have thought properly about this.


    No need to hide this. Even our orichalcum armor has resistance to all elements.


    The further you go into the story, the more enemies and characters that are resistant to all elements.


    In the latter half, there will only be monsters with resistance to all elements or absorb them, so the mages would equip two element specialization ring I, and with their -40% modifier, they would attack the enemy that absorbs the element. It is that kind of nonsensical strategy.


    Well, even with that, it only deals 40% the normal damage, so it is still a pretty muscle-brained strategy.


    I got a bit out of topic there, but what I mean is that I have taken into consideration the resistance of the other party when I decided I will be using this gem.


    I said with full confidence.


    ¡°Of course, if I shoot it at her straight on, it would not work. But I plan on shooting this spell¡­there.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Up?¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo said this after seeing me point at the ceiling.


    I nod.


    ¡°Yeah. Spells aren¡¯t always just to lower the HP of the opponent. I plan on striking¡­at her weak point with this spell.¡± (Souma)


    ¡­That¡¯s right.


    What I am trying to do wouldn¡¯t work on anyone aside from Hisame.


    The weak point of Hisame I learned of in the game, her high movement speed, and the reality that she is equipped lightly in order to lower her weight to the very limits.


    With those factors considered, a chance finally shows up for once.


    I thought of talking in more detail about it, but I wouldn¡¯t really call it a fair-and-square method.


    I decided to just keep it vague for now.


    ¡°Well, this is a simple plan that anyone would be able to come up with by thinking a bit. What¡¯s important is how to hit with those attacks. In order to do that¡­¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s where I look at the stick in my hand.


    ¡°I really gotta hit this.¡± (Souma)


    I returned to my job of being taught by Master Torch.


    ¡°Night passed, huh.¡± (Souma)


    In the end, even when the day passed and morning came, no one had come to save us yet.


    Last night I brought out camp tools and set up a tent.


    I was questioning camping in a room, but it was more comfortable than I thought, so I couldn¡¯t complain.


    That said, I don¡¯t know if it is a mental thing, but I couldn¡¯t sleep that much. It is at times like this that I end up having weird dreams.


    The dream I saw at dawn when I was dozing off was crazy, and I ended up waking up completely because of it.


    The dream was about Hisame coming at me naked¡­


    ¡°I will show you my side that I have never shown anyone else.¡± (Hisame)


    Is what she would whisper into my ear.


    This is something I can¡¯t tell Ringo about.


    By the way, this is also said in the game as well, and she will tell you this once you stay with her in the same room after marriage.


    Despite the event being so rare, it is very popular, and it is ranked within the 10 most erotic phrases in Nekomimi Neko.


    Of course, I haven¡¯t done the marriage event, so I have not heard it directly myself, but the screen would fade out to black and it would be morning after, so it is not like anything really happens.


    Also, I know why I got a dream like this.


    One of the reasons is of course because of my duel with Hisame today. The remaining one is because¡­


    ¡°This person here¡­¡± (Souma)


    It is Ringo who is clinging to me while sleeping.


    It is not like she is touching me all over, but Ringo didn¡¯t want to leave my side more than usual last night.


    She probably couldn¡¯t sleep because of being locked up in this room which stressed Ringo little by little.


    But I can understand that feeling of hers painfully well.


    (Will help really come?) (Souma)


    Even though I thought I was completely composed here, I ended up lowering my head faint-heartedly.


    Now that I think about it, this Nekomimi Mansion is the worst fortress that the Nekomimi Neko staff created with all their maliciousness.


    Normally, the only ones who can move freely in this house are us two since we are the owners.


    Even the owners end up like this if we lower our guards, so I can¡¯t even imagine what the people outside would be experiencing.


    (Maybe we really won¡¯t be able to get out of here for the rest of our lives.) (Souma)


    Just when I was about to be overcome by those pessimistic thoughts¡­


    *Knock Knock*


    I certainly heard a faint knocking sound.


    I immediately jumped up and ran to the door.


    I shout out loud for help.


    ¡°Someone! Is someone there?! We are here! We are locked up! Please help us!!¡± (Souma)


    I stick to the door and say all that in one breath.


    But there was no response.


    Was the knocking just now my imagination?


    The moment I began feeling uneasy about it¡­


    *Knock Knock*


    A knocking sound from the door.


    Could it be that they can¡¯t hear us from here?


    No, it could also be the opposite.


    ¡°C-Can you hear me?! The key is in the living room of the 1st floor! If you use that¡­¡± (Souma)


    I placed my chips on the possibility that they can hear us, and shouted this.


    There really is¡­no response.


    Is my voice really reaching?


    I was being overcome by impatience and uneasiness, and time slowly passed.


    But after a while¡­


    *Click*


    I heard the sound of a key being inserted into the keyhole.


    Looks like they really could hear us from their side.


    (Yay!) (Souma)


    I didn¡¯t say it out loud, but simply pumped my fist.


    And then, finally¡­


    *Clack*


    The door that was trapping us in was unlocked.


    It slowly opened.


    Who was the one who saved us?


    My main objective, the Knight Order that came to apprehend me?


    Hisame who couldn¡¯t wait for our duel this morning?


    Or Poison-tan who has come as an emissary for the guild?


    The knights, Hisame, or Poison-tan, huh.


    While I was watching with expectation and gratitude, the one who showed up at the other side of the door was¡­


    ¡ª*Grin*


    This is the moment when I thought: Bears these days are really proficient.


    And after such an eventful time, the duel against Hisame has come once again.

 CH 71

    When I arrived at the agreed location, she was already standing there.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this the first time¡­you come in time?¡± (Hisame)


    She must have noticed from my presence.


    Hisame turned around naturally as I approached, and she laughed lightly after saying this.


    ¡°Now that you mention it, that¡¯s true. It seems like I made you wait quite a lot today, and I do feel bad about it.¡± (Souma)


    Hisame shook her head to the sides at my apology.


    ¡°No, I simply couldn¡¯t wait; for today, for this moment.¡± (Hisame)


    What a strange sensation.


    Hisame wasn¡¯t answering me with her usual expressionless face she always has plastered.


    I didn¡¯t even need to look at her cat ears. There were emotions fitting her age showing in her face.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that funny? Even though I decided to live by the sword, my heart would throb just from thinking about passing time with you¡­like a maiden in love.¡± (Hisame)


    But contrary to her words, I could feel no fighting spirit from what she was saying.


    She probably understands from instinct that her body will perform at top condition if she were to do that.


    She was facing me completely in her natural state.


    This is why geniuses are so hard to manage.


    I look at both sides while smiling wryly.


    ¡°Looks like you have finished preparations.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yeah, I can begin at once.¡± (Hisame)


    She must have prepared this beforehand for the sake of today¡¯s match.


    A circle was drawn around with shining powder.


    Meaning that the inside of this circle will be today¡¯s duel stage.


    ¡°¡­Ringo.¡± (Souma)


    When I spoke behind me, Ringo moved away from me in understanding and went outside of the circle.


    She hugged the bear at her chest even harder.


    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t push yourself.¡± (Ringo)


    She gave me those words of encouragement.


    I tell her it is okay, not with words, but with my expression.


    She silently watched me walk towards her.


    I stopped at a certain distance from Hisame, and she said with a calm tone.


    ¡°I might have been waiting this whole time; for someone who would threaten my strength, someone who could defeat me. In other words, someone like you.¡± (Hisame)


    ¡°You are putting me on a pretty high pedestal there.¡± (Souma)


    I say this, but it is not like I don¡¯t understand her.


    Considering the events in the game, I can comprehend why she would continue searching for a powerful opponent that matches her.


    She is a troublesome one to deal with, but it doesn¡¯t feel bad to be desired this much.


    ¡°Aah, I really am looking forward to it. My one grievance here is that this is not a match with our lives on the line. But considering that I can fight you countless times from here on thanks to that, that might be better.¡± (Hisame)


    On top of all that, Hisame said that joyfully.


    But¡­


    ¡°Nah, sorry to break your bubble, but that ain¡¯t happening.¡± (Souma)


    I must not agree to what she said just now.


    I slowly shake my head to the sides.


    ¡°Sorry to say this, but there won¡¯t be a second for this. When I am done with you, you won¡¯t be able to say that ever again.¡± (Souma)


    I say this as a gentleman.


    She must have taken that as provocation before the battle.


    ¡°That sounds promising.¡± (Hisame)


    Hisame curved her lips in joy at the feeling of a fierce battle.


    But she doesn¡¯t get it.


    This isn¡¯t me threatening or provoking her.


    These are my true feelings.


    I have a strange fate with Hisame.


    I wouldn¡¯t say we are in a favorable relationship by any means, but she might be the person I have known the longest within the people in this world.


    But that will end today.


    I was relieved by this reality, and at the same time, felt sad about it. Even so, it doesn¡¯t change what I have to do.


    A life is at stake here, even if indirectly.


    There¡¯s no choice of falling back here.


    ¡°It is about time we begin.¡± (Souma)


    She responds to that.


    As if we had agreed beforehand, Hisame unsheathed her Tsukikage, and I unsheathed the Golden Sakura that I borrowed from Ringo at the same time.


    And the first one to speak was Hisame.


    ¡°Disciple of the Hisame Sword Style, Mitsuki Hisame, challenges Sagara Souma to a duel.¡± (Hisame)


    As she pledges the oath, powerful pressure blows from Hisame.


    I receive that as I do the oath too.


    ¡°Adventurer, Sagara Souma, accept the duel of Mitsuki Hisame and swear to fight to the limit of my strength.¡± (Souma)


    The duel was established with my response, and the moment Hisame and I were enveloped in light¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t die, okay?¡± (Hisame)


    I got goosebumps in the presence of death, and my body was about to step back in reflex¡­


    ¡°Eh¡­?¡± (Souma)


    But the surprise attack I was expecting didn¡¯t happen.


    It was actually Hisame who swayed to the back¡­


    (?! Crap!!) (Souma)


    I was bewitched for a moment, for a truly brief instant, at the unexpected words and movements, and ended up missing those motions of hers.


    You should be able to understand if you see this calmly.


    This mysterious withdrawal of hers is a preliminary motion for Hisame¡¯s skill.


    The signs of Hisame using her strongest trump card that she rarely uses in 1v1s.


    (Can I make it in time?!) (Souma)


    My brain was burning here as I Order the spell I prepared.


    If Hisame activates this skill, it will be the end. It is even said it is impossible to avoid.


    But I missed the best moment to crush that skill which was right at the very beginning.


    I won¡¯t make it in time even if I were to close the distance.


    I confirm where Hisame is as if praying and¡­


    ¡ª¡°[Hisame] <Hail>.¡±


    At the same time my ears caught that clear voice¡­


    It looked as if the movements of Hisame stopped and¡­


    (Diss¡ª?!) (Souma)


    Appeared -when I thought this, I was already surrounded.


    8¡­Hisames had surrounded me with their weapons raised.


    My heart was grasped with an overwhelming sense of death.


    (This is¡­) (Souma)


    The ultimate attack of Hisame that¡¯s said to be impossible to avoid once it is activated.


    This skill that was crowned with the name of the school is a one-hit kill.


    After a characteristic preliminary motion, she approaches the enemy at high speed, creates 7 afterimages by some sort of ability logic, and rains down her enemy with slashes from all sides that ignore defense; a cheat level skill.


    This technique that was simple game data before is now heading at me.


    I could see that the slashes that had enough power to kill me in one hit were coming at me from all directions.


    And then, my body cowered at the closing blades.


    ¡°[Absolute Guard]!!¡± (Souma)


    At the same time as my skill activated¡­


    ¡°Wa?!¡± (Hisame)


    Surprise came out from the mouth of the surrounding Hisames.


    The slashes that the Hisames did all bounced off from the pitch-black light bursting out from my body.


    It may look like she has cloned herself here, but each and every one of them has the attack power of the original.


    On top of that, Hisame¡¯s attack is already strong in and of itself, and yet, the attack ignores defense.


    ¡®There¡¯s no way he would have a defensive skill that can take on 8 of those attacks¡¯ -is most likely what Hisame thought.


    And she is right.


    It is not exactly a defensive skill.


    What I used was the 1st skill of the  Ninja Sword and the most simple stealth type, [Hide].


    The effect of that skill is really slight. Originally, this skill would only have the effect of ¡®lowering the chances of being found by others¡¯.


    This skill that you definitely wouldn¡¯t use in a situation where your enemy is closing in on you¡­actually has a hidden trait.


    When you use this skill, the black effect that covers your body actually has substance.


    Even if it does have substance, it is in the end just a visual effect.


    It is not like it has parameters set to it.


    But it is exactly because it is just a visual effect that you can¡¯t damage it, and can¡¯t destroy it.


    Thus, it can become an absolute guardian for the user. Technically an invincibility frame in practice.


    However, this technique has a big weak point.


    At the time when I first met Hisame and she thrusted her katana at my throat, I couldn¡¯t use this skill.


    It is because when you use Hide once, you can¡¯t use Hide again until the effect is over.


    It is easy to use and handy, but it has the weak point that you can¡¯t use it consecutively.


    ¡°Kuh!¡±


    With both of our skills ending, I face Hisame who is now alone after all of her afterimages disappeared.


    Right now we should both be skill stunned, meaning that we can¡¯t use skills and spells.


    However, there¡¯s one attack you can do in that stunned state.


    ¡°Capture her! [Triple B]!!¡± (Souma)


    The moment I shout this, a magic effect activates in my body.


    This is my 2nd Anti-Hisame trump card.


    I matched the timing to the moment when the skill stun would happen, and had this spell do a Time Activation.


    Before coming to this place, I chanted a certain big spell, and brought it to the chant standby state.


    And the moment I noticed that Hisame was going to attack, I set the spell to activate 2 seconds after, and used the Hide skill.


    ¡°This is¡­?!¡± (Hisame)


    With the activation of the spell, a giant strange creature was summoned above us, and a light effect scattered.


    This gorgeous light effect headed straight towards us, and then flew around us, coloring our surroundings.


    But even in a situation like that, Hisame was unfazed.


    ¡°A binding spell, huh. What a pointless try. Abnormal status effects don¡¯t work on me.¡± (Hisame)


    She instead said this full of confidence.


    But¡­


    ¡°I wonder about that.¡± (Souma)


    I also have confidence.


    The skill stun eventually wore off, and just as Hisame said, she tried to move her body to prove that debuffing magic doesn¡¯t work on her.


    ¡°Why?! I can¡¯t resist it?!¡± (Hisame)


    Shock showed in her face at the completely unknown experience.


    But that¡¯s natural.


    If this were an actual harmful spell, Hisame would have easily resisted it, and if what I casted on Hisame was a debuff, it wouldn¡¯t have been effective.


    But the spell I am using here is different.


    ¡°Too bad, Hisame. Even you can¡¯t resist this one. That¡¯s because¡­¡± (Souma)


    Saying this, I look at what is spreading its light effect around¡­at the giant blue bird.


    ¡°¡­It is a healing spell after all.¡± (Souma)

 CH 72

    When you are playing games, don¡¯t you have times when you think your companions are pulling your leg?


    Getting friendly fired, purposely waking up a sleeping enemy, and many others.


    There¡¯s also cases when you try to run away to the other side of the screen, but the screen doesn¡¯t switch or follow. When you wonder what¡¯s going on, it is actually because your companion is in the middle of casting.


    Even though you are using the gauge you worked so hard to fill up in order to activate a strong spell, it doesn¡¯t activate. Wondering why, you look at your side, and there would be other companions who were also using spells on the same enemy, so the spell is waiting in line until those are finished.


    The HP is flashing red now, so you tried to run away, yet your legs stopped. When you search for the reason, it is because your own companion was casting a healing spell on themselves.


    There¡¯s countless other cases, but this happens because of things like: you can¡¯t escape while a command is in progress, because you can¡¯t use magic at the same time against the same enemy, characters that are using healing spells can¡¯t move; the systems of the game itself would come into play here.


    They were all things that I doubted they would exist in Nekomimi Neko as well, but I was wrong.


    When you use skills and spells with intense effects, it was discovered that similar phenomenons occurred.


    The prime example of this is the reward of the Blue Bird event, the healing spell: Last Heal.


    Last Heal is a powerful healing spell, and a flashy effect that fits its potency happens.


    I don¡¯t know if it is because of this, but it was discovered that a mysterious phenomenon happened where the character that has been targeted by that spell won¡¯t be able to move a single step from that place, and won¡¯t be able to use skills or spells in that timeframe.


    The visual effect of that spell is a flashy one where a blue bird appears above the caster, but it also has the special trait of throwing complex light effects on each character that is affected by it.


    The truth of it is still not clear, but it was analyzed in the Nekomimi Neko Wiki that maybe it was because ¡®it would be difficult for the effects to follow moving characters, so they might have made it so characters can¡¯t move when it is used¡¯. Also, ¡®they probably feared the clash of effects from other skills and magic, so they made them impossible to use¡¯.


    Well, leaving aside the reason, this Last Heal isn¡¯t only a healing spell, but also a fearsome binding spell that seals the movements of both the user and the target for 30 seconds!


    Just to make this clear, it is simply that it is dangerous to use this spell in front of an enemy, but if you use it at a safe place where there¡¯s no enemies, it is a really effective healing and buffing skill.


    But you can also consider it a restraining method. In exchange for healing the target, you stop their movements and buff them, and most of all, this can only be used on characters, so it won¡¯t work against monsters. And so, there¡¯s not much room to take advantage of this, making it more of a joke technique.


    But right now¡­


    In this battle where the objective isn¡¯t to defeat the opponent, there¡¯s no spell as effective as this.


    I calmly asked Hisame who was still confused and flustered by this unknown situation.


    ¡°¡­Hey, how about we stop this already?¡± (Souma)


    Hisame raised her cat ears and got angry as if that were the natural reaction.


    ¡°What are you saying? There¡¯s no way something like this would¡­¡± (Hisame)


    ¡°Then try using a skill or spell.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°?! That¡¯s¡­¡± (Hisame)


    She probably already tried.


    Hisame¡¯s cat ears withdraw as if mortified.


    No, you can actually attack normally even if your skills are sealed, but I won¡¯t say it.


    Well, the distance between me and Hisame is short, but short in a normal scenario.


    We are a bit too far apart to attack without moving at all.


    ¡°From what I can see, you are also being restrained. If we both can¡¯t do anything, I just have to cut you down the moment this wears off.¡± (Hisame)


    It seems Hisame regained a bit of her composure. She provoked me instead.


    But I obviously have attack means even in this planned state where my skills and spells are sealed.


    No, you could even say everything until now was for the sake of this one hit.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­!¡± (Hisame)


    Seeing what I brought out, Hisame narrowed her eyes.


    It seems like she has noticed too.


    Even if I can¡¯t use skills and spells, I can still use items.


    And this magic gem is my 3rd and biggest trump card.


    If I use this, I can probably win against Hisame.


    But¡­


    ¡°I actually don¡¯t want to use this on you. Surrender here and promise me that you won¡¯t approach me any¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Don¡¯t joke around.¡± (Hisame)


    My last warning was shot down by Hisame¡¯s seriously angered voice before I could even finish saying it.


    ¡°Can¡¯t be helped then.¡± (Souma)


    I gave up the peaceful solution.


    I raise the magic gem and make preparations to activate it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are trying to pull off here exactly, but magic doesn¡¯t work on¡ª¡± (Hisame)


    ¡°If you shoot it normally.¡± (Souma)


    It was my turn to cut off her words.


    And then, as if saying words are no longer needed, I hold the magic gem aloft.


    A memory replays in my head like a revolving lantern.


    The unexpected weak point of Hisame that I saw in a Hisame related event.


    Because Hisame prioritizes speed, her equipment ends up being light.


    When I used the Water spell in the Accessory Shop, the water remained on the ground.


    Hisame would go anywhere, but there were places where she wouldn¡¯t go no matter what.


    Despite having a resistance to water, the orichalcum armor got wet in the bath.


    All those factors obviously lead to one way to defeat her!


    ¡°[Grand Waterfall]!!¡± (Souma)


    I release the spell in the gem with a spirited shout.


    The target is obviously above me and Hisame.


    ¡°What are you trying to¡­¡± (Hisame)


    Hisame shakes her ears dubiously, but I understand her confusion.


    Grand Waterfall is a spell that washes away enemies with a massive amount of water.


    Shooting it above has no point.


    ¡ªIf this world were simply a game world, that is.


    But I know.


    After using water magic in this world, even when the attack has been finalized, the water itself remains.


    Thus, the effect of the water spell that was casted above us, the Grand Water spell, ended and the force of it stopped.


    ¡°Wa?!¡± (Hisame)


    The water attack returns to just ¡®regular water¡¯ and falls to the ground pulled by gravity!


    Even if I directly hit Hisame with water magic, it wouldn¡¯t deal any damage, or she might not even get wet from it.


    But what about ¡®normal water¡¯ that has lost its offensive attribute?


    ¡°Guh!¡± (Hisame)


    An amount of water that felt as if a giant bucket of water was turned over me and Hisame.


    My vision was blocked for a moment, but the gears in my brain continued turning.


    Hisame prioritized light equipment for the sake of nimbleness.


    Because of this, she only has thin cloth armor, only the Heaven Raiment!


    However, because of the Heaven Raiment¡¯s mysterious material¡¯s effect, not only is it light and thin, it is fluffy without showing the lines of the body much, and it doesn¡¯t look transparent on the skin.


    But!


    Now!!


    What would happen if she were to get wet from a bucket-load of water?!


    First, the clothes would get wet, and it would stick snuggly onto her skin!


    Stick snuggly onto her skin!


    And then¡­and then¡­


    No matter how much of a mysterious material it is, it is such thin cloth.


    If it gets wet with such a massive amount of water, it will obviously¡­obviously¡­


    ¡ªBecome see-through!!!!!


    That¡¯s right, it should be see-through.


    It would be strange if it didn¡¯t!


    ¡­


    Ah, no, it is not like I am trying to get personal enjoyment from her wet figure.


    It is not like my desires are getting bottled-up because of Ringo being so defenseless and it instead makes me feel bad.


    This is purely part of my masterplan.


    Do you remember?


    Hisame has a stalwart spirit, unfaltering even when surrounded by hundreds of monsters, but she is an extremely shy person, and she would scream and curl up if she were to show her underwear to others.


    That¡¯s the kind of person she is.


    If I were to expose her in her wet figure, I should be able to incapacitate her.


    No, even if I were to lose without incapacitating her, I don¡¯t mind as long as I make her have a bad time.


    ¡ªThat¡¯s right, my plan this time is: ¡°Challenge Hisame to a serious duel and sexually harrass her so she hates me¡±!


    This is the Anti-Hisame plan I thought of!


    That¡¯s why I opened my eyes wide, and am waiting for the moment when Hisame -the person nicknamed slender queen- appears!!


    And then, finally¡­


    The water stopped flowing and the vision cleared.


    The unexpected sight that was reflected in my eyes was¡­


    (You gotta be kidding me¡­) (Souma)


    My eyes that were widely opened were opened even wider.


    ¡°What¡¯s the point of such a smokescreen¡­?¡± (Hisame)


    The complaints of Hisame were not entering my ears at all.


    The only thing that came out of my mouth was surprise.


    ¡°B-Bullet train¡­¡± (Souma)


    The mysterious fantasy material couldn¡¯t win against water.


    Her clothes stuck tightly to her body, and the line of her body showed perfectly.


    The Last Heal¡¯s effect is getting slightly in the way, but even with that, I can still confirm her proportions.


    (How can this be¡­?) (Souma)


    She wasn¡¯t called Slender Queen for nothing.


    The normal train Ina doesn¡¯t compare at all.


    That figure of hers gives off the style of a bullet train.


    Ringo is by no means a normal train either, but she is no match for the real bullet train.


    ¡­Ah, no, this is not about the body or anything. I am simply talking about their running speed, so don¡¯t misunderstand!


    That said, how was she hiding such engine?


    I was cursing the light effect that was getting in the way as I stared respectfully at her skin¡­


    (Hm? Skin?) (Souma)


    I have noticed an unbelievable possibility.


    Now that I think about it, when you get the underwear peeking event, Hisame was wearing a different attire from normal.


    But Hisame normally prefers being lightweight, she doesn¡¯t wear anything unnecessary.


    In other words¡­could it be¡­? What I saw for just a second there¡­


    (Viva fantasy!!) (Souma)


    I covered my burning nose.


    I should have hit the weak point of Hisame, but I feel like I will lose consciousness here and lose at this rate.


    ¡°What¡­are you doing?¡± (Hisame)


    Hisame doesn¡¯t seem to have noticed her own state yet, but she felt the lecherous presence and her voice carried a dangerous tone.


    This is bad.


    I hurriedly slid my gaze downwards.


    I crossed an unexpected summit, and then passed her belly, waist¡­


    Maybe because she looked slender with her clothes, her body is unexpectedly well built. The slight difference in levels that were formed there hit me unaware, and when I move my gaze even further below¡­


    ¡°What have you been looking at for a while n¡ªaaaaaaaaah?!!¡± (Hisame)


    Hisame followed my gaze, and then she finally noticed.


    I reflexively returned my face to its original position and I made eye-contact with Hisame.


    ¡°U-Uhm¡­ahaha?¡± (Souma)


    I somehow manage to make a strained smile.


    Hisame¡¯s face was visibly warping right in front of me, and then¡­


    ¡°Y-Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!¡± (Hisame)


    A big scream that trumps all screams came out from Hisame as she covered her lower half with both hands and curled up.


    I felt bad for her for a moment.


    But this is exactly how I expected her to react.


    Or more like, the plan would fail if she didn¡¯t dislike it.


    I decided to act strong here and speak to her.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s why I told you. I didn¡¯t want to do this, so I war¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­don¡¯t look! DON¡¯T LOOK!!¡± (Hisame)


    ¡°No, uhm¡­it is not like I am looking because I want to, or like¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°No! No!! Don¡¯t look!!¡± (Hisame)


    ¡°As I said, uhm¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°No! Noooo!!¡± (Hisame)


    It doesn¡¯t seem like we can have a talk here.


    Could it be that I am doing something pretty horrible here? -that feeling began pushing into me this late in time.


    I restrained a young girl with magic, and after exposing her body, I one-sidedly observed it.


    When laid out like that, that¡¯s completely the act of a criminal.


    With my spirit completely gone, I diverted my gaze from the wailing Hisame, and kept it to only side-glances.


    While all that happened, the spell ran out, and my body could move freely now.


    I nervously spoke to Hisame who was still hiding her body while crying.


    ¡°Aah, uhm, Hisame? The spell is already gone, so¡­¡± (Souma)


    I tried to speak to her as kindly as possible, but¡­


    ¡°Hiiih!¡± (Hisame)


    Hisame retreated as if scared, and when she noticed that she could move her body¡­


    ¡°Ah, wait¡­!¡± (Souma)


    She immediately ran off with speed befitting that of her nickname as Cheetah, and soon disappeared from view.


    ¡°To think it would end up like this¡­¡± (Souma)


    I mutter this as I pick up her favored weapon, Tsukikage, which she left behind.


    In terms of the flow of events, it is exactly as I planned, but when I actually do it, it really does leave a bad aftertaste.


    ¡°W-Well, it is all about the results. The results.¡± (Souma)


    I do think I made Hisame taste a bad experience here, but my life was also on the line here.


    This should have broken the Hisame flag completely, and I doubt she will invite me to her dojo.


    In order to obtain something, you must sacrifice something.


    I forcefully get myself back on my feet and return to where Ringo is.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go back, Rin¡­go¡­?¡± (Souma)


    *Sususususu!*


    When I spoke to Ringo, she moved back with fluid steps and took distance.


    ¡°R-Ringo?!¡± (Souma)


    Thinking this was some sort of misunderstanding, I approached her once again and¡­*sususu* she moved back and isn¡¯t allowing me to get close to her.


    When I looked at her face, I could tell that her eyes were colder than usual and were gazing at me with no emotions.


    (T-This is¡­!) (Souma)


    Cold sweat ran down my back.


    I slowly approached Ringo so as not to scare her away and explained myself.


    ¡°Y-You¡¯ve got it wrong. That was the plan, or like, an action that I had to take. It is by no means because I wanted to see¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­¡±


    My words rang emptily and Ringo wasn¡¯t responding at all.


    Not only that.


    *Pui!*


    Ringo faced away as if saying she has nothing to say to me.


    (U-Uwaaaah!) (Souma)


    I held my head.


    But if I give up here, it will be the end.


    I desperately hang on.


    ¡°W-Wait a moment please! R-Right! I have to confirm whether the Hisame event hasn¡¯t been activated! Ringo, you have to say something or I won¡¯t be able to confirm it!¡± (Souma)


    When I said this, Ringo muttered this without meeting my eyes.


    ¡°¡­Sexual deviant.¡± (Ringo)


    I died.


    I don¡¯t remember how I got back home.


    I was deeply shocked by Ringo¡¯s attitude, and by the time I noticed, I was already on top of the bed with my face buried.


    But the lack of sleep from yesterday must have won me over. I had fallen asleep at some point in time, and¡­


    ¡°¡­Souma¡­wake up.¡±


    The next time I regained my senses was when Ringo shook me up.


    When I raised my head, what was there was the expressionless Ringo.


    ¡°What happened?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked her this while half-asleep¡­


    ¡°¡­Guest.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo answered briefly.


    Is it my imagination or is her voice sounding strangely cold? Is Ringo still angry?


    ¡°¡­Said¡­have a message¡­¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo adds as if she saw through my inner thoughts.


    I spur my dull head and think.


    (Guest and message, huh¡­) (Souma)


    Could it be that the knights have sniffed my trail after 1 whole day of the incident passing?


    I normally would get agitated by this, but that¡¯s not enough to create waves in my heart right now.


    I even think I belong behind bars.


    Everything is a pain.


    ¡°Then, bring them here please.¡± (Souma)


    I said this without much care.


    When I did, Ringo nodded lightly.


    She then went to the door on her own and¡­


    ¡°¡­Come in.¡± (Ringo)


    She opens the door and welcomes someone.


    Looks like she had let them come all the way to the door without me telling her.


    I was surprised by this and I lifted my face.


    The one who was at the opened door was¡­


    ¡°Poison¡­-tan¡­¡± (Souma)


    It wasn¡¯t a knight but a small girl; Poison-tan.


    Despite me calling her with an informal nickname, Poison-tan didn¡¯t show much signs of minding it and ran to me with a big smile on her face.


    (Aah, I see.) (Souma)


    And then, I noticed.


    I had asked Poison-tan about the matter of the Bounty Hunting Guild.


    If she came here, I can imagine what this ¡®message¡¯ Ringo told me about is.


    Right, nothing out of the ordinary.


    The message that came to the dejected me was simply¡­


    ¡°Onii-chan, Hisame¡¯s house lies to the west of the capital!!¡± (Poison)


    Was simply a message that announced my end.

 CH 73

    (The Hisame event flag has come back? Why?!) (Souma)


    I was on the verge of panicking here and desperately turned the gears in my brain.


    I should have been able to avoid the ¡®Hisame calling me to her house¡¯ condition with the sexual harrassment attack.


    But then why is the flag standing right now?


    Could it be that the key point of this event wasn¡¯t to be invited into her house.


    Is it because my ability was recognized by Hisame with that duel?


    No, it is hard that¡¯s all there is to it.


    You could even say a new flag has been established because I saw the skin of Hisame.


    Maybe there¡¯s a family precept like ¡®you must marry the person that has been your naked self?¡¯.


    Considering the Hisame event, it does sound plausible.


    If that really is the case, it would mean that I have taken a nosedive instead.


    (Wait, calm down! What¡¯s most important right now is to confirm whether the Hisame event has actually come back!) (Souma)


    Telling myself this, I look at the person that has pushed me into this spiral of confusion.


    The innocent girl at a glance looked at me as if saying ¡®Is something the matter, Onii-chan?¡¯, and I gulped.


    The despairing battle begins.


    I tried talking with Poison-tan for a bit after that, but it seems like the situation is exactly as I imagined¡­ No, it is worse than I imagined.


    In the past when the event was about to get established, the ¡®information about Hisame¡¯s house¡¯ was inserted unnaturally into the talk of the citizens.


    But it is different now.


    ¡°Uuh, so can you tell me once again what you came here to do?¡± (Souma)


    When I ask this¡­


    ¡°Ahaha, so funny~. Even though I am saying it countless times. Onii-chan¡¯s brain is on the level of a goblin. I think you should go quickly to the house of Hisame~.¡± (Poison)


    Poison-tan responded to me with a pure and evil smile.


    This is not like the incomplete state of before. I should take this as the event having begun completely.


    It is not like the information about Hisame¡¯s house is being inserted in a conversation, but all the conversation itself is about Hisame¡¯s house.


    (This is bad.) (Souma)


    I could have broken an incomplete flag, but when the flag has been completely established, is it even possible to undo it?


    And most importantly, the current problem is¡­


    ¡°Even though you could just obediently go to Hisame¡¯s house. Why are you trying to put it off, Onii-chan?¡± (Poison)


    ¡°Do you know the meaning of the phrase ¡®taking responsibility¡¯, Onii-chan?¡± (Poison)


    ¡°The Hisame dojo lies west. Know what west is, Onii-chan?¡± (Poison)


    ¡°Could it be that you can¡¯t say anything anymore, Onii-chan?¡± (Poison)


    ¡°You are not taking the criminal mindset that things might fix themself if you stay silent, right, Onii-chan?¡± (Poison)


    I have to do something about this poison-spitting girl in front of me before my heart breaks!!


    ¡°R-Ringo¡­¡± (Souma)


    The one I sought for succor in this moment when my spirit was in critical state was of course my partner.


    Ringo looked at my state for around 3 seconds and then whispered something to Poison-tan.


    I observe this in prayer and¡­


    ¡°I see. Then there¡¯s no worries.¡± (Poison)


    Poison-tan easily listened to Ringo¡¯s words and then walked to the exit of the room.


    ¡°See ya, Onii-chan! Hisame¡¯s dojo lies to the west of the capital! Don¡¯t forget that!¡± (Poison)


    Poison-tan pushed the information of the Hisame household even at the end, and left the room.


    ¡°Hey, Ringo, what was the business of Poison-tan¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I asked Ringo who had seen her off to the entryway.


    ¡°¡­She said the guild had prepared the money.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°So it really was that.¡± (Souma)


    I sigh heavily as she said this.


    So the business of Poison-tan really had nothing to do with the house of Hisame.


    The Hisame chain event has totally begun here.


    ¡°Eh? But you are talking normally, Ringo.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­?¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo tilted her head lightly.


    Looks like she isn¡¯t aware of it herself.


    ¡°Hey, Ringo, can you try saying something?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Sexua¡ª¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry! Forget I asked!¡± (Souma)


    We have talked a whole ton until now.


    It is clear that Ringo doesn¡¯t get affected by events.


    And it has also been proved here that Ringo is still in a sour mood.


    I don¡¯t know if this means Ringo is the exception or Poison-tan is the exception.


    I decided to confirm outside.


    The conclusion was¡­


    ¡°Yo, Nii-chan, the item here is going for cheap right now, but you should go to Hisame¡¯s house first!¡±


    ¡°The hottest dungeon right now is this one, but the most recommended one for you is the Hisame dojo that lies west of the capital!¡±


    ¡°Oh my, what a handsome man. This place fits you the most. It is a place that¡¯s located west of the capital, and it is called the Hisame dojo¡­¡±


    ¡°Ooh, sorry, but we are full here! Go wait at the dojo in the west until seats are opened!¡±


    ¡°Thanks to you, Blue has gotten this lively¡­ What I can do to repay you is tell you where the house of Hisame-san is. Her place lies west of the capital¡­¡±


    ¡°Souma-oniichan, it has been a while! My little sister is doing well. Just leave this place to me and go to the house of Hisame!¡±


    ¡°Here you go, 2 apples. Then, I will tell you one juicy gossip in exchange for buying from me. The dojo that the Hisame household manages lies west of the capital.¡±


    It basically went like that.


    With this much proof, there¡¯s already no room for doubt.


    Or more like, I feel like what they say is more diverse now.


    But it seems like it is still the same in that other events don¡¯t happen and I can¡¯t use the shops. As for the greengrocer Oba-chan, she simply took away my 100E without giving me anything.


    Ringo not being affected is probably because she is a bugged character.


    Ringo might not have event flags.


    At this rate, even if we meet Maki, there¡¯s even the chance that she would end up talking about Hisame¡¯s house in the worst case.


    It would be nice if the player attribute is applied as well, but if not, I would have gone through the trouble of reuniting with the princess and end up hearing about Hisame.


    No, even if the Knight Order came to my house, the chances of them telling me the place of Hisame¡¯s dojo and leaving are high.


    (¡­No good. We have to do something about this current state of affairs.) (Souma)


    That¡¯s what I think, but I don¡¯t have any idea of what to do to avoid it.


    The sure method would be to go to Hisame¡¯s house, but if I do¡­


    (Wait a moment¡­) (Souma)


    The next event is probably visiting the dojo together with Hisame, in order to avoid the situation where characters only talk about the house of Hisame.


    At those times, Hisame would wait at her own house in the game.


    But in this situation, will Hisame really be waiting properly at the house?


    According to my game knowledge, Hisame has barely returned to the dojo for several years.


    But it is in order to introduce her possible marriage partner, so she came back home after a really long time.


    I don¡¯t know why, but the Hisame visit flag has been raised, and yet, Hisame herself still hasn¡¯t told me she wants me to go to her house.


    Would Hisame return home in this situation?


    If the location of Hisame is also part of the event, I think she has properly returned, but I also feel like she is in a different location because of the irregular situation.


    If Hisame still hasn¡¯t returned home, what would happen?


    I would begin the event officially, and in order to solve this event suspension state, I would have to find Hisame first, and I would have to convince her to go to the dojo together with me.


    (No no, that¡¯s impossible!) (Souma)


    I have to find Hisame who-knows-where with no hints, then convince her when I have sexually harrassed her like that, and have her agree to come together with me to her house; that¡¯s way too impossible.


    There¡¯s a limit to worsening situations.


    (Might as well just go to the dojo¡­) (Souma)


    I am having regrets here, but it can¡¯t be helped anymore.


    The reason we could do shopping before was because I had postponed the time we would have the duel.


    I want to believe that wasn¡¯t a waste.


    ¡°Anyways¡­¡± (Souma)


    I must search for the location of Hisame.


    With grim resolve, I head back to the city where the information of Hisame¡¯s house is flying around.


    But unfortunately, I don¡¯t have items or skills that can help me find the place of Hisame, and no matter what I ask the people of the city, I only get information about Hisame¡¯s house.


    I feel like it should be fine for them to talk about Hisame since it is related to Hisame¡¯s family, but it looks like there¡¯s no such consideration.


    It was only after a good while that I noticed that it is only me who gets all the information about Hisame¡¯s house if I ask, but if Ringo asks, there¡¯s no problem.


    When Ringo began to ask around, we managed to get information as if the struggles of before were a lie.


    There were a number of people who saw Hisame run out of the gates with incredible speed.


    Her speed was so outrageous that barely any people could follow her with their eyes, but that alone was enough to tell them who was the one.


    ¡°It is around here, right?¡± (Souma)


    There¡¯s a number of fields in the direction the information pointed us at.


    But within all those fields, I feel like she went to Legus Lake.


    There¡¯s a rising cape at Legus Lake after all.


    Cornered people always head to cliffs.


    ¡°To think she would actually be there¡­¡± (Souma)


    It is far, but I could see someone standing at the tip of the cape.


    It is most likely Hisame judging from the clothes.


    Looks like my hunch was actually right.


    Hisame should be afraid of heights, but she is probably that cornered.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go.¡± (Souma)


    I tried walking ahead after saying that, but¡­


    ¡°¡­I won¡¯t go.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo didn¡¯t follow after me.


    ¡°O-Oi, listen here, right now¡­¡± (Souma)


    I thought she was still in a bad mood from back then so I was about to complain, but Ringo shook her head.


    ¡°¡­It would probably be better¡­for you to go alone.¡± (Ringo)


    Seeing her face, I was ashamed that I was placing selfish assumptions here.


    Ringo made a complicated expression as she looked at me.


    ¡°But what do you mean by it being better for me to go alone?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­If it were me¡­I would be happier that way.¡± (Ringo)


    I don¡¯t really get what she means by that making her happier, but Ringo doesn¡¯t seem like she intends to speak any further.


    ¡°¡­Got it. I¡¯m off.¡± (Souma)


    I also know that Ringo is unexpectedly stubborn.


    Also, Ringo wouldn¡¯t leave my side at any moment because she was worried about my safety, and yet, she is saying this. It must be necessary.


    I decided to go alone.


    Hisame is standing at the very tip of the cape.


    The wind blows and her hair flutters.


    It looked as if Hisame would fall at any moment from being pushed by that wind, and it shook my heart.


    ¡°This is probably the first time that you have come to me even though I haven¡¯t called you.¡± (Hisame)


    Seems like she really detected me by my presence.


    Hisame spoke to me without even looking back.


    ¡°Now that you mention it, yeah, you might be right. Did I make you wait today too?¡± (Souma)


    Hisame shook her head softly to the sides.


    ¡°No. I actually planned on going to your place to call you. I didn¡¯t expect you to come to me.¡± (Hisame)


    ¡®It is a happy coincidence¡¯, is what Hisame added as she turned around.


    The drenched clothes were now dry, and her turned around face was as beautiful as ever, but her cat ears seemed to be tired and scared.


    Seeing that, even I get hit by guilt.


    ¡°Uhm, about before¡­¡± (Souma)


    Before I could say sorry, Hisame asked me.


    ¡°You saw it¡­right?¡± (Hisame)


    I choked.


    Her naked body that I could see through her wet clothes replayed in my mind.


    ¡°I-I¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. That reaction is enough.¡± (Hisame)


    I tried to say something, but Hisame stopped me with a sad gesture.


    ¡°I actually noticed¡­where your gaze was going. Because I could see it clearly after all.¡± (Hisame)


    ¡°Ugh¡­ Sorry.¡± (Souma)


    I have no excuses.


    Was I looking at her with such a lecherous look?


    It is a bit sad that I can¡¯t firmly say I didn¡¯t.


    Hisame simply made a short ¡®don¡¯t mind it¡¯ as she continued speaking.


    ¡°But now that you have seen me like that, I must report it to my father. I am sorry for doing this after I promised I wouldn¡¯t call you to the dojo, but I will have you come with me too. Of course, I won¡¯t make unreasonable requests like succeeding the dojo or to fight the disciples. I am inviting you solely as a guest.¡± (Hisame)


    ¡°¡­Okay.¡± (Souma)


    Does she judge both the promise and this as two different cases?


    Or is this matter heavier than keeping the promise?


    I nodded calmly as I screamed internally.


    (So it really was an instant marriage route when you see her naked body?!!) (Souma)


    Hisame¡¯s household is a family of old customs.


    Moreover, it is an old customs family that was made with the half-assed prejudiced knowledge of the Nekomimi Neko staff.


    Marrying someone after showing their naked bodies might not be a setting that was put out at the open in the game, but it wouldn¡¯t be strange at all if they did have that set up on the shadowy corners.


    But if that¡¯s really the case, this world is replicated to an abnormal degree.


    It is perfectly replicating things that weren¡¯t even applied in the game. I can¡¯t tell if it is faithful to the game or not.


    Just how good of a job did it make?


    ¡°¡­Is it displeasing to be with me?¡± (Hisame)


    However, Hisame suddenly muttered this, most likely assuming something from my silence while I was deep in my thoughts.


    ¡°Eh? No, not really¡­¡± (Souma)


    I reflexively denied it, but it seems like that had the opposite effect.


    ¡°It is okay. I showed you something like that after all. I can understand your reaction.¡± (Hisame)


    ¡°No, as I said¡­¡± (Souma)


    Even if I am trying to desperately refute it here, it isn¡¯t resonating.


    She showed a self-deprecating smile.


    ¡°You must have thought it was disgusting, right?¡± (Hisame)


    What a thing to say.


    I don¡¯t get it at all.


    Could it be that she has a complex about her own body?


    But that¡¯s a completely absurd fear and an extravagant worry.


    If Hisame feels a complex about her own body, then Ina¡­ Well, that was a joke, but at the very least, Hisame has nothing to be ashamed of.


    ¡°No, I thought it was beautiful.¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s why I said something right out of a manga protagonist with a straight face.


    I said it.


    Peeking at the naked body of someone and praising it; I honestly don¡¯t think that¡¯s sane, but I said it straight out.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lie! There¡¯s no way¡­¡± (Hisame)


    But Hisame was shaken by this.


    It really must have been a complex.


    Anyways, I thought this is the moment to attack, so I added more.


    ¡°No, I thought it was the most beautiful thing I have seen until now. Your natural born beauty is charming to me.¡± (Souma)


    But that¡¯s the sadness of a loner.


    Because I am not used to praising someone, I ended up speaking out quite the outrageous thing.


    I simply spoke out what came out of my mind, but thought about it calmly¡­


    ¡®Your naked body was the number one sight of my life! Wouldn¡¯t it be best if you were to just stay naked?¡¯.


    Something like that.


    It is without doubt the talk of a pervert.


    ¡°¡­R-Really?¡± (Hisame)


    But it must have touched a heartstring in Hisame, she was super bashful here.


    A mysterious positive response!


    I went all in!


    ¡°Y-Yeah, of course! To the point I would like to see it once more!¡± (Souma)


    My mouth ain¡¯t stopping.


    This can only be taken as ¡®Show me your naked body again!!¡¯.


    Rather than a pervert, it is more like I am faithful to my desires.


    ¡°¡­Got it.¡± (Hisame)


    But it seems like Hisame-san has understood it for some reason!!


    ¡°Eh, no, what I said just now was¡­¡± (Souma)


    Without caring about my agitation¡­


    ¡°Please close your eyes.¡± (Hisame)


    If she says this while putting a hand on her clothes, I have no choice but to close my eyes.


    I was at the peak of confusion in my completely dark vision.


    (Wait wait wait! Just what¡¯s happening here?!) (Souma)


    I can hear the rustling of clothes.


    It seems like she is really taking her clothes off.


    Could it be that she is really going to be showing me her naked body again?


    Or more like, last time, it was through clothes, so it is not like I actually saw her naked, so this would be my first¡ª


    (No, that¡¯s not it! That¡¯s not what I meant¡­) (Souma)


    Could it be that the Hisame Marriage Event has been accelerated?


    No, if there¡¯s really a rule about marrying someone if they show their naked body, wouldn¡¯t it be natural for things to flow like this regardless of the event?


    I don¡¯t know.


    I don¡¯t get it.


    I don¡¯t, but I feel like I am making a crucial misunderstanding here.


    ¡°¡­It is fine now.¡± (Hisame)


    But the voice of Hisame informed me I ran out of time.


    I hesitantly opened my eyes and¡­


    ¡°?!¡± (Souma)


    Hisame was holding the clothes she was wearing just now in both arms and was standing there with a blushed face.


    Her important parts are being hidden by the clothes that she has in her hands, but her shoulders and all the other areas are completely visible.


    Is this¡­is this for real?


    I was speechless.


    Hisame then spoke while trembling in embarrassment.


    ¡°U-Uhm¡­at that time, it was coiled around my waist, so you¡­probably couldn¡¯t get a good look¡­¡± (Hisame)


    No, it is true that I couldn¡¯t see the most important part because she curled up before I could, but the reason I could look at her so intently before was because of the heat of the moment, and I currently don¡¯t have that courage¡­


    Is what I thought, but I had no time to be hesitating.


    Hisame moved despite my conflicts.


    ¡°I-I will show you the parts of me that I have never shown anyone else.¡± (Hisame)


    And then, she showed me ¡®that¡¯.


    At that moment, I felt all my thoughts were blown away.


    ¡°¡­Beautiful.¡± (Souma)


    I mutter the only correct word in this situation.


    What was exposed in front of me was the most beautiful thing that no piece of art would even be able to compete against.


    A graceful silhouette so perfect I would even believe if I was told God personally created it.


    The most exquisite suppleness and feel of touch that one can tell just from sight alone.


    Subtle and graceful movements shaking like a willow tree, bewitching the beholder.


    That¡¯s most likely the most beautiful thing in this world.


    Unable to endure my welling up emotions, I once again said it.


    ¡°It is truly beautiful. What a truly beautiful¡­cat tail.¡± (Souma)


    ¡­Well, yeah, I figured it was something like that though!

 CH 74

    New Genre: Cat ear moe.


    Putting it simply, Hisame¡¯s complex was apparently the cat tail at her butt.


    At the duel, she was more flustered thinking that I saw her tail than me having seen her naked.


    Speaking of which, Hisame noticed I was looking at her when my gaze was heading down her waist.


    She apparently has her tail coiled around her waist normally so that it is not seen, so it wouldn¡¯t be strange for her to think it was at that time that I discovered it.


    At that time, not only did I not notice the tail, the only thing I thought at that moment was ¡®Hisame¡¯s waist is unexpectedly thicc¡¯. I will keep silent about that for the mental health of Hisame.


    It is true that, even when I think back on the times when it was a game, I saw a good number of characters with cat ears, but I don¡¯t think I have seen anyone with tails.


    This is a world with lizardmen like Reinhardt (obviously with a tail), so I don¡¯t know what¡¯s the fuss about a cat tail, but since there¡¯s beastmen monsters with cat ears, tail, and paws, so it would be one thing if it were just the cat ears, but having a tail is apparently target for persecution.


    By the way, Hisame doesn¡¯t have paws.


    According to a legend passed down by the Hisame family, there was a legendary existence called the Cat God in their ancestors, and Hisame is the return of that ancestor.


    The people who have cat ears and cat tails tend to have inherited more power from the Cat God, and the reason why Hisame is abnormally fast and strong is because of those reasons.


    For me, it sounds like the people who say ¡®my ancestor is Oda Nobunaga¡¯, but because of the chaos of the Nekomimi Neko lore, it might be true.


    At the very least, according to Hisame: ¡°My tail is a secret within the whole Hisame household. Now that it has been discovered, I need to tell my father.¡±


    It seems like there really was hidden lore like that.


    But a bit of hope peeked in there.


    It is already a turn of events where I won¡¯t be able to avoid going to the Hisame household, but just like how it was possible to change the battle method for the match against Hisame, I might be able to change the Hisame House Visit Event.


    If I remember correctly, her father was angry because ¡®I won¡¯t let a bastard like you get my daughter!¡¯ which is a romcom development.


    By adjusting the reason of why I got called to the dojo, I could avoid the development.


    I decided to ask a more inquiring question.


    ¡°Is it because of traditions or something?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this, Hisame¡¯s cat ears moved a bit as if hesitating, and eventually, she inclined forward.


    ¡°¡­No, but at the times when I went out on a journey, father made me promise something in return. If there¡¯s someone who defeats me, sees my tail, or uhm¡­have expectations for, I have to bring them to him. Good grief, what a busybody.¡± (Hisame)


    Hisame¡¯s cat ears went left and right as if saying ¡®geez, what a hopeless father!¡¯ and she shrugged her shoulders.


    ¡°By the way, in my case¡­?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Right. You have seen my tail, but I would say you fall into all these 3, so¡­¡± (Hisame)


    Before Hisame could speak out her conclusion, I hurriedly pointed out to her.


    ¡°Wait a moment! Don¡¯t go saying I have won against you. It was simply that my plan worked, and if he were to learn about this, he might go ¡®I heard you were the one that defeated Mitsuki. I would like you to have a bout with us as well¡¯ and would challenge me to a fight.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Aah, you have a point. Then, I will just tell my father that ¡®an acquaintance of mine coincidentally saw my tail¡¯.¡± (Hisame)


    I finally placed a hand on my chest in relief at what Hisame said.


    (That was close¡­) (Souma)


    While I was relieved that I noticed this beforehand, Hisame¡¯s cat ears jumped up as if saying ¡®eh?¡¯.


    ¡°But you talk as if you have met him before. What you said just now sounded a lot like what father would say.¡± (Hisame)


    ¡°Really? Well, he is famous, you know.¡± (Souma)


    I said a random excuse.


    I can¡¯t really tell her that¡¯s what the person himself said.


    Anyways, with this, we have decided on our plan of action for now.


    Hisame and I will go together to report about the tail matter to her father, and deal with the event flag.


    If we do this well, we might be able to avoid a life or death situation, and I have no real intention here of being acknowledged by her father.


    If push comes to shove, I will have Hisame cooperate with me to avoid the life or death event.


    Now that it has been decided, we gotta move fast.


    ¡°Now then, let¡¯s move out of here for now.¡± (Souma)


    I prompted Hisame to do this and I began moving, but¡­


    ¡°¡­Please wait.¡± (Hisame)


    Hisame didn¡¯t follow after me like my time before with Ringo.


    When I looked back, Hisame had a serious face as always.


    ¡°This is just between you and me, but¡­I am actually not that good with heights.¡± (Hisame)


    Now that I look closely, Hisame¡¯s legs were trembling, and her cat ears were against her head as if saying they can¡¯t take it anymore.


    And here I was wondering how she was okay at the tip of a cape, but it seems like she was simply playing a false bravado here.


    ¡°If you are no good with heights, why did you come to a place like this in the first place?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I didn¡¯t have the courage to meet you, so I was cornering myself. But well, I was so bothered by the matter of my tail, so I didn¡¯t pay it much mind.¡± (Hisame)


    Sounds like a masochistic athlete.


    She really is a bit weird.


    ¡°And so, what should I do?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Shoulder.¡± (Hisame)


    She answered with that one word and I silently offered her my shoulder.


    ¡°¡­Thanks.¡± (Hisame)


    She responded as if in a bad mood, but her cat ears were going ¡®is that okay? Is that okay?¡¯ and twitching.


    She looks as if she were aloof, but she might unexpectedly be easily flustered.


    There would be no end to this at this rate, so I put my hand around Hisame without saying anything.


    ¡°!¡­¡±


    I was thinking about throwing in a complaint or two, but the moment my shoulder was touched, Hisame¡¯s cat ears perked up, and she faced down stiffened as if saying ¡®sorry¡¯, so I swallowed any complaints I had.


    We then left the end of the cape with a slow speed that isn¡¯t like Hisame.


    After walking around halfway, when we saw Ringo waiting there while hugging the bear on her chest, Hisame spoke.


    ¡°Also, if we are going to my house, I have one suggestion¡­¡± (Hisame)


    It wouldn¡¯t be amusing if we were to suddenly go there and the event goes exactly like the game.


    We decided to send a messenger to the dojo first with a letter explaining the situation.


    We purposely take our time, slowly heading to the dojo.


    You could say our relationship is slightly better now after the tail matter.


    That said, it simply means we are not antagonistic towards each other anymore, but our attitude is the same as always.


    It seems like her emotion rich moments were only at the times of the matches. She is currently looking completely grumpy, and is walking with her tail hidden as if nothing happened.


    Well, if I had to mention something that changed, it would be¡­


    ¡°Sorry, Mitsuki, can you please buy that?¡± (Souma)


    Our way of calling each other.


    About what she suggested when we were coming back from the cape, Hisame is obviously not her name but her family name, and everyone in the household of Mitsuki obviously has the Hisame family name.


    If we are going to the dojo, that way of calling her will be confusing, so it was settled we would call her Mitsuki.


    I was confused at first with the unaccustomed way of calling her, but Hisame felt more like a name than a family name, so I noticed that I didn¡¯t find much difference in it after using it countless times.


    It seems like Mitsuki also doesn¡¯t find much issue with being called by her name. Her cat ears would twitch the first few times she was called by her name though.


    ¡°You can¡¯t even buy things on your own? ¡­Can¡¯t be helped.¡± (Mitsuki)


    But now, we are like this. We¡¯ve gotten used to it already.


    Having a reason why we are calling her by her name is also a big contributor to this too.


    The expressionless Mitsuki and Ringo are by no means charismatic, but it is better than me who only gets information about Hisame¡¯s house.


    We used our spare time to ask Mitsuki to buy the pick-up items.


    I didn¡¯t get the elemental weapons I wished to get, but we got another Stamina Up Ring from the Accessory Shop.


    With this, I will change the accessories to stamina types, and if I use them together with buffing spells, I will be able to get 200% more stamina than my initial number.


    Strengthening the dark element attack is enticing, but increasing my stamina that is connected to skills and combos also increases my options.


    I immediately put on the ring.


    From our talk of before, you should be able to tell that the talk about the Hisame dojo is still going around while we were walking, but Ringo isn¡¯t that bothered by it, and as for Mitsuki¡­


    ¡°It seems like the dojo is being properly recognized by the people of the city.¡± (Mitsuki)


    She was proud.


    Even the cat ears on top of her head were going ¡®amazing, right~?¡¯.


    Even if this is the world of Nekomimi Neko, I would have liked to meet a person with a bit more common sense.


    ¡°It also feels mysterious walking by your side like this.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki can¡¯t go dashing her way to her objective like always.


    After killing some time in the city, we took our time heading west with all 3 lined up.


    The monsters around here are no enemy of ours anymore.


    The moment they appear, they would be cut down by Mitsuki or get blown away by the Lightning Strike of Ringo.


    Not only was there no sense of danger here, there was no chance for me to do anything.


    And so, I could take my time and ask Mitsuki about the dojo and her father.


    It seems like the training of the dojo is pretty spartan, and her father, who is the dojo master, is strict, but he isn¡¯t inhuman to anyone aside from his family.


    It is not like I didn¡¯t get uneasy at the mention of ¡®anyone aside from his family¡¯, but hearing that alone made me feel a bit relieved.


    While at it¡­


    ¡°I won¡¯t get killed from that matter in order to silence me, right?¡± (Souma)


    I tried asking this, and Mitsuki went ¡®no way¡¯ and shot it down.


    Well, of course.


    Her daughter resembling a monster would be a bad rumor, but it is not a secret that one would go as far as to kill someone to protect.


    Rather, if he were to kill in order to keep it a secret, it would get even worse if the secret were to get leaked in that way.


    (But well, we are talking about Nekomimi Neko here¡­) (Souma)


    It might be better not to expect logic here.


    But well, my relationship with Mitsuki didn¡¯t worsen, and I managed to enjoy my way to the dojo to a certain degree.


    I was talking with Mitsuki the whole way as we walked, but it seems like the curiosity of Ringo was stimulated from going outside. Once my conversation with Mitsuki had wrapped up, she pulled my sleeve softly.


    ¡°¡­What¡¯s¡­that?¡± (Ringo)


    She would ask that.


    ¡°¡­What was the name¡­of the enemy just now?¡± (Ringo)


    Or would come with other questions.


    I don¡¯t think she had much interest in that before, but Ringo probably has begun to take interest in a lot of different things after accumulating experience.


    I think this is a good trend.


    When I told Ringo that I would use all my game knowledge to answer everything she asked me, despite her normally being expressionless, she unconsciously made a happy face.


    Nekomimi Neko is infamous for troubles being its default, but we managed to reach the dojo without anything happening.


    ¡°Welcome back, Ojou-sama <means young lady, normally from a distinguished family>! And also your friends!¡±


    It looks like there were no issues with the message. We were welcomed by someone who seemed to be a disciple.


    This is going so well it is scary.


    But it seems that wasn¡¯t the case for Mitsuki.


    ¡°Please stop calling me Ojou-sama. I have already left the house.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki responded cooly while furrowing her brows, but her curled cat ears were saying ¡®calling me Ojou-sama is so embarrassing¡¯.


    Well, let¡¯s leave aside what¡¯s really the case here. The disciple that welcomed us kindly invited us in.


    ¡°But Ojou-sama is Ojou-sama. Ah, by the way, Ojou-sama and her friends, it may not be much, but we have made preparations for a welcome party. Please follow me.¡±


    ¡°Welcome party?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki obediently followed despite making a dubious expression.


    In the Hisame event, you end up fighting as soon as you get there, but the disciple seems to be talking about something completely different here.


    I should assume the events have changed now.


    I also tilted my head as I followed.


    ¡°I assume you all have your luggage to deal with, so I will guide you to your rooms first. Ah, my apologies, but the room for men and women is separated, so yours is over here, Souma-sama.¡±


    That¡¯s where I separated from Mitsuki and Ringo.


    Ringo was looking at me uneasily, but when I told her with my mouth movements only that ¡®I will be okay¡¯, she reluctantly agreed to follow the guide.


    ¡°Over here.¡±


    The disciple that showed up from the beginning was guiding me deeper in.


    I walk this sight I am familiar with.


    ¡°This is the first time Ojou-sama has brought a friend after all. Everyone went all out in preparation to welcome you all.¡±


    ¡°¡­Is that so.¡± (Souma)


    I simply chimed in like that as I followed him.


    The place we arrived at was the biggest building here.


    In other words, a giant dojo.


    ¡°Please come in.¡±


    Being urged in, I take one step inside the dojo and, at that instant¡­


    ¡°¡°Welcome to the Hisame Dojo!!!¡±¡±


    The loud sound of several people echoed in the dojo and my eardrums.


    I look around the room.


    You certainly could say this is a welcoming like no other.


    What was directed at me was not simply words of welcoming.


    What was directed at me were the wide smiles of Mitsuki¡¯s father and 10 brawny men.


    Also¡­


    ¡°We welcome you with open arms, Souma-kun!!¡±


    10 reverse blade katanas that were letting out a fearsome glare.


    Confirming this, I went ¡®shit¡¯ in my mind, covered my face, and then¡­


    ([Stamina Up].) (Souma)


    I cast this.


    I could feel vitality well up in my body from the spell I had already finished the chanting of before coming here.


    ¡­Well, you know, they probably thought this was an unexpected welcome for me, but who knows how many dozens of times I have done this event.


    Because there¡¯s no safe point in the Hisame House Visit Event, you have to redo it when you die in the middle of it.


    The one who knows the most about this reverse blade welcoming in this world is me.


    The introduction was different from the game, but the moment I saw the place I was being led to¡­no, the moment I was separated from Mitsuki and Ringo, when I noticed we were heading to the dojo, I was sure it would end up like this.


    Not only that. I even completely predicted in which position and in what place they would be waiting for me before I even stepped into this place.


    (I didn¡¯t want to gamble like this, but I have no choice but to do this.) (Souma)


    That¡¯s why I silently prepared myself.


    ¡°It was written in the letter. You are apparently a friend of Mitsuki. I doubt my daughter would be together with someone powerless. Show me that strength of you¡ª¡±


    Ascertaining the 10 ¡®targets¡¯ spread out in a fan formation¡­


    ¡°You should step away from there.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Hn?!¡±


    I cut off the words of Mitsuki¡¯s father and held Shiranui.


    ¡­It is okay.


    Now that I have stamina specialized equipment, I should barely be able to use it.


    ¡°I have no chance of winning outnumbered. I am sorry to do this while you were in the middle of your speech, but I will be taking the first move.¡± (Souma)


    One of the hardest weapon skills to obtain, and you can¡¯t even use it in its initial state because of how much stamina it consumes. The last and strongest skill of the Otachi which prides on having the highest attack power of all weapons: Midare Sakura <Chaotic Sakura>.


    But the seasoned Nekomimi Neko players call this with a different name.


    The name is¡­


    ¡°Ultimate Skill: [Setsuna Samidare Giri] <Instant Early-Summer Rain Slash>!¡± (Souma)

 CH 75

    Otachi Skill: [Midare Sakura].


    A multi-hit skill of surging waves that shoots out hundreds of slashes in mere seconds.


    Those slashes are way too fast for the eye, and its name originated from a story that said the sight of it reminded them of the falling petals of sakura trees.


    That way too sharp swordsmanship doesn¡¯t even allow the other party to notice they have been cut.


    It is only after the attack ends that the one who was on the receiving end of it will be able to realize that they were cut down.


    This is the description that was in the official page of Nekomimi Neko before the game came out.


    Of course, people still didn¡¯t know about the disappointment of Nekomimi Neko at this point in time, so when the gamers heard this description, they had so much expectation about it and their hearts were set afluter.


    The developers must have known that the attention people gave to this skill would be high too.


    In the first preview video of Nekomimi Neko, this skill was showcased as well.


    It was still publicized as an MMORPG, so I wasn¡¯t that excited about Nekomimi Neko at that time, but the moment I saw that video, it made me think ¡®I would like to have this game¡¯ for a little bit.


    That¡¯s how cool the video was.


    The first time [Midare Sakura] was shown at the very end of the skill showcase, it was something simple that lasted 3 seconds.


    It was at the time when the Midare Sakura skill was in its animation, and it was a samurai-looking man unleashing countless slashes towards a dragon.


    The people who saw the intensity of the slashes and the beauty of the effects gulped their breath, and then, the man swung his sword exaggeratedly as if wiping away the blood on it.


    Then, in the background, letters with cool typography appeared saying ¡®Otachi Skill: [Midare Sakura]¡¯, the dragon falling right after. That¡¯s the short and intense video it was.


    But well, no matter what mental gymnastics you do, the slashes don¡¯t look like sakura petals though.


    ¡°Amazing! Just¡­amazing!¡±


    I remember getting all excited on my own seeing that video.


    After that, the game actually came out, and with how terrible it was, it got the name Nekomimi Neko. The expectations plummeted, and most people who had their hearts pump at the video were saying they quitted Nekomimi Neko.


    But me and a small minority of players were still taken in by the beauty of the Midare Sakura in the video, and we wanted to try using it one day.


    However, a lot of time was needed in order to make that dream come true.


    Midare Sakura is an Otachi skill, but the Otachi itself is hard to obtain to begin with.


    Even if you obtain the Otachi after strenuous efforts, the weapon proficiency of the Otachi is obviously 0.


    There aren¡¯t many who would throw away the weapon they have gotten used to to switch to an Otachi, moreover, the Otachi is big and heavy, so increasing the proficiency is a chore.


    Also, you won¡¯t be reaching the Midare Sakura simply by using the Otachi.


    The weapon proficiency in order to get there is abnormally high, and it is proficiency that you definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to get with normal play.


    You have to do tasteless and boring weapon proficiency training everyday, or rely on hidden techs like the Master Torch or you won¡¯t ever be able to get there.


    And then, even though you have finally gotten there with grueling effort, you will discover that you can¡¯t use it for some reason.


    People assumed it was a bug again, but this one actually wasn¡¯t.


    To the surprise of everyone, the stamina consumed is twice that of your initial stamina value.


    Stamina doesn¡¯t increase from level ups, so you have to either use equipment and spells to increase it in order to even use it.


    I am a different story since I can use a lot more accessories than in the game, but raising your stamina to 200% in the game is not a simple endeavor.


    It is only after overcoming numerous trials that you can finally arrive at Midare Sakura.


    Overcoming all hurdles, the ones who have seen the Midare Sakura will be shown the effects just like that of the preview video¡­no, you will be moved and amazed by the gorgeous effects that surpass even that.


    ¡°Ultimate Skill: [Setsuna Samidare Giri]!!¡± (Souma)


    The one who reacted immediately was, of course, the father of Mitsuki, the master of the dojo: Asahi Hisame.


    ¡°Back off!¡± (Asahi)


    With that shout that made the air of the dojo tremble, all the disciples jumped back.


    Can only call this an exemplary decision.


    I don¡¯t know if he can see the vibrations of the air like Mitsuki, or maybe he is reading an unknown something like killing intent.


    Anyways, with that one shout of Asahi, all the disciples jumped back, and a few moments later, a rain of slashes were unleashed at a distance that could scrape their noses.


    ¡°Wa?!¡±


    ¡°T-This is¡­!¡±


    A number of the disciples that hadn¡¯t changed their expressions until now couldn¡¯t help but let out their voices in surprise.


    Even the remaining disciples that barely managed to hold their voices in had their faces warp in fear and surprise.


    Because the Otachi is a rare weapon, the skills that come with it are also rare by nature. That goes doubly so for Midare Sakura. It would be impossible to see that from anyone aside from a player.


    A multi-hit attack from a weapon like the Otachi with very long reach.


    That intensity would be a threat for anyone who has seen it for the first time.


    ¡°A skill like this¡­¡±


    ¡°Just how can you win against it¡­?¡±


    ¡°If not for Asahi-sama¡¯s warning¡­¡±


    It is because they have gone through no normal training that they can tell how outrageous this skill is.


    Words of weakness were coming out here and there from the disciples that should have accumulated arduous training and don¡¯t show their agitation to the outside much.


    But that can¡¯t be helped either.


    Up, down, left, right, diagonally; severing slashes were drawing lines in every direction feasible for the human body.


    Every single one of them is sharp and fast.


    It is impossible to catch each and every one of them with the eye, and it makes you think that you have been attacked from every single angle at the same time in one instant.


    That wasn¡¯t a line attack anymore, but an area attack.


    No, it was unleashed ahead of me, so it would be a semi-circular attack.


    Like a sword barrier.


    An impenetrable semi-circular zone that was created from the fearsome speed of the sword slashes.


    That was created in front of me¡­or at least, that¡¯s how it looks at a glance.


    But¡­


    ¡°Hmph. What a silly smokescreen.¡± (Asahi)


    The father of Mitsuki, Asahi, said this plainly.


    ¡°Asahi-sama!¡±


    ¡°C-Could it be¡­!¡±


    He stepped into the rain of slashes without any hesitation.


    That instant, the body of Asahi was torn into smithereens by the slashes that assailed him from all directions¡­or not.


    ¡°A-Asahi-sama¡­?¡±


    ¡°W-Why¡­?¡±


    Seeing Asahi standing inside the rain of slashes with an air of composure, the disciples were dumbstruck.


    Seeing those shocked faces as if they didn¡¯t know what was going on, I remembered the time when the Midare Sakura had come out to light.


    It was the same as that time.


    The ones who saw the Midare Sakura will be shown the effects just like that of the preview video¡­no, you will be moved and amazed by the gorgeous effects that surpass even that.


    However, the moment you use that technique on an enemy, everything will turn around.


    That¡¯s right, at that instant, the world of Nekomimi Neko swirled into chaos.


    As aforementioned, in the description of the Midare Sakura: That way too sharp swordsmanship doesn¡¯t even allow the other party to notice they have been cut.


    The ones who have been hit by this skill will finally notice they have been cut the moment the attack ends.


    The old me would have simply found that to be a cool description, but now that I have gotten used to Nekomimi Neko, you can also interpret it like this: This skill won¡¯t deal damage until the animation of the skill ends completely.


    In other words, you have to finish the skill completely in order to show its effect.


    Well, this is something I can say now, but it is not like I don¡¯t understand the appeal of wanting to try that scenario of the enemy falling the moment your attack ends.


    It is true that my heart actually throbbed at the video, and I thought it was cool.


    But what would happen if you actually do that in the game?


    Think about it.


    The reality is that the players that used Midare Sakura in their glee were shocked.


    Dealing damage only at the end means that, in the middle of your multi-hit animation, you are completely defenseless.


    This multi-hit animation that lasts for around 18 seconds looks as if you are doing a special attack that doesn¡¯t allow enemies to approach, but the reality is that you are rooted in place with no way of evading or defending in front of your enemy.


    Monsters would normally just ignore the slashing effects and go straight for you.


    All the players that used Midare Sakura would have the monsters in front of them easily approach and get hit.


    Also, it is only when the skill has ended properly that the damage will take effect.


    Properly ended means that you either finish all the animation of the skill, or cancel it to finish it.


    The other ways of ending it are to get interrupted in the middle of your skill by getting hit, or when the effect of the skill disappears.


    It would be great if you could at least cancel it in the middle of the slashes, but the first Cancel Point is before you do the slashes, and the next Cancel Point is right after you finish the slashes.


    You can reduce your time of vulnerability by doing the second Cancel Point, but you are simply canceling the last bit of the animation where you wipe off the blood from your sword which would reduce your animation lock from 19 seconds to 18 seconds.


    The Nekomimi Neko players that learned about this were in despair.


    Midare Sakura is cool and strong.


    It has a big aoe and if you use it on an immobile enemy, it can show incomparable power from other skills.


    But it can¡¯t be used when fighting strong enemies.


    You get hit in that 18 second slash animation, and if you get hit by a strong enemy like that while defenseless, your skill gets interrupted.


    Moreover, because the stamina consumption is heavy, you won¡¯t be able to use skills properly for a while.


    If it were a random skill, I would be able to give up on it, but it was obtained through strenuous efforts, and the attack power in itself is nothing to scoff at, so it leaves you with hazy feelings and it is mortifying!


    It is not like it is sad or angering, but more like¡­disappointing!!


    And so, in this way, the other name of the Midare Sakura, Setsuna Samidare Giri, was born. <The name can be read as Instant Ceaseless Slash or Sad Early-Summer Rain Slash>


    ¡°Is it okay to step into it so carelessly?¡± (Souma)


    But even an explosively sad ultimate skill like that can serve as a deterrent against real people.


    Cause you know, the sword is clearly being swung, so you normally wouldn¡¯t think nothing would happen even if it hits you.


    The only reason I can think otherwise is because I know this world is a game, so the damage registering is not because the weapon hits you, but because there¡¯s an attack hitbox in it.


    I stepped into that gamble thinking this, but looks like I missed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look down on me that much, Souma-kun. I felt fearsome killing intent right before the attack began, but that was all. I feel no pressure from that sword anymore. It is probably some sort of illusion, but that won¡¯t work on me, you know?¡± (Asahi)


    Asahi said this within the rain of slashes without breaking a sweat, but I was the one who had cold sweat run down my forehead.


    Seeing through that much, as expected of the master of the Hisame Dojo.


    (Reading killing intent. Is this a fantasy? Right, it is a fantasy.) (Souma)


    Just as he says, there¡¯s no damage at all from the slashes.


    If he approaches and attacks me, I wouldn¡¯t be able to resist.


    No, not only that, I might easily die.


    It is a completely despairing situation.


    But even at this moment, Asahi was not lowering his guard.


    ¡°4, come.¡± (Asahi)


    Asahi speaks to the disciples, and from within the 9 disciples, the 4 that were the closest to Asahi stepped into the rain of slashes and the remaining ones stayed in place.


    The reason he left 5 must be to keep a rear guard for the case when these slashes actually have effect.


    The 4 moved to both sides of Asahi without saying anything, and took out their swords as if surrounding me.


    The situation where I had no escape from has completely become a deadend.


    ¡°Looks like you are done for. Well, no need to worry.¡± (Asahi)


    As he said this, the 5 of them turned their reverse-bladed katanas at the same time.


    The curved dull part faced up and the straight bladed side faced down.


    And then¡­


    ¡°We are simply striking you with the back of the sword¡­you know.¡± (Asahi)


    The 5 of them raise their reverse-bladed katanas at the same time.


    (It is over¡­) (Souma)


    I muttered this in my heart.


    In the first place, I can¡¯t move until the skill is over.


    I have no leeway in stamina to Cancel the skill.


    That¡¯s why I looked at the raised swords, and gulped¡­

 CH 76

    There¡¯s no way to avoid the 5 reverse-blade katanas that were raised at the same time.


    That¡¯s why, when I saw that, I gulped before saying this.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­impossible.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Wa?¡± (Asahi)


    Reacting to my words, the movement of Asahi¡¯s reverse-blade katana stopped for a really brief instant.


    And that time was plenty enough.


    The ¡®end¡¯ finally came.


    The slashes raining intensely until now¡­stop.


    ¡°¡­Nuh?!¡± (Asahi)


    I looked at Asahi who raised his eyebrow and the reverse-bladed katanas in front of me, and exaggeratedly waved my sword as if clearing away the blood on it¡­


    ¡°Cause that katana has no back at all.¡± (Souma)


    The moment I said this, the blade of the reverse-blade katana crumbled.


    ¡°Wa?!¡± (Asahi)


    Asahi raised his voice and showed surprise and unrest for the first time.


    ¡°A-Asahi-sama!¡±


    The disciple by his side gave his reverse-blade katana to him.


    But that blade also crumbled all the way to the base.


    ¡°Kuh! Did you do something?! Then, you guys¡ª¡± (Asahi)


    Asahi looks back at the disciples that were out of the slashes¡¯ range, but¡­


    ¡°W-We are sorry, Asahi-sama¡­¡±


    ¡°They just suddenly¡­¡±


    The blades of their reverse-blade katanas were also cleanly gone.


    Well, you could say that was the natural result.


    Weapons have HP too.


    All swords lose their blade and can¡¯t be used when they receive damage that surpasses their HP.


    But seeing that, the expression of Asahi changed.


    ¡°What in the world did you do?! Their weapons should have been outside the attack!¡± (Asahi)


    Just where did his composure of before go to?


    I shrugged my shoulders at Asahi who was raising his voice.


    ¡°I simply used my technique.¡± (Souma)


    This is not a lie.


    I simply used the skill Midare Sakurai like normal.


    But the angered dojo members were not satisfied with that answer.


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible! I can still understand if only we got damaged since we stepped inside it, or if only the people staying back were the ones who got hit, but¡­what¡¯s this? Why at this time, at totally different places, and only our katanas¡­were broken all at the same time?!!¡± (Asahi)


    ¡­Well, it certainly would be unfathomable for them and unreasonable too.


    It is simply the fact that the skill I used wasn¡¯t normal, but I have no obligation to explain my skill, and even if I were to explain it to someone that thinks you only get injured when your weapon hits, they would probably not get it.


    Even I was also surprised when I played this in the game after all.


    That¡¯s right, Midare Sakura doesn¡¯t only have one landmine.


    There was one factor in the Midare Sakura -which looks as if they put a lot of effort in it- that they half-assed more than any skill.


    There lies the reason why the reverse-blade katanas of the 5 at the back were broken, and the reason why Asahi and the others, who were right inside the slashes, were not damaged even after the animation of the Midare Sakura ended.


    It is also the reason why I was worried about¡­the first position of Asahi and the group.


    I will give out the conclusion first. Midare Sakura hitting or not has really nothing to do with the slashes in the middle.


    Actually, right after you activate the skill, all the results had already been decided before even the effects had been shown.


    This negligence was discovered when a companion had entered the slash effects in the middle of the Midare Sakura.


    There¡¯s no concept of party in this game, so there¡¯s no lenient system like your attacks not hitting your allies.


    If the slash effects had a hitbox, they should have received big damage once the skill ended.


    But the reality was that they received no damage.


    Despite being inside the effective range of Midare Sakura, that companion was unharmed.


    The Nekomimi Neko players tilted their heads at this.


    Experimenting and verifying are the commandments of Nekomimi Neko players.


    With experiments after experiments, they finally arrived at this conclusion.


    ¡°Could it be that the calculation of how many hits landed has been done already at the very beginning of the skill?¡±


    From here on it is just speculation, but this is what it would mean if explained in detail.


    This stuff would normally be synchronized, but in this game, the visual effects and the effect -in other words, the skill effects and attack hitbox- were made separately.


    They make the explosion effect first, and then they set the hitbox of the skill in that explosion.


    Because of that, there¡¯s skills with visual effects and effective ranges disjointed like [Void Wide Slash]. But there¡¯s one more issue with this method.


    In the case when effects with several hitboxes happen, setting them to match that would be incredibly troublesome.


    Moreover, the skills that were made first for the PV like Midare Sakura, people speculate that their visual effects were created first for that PV and they added the hitboxes later.


    The hundreds of slash effects of Midare Sakura in the PV were certainly impressive, but if you have to set every hitbox matching the timing of hundreds of slashes, it would be quite the insane task.


    But there¡¯s no way the Nekomimi Neko staff would do something so industrious.


    And so, what the Nekomimi Neko developers pulled out here was a bit of an unbelievably cheap trick.


    They would calculate how many hits they would be taking at the beginning location, and that would be the final damage.


    To be more specific, right before the first slash of the rain of slashes, the hitbox calculation will be done in the whole area of effect, and it would go like ¡®this monster is at the front, so around 500 would hit, I think¡¯, ¡®this one is at the corner, so 200 should be fine¡¯. It would decide how many would hit before the attack even began, and once the skill ends, the damage comes in. It was discovered that they dealt with it in such a half-assed way.


    The enemies obviously still move in the middle of the slashes.


    It is almost impossible to predict how many slashes will hit like that, but they just assumed no one would be able to use this skill to begin with anyways, or they might have thought no one would notice since the damage registers at the end.


    Calling it careless is already lukewarm at this point, but this is Nekomimi Neko quality.


    But thanks to this discovery, the worth of using this skill increased a little bit.


    The Nekomimi Neko players use whatever they can use.


    In other words, as long as they are within the effective range when you begin the slashes, all of them will hit; if they are not, then all of them miss. If you utilize this knowledge, you can do interesting things.


    For example; monsters that run away the moment they see you like the Wild Stray Slime types.


    If you use Midare Sakura while they are inside the effective range, even if the Wild Stray Slime escaped several hundreds of meters after that, the moment the animation ends, they will definitely die from hundreds of hits. A really unreasonable technique.


    The sloppiness of this hitbox calculation gave it a new standing that ¡®as long as the skill isn¡¯t interrupted midway, this is a multi-hit skill that allows you to hit almost all of the attacks no matter how fast the opponent¡¯.


    It is after this that its other name began to get its meaning.


    Within the rain of slashes that last 18 seconds, the skill is decided in just an instant.


    That¡¯s the Setsuna Samidare Zan <Instant Early-Summer Rain Slash>.


    What I did this time around is also an application of this in a way.


    No matter if the other side attacked me, I don¡¯t want to become a murderer because of something like this, and I also know that, if I were to kill the people of the Hisame dojo, things would turn terrible because of a certain trap-like setting.


    There¡¯s no way of getting out of this aside from destroying their weapons, but destroying the weapons of 10 people when spread out in the battlefield would be almost impossible.


    Destroying a weapon with average attacks would be impossible, and normal attacks have the chance of being avoided.


    Also, if you use a big aoe attack or a multi-hit attack that you can¡¯t control its movements of, you might end up hurting not only the weapon but the holder.


    That¡¯s where Midare Sakura comes into play.


    I know the effective range of this skill from top to bottom, and the power of it has my seal of approval.


    On top of that, because the damage calculation is done instantly before the slashes, there¡¯s no worries of it being avoided.


    Being hit before the skill ended was my one only worry, but I thought there would be no idiot who would rush into a rain of slashes, so I decided to do this.


    As for the result, I would say I have escaped immediate danger for now.


    However, it is not assured that I have escaped all adversities.


    (That was super close!!) (Souma)


    I was acting all normal there, but my heart was pounding the whole time.


    Who would have thought Asahi would ignore the rain of slashes and advance?


    I was saved by the fact that he spoke to the disciples, had them surround me, and was distracted by my words, but if he had just gone straight to me, I might have been easily killed.


    Even if being attacked was not certain, I did lack preparation.


    If I had enough to Cancel Midare Sakura with Step, it wouldn¡¯t have been as close as this.


    I should have used the skill beforehand to reduce the necessary stamina, or increase the max stamina as much as possible.


    But masters like Mitsuki and Asahi truly are monsters.


    Asahi said before: ¡®I felt fearsome killing intent before the attack began, but that¡¯s all. I feel no pressure from that sword anymore¡¯.


    The damage calculation of Midare Sakura was done right after I shouted Setsuna Samidare Giri, in other words, right after the attack began.


    In a sense, I only attacked at that one moment, and Asahi detected that accurately.


    Well, not being able to avoid it despite knowing about it is what¡¯s scary about this skill though.


    ¡°¡­Souma-kun.¡± (Asahi)


    While I was thinking back on it, Asahi called me with a sharp tone.


    He let go of his reverse-blade katana and brought out a paper from his pocket.


    ¡°In the letter of Mitsuki, it is written: ¡®The sword of the only person I have acknowledged as my friend is strange and mysterious.


    When you think it is real, it is an illusion; when you think it is an illusion, it is real.


    She said you are a person who uses that kind of hard to grasp and mysterious technique, a Strange Sword User.¡± (Asahi)


    Just what is that woman writing? -is what I complain about in my heart, but I can¡¯t say that out loud in front of her father.


    That Asahi glared at me and asked.


    ¡°Souma-kun, just who in the world are you? How did you learn that swordstyle? Who taught you that fighting style?¡± (Asahi)


    His expression was the same as when it was in battle¡­no, even more serious than that.


    But even if you ask me that, it will only trouble me.


    What I learned was the game style, and it is by no means an actual fighting style.


    ¡°My fighting style was self-taught, so there¡¯s no school. But if I had to put a name to my fighting style¡­¡± (Souma)


    But if he wants an answer, the only thing I can bring out is one.


    I faced Asahi and his group straight on and said this with my chest puffed out.


    ¡°This is the Nekomimi Neko style!!¡± (Souma)

 CH 77

    ¡°I see, the Nekomimi Neko style, huh! Sounds like a name that would have a connection with us!¡± (Asahi)


    Asahi said this with a complete sudden turn from his thorny attitude of before, showing a handsome smile.


    ¡°Sorry for testing you there. I read the letter of Mitsuki, but around 40% of it was praise about your sword, you know. I was a bit curious about it.¡± (Asahi)


    Hearing this, I shouted ¡®Mitsuki!¡¯ internally.


    I may have told her to not write about me winning against her, but if she is going to praise her battle with me to death with close to half of her letter, there¡¯s no point.


    Or more like, if you are praising a specific person, a parent would normally notice something is there.


    While I was thinking that, the hand of Asahi was offered in front of me.


    ¡°I am Asahi Hisame. I am the dojo master here. Nice to meet you, Souma-kun.¡± (Asahi)


    ¡°¡­Yeah, same here. Nice to meet you too.¡± (Souma)


    I also hesitantly stretch out my hand.


    Both hands held out like a classic scene of reconciliation.


    But the moment I held his hand, Asahi¡¯s eyes glowed a sharp light again.


    ¡°But don¡¯t think that was our full strength there. I was caught off-guard because I was using a weapon I am not used to, but my weapon of specialty is a spear. If I hold the Hisame family heirloom, Gouging Vajra, I wouldn¡¯t fall behind my daughter just yet.¡± (Asahi)


    He is showing a smile, but his eyes are not smiling.


    Those words made me instinctively look at the back of Asahi, at the wall of the dojo.


    ¡°The next time we meet, it will be at the banquet!¡± (Asahi)


    He gave his farewells in that sociable manner, and the disciple that guided me to the dojo in the beginning guided me again this time around.


    ¡°My apologies for doing something so deceptive. I will be guiding you to your real room now, Souma-sama.¡±


    Saying this, he lowered his head politely and brought me to a certain building.


    ¡°It is here.¡±


    ¡°Here, huh.¡± (Souma)


    That place should be categorized as separated.


    Its appearance is like that of a solid fortress.


    I don¡¯t know what material it is made of, but even if you take only one wall or one gate, it would be extremely heavy, sturdy, and no regular weapon would be able to wound it.


    It is a place I have seen countless times in the game, but the first thing that comes to mind is that I wouldn¡¯t want to live in a place like this.


    ¡°Uhm, I will be living here alone¡­?¡± (Souma)


    Leaving aside its appearance, it is way too big for a single person to be staying there.


    I asked this just in case, but¡­


    ¡°Yes, you are an important guest after all.¡±


    The guide disciple responded with an expected answer together with a face that shows no maliciousness.


    (What should I do¡­?) (Souma)


    I look far away while thinking hard internally.


    That 2 floor building has a number of rooms at the respective stairs. It is not on the level of the Nekomimi Mansion, but it should have a variety of facilities.


    While watching that big building, I was pondering about what to answer here, and a pale faced woman passed by just at that moment.


    The woman was about to run off without noticing us, but¡­


    ¡°Why are you making a face like that? Is something the matter?¡±


    The disciple called her.


    The woman stopped her feet and glanced at me.


    ¡°Actually¡­¡±


    And so, she began telling us her circumstances.


    She told us a variety of things, but basically, the ingredients for our welcoming party are not enough.


    That ingredient is a vegetable that grows close to this place, and you should be able to get it if you go to the fields nearby, but it is impossible to pull them out unless you have enough strength, so they are apparently troubled by this.


    ¡°That is indeed a problem. I have my own matters to attend to, so as for free people¡­¡±


    Saying this, he glanced at me.


    ¡°No way. I don¡¯t have enough strength, and just what should I even do¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I groaned but the woman was also glancing at me.


    With no other choice¡­


    ¡°Then, I will go.¡± (Souma)


    The moment I said that, the faces of the two shone.


    ¡°Really?! Thank you very much! The location of the fields are¡­¡±


    It is sudden, but I seriously have been thinking often about how an adventurer bag is convenient since coming to this world.


    In the game, you can¡¯t have several storage type items, and the moment you obtain it, you can only equip them in set locations.


    For example; if you set it at your right waist at the beginning of the game, you won¡¯t be able to move it from there; if you get a bag type item, it will be set at your left waist. As for the Cooler Box and other storage type items, they would be set diagonally right, and if you get something new, it will be switched.


    With these restrictions, you can¡¯t have more than 3 storage type items at the same time.


    Well, right now, I am doing stuff like having a whole ton of storage type items and storing inside a storage, so I feel like my bags have increased more and more in numbers. It does get somewhat inconvenient because of it.


    Because of the limitations, items like the Cooler Box that take a slot would be designated as trash items and they would say ¡®having it is a hindrance¡¯.


    But now that this world has become half real, there¡¯s no item as convenient as this.


    You can store hot things and they stay hot, cold things and they stay cold forever.


    Even modern science wouldn¡¯t be able to replicate something as convenient as this.


    There¡¯s the downside that you can only store 10 things, but it won¡¯t take space if you put it inside your bag, and if I find more somewhere else, I wouldn¡¯t even mind having extras.


    ¡°Puhah!¡± (Souma)


    I had a cold drink I took out from the Cooler Box while taking a break and looking at the fields.


    They have harvested around half of the crops.


    There¡¯s the need for a set amount of Strength stat in order to pull out the crops, but fortunately, the stat requirement for this event isn¡¯t that high.


    That said, my original stat wasn¡¯t enough, so I used a Power Up spell and Strength Up accessories.


    ¡°Yup. Going well, going well.¡± (Souma)


    I nodded and brought out an item from the Black Adventurer Bag inside the Adventurer Bag.


    And then, I walked to the corner of the field with that in hand.


    ¡°Now then¡­¡± (Souma)


    In this world where the position of the bag isn¡¯t fixed, you can do convenient things you couldn¡¯t in the game.


    This is one of them.


    ¡°Alright, go~.¡± (Souma)


    I made a shout that had no power in it, and turned the bag around.


    I discovered that, when I think about what I want to bring out from it as I turn it around, that thing will fall out one after the other.


    I changed spots as I walked little by little, and continued spreading around that ¡®black item¡¯ on the field.


    ¡°Hm, here it comes.¡± (Souma)


    After I finished spreading things around and I had taken the 3rd crop, that happened.


    ¡°Cows! The cows ran away!¡±


    As that shout came, a tremor and a cloud of dust was raised in that same direction.


    They were the cow archetype monsters, Crazy Cows, running at full speed here.


    For some abnormal coincidence, they are running straight to this plot.


    ¡°T-The person there, run! Please run away!!¡±


    The voice of someone was mixed within the tremor, but I didn¡¯t move.


    Eventually, the Crazy Cows reached the field without slowing their advance and¡­


    ¡°Run away at on¡ªeh?¡±


    They then suddenly split up and ran off.


    They ran as if avoiding the field, so there obviously was no damage to me or the crops.


    ¡°U-Uhm, eh? That¡¯s strange. The plan was for them to go straight¡­¡±


    The moment the cows disappeared from sight, the owner of the voice from before finally appeared.


    The disciple-looking man looked at the unharmed field while tilting his head.


    ¡°¡­Ah, no, I am glad you are okay. Later then. I have to chase after the cows.¡±


    Saying that, he ran off in the direction of the cows as if he himself was also running away.


    After I confirmed that he was out of sight, I looked down at the field and sighed.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t cleaning this up be more of a pain than the crops?¡± (Souma)


    There were a whole ton of black skulls lying around which I took out from the bag.


    After I cleared out the skulls and the crops, I returned to my detached dwelling.


    The ones waiting for me there were the guide disciple and¡­


    ¡°Asahi-san¡­¡± (Souma)


    There¡¯s a man there that shouldn¡¯t be here.


    ¡°What about the vegetables?¡± (Asahi)


    ¡°¡­I brought them all here.¡± (Souma)


    Saying this, I gave him an adventurer bag with all the vegetables packed in it.


    ¡°¡­Oi.¡± (Asahi)


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Receiving the order of Asahi, the disciple took that and ran off.


    They are most likely going to use it for the dishes of today.


    Giving a sidelong glance to that, I ask Asahi.


    ¡°What was that about? You said you would stop testing me.¡± (Souma)


    It would be strange for Asahi to be here since he should have left for the banquet, and no matter how you think about it, cows suddenly showing up and heading straight to the fields was unnatural.


    I arbitrarily decided that the one who set this up was Asahi as I said this.


    And Asahi¡­didn¡¯t deny it.


    ¡°It is a family precept of the Hisame household. When someone from the family is marrying, or when succeeding the family, they must show appropriate strength.


    Me, my foster father, and his father also overcame these trials and succeeded the family.


    The Hisame household has gotten stronger like that.¡± (Asahi)


    Instead, he said something that doesn¡¯t sound like an answer.


    (I knew it¡­) (Souma)


    It is not something you say right after deceiving someone grandly, but there¡¯s mostly no bad people in the Hisame household. You could even say there¡¯s in essence no evil person in the Hisame family, or more like, there¡¯s a lot of people with a strong sense of justice as a whole.


    The problem is that there¡¯s only people who think that it is okay to die if it is for the sake of getting stronger, so you get people that see life as light as feathers.


    They would be fine with throwing their lives away for the sake of battle, and even if a family member were to die from a duel, they wouldn¡¯t be sad or get angered. However, having a civilian getting hurt is what they hate the most, so you could say they are in a way barbarians with class.


    The stronger one is and the closer that family member is, the more dangerous their involvement.


    But turning it around, if you are recognized as a civilian, they are harmless.


    (Anyways, I should clear this misunderstanding. That¡¯s my last chance to escape from this den of savages unharmed!) (Souma)


    If I fail here, I will end up being pushed into an unreasonable death game.


    I argue vehemently.


    ¡°You are testing me because of your daughter, right? But I have no intention of marrying Mitsuki.¡± (Souma)


    But¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb!!¡± (Asahi)


    Those words ended up earning me the wrath of Asahi.


    ¡°I already know that you are in a love relationship with my daughter!¡± (Asahi)


    ¡°Eh? No, eh?!¡± (Souma)


    He for some reason stated this with confidence.


    I don¡¯t understand.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you already? I read my daughter¡¯s letter. You apparently saw the secret of Mitsuki.¡± (Asahi)


    ¡°Y-Yeah¡­¡± (Souma)


    That part is true.


    I have no choice but to nod at that.


    ¡°Mitsuki was bothered by that ¡®secret¡¯ the most -to the point that she wouldn¡¯t show ¡®that¡¯ to any family member. I doubt she would have ¡®that¡¯ seen from something like lowering her guard or by coincidence. In other words, that¡¯s how much Mitsuki trusts you.¡± (Asahi)


    ¡°Eh, no, that¡¯s¡­uhm¡­¡± (Souma)


    If I say ¡®I actually drenched her and got to see her tail from her see-through clothes¡¯ the misunderstanding might get cleared, but I feel like I would be killed for a different reason.


    Or more like, being seen at that time was a misunderstanding from Mitsuki, and the first time I saw her tail was when Mitsuki herself showed it to me.


    Moreover, her complex might have diminished after I sang praises to her tail, she even let me brush it a bit. Even promised me I could touch it again when we are alone.


    The chances that the misunderstanding will be cleared if I tell him all of this are honestly low.


    ¡°Also¡­¡± (Asahi)


    Asahi looked at me annoyed while I had fallen silent, and then he pushed on.


    ¡°Even a person that doesn¡¯t know the circumstances would be able to tell what¡¯s happening in one go just by reading my daughter¡¯s letter.


    I said 40% of the letter was praising your sword, but there was something that had a lot more written about.


    50% of the letter was¡­¡± (Asahi)


    ¡°50% was¡­?¡± (Souma)


    He glared at me bitterly and said.


    ¡°¡­It was filled with stuff about you directly.¡± (Asahi)


    When I heard that, I shouted ¡®Mitsukiiiii!!¡¯ internally.


    If 90% of the letter is about me, of course he would misunderstand.


    Rather, it would be strange if he didn¡¯t.


    That¡¯s a no, no matter how you see it.


    To the point that I would like her to think a bit about it.


    Is your head for decoration?


    Is your intelligence being sucked by your cat ears¡­? Ah, if that¡¯s the case, I can forgive it!


    Well, leaving aside this talk about forgivable or unforgivable¡­


    ¡°Any excuses?¡± (Asahi)


    The reality is that Asahi has completely misunderstood.


    I doubt this will be cleared easily.


    If there¡¯s any way, it would be¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s assume Mitsuki likes me, but I have no intention¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I couldn¡¯t continue my words because of the sudden burst of killing intent.


    I don¡¯t know how that works, but the body of Asahi seemed bigger for a second there.


    He said in a low tone that would shake the blood while still clad in killing intent.


    ¡°Do you need¡­an answer?¡± (Asahi)


    ¡°No¡­¡± (Souma)


    I averted my gaze.


    (This ain¡¯t good¡­) (Souma)


    I actually knew it already since the crop event.


    The beginning was irregular, but the contents in itself are faithful to the Hisame House Visit Event.


    If the letter of Mitsuki had been a decent one, it might have gone a different route, but I should assume I have entered the route completely already.


    (In that case¡­) (Souma)


    Might as well just ride on it.


    Even if I run away here, there¡¯s the chance that they will stay antagonistic while still keeping the misunderstanding.


    I want to avoid hostilities with the Hisame family at all cost.


    I have to solve the problem here somehow.


    Actually, this is what I was pondering about when I was guided to this detached dwelling.


    Being guided there was exactly the flow of events in the game.


    Even I know that there¡¯s real big traps set there.


    Even with that, I still pondered about it.


    Should I ride on the flow of the events, or go against it?


    I thought about it and couldn¡¯t decide.


    But I now know clearly what path I should take.


    ¡°Understood. Then, please test me.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Hoh?¡± (Asahi)


    I will take on this chain event!


    Or more like, I have to take it or I die!!


    The battle instincts of Asahi are far more than I imagined, and considering my specs right now, I can¡¯t match him.


    If the disciples took proper arms, I am sure they would be decently strong.


    If guys like that were to attack me while ignoring the event, I would have no chance of winning.


    No, even if I managed to win by some miracle, if I kill even one of them, it is practically game over.


    Then, it would be better to just go with the event that I know the developments of.


    The events here are all inside my head, and I have prepared countermeasures for them.


    If I finish them all, it is assured that it will all end amicably, and even if you finish all the Hisame House Visit Event, you may get Mitsuki as a companion, but it won¡¯t go as far as marriage.


    In other words, if I do this, everything will be solved.


    ¡°Honestly speaking, I still don¡¯t know if I will marry Mitsuki. But I want to prove that I am a person worthy of her!¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s why I said this resolutely while thinking such an underhanded thing.


    Asahi laughed at this.


    ¡°Nicely said!! Then, I will test you to my heart¡¯s content! 3 days beginning from today. In those 3 days, prove to me that you have ¡®a righteous heart¡¯, ¡®the readiness to be a resident of the battlefield¡¯, and ¡®the power to overcome adversities¡¯!


    Take on the last trial, and if you survive all of that, I will approve you as a member of the Hisame family!!¡± (Asahi)


    The clear condition being ¡®survive¡¯ is as expected.


    ¡°Alright!!¡± (Souma)


    I answered with energy.


    Zero players have been able to finish this event before clearing the game.


    Even thoroughly seasoned Nekomimi Neko players would complain that ¡®this place alone is a death game¡¯.


    And so, the curtains of the sudden death game organized by the Hisame family that sees life as lighter than a feather¡­were raised.

 CH 78

    And then, Asahi added this at the end.


    ¡°The trial will end on the sunset of the 3rd day. However, you don¡¯t have to wait that long. If you wipe us all out, that can also be considered as a clear. If you kill all the ones that can fight, you clear the trial.¡± (Asahi)


    Asahi grinned at that. ¡®What happened to the heart of justice?!¡¯, is what I wanted to retort with, but the actual problem is that that¡¯s impossible.


    Or more like, nothing good comes from doing that.


    Nekomimi Neko not only has individual affection meters, but influential powers also have affection meters.


    It is technically masked data, so it is not clearly stated in numbers. For example; if you are harassing the people of the city the whole time, you wouldn¡¯t be able to buy anything; if you cooperate often with the Knight Order, you would get along with the gatekeepers of the castle; if you do bandit extermination often, you would get thrown rocks at the slums as they say ¡®revenge for my dad!¡¯.


    No, now that I think about it, the last one isn¡¯t exactly in that category, but it is basically that.


    Within those, the thing that those influential powers despise the most is ¡®killing a member of the same organization¡¯, but the ones of the Hisame Dojo are different.


    The Hisame Dojo is the only influence where, even if you kill people of the organization, their affection meter doesn¡¯t change at all.


    This is a chain event and it is impossible to escape from the Hisame household in the middle of the event, in the game.


    Also, because there¡¯s no save point in the Hisame house, you must finish it in one go.


    This event lasts 3 days in game time.


    It may be possible to omit the parts between the events in the game, but it is a painful event where you get exposed to life threatening danger for at least several hours.


    It is a long event like that, so even I had moments where my concentration was cut off, or I accidentally killed a disciple.


    At those times, I obviously thought I messed up and was prepared to reset it, but there was unexpectedly no change in the people of the Hisame family.


    Them saying they won¡¯t begrudge a person that has been killed in battle was true.


    Of course, even if there¡¯s no hate, it still leaves a bad aftertaste, but that happened after I overcame a whole lot of long long chain events properly.


    I thought it would be a waste to reset here, so I continued on without resetting.


    The result of doing it over and over again for several dozens of times.


    I managed to smoothly finish the events after that, and I finally cleared the Hisame House Visit Event in that round.


    If only that was the end of it¡­ It is in places like that where Nekomimi Neko would set their traps.


    Having finished the event of the Hisame House, my first thought was to save, so I headed to the closest city which was the capital, and ran to the east.


    And then, when I approached the capital¡¯s monolith, I noticed that the state of the citizens was different from usual.


    Getting a bad feeling from this, I decided to not save for now and went to speak to the people of the city.


    This is after I cleared the game, so my affection with the people of the city was decently high.


    I had hoped that they would tell me if something strange was happening, but¡­


    ¡°You murderer!¡±


    The moment I approached, the people began to throw rocks at me.


    I was surprised by this.


    When I hurriedly tried to ask what was happening from someone else¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t step into our city!¡±


    That person also threw a rock at me.


    I was dumbfounded by the suddenness of this, and someone must have reported me, guards came in droves.


    ¡°You criminal!¡±


    ¡°Doing something like that to the greatly venerable Hisame family¡­ Unforgivable!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let the murderer into the city!¡±


    I was baffled by the sudden criminal labeling, but I finally understood with this.


    The influence affection doesn¡¯t really mean that the only targets of the change are the members of that organization. It also affects other organizations that are linked to it.


    For example; if you steal in Lamurick, not only Lamurick, you will also be hated by the people of the capital a little bit. On the other hand, if you exterminate bandits, you will be hated by the bandits, but you will be liked by the people of the city.


    Meaning that, the affection meter of the Hisame Dojo didn¡¯t go down after killing one of their disciples, but the affection of other influences dropped sharply.


    Knowing the setting that the Hisame Dojo has fostered many famous adventurers and knights, I can understand that clearly now.


    The dojo people that have a militaristic spirit won¡¯t hold a grudge against me for killing disciples, but the people of the city who hear about it and the knights connected to it would get angered and go ¡®Killing a person from the Hisame Dojo. What an unbelievable guy!¡¯.


    No, even if they are not directly involved, killing someone from the well liked dojo would of course be hated.


    It at the very least showed properly in the numbers.


    Seeing the people that were reacting even more than when killing someone directly related to them, I stared at the sky.


    If you are going to apply those kinds of small details, then I would like you to also include things like ¡®it was self-defense¡¯ or ¡®I defeated the Demon Lord and saved the world, you know?¡¯, but my protests were powerless in the face of the game system.


    I went to the monolith while looking at the guards coming in droves, and tearfully chose to Load the data.


    By the way, I needed 10 more retries in order to clear it without killing any disciples.


    Well, it was still salvageable because I noticed right before saving, but I learned on the net that if I had saved just like that, tragedy would have ensued.


    I read the play diary of a player that killed Asahi in order to overcome the last trial of the Hisame House and ended up saving just like that. It was quite the cruel read.


    First off, not only the capital, but even the people in all the cities were now hostile towards you. You can¡¯t use stores, and most events are now unavailable.


    He didn¡¯t falter even with all the bashing and rock throwing of the people, and he went back to his lodging where his companions were in. But even his comrades that passed thick and thin together were also hostile.


    That would break your heart.


    The only ally he had left within all that was the actual daughter of Asahi who the player had killed.


    Even when Mitsuki was shaken by the death of her father¡­


    ¡°I have already decided to walk the same path as you.¡± (Mitsuki)


    She would say that cool line and accompany you.


    That player choke in tears of gratitude as he walked the path of carnage together with Mitsuki, but I have no intention at all of choosing that path.


    That¡¯s why my absolute condition here is ¡®definitely not kill the people of the dojo¡¯.


    On the other hand, if I manage to overcome the trial of the Hisame family without killing anyone in the dojo, the affection of many influences will increase greatly.


    By the time you clear the game, most of the affection from the influences in the city will be maxed, so it doesn¡¯t really matter much, but for me who has only been here 10 days since the game began, this is a big pro.


    There will sometimes be items that were not sold before if you have higher affection, and the events that happen will increase.


    Well, most of the increased events are messed up, so I don¡¯t really know if to call it a positive though. But if I don¡¯t think of it as a reward, there¡¯s no way I would be able to do a death event like this.


    From what I see, there¡¯s only 3 things you can obtain from this event.


    You can make Mitsuki your companion, get a lot of affection from many influences, and¡­


    ¡°Can I ask something, Souma-kun?¡± (Asahi)


    At that moment, Asahi spoke to me with a gentle tone unlike the pressuring one from just a moment ago.


    This is the ¡®outward face¡¯ of this person.


    ¡°What is it?¡± (Souma)


    I know what he is going to be saying here, but I ask back just for the sake of it.


    That¡¯s right. If it is going exactly as the game, the event that will happen next is¡­


    ¡°The welcoming party will begin soon. Can you please go to the room of Mitsuki and the other one and call them over?¡± (Asahi)


    (Good grief. Can¡¯t be helped.) (Souma)


    I skip over the pitfall (that looks like a wooden plank floor, but flips around when you step on it, and there will of course be a whole ton of bamboo spears at the bottom), cut down the piano wire that is placed right in neck distance tied up between two pillars, and advance through the hallway with a merry mood.


    This event of calling Mitsuki is actually running parallel with the Hisame family trial and the Mitsuki romcom event.


    I have already talked a lot about it, but it is the ¡®when I went to the room, Mitsuki in her underwear was there¡¯.


    (I actually wanted to avoid this though~. But if I don¡¯t do it, who knows what would happen with the progress of the event? Guess I have no choice~.) (Souma)


    I head to the room of Mitsuki with no choice while feeling internally ashamed.


    But¡­


    (¡­Crap.) (Souma)


    I ignored Asahi¡¯s explanation about the directions since I thought there¡¯s no way I would mistake the way, but it has been long since I haven¡¯t done this event, and it wasn¡¯t exactly life threatening, so I don¡¯t remember it that clearly.


    I don¡¯t remember what room was Mitsuki¡¯s.


    (If I remember correctly, it was 2 or 3 rooms deeper from the piano string¡­) (Souma)


    I do have a rough idea, but there¡¯s a lot of rooms that are really similar to each other.


    There¡¯s no way there would be nameplates, so I have no way of identifying it.


    (¡­Oh well.) (Souma)


    It is not like there¡¯s any life threatening events here anyways.


    I mistook some even in the game, and they were all empty rooms, so I can just open them up.


    (First would be¡­here.) (Souma)


    I grab the sliding door two rooms ahead of the piano string¡­and open it in one breath.


    ¡°¡­Ue?!¡± (Souma)


    A silly voice came out from me.


    If I had to put it in words, it would be that this room was a jackpot.


    There¡¯s a half-naked woman in front of me.


    She really must have been in the middle of changing, she isn¡¯t wearing anything on her upper-half, and she is looking at me with wide opened eyes as if surprised.


    ¡°R-Ringo¡­¡± (Souma)


    It was my traveling companion, Ringo.


    But me opening the room of Ringo is in a sense the correct one.


    Ringo feels no embarrassment in having her naked body be seen.


    If this had been any other woman, she would scream and that would be terrible.


    That¡¯s what I thought, but¡­


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Souma)


    Ringo crossed both arms on her body as if covering herself from my gaze, and looked back while curling up.


    And then¡­


    ¡°¡­Souma¡­pervert.¡± (Ringo)


    It is when she said those words that I finally noticed that I had been staring intently at the body of Ringo and grew confused.


    ¡°No, uhm, this isn¡¯t what you think.¡± (Souma)


    Or more like, I suddenly ended up getting embarrassed from her getting embarrassed.


    It was only now that my brain began replaying the incredible sight of Ringo, and the pounding in my heart grew more intense.


    Anyways, this is bad.


    I first lowered my head deeply.


    ¡°U-Uhm, sorry for staring! I seriously do think I am in the bad here, but I simply came here to call everyone to the welcome party! You could say this was 100% an accident!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Accident?¡± (Ringo)


    I feel like the tone of Ringo grew softer.


    I don¡¯t want to be called a sexual deviant ever again.


    I desperately tried to explain myself.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s right! An accident! I thought this room was Mitsuki¡¯s in the first place, so that just now was not on purpose at all!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Eeh, it wasn¡¯t on purpose, so¡­so¡­ah, right right. Do you know which one is Mitsuki¡¯s room?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Uhm, Ringo?¡± (Souma)


    Even though she seemed to have softened a bit at first, Ringo suddenly stopped saying anything around the middle.


    I feel like I messed up here.


    I watch over the silent Ringo with unease.


    I can¡¯t tell what face Ringo is making since she is facing back and looking down.


    ¡°¡­Next door.¡± (Ringo)


    After a while, Ringo finally spoke.


    She is probably referring to Mitsuki¡¯s room here.


    ¡°I-I see. Thanks, Ringo.¡± (Souma)


    I give my thanks and leave the room.


    The moment I closed the door¡­


    ¡°¡­Dummy.¡± (Ringo)


    I heard that low whisper.


    Why?


    ¡°Ringo¡­¡± (Souma)


    Those words gouged at my heart deeper than anything I have heard before.


    ¡­Anyways.


    I have the duty to finish the Hisame family event.


    My life is at stake here.


    I don¡¯t want to, but I have to do this!


    With this resolve in my heart, I stand one room deeper from Ringo¡¯s room.


    ¡°Coming in!¡± (Souma)


    I shout this loudly as I open up the sliding door.


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Souma)


    What was there was an unexpected sight.


    This isn¡¯t on the level of being in the middle of changing.


    What was there was my traveling companion¡­in its birthday suit, without a single cloth on its body.


    It eventually noticed my gaze, crossed both arms as if covering its body, curling up and facing backwards¡­


    ¡°No, you weren¡¯t wearing clothes from the very beginning.¡± (Souma)


    When I retorted with a cold voice, it grinned as if happy from the bottom of its heart.


    It really is one talented bear.


    By the way, Mitsuki¡¯s room was one room before that of Ringo, and Mitsuki had already finished changing by that time.


    ¡­Damn it!

 CH 79

    ¡°Hey, Mitsuki, what¡¯s with that letter? It was only filled up with things about me, and the important stuff was only around 10% of it.¡± (Souma)


    After meeting up, I questioned Mitsuki about the letter, but her cat ears tilted as if saying ¡®that¡¯s weird¡¯.


    ¡°That¡¯s strange. If I remember correctly, I wrapped that up in one line.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Oi!¡± (Souma)


    What was revealed here was that not even 10% was about our business.


    Mitsuki then adds more to that.


    ¡°I remember having written a lot about you, to the point that I don¡¯t remember having written anything aside from that.


    Father is unexpectedly strict when it comes to the etiquette of letters, so I do remember being extra careful on that part though.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Wait a moment! Why me¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I wanted to shout: ¡®Do you know everything I have gone through because of that?¡¯.


    ¡°It is in part because I couldn¡¯t stop once I began writing, but father is pretty harsh towards a person from the outside.


    I thought about giving a good impression about you as much as possible.¡± (Mitsuki)


    If she tells me that, I can¡¯t even stay angry.


    Good will is scary.


    ¡°More importantly, I am glad that you are safe.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­What¡¯s with that?¡± (Souma)


    Could it be that Mitsuki knew all of this would happen? -I thought that for a second, but seeing her expression, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case.


    Receiving my words, Mitsuki said this as if nothing.


    ¡°I did try to tell him to not put a hand on you guys, but when the people here see a strong person, they try to jump at them. Even I got attacked by around 20 people right as I arrived.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Even if you tell me they have insect-like tendencies of jumping into fire, it is just troubling.


    Or more like, she said it all casually, but isn¡¯t that a big incident?


    ¡°20 people¡­ Was that okay?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this, Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears stood up as if saying ¡®it is horrible that you are doubting me¡¯ and she answered as if it were upsetting.


    ¡°No need to worry, I held back. I am not so bloodthirsty as to take lives in small competitions.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­No, that¡¯s not what I meant, but that¡¯s fine then.¡± (Souma)


    Now that I think about it, Mitsuki is practically the strongest NPC in Nekomimi Neko.


    Worrying about her is the peak of pointless worry.


    But Mitsuki seems to be a bit solemn here.


    ¡°Well, I am a bit relieved to see that they haven¡¯t changed.¡± (Mitsuki)


    She muttered this as if it were a nice story, but honestly speaking, there aren¡¯t a shred of relieving factors in that for me.


    Only regrets of why I came into a den of deviants like this one.


    ¡°Wait a moment. Ringo hasn¡¯t been attacked, right?¡± (Souma)


    My eyes grew a little stern there and Mitsuki easily nodded.


    ¡°It seems like that¡¯s fine. I have been thorough about having her be treated like a guest. I feel like the target of their fighting spirit is directed at you.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Her cat ears move to both sides as if saying ¡®that¡¯s strange~¡¯.


    I want to say ¡®no, it is because of your letter¡¯, but I endure it.


    There¡¯s no sin with Cat Ears-chan.


    If Cat Ears-chan were to wither down because of me scolding Mitsuki, it would pain my heart.


    Also, considering the situation, it would be best if all the hostility is gathered on me.


    If gathering attention is keeping harm away from Ringo, that¡¯s great. Right now all maliciousness is being manifested in events.


    Or more like, it is a whole chain of events that would make you want to say ¡®just how much malice has to be concentrated here in order to pull off something like this?¡¯. You could even say that things are going exactly as the game.


    ¡°¡­You really treasure your little sister.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki voiced this out as she looked at me.


    It didn¡¯t click with me when she said little sister and I froze for a moment there, but I soon understood that she was referring to Ringo.


    Now that I think about it, we did register as Team Sagara in the subjugation contest, and if you investigate the list of participants, you would be able to tell immediately that Ringo has the same family name as me.


    If Mitsuki saw that, it wouldn¡¯t be helped if she were to misunderstand it in that fashion.


    ¡°Aah, no, we are not¡­¡± (Souma)


    I was going to clear up the misunderstanding, but¡­


    ¡°No need to tell me anything. I understand that there must be complicated circumstances. However, even if you are not related by blood, I think it is splendid that you are treasuring her¡­ I¡­like that kind of thing, you know.¡± (Mitsuki)


    She said something kinda nice there, so I couldn¡¯t say what I wanted to say.


    There¡¯s no complicated circumstances here. It is just Ringo having lost her past and she arbitrarily began calling herself with my family name¡­


    (Oh well.) (Souma)


    This misunderstanding is small compared to her having her misunderstand that we are in a romantic relationship.


    I doubt this will become a problem in the future anyways.


    (She is actually like a little sister after all.) (Souma)


    Ringo has saved me countless times, and I am also a bit conceited thinking that Ringo also needs me.


    Most of all, I do want to be together with her even without all that mutually beneficial relationship, so I think that it should be fine to call her family.


    I looked back at Ringo, who is following us, for a second, and wondered if she is still in a sour mood.


    ¡°Well, I do think I want to treasure her from here on too.¡± (Souma)


    I answered Mitsuki with a smile.


    I told them at the welcoming party that I have decided to take on the Hisame family¡¯s Trial.


    It seems like the 2 girls were surprised by this, but their reactions contrasted each other.


    Mitsuki was for some reason raising her cat ears proudly, however, Ringo barely changed her expression, but when I looked closely, her face was slightly clouded.


    There weren¡¯t any unexpected factors aside from that in the welcoming party. There was just an expected accident of a disciple¡¯s slip of hand, letting go of his sword in a sword dance and throwing it my way. How a maid slipped and fell onto me with her hand holding a knife, which were all happenings that played just like my memories. The former one was shot down by Ringo¡¯s Lightning Strike and the latter one Mitsuki immediately moved and suppressed it.


    I was simply sitting there, so it was pretty relaxing.


    What was rough was after that.


    Normally, you would take on these chain events alone. You can¡¯t bring normal companions to this dojo.


    I was thinking I might as well overcome this event alone though.


    ¡°¡­I will¡­protect Souma.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo was completely into it and didn¡¯t separate from me.


    Looks like she has judged this place is dangerous with the flying sword event.


    No, it is actually 10 times more dangerous than what Ringo imagines, but that¡¯s exactly why I don¡¯t want to get her involved.


    I desperately tried to persuade Ringo, but she was pretty determined  here.


    Mitsuki also joined in to assist me here.


    ¡°It is okay. If he dies, I will properly cut down father and take revenge.¡± (Mitsuki)


    She made a slightly deviated persuasion here.


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t¡­care about that.¡± (Ringo)


    That of course didn¡¯t resonate with Ringo at all.


    Even with that, I gently tried to explain to her over and over that this event isn¡¯t that dangerous, that there¡¯s no point if I don¡¯t accomplish it myself, and that it would be easier for me to do this alone.


    No, it is 100% bullshit that this event is not dangerous, but as someone who knows this event in and out, it is true that the danger decreases to a certain degree, and it is the absolute truth that it would be easier if I am alone.


    I don¡¯t know if it was because of that passion of mine, but she reluctantly yielded.


    After Ringo made a classic death flag of making me promise to ¡®not die¡¯ and even made me do a pinky promise¡­


    ¡°¡­Take this.¡± (Ringo)


    She said this and gave me something.


    Eh?


    What did she give me, you ask?


    Don¡¯t make me say it.


    It is obviously the bear.


    And so, my trial¡­I mean, the trial of the Bear and I began.


    I wrapped it up nicely like that. I asked Mitsuki to protect Ringo and tried to leave the place, but¡­


    ¡°¡­Please wait.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki called me to a stop.


    Moreover, she even grabbed my sleeve which is a rare way for her to stop me.


    ¡°Is anything the matter?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this, her cat ears stood up as if in worry and asked me in a whisper.


    ¡°It is about the trial. Are you really going to be okay?¡± (Mitsuki)


    I am thinking of confirming the trial in detail here.


    Asahi said that this trial is to ascertain the ¡®righteous heart¡¯, ¡®the readiness to be a resident of the battlefield¡¯, and ¡®the power to overcome danger¡¯ of the person.


    ¡®The power to overcome danger¡¯ can be just as it is. As for the ¡®righteous heart¡¯, it is technically ¡®don¡¯t refuse requests¡¯.  ¡®The readiness to be a resident of the battlefield¡¯ basically means ¡®don¡¯t die even if you are attacked by surprise¡¯.


    The simplest to understand would be the crop gathering event.


    If I had refused to go get them, I would have been deemed as not having a ¡®righteous heart¡¯ and would have failed the trial.


    Asahi and the others would suddenly jump out from hiding and would go ¡®how can you ignore the request of a troubled girl?!¡¯ and would attack me all at the same time.


    On the other hand, Asahi apologized saying ¡®I am sorry for testing you¡¯ to lower my guard and the cows suddenly appearing at the fields was also for the sake of seeing if I had ¡®the readiness to be a resident of the battlefield¡¯, so these degree of unreasonable lies are normal and require discretion.


    If you lose against the cows, you will obviously die, and if you somehow manage to avoid them, they would go ¡®I can¡¯t believe you can¡¯t even protect the crops!¡¯ and you would fail.


    If your strength stat isn¡¯t enough and you can¡¯t pull out the crops, they would go ¡®what can you do with such little strength?!¡¯ and you would fail.


    With such unreasonable conditions, there¡¯s no need to follow what they say. You would just ward off Asahi and the others with brute force. But after being targeted as a hostile, that¡¯s technically game over.


    When you are judged to have failed the trial, everyone from the Hisame household will turn into your enemy aside from Mitsuki, and there¡¯s basically no way to undo that.


    Even if you somehow manage to get out of it at that moment, it wouldn¡¯t stop unless you slaughter every single member of the Hisame dojo.


    The problem here would be Asahi.


    Different from the first time when he attacked you when you failed the trial, he would instead be holding the God Spear of the Hisame family, the Gouging Vajra.


    Rather than saying it is because Asahi is holding it, it is more like the Gouging Vajra is in a whole other dimension. If you face him, you won¡¯t be surviving.


    The Gouging Vajra that¡¯s said to be a certain hit certain kill God Spear has a unique skill you can use when you have it equipped.


    The name of the skill is exactly as the name of the weapon: Gouging Vajra.


    It is super fast, has over the top strength, moreover, it is certain-hit. It is most likely the strongest throwing ability in the whole game.


    This certain-hit is actually pretty broken. Even with obstructions in its trajectory, it won¡¯t be losing momentum until it hits its target.


    It is impossible to avoid it, and even if you try to block it with a shield, it will either pierce through it or change directions to go for you, so there isn¡¯t much point.


    In the case he throws it at you in an ambush, it is fast and you don¡¯t know where it is coming from, so it is impossible to avoid or defend against to begin with.


    If you seriously make Asahi your enemy, the reality is that you actually won¡¯t be able to deal with it.


    That¡¯s why I purposely step onto all the obvious and plentiful traps from here on to overcome them all properly.


    It is all a path I have already taken not once but countless times already.


    There are parts that have become easier to handle and parts that got harder to, but it is not like there¡¯s no means of getting through this.


    I acted strong and smiled at Mitsuki.


    ¡°It is okay. You are worrying too much.¡± (Souma)


    No, I am not fine at all but, no matter what I say here, it is in the nature of a man to act tough.


    But Mitsuki¡¯s face wasn¡¯t getting any brighter.


    With her cat ears still going ¡®I am worried¡¯, she warned me.


    ¡°Speaking frankly, I don¡¯t think you will be failing from a normal trial. But the last trial¡­I am sure father will be using the heirloom of our dojo, the Gouging Vajra.¡± (Mitsuki)


    My heart jumped at this.


    It was like that in the game as well.


    The Last Trial that Asahi will do before the sunset of the 3rd day.


    It will be judged by the Gouging Vajra of Asahi.


    ¡°The power of that spear is abnormal. Even I don¡¯t know if I would be able to get a draw if he were to use that¡­¡± (Hisame)


    Mitsuki, whose number one weapon is speed, is a bad match against the certain-hit of the Gouging Vajra.


    But making Mitsuki say this despite her defeating all types of enemies means that the Gouging Vajra is not to be underestimated.


    That¡¯s even more so the case for me. If I were to get hit by something like that, there¡¯s no doubt I would die instantly.


    But I showed her a smile despite all that.


    ¡°Actually, I have heard rumors about that spear before. I do have a countermeasure for it.¡± (Souma)


    My smile might have been a bit cramped, but the words itself are not completely a lie.


    If it were suddenly used, I would have no way of dealing with it, but in the Last Trial, both the timing he will be throwing the spear and where he will be throwing it are set.


    I have made countermeasures knowing this event would be coming, and just now, I also tried throwing a knife up to simulate the Gouging Vajra.


    Fortunately, that succeeded, but the free-falling knife¡¯s speed, power, and characteristics are all way too different from the Gouging Vajra.


    Honestly speaking, it is a situation where I can¡¯t say my preparations are perfect even as courtesy.


    However, the trust Mitsuki has towards my ability is apparently more than I imagined.


    ¡°I see. There¡¯s nothing to worry about then. I am looking forward to the battle between the God Spear and the Strange Sword.¡± (Mitsuki)


    As if saying ¡®with this, I can now relax¡¯, her cat ears jumped up and down as she ran to where Ringo is.


    ¡°Well, damn¡­¡± (Souma)


    As for me, I scratched my head as I saw her off.


    It seems like I have to overcome this trial for sure for the sake of Ringo¡¯s promise and Mitsuki¡¯s trust.


    I tried hyping myself up, but there aren¡¯t any difficult events on the very first day.


    Because of a policy of the Hisame family, the obstructions in the trial are only physical.


    There¡¯s no poison or magic attacks, so as long as you know what will happen, it is somewhat easy to deal with them.


    At most, it would be an orichalcum plant pot flying at you from who-knows-where; a clumsy maid that seemed as if she came from a party, tripping and scattering knives everywhere.


    After getting over those interferences, I do my last job today which is cleaning the bathroom.


    At the big bathroom filled with bathtubs, there were gel monsters looking like muddied water, which is a dynamically plain harassment, but something of this level is nothing.


    ¡°Suck it up~.¡± (Souma)


    I hummed and threw a whole ton of salt, solving this issue instantly.


    And so, I head to my bedroom for today.


    The place I went to is a detached dwelling that¡¯s like a fortress.


    When I did this event for the first time, I thought arrows would fly at me out of nowhere, maybe pitfalls set up everywhere, or they might come attack me while I am sleeping, but I know for sure now that all those worries were pointless.


    I enter the house with no worries at all.


    ¡°This house really is a bit too big.¡± (Souma)


    Even though the Nekomimi Mansion should be bigger. Why is it that I feel this way? I asked myself this, but I soon noticed that it is because Ringo is not here.


    I only met her a few days ago, but now that I think about it, I feel like we have barely separated from each other since we met.


    While I was thinking how lonely it felt without her, my waist was tapped.


    Is it trying to console me here?


    When I looked down, I could see the bear looking at me and grinning.


    ¡°Right, you are here with me.¡± (Souma)


    I don¡¯t really know if to call it a comrade, but it certainly is reassuring.


    I was a solo gamer to begin with, so I have resistance to being alone.


    No, it is nothing to be proud of though.


    ¡°Now then, gotta do one more job before going to sleep.¡± (Souma)


    I said that on my own and nodded, and then, brought out a chisel from the bag.


    *Tap tap, tap tap*


    ¡°¡­Hn?¡± (Souma)


    I felt a strange sensation from my cheek and opened my eyes.


    ¡°What¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I should have opened my eyes, and yet, I can¡¯t see anything.


    I thought I died for a moment there, but I noticed that it was simply because there¡¯s no light entering.


    *Tap tap, tap tap*


    Even so, my eyes were slowly getting used to the darkness, and I could faintly see the yellow bear tapping my cheek and waking me up.


    (Aah, I see¡­) (Souma)


    I slept at the detached dwelling of the Hisame family last night.


    Then, I can understand this situation.


    ¡°¡­ma! Souma!¡±


    I was spaced out for a while and noticed that someone was calling my name from afar.


    This is¡­Ringo¡¯s voice?


    ¡°Sorry to say this, but he won¡¯t be surviving. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to just give up?¡±


    This is probably Asahi¡¯s voice.


    And¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s so nice of you to say when you are the one who set this up. Ringo-san, there¡¯s no need to worry too much. The Explorer Ring is reacting. He is okay. Well, it does seem like he is a bit buried though.¡±


    The one who is saying this calmly must be Mitsuki.


    I listened to this exchange while¡­


    (Aah, so that really happened, huh¡­) (Souma)


    I was half-asleep while coming to an understanding in my head.


    When you stay in this detached dwelling on the first night, there¡¯s no easy to understand trap like a pitfall, but there¡¯s one specially big trap set up.


    ¡ªThe whole building collapses late in the night.


    The detached dwelling is made from tough and heavy materials, so if you get crushed by that, any person inside would have nothing left of them.


    Moreover, because you can¡¯t get out of the building in the game because of the system and all that, many people thought this was impossible to clear and just gave up.


    Dropping a whole building just to test the bethrothered of her daughter? As expected of the Hisames.


    Or more like, as expected of Nekomimi Neko.


    However, I created a stone for carving with the unique skill of the chisel.


    It was discovered that you can 100% survive this if you place it at exact spots, and the spots for survival were published on the net.


    The maliciousness of Nekomimi Neko is on a whole other level, but the tenacity of Nekomimi Neko players is not losing either.


    ¡°What? ¡­It is still so early¡­¡± (Souma)


    I check my clock and it shows that it is before 4 in the morning.


    No wonder I was sleepy.


    Also, from what I hear, it seems like there¡¯s still time before they dig me out.


    I feel bad for the people outside, but I can¡¯t fight back this drowsiness.


    *Tap tap, tap¡­*


    I hugged the bear that was still tapping my cheek and¡­


    ¡°Good night~.¡± (Souma)


    I fell into the blissful world of going back to sleep twice.

 CH 80

    The second day after I finished sleeping for the second time was a jostle of more active events than yesterday.


    It began with an event where I had to tag along with the training of two disciples (both higher than level 150) from early morning; had to get some sake from the underground warehouse of the Hisame family (with anti-theft traps); had to get a ball that was stuck at the top of a big tree (2,000 years old, and around 100 meters high). Anyways, it was really filling up.


    I currently don¡¯t have the level to properly deal with these events, but the way to clear them has already been set even when it was still a game.


    First, the morning practice with the disciples. Calling it practice is just an excuse. If you leave it, both of them will come at you seriously.


    If that happens, you would have to incapacitate them without killing them, which is really difficult. And so, I told them ¡®I will practice the one that is stronger¡¯ and had them break the partnership.


    After that, you would be asked to bring sake from the warehouse, but on the way to the underground warehouse, the woman that you helped out the first day with the crops would come and¡­


    ¡°There¡¯s a pitfall on the left path¡­ Be careful.¡±


    Give you advice.


    When you actually go there, you will see that you have to choose between two paths.


    When you check the left path, there¡¯s a part of the ground that is clearly different in color, and you can tell that there¡¯s a pitfall there.


    It is actually pretty nice to get advice from someone you helped before.


    The Nekomimi Neko staff also knows this.


    That¡¯s right, they know way too well.


    Because if you go to the right path, you would be relieved and go ¡®there really are no traps on this path¡¯ and lower your guard, but the reality is that there¡¯s pitfalls several times more ingeniously set than the left path, and they are made in a way that, if you lower your guard, you fall and die.


    ¡­Oh well, it is that.


    The woman simply said there¡¯s pitfalls on the left. It is not like she said there¡¯s none on the right.


    Putting it simply, it means that what the girl said was also another trap set by the developers.


    It seems like the developers want to make the players doubt every single person they see.


    But if you know the trick to it, you really can manage somehow.


    Avoid the traps and enter the warehouse.


    The sake in question had its container switched, so I traced my memory and searched for the correct sake, and brought it back.


    For the next one, it is the tree where the ball is stuck at.


    When you climb that tree, your HP would get sucked or there would be vines coming out, wrapping themselves around you and assimilating you. If you manage to get past all that and reach all the way up where the ball is, the branch close to the top will break and the ball and the player will fall to the ground and you are done for.


    It is not like there¡¯s no countermeasures, but I went the fast route and simply cut down the tree to get the ball.


    You would think dropping down this tree is more serious than not being able to get the ball, but it is mysterious how dropping the tree is actually ok for the game.


    ¡°T-Thanks.¡±


    The boy that took the ball with a cramped smile ran off straight to the residence.


    He probably wants to play with the ball as fast as possible.


    At any rate, getting a ball stuck at the top of a 100 meter tall tree would require quite impressive ball control if it was on purpose. Even if it wasn¡¯t on purpose, that would be quite the incredible power.


    He is a boy with a bright future.


    The events continue on after that. Bungee jumping into a needle floor with no safety line, subjugating a giant fish at the lake, cooking something with the fish you killed, win a floor cleaning race, and also embroider the Hisame family crest within 5 minutes which is an unreasonable and illogical trial.


    If you don¡¯t do them all, you fail.


    And death awaits if you do.


    I did all of the trials with my everything.


    Especially the most difficult event I personally had, which was the event where the aforementioned clumsy maid would scatter plates around. I fortunately managed to avoid that by catching her body before she fell.


    Different from the other clumsy events, it is not like it harms me directly, but if even one plate breaks, the clumsy maid will cry, and then Asahi and the group would come out and shout ¡®How can you make a woman cry?!¡¯ and attack you.


    In the game, you can¡¯t move until the very moment the accident happens, so you have to catch all the flying plates, and this is all decided by how good your luck was because the place the plates fly off to are random.


    This part alone is a luck game, but this world has no movement restrictions for the player.


    By catching the clumsy maid right when she loses balance, I succeeded in eliminating the plate dropping event itself.


    I was a bit worried about solving this in a way that you couldn¡¯t in the game since I don¡¯t know how it would roll, but it doesn¡¯t seem like there is any effect of that as of now. You could even say I have reconciled with her by carrying half of those plates with her.


    After hearing what she had to say, it wasn¡¯t really that she wanted to cause me any harm purposely. It is like Train-chan in that her body just moves on its own without any malice.


    Because of how crafty Nekomimi Neko is, I can¡¯t honestly believe that completely, but there¡¯s no need to overtly doubt others if it doesn¡¯t change the results.


    I decided to believe her and bid my farewells to her with a smile.


    I somehow managed to overcome those assailing threats in that way and receive the 2nd night.


    And it was at this moment when I had to face a completely unexpected danger for the first time.


    As you may already know, I lost my lodging yesterday because of the collapse incident.


    Originally, Mitsuki would come to the player and her cat ears would go round and around as if saying ¡®I am so nervous my head is spinning around~¡¯, and she would say:


    ¡°¡­You have nowhere to sleep in tonight, right? Can¡¯t be helped. I don¡¯t mind you coming to my room.¡± (Mitsuki)


    A suggestion straight out of a romcom.


    And so, the heart throbbing night between the two would begin¡­or at least that¡¯s how it was supposed to go.


    ¡°Please enter the room quickly.¡±


    ¡°¡­Sit¡­here.¡±


    There was no such sweetness in the atmosphere between me, Ringo, and Mitsuki.


    It seems as if it is prickly and it even feels as if they are angry.


    This might be bad.


    My instincts were telling me that I have to change the flow of things here or something inconvenient for me will happen.


    But there¡¯s a way for me to escape.


    This is originally romcom territory.


    Then, if I take a romcom approach here, the talk might flow in that direction.


    ¡°Wait, I have something to say before that.¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s why I say this clearly, kneel in place, and place a hand on the small and soft shoulders in front of me.


    I look straight at those round eyes and¡­


    ¡°I wonder why. When I look at that smile of yours, my chest just burns. Hey, could this possibly be¡­¡± (Souma)


    I said this as if spilling out my hidden feelings, but¡­


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to wonder what it is. It must be fear.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­Souma, can you not joke around?¡± (Ringo)


    Unfortunately, it seems like it simply angered the two that were in serious mode.


    Even the Bear-san that was told this brushed off my hands as if annoyed and went to Ringo.


    It is not like I want to be liked by the bear, but that made me a bit sad.


    Moreover, in seiza.


    Confirming this, Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears nodded with an ¡®alright!¡¯ and she began talking.


    ¡°This morning, since the incident where you were crushed beneath the rubble of the detached dwelling, I held doubts towards the details of the trial. And so, I have been silently watching over your trial with Ringo here.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Ringo didn¡¯t say anything, but she nodded as if agreeing with Mitsuki.


    ¡°I won¡¯t say I saw everything, but I do think I have a grasp of it to a certain degree.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­Souma, lying.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo said straight and silently blamed me.


    When I listened carefully, it seemed like the two are angry about the trial, but Ringo is angry that the trial is actually dangerous, and Mitsuki is angry by the fact that this trial is unreasonable and has a lot of factors that have nothing to do with fighting ability.


    ¡°Even though he said it was a trial to check your fighting ability, the details of it are unreasonable. Just what does cooking and embroidery have anything to do with battle?!!¡± (Mitsuki)


    I feel like there¡¯s a bit of a personal grudge mixed in all that as her cat ears were going left and right with her being expressionless, but her anger is justified.


    This event has a lot of extra elements just like hidden dungeons. You could say this is a chain event that the Nekomimi Neko developers directed misplaced motivation, as if saying ¡®as if I will let you clear this!¡¯.


    Honestly speaking, there¡¯s a lot of trials that are close to just being harassment solely for the sake of troubling the player.


    That¡¯s the usual in Nekomimi Neko though. If I just think of it as a game event, I don¡¯t get that bothered about it, but seeing it from the outside, it really must look unreasonable.


    The people that are causing the events probably have some sort of modifier to make them not notice, but thinking about the situations of the trial calmly, most of them are abnormal.


    ¡°Also¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki found it hard to finish there.


    Her cat ears were curled up as if they were brooding.


    But after mulling over it, she said it in the end.


    ¡°Also, it seemed like you were having fun with our maid in the corridor.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Maid¡­?¡± (Souma)


    At that moment, I went aaah and hammered my hand.


    She must be referring to the clumsy one.


    Looks like she saw all that.


    ¡°Even though this is a trial for my sake, that kind of stuff is a bit¡­troubling.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Her cat ears shook lightly and she protested in a lower than usual voice.


    Before I could ask what she meant by that¡­


    ¡°And so, we decided to accompany you in your trial from tomorrow on.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Huh?! Ah, no, wait a moment! By ¡®we¡¯, does that mean¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­I will go¡­too.¡± (Ringo)


    I heard the outrageous statement of the two, and I lost my marbles.


    Here I was, already getting confidence that I might be able to do this by myself, so this is troubling.


    But¡­


    ¡°Wait a moment please. If I fail the trial because of that¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Of course, I will get permission from my father, and if he refuses, I will give up.¡± (Mitsuki)


    If she tells me that, I can¡¯t think of a counterargument at the moment.


    Also, I think that Asahi would refuse anyways.


    ¡°¡­Got it. But don¡¯t forget you said that.¡± (Souma)


    I decided to accept the proposal of the two for now.


    And then¡­


    ¡°Now then, we have finished our talk here, so it is about time we sleep.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­Souma, here.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Souma)


    After that, it for some reason ended up with lining up 3 futons in Mitsuki¡¯s room and sleeping together.


    Moreover, I am sleeping right in the middle with Ringo and Mitsuki on both sides.


    ¡ªA new trial has begun!!


    By the way, the bear that should have been at Ringo¡¯s place had at some point in time crawled into my futon.


    It is not like I wanted to be liked by the bear, but it made me a bit happy.


    The next day.


    ¡°Kyaah, my hand slipp¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡­Not letting you.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo immediately shot down the hot and teeming food the Clumsy-san slipped and scattered about by using the Lightning Strike.


    ¡°Souma-san, there¡¯s actually a massive amount of rats under the floor of the residence and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Is that something you ask a guest? If it is necessary, do it yourself.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki immediately shot down the unreasonable requests of the disciples with her words.


    It is obviously not a trial anymore.


    ¡°How did it turn out like this¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I was holding my head at the back.


    No, in this case¡­


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t I do this from the very beginning¡­?¡± (Souma)


    That would be the more appropriate thing to say here.


    It seems like Asahi was unexpectedly weak to his daughter, and he easily accepted the proposal of those two, and so, the trial is already on the verge of collapsing.


    If I were to refuse the requests or didn¡¯t finish the requests, Asahi and the others would immediately get antagonistic, but it seems like there weren¡¯t any issues with Ringo and Mitsuki doing that.


    It means that irregular interventions result in irregular results.


    However, since there¡¯s no knowing what result it would yield in reality, there was the chance that Ringo destroying the obstacles and Mitsuki refusing the requests would immediately fail me.


    It is nice that it went well this time around, but I should test things out before doing things that would bend the events. I once again reminded myself of this.


    Well, that said¡­


    I am not thinking about doing this kind of tightrope walking, but it seems like I will be able to take it easy in this event.


    I was spacing out while thinking this and¡­


    ¡°¡ª?!¡±


    A white blade suddenly appeared right in front of me.


    I won¡¯t be able to react to that speed!


    (No good, I can¡¯t avoi¡ª) (Souma)


    At the moment when I was prepared to die from the sudden attack¡­


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡± (Souma)


    It suddenly stopped right in front of me.


    ¡°You are lowering your guard too much.¡±


    Strength left from my stiffened body when I heard that voice.


    The one who swung that sword at me was Mitsuki.


    ¡°It is true that I did lower my guard there, but don¡¯t scare me that much.¡± (Souma)


    The moment I felt relieved there, sweat gushed out from me.


    I seriously thought I was dead there.


    I raised my voice in protest but¡­


    ¡°This can¡¯t even compare to the speed of the Gouging Vajra.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki spoke out that reality as if throwing cold water at me.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± (Souma)


    I ended up struggling for words.


    That certainly is true.


    The speed of the thrown Gouging Vajra is even faster than the attack of Mitsuki just now.


    Remembering that, I understood the intention of Mitsuki here.


    The trial is not over yet.


    ¡°The reason why father allowed us to interfere with the trial must be because he thought it would be impossible to stop you with normal trials. But he told me strictly that the Last Trial is something that you must take on by yourself.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­Okay.¡± (Souma)


    Right.


    If it is until here, there have been people who have been able to manage to get here before clearing the game.


    Abnormal traps usually are easy to manage once you know the trick.


    But those tricks didn¡¯t work on the trial waiting at the end.


    ¡ªClearing the Gouging Vajra.


    If I can¡¯t do that, there won¡¯t be any success in the trial. Putting it even more bluntly, I would be dead.


    ¡°Looks like you understand now.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki sheathed her katana.


    By that time, my happy-go-lucky attitude had gone off somewhere.


    Mitsuki felt my change, and she silently said this with her cat ears waving to the wind.


    ¡°I have seen father use his Gouging Vajra once. I will be honest here. It is impossible to avoid that.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Adding to that, it is also difficult to defend against.


    That throwing attack has the Piercing attribute.


    No matter how rock-sturdy equipment you get to strengthen your defense, most of it would get negated. It even gets through the counter type skills that have invincibility frames.


    ¡°That¡¯s why, in order to overcome the Last Trial, you need to endure that one hit, or before the spear is thrown¡ª¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°I won¡¯t do something like that.¡± (Souma)


    I said that firmly before she could finish what she was about to say.


    If it isn¡¯t possible to avoid it or defend against it, there¡¯s no other choice but to kill the owner.


    I am sure that¡¯s what Mitsuki was going to say.


    But that¡¯s a mistake.


    That¡¯s a misguided prediction.


    If I had to do something like that, I would rather have all 3 of us escape from here.


    ¡°There¡¯s other methods to overcome attacks other than avoiding and defending, right?¡± (Souma)


    The choices of evading and defending are out from my head.


    Mitsuki opened her eyes wide, most likely having understood the meaning of my words.


    ¡°Could it be that you are going to¡­against a spear that¡¯s flying faster than the eye can see¡­?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki¡¯s usually expressionless face and her cat ears both showed unrest, and she looked at me as if looking at something unbelievable.


    ¡°¡­No, you used a strange technique to stop my Hisame, and used a spell I have never seen before to stop me. You might be able to overcome that spear with your Strange Sword.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki shook her cat ears lightly as if reconsidering it.


    ¡°Sorry, actually, just be all spaced out for a while over there.¡± (Mitsuki)


    She said the complete opposite of what she said before.


    ¡°I-Is that okay? Just before, you did that because¡­¡± (Souma)


    I hurriedly questioned this, but she shook her head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind it. I will drive off the noise until sunset with her. We won¡¯t let them put a finger on you. In exchange¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki turned back at me and smiled gently.


    ¡°¡­Show my father your best hit to his Gouging Vajra¡­with your Strange Sword.¡± (Mitsuki)


    My chest shook.


    The trust in those words of hers were a bit different from the unconditional trust that I sometimes feel from Ringo.


    I could clearly feel that she was believing in my ability as a warrior.


    I don¡¯t know if I can answer that expectation.


    I am trying to do something that I didn¡¯t do when it was a game, so there¡¯s obviously the risk of failing.


    Before all that wish of Mitsuki, it is possible that I will simply be pierced by that spear and die just like that.


    Even with that¡­


    Even with that, I still nodded.


    My burning emotions here are not letting me choose anything else.


    ¡°Yeah, leave it to me!¡± (Souma)


    I shake off all uneasiness and answer this.


    Just you wait, Asahi, and Gouging Vajra!


    I will definitely¡­

 CH 81

    ¡ªSunset.


    I was facing a single man a few meters away within a world dyeing red.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect this moment to really come.¡±


    The man that I am facing, the master of the Hisame Dojo and father of Mitsuki, Asahi, said this.


    ¡°I knew it would come from the very beginning though.¡± (Souma)


    I respond like that while acting composed.


    Mitsuki kept her promise with me. She repelled all trials together with Ringo, and protected me all the way to this moment.


    It is now my turn to answer their trust.


    ¡°That¡¯s the face of someone with plenty of determination. But are you ready?¡± (Asahi)


    Asahi asked me this while still wearing a gentle mask.


    ¡°What about you? Are you ready?¡± (Souma)


    I instead threw it back at him as if arrogant.


    ¡°¡­What?¡± (Asahi)


    The mask of Asahi fell off for a moment there, and his ferocious real self peeked out there.


    My legs were about to buckle from the killing intent flung at me.


    But that¡¯s how it should be.


    I am going to be gambling with my life here.


    I shouldn¡¯t falter from just this much.


    In the game, I couldn¡¯t find an effective means to counter the Gouging Vajra of Asahi, and somehow managed to get through it by receiving that attack.


    However, that¡¯s only HP and defense from after clearing the Hidden Dungeon and customizing buff magic.


    With my current stats, I won¡¯t be able to endure a hit from the Gouging Vajra.


    The defense is mostly invalidated by the Pierce attribute, but the only effective thing in this trial is HP and defense in essence, so defense will obviously be important in surviving.


    Asahi aims between the eyebrows of the player at the Last Trial, but the head is always a Critical Point in this game.


    If you equip high defense armor, you can get modifiers for your whole body, but this game is set in a way that between hitting a place with armor and hitting a place with no armor, the latter deals more damage.


    And unfortunately, there¡¯s no ¡®armor that you can equip on your head¡¯ in this game.


    Sazan¡¯s mask, Shermia¡¯s tiara, the crown of the king are a few exceptions, but there¡¯s by foundation no items to equip on the head.


    Something similar to that would be the red hat of the Red Cap, but it is simply a junk item you sell like the Gold Coin of the Stray Slime.


    I read discussions on the net about how rare it is for there to not have head equipment, but there wasn¡¯t a single official comment about this.


    In the net, there were comments like ¡®they purposely didn¡¯t make them to expose the face of the characters¡¯, ¡®they create tension in battles by leaving the weak point open¡¯, ¡®because there¡¯s the chance it will block the vision of the player, it is difficult to introduce this in a technical level¡¯, ¡®it is stuff and uncomfortable¡¯. A person calling himself a ¡®game magazine writer¡¯ appeared in the forum and revealed the ¡®truth¡¯.


    According to him, he had an interview with one of the developers, but because of the details of it, writing an article about it was scrapped.


    He apparently asked for the reason why.


    ¡°There¡¯s no item you can equip on your head. Is there a reason for this?¡±


    When he asked this, the developer apparently said this with a straight face.


    ¡°What a stupid question you are asking. You should be able to tell if you think about it just a little bit. If we made head equipment, the cat ears would be hidden!¡±


    I don¡¯t know if it is true or not, but it is a truly fitting story for Nekomimi Neko.


    However, that was unfortunately written before the game came out.


    ¡®That¡¯s way too haphazard for a made-up story¡¯, ¡®not a single believable element¡¯, ¡®Cat ears, lmao¡¯, ¡®overreaching¡¯, ¡®you are underestimating game development¡¯, ¡®this is the biggest made-up story of the century¡¯, ¡®if you are going to lie, put more thought into it¡¯.


    That game magazine writer was called a liar by everyone there and didn¡¯t show into the seas of the net ever again.


    I don¡¯t know how they would have reacted if this had been after the game was released, but the truth is sunk into the darkness now.


    However, no matter what the truth is, the reality is that there¡¯s no equipment you can put on your head, and it doesn¡¯t change the reality that the Gouging Vajra will definitely aim for that Critical Point.


    I thought about putting other armor or an indestructible object on my forehead to block it, but that wouldn¡¯t be considered as being ¡®hit¡¯.


    The Gouging Vajra won¡¯t stop until it hits my head directly.


    In other words, the conclusion is that I don¡¯t have the power to block the Gouging Vajra.


    That¡¯s why the method I am taking is something very different.


    If I can¡¯t avoid or defend against it, I just have to reject its very foundation.


    (Eliminate the flying spear itself!!) (Souma)


    That¡¯s my only means of survival here.


    However, there was no such solution in the game.


    If I actually tried it out and it doesn¡¯t count, then there would be no point.


    That¡¯s why I purposely try to get his approval with a provoking tone.


    ¡°I am standing here putting my life on the line. But do you even have the resolve to lose something here?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± (Asahi)


    Asahi says in an irritated tone.


    I endure the pressure flooding me, and raise my voice.


    ¡°I have no intention of choosing my means in this trial. What I mean is that I can¡¯t give any assurances that you and that spear will come out safely here.¡± (Souma)


    Hearing this, Asahi snorted in a sour mood.


    ¡°Hmph, so stupid. What a truly stupid question. Do you think I would make a fuzz from dying in the trial or from having the weapon broken? Just do as you please. No matter the result of the trial, I will accept it.¡± (Asahi)


    ¡®Alright!¡¯, I cheer in my heart and once again push it.


    ¡°Then, if that result is that you won¡¯t ever be able to use the Gouging Vajra again, even if it won¡¯t return to you, you will accept that, right?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Annoying! A man doesn¡¯t go back on his word!¡± (Asahi)


    I have gotten his word here.


    I laugh internally, telling him I got him, and¡­


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case, but Souma-kun, could it be that you are not going to be enduring a hit from the spear but thinking about doing something to the spear itself?¡± (Asahi)


    Asahi asked with a low voice to a creepy extent.


    ¡°¡­What if I said I am?¡± (Souma)


    I don¡¯t want to reveal my hand here, but I don¡¯t want to lie here either, so I answer honestly here.


    When I did¡­


    ¡°Wahahahaha! Ahahahahahahaha!!¡± (Asahi)


    I don¡¯t know what¡¯s so funny here, but Asahi began to laugh loudly.


    ¡°¡­You won¡¯t be able to.¡± (Asahi)


    He said straight with a chilling voice.


    ¡°Y-You won¡¯t know until you try¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I must not get intimidated here.


    I desperately refuted this, but Asahi interrupted me.


    ¡°This spear is an heirloom that has been passed down for generations in our family for the Last Trial. There were people taking the trial with the spirit of ¡®let¡¯s break that thing¡¯.I am one of those people.¡± (Asahi)


    Speaking of which, Asahi said he has also taken the trial, but I didn¡¯t really think much about the details of it.


    However, if that spear really is the heirloom of the Hisame family, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for it to have been used a long time ago.


    There would naturally be other people who would think about destroying the spear.


    But¡­


    ¡°But the spear is still here unbroken¡­ You understand what that means, right?¡± (Asahi)


    There¡¯s no way I wouldn¡¯t.


    ¡°It means that no one until now¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Has been able to break this spear. No, it means that there wasn¡¯t a single person who could even scratch it.¡± (Asahi)


    I gulped audibly.


    I felt as if I could see the phantoms of history floating behind Asahi.


    That¡¯s fabricated lore.


    It is simply game lore that was created to match it.


    Even if I try to make myself believe that, the pressure coming from Asahi wasn¡¯t going away.


    ¡°¡­Right. You were talking about resolve and all of that, but do you really have that resolve?¡± (Asahi)


    ¡°What are you trying to¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I was going to desperately object, but Asahi isn¡¯t giving me the room to.


    ¡°Once I throw this spear, you will die. Your body can¡¯t take this spear and it is impossible for you to break it. You might be thinking you will be able to manage somehow if you run away until sunset, but even if the trial ends once it hits sunset, this spear won¡¯t stop. Your death is already set in stone.¡± (Asahi)


    He speaks in a disinterested tone different from the one of before as he talks about the future.


    ¡°I actually think this is regrettable, you know? If you promise that you will join this dojo and you won¡¯t approach Mitsuki, I don¡¯t mind stopping this trial.¡± (Asahi)


    ¡°That¡¯s just¡­¡± (Souma)


    I couldn¡¯t answer immediately that I wouldn¡¯t ride on such cajolery.


    The fear of death that had been almost numbed in me was revived by the words of Asahi.


    I direct my gaze to the side.


    Ringo was looking worried over here despite being expressionless, and Mitsuki is expressionless as well, but her cat ears are covered as if they were uneasy here. The bear is waving its hand as if having fun.


    ¡°¡­Haahaah!¡± (Souma)


    The choking air leaked out from me.


    The cage of fear that accumulated in my heart had grown a bit lighter.


    ¡°I¡­can¡¯t do that.¡± (Souma)


    I shook my head clearly.


    Honestly speaking, this is an enticing offer.


    I don¡¯t want to join their dojo, but I do treasure my life, and it is not like I want to get closer with Mitsuki.


    But the smile of Mitsuki at that time, her trust¡­I still remember it.


    I definitely don¡¯t want to betray that.


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s a shame. Any last words?¡± (Asahi)


    I didn¡¯t answer him.


    I will survive.


    That¡¯s why there¡¯s no need to say anything.


    (¡­Damn it!) (Souma)


    But no matter how much I try to act tough here, the fear isn¡¯t going away.


    My hands are trembling and my knees are shaking.


    To be honest here, I want to scream for him to wait.


    But time passes mercilessly.


    The promised time is coming.


    ¡°¡­I see. I was thinking about listening to your last words at the very least, but the sun is sinking already. This is farewell.¡± (Asahi)


    I listened to that merciless declaration while I was desperately trying to cheer myself up.


    There¡¯s people who believe in me.


    Even though I want to answer those expectations, my body is freezing here.


    (It is okay¡­ It is okay¡­! It hasn¡¯t been decided that there¡¯s no chance of winning just yet!) (Souma)


    The throwing skill ¡®Gouging Vajra¡¯ is a powerful technique.


    The effect is that it amplifies the power of the thrown item, adds a Pierce attribute to it, and makes it certain-hit.


    But it is not like there¡¯s no weak points.


    There¡¯s a charging time before the throw, and if you attack them before they finish, you can interrupt the skill.


    It is not a skill effect of the thrown spear itself, but an item with the added effect, so it is possible to intercept.


    So, once they decide on the target and enter the motions for it, they can¡¯t change the target on their own will and can¡¯t cancel it in the middle.


    I know when the motions happen, the timing of the throw, and even where it is going to be thrown.


    This match should be completely in my favor.


    (It should be, and yet¡­) (Souma)


    My hands can¡¯t stop trembling.


    I was broken by the words of Asahi. The fear of death had come back, pressing on me and binding me.


    Doubts of whether I can do this, doubts of whether I can really conquer the Gouging Vajra; they are all assailing me and obstructing my movements.


    ¡°¡­It is the end.¡± (Asahi)


    Within my blank vision¡­


    Asahi took the spear into his hands and I could see him lifting it.


    It is beginning!


    No, it has begun¡­!


    My heart is growing noisy to a painful extent.


    The blood flowing into my ears was pulsating.


    (Coming¡­ It is coming!!) (Souma)


    Motions that I have seen countless times.


    I have seen them countless times and have been killed countless times; those peculiar movements.


    (¡­Move!) (Souma)


    This isn¡¯t the time to be shriveling here.


    I have to move here and now or I will really die.


    (¡ª¡ªMove!) (Souma)


    Don¡¯t think about whether it will go well.


    You just have to do it now.


    (¡ªMove!) (Souma)


    And then¡­


    ¡°[Gouging Vajra].¡± (Asahi)


    Asahi voiced out the name of that skill and his lifted arm swung heavily to the front.


    The spear has been released.


    In the face of all that, I¡­I¡­


    ¡°Hah!¡± (Souma)


    I placed a box in front of my face.


    The spear entered the box with blinding speed and disappeared.


    No one spoke for a while as if time had frozen.


    But eventually¡­


    ¡°¡­¡­.Huh?¡±


    Asahi let out a dumbfounded voice while still frozen in his throwing posture.


    On the other hand, I wiped the sweat from my forehead and¡­


    ¡°Fuuh, that was scary¡­¡± (Souma)


    I let out a sigh of relief and closed the lid of the box just in case.


    Yup, perfect.


    I do feel like I was unnecessarily nervous there, but it seems like it went well.


    ¡°¡­W-Wait! W-What was that just now? What about the s-spear? Where is my Gouging Vajra¡­?¡± (Asahi)


    He probably still doesn¡¯t understand what has happened.


    Rather than calling it spaced-out, it is more like he is confused here.


    I simply lowered my head deeply in gratitude.


    ¡°And so, I will be taking the Gouging Vajra as promised! You have taken great care of me!!¡± (Souma)


    I had my head lowered for a good while, and then I slowly lifted my face.


    The moment I raised my head, the sky rapidly lost its light as if it had been waiting for that.


    ¡°¡­Sunset, huh.¡± (Souma)


    The long-awaited 3rd sunset.


    This marked the end of the long long trial.


    ¡ªAnd in this way, I safely finished the trial. Having safely obtained all 3 things you can get with the Hisame House Visit Event: Mitsuki, affection from influences, and the Gouging Vajra; I exited the dojo in a good mood.


    ¡ª¨C


    ¡ùIntroduction of Nekomimi Neko¡¯s Item¡ù


    [Cooler Box]: A storage item that can store up to 10 items.


    The things placed inside it have their time frozen and maintain the state of when they were placed inside it.


    Because of the nature of this, it has good affinity with items that change with the passing of time. Piping hot food, cold drinks, fresh meat, fish, and vegetables, or maybe an energetic spear.

 CH 82-83

    Now then, after we finished the trial, I walked to where Mitsuki and the others were with a smug face and¡­


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should be praising you or be baffled.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki told me this and I felt like a lot of things have ended here with the Hisame House Visit Event over, but I will at least give a bit of an explanation here.


    I stored the flying Gouging Vajra into the Cooler Box, but this of course requires you to have several conditions set beforehand.


    First, no matter how much of a monkey fest the system of Nekomimi Neko is, you can¡¯t store an item that someone has equipped.


    The reason I could store the Gouging Vajra here was because Asahi went out of his way to use the throwing skill.


    In Nekomimi Neko, when you throw a weapon and that weapon separates from you, they are no longer equipped.


    Or more like, getting a thrown equipped item is something that I did often in the game.


    A number of katana type items that normally wouldn¡¯t drop, you would have to get them by catching them when the monsters throw them or it will be impossible to get which was a lot of pain for me.


    However, catching the Gouging Vajra normally would be difficult¡­you could even say it is impossible in system terms.


    It is impossible to grab a spear flying super fast with your bare hands to begin with, and if you do manage to, the power would be too high to pin it down, and even if you do manage to pin down the spear for a moment, it would be completely pointless since it will continue aiming for your head because of its certain-hit attribute.


    What comes into play here would be the Cooler Box that freezes time, but because the Cooler Box is set at the right side of your waist, this wasn¡¯t a realistic way to deal with this.


    There¡¯s a variety of limitations because of the event, and guiding the Gouging Vajra to your right side of the waist accurately when it is flying at high speed towards your head is something that even veteran Nekomimi Neko players couldn¡¯t do.


    But the story is different with this world where storage restrictions are gone.


    On the contrary, you know where it will be flying to, and you can¡¯t change it once you enter the preliminary motions, so you just have to do the simple job of matching those and wait it out with Cooler Box in place.


    I was slightly slow there, but you could say I succeeded in this experiment with flying colors.


    Of course, theory and practice, and whether you can actually do it are different issues.


    Things went exactly as I imagined, so that¡¯s fine and all, but if I had missed anything, there¡¯s a really high chance I would be dead right now, so it can¡¯t be helped that I got nervous, right?


    Also, the way of using the Gouging Vajra. It seems like Mitsuki was also worried by this, and she asked me while we were in the middle of going back to the city.


    ¡°So, can you use that spear?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Huh? No, that¡¯s impossible.¡± (Souma)


    I easily answered that.


    ¡°Eh¡­?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki¡¯s expression stiffened and her cat ears froze to match that, but this is the obvious conclusion here.


    Gouging Vajra is an heirloom of the Hisame family, and an exclusive item of the family head Asahi, so it is probably impossible for me, Ringo, and even Mitsuki to use it.


    And before all that, I did something close to stealing here, so there¡¯s even the chance that it has the stolen tag.


    Ah, no, I actually managed to easily confirm if that¡¯s the case.


    The Hisame family and their related parties won¡¯t have their affection change from murder, but it will go down with theft.


    I checked it out with the clumsy maid-san, and it seems like the affection didn¡¯t go down, but there¡¯s the off-chance that it did, so I can¡¯t just show it to others so willy-nilly.


    Well, more importantly than any of that¡­


    ¡°In the first place, I stored it while it was still aiming for me, so I think it will fly out aiming for me.¡± (Souma)


    There¡¯s the issue that I might die instantly the moment I take it out.


    ¡°In other words, that spear is¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Yeah, I definitely cannot use it like this.¡± (Souma)


    When I said this firmly again, Mitsuki looked at me as if wanting to say ¡®then why did you take it?¡¯.


    Her cat ears were also doing their best to show anger by shaking which is a bit cute.


    I wanted to watch these rare cat ear movements, but I was beginning to feel a bit bad, so I followed up.


    ¡°No, I said ¡®like this¡¯, right? Of course, I have an idea as to how to change this.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Another evil scheme of yours? What kind of nonsensical thing do you plan to do this time around?¡± (Mitsuki)


    I frowned a bit at the vexing words of Mitsuki and answered in an obscure way.


    ¡°Well, just leave it to the laundering skills of a Nekomimi Neko player.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Launde-what?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Hearing a word she isn¡¯t used to hearing, Mtisuki tilted her head and her cat ears bent as if going ¡®fueh?¡¯.


    I said it all self-important there, but this is the same as the Cooler Box.


    I think I might be able to do it in this world, but if it is exactly as in the game, it is a technique I won¡¯t be able to use, so in order to not become a liar, I tried to obscure the specifics here.


    Also, most importantly, there¡¯s a problem I have to tidy up no matter what.


    ¡°¡­? Is something the matter?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki who is walking at the side of Ringo.


    It is about her relationship with her.


    First, let me say this once again so there¡¯s no misunderstandings. The Hisame House Visit Event is one of the requirements to marry Mitsuki, but it is by no means the marriage event itself.


    In gaming terms, it would simply be one of the many chain events, and for a comparison with reality, it would simply be that I got the ¡®permission of the parents to marry her¡¯, and it has nothing to do with the desire of the person herself to marry.


    Mitsuki is a character that requires special conditions in order to trigger the marriage event, and you can¡¯t marry her simply by increasing her affection meter.


    No, there might be an internal cap in the affection meter, and it simply gets uncapped after you do the event.


    Anyways, there¡¯s at least 2 that are absolutely necessary in order to marry Mitsuki.


    If we go by the normal flow of events in the game, after one of the necessary events for marriage, the Hisame House Visit Event, you will be able to freely have Mitsuki as your companion, and at the same time, a number of events that raise her affection will be unlocked.


    You have to do those events while journeying together with her, and by increasing her affection meter, the last necessary event for marriage will appear: The Illusory Gem Ring.


    Mitsuki will tell you ¡®there¡¯s a place I want to go to¡¯ and then you will head to a sentimental place of hers: the Illusory Stone Cave. There, you will use the Illusory Gem that you get there to make an exclusive marriage ring for Mitsuki, and if you propose to her with that ring, the marriage will take place.


    Even when I could get Mitsuki as a companion, I mainly played solo. I did all the unlocked events of Mitsuki, borrowed her strength at important points, and after taking a long time, I reached all the way to triggering the Illusory Gem Ring event.


    But as I said countless times already, I had no intention of marrying her, so I didn¡¯t do the event and just ignored it.


    In other words, as long as I don¡¯t go to this Illusory Gem Cave, I can avoid it, so there¡¯s no problem.


    The problem is whether we will act together with Mitsuki from here on.


    And whether Mitsuki herself wants to come with us.


    I face Ringo again for now.


    ¡°Hey, Ringo, if¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t mind.¡± (Ringo)


    Is the ¡®you won¡¯t know until you try¡¯ referring to this?


    Ringo answered with this before I could ask.


    There was the incident with Ringo before, so I can grow overconfident here, but I think it is safe to assume that she has taken my intention into consideration here.


    I thought Mitsuki and Ringo would not mesh well, but it seems like they have gotten along better thanks to the Hisame family trial.


    (Then, what¡¯s left is between me and Mitsuki, huh.) (Souma)


    What would it be¡­for me?


    I am honestly not that into the idea of making Mitsuki my companion.


    But it is not the same as before when I definitely didn¡¯t want to be together with her.


    After that joint struggle in the trials with Mitsuki, my feelings towards Mitsuki have certainly changed just like with Ringo.


    Mitsuki¡¯s way of thinking is like that of the Hisame family, or more like, the way of thinking of a battle-junkie, but she is dutiful and passionate, and her cat ears are cute.


    There¡¯s no doubt she is reliable, so I feel like a lot of things in our journey would be made easier if she were to become a companion.


    As for me personally, it would be one more ally. I won¡¯t say it would be the same no matter how many are added, but it is true that my resistance in making comrades has decreased.


    Also, if it is Mitsuki, I may become deadweight for her, but she wouldn¡¯t become deadweight for me.


    You could say someone like Mitsuki would be important as a bodyguard for Ringo.


    I feel like my anxieties would increase, but her cat ears are cute, so they might serve to heal me in my journey.


    (¡­Right¡­) (Souma)


    It really might be an option to have the cat ears -I mean, have Mitsuki become a companion.


    I reached that decision.


    That¡¯s why¡­


    ¡°Hey, Mitsuki, if you are fine with it, do you want to act together with us for a while?¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s why the final decision will come to what Mitsuki wants.


    In gaming terms, this is where she would become my companion, but there¡¯s apparently a chance that she won¡¯t become a companion if you do too many antagonistic things to Mitsuki in the House Visit Event and her affection isn¡¯t enough.


    Because Ringo was involved in the event as well, I couldn¡¯t properly do the romcom events of Mitsuki, and her reaction to the completion of the trial was also questionable.


    There¡¯s enough possibility for her to refuse here.


    Also, it is not like I am sure of it, but it feels like the affection meter in this world is affected more by the emotions of the person themself than the game system.


    If that wasn¡¯t the case, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to get so close to Ina and the Clumsy Maid that fast.


    Also, even without the event factor, when I look back at my relationship with Mitsuki¡­I might be quite the piece of crap¡­


    In my first meeting with her, I begged for my life by challenging her to a match.


    I won that match by using underhanded means.


    The next time I met her, I won by exploiting a bug at the subjugation contest.


    When we had a direct duel, I attacked her with the wet see-through sexual harrassment.


    In the family trial, I stole their heirloom without fighting.


    ¡­I wonder why¡­


    When I line them up like that, it is mysterious how I feel as if there are no points about me for her to like.


    As if validating this, Mitsuki¡¯s eyes opened wide, and then, after moving her cat ears busily, she fell into thought.


    After a long silence, she said.


    ¡°¡­Are you¡­telling me to become your companion?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Yeah.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Then, there¡¯s one condition.¡± (Mitsuki)


    I was a bit flustered at this development that wasn¡¯t in the game.


    In other words, should I interpret this as ¡®the affection isn¡¯t enough for her to become my comrade without any conditions, but she has enough to become my comrade¡¯?


    ¡°Please tell me.¡± (Souma)


    I asked with the intention to fulfill it as long as it is not quite the impossible request.


    She showed a beautiful wry smile at my attitude.


    ¡°It is not anything big. There¡¯s simply a place I would like to stop by in the middle of the journey, so I simply want you to come with me at that time.¡± (Mitsuki)


    What. Is it just that?


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s oka¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I was about to consent when¡­


    (No, wait a moment.) (Souma)


    I grinded to a halt right before I did.


    I take a glance at Mitsuki.


    She seems expressionless as if she isn¡¯t looking over here, but when I look at her cat ears, they are stiffened upright.


    This is the sign of extreme nervousness from the cat ears!


    ¡°O-Of course, I will listen to your wishes in the middle of the journey too, but you have to be clear about what place it is. If not, I can¡¯t just agree so easily.¡± (Souma)


    I instinctively felt danger and hurriedly made an excuse.


    When I did, Mitsuki¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change, but her cat ears clearly withered.


    But they eventually came back and she proposed this.


    ¡°¡­I see. Then, I will accompany you as a temporary member for now. And then, let¡¯s do my request after checking it out.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°R-Right, that sounds good. You are fine with that too, right, Ringo?¡± (Souma)


    I hurriedly turned around to ask this and Ringo also nodded.


    ¡°Then, I look forward to working with you for now.¡± (Souma)


    I stretched out my hand and Mitsuki immediately held it.


    ¡°Yes, same here.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki and I exchange a tight handshake¡­


    And my hand got numb because the grip strength of Mitsuki was too strong.


    While we were having that talk, the city of Rihiter finally came to sight.


    Seeing the light of the city, I finally felt that I was back.


    Farewell to the days when I was continuously exposed to life threatening danger by those crazy trials.


    I decide to take it easy once I return to the mansion.


    The first thing that came to sight was the monolith at the corner of the city.


    Then, a number of merchants were chatting there.


    It seems like they noticed us and I bowed, then¡­


    ¡°Eeh?!¡±


    The moment the merchants saw my face, they hurriedly ran into the city.


    ¡°W-Why?¡± (Souma)


    I check my surroundings, but there¡¯s no one taking out their weapons, and it is not like they are making hostile gestures.


    And yet, that was quite the rude reaction.


    I feel like it should be fine for me to be angry here, but I wonder why¡­I have a really bad feeling about this.


    That became more remarkable the closer we got to the city.


    The people who saw me would run away at once, or would whisper between each other without making eye-contact.


    The gatekeepers of the city would point here and would hurriedly run off as if they were going to go call someone.


    My doubts changed to certainty.


    There¡¯s no doubt.


    It is almost the same reaction as when you kill a disciple of the Hisame dojo.


    My affection with influences has lowered.


    (Why? What did I do wrong?) (Souma)


    Is it because of that Last Trial?


    Or maybe because Ringo and Mitsuki interfered?


    I was half dumbfounded while I turned the gears in my head, and my sleeve was pulled.


    ¡°¡­That, look.¡± (Ringo)


    When I turned in that direction, Ringo was pointing at the bulletin board close to the Monolith.


    ¡°Wa?!¡±


    Seeing that, I was shocked.


    The paper posted there had my face drawn real big.


    ¡°Aah, I see. So the reaction before was because of this, huh. You are now famous in one go.¡± (Mitsuki)


    What was written there in really big words was ¡®Wanted¡¯.


    ¡°[Invisibility]!¡± (Souma)


    I took out the Wakizashi with my empty left hand, and activated the Stealth type skill, [Invisibility].


    This is the higher rank version of [Hide]. It has the effect of completely hiding yourself from lower leveled enemies.


    Fortunately, the surroundings are dark too.


    That should help hide me.


    But¡­


    ¡°¡­Something¡­changed?¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Seems to be a hiding skill. It is totally visible for us though.¡± (Mitsuki)


    It has absolutely no effect against people with the same or higher level, so not only Mitsuki, it is completely pointless on Ringo too.


    That¡¯s a bit sad.


    The difference with Hide is that, when you use skills and spells in this state, deal damage or receive damage, you will be taken out of it.


    Ah, also, the effect doesn¡¯t have substance, so I obviously can¡¯t use it for defense.


    However, this shows absolute performance on normal citizens, so it works just fine for this situation.


    My level has also increased since the subjugation contest.


    If I stumble upon Alex, Raiden, or people like that, it would be impossible, but it shouldn¡¯t be seen through by a normal adventurer.


    ¡°I am thinking of entering the city and gathering information.¡± (Souma)


    I do think I heard that, in the game, if you kill a soldier, the Influence Affection of the city and castle will decrease drastically, and you will get a wanted poster at the bulletin board as a slight aside.


    You normally reset at those times, so it is vexing that I have no information about it.


    However, having a wanted poster is not a normal situation at all.


    I doubt the theft incident of the Hisame household would push the situation to this extent.


    No, not being able to brush off that possibility is what makes this Nekomimi Neko though.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go.¡± (Souma)


    Ringo nodded without a word and Mitsuki walked at once.


    No matter what happens, I doubt it will turn into anything dangerous with these two with me.


    I crossed the city gates as if hiding behind the back of Mitsuki while all nervous.


    This may be after the sun has gone down, but there¡¯s a lot of people around and lights are abundant.


    (No, they are a bit more noisy than usual?) (Souma)


    Or more like, I get the feeling I am gathering attention.


    At first, I thought it was because Mitsuki and Ringo are pretty, but this isn¡¯t that kind of gaze.


    There¡¯s even people that, after looking my way and getting shocked, would check twice to see if they saw right.


    (Did my Invisibility run out?!) (Souma)


    I can¡¯t check the status screen in this world, so I have no means to confirm if my abilities are still in effect.


    I got flustered, but it doesn¡¯t seem like that¡¯s what¡¯s going on here.


    Rather than saying they have found a wanted person, it is more like they are experiencing a paranormal activity¡­


    I tilted my head at this mysterious situation and Mitsuki suddenly spoke.


    ¡°Just to ask here, but your skill is something to hide your presence, right?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Eh? Yeah.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Then, Does it mean that that is also a part of you?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Being told this, I look at my right arm.


    *Grin*


    My eyes met with the smiling Bear-san.


    (Crap!) (Souma)


    It was so natural that I forgot, but now that she mentions it, I was hugging the bear on my right arm.


    I can only erase myself and my possessions.


    There¡¯s no doubt it looks as if a bear plushie is floating around on its own.


    It is a horror story worthy of creating a new urban legend.


    No wonder people made a double-take here.


    I give the Bear-san, with new-found suspicion that its level might actually be higher than mine, to Ringo and hurry ahead.


    (This time around, it should be okay.) (Souma)


    The amount of gazes directed here clearly decreased after I gave the bear to Ringo.


    Or more like, there¡¯s none now.


    Invisibility is certainly working here.


    The cityscape is changing into one I am used to seeing.


    At the time when we were about to get to the greengrocer Oba-chan¡­


    ¡°Aah, the criminal Onii-chan!!¡±


    A voice I am familiar with and didn¡¯t want to hear rang from my back.


    I think ¡®no way¡¯ while turning around.


    ¡°Hey hey, can I throw stones at you? Can I?¡±


    The one standing there was a girl with an innocent face.


    The mob character that¡¯s probably the most famous in Nekomimi Neko, Poison-tan.


    When I glanced at my side, Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears were standing upright as if saying ¡®this girl¡­!¡¯.


    Now that I think about it, Poison-tan easily saw through my Invisibility, so it is already certain that she is higher level than me.


    No wonder Mitsuki would be on guard here.


    As for Ringo, she is spacing out without a reaction at all.


    No emotions are shown in that expressionless face of hers, but when I look closer, I could see that she seemed a bit sleepy here.


    ¡­Yeah, it is going to be night soon after all.


    ¡°Uhm, can you not throw stones at me?¡± (Souma)


    When I said this carefully, Poison-tan snorted.


    ¡°Eh? Ah, sorry, criminal Onii-chan. If I were to throw a stone to the weak Onii-chan, you would die immediately, right? Sorry for not noticing.¡± (Poison)


    ¡°I-It is okay. As long as you noticed¡­¡± (Souma)


    I desperately endured my anger and answered with that.


    The trick of interacting with Poison-tan is to ward off her words.


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s boring~.¡± (Poison)


    Saying this, Poison-tan threw the rock she had in her hand at some point in time into the trash can.


    The trash can was destroyed.


    Fear coursed through my body.


    The outrageous power of the rock thrown by Poison-tan made me think about readying my Cooler Box.


    How to say it, her specs are as crazy as always.


    ¡°And so, what are you doing at a place like this, criminal Onii-chan? Preparations for a disgusting dark ritual with your black skulls?¡± (Poison)


    I return to my senses with the words of Poison-tan.


    ¡°Ah, no, that¡¯s not it¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Could it be underage kidnapping? Officer, this guy¡ª¡± (Poison)


    ¡°No, as I said, that¡¯s not it!¡± (Souma)


    The talk isn¡¯t progressing with Poison-tan.


    Even without the wanted issue, if I make a mistake here, I will get apprehended as an actual criminal instantly.


    ¡°But that¡¯s impressive, Onii-chan. I see you in a new light now.¡± (Poison)


    ¡°See me in a new light?¡± (Souma)


    I wonder why, when Poison-tan praises me, it gives me a really bad feeling.


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this nervously, Poison-tan easily said with a gentle face.


    ¡°¡­Because Onii-chan picked a fight with the nation, right?¡± (Poison)


    Picked a fight with the nation?


    I got confused here.


    It is not about theft?


    Or is it because I left skulls at the plaza?


    No, that alone wouldn¡¯t be considered picking a fight with the nation.


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember doing that though¡­¡± (Souma)


    When I said that, Poison-tan made a shocked face.


    ¡°Eh? But the adults are saying that you cooped up in your strange mansion, invited the kingdom¡¯s knights, threw them out after having them experience things that are too fearsome to even speak of, and completely overturned the nation, you know?¡± (Poison)


    ¡°What¡¯s with that?!¡± (Souma)


    There¡¯s a limit to not remembering something.


    I haven¡¯t stayed cooped in my residence, and I have not invited the knights to my mansion either.


    In the first place, I have been living at the Hisame Dojo these past 3 days.


    It is physically impossible for me to do anything to the kingdom¡¯s knights¡­


    ¡°Now that you mention it, it is noisy at the mansion.¡± (Mitsuki)


    However, Mitsuki muttered this as if cutting off those thoughts of mine.


    Her cat ears are certainly facing the mansion.


    (The mansion, huh¡­) (Souma)


    I advertised it that much at the skull incident, so it wouldn¡¯t be strange at all for them to have secured the mansion if they know where I live.


    No, I have been treated as a criminal since the skull incident, so it wouldn¡¯t be strange for them to forcefully enter the mansion in order to confirm whether I am truly inside.


    In that case, just what would happen¡­?


    ¡°Sorry, I remembered I had something to do! Mitsuki, Ringo, we are going to the mansion!!¡± (Souma)


    I ran off with a bad feeling looming behind me.


    We are already close to the Nekomimi Mansion.


    I will simply go check the state of things for a bit and confirm if there¡¯s no abnormalities.


    I was thinking that while running through the night city, turning at the last corner and¡­


    ¡°¡­Achaaa.¡± (Souma)


    I ended up falling down on my knees at the sight there.


    ¡ªThe big mansion we were living in -the Nekomimi Mansion- has been surrounded by a bunch of knights.

 CH 84

    I had Mitsuki, whose face the knights know of, ask about the situation with the encirclement of the mansion, and it seems like the Knight Order concluded that I am the culprit that set the skulls at the plaza in the 2nd day -at the night we left for the trial- located the place where I live, and one knight unit had come all the way here.


    And so, it seems like that¡¯s when their long long night began. What I will be talking about here is only one part of it.


    This is what the knights experienced while we were away from the mansion; a true horror story.


    A knight loudly exclaimed their visit, but there was no response. However, there were a number of rooms with the light on, and sounds could be heard from the inside.


    The knights concluded that the man named Souma feared the investigation from the knights about the skull incident, shut inside his house, and was ignoring their calls.


    Their loved and respected Princess said to definitely bring the culprit to her place.


    Moreover, to think he would ignore this call despite having the lights blatantly on and making a ruckus. There should be a limit to making light of the knights.


    They judged that they couldn¡¯t withdraw here, for the sake of the Princess and for the honor of the Knight Order.


    -Without knowing that this would raise the curtains to their horror experience.


    They immediately noticed after entering.


    Noticed that this is truly the residence of a demon.


    The moment they broke a window and entered the premises, a piercing alarm rang.


    Hearing that sound, monsters that seemed to be golems made of strange silver metal rushed out.


    They were using guns that shot light magic and strange electrified sticks to attack the knights.


    Knights that should be highly skilled from their rigorous daily training were being defeated one after the other.


    Even when they escaped from the golems in desperation, the many traps that were set were activated.


    When they pass certain locations, arrows and spears would jump out.


    And then, the main traps that are set just right in the spot where they avoided.


    The knights that were sure that they had avoided the trap would not be able to.


    Ear piercing agonizing screams.


    The knights that had come along covered their ears instinctively.


    When they opened their eyes, there would be no shadow of their comrades.


    Even so, the silver golems were on the path where they came from.


    Even when they knew there were traps, they had no choice but to move ahead.


    That mansion also had a lot of puzzle traps like a dungeon.


    At the same time as the alarms rang, the floor would segment itself like a mesh, change to separate colors, and you must step on them at a set order or you end up falling into a pitfall.


    Because of the requirements to become a knight, their numbers may not be high, but it is proof that they are seasoned fighters.


    There are many with outstanding ability, and in those, there¡¯s even those who have cleared dungeons.


    The knights wrung out their knowledge and discovered the patterns.


    The knights would walk on that floor with the conclusion that they came to, and the moment they were overcome with that sense of accomplishment, they stepped on the last correct tile¡­and the floor fell off.


    The knights were falling while still in disbelief.


    And then, a message card suddenly flew out from somewhere.


    [There¡¯s no way we would make a correct answer for a trap, right? Pfft, are you an idiot?]


    What a lowly and underhanded trap!


    At this point, their anger had surpassed their fear.


    The remaining knights kept the fallen knights in their hearts as they pledged to definitely capture the owner of this mansion.


    But the more their blood rushed up to their heads, the easier they were gotten.


    Fearsome traps that took advantage of the lapses in their minds and, at times, traps that ignored the laws of physics attacked the knights.


    The knights that had come in small numbers had their numbers lowered one by one, and in less than 1 hour, the reconnaissance team was wiped out.


    The next time they woke up, they were in front of the mansion¡¯s gate.


    The fortune within the misfortune was that, when intruders are caught in the traps of the mansion and receive fatal damage, they would get teleported in front of the mansion¡¯s gate with 1 HP, losing all equipment and items.


    Even with their equipment stolen and feeling shame from having been defeated by the owner of the crafty mansion, they were happy that their comrades were okay.


    But it was too soon for them to be happy about that.


    ¡­Two.


    Only the two that headed to the 2nd floor aren¡¯t returning no matter how long they waited.


    ¡ªThere¡¯s no doubt they were taken hostage by the master of the house!


    Thinking that, the knights requested reinforcements from the castle.


    Of course, there¡¯s a limit to how many people could be moved at a late time like that, but they chose the elites among those elites, and formed a raid unit.


    After a few hours, they made perfect preparations, and the Knight Order charged in again.


    The traps of the mansion were as merciless as before, but having been able to gather information beforehand to a certain extent, and because there are more people than before, they obtained the key that was left at the living room of the 1st floor, and succeeded in saving the 2 that were trapped in the luxurious room at the 2nd floor.


    With that key, they can open the locked room in the mansion.


    And inside one of those rooms must be the master of this fearsome mansion and the possible source of this turmoil.


    The spirit of the knights rose in one go.


    They thought ¡®we will make him pay for toying with us¡¯, and opened the locked rooms.


    But that was actually the moment when they truly opened the room of their nightmares.


    The moment they opened the door with the key, an unfamiliar black magic item rang loudly.


    Even though they could hear the sounds of something creeping about on the walls and the traces of blood, there was a monster that they couldn¡¯t see no matter how much they strained their eyes.


    Also, a monster in female form with long hair came out from a strange box.


    Despite facing a threat that they have never faced before, the knights fought bravely.


    They hit the magic item with spells, and for the invisible enemy, they used attacks that couldn¡¯t be avoided, and managed to slay one female shaped monster.


    But that wasn¡¯t the end.


    The magic item continued to ring, and the blood handprints approached the knights with even more passion, and the monster that they should have defeated crawled out from the mirror surface once again as if nothing happened.


    They panicked and got scared.


    They don¡¯t have weak hearts that would fear a strong enemy.


    However, no matter how many times they attack, there¡¯s no effect.


    Even though the attacks should be hitting, they are not.


    Even though they defeat them, they come back.


    How can you even face such unreasonableness?


    Fear dulled their movements and slowed their thoughts.


    And that¡¯s when they made the biggest blunder of all.


    The female-shaped monster had stolen the key they had.


    It ate the key like a beast, jumped out from the room, and ran away to the corridor filled with traps on all fours.


    But no one could chase that back.


    The traps that didn¡¯t activate with the monster were dangerous obstacles for the knights. There¡¯s still an unknown monster in the room, so there¡¯s still the need to be wary of that, and most of all, no one wanted to face that creepy and immortal monster.


    No one knows if that was fortunate or not, but even without a key, almost all of the rooms on the 1st floor were now open.


    And all of those were, without exception, an affront to all common sense.


    They were on guard against traps, and at the time when they crossed the doors, they didn¡¯t notice it, but every single room was messed up in every sense of the word.


    The first room they stepped into had drawings that could only be described as weird covering all of the walls.


    The state of that room and the drawings on the walls, how could they describe it?


    ¡­The only word that came to mind was¡­madness.


    Pure and with a dash of madness. Art that surpassed human comprehension and in a sense could be considered genius.


    There was a mad world there in that room that would make even the knights not well acquainted with art think that way.


    The abnormally bright red walls, the unstable building that would make your mind destabilize just from looking at it, had monsters that you would find hard to believe were from this world drawn there.


    The especially fearsome one was the grotesque monstrosity that was atop the red wall, with a bright red body dyed even redder than the walls around.


    It had an oval shape with slender and bent extremities, and with that unbelievable giant mouth so big that felt as if it could swallow a human whole was opened up.


    That was by no means a skillful drawing.


    However, the warped ideas of the artist overflowing from that piece of work, the violence of that drawn monstrosity was crossing the walls of dimension and transmitting it to the ones who catch sight of it.


    And they could hear an auditory hallucination of: ¡®Do you like it?¡¯.


    There¡¯s no way they would like something like that.


    There¡¯s no way they can maintain their sanity in a room like this.


    Even when they tried to hold that desire back, they ended up thinking like that at some point in time. Unable to endure the fear, they pretended not to notice.


    This must be the God of the cultist and the drawings of their ritual.


    These are not drawings people who love God would be able to see¡­no, only cultists would be able to see drawings like this.


    They forcefully came to that conclusion and left that room .


    The next room was similar to that room in a way.


    The walls, floor, and ceiling were all decorated everywhere with small but incredibly realistic drawings.


    The motif of the drawings seem to be of the same woman.


    Just what kind of sentiments¡­deep-rooted delusions would you need to have in order to make a room like this?


    The knights were enduring the creeping uneasiness and indescribable fear as they looked at that room and the drawings that were plastered everywhere.


    And then, the moment they noticed the identity of that drawn woman, one of the knights screamed.


    The many drawings of the woman placed in the room.


    It has the appearance of the monster that ate the key and ran away.


    They are currently surrounded by the fake appearance of the fearsome monster just now.


    The moment they realized that, they felt as if that monster would once again jump out from the walls¡­from above¡­from below their feet¡­


    Even when they tried to take their eyes off, every single place their eyes fall into, she was there, as if there¡¯s no escape.


    No matter how powerful those knights are, there¡¯s no way they would be able to endure being in a room like that.


    The knight that was by the side of the exit was the first one to jump out of it, and the others soon followed after.


    There are still traps at the corridor, and the traps that had activated once would be reactivated after a set amount of time passed.


    They should have been careful of doing any rash actions, and yet, there wasn¡¯t a single person who admonished them for it¡­no, there wasn¡¯t a single one who even thought of it.


    They nervously peeked at the other rooms.


    Someone who peeked into one of the rooms made a ruckus that the rooms was upside down.


    But when several others went to check together, that room was the most normal of all.


    He must have been hallucinating from everything that has happened.


    They let the man shouting ¡®It is true. It really was upside-down¡¯ outside, and they thought that was it for this one.


    But people who were saying the same thing would appear every now and then.


    Peeking at that room was prohibited from that point on.


    There was a room that had paintings hung at the walls that would mess up your sense of distance, and the moment you enter the room, you wouldn¡¯t be able to tell where you are anymore.


    One of the knights that was at the end of his wits was in that room for a long time investigating, and he eventually vomited.


    There was also a room that was made with hearts as its motif; everything heart shaped.


    There¡¯s a big pedestal in the middle, and they confirmed that it is a pedestal where they would tie up a sacrifice, would spin around, and light and sounds would fill up the place as it did.


    The knights were sure that this was a ritual room for the cultists.


    In the time they were investigating the rooms in this fashion, the traps in the mansion were taking victims one after the other.


    Even if they didn¡¯t get lethal damage and were simply thrown back in front of the mansion with 1 HP, the pain and fear they received was the real deal.


    The hearts of the knights were on the verge of breaking at the way too abnormal mansion.


    Thinking that this must not continue on, the captain and the others proposed to have a few of them take a break, have a meal, and take a bath at the bathroom inside the mansion in shifts.


    Of course, they would only carry their weapons to the bath and take off their armor.


    Showing such a defenseless state in enemy territory would normally be unthinkable.


    But plain resting wouldn¡¯t be enough in order to heal their way too on edge mental state.


    They have to create the impression that there¡¯s a safe place in this mansion at once.


    This was the plan of the captain.


    But that thought of his came to bite him back.


    Despite them having their weapons and leaving completely armed knights on watch at the dressing room right closeby, the people inside had disappeared at some point in time.


    That¡¯s right, they had taken fatal damage at some unknown point in time and were thrown out in front of the gate completely naked.


    According to what those knights said, there weren¡¯t any suspicious presences in the bathroom.


    Just in case, they sent a group of 3 there, but because nothing happened, they ended up relaxing, and lowered their guard at the unexpected comfort of the bathtub, and at almost the same time, they felt as if their consciousness grew distant.


    The next time they woke up, they were already lying down outside, naked.


    That reality weighed heavily in the hearts of the knights.


    Doubts that maybe there¡¯s no safe place in this mansion.


    Fear that they might get killed just like them without even noticing.


    And there was one certainty that was growing in the hearts of the knights wandering in the mansion.


    They had thought of the possibility since the moment they saw the black skulls.


    But even when they spoke it out, they didn¡¯t believe it deep in their hearts.


    ¡®There¡¯s no way they exist¡¯, is what they thought.


    However, now they can say with conviction.


    ¡ªThis is the residence of a cultist.


    What further reaffirmed the suspicions of the knights and shocked them was the reality that there were faint signs of people living here.


    The man called Souma has been sleeping in this mansion.


    You would have to be a cultist¡­no, even a cultist, as long as you have a sane mind, you wouldn¡¯t be able to stay here for even a night.


    If this mansion had been used temporarily as an altar for dark rituals, or as a battlefield to defeat knights like them, or to raise monsters, they would have been able to understand it a bit.


    But would there be a person that would think about living here even after seeing this space where monsters wander, where you can hear screams every few minutes, and where there are those mad drawings that can destroy your psyche?


    If there really is someone like that, they are already residents of the world of madness themselves.


    A certain type of ¡®monstrosity¡¯ that deviates from humanity.


    According to prior investigations, the man named Souma had bought this property a few days ago.


    The one in charge of this building had not come to this mansion before, and had not gone to do maintenance or anything.


    Was this mansion related to cultists from way before, or did the man named Souma use repulsive means to turn this place into a monster mansion? They don¡¯t know.


    But what they do know is that they at least lived there for a few days¡­no, just by being able to live here was already enough for them to suspect there¡¯s no room of doubt that he is deranged.


    Turning their backs from the light, controlling fearsome monstrosities, they would zealously perform corrupt rituals every night; all for the sake of reviving the Evil God that is the root of all evil.


    The knights have the duty of protecting the nation not only from monsters, but also from people like that, but the reality is that they haven¡¯t encountered people who called themselves cultists in around a century already.


    Or more like, the fear towards cultists had withered with time, and had fallen into the realm of superstition.


    But not anymore.


    The master of this house and believer of the Evil God, calling himself Souma, would definitely bring harm to this kingdom.


    He must be found and slayed at once.


    The knights pushed down their fear with courage, poured their sense of duty as fuel into their shaking bodies, and advanced further in.


    Continuing on to the 2nd floor where more disgusting works of the cultists must be awaiting there.


    A certain man within the knights that was proficient in stealth and scouting peeked at the 2nd floor from the stairs.


    What appeared faintly in the darkness of the mansion was that woman¡­the monster that went off with the key.


    The man killed off his scream and observed in more detail, and it seemed like that woman was trying to do something to the door with unsteady hands, failing over and over.


    No, not ¡®something¡¯.


    The man noticed soon after.


    She has the key.


    She is using that key to open the doors of the mansion.


    It made him feel goosebumps.


    Several monsters like that will be freed into the mansion.


    That must be stopped at once.


    The moment the man was overcome with a sense of duty¡­


    Something tapped his arm.


    Feeling this, the man thought ¡®Crap, I was so focused, I forgot to report to my comrades¡¯.


    The man didn¡¯t speak, so instead he turned his head to the back apologetically and¡­


    ¡­He was face to face with inorganic glass eyes that showed no emotions.


    He couldn¡¯t speak.


    What was standing behind him wasn¡¯t a human.


    It was a doll like the ones young girls would play house with.


    It for some reason moved as if it had a will of its own, standing right in front of the man.


    The unbelievable sight didn¡¯t allow any thoughts to process.


    But even in the time his brain wasn¡¯t working, his eyes properly did.


    At the back of the man, in other words, at the opposite side of the woman holding the key¡­all of the rooms were opened.


    The man finally understood that it was already too late.


    At the same time as he did, small shadows covered the whole corridor.


    Dolls.


    Dolls, dolls, dolls.


    A horde of dolls.


    Those inorganic eyes of theirs all looked at the man at the same time.


    Emotionless smiles envelop the man.


    The man faltered.


    And then, the doll at the front, the doll that had tapped the arm of the man before, raised its head as if it were a living being.


    The moment it raised its face¡­the glass eyes spun around and¡­for some reason, two round things rolled on the ground¡­


    ¡ª ¡°Aaaaaaaahhhh!!¡±


    The man that saw this screamed without a care for the world.


    The sanity of that knight crumbled at that moment, forgot about his duty and everything else, ran down the stairs while pushing off his comrades, all the way to the exit of the mansion.


    Of course, there¡¯s no way he would be able to safely get out of the mansion with such careless actions.


    The man fell into a trap, got shot by the silver golems, and was thrown out in front of the gate.


    Even with that, the man didn¡¯t stop.


    That man that was already no knight or brave warrior anymore was simply screaming his lungs out as he ran off in order to get as much distance from the mansion as possible.


    His comrades that were at the front of the door tried to stop him in the middle, but he shook them off and tried to run off.


    By the time 3 coworkers of his pinned him down, his eyes already had no light in them. He was simply mumbling incoherent stuff.


    And then, almost at the same time as that¡­


    The knights that remained in the mansion had decided to suspend the second raid.


    Even with that, they still hadn¡¯t given up on suppressing the mansion¡­no, in slaying the fearsome cultist called Souma.


    The 3rd raid should have happened.


    But night passed, and what came from the castle first thing in the morning was an order from the princess¡­a petition.


    [Please don¡¯t put a hand on the owner of that residence].


    Hearing this, the knights thought ¡®we can¡¯t obey this even if it is the order of the Princess¡¯.


    She doesn¡¯t understand at all the fearsomeness of this mansion, the warpedness of it.


    This could possibly become a threat to the nation as a whole.


    But even if they were to try and tell her the fearsomeness of it, the reality is that they simply lost all of their equipment and items, and they haven¡¯t faced any casualties.


    It would mean that they have suffered no damage aside from their HP dropping to 1.


    This is something to be happy about, but with this, they can¡¯t transmit the danger of this mansion.


    But that¡¯s where the knight talking to Mitsuki laughed in self-derision and said: ¡®Just kidding. That was a lie. All a lie. I think the reality is that everyone is just scared¡¯.


    Scared of challenging that mansion again.


    Of meeting the cultist who rules over that mansion of madness, Souma.


    Even when everyone is aware of this, no one said anything.


    Anyways, the raid has been suspended, leaving a part of the Knight Order and withdrawing.


    The ones that remained closed the perimeters of the mansion, surrounded it, and keep watch to make sure that no one inside gets away and to not let anyone enter.


    ¡°Eh? What happened to the guy that ran away from the mansion? He unexpectedly recovered pretty fast from it, and has been working energetically in order to fix that shameful display of before. Even now, he is explaining the situation to the young lady of the Hisame family in this way¡­see?¡±


    And in that way, the long long story of the knight that faced the most fearsome experience among them had closed up his talk.


    These are the circumstances that led to our home being closed off.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± (Souma)


    Having listened to all of it, I groaned.


    I do have my own thoughts regarding that. A lot of them.


    How terrible my treatment was inside that story, how to undo this misunderstanding, about how the woman in the photo was the one that came out from the TV, about how it is great that no people died, but they still got thrown out when defeated. Nekomimi Neko is strangely kind to NPCs at times, huh. When they were talking about the monstrous drawing in the red room, Ringo muttered displeased ¡®that¡¯s¡­Ringo though¡­¡¯.


    Yeah, a lot was in my mind.


    But the very first thing that I thought of was a more realistic thing.


    Basically¡­


    (Just how much time do you think it will take to clean things up after you mess my home that much?) (Souma)


    It was justified anger.

 CH 85

    I now know the reason for the wanted poster.


    According to the knights, it is not impossible for the mansion to have an escape route.


    That¡¯s why they immediately made a wanted poster for the dangerous entity that is Souma in the case he escaped from the mansion.


    In the game system, that should happen when the affection meter of the castle and city have lowered to drastic degrees.


    In this case, the mansion defeated knights on its own, making the affection of the castle decrease, and resulting in me being wanted now.


    Regardless of whether it is a reason grounded in reality or from the game, it is sad that I actually understand here why I am being wanted.


    (But even if I do understand, what should I do from now on?)


    My original plan was to get caught by the knights and meet Maki, but I don¡¯t think getting caught here is going to be that good of an idea.


    The impression the knights have of me is way too bad.


    Getting executed before meeting Maki would not be funny.


    That said, maintaining my wanted state would not let me live in the city, and I would stay in a hostile relationship with the Knight Order.


    While I was pondering that, Mitsuki easily answered.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Eh? Go where?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked back, Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears stood upright.


    ¡°It is at times like this when you use your connections.¡± (Mitsuki)


    She said in that fashion.


    And so, we once again went to the city and headed to a certain place.


    That place is of course¡­


    ¡°Y-You people¡­¡±


    A place where a great man said this while placing a hand on his forehead.


    And¡­


    ¡°We will be under your care for a while more, Father.¡± (Mitsuki)


    The home of Mitsuki.


    Basically, the Hisame Dojo.


    It has only been a few hours since the trial ended and we left the dojo all triumphantly.


    I would dare say this is a pretty impressively fast return.


    ¡°I understand the situation.¡± (Asahi)


    I finished explaining the gist of the situation, and Asahi easily nodded.


    ¡°It is true that you are at fault for the plaza incident, but having investigated that one incident thoroughly and getting a wanted poster for it would be going too far. I will make an official claim to the castle that you have been staying in this dojo for 3 days.¡± (Asahi)


    ¡°Is that okay?¡± (Souma)


    I let out a voice of surprise.


    Mitsuki brought Ringo, who was in a completely drowsy state, to her room, and I for some reason ended up facing Asahi one on one.


    I am aware that he holds a grudge towards me for the matter of the trial, and I honestly told him that the lining up of skulls at the plaza was in order to send a message to an acquaintance of mine, so I did so while fully aware it would cause trouble.


    I am mostly in a confrontational relationship with Asahi, so I thought he would refuse to cooperate by saying I reap what I sow¡­


    (Is it because the event is over now¡­?) (Souma)


    There are cases when characters become like other people in the middle of an event and after an event.


    Basically, the writer for the NPC¡¯s personality is different from the one that writes the dialogue for the events. I think those issues happen because those two don¡¯t communicate well with each other, but I have had an experience where an Onee-sama samurai character that referred to herself as ¡®Sessha¡¯ in the middle of the event, would suddenly change to ¡®Watashi¡¯ the moment it ends.


    There¡¯s rarely any chances to speak with Asahi aside from the Hisame House Visit Event, but he might actually be a decently good person when outside events.


    I tilt my head internally and Asahi explained to me in a gentle manner.


    ¡°If your home was attacked while you were staying here as a guest of the dojo, the fault also lies on us. I can¡¯t allow such a thing as the master of the dojo. Also, I have taken a liking to you.¡± (Asahi)


    ¡°Is¡­that so? Ah, but¡­what about the Gouging Vajra?¡± (Souma)


    This is an unavoidable topic, so I go out of my way to bring it out myself.


    When I did¡­


    ¡°I thought about it too, but I decided to officially make that spear yours.¡± (Asahi)


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Souma)


    A way too unexpected answer came back.


    It is even treated as the heirloom of the Hisame family, so I thought Asahi would fuss over it more than that.


    ¡°Weapons with power will find their rightful owner. Thinking about it carefully, I thought that there¡¯s no one with better qualifications to hold onto that spear.¡± (Asahi)


    ¡°I see¡­¡± (Souma)


    Is it really okay for me to accept this sudden change of heart?


    His attitude has clearly changed too much compared to just a few hours ago.


    The event has already ended, but it also means that Asahi can attack me regardless of events.


    If Asahi seriously thinks of killing me, moreover, when I don¡¯t know at all what method he will use, the chances I survive are low.


    Seeing his attitude, it does look like he means no harm to me, but is it really okay for me to believe that¡­?


    While I was worrying about this, Asahi said with a gentle expression.


    ¡°Right. If you find that hard to accept, how about you listen to a request of mine?¡± (Asahi)


    ¡°A request?¡± (Souma)


    I feel like he is gonna throw me something crazy here.


    Asahi laughed lightly, seeing me being wary about this.


    ¡°It is nothing big. This is simply about you and me. I just wanted you to stop with such a distant way of calling me like Asahi-san.¡± (Asahi)


    ¡°No, but that¡¯s¡­¡± (Souma)


    I hesitate to speak.


    Is he telling me to call him without honorifics?


    Even I would find it hard calling someone old enough to be my father without honorifics.


    But Asahi shook his head as if he read my internal conflict.


    ¡°Aah, it looks like I made you misunderstand. That¡¯s not what I meant. What I wanted to say is that there should be a better one to call me.¡± (Asahi)


    ¡°A better one?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Next time, please call me like this¡­¡± (Asahi)


    And then, he said this with a refreshing face.


    ¡°¡­Father-in-law.¡± (Asahi)


    This is the moment I thought ¡®Ah, this guy really is the father of Mitsuki¡¯.


    But I have no intention of marrying anyone right now, and even if I end up doing it, there¡¯s a high chance it would turn horrible.


    I was thinking about undoing this misunderstanding by saying Mitsuki doesn¡¯t feel that way about me, but my sixth sense was telling me that¡¯s hell I would be walking into.


    ¡°Sorry, I have decided that I won¡¯t marry until I defeat the Demon Lord.¡± (Souma)


    And so, I decided to get over this situation by spitting out something that sounds cool at a glance.


    But that¡¯s not a lie.


    I am actually scared of the curse, so I can¡¯t marry as long as the Demon Lord is present.


    Or more like, I shouldn¡¯t.


    ¡°I see.¡± (Asahi)


    My seriousness must have transmitted, Asahi nodded heavily.


    ¡°Then, when you head to subjugate the Demon Lord, please tell me. I will prepare the best support I can, and will send you off while we prepare the wedding celebration.¡± (Asahi)


    He still hasn¡¯t given up!


    Not only that, it is as if he has taken it as me accepting the marriage!


    I was shocked, but if it is just this much, I can still get away with it.


    I hurriedly changed the topic so that we don¡¯t step further in.


    ¡°S-Speaking of Demon Lord, it seems like Mitsuki doesn¡¯t get close only to the Demon Lord Castle. Is there a reason for that?¡± (Souma)


    This is something that I was curious about when I was playing the game too.


    Or more like, I thought the developers made it so Mitsuki couldn¡¯t get close to the last stages because it would make the last boss battles too easy, but I am curious as to what reason this world has for that.


    My sudden question made Asahi go ¡®fumu¡¯ and think about it for a bit, but he gave the answer without me waiting much.


    ¡°That¡¯s probably because I have told my daughter about how fearsome that Demon Lord Castle is since her childhood. I have spoken about the Demon Lord often as the enemy that we must eventually slay.¡± (Asahi)


    ¡°I see¡­¡± (Souma)


    The Demon Lord Castle is far to the north of here.


    It is inside a volcanic crater that lies ahead of a number of high level areas.


    Reaching that mountain is already a hard thing to do, but the real deal comes after you find the mountain.


    The mountain that the Demon Lord lives in is gigantic and tall, but the central part is hollowed out like a mortar.


    The Demon Lord Castle is at the center of that, so after you suffer climbing the mountain, you have to go down the crater part.


    I said mortar shaped, but the slope is pretty steep, so if you slip, you fall straight down, and there¡¯s the risk of dying from terrain damage.


    What¡¯s even nastier about it is that, at the bottom of the mountain, there¡¯s a blood pond making dripping sounds, and it invites fear onto any who gaze upon it.


    The Demon Lord Castle is standing at that blood pond, so it is a rough place for children.


    No wonder it traumatized Mitsuki.


    ¡°I see, so that¡¯s why Mitsuki¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Are you two gossiping about me?¡±


    It was right at the time when I reached an understanding that Mitsuki returned.


    ¡°Aah, you are back, huh. We have finished our talk. I will cooperate with Souma-kun.¡± (Asahi)


    Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears twitched up as if saying ¡®obviously!¡¯ and faced me again.


    ¡°And so, what will we do from here on? I think clearing the misunderstanding will take some time, so today, how about staying at my¡ª¡± (Mitsuki)


    She was about to say something, but Asahi cut her off.


    ¡°I saw it before, but it seems like the weapon of Souma-kun really lacks maintenance. Mitsuki, guide him to our workshop.¡± (Asahi)


    ¡°Workshop? You have one?¡± (Souma)


    I ended up getting in their conversation.


    The durability of my Shiranui and Wakizashi certainly are worrying.


    If they can repair it, then I definitely would want that.


    ¡°Preparing for battle is also part of the battle; a teaching of ours here. The workshop not only has a smithy, but also most that¡¯s related to magic as well.¡± (Asahi)


    ¡°Really?!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Mitsuki.¡± (Asahi)


    Being called again, Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears went ¡®Unngh¡¯ as if discontent.


    ¡°¡­Right. I will guide you.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Sorry about that, Mitsuki. Please do.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind it. It is for you after all.¡± (Mitsuki)


    It seems like her mood got a bit better after I spoke to her.


    Mitsuki seemed to have had some sort of plan, but I am honestly more interested in the workshop right now.


    I once again ask Asahi to clear up the misunderstanding of the Knight Order, and I head to the workshop together with Mitsuki.


    ¡°Was Ringo okay?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked her while we moved, Mitsuki nodded.


    ¡°Yeah. She fell asleep soon after the futon was spread out. She was on guard the whole time until evening to protect you after all. She must have been tired.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± (Souma)


    She must have been working really hard to protect me.


    I have to thank Ringo.


    ¡°Speaking of which, that goes for you too, right, Mitsuki? Are you okay?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Me? I wouldn¡¯t have issues even with fighting a series of battles for around a week.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°I-I see¡­¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s beyond human no matter how you think about it, but that kind of retort is already overdue.


    That was so natural for Mitsuki that she didn¡¯t even feel like explaining.


    ¡°More importantly, what were you talking about with Father?¡± (Mitsuki)


    She has an iron face as always, but her cat ears were twitching as if saying ¡®I am curious!¡¯.


    If Cat Ears-chan says that, I have no choice but to answer.


    ¡°It is nothing big. Just that¡­¡± (Souma)


    I told Mitsuki about my conversation with Asahi.


    But it seems like the speculation of Asahi was different from reality.


    ¡°Aah, that¡¯s a misunderstanding. The reason I didn¡¯t go to defeat the Demon Lord was because I thought that was the dream of my father.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Dream?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yes. Father said from long before that he wanted to make a hero that can defeat the Demon Lord in this dojo. I thought it would be of bad taste to steal that away from him.¡± (Mitsuki)


    So this is a show of confidence that she would easily be able to defeat the Demon Lord if she went, huh.


    An answer that I can¡¯t tell if it is sweet or not came back.


    No, Mitsuki is a member of the dojo too, so I think it should be fine for her to just go and defeat it.


    ¡°That said, regardless of the trigger, it is true that I am not good with that place. I don¡¯t really want to go there, but if you really want to¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Ah, no, it is okay. I don¡¯t plan on fighting the Demon Lord for a while anyways.¡± (Souma)


    I shake my head.


    If she doesn¡¯t want to go the last step, rather than her memories telling her not to, it is most likely the system binding her.


    In the game, Mitsuki simply didn¡¯t get close to the last stages, and it is not like there was official lore for why she couldn¡¯t get close to the Demon Lord Castle.


    There might not be too much reinforcement here, but there¡¯s no need to forcefully test it out.


    ¡°I see. If you want to fight a strong opponent, you just have to head west anyway.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­West?¡± (Souma)


    I heard information I couldn¡¯t just ignore and asked back.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know? It is said that the main body of the Evil God is sealed in the west marshland. The movements of the monsters have gotten active in recent years, and there¡¯s apparently monsters incomparable to anywhere else there.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°I see¡­ Right¡­¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s information that wasn¡¯t implemented in the game.


    The hidden boss of this game is the Evil God¡¯s fragment, but it was solely just a fragment.


    I did know that the main body of the Evil God was sealed elsewhere, and the information itself about being sealed in the west was certainly present in the game as well.


    But the west field was not implemented in it, and when you go a certain distance, you hit an invisible wall.


    The Evil God stands above the Demon Lord in a sense. The information that its main body is sealed west was probably foreshadowing of the next installment.


    (There were rumors about it in the game, but it didn¡¯t show up in the game itself. If this world is faithful to the game, that monster shouldn¡¯t exist. But if it is faithful to the lore of the game, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for it to exist.) (Souma)


    That¡¯s a contradiction.


    I can¡¯t tell whether the Evil God exists in this world or not.


    (If the main body of the Evil God and the strong monsters exist in this world¡­) (Souma)


    I won¡¯t be able to predict their movements and there¡¯s the chance that their strength will be above any monster that was in the game.


    Well, there¡¯s no point thinking about it right now.


    I currently can¡¯t even win against the Demon Lord, so the best option would be to strengthen myself.


    ¡°We are here.¡± (Mitsuki)


    When I was coming to a standstill in my thoughts, we arrived at our objective just in time.


    What was in sight were the many special devices that were placed here and there in the room.


    A smithy to repair equipment and¡­


    ¡°So it was here too, huh.¡± (Souma)


    Surprise and happiness leaked out from my mouth.


    Gouging Vajra is certainly strong.


    It is currently sealed in the Cooler Box, but I can¡¯t take on a hit from that spear or break it with my strength.


    However, there¡¯s a wondrous device that allows you to destroy any powerful weapon in an instant in this game world.


    It is the device in front of me.


    A giant furnace with 3 holes.


    On top of the holes, it is written ¡®Shape¡¯, ¡®Performance¡¯, and ¡®Special¡¯ respectively.


    ¡°¡­Weapon customization device.¡± (Souma)


    Alias, Weapon Synthesizer.

 CH 86

    The customization of weapons and armors is one of the hallmarks of Nekomimi Neko, and it was advertised quite a lot before it was released.


    There were big letters saying ¡®An infinite number of possibilities with the custom weapon creation system! Let¡¯s make a one-and-only original weapon with your own hands!¡¯ with a background of a blacksmith holding a hammer. But one day, the advertisements for the weapon customization suddenly disappeared, and in the articles of the game, the weapon customization was not touched on anymore.


    And then, the weapon customization system that was implemented in the game was just as people expected. Not a system where they can modify or create weapons of their own liking, but a synthesizing system where you fuse existing weapons. There wasn¡¯t a single instance of using a hammer.


    ¡®Eh? Could it be that the advertised system couldn¡¯t be implemented?¡¯, is what people suspected, but this weapon customization system was unexpectedly well liked.


    This custom weapon creation¡­no, let¡¯s call it as it is, the weapon synthesizing system is a simple one where you gather the good parts of 3 weapons and make it into one.


    But it is exactly because of that simplicity that there¡¯s no maliciousness of the developers mixed in it and it became a pure important feature for the players.


    Just as I explained before, the outward appearance of this device is that of a big furnace with 3 holes that have written on top of each respectively: Shape, Performance, and Special.


    The way of using it is simple.


    For example; A has a cool appearance, but its performance is sad; B has good performance, but its appearance is too lame.


    In this case, you put the A into the Shape hole and put the B in the Performance hole, and then activate the device. That way you can obtain a weapon with the appearance of A and the performance of B.


    Of course, if you mistake the places you put it in, you will make the worst weapon that has the appearance of B and the performance of A though.


    You would think there¡¯s no way there would be people who would do something like that, but there are actually uses for such detrimental synthesis.


    Actually, at my last stages of playing Nekomimi Neko, my character had become too strong, so I have used the synthesis to detune the weapon I liked.


    Now that I think back on it, just how much of a cripple was I?


    It would probably be easier to understand that it is a system where you put together the 3 factors that are Shape, Performance, and Special.


    The factors pertaining Shape are: Appearance, Weapon Type, and Weight; the factors pertaining Performance are: Attack, Level, and HP; and the factors pertaining Special are: Added Element, Special Ability, and Unique Skill.


    There¡¯s often weapons that are excellent in one of those 3 points, and there¡¯s also those with one factor they are lacking a lot in.


    Gathering all the good traits of those weapons and creating the ideal weapon is an obvious advantage.


    I touched on this when I explained about Shiranui, but if it is a weapon of the same level, their attack power is around the same no matter the category.


    The difference in the attack power is shown in the modifier of the weapon category, so even a big axe that looks like it has a lot of damage or a feeble-looking dagger won¡¯t have much difference in their attack number.


    That¡¯s why, even if you synthesize a big giant axe and cheap dagger, you normally won¡¯t be getting a cheap dagger with the power of a giant axe.


    But there¡¯s one weapon in Nekomimi Neko where you can get a similar thing to that.


    Meat Cleaver.


    This weapon that has outstanding Attack Power but has a Weight of 66 in exchange which you could only call as a joke. If you use it just as it is, it is not practical at all.


    However, the plus of this weapon is that the Attack Power is connected to Performance and the con is connected to Appearance.


    If you can just yank out the Performance of it, then this is an extremely good synthesizing material.


    On the other hand, I have one other peculiar weapon.


    Shiranui.


    It looks like a normal katana, but because of a mistake from the developers, the Otachi weapon category was set to it.


    Because of its weapon category modifier, it is a weapon that prides on outstanding attack power compared to its peers, but it is in the end a midgame weapon.


    In the midgame where the attack power of weapons inflates, it unfortunately can¡¯t be called a strong weapon.


    But because the weapon category and weight can be synthesized, this weapon can become the best synthesis material.


    If we combine these two weapons that have strong traits, what kind of weapon would you get?


    I have experienced that in the game already.


    ¡°Then, I will be using it.¡± (Souma)


    Saying this, I approached the weapon synthesizer.


    I actually came here to recover the durability of my weapons, but once you synthesize something, they come out with full HP, so it doesn¡¯t matter.


    I bring out the weapons in front of the big furnace.


    In the game, this is done through opening a window, the same as when you equip something, but this world doesn¡¯t have that.


    I already imagined this was the case, but here you have to put the weapons in yourself.


    But this does feel more appropriate than having a screen, choosing 3 weapons, and pressing the yes button.


    I begin working while feeling that excitement I haven¡¯t felt in a while from doing this.


    I put Shiranui in the hole that says Shape and close the lid.


    Next, I place the Meat Cleaver in the hole that¡¯s written Performance and close the lid.


    I don¡¯t place anything in the Special hole and simply close the lid.


    For some reason, this synthesizer can activate as long as there¡¯s 1 weapon in it. The blank entries will have the attribute of the weapon that was placed in the other hole (the weapon that was placed afterwards).


    That¡¯s why, in this case, the Appearance will be that of Shiranui, and the Performance and Special will be of the Meat Cleaver.


    Well, Shiranui and the Meat Cleaver shouldn¡¯t have Special Abilities, so it doesn¡¯t really matter which one gets the Special though.


    By the way, there was a bug you could exploit here¡­


    -Place weapon A into the Appearance entry and push the Yes button.


    -The Performance and Special will be copied from A.


    -Cancel it, take out weapon A from the Appearance entry, and put in a weapon B that you don¡¯t care.


    -For some reason, the data for the Performance and Special of the weapon A will remain there and you can synthesize it just like that.


    -You will get a weapon with the Shape of weapon B and the Performance and Special of weapon A.


    -Weapon A doesn¡¯t disappear, so you can make as many weapons with the same abilities of weapon A!


    That¡¯s the dirty weapon synthesization technique there was, but that was actually fixed.


    That¡¯s a bit of a shame.


    Anyways, with this, preparations are done.


    What¡¯s left is to add the necessary Element to the crystal that¡¯s at the front of the device and it will activate.


    ¡®It should be fine like this, right?¡¯, is the kind of gaze I directed to Mitsuki at my back, and she nodded.


    I resolve myself and push my own crystal at the crystal that¡¯s at the center of the furnace, and activate it.


    One of the downsides of synthesizing is that the Element you use -in other words, money- will increase at accelerated rates proportional to the quality of the finished product, but that isn¡¯t that big of a deal for me as a millionaire.


    Element was poured from my crystal and the device began moving.


    The furnace began shaking comically all of a sudden, and then¡­


    *Gashakon Gashakon Gashakon¡­ Bang!!*


    It is like those olden washing machines I have heard stories of, making a sound like that of manga onomatopoeia as the synthesis begins¡­and ends as quickly as that.


    Around 3 minutes¡­


    It is an unbelievably high performance machine.


    The 3 lids of Shape, Performance, and Special all open up at the same time, and a single katana shows up from inside.


    I picked that up without hesitation.


    It looks completely the same as Shiranui.


    But even I somewhat feel that the power within it has increased to incomparable levels.


    ¡°That sword is outstanding. It has strength that makes my body tremble just from looking at it.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Even I felt that way, so the sword master Mitsuki must have been able to clearly tell.


    Her cat ears trembled as if saying ¡®it tingles!¡¯.


    (Speaking of which, what should I call this weapon?) (Souma)


    In the game, when you use the synthesizer to synthesize a weapon, the completed weapon will even have the name synthesized randomly.


    In the past, when I synthesized the Shining Greatsword of Glory, the Knife of the Bandit Head, and the Sparkling Longsword, a weapon with the name Shining Sparkling Head Longsword showed up, and I ended up pushing the reset button.


    Now that I think back on it, that was some tasty meme material. That was such a waste.


    (Well, anything¡¯s fine.) (Souma)


    The name of the weapon doesn¡¯t show up in this world anyways.


    I should just follow the appearance and call it Shiranui.


    (Now then, it begins from here.) (Souma)


    I bring out a weapon I don¡¯t need anymore which I bought from Lamurick, and put it inside the Performance hole.


    And then, I bring out one other item from the bag.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    The cat ears of Mitsuki spread to the sides in surprise.


    What I brought out was a chisel.


    It is classified as a weapon, but it isn¡¯t an item that was set to be eligible for synthesizing, and it didn¡¯t show up in the synthesization menu, so it wasn¡¯t possible to synthesize it.


    ¡°Is it weird to synthesize this?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Of course it is. Synthesizing that is¡­is strange, isn¡¯t it?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Her tone was clear, but she stated it firmly.


    The people in this world really do feel apprehensive about synthesizing chisels in a psychological level.


    It is most likely the same as the people of this world ¡®not being able to equip more than 2 rings¡¯. Aversion that overcomes reasoning.


    Probably a limitation from the game system.


    But I already know that those mental restrictions don¡¯t work on me.


    I placed the chisel into the Appearance hole without hesitation.


    ¡°Ah¡­!¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki raised her voice, but I activated the device without minding it.


    And then¡­


    *Gashakon Gashakon Gashakon¡­ Bang!!*


    It made noise, the synthesis finished, and the chisel once again showed in front of me.


    I can¡¯t tell a change at all from the appearance, but¡­


    ¡°U-Uhm¡­hah!¡± (Souma)


    I tried stabbing the wooden dummy used for slashing tests by the side.


    It stabbed easily without much resistance.


    Power that would be unthinkable for a normal chisel.


    The effect of the synthesis is properly showing.


    I tried testing it out with an unsynthesized chisel, and it really didn¡¯t show that much power as the other one.


    As I thought. It should be safe to assume that even the weapons that couldn¡¯t be synthesized in the game before should be possible to synthesize here as long as you can put them in the synthesizer.


    ¡­Then, here¡¯s where the real deal comes.


    What I really want to synthesize.


    I will challenge the synthesis of the Gouging Vajra that couldn¡¯t be synthesized in the game.


    There¡¯s 3 problems with the Gouging Vajra.


    Because of the throwing skill, it will attack me when I bring it out from the Cooler Box.


    Because it was placed in the box by rudimentary means, there¡¯s the chance it is being treated as a stolen item.


    It is an exclusive weapon, so only Asahi can use it.


    For the first 2, it will probably be easily resolved by simply placing it in the synthesizer.


    The weapon born from the synthesizer won¡¯t have a loss in HP, and won¡¯t be in any special states from skills; a complete white slate.


    The plus effects of enchantments will all be erased too, but the cursed and stolen states will also be undone, so there were many players who would do synthesization with only one weapon.


    This is a small popular technique within Nekomimi Neko players called Weapon Laundering. It probably will work well in this case too.


    The biggest hurdle will be the last one. The Gouging Vajra is an exclusive weapon. The weapon synthesis should undo this one as well in theory.


    Many Nekomimi Neko players have already verified that the exclusive weapon restriction is tied to Shape.


    And there have actually been exclusive weapons that could be used after making the Shape item a different one.


    However, powerful exclusive weapons like the Gouging Vajra were almost all impossible to synthesize, so there wasn¡¯t much of a chance to use this technique.


    But in this world where there¡¯s no restrictions on what weapon you can put in, it should be possible to synthesize the Gouging Vajra and make it into an item that anyone can use.


    Just that, there¡¯s a bit of an issue here. A bit of an obstacle in practice.


    The fact that it would be impossible for me to put the Gouging Vajra in.


    In order to do this plan of mine, I would definitely need someone to help me out.


    That¡¯s why I turned back and lowered my head.


    ¡°Mitsuki, I have a request.¡± (Souma)


    Her ears jumped up.


    5 minutes later.


    ¡°Ready?¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki was at the opposite side of me with the furnace in between, standing in front of the Performance hole, in standby with the Cooler Box facing the hole.


    At first, Mitsuki was hesitating to cooperate here, saying ¡®being a partner in destroying my family¡¯s heirloom is a bit¡­¡¯, but when I said ¡®you are the only one I can rely on, Mitsuki!¡¯, she slowly softened her attitude, and accepted to cooperate more easily than I expected.


    I told her that I wasn¡¯t doing this for personal profit. It is a weapon that we will need in the future. This sincere plea of mine must have reached the heart of Mitsuki.


    Anyways, having obtained Mitsuki as a helper, it is now possible to carry out my plan.


    Well, it is not anything big like a plan. The details are truly simple.


    The spear should be flying my way, so I will stand at the opposite side of the synthesizer when Mitsuki opens the Cooler Box, and the spear will naturally jump into the device.


    I have already placed the Wakizashi in the Shape hole.


    If we place the Gouging Vajra in whichever hole and activate it, a weapon with the appearance of the Wakizashi and the abilities of the Gouging Vajra should be created -which would be impossible to obtain in the game.


    I have confirmed the position of my face and the position of the hole countless times.


    There should be no mistakes here.


    ¡°Yeah, do it!¡± (Souma)


    When I said this, Mitsuki opened the Cooler Box and¡­


    ¡ªPANG!


    The violent sound of something crashing into the synthesizer rang.


    It seems like the spear properly got inside.


    Without delay¡­


    ¡°I have closed the lid.¡± (Mitsuki)


    I heard Mitsuki reporting this on the other side.


    (It went well!) (Souma)


    The moment I pumped my fist¡­


    *ClankClankClankClankClankClank!!*


    A sound like that of a drill in a construction site reached my eardrums.


    No need to even think about where that sound is coming from.


    (Is it scratching the walls from the inside?!) (Souma)


    It is not like I didn¡¯t expect the worst to happen here.


    The skill¡¯s effect disappearing happens after the synthesis.


    In the middle of the synthesis, the skill effect is still active, so the Gouging Vajra will aim for me inside the device!


    ¡°Mitsuki!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I¡¯m on it!¡± (Mitsuki)


    The furnace was rumbling with a thunderous roar as if answering to my scream-like words.


    Mitsuki sent Element to the crystal.


    But¡­


    *ClankClankClankClankClankClank!!*


    A thunderous sound that overwhelmed this reached my eardrums.


    Moreover, the sound is getting louder.


    It might be close to taking effect.


    (If it doesn¡¯t make it in time¡­what do I do?) (Souma)


    The Cooler Box is on the opposite side. I won¡¯t be able to make it in time if I go right now.


    Anything other that I could block it with would be¡­the Setsuna Samidare Giri, but I don¡¯t think I can match the timing against the flying spear.


    (Could it be that this will be the moment when I will¡­) (Souma)


    A choking 3 long minutes.


    *BANG!!*


    A sound different from that of a spear scraping against the walls. A powerful but comical sound rang.


    ¡°¡­Is it¡­over?¡± (Souma)


    That thunderous sound wasn¡¯t resonating no matter how long I waited.


    The device was completely silent.


    ¡°Looks like it went well.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki went around and said that.


    ¡°¡­I see¡­¡± (Souma)


    I finally remembered how to breathe.


    And so, Gouging Vajra has made me break into a cold sweat not once but twice now, but I am looking forward to what comes next.


    I bring out the finished weapon from the synthesizer.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± (Souma)


    This is obvious, but it looks like a normal Wakizashi.


    But when I tried cutting the wooden dummy from before¡­


    ¡°Uwaah!¡±


    It was like butter¡­no, it was on the level that felt as if I was cutting water -that¡¯s how easy it was to cut the wooden dummy.


    That was surprising.


    It cuts so well that it is scary.


    Scary, but it is a success!


    I looked at Mitsuki¡¯s face, Mitsuki also looked at me, and we smiled like partners in crime¡­


    But I was too naive.


    When there¡¯s twice, there¡¯s thrice.


    The counterattack of the Gouging Vajra isn¡¯t over yet.


    ¡°What was the sound before?!¡±


    The one who jumped into the room with a shout was the master of the dojo, Asahi.


    Looks like he heard the noise before and ran all the way here.


    His ears are mighty good despite not having cat ears.


    ¡°Aah, that from before was nothing. We just got a bit too into using our weapons and¡­¡± (Souma)


    I can¡¯t tell him that was the last struggle of the Gouging Vajra.


    I waved my hand and the eyes of Asahi were directed at my hands.


    ¡°Souma-kun! That¡­that weapon¡­¡± (Asahi)


    ¡°Ah¡­!¡± (Souma)


    He is already ignoring the reason why he came here.


    His eyes were nailed at the Wakizashi that I am holding.


    ¡°Hmm, I knew it. That weapon doesn¡¯t look that different from others at a glance, but it holds incredible power, right? That power might not lose to the Gouging Vajra.¡± (Asahi)


    ¡°Ah, this is¡­uhm¡­¡± (Souma)


    Well, the Performance is the same, so it is natural for it to not lose.


    ¡°Good grief. You really like to hide your cards. If you had a weapon like that, you could have shown it at the trial. Just where did you get that dagger?¡± (Asahi)


    There¡¯s no malice in Asahi¡¯s words.


    He is simply asking its history purely as a warrior or as a weapon user.


    But that makes it hurt even more as a guilty party.


    ¡°Aah, this¡­this weapon, you see¡­¡± (Souma)


    Cold sweat flowed down from my forehead as I desperately searched for a way to get out of this.


    Gouging Vajra¡­


    To think that it would pierce its enemy even when losing its shape¡­what a sniper.

 CH 87

    After deceiving Asahi with desperate attempts, I placed the synthesized Gouging Vajra Wakizashi into my bag.


    I thought about it for a bit, but I decided to give this Wakizashi to Ringo.


    Because I didn¡¯t place anything into the Special hole, this Wakizashi has inherited both the Performance and Special of Gouging Vajra.


    That unique skill is unnecessary for me, and increasing the attack power of Ringo when she is the core in our anti-flying attacks is urgent business.


    In order to strengthen the attack power of Lightning Strike that doesn¡¯t get affected by the modifier of weapon proficiency, the attack power of the weapon itself is the most important.


    No matter how much power of the Gouging Vajra is dwelling in it, the weapon category being a Ninja Sword won¡¯t make it superior in battle power compared to Shiranui, and if I were to synthesize Shiranui once more, the Performance of Meat Cleaver would go to waste.


    Thinking about a variety of reasons, I told Mitsuki that the one most suitable for this weapon was Ringo, but¡­


    ¡°Basically, you want to feel peace of mind by giving Ringo-san a strong weapon, right? You suddenly become overprotective the moment it is about your little sister.¡± (Mitsuki)


    She straight on said that.


    Would you call this being seen through?


    After that, I used the Weapon Synthesizer to experiment with a variety of things, but I didn¡¯t get anything good.


    You can throw anything inside which differs from the game, so I tried throwing in more than 2 items in the same hole, or tried placing items that are not weapons, but there wasn¡¯t much point.


    In the case when I placed 2 weapons in the same hole, only one of the two got synthesized, and the other one was destroyed.


    The non-weapon items were also destroyed without getting synthesized.


    If I could synthesize the expendable items like tools and torches, there would be a new world of dreams opened up, but this weapon synthesizer really is a device only to synthesize weapons.


    I can¡¯t think of anything else to do with the Weapon Synthesizer, so I move to the next point.


    The Armor Synthesizer was by its side, but I currently don¡¯t have much good materials for it. The orichalcum equipment has a good balance of defense and special abilities.


    Let¡¯s ignore this one.


    The next one is the smithy. There¡¯s a device to recover the durability of the weapons and armor, but I only used my weapons, and I haven¡¯t gotten hit since getting the orichalcum set.


    Ignore this one as well.


    After that, I also ignore facilities like the drawing and sculpting ones, and go deeper in.


    I head to what¡¯s most likely the most unpopular facility in the Hisame Dojo that is a gathering of muscle-heads.


    ¡°Really can¡¯t miss this.¡± (Souma)


    The second device that stands as equally important to the Weapon Synthesizer in supporting me in my game life.


    The Magic Custom Device; popularly known as the Magic Remodeling Device.


    As you can tell from the name ¡®Magic Remodeling Device¡¯, this magic customization is basically synthesization. The difference with the Weapon Customization is that this is actually a system that¡¯s closer to customization.


    This Magic Remodeling Device has a number of knobs that you can slide to the sides. Going by order: Power, Cost, Chant, Range, Speed, and Duration.


    We have gone through the explanation of the Weapon Customization, so I think it will be easy to imagine what this is. They show the various facets of the spell.


    If I bring the Power knob to the right, it increases the power of the spell; if you move the Range knob to the left, the range of the spell gets shorter.


    Increasing or decreasing the Cost or Chant is a bit complicated. When you increase Cost, the Mp cost decreases; if you increase Chant, your chanting time decreases.


    The way to use this is also simple.


    If you Order the name of the spell that you want to adjust while touching the crystal on the top part, the knob will move naturally, and the current capabilities of the spell are shown.


    You can then tinker with it as you please, and then match the spell to your own preferences. That¡¯s basically how you use the device.


    Of course, you can¡¯t do something like bringing all of them to the highest setting.


    What you can do is adjust the spell¡¯s capabilities¡­not strengthening.


    The respective knobs operate together. For example; if you move the Power knob to the right, the Cost, Chanting and other facets will move to the left on their own.


    In other words, in order to increase one entry, the others will lower to balance it.


    But you can freely decide what to increase or decrease by fixing the knobs in place.


    If you have way too much MP, you can increase Power, which would decrease Cost. That would create a spell with high damage but intense MP cost. Would make it more useful for you.


    If you want to snipe from afar, you increase Range which would decrease Chant and create a spell that you can take your time to aim your spell from afar.


    You can¡¯t change the basic effects and element of the spell, and there¡¯s facets that you can¡¯t adjust depending on the spell, but this magic customization is pretty convenient.


    For now, I will adjust the Petitplosion and Power Up I used before, and also the wind element spell, Air Hammer.


    For Petitplosion and Air Hammer, I will sacrifice Power, Range, Speed to increase Cost and Chant.


    Power Up, I sacrifice Cost and Duration for Power. I will change it to the most useful spell I can use here.


    ¡°Something like this?¡± (Souma)


    I adjust it the same way as the game and keep it there.


    It would be interesting to tinker other spells, but if I tinker too much with the spells, their usage will change.


    The easier the spell it was to use, the more care you need to have in your customization.


    ¡°Want to wrap it up for today? I am worried about Ringo who is alone.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Noticing that I had finished, Mitsuki spoke to me.


    It looks like the magic customization was boring for her.


    Her cat ears are covered up as if saying ¡®this is boring~¡¯.


    Well, I have mostly finished up the things I would probably need soon.


    I decided to do as Mitsuki says.


    In the end, we returned to the room where Ringo is sleeping, and we slept with 3 lined up futons just like before.


    I had to keep Mitsuki company, maybe because Ringo is sleeping soundly. She would at times tease me with her tail in my futon.


    (This is somewhat¡­not enough¡­) (Souma)


    I felt like something was missing here.


    The reason for this off-feeling of mine was made clear the next morning when Ringo woke up.


    When Ringo woke up and looked around, the first thing she said was¡­


    ¡°¡­Bear-san.¡± (Ringo)


    That¡¯s when I finally noticed it too.


    The bear had disappeared at some point in time.


    We had a number of people from the Hisame Dojo help out and searched the dojo, but we couldn¡¯t find it anywhere.


    Looks like the bear isn¡¯t in this dojo.


    ¡°Now that I think about it, the last time I saw it was last night on the street¡­¡± (Souma)


    At that time, I thought it would get in the way of my invisibility, so I gave it to Ringo.


    When I asked Ringo, she was apparently sleepy at that time, so she doesn¡¯t remember much.


    Speaking of which, not only the bear, even Ringo didn¡¯t speak much around that time.


    (Why didn¡¯t I notice¡­?) (Souma)


    It is contradictory, but the bear being there was so natural that it instead made me not notice.


    This sounds rich coming from someone who didn¡¯t notice until now, but after noticing that it is not here, it really does feel off, like there¡¯s something missing.


    I decided in my heart to definitely find it.


    (But where is it¡­?) (Souma)


    With the information we have, it would mean that we separated while we were in the city or when we were in the middle of coming to the dojo.


    While I was wondering what to do¡­


    ¡°If I throw this, it will reach Bear-san¡­¡± (Ringo)


    I saw Ringo had eyes showing deep thought while looking at the Wakizashi.


    ¡­Yeah.


    In the first place, you can¡¯t use that skill unless you are seeing the target. And even if you can, that bear will no doubt end up being skewered.


    I hurriedly stopped Ringo who had dangerous eyes.


    ¡°Aah!¡±


    Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears jumped up as she shouted at my side.


    I thought even Mitsuki had lost herself here, but it looks like that isn¡¯t it.


    ¡°There was a response from the Explorer Ring. It seems to be close.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡­Looks like Bear-san was treated as an NPC too.


    We quickly moved to that place and¡­there were a lot of cows there.


    ¡°Uhm¡­what¡¯s that?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Cows.¡± (Mitsuki)


    The response I got was a straightforward one.


    Mitsuki must have noticed that answer was a bit lacking as well, she added to it.


    ¡°That¡¯s a monster called Crazy Cow, and it is popular as livestock. The reason why is because¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki¡¯s figure grew hazy in the middle of her explanation.


    By the time I wondered what happened, Mitsuki was already close to one cow distanced from the group, and she hit it with the handle of her katana.


    ¡°Moo!¡±


    The cow cried as if complaining and fell to the ground.


    At the same time as it did, something rolled out from around its stomach.


    ¡­A filled milk bottle.


    ¡°If you deal damage to it like this and knock it out, it drops milk. And so, they are kept for stock-farming.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­So it seems.¡± (Souma)


    Honestly speaking, I simply asked about why the cows were gathered. I actually already knew these cows dropped milk.


    At any rate, let¡¯s say I understand the part of dropping milk when you punch it, but why does it come out with all and bottle?


    Thinking about it calmly, that¡¯s really strange.


    ¡°But why are they grazing? It would be dangerous if they were to attack people, right?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how it works, but their milk recovers when they walk. Also, getting milk from rampaging cows can serve as training for the people of the dojo.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°I see.¡± (Souma)


    The Crazy Cow just loses consciousness when it receives damage that surpasses its max HP.


    In a sense, it is an opponent you can endlessly make your training partner.


    While we were having that casual chat, we walked to a place where cows were congregated, and there was a single tree there.


    And¡­


    ¡°¡­Bear-san.¡± (Ringo)


    We found the Bear-kun playing dead on top of the tree while surrounded by a lot of cows.


    I thought it is ironic for a bear to be the one doing that, but it seems like it couldn¡¯t win against the cows with its plushie body.


    Anyways, it is great that we safely managed to find the bear.


    We drive off the cows and¡­


    ¡°Oooi!¡± (Souma)


    Call it.


    When we did, the bear jumped up, saw us and¡­


    ¡°Uwah!¡± (Souma)


    Dove my way.


    It must have been really scared.


    When I caught it, it clung onto me for a while, trembling.


    But it must have remembered that it was left behind, it soon began to slap my face.


    ¡°I am sorry¡­ I am telling you I am sorry¡­ Hm?¡± (Souma)


    I was letting the Bear do as it pleased for a while, but when I looked closely, there was a string at the right hand of the moving bear. I could tell there was something fastened onto it.


    When I undo it with the permission of the bear. What was fastened there was candy, crystal, and paper.


    It was a hard to understand combination, but the paper seems to be a letter.


    I try opening it and reading it.


    ¡°To Onii-chan:


    It is the remaining money from the guild! They said it is 45 million for the troubles! Increasing your reward with trouble you yourself made. As expected of you, Onii-chan!


    Ah, also, when I gave the knights the information of the criminal, they rewarded me, so I will add a little something too, okay?


    Onii-chan seems to be busy with the runaway lifestyle, so I will give the money to this bear!


    Do your best in your rebel work!¡± (Souma)


    The name of the sender is not there, but judging from the contents, it must be Poison-tan.


    There¡¯s a lot of things I want to retort to here, but it looks like the money was entrusted to her.


    Thinking about it, I did get a message from the guild before the Hisame House Visit Event, so it wouldn¡¯t be strange for something like that to happen.


    She probably secured the bear only and wrote the letter when I cut off the conversation in the middle and ran to the mansion.


    When I checked the crystal, there was 45 million in the crystal.


    It seems like the bear has properly fulfilled its duty.


    ¡°Then, this candy is¡­¡± (Souma)


    The reward.


    From all the rewards she got, she gave me one candy.


    Moreover, this is probably the one you can buy at the city for 10E.


    Thinking that¡¯s just like her, I threw the candy into my mouth.


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Souma)


    I thought that would be the end of it, but when I looked closely, there¡¯s letters written at the inner part of the wrapping.


    Maybe she wrote a thank you message?


    Thinking this, I strained my eyes and¡­


    [Let this help Onii-chan get a bit of a better brain!!]


    I crushed the wrapping.


    I am honestly happy that the bear is okay, but I am worried about whether it has received a traumatic experience from that.


    I give the bear to Ringo who is not half-asleep this time around, and decide to help it recover slowly.


    We can¡¯t go far with the bear in this state.


    We decided to stay at the dojo for today.


    We gave our farewells to Mitsuki who said that she would be going to go train the disciples, and I went to the garden of the dojo on my own to test out the new feel of the Shiranui.


    That said, there¡¯s no change in the weight and reach of the weapon itself. I used the Shiranui + Meat Cleaver until around late midgame, till around the time when I cleared the game.


    I finished the check pretty quickly, so I increased my skill proficiency.


    Today, I will be Short Canceling [Side-Slash] and [Setsuna Samidare Giri] to increase my proficiency.


    I have been using Side-Slash recently instead of Slash to do the Godstep Cancel, so I repeat the loop of Side-Slash, Short Cancel, Step, Short Cancel, Side-Slash.


    The proficiency of Side-Slash and Step increased, and with the stamina cost of both skills decreasing, I will be able to use Godstep Cancel longer.


    This is a core part of my battle style, and a lifeline.


    I repeat the Godstep Cancel in the garden single-mindedly.


    On the other hand, Setsuna Samidare Giri (Midare Sakurai) really is the strongest skill I can use right now.


    I still remember freshly how I was mortified not having enough stamina when I first faced Asahi at the dojo.


    Since then, I found any moment I could get to continue using it, and I can at least use it now without the need of a Stamina Up spell, but it is still hard to say it is on a practical level.


    Because the cost of one use is on a whole other level, I can only use it once and then I have to rest which doesn¡¯t allow for efficient proficiency training, but I decided to slowly raise the proficiency.


    When activating Midare Sakura, not only does it take time to activate, it also deals abnormal damage to its surroundings, but if I Short Cancel it, it won¡¯t show its effect.


    From a 3rd person¡¯s perspective, it looks like I am breathing heavily after one Step, so that must look pretty pathetic, but there¡¯s no point in worrying about it at this point.


    I concentrated wholy in this, but¡­


    ¡°Crap!¡± (Souma)


    I messed up the timing a bit and ended up mincing one tree in the garden.


    (Let¡¯s rest here¡­) (Souma)


    With the skill being as it is, if I continued doing this with my concentration lacking, the garden would end up in a tragic state.


    I decided to wrap it up for now.


    Speaking of which, I haven¡¯t fully tested the Wakizashi that has been synthesized with the Gouging Vajra.


    I headed to the room of Ringo thinking about testing out the Lightning Strike while also serving as a visit to the bear.


    ¡­But¡­


    ¡°Ringo, the bear is not here?¡± (Souma)


    The bear was not in Ringo¡¯s room.


    When I asked this¡­


    ¡°¡­It went¡­outside.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo easily answered with that.


    It seems like it escaped already and went somewhere.


    What a free little one.


    ¡°¡­Haah.¡± (Souma)


    Could it be that it has been attacked by cows again?, is what I thought, but it went out on its own will, so there should be no problems.


    Even if the bear is rash, I doubt it will go out of its way to get close to the cows that it faced hell with once already.


    Can¡¯t be helped if the bear is not here.


    I was thinking to at least ask for a test of the Wakizashi¡¯s power, but the important Wakizashi is not here either.


    ¡°¡­It took it.¡± (Ringo)


    Is what Ringo said.


    She said it as if nothing, but that¡¯s a real big deal.


    ¡°Who took it?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked, flustered, someone knocked on the door.


    ¡°¡­It is back.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo reacted fast and opened the sliding door, and there it was¡­a yellow little one¡­holding a whole ton of white bottles in both arms.


    ¡°You¡­could it be that¡­¡± (Souma)


    *Grin*


    It smiled joyfully.


    After that, rumors of a yellow demon chasing cows circulated between the disciples, but it had nothing to do with us.

 CH 88

    A day passed since Asahi moved for us.


    My wanted poster has been taken off from the city for now.


    But that¡¯s because they know I am staying at the Hisame Dojo, so they don¡¯t need the wanted poster. Everyone from the Knight Order still believes that I am a cultist.


    It seems like the Knight Order has been injected with the fear of the Nekomimi Mansion. Even Asahi asked: ¡°Just what kind of place is your house?¡±


    I learned from my many predecessors and answered¡­


    ¡°A pretty amazing place.¡± (Souma)


    Yeah, I am not lying here.


    Also, it is simply that there¡¯s a lot of pranks set in that mansion by the developers.


    The horror room and the spinning room were actually most likely made for the player to have fun in their own twisted service spirit. Excluding the intruder traps, there aren¡¯t actually that many that bring harm to the body purposely.


    No, it might be just because you can just reset in the game world for the physical damage, but the mental damage it does to your real self is actually more effective.


    At the very least, now that the game has become reality, the traps of the Hisame family¡¯s trial that were all life-threatening were a lot more dangerous than the mansion. Is that just me?


    It seems like the matter of the Knight Order will take more time.


    Asahi didn¡¯t tell me not to go outside, but he did warn me to not go to the capital.


    I honestly don¡¯t understand the subtleties in those areas.


    But, for now, I don¡¯t really have any pressing matters I have to do in the capital aside from the matter with Maki.


    I will use this dojo as my base, and will clear dungeons and fields that don¡¯t have much to do with the capital.


    When I told them my plan, Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears stood up and Ringo had milk in one hand as they both agreed.


    The Bear alone was clinging to my neck and smacking my head, but this is not about what I am saying here. It is simply that its anger of before has not subsided.


    ¡°So, where are we going first?¡± (Mitsuki)


    I once again think about it.


    There¡¯s no immediate danger, but in Nekomimi Neko, wasting time means death.


    This game has a war state system made so that the player doesn¡¯t slack.


    Putting it simply, the war state system is an influence battle against the monsters. You gain an advantage by doing battles and events; on the other hand, if you don¡¯t battle or fail events, the monsters will push humanity.


    The easiest to understand one would be when you neglect completing the game too much and the Demon Lord ends up reviving the Evil God which would bring the Resurrection of the Evil God Bad End. Game Over.


    The thing deciding the war state is the parameter called Monster Invasion Progress that exists in each field. This lowers when you defeat monsters of that field, and if there¡¯s a lot of monsters in the field, it will increase.


    When it gets higher, the monster spawning will shorten, and when it is maxed, it will overflow to neighboring fields.


    On the opposite spectrum, if it lowers a lot, monster spawning will lower, and this would be a hindrance to leveling up there. It lets you get a peek of the disdain the Nekomimi Neko developers have with leveling up.


    Anyways, leaving that aside¡­


    The Monster Invasion Progress being way too high and monsters invading the neighboring fields is not something that happens in normal gameplay, but there¡¯s also the influence to events as well.


    In the case the Monster Invasion Progress is high, the Attack on the Capital and events where massive amounts of monsters show up happen more frequently. If you want to aim for a safe playthrough, you should lower them as much as possible.


    The Attack on the Capital event is one to watch out for specially.


    This event is apparently connected with the Monster Invasion Progress from the surrounding areas and the days since you came to the capital, but the conditions for it are still not clear.


    But if you continue your slow play and it happens in your first playthrough when your preparations are not good, it is certain that you won¡¯t be able to deal with it to begin with.


    If it happens when your stats are lacking, or if it happens when the player is not in the city, a massive amount of deaths happen there, and there¡¯s the chance it will deal a big blow to the city¡¯s functions and the events.


    Even if not, the characters of this world are all actual living beings.


    If possible, I would like the casualties to be as few as possible.


    Also¡­


    (Maki will show up in that battle as well.) (Souma)


    If Maki¡¯s position is that of the game¡¯s Princess Shermia, she will be standing at the very frontlines and fight the monsters.


    I obviously want to meet Maki, but I don¡¯t want to expose her to danger pointlessly.


    But she is not an adventurer and not even a Nekomimi Neko player, just a normal modern girl.


    Fortunately, the Monster Invasion Progress should have lowered quite a bit by wiping out the monsters of the Massive Outbreak, and it has only been recently since I have arrived at the capital.


    I doubt the Attack on the Capital will be happening anytime soon.


    Also, the event of the Attack on the Capital and the monsters that appear there may have a slight margin of error, but the direction and route they appear from doesn¡¯t change at all.


    As long as I prepare properly, I should be able to fight them off easily.


    Especially in this world where freedom is higher.


    I am thinking about setting traps in their route beforehand, and wipe out the monsters that come attacking.


    But in order to set large-scale traps¡­I won¡¯t go as far as saying I need the cooperation of the capital¡¯s people, but I haven¡¯t built enough trust with them to have them not oppose this.


    Anyways, it means that I can¡¯t make my move yet.


    Also, the threats related to the Monster Invasion Progress are not only the Attack on the Capital.


    It is not, but¡­


    (First, we have to confirm our fighting force at a convenient location.) (Souma)


    I look up a good location to test this out within my brain.


    There¡¯s several candidates.


    With our current ability, we technically can overcome any place aside from challenging the Demon Lord Castle.


    I would like to be back by today, so it will have to be limited to places closeby.


    I also add the condition that it shouldn¡¯t be too life-threatening or have rough traps. Also, since there¡¯s the chance here, I would like it to be a place where we can obtain useful items¡­ Yeah, I think I¡¯m close to singling one out.


    ¡°Alright, then we will head to the Steam Cave today.¡± (Souma)


    I decide on our next objective.


    I did go to Asahi to get his permission to go outside just in case, but he gave the okay pretty fast to a surprising extent.


    Even though I will be bringing her daughter along, he doesn¡¯t even ask for the place.


    He probably trusts us.


    The troubling thing instead was that the Clumsy Maid-san heard we were heading out on an adventure, and said: ¡°Then, I will cook up something that will last, okay?!¡±


    And she began making boxed lunches for some reason.


    In the first place, I have the Cooler Box, so there¡¯s no need to make food that will last, and with this clumsy one being the one who is cooking it, I can only imagine a bad result.


    I desperately refused, but I was pushed back in the end.


    ¡°Eat it with everyone, okay?!¡±


    She said this and gave me a whole ton of mitarashi dango**.


    Why dangos? Why mitarashi? But within the many dangos, the mitarashi dango is the only one that doesn¡¯t degrade with time, so mitarashi dangos are being treated as preserved food in this world.


    ¡­Well, I am not really clear on this since there are many vegetable type items and their settings are haphazard, but even though dango itself can¡¯t be considered preserved food, the moment you put sweet soy sauce glaze on it, it suddenly becomes one.


    It is one of the natural features of Nekomimi Neko. You could even consider it a bug.


    I receive those dangos while feeling wonder at how even the bugs have resonated in the daily life of the Nekomimi Neko world.


    As for the taste¡­let¡¯s just say she messed up the salt and sugar.


    We meandered a good amount, but we safely departed from the dojo, and we managed to arrive at the Stream Cave before it turned to night.


    The Stream Cave is a level 110 dungeon.


    Because the entrance is in a hard to tell location, the level of the enemies in this dungeon are high despite being close to the capital.


    In terms of level, you could say they are slightly higher than me and Ringo.


    But¡­


    ¡°These two really are absurd.¡± (Souma)


    We blitzed through the place without feeling that at all.


    The monsters showing up here are water element.


    There¡¯s guys that look like a giant mass of water that are floating around the vast cave, but it is honestly just a target for Ringo¡¯s Lightning Strike.


    The attack power of Ringo with the Wakizashi is incredible.


    She was defeating all enemies that should be above her in one hit with her Lightning Strike.


    Defeating them might not be the most accurate way to represent that sight. It would be more appropriate to say she is mowing them down.


    She is defeating them in one hit, so it instead makes it hard to tell the limits of the Lightning Strike.


    It is hard to say whether this is a successful test of her strength.


    There¡¯s also Mitsuki who doesn¡¯t even care at all that the enemy is in the sky. By the time I think she jumped, the enemy was already dead. That¡¯s just how fast she was bringing down the Elementals.


    By the way, I asked the two to not attack and used Side-Slash with Shiranui and managed to defeat them in one hit.


    I will just consider having learned Ringo and I can defeat level 110 enemies in one hit as the test showing results.


    But I chose this dungeon because I carefully thought we would be able to defeat the enemies here even if we lacked the ability, so ending it like this would be a bit dull.


    That¡¯s when I thought of something.


    ¡°Ah, now that I think about it, Bear, want to try defeating enemies too?¡± (Souma)


    If the bear can defeat cows, it might be able to level up.


    Well, with that body, I doubt it can equip armor, but there should be a chance if it can equip a weapon.


    It should at least be able to stab the Wakizashi on a dying enemy.


    After confirming that the bear nodded, I grinned.


    ¡°Then, Ringo, please give the Wakizashi to the bear.¡± (Souma)


    Even if the Wakizashi has high power, there¡¯s the chance that the bear will get killed if it gets hit.


    I decided to weaken the Water Elemental as much as possible with my game knowledge.


    ¡°Actually, this Water Elemental monster looks like it is hard to defeat because it is floating in the air, but it is actually an easy to defeat monster that has a lot of weak points. First¡­¡± (Souma)


    I throw a red ball to the Water Elemental first.


    The Red Ball that was within the items I bought in large quantities at the Item Shop.


    The ball type item is an expendable item that deals fixed damage like the Dart, but there¡¯s a variety of elements depending on the color of it. When it hits something, it will burst and deal elemental damage to its surroundings.


    But since it is a cheap 50E one, it only deals 10 damage, so it would get even lower if you have elemental resistance. That said¡­


    ¡°It stopped¡­moving?¡± (Mitsuki)


    It is effective against this Elemental.


    When an Elemental monster gets hit by their elemental weakness, they get stunned for a set amount of time.


    And within those, the Water Elemental has an even bigger weakness.


    ¡°Stopping its movements with a fire element attack first is the basics. What¡¯s next is¡­¡± (Souma)


    What I take out next are 2 bottles that I pour onto the enemy.


    The green and yellow liquid smashed onto the Water Elemental, mix, and the once blue body of the Elemental changed to green and yellow.


    ¡°That just now were poison and paralysis drugs. Maybe because its body is liquid, the liquid poisons have 100% effectiveness.


    And so, this guy has not only been poisoned but also paralyzed, so you can now do as you please with it.


    In this case¡­¡± (Souma)


    Without further ado, I ready the Golden Sakura that I got from Ringo and¡­


    ¡°[Last Nirvana]!¡± (Souma)


    Activate the Ninja Sword skill.


    Last Nirvana is a skill to hold back.


    Even if you deal fatal damage, it can keep the target in 1 HP.


    There¡¯s no way I would miss this against a paralyzed enemy.


    My attack hit the Water Elemental splendidly and¡­


    (Got nice feedback there!) (Souma)


    I get its HP to 1.


    Perfect.


    Now, we just need to have the bear defeat the Water Elemental that has 1 HP and¡­


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡± (Souma)


    While I was thinking this, the green and yellow Water Elemental¡¯s body wavered and fell to the ground.


    ¡°Eh? Why¡­?¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki whispered to me when I was confused.


    ¡°¡­If you get your enemy to 1 HP in a poisoned state, it will obviously die immediately.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± (Souma)


    A hard to describe atmosphere filled the cave.


    The cat ears of Mitsuki covered themselves as if saying ¡®even I am feeling embarrassed here¡­¡¯.


    While I was feeling dejected, a new Water Elemental spawned.


    I raise my voice as if to clear away the awkward mood.


    ¡°A-Alright, one more!


    Basically, just don¡¯t use poison. If I only use the paralysis one, I can hold back for the Bear¡ª¡± (Souma)


    Just when I was about to finish what I was saying, a silver flash ran by my side.


    ¡°Wa?¡± (Souma)


    When I checked where it went, I saw that the Wakizashi was stabbed at the center of the Water Elemental.


    I hurriedly turned back, and the Wakizashi was not in the hand of the Bear anymore. Its arm was directed at the Water Elemental as if it had thrown something.


    ¡°Throwing skill¡­¡± (Souma)


    I muttered this dumbfounded.


    The power of the skill that brought the end of many players is still alive. The Water Elemental fell to the ground with the Wakizashi still stabbed in it, and disappeared into the air.


    ¡°What was the point of my work¡­¡± (Souma)


    Within the hard to describe silence and sad atmosphere of the cave, only the Bear had a grin as if having fun.


    Because the Water Elemental was too weak, we didn¡¯t manage to confirm it properly, but I am now suspecting that maybe that Unique Skill shows the same amount of power regardless of who uses it. That said, I don¡¯t have the leeway to think about that right now.


    Even with that, the exploration went smoothly to a spiteful degree.


    When two or more enemies showed up, Ringo would defeat them with Lightning Strike. When there was only one, the Bear would defeat them with the throwing skill and we soon arrived at the boss room.


    The boss was a giant Water Elemental, so I immediately threw a Red Ball to it as if smashing all of my grievances here, threw a paralysis drug, and mindlessly stabbed it to death while it couldn¡¯t move.


    I was completely venting here.


    But thanks to that, I managed to regain my composure, and obtained a water element spear and Magic Seed as boss drops.


    (Well, this is good.) (Souma)


    I may have shown a pretty uncool side of me in the middle, but when looking at the whole picture, it wasn¡¯t that bad.


    We managed to feel our growth, and we obtained a water element weapon which we didn¡¯t have yet.


    Also, when you defeat the boss of the dungeon, the Monster Invasion Progress of that area lowers heavily.


    With this, there¡¯s no need to worry about this place for a good while.


    However, after thinking that far, something bothered me.


    (Monster Invasion Progress, huh¡­ I really can¡¯t ignore it.) (Souma)


    Actually, when I remembered about the Monster Invasion Progress, I also remembered that there¡¯s a place I must go to no matter what.


    I placed one cushion to test our current strength just in case, but I can¡¯t run away the whole time.


    ¡°You two, listen here.¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s why I resolved myself and spoke.


    Mitsuki, Ringo, and the Bear on top of my head look at me.


    ¡°I think the exploration of today was a success. We managed to reconfirm that we are strong. That¡¯s why there¡¯s a place I want to go to no matter what.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°A place you want to go to no matter what?¡± (Mitsuki)


    I nodded at Mitsuki and answered.


    ¡°Yeah. The field at the base of the mountain range south of here, the Slime Mold Forest.¡± (Souma)


    I said this with quite the resolve here, but the reaction of the two was questionable.


    Ringo probably doesn¡¯t know that place, and Mitsuki most likely doesn¡¯t understand why I feel so much danger from it exactly because she knows about it.


    As if proving my thoughts right¡­


    ¡°Is it a place to be so on guard of? If I remember correctly, that place should be a mere level 120 field.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears tilted as if saying ¡®you are so weird~¡¯, but that¡¯s the reaction of a person that doesn¡¯t understand their fearsomeness.


    They begin moving for real once the game starts.


    I don¡¯t know how this world fills the holes of why they don¡¯t move before that, but they must have begun their ¡®invasion¡¯ into this world the moment I came to this world, just like in the game.


    At this rate, this world will be conquered by them.


    That¡¯s why I must stop them before it is too late.


    The lord of the Slime Mold Forest and for the Nekomimi Neko players¡­


    ¡°Demon¡­ A demon¡­ Yellow¡­Demons¡­!¡±


    ¡°If you see one, assume there¡¯s 1,000 more of them.¡±


    ¡°These guys definitely have defeated more monsters than us.¡±


    ¡°While we were playing an RPG, these guys were playing a war simulation.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t the Monster Invasion Progress created solely for these guys?¡±


    ¡°A cat ear loving developer most likely mixed a weird love in it.¡±


    ¡°The detail and fixation is on a whole other level¡­in a bad way.¡±


    Are the complaints said about history¡¯s worst monster in Nekomimi Neko¡­the Yellow Slimes!!

 CH 89

    Light


    Dark


    Previous Chapter l Next Chapter


    TLN: Aaaah! The chapters lately and from here on are crazy long now.


    I wonder if there¡¯s an agreement between authors where the first few chapters are super short, but then get outrageously long after that point.


    ¡ª¡ª-


    ¡°Let¡¯s go outside for now.¡± (Souma)


    We head outside while thinking about how I should tell Mitsuki and the others about the threat of the Slime Mold.


    When we got out of the Stream Cave, the sky was already dark.


    I did feel like we progressed decently there, but we went all the way to the boss, so it must have taken a decent amount of time.


    I brought out the Master Torch from my bag and used it as an actual torch for once.


    It tends to be forgotten since it is way too useful for increasing weapon proficiency, but the Master Torch can be used as a normal torch, and no matter how long it is lit, it won¡¯t break.


    It is a convenient item even if you only see it as a torch.


    We moved to a slight elevation with that in hand.


    There¡¯s the danger of monsters coming when seeing the light, but Ringo can defeat them with Lightning Strike the moment they show up anyways.


    In that case, it would be easier to have a talk in a place with a good field of vision and difficult to get ambushed.


    ¡°If I remember correctly, the Slime Mold Forest is two fields ahead of here. Want me to just go there and wipe them out?¡± (Mitsuki)


    When we sat down there, Mitsuki said this straight on.


    Words filled with confidence fitting for her.


    But¡­


    ¡°No, even you have the off-chance of not making it. We will obviously all head there and I would like to avoid fighting them in the dark. Let¡¯s head back to the dojo and come back once again when it is bright.¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s dangerous.


    Mitsuki is a bad match against them.


    It has only been 2 weeks since the game started.


    I think their numbers should still be fine right now, but we can¡¯t afford unnecessary risks.


    Actually, one of the reasons why I chose this Stream Cave was because it is close to the Slime Mold Forest.


    It takes a decent amount of time to even reach this place. It is not like I didn¡¯t have the thought of just going straight to the Slime Mold Forest, but we really should challenge it in perfect form.


    ¡°¡­Are they really that big of a challenge?¡± (Mitsuki)


    The tone of Mitsuki was more of surprise than displeasure.


    Her cat ears also jumped up at this in shock.


    ¡°Yeah, they are different from any monsters in this world. Even you might lose if you challenge them without a plan.¡± (Souma)


    I begin explaining after clearly stating this¡­


    Explaining about the fearsomeness of the Yellow Slime that is called the worst monster among all the monsters.


    The sole enemies that appear in the Slime Mold Forest, the Yellow Slimes, are of course not exactly the slime molds in real life.


    When talking about slime molds, people would imagine an amoeba colony that¡¯s like the gathering of everything that¡¯s bad, is yellow, and moves annoyingly.


    That¡¯s this Yellow Slime.


    Putting it like that, you might imagine quite the disgusting creature, but when seeing the actual thing, you will definitely change your impression.


    When you actually see it, the thought of it being disgusting won¡¯t be showing up.


    You would simply be speechless and run away from the shiver-inducing fear.


    At the very least, that was the case for me.


    It is hard to put in words the fear I felt the first time I encountered them.


    My first encounter with them was when I was around level 50.


    I erased my data because of the marriage event and began the solo play from there, taking my time and doing well going through the beginning quests, and managed to raise my level to around 50.


    When you try to level up at the surroundings of Lamurick, the efficiency suddenly gets bad.


    Thinking that, I decided to move to the capital early, saved money, and rode the Magic Airship for the first time.


    But that Magic Airship crashed splendidly.


    The merchants all escaped with teleportation stones, but as someone who barely managed to scrape off money for the ride, there¡¯s no way I would have a rare item like that that¡¯s several times more expensive.


    I resented the escaping merchants, but the magic airship even had a warning written in the payment booth that you should ride it while aware of the risks of crashing.


    Complaining there would have been pointless.


    At the end, even the pilot escaped with a teleport stone. And so, I was left alone in the strange land with yellow trees and yellow grass along with the empty magic airship.


    I somehow managed to escape from the burning airship and checked my surroundings. I was relieved that there weren¡¯t any monsters in sight, but that conclusion was too hasty.


    The moment I sighed in relief, the attack had already begun.


    By the time I noticed, the paint-looking something that was sticking onto the trees dripped onto the ground.


    Moreover, that paint didn¡¯t stop with just falling on the ground, it accumulated with the paint closeby and created a cluster.


    The abnormality didn¡¯t stop there.


    Even at the places aside from the top of the trees, at places where there were no living beings like the ground, were also showing change.


    The yellow grass began to wriggle quickly and gather as well, changing into what seemed like a mass of yellow mud.


    When they became big and began approaching me while squirming, I finally noticed.


    It is not that there were yellow trees and grass here. It was simply that they were glued atop the trees and on top of the ground.


    But I noticed that way too late.


    At the time when I noticed and tried to escape, my surroundings had already become a yellow sea.


    The first one that came attacking me was a flabby yellow mud doll that had swelled up to over 2 meters.


    But when I looked closely, the mud doll had something yellow moving incessantly inside it, and it brought out disgust on a physiological level.


    I wanted to escape full speed, but even when I tried to, there wasn¡¯t anywhere to run to.


    I understood the difference in level, but I swung my sword in desperation.


    However, the mud doll was easily split in two in one hit contrary to my assumption.


    Almost no resistance as if I had cut water.


    The moment I began holding hope thinking I could do this¡­


    ¡°Wa?! Puh!!¡± (Souma)


    The yellow mud that was split in two attacked me in a pincer just like that.


    They crashed onto me.


    Then it spread around my whole body.


    ¡­I fell into a panic and don¡¯t remember anything well after that.


    My vision was yellow, pure yellow¡­just yellow.


    Nothing aside from yellow.


    However, I could tell instinctively that I was being swarmed by that yellow something.


    The sensations in VR games are toned down to the lowest output.


    It was fortunate that my whole body that was receiving attacks without end didn¡¯t feel the pain of being eaten alive.


    But even with that, I could tell something was crawling on top of me incessantly.


    ¡°Aaah! Uwaaaah! Aohngh!¡± (Souma)


    They clung onto my whole body, dragged me through the ground, crawled all over my face, and tried to enter my mouth.


    I flailed both arms and desperately shouted, but they showed no signs of decreasing.


    These yellow things swarmed onto me with no end and clung onto me.


    ¡°¡­! ¡­! ¡­!¡±


    Even when knowing it is impossible for monsters to go inside you because of how the VR system works, I got too scared to open my mouth.


    I desperately rolled around the ground to do something about them, but I only had that sensation of something being crushed, but their momentum wasn¡¯t going down.


    The HP gauge alarm rang in my ears.


    I didn¡¯t have the leeway to pay attention to that as I rampaged half in frenzy.


    The long long few minutes until my HP hit 0¡­


    In the end, I couldn¡¯t fight back against that yellow tyranny and was killed powerlessly.


    It was a splendid traumatic experience that would enter the top 5 in Nekomimi Neko when it comes to disgustingness.


    By the way, after that, I respawned at the monolith of Lamurick.


    ¡°What¡¯s with this?! What¡¯s with this shitty game?! Or more like, what¡¯s that about crashing?! I definitely won¡¯t be getting on this useless ship ever again!!¡± (Souma)


    I was raging on my own and logged out.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t get on that ¡®useless ship¡¯ again.


    In the end, I resumed playing after 2 hours, killed some time in Lamurick, headed to the capital in a different magic airship from the one that crashed and, this time around, I safely arrived at the capital.


    Yeah, I didn¡¯t lie.


    Now then, the one that attacked me when the magic airship crashed was the lord of the Slime Mold Forest.


    One of the worst monsters of Nekomimi Neko, the Yellow Slime.


    The individual HP of this slime is actually 1 and it is really weak to attacks, but because each and every single one of them is extremely small. Attacks from things like spears and swords that aim at one point or a line have almost no effect on it.


    It is only after around 1,000 of them gather that they finally become the size of a normal monster, but even if you cut them with a sword, you will defeat 100 at most.


    No matter how powerful of a slash you deal, the remaining 900 will cling onto your body, so plain physical attacks won¡¯t be working much.


    It would be a good idea to hit them with wide aoe magic, but you could say they are a hopeless match against close combat jobs.


    Well, even if I could use magic at that time, I doubt I would have a chance at all though.


    Also, their way of fighting is nasty.


    The only attack method of the Yellow Slimes is devouring.


    Basically, swarming and eating their prey.


    If that¡¯s hard to picture, just watch a video of ants or piranhas devouring their prey.


    The effect of Devour in gaming terms is to ¡®Cling onto your target and lower their HP by 1 at fixed times¡¯. That sounds plain at a glance, but it also means that your defense is pointless no matter how high it is.


    This is overwhelmingly effective especially against human characters that have a whole lot less max HP compared to monsters.


    No matter how robust of a warrior it is, they won¡¯t be able to do anything if these slime molds were to cover and devour you.


    It would be one thing in the game, but if that were to happen to me in reality, I would go crazy before dying.


    Moreover, they don¡¯t only eat humans.


    Players and NPCs go without saying, but there¡¯s also items with HP and even monsters that can become companions. Anyways, anything with HP aside from their own is a go for them.


    ¡­And the Multiply is the strongest trait of this Yellow Slime.


    It may sound obvious, but in Nekomimi Neko¡­the monsters in a field don¡¯t increase to a certain limit.


    That¡¯s because more than 2 groups of monsters can¡¯t appear in one spawn point.


    You could say having monsters in all spawn points is technically the highest amount of monsters you can have in that field.


    The only exception would be in the case when monsters appear from means other than spawning. There¡¯s a way for field monsters to increase in their total numbers.


    For example; an attack from monsters through an event, an influx of monsters from a neighboring area that has had its Monster Invasion Progress maxed, monsters originally there that call monsters in some way.


    The Multiply of the Yellow Slime falls into that category.


    Even without doing anything, the Yellow Slime will divide and multiply at fixed times.


    The numbers swell up with the mouse calculation, and it eventually fills up the whole forest in yellow.


    That¡¯s the result of the yellow forest I saw.


    However, their multiplication speed isn¡¯t that high when there¡¯s nothing to devour.


    You could even say it is slow.


    Because every single one of them is extremely small, they barely become a threat right when you begin your playthrough because they are multiplying while their numbers are still low.


    But the fearsomeness of mice is that the speed in which they multiply increases as time passes.


    If the first slime divides 10 times, it will surpass 1,000.


    If it divides 10 more times, it will be close to 1,000,000.


    If you take your time in leaving Lamurick at the beginning of the game, by the time you reach the capital, the Slime Mold Forest will be covered completely in Yellow Slimes, and it wouldn¡¯t be strange for it to have become a yellow plain by then.


    And then, when the Slime Mold Forest has been completely filled with slimes, the yellow calamity begins.


    Remember, when there¡¯s a lot of monsters in the field, the Monster Invasion Progress gets higher.


    Therefore, when the Slime Mold Forest gets completely covered in Yellow Slimes, the Monster Invasion Progress of that forest increases by a fearsome rate.


    The moment it surpasses a certain point, they will be allowed to invade neighboring fields due to how the system works.


    They will cross over the Slime Mold Forest and flood the other areas too.


    When that happens, their invasion speed will be incomparably faster than before.


    That¡¯s because they will get monsters (food) that spawn at fixed times in the other fields after all.


    It is not like they increase in numbers equally to how much they eat, but they definitely multiply faster when they devour other things.


    The Yellow Slimes will eventually devour all the monsters from neighboring fields, cover the whole field with their yellow body, and the Monster Invasion Progress will fill up in the blink of an eye.


    Then they flood neighboring fields, devour the monsters there¡­and there goes the downward spiral.


    It isn¡¯t rare for them to be hit back hard instead in high level fields, but in fields that are level 100 or lower, they will conquer them in the blink of an eye.


    They rinse and repeat that, and the slime mold eventually pushes all the way to the capital.


    Well, even if the recent games have leeway in processing power, there¡¯s no way they would use processing resources in battles that are not visible by the player, but that also means the ones you can see are properly being shown.


    The video Ambition of the Slime Molds by Super Free Guy that utilized this feature by watching the invasion the whole time from the Sky City was pretty interesting.


    It is a necessity to play it at double speed, but you can see in detail just how the slime molds do a sweeping conquest of the world. The more you know about the respective fields, the more you can enjoy that video.


    The set level of the Yellow Slimes is 120.


    Their HP is 1 and their damage is fixed to 1, so there¡¯s not much point in that level, but that¡¯s apparently around the strength of a Yellow Slime.


    When they enter a field that¡¯s lower than that level, you could visibly tell that the yellow spreads in an instant in that field and how it gets conquered.


    On the other hand, when it is a field of over level 120 -especially over 150- you can tell that their invasion speed decreases.


    It is because the HP of high level monsters gets massive, so there¡¯s not much point in their Devour attack.


    For example; the King Butcher that showed us pain.


    We managed to defeat it quickly with what could be considered a secret technique, but that guy has a large HP pool and regeneration.


    Even if the Yellow Slimes got onto its whole body and tried the Devour, it would regenerate its HP faster, so it would technically be unscathed.


    It can fight back by using its cleaver that has a hit box on the whole weapon, making it possible to kill several hundreds, thousands of them in one hit, so they get defeated instead.


    However, numbers really are power.


    Even the Yellow Slimes that had been defeated from one side would change the surrounding fields into their own, and by attacking from all directions, they would end up gaining complete control.


    The Butcher definitely won¡¯t be defeated, but it can¡¯t kill all the Yellow Slimes that are pushing on with numbers that surpass the hundreds of thousands.


    The result is that, even if the monsters are fine, the field itself will be painted yellow.


    The only one that completely stops its advance is the volcano field where the Demon Lord Castle is at.


    At a point in time, you would even think ¡®no, maybe they might be able to conquer that place too¡¯ and begin cheering the slimes in their world conquest, but you unfortunately can¡¯t see the world domination of the Yellow Slimes in this video.


    The enemies at the last stages of the game are powerful, and this invasion has a clear time limit.


    As I said before, the Monster Invasion Progress skyrockets from the Yellow Slimes overflowing to the whole world.


    The Attack on the Capital will have happened, and the Yellow Slimes will have eaten everything in a heartbeat, but that¡¯s not the only event that happens when the Monster Invasion Progress increases.


    The Evil God Resurrection Bad End.


    If you leave the Yellow Slime world domination be for too long, the invasion system will judge that the monsters have the advantage in this world, will forcefully resurrect the Evil God, and it will be Game Over.


    Actually, if you think about doing a normal playthrough, the Yellow Slimes having destroyed the city is already in essence game over.


    After the last patch, the story essential quest items are dropped from the NPCs when they die, so no matter how many people die, you can technically clear the game if you defeat the Demon Lord.


    However, there¡¯s no way you would be able to utilize them properly with no hints, and the chances of not being able to progress because you get hit by a bug for not doing it the proper way shoot up, so you normally can¡¯t reach the Demon Lord.


    If you want to avoid that, you have no choice but to protect the city from the invasion of the Yellow Slimes, but that¡¯s pretty hard.


    Their weak point is fire, so they won¡¯t approach a place that¡¯s on fire for a while.


    The reason why I wasn¡¯t attacked immediately at the Slime Mold Forest was thanks to the burning Magic Airship at my back.


    But that doesn¡¯t last long.


    Even if there¡¯s fire, as long as there¡¯s a target for consumption, they won¡¯t give up. When they judge that they have gathered enough numbers, they will surround you, and charge onto you without caring about the fire.


    And once your body gets swarmed once, there¡¯s almost no means to deal with it.


    There aren¡¯t many skills that allow you to shake off the Yellow Slimes from your body, and the support fire from your companions has the risk of friendly fire, so you can¡¯t expect much from it.


    As said before, their Devour attack deals 1 damage regardless of defense. This is not an attack that low HP humans can resist.


    Then, the basic strategy against Yellow Slimes should be to use long range fire spells, but that ain¡¯t easy either.


    Their speed isn¡¯t much, but readying firepower that can go against their overwhelming mass is not something anyone can do. Also, even if you defeat the ones on the surface, it won¡¯t reach the ones deep in.


    If you end up leaving enemies remaining, they will ¡®regenerate¡¯.


    I don¡¯t know how the game processes this, but even if they don¡¯t eat each other, they will eat their corpses.


    If there¡¯s Yellow Slimes closeby in the time before the corpses disappear, they will eat them.


    They will then use that to multiply.


    Eating their comrades seems to fit them well since when 50 are defeated among 100, the remaining 50 will eat the corpses and increase their numbers to around 75.


    It is an extremely troublesome trait and that¡¯s the same when your own companions are defeated.


    When someone gets defeated, not only themselves, even their items will be eaten completely, and they will multiply again.


    That¡¯s why it really is horrible if they were to reach a city.


    A whole lot of food for them, but you can¡¯t cast large aoe spells or skills.


    Many Nekomimi Neko players have challenged that despairing battle, and have perished without any hope in sight.


    Slime Mold Bad End.


    It was at that moment when those straight and despairing words were born.


    It was established that if the Yellow Slimes get out from the forest, it is already too late. At the Wiki, it is written in bold letters: ¡®Wipe out the monsters in the Slime Mold Forest before a certain period of time. If not, endless propagation will ensue and it will be a checkmate¡¯.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I want to defeat them while they are still low in numbers. We must move.¡± (Souma)


    I hide my information source and tell them in my best power how fearsome they are.


    But¡­


    ¡°You people¡­¡± (Souma)


    Unfortunately, they weren¡¯t listening to my story seriously.


    The Bear is sticking to my neck and smacking my head again, Mitsuki was looking the other way, and Ringo was drinking the milk she brought from the dojo.


    ¡°That looks tasty, Ringo.¡± (Souma)


    When I said this sarcastically¡­


    ¡°¡­Yup. Milk, tasty.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo nodded happily while remaining expressionless, letting out a sigh smelling like milk.


    That¡¯s a bit lewd¡­no, that¡¯s not it¡­


    ¡°You know, I am having an important talk here, you know? They are truly dangerous! Hey, Mitsuki, properly look over he¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°It certainly does seem like they are not your regular enemy.¡± (Mitsuki)


    That¡¯s when I finally noticed that Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears were stiffened up.


    ¡°Mitsuki¡­?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°My eyes are pretty good and they work well in the dark too. But that¡¯s strange. I can¡¯t find a single tree two fields ahead.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Two fields ahead¡­?


    I chewed the words of Mitsuki in my brain, and finally noticed¡­


    The direction Mitsuki is looking at¡­is the direction of the Slime Mold Forest¡­


    ¡°No way¡­¡± (Souma)


    But that¡¯s impossible.


    It has only been around 2 weeks since the game started.


    There shouldn¡¯t be that many slime molds in the Slime Mold Forest.


    No, in the first place, trees don¡¯t get eate¡ª


    (I see!!) (Souma)


    I forgot to take into account that this world is not a game anymore.


    In the game world, the trees were part of the field.


    Excluding special trees like those of the dojo, they are something you can¡¯t interact with.


    But that¡¯s not the case in this world.


    I could dig and destroy a wall in places where I couldn¡¯t in the game.


    In that case, you naturally can break trees or even¡­eat them¡­


    ¡°This is bad¡­¡± (Souma)


    The trees being gone doesn¡¯t matter.


    But if the slime molds multiplied faster because they ate the trees¡­


    It may be possible to interact with trees now, but they are objects that don¡¯t have HP, so there¡¯s the chance it doesn¡¯t affect their propagation.


    However, since it is showing a development that¡¯s different from the game, I can¡¯t predict what will happen.


    (What should I do? Should I head to the forest at once? Or return to the dojo for now and¡­) (Souma)


    I was pondering about how to adjust my future plans but¡­


    ¡°Have you noticed? Even though we have come here to a place that stands out this much with a light source, there¡¯s not a single monster aiming for us.¡± (Mitsuki)


    What Mitsuki said blew away all of those thoughts.


    I have been assuming the worst until now.


    Are you telling me it has already gone past even that?


    ¡°Souma¡­!¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo threw the milk bottle that still had half of its contents remaining far away.


    The moment it fell onto the ground, something crawled out from the darkness and swallowed up the milk bottle.


    ¡°Wa?!¡± (Souma)


    And then, after a momentary pause, it returned to the darkness as if it disliked the light.


    There¡¯s already no signs of the fallen bottle of milk.


    I gulped.


    There¡¯s not even the need to think about what I saw just now.


    ¡°Everyone, be careful. Make sure not to get too far from the fire.¡± (Souma)


    Not a single mistake will be allowed from here on.


    Because¡­


    ¡°This place is already the forest of the slime molds!!¡± (Souma)

 CH 90

    Light


    Dark


    Sponsored Chapter!


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    (Shit, this ain¡¯t no joke!) (Souma)


    I desperately held back my agitation as I cursed internally.


    When exterminating slime molds, you definitely can¡¯t get close to them, and attacking them outside their perimeter is the basic strategy.


    No, there¡¯s even some brave warriors that would charge straight on, prepared for an honorable defeat, but that¡¯s not something I can copy, and I don¡¯t want to.


    And yet, this is the worst among the worst situations where we are surrounded by the time we notice.


    Moreover, I didn¡¯t even imagine I would encounter them all the way here, so I haven¡¯t made preparations to fight them.


    My past trauma and the worst future resurface in my mind.


    (Calm down, calm down.) (Souma)


    I tell myself to calm down as I put a hand on my waist.


    Unfortunately, I don¡¯t think I have the time to be leisurely rummaging my adventurer bag.


    I jam my hand into the poach.


    (I am glad I prepared this one for the Water Elementals.) (Souma)


    I grab a number of poisons from the poach and throw it at the place where Ringo had thrown her milk.


    (With this, I don¡¯t know if they will be poisoned, but it should at least serve to keep them at bay for a bit while they are swarming it¡­) (Souma)


    Thinking this, I observed the situation while preparing to act the moment they swarmed the poison.


    But¡­


    (They aren¡¯t coming¡­?) (Souma)


    Their reaction is completely different from before.


    Despite the yellow presence in the surroundings getting stronger¡­ Those damn slime molds aren¡¯t touching the poison.


    I suspected they saw through the fact that the inside is poison, but they shouldn¡¯t have that intelligence.


    Taking favorites in what they eat is¡­after thinking that far, I noticed.


    (I see, priorities!) (Souma)


    Looking around, there¡¯s still trees and plants in this field that the slime molds can eat.


    And yet, they expressly went for us despite us having fire. It must mean that¡¯s just how far more delicious we must look to them.


    I doubt the slime molds have an organ that allows them to perceive the outside, but well, we are talking about the game world.


    They are approaching their prey and devouring them according to their set patterns as if they had eyes.


    The only thing they could consume when it was a game were humans, monsters, and items like weapons, and commodities.


    With the game having become reality, objects like trees and items that have no HP probably can be eaten now, but their action patterns of their game days most likely still remain.


    They might be prioritizing stuff like humans and milk that were possible to consume in the game rather than trees and poison which they couldn¡¯t eat before.


    (Then, it wouldn¡¯t be effective to leave poison, huh. In that case, it is already¡­) (Souma)


    While I was indecisive about the last poison flask¡­


    ¡°Lend it to me.¡±


    ¡°Ah, wa¡­?!¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki quickly stole the poison flask from my hands and threw it into the darkness.


    As expected of Mitsuki.


    I can barely see outside the light of the fire, but the poison flask of Mitsuki didn¡¯t miss its mark and made a direct hit on the moving yellow shadows around.


    ¡°¡­It doesn¡¯t look like anything¡¯s happening though.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Debuffs and debuffing items still don¡¯t work on them?!¡± (Souma)


    There¡¯s no change in the state of the slime molds.


    Because their color changes depending on their debuff, they should change colors to green if they are poisoned, and gray if they are dead, but this time around, no changes happened.


    It was completely wasted effort. No, since I lost the poison flasks from that, I ended up losing here.


    ¡°¡­Souma.¡± (Ringo)


    The yellow shadows have already encroached even into the range of the light.


    Are the slime molds of other areas invading this place too?


    Or are they eating other monsters even now?


    Looks like even Mitsuki doesn¡¯t want to cross swords with the slime molds.


    Even her cat ears are trembling as if saying ¡®these yellow things are scary~¡¯.


    I watched that as I once again sorted out the current situation.


    This is just a guess, but this massive propagation probably happened just recently.


    We encountered monsters normally before entering the dungeon. If it had been in the game, it would be a different story, but in this world, information about slime molds covering a whole field would have reached the city and the dojo.


    Also, there¡¯s still plants remaining here, so that means the slime molds invaded this field recently.


    There¡¯s still too little information to conclude that they can eat trees, but if they did consume the trees in the Slime Mold Forest, then taking 2 weeks to get here is way too slow.


    It is possible that they didn¡¯t realize they could eat trees at first, and slime molds don¡¯t move much when their numbers are low, so it may not have been that long since they began eating trees.


    Whichever the case, if we had been one day sooner or later, we wouldn¡¯t have been suddenly thrown into this situation.


    I don¡¯t know if this is bad timing or not, but that has its own avenues.


    ¡°Anyways, we need time to plan countermeasures! We are going to return to the cave!¡± (Souma)


    If they have only invaded this field just recently, the field before this one should still be fine.


    At the very least, in regards to the Stream Cave, I didn¡¯t see any Yellow Slimes on our way back.


    There¡¯s no doubt that place is okay.


    That¡¯s why we will run all the way there and fix our stance here.


    That¡¯s the conclusion I have come to.


    After reaching that conclusion, all that¡¯s left is to run away at full force.


    I give orders quickly.


    ¡°Mitsuki, I leave you in charge of the torch. Use this to keep the ones getting closer at bay, and protect everyone.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Got it.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki takes the Master Torch.


    Mitsuki immediately directed Master to the yellow mass coming at us, and they moved slightly away in dislike of the fire.


    ¡°Ringo, attack the ones following behind us with your Lightning Strike. You don¡¯t need to defeat them all. Just slow them down.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Okay.¡± (Ringo)


    Lightning coursed into the darkness as she responded.


    The aim was not accurate, but the target is spread out on the whole ground.


    Almost all of the Lightning Strikes hit the Yellow Slimes, killed them, and created a sea of gray.


    (But there¡¯s more than I imagined.) (Souma)


    Our field of vision widened a bit with the illumination of the Lightning Strikes and the amount of Yellow Slimes is more than what I thought.


    Almost all of the monsters here must have been hunted down already.


    I imagine they will concentrate on us until the next spawn happens.


    ¡°I entrust the poach to the Bear. There¡¯s elemental balls, so throw those¡ª¡± (Souma)


    Before I could finish saying this, the Bear that skillfully rode onto my back, took out a blue ball from the poach, and threw it onto the horde of Yellow Slimes.


    The blue explosion spread, and the Yellow Slimes in that area turned gray.


    Yellow Slimes have no elemental resistance and only have 1 HP, so even a low tier item can defeat them easily in one hit.


    But their fearsomeness begins from here on.


    The Yellow Slimes are swarming onto the gray corpses in front of my very eyes.


    And then, they devour them in the blink of an eye and regain their numbers.


    No, they actually are less than before, but because more were lured by the corpses of their comrades, it looks as if their numbers didn¡¯t lower.


    That sight is shiver-inducing, but this isn¡¯t the time to be trembling.


    In the time we were standing still, Yellow Slimes began gathering at the direction of the Stream Cave too.


    In order to run in that direction, we need to get them out of the way.


    We head to the yellow wall in front of us and I chant.


    ¡°[Petitplosion]!!¡± (Souma)


    It really came in handy that I lowered the power of the spell.


    The explosion of the spell that had its power lowered to its limit didn¡¯t do much damage to the Yellow Slimes, but it slowed their progress and showed enough effect in blowing them away.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± (Souma)


    We move ahead as if jumping into that slight opening that was created.


    Fortunately, there¡¯s still not that many blocking the direction to the Stream Cave.


    I could feel chills running down my spine as I saw the encirclement slowly closing, and I placed my hopes into returning through the path we came from.


    (But¡­is this bad?) (Souma)


    The chase of the Yellow Slimes is more intense than I imagined.


    We were aiming for the thin areas of their encirclement, advancing in zigzag, but as time passed, the ratio of yellow in our vision was increasing.


    On the other hand, it is not like we have the ability to fight indefinitely.


    ¡°Bear-san¡­?¡± (Souma)


    First, the elemental balls the Bear was throwing ran out.


    You can¡¯t have too much variety or quantity in the items you store in the pouch.


    I don¡¯t have the leeway to rummage through my bags, so this can¡¯t be helped.


    But the Lightning Strikes of Ringo are the only thing slowing them down now, and the intensity of the Yellow Slimes chasing us was clearly increasing.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± (Souma)


    I force myself a bit more than usual here and use Petitplosion.


    The Range has been lowered to the very limit, so I can¡¯t use it properly unless I am really close to the enemy.


    Anyways, we will manage somehow if we escape to the cave.


    I tell myself that, holding down my fear, as I close in to the enemy and use magic.


    But the moment we finally caught sight of the Stream Cave¡¯s entrance, I cursed that forcefulness.


    At that time, I also rushed into the perimeter of the Yellow Slimes and tried using magic but¡­


    (¡­The spell isn¡¯t coming out?!) (Souma)


    The explosion didn¡¯t happen.


    Ran out of MP.


    The yellow wave pushed onto me while I was standing dumbfounded!


    ¡°Souma!!¡±


    What saved me was a lightning bolt that cut through the darkness.


    The Lightning Strike made a direct hit onto the yellow wave and stopped its movement for an instant.


    Mitsuki pulled me in that opening and I barely managed to escape.


    ¡°Thanks, both of you. You saved me there.¡± (Souma)


    I thank them with a pale face.


    ¡°¡­I won¡¯t let Souma die¡­definitely.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°I just did the obvious.¡± (Mitsuki)


    The response of the two was reliable.


    But the price was heavy.


    Because the attacks of Ringo towards the back had been cut off temporarily, the Yellow Slimes that were chasing us have completely caught up to us.


    The reason why I used a low power attack to not kill as many Yellow Slimes as possible is because they prioritize the corpses of their comrades.


    ¡°We have been surrounded.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki¡¯s heavy voice stabbed at my chest.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Ringo didn¡¯t say anything, but it seems like she understands that this is a despairing situation.


    *Grin*


    The Bear was smiling stout-heartedly even at a time like this.


    ¡­No, I don¡¯t know if it is stout-hearted, but it is smiling.


    I also respond with a powerless smile.


    Honestly speaking, this situation is the worst.


    Mitsuki is barely keeping them at bay with the torch right now, but it wouldn¡¯t be strange for them to attack us the next instant.


    This is the moment to make the final decision.


    I closed my eyes.


    (¡­No choice, huh.) (Souma)


    It will be impossible to come out of this place unscathed.


    I prepared the Golden Sakura in my left hand.


    Not towards the Yellow Slimes surrounding us in all directions but towards my irreplaceable comrades.


    At this rate, we will be wiped out.


    That¡¯s why there would be the need to sacrifice one of us¡­no, the sacrifice of either Ringo or Mitsuki.


    ¡°¡­Sorry.¡± (Souma)


    Saying this, I raise the Golden Sakurai.


    There¡¯s no time to explain details.


    No matter what kind of blame I get here, I intend to struggle for the sake of survival.


    But even when seeing me raise my weapon, they don¡¯t show signs of running away.


    They are accepting whatever I am about to do without any resistance.


    (I am really¡­sorry!) (Souma)


    The moment I apologized in my heart and was about to take the last measure¡­


    ¡°Awooooooooh!!¡±


    A fearsome howl rang at the side all of a sudden.


    When I faced that direction by reflex¡­


    ¡°Bloody Ogre?!¡± (Souma)


    The Rare Monster of this field, the Blood Ogre was visible from afar.


    The Bloody Ogre is an ogre species Rare Monster with black skin. It is a monster with power several ranks higher than a normal one.


    It probably survived for being a Rare Monster with high HP.


    Or maybe it spawned just recently.


    This is the first time I see a monster aside from the Yellow Slimes since coming here, but it doesn¡¯t seem like it will be living for long.


    It is desperately trying to shake the Yellow Slimes off, but its lower half is already being taken over by them.


    At this rate, it is only a matter of time before it gets eaten to death.


    But I reached a decision after seeing that.


    ¡°Souma?!¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°What are you doing¡­?!¡± (Mitsuki)


    I threw the Bear at my back to Ringo and jumped into the yellow sea.


    Sinking one leg into the Yellow Slime sea with Step, sending the ones wrapping around that leg flying away with High Step, and closing the last distance to the Bloody Ogre with Ground Compression.


    It¡¯s hard to describe the weird sensation of my leg being eaten.


    But 1 damage is not enough to interrupt my skill.


    I get all the way to the rampaging ogre with Ground Compression, and Jump.


    Even with that, I couldn¡¯t get all of the Yellow Slimes off me.


    However, the weak point of the Ogre -the head- was now within range.


    There¡¯s a lot of times when giant monsters like the Bloody Ogre and the Butcher have their heads, which are hard to aim at, as their weak point.


    And if you get a hit in their weak point¡­their Critical Point, the damage at that time and the debuff rate doubles!


    ¡°[Poison Fang]!!¡± (Souma)


    The Dagger Skill I activated with the Golden Sakura pierced the head of the Ogre.


    I certainly got the feedback that I did it.


    ¡°Kuh!¡± (Souma)


    And then, my body lost power as it finished doing the skill and began falling into the yellow sea.


    While I was falling, the Bloody Ogre couldn¡¯t endure the attacks of the Yellow Slimes, fell on its knees, and I saw that its body was covered completely in yellow.


    (¡­Ah.) (Souma)


    My body fell onto the ground¡­no, onto the yellow sea while I was watching this.


    ¡°Souma! Souma!!¡±


    I could hear the desperate voice of someone while my vision was being quickly dyed in yellow.


    At this rate, I will be eaten to death by these Yellow Slimes in less than a few seconds.


    But¡­I am sure that won¡¯t be happening.


    And the reality is that¡­


    ¡°¡­Sou¡­ma?¡±


    A few beats after, the Yellow Slimes on me got away from my body.


    They had found a predation target that they should prioritize more.


    When I raised my head, I could see the Yellow Slimes swarming the Bloody Ogre¡¯s body.


    No, more precisely, onto the Yellow Slimes glued on the body of the Ogre.


    What was reflected in my eyes was an out-of-place sight of vibrant colors.


    The yellows were swarming the grays, and their bodies were turning green in an instant.


    The greens divide, creating a new sea of green, then turn gray and don¡¯t move anymore.


    New yellows swarm those, change to green, create more greens, turn gray¡­and repeat.


    Yellow, green, gray, yellow, green, gray¡­


    That strange color chain spread radially with the Bloody Ogre¡¯s body as its center.


    ¡°Go!¡± (Souma)


    This sphere began enlarging more and more in the blink of an eye as if following my encouragement.


    And then¡­


    ¡°You saved us there, Bloody Ogre.¡± (Souma)


    By the time the giant body of the Bloody Ogre had turned into particles and disappeared¡­the yellow sea was already gone.


    It happened in just mere seconds.


    But in those mere seconds, the Yellow Slimes that were doing a sweeping conquest at the field had become particles without leaving a single remaining, and suddenly the night regained its silence.


    I can¡¯t bring out energy due to the mental exhaustion.


    My leg that had Yellow Slimes coiled around it stings.


    I didn¡¯t have the strength to get up and just stayed lying face up there.


    ¡°Ha¡­hahahaha!¡± (Souma)


    Even with that, a smile naturally spread and I tightened my fist.


    ¡°¡­Chain reaction¡­succeeded.¡± (Souma)


    I may be going a bit out of topic here, but what I did this time around was the countermeasure for Yellow Slimes that was found by coincidence by a certain player which brought hope to the grieving Nekomimi Neko players.


    Also known as: Slime Mold Radial Extermination.

 CH 91

    Light


    Dark


    The slime mold monster that dropped many Nekomimi Neko players into despair, the Yellow Slime.


    That overwhelming ferociousness was on a level where there would even be a warning written at the Nekomimi Neko Wiki for a period of time, but that didn¡¯t last for more than a week.


    A few days after the threat of the slime molds had become a hot topic in the forums¡­


    A Nekomimi Neko player coincidentally found the countermeasure for the Yellow Slimes, and they publicized it.


    ¡­That¡¯s the Slime Mold Radial Extermination.


    The ground-breaking Yellow Slime countermeasure that takes advantage of the special trait of the Yellow Slimes.


    This Slime Mold Radial Extermination uses poison.


    It doesn¡¯t just simply use poison. The core of this countermeasure is that you place one cushion in between.


    There has been the approach of defeating Yellow Slimes with debuffs in the past.


    However, the tenaciousness of the Nekomimi Neko players at that time ended in a whimper, and they couldn¡¯t manage to debuff them.


    The debuffing attacks and items didn¡¯t work at all.


    However, by applying a little trick, you can debuff the Yellow Slimes.


    Not only that. By exploiting the predation and division of the Yellow Slimes, you can wipe them out in one go.


    According to the one who discovered this, they simply discovered this by mistake.


    He was desperately trying to stop the attack of the slime molds in order to protect the city, but was pushed back by the wave of Yellow Slimes, cornered to certain defeat.


    At that time, he threw the poison flask as his last struggle, and it ended up hitting a companion.


    That companion unfortunately got poisoned.


    He clicked his tongue at his own mistake, but this created an unexpected miracle.


    The moment the Yellow Slimes clung on to his comrade, something unexpected happened. A strange chain reaction wiped them all out.


    Being surprised by this, he created a similar situation after that to verify this, and reached this conclusion.


    Basically, the Yellow Slimes get infected by the devoured target¡­


    This immediately was verified by other Nekomimi Neko players and the conclusion was the same.


    Countless experiments verified that when Yellow Slimes consume something, they will get a state change of the same intensity as the consumed target.


    If they eat a poisoned target, they get poisoned; if they eat a paralyzed target, they get paralyzed. Even when the eaten target has an HP buff, they will receive that one too.


    This discovery was a priceless piece of information for the Nekomimi Neko players who didn¡¯t have any means against the Yellow Slimes.


    But that¡¯s still a bit lacking to stop the invasion of the slime molds.


    The biggest harvest in that new info was how dramatic the effect of poison was on the Yellow Slimes.


    It is true that it is useless being able to paralyze them. You can¡¯t expect a change in the situation as a whole from that.


    It might serve to keep them in place, but the remaining ones just go for the player and it doesn¡¯t solve the root problem.


    But from the many debuffs, poison alone was different.


    It had several factors that made it super effective on Yellow Slimes.


    This game¡¯s poison is said to be the beginner killer. The damage itself isn¡¯t that big of a deal, but the space between each tick of damage is really low. You get a tick of damage each second.


    Even if it is 1 damage, you get 60 damage in 1 minute, so there was even a diagram made in the early stages that stated poison = death.


    Remember when the Water Elemental died instantly when it got to 1 HP?


    In many RPGs, the effect of the poison stops when you get to 1 HP, but the one in Nekomimi Neko finishes you off without any mercy.


    Also, this goes for all debuffs in general, but even when a monster reaches 0 and dies, the debuff will stay on the corpse until it disappears.


    It is a whole lot of settings that are annoying, but all of those factors created a Yellow Slime killer.


    They only have 1 HP after all.


    Because of how the poison works, they will definitely die in the first tick.


    The next point is that, when Yellow Slimes die, they become the best food for other Yellow Slimes.


    They prioritize the consumption of their comrades¡¯ corpses rather than humans and monsters -regardless of poison.


    What happens is that energetic Yellow Slimes will get infected by the poison when they consume those corpses.


    But wait, there¡¯s more.


    They multiply after eating them.


    The devouring and multiplying when they are crowded is abnormally fast, so when comrades closeby are killed, the process of consuming and dividing will be achieved in just 1 second.


    It is a trait that was an incredible pain to deal with when fighting them, but that bit them back. Because what is born when it divides is one that is in the exact same state as its original.


    When a poisoned one divides, a poisoned one is born.


    What happens after that is simple.


    The more they eat the poisoned corpses, the more the Yellow Slimes increase in numbers.


    The more tightly packed they are in the field, the more smoothly the poisoned Yellow Slimes increase.


    The smoothest process would be an increase of 1.5 in a space of 1 second.


    I vaguely remember it, but there was an ¡®Exterminating Slime Molds for Dummies¡¯ at the Wiki, and this is basically what was written.


    From there on, the Yellow Slime death is endless.


    A lot of things are simplified here, but this is the Slime Mold Radial Extermination.


    It creates a death chain of poison and multiplication to eradicate the damn slime molds.


    Discussions as to whether this technique is a bug or intended were endless among Nekomimi Neko fans.


    There¡¯s people who said it was an unexpected interaction with their fast propagation. Their multiplication was the developers¡¯ malice, but the method to solve it was outside their plans.


    However, I am actually on the side that pushes the theory that everything including the solution with poison was part of the plan of the developers.


    Using the threatening propagation ability of a dangerous being to bring their demise. A development often found in stories.


    It is such a popular cliche that there¡¯s even stories like aliens with the latest in technology not taking measures for viruses and being wiped out.


    Also, how the slime molds multiple and how the poison works fits too well to be a coincidence.


    I may be overestimating them here, but the flow of events where the players made a ruckus about the abnormal Yellow Slime propagation and their defeat by poison could be considered an event of sorts.


    I think this was an intended way of properly enjoying the game by the developers.


    Now then, it is finally time for the main topic.


    After the Slime Mold Radial Extermination was established, barely any Nekomimi Neko players were troubled by the Yellow Slimes anymore.


    This time around as well, if it had been in normal circumstances, we could have gotten through this without any issues, but I dealt with it badly.


    If you are going to use the Slime Mold Radial Extermination, you would first have to poison yourself, a comrade, or a monster, and have them charge right into the Yellow Slimes like that.


    There were no monsters around, and poisoning Ringo or Mitsuki and having them charge into those guys is out of the question.


    As for the Bear, I don¡¯t even know if it would get poisoned, and don¡¯t know if the Yellow Slimes would eat it, so that¡¯s not an option to begin with.


    The correct answer was for me to drink the poison from the very beginning when we were surrounded, and charging into the Yellow Slimes, but I didn¡¯t have the courage.


    That¡¯s why I was hoping for them to die by themselves from eating the poison they normally couldn¡¯t eat in the game, and ended up throwing the important poison.


    In the end, that plan ended up failing, and when I was hesitating about drinking the poison, Mitsuki threw the last poison flask I had.


    Unable to use the poison flasks, I had no way to poison myself now.


    I haven¡¯t learned poison spells, and skills normally can¡¯t be used on yourself.


    After that, we ran away while I tried to find a different solution, but I failed.


    That¡¯s the reason why I directed the Golden Sakura onto the two with no choice but to use Poison Fang on either Ringo or Mitsuki.


    I say the two, but because Mitsuki has way too high debuff resistance, I would have ended up using Poison Fang on Ringo at that rate.


    But the Bloody Ogre came right at that moment, so I sacrificed him and successfully achieved the Slime Mold Radial Extermination.


    The Bloody Ogre died immediately after I attacked since it was already weakened, but there¡¯s obviously no need for the target to die immediately.


    As long as it can last for the 1 second when the Yellow Slimes are on it while poisoned, the target will switch to their dead comrades with their priorities.


    I doubt Mitsuki or Ringo would have died with their current stats, but it isn¡¯t hard to imagine they would have suffered quite the scary experience.


    It is an experience that I was on the verge of being traumatized by even in the game after all.


    In this world where the reality has been amplified even more, this wouldn¡¯t just be a fearsome experience.


    If I could have solved this without getting anyone dragged into it, that would have been for the best.


    The Bloody Ogre really saved us in a lot of meanings.


    That¡¯s what I was thinking, but it looks like the opinions of my companions were different.


    ¡°¡­Souma¡­you are too reckless.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo said this and she has been holding my clothes tightly with no signs of letting go.


    It is as if she is saying I would jump off somewhere if she were to let go.


    *Smack smack*


    The Bear might be angry here. It is grabbing my neck like a ghost, and it is smacking my cheeks as it pleases.


    It honestly doesn¡¯t hurt at all, but it probably is telling me to reflect there.


    And the one who showed the most obvious anger was unexpectedly Mitsuki.


    ¡°If there was such a solution, you should have let me do it at once. I wouldn¡¯t fear enemies like that, and with my skills, I could have adjusted the amount of Yellow Slimes on me.¡± (Mitsuki)


    She declared so with a mighty atmosphere like the first time I met her.


    ¡°If you had died before reaching the ogre, or if your skill hadn¡¯t poisoned it, you would have died. You may have been trying to be considerate about us there, but if you die, we might have died as well since we didn¡¯t know about how to deal with the Yellow Slimes. You should have relied on us more.¡± (Mitsuki)


    I couldn¡¯t say anything.


    It is true that what I did had a lot of uncertain factors.


    Having decided to run to the Stream Cave, deciding to poison the Ogre instead of Ringo or Mitsuki; they were obviously all things I decided on because I thought we had a chance.


    But if you ask me whether my desire of not wanting to cause harm to them wasn¡¯t mixed in it, I can¡¯t say with confidence that¡¯s not the case.


    I feared harming my companions more than necessary and brought the risk of our party being wiped out.


    I certainly have no means to refute that.


    That said, a normal girl would hesitate purposely being predated by the Yellow Slimes, but Mitsuki is the daughter of Hisame family.


    A family of brave warriors that would say from the bottom of their heart ¡®I am glad that you are okay¡¯ towards someone that¡¯s heavily injured and on the verge of death.


    In this world where it is simple to heal injuries with magic, wounds that don¡¯t lead to death can¡¯t be considered risks.


    Even in my trials, Mitsuki was completely normal.


    She is different from Ringo who would get angry at my recklessness. I thought Mitsuki was purely getting angry here because I pointlessly created the risk of being wiped out by using a method that had a lot of uncertainties despite there being a logical solution.


    ¡°How do you think I felt while I was watching you sink into the Yellow Slimes? That¡¯s the first time I felt that way¡­and I don¡¯t plan on tasting that ever again.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Now that I look closely, her cat ears are trembling faintly.


    Maybe Mitsuki was worried about me in her own way.


    While I was thinking that¡­


    ¡°Do you still have an item with the poison effect inside here?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki suddenly grabbed my bag and asked me this.


    ¡°Well, if you search, there¡¯s still poison flasks, poison knives, and things of the sort¡­¡± (Souma)


    Poison items are not used often.


    I don¡¯t remember where I put them, but I am sure I will find them if I take my time.


    I answered while confused and Mitsuki nodded.


    ¡°Then, I will borrow this for a bit.¡± (Mitsuki)


    She came to an understanding on her own and was about to walk off with my bag.


    ¡°W-Wait a moment!¡± (Souma)


    I obviously stopped her.


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t. Ringo-san, please grab him for a bit.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Ringo?!¡± (Souma)


    Ringo grabbed me from behind and I was the one who was stopped in place instead.


    Mitsuki looked at me coldly while I was immobilized.


    ¡°This is your punishment for being reckless alone. Please rest in a safe place.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Punishment, you say¡­¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki said while I was confused.


    ¡°There should still be Yellow Slimes in fields aside from this one. I will move around and wipe those Yellow Slimes. I just have to throw in poisoned monsters, right? If that¡¯s the case, me alone¡­no, it would be easier for me to go alone.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°No, but¡­hnn?¡± (Souma)


    I was going to protest, but Ringo covered my mouth with her slender fingers from behind.


    ¡°¡­Is that okay?¡± (Ringo)


    Mitsuki nodded at the short question of Ringo without hesitation.


    ¡°I said a lot there, but me throwing the poison flask was my mistake. I must properly show my worth here by doing my job, or I won¡¯t feel right. Also¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki looked at me and Ringo, who was holding me, and covered her face a bit.


    ¡°¡­That role doesn¡¯t suit me. You could call it the right job for the right person.¡± (Mitsuki)


    I was thinking of denying it, but my mouth is being covered.


    Ringo was going to speak instead, but she didn¡¯t say anything in the end.


    She didn¡¯t say anything as she pulled my body onto her.


    ¡°Please evacuate to a safe place at that time. I can tell your location with my ring, so there won¡¯t be any problem no matter where you go.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki said this, turned around, and was about to run off.


    A yellow shadow jumped at that moment.


    That wasn¡¯t a Yellow Slime that had overcome the threat of eradication and was waiting for the moment to strike, but¡­


    ¡°Oh, you¡­want to go with me?¡± (Mitsuki)


    It was the Bear that had gotten down from my head at some point in time.


    The reason why the Bear that normally doesn¡¯t even get close to Mitsuki has decided to accompany her is most likely because it saw her discouraged, and is being considerate here.


    This Bear is well made in a lot of meanings.


    After Mitsuki and the Bear were gone, we treated my leg and moved to the Stream Cave.


    When you eliminate all the Yellow Slimes, the Monster Invasion Progress of the surrounding areas also decreases greatly, so the monster spawning should have calmed down.


    Also, because the patrolling route of the enemies in the Stream Cave is set, the area close to the entrance is a complete safe zone.


    Ringo sat with her back leaning on the wall of the cave, and she forcefully made me lie down on top of her legs.


    On top of that, she even wrapped her arms around my face as if hugging me.


    I can¡¯t run away with this.


    That said, I really am worried about Mitsuki and the Bear.


    It makes me think if it is really okay for us to be resting here while they are doing their best fighting the Yellow Slimes.


    ¡°Hey, Ringo, we really should¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Rest.¡± (Ringo)


    But Ringo didn¡¯t allow it.


    I was about to stand up, but I was completely stopped by her holding my forehead.


    Looks like it will be hard to convince her.


    (This is troubling¡­) (Souma)


    I was on edge because of the Yellow Slimes and the clock was showing it was already night.


    I of course also feel like resting.


    I do understand Ringo and Mitsuki being considerate to me and trying to make me rest by making up any excuse.


    Even with that, I still can¡¯t hold back this uneasiness.


    I tried to get up several times, but Ringo would stop me every single instance.


    When I was finally about to give up¡­


    ¡°¡­Souma.¡± (Ringo)


    A low voice came from above.


    When I looked up, Ringo was looking at me with watery eyes.


    ¡°Souma going away¡­is the thing that would trouble me the most.¡± (Ringo)


    For some reason, that tightened my chest.


    Her white and slender hands brushed my cheek gently.


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s why¡­don¡¯t go disappearing on your own.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo pushed her body onto my head and hugged me.


    I could feel the warmth of Ringo from where it was touching.


    (Could it be that she is¡­feeling anxious here?) (Souma)


    Ringo is expressionless, so it is pretty hard to read her emotions, but I can tell that there¡¯s times when she would think more seriously about me than even myself.


    The subjugation contest, the Nekomimi Mansion, the Hisame family¡¯s trial, the Yellow Slimes; these few days have been continuous days of life threatening events.


    If Ringo was worried about my life even more than I did, she probably didn¡¯t have a single moment where she could relax.


    Thinking that, I suddenly felt guilt rushing into me.


    I want to soften her uneasiness as much as possible.


    ¡®I won¡¯t disappear from your side, Ringo¡¯, is what I was thinking of answering with, but¡­


    ¡°I won¡¯t¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I stopped my words in the middle of it.


    There were dangerous situations today, and I worried Ringo quite a bit in the Hisame family¡¯s trial, but I have no intention of dying here at all.


    I can say for sure that I will definitely survive.


    (But I¡­) (Souma)


    After all these series of troubles calm down, I will be meeting Maki.


    Maki is my cousin who came from the same world as me.


    When I meet her, we will obviously be talking about how to return to our original world.


    Even if we find a way to return to our world, I plan on staying in this world at least until I defeat the Demon Lord, but¡­


    (What will happen after that¡­?) (Souma)


    Defeat the Demon Lord, bring peace to this world, and then what?


    Will I be going back to my world with Maki?


    Leaving behind Ringo and Mitsuki who treasure me so much?


    Or¡­


    (I¡­) (Souma)


    I couldn¡¯t bring out words to continue that thought.


    In the end, I was caught by the delayed drowsiness without being able to find an answer, and fell into the world of dreams.

 CH 92

    Light


    Dark


    ¡°Ah, there it is. It is this one¡­¡±


    I am careful not to directly touch the newly spawned slime mold, the Yellow Slime, as I placed it inside an empty bottle.


    I quickly closed the lid and threw it into the Cooler Box.


    ¡°Alright!¡± (Souma)


    I thought it would bounce off, but it unexpectedly got inside without any issues.


    You aren¡¯t supposed to be able to put living beings inside the Cooler Box, but it seems like it is ok if it is inside a bottle.


    If this is the result of tracing the world of Nekomimi Neko, which is monkey in a lot of fronts, this is quite the impressive replication, but I don¡¯t get their criteria.


    ¡°What do you plan on using that for?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki approached me and tilted her cat ears dubiously as she asked me this.


    ¡°Well, I was thinking about using it for a bit of a trap.¡± (Souma)


    I answered this as I look around at the Slime Mold Forest that has completely become a wasteland now.


    I woke up at the Stream Cave when it was close to the next day¡¯s dawn.


    Mitsuki had returned a long time ago and told us that she had wiped out all the Yellow Slimes from all the fields including the Slime Mold Forest.


    Even though it should have taken quite the time to just move to all of them, as expected of her outrageous speed.


    After that, I woke up Ringo who was asleep, and headed to the Slime Mold Forest.


    There were a number of things I wanted to confirm, and if possible, I wanted to secure some Yellow Slimes for the future.


    Even if we have wiped out the ones that are present, they respawn after a certain period of time.


    If there¡¯s trees and grass remaining, there¡¯s the chance they would use that as food and propagate again in a short span of time.


    The conclusion is that it seems that was needless worry.


    Even if new Yellow Slimes are spawning back, new trees and grass are not spawning back.


    I asked Mitsuki, and it seems like, aside from the monsters, the plants and animals of a field don¡¯t suddenly revive.


    Even with that, the Yellow Slimes will still propagate after a few months, so I decided to leave it to Mitsuki and the Hisame Dojo.


    I thought about destroying spawn points and setting poison traps, but those are not permanent countermeasures.


    More importantly, I had Mitsuki teach the Hisame Dojo and other places the method to deal with the Yellow Slimes. That way, they can make countermeasures so there¡¯s no casualties even when they propagate. That would most likely be more beneficial for this world.


    And with this, my one other objective has been achieved.


    That objective is of course to capture a Yellow Slime.


    I am thinking of using these Yellow Slimes to prepare for the Attack on the Capital.


    When I glance at my side, Ringo and the Bear seem to be playing around.


    ¡°¡­Split hair?¡± (Ringo)


    Is what she would say as she plays around with a string on a frayed spot at its back, but is that okay for a plushie?


    I feel like the Bear is actually struggling seriously here, but it is probably my imagination.


    I didn¡¯t see the arms of the Bear flailing around and turned back to Mitsuki.


    I lower my voice a little bit to not get in the way of Ringo and the Bear who seem to be having fun.


    ¡°Keep this between us, but I heard that the monsters close to the capital will be invading.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°An attack on the capital?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears bend as if saying ¡®really?¡¯ as I added to it.


    ¡°Yeah, a massive amount of monsters are pushing from the west. I don¡¯t know if it will really happen or when, but I thought that this would be of help when it happens.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Could it be you are thinking of having this thing eat the monsters that attack?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki naturally voiced her surprise.


    But it is exactly that.


    The Attack on the Capital is an event where monsters mainly around level 90-110 push through.


    To be more precise, the monsters that come attacking from the west fields of the capital are the main ones.


    Anyways, no matter if they are 90 or 110, they are still within the predation range of the Yellow Slimes.


    It seems like even the Yellow Slimes can¡¯t easily eat the monsters that are flying in the sky, but any monsters aside from those were turned to nothing.


    When the Attack on the Capital happened, the monsters attacking the capital would be swallowed by the Yellow Slimes immediately.


    I plan on creating this scenario artificially.


    It is still pretty barebones right now, but if I use this in conjunction with the skulls and pitfalls, it should work plenty well as a trap.


    Dig a pitfall in the west of the capital and put the Yellow Slimes in that.


    I haven¡¯t verified yet whether the skulls work on the Yellow Slimes, but I already know that they work to limit the movements of normal monsters.


    I will limit the routes of the monsters and lead them into the pitfalls.


    Of course, there¡¯s the need to pack them tightly, but there¡¯s the chance that we could defeat most of the monsters with this.


    The Yellow Slimes will increase in number after that, but we can solve that by throwing in a poisoned monster at the end.


    When I explained all that to Mitsuki, she frowned with her cat ears.


    ¡°That¡¯s a nasty plan. But it might be effective.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Getting the seal of approval from Mitsuki is reassuring.


    ¡°But if we are going to be doing this, we have to get the permission of the Knight Order or the people of the capital.¡± (Souma)


    If we were caught setting up the skulls and the Yellow Slimes, we would end up being treated as criminals.


    It would also be dangerous if a civilian were to accidentally step on it. If we are going to be setting traps like that, it would be necessary to have the cooperation of the Knight Order.


    Mitsuki must understand that as well.


    She nodded to what I said and¡­


    ¡°If we are going to be doing this, we have to cooperate properly with my father and the people of the dojo. If it is Father, he is probably still¡­hmm?¡± (Mitsuki)


    She said that and suddenly furrowed her brows.


    ¡°Is something the matter?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­I tried checking with the Explorer Ring, and Father seems to be moving away from the dojo.¡± (Mitsuki)


    This time it was my turn to tilt my head.


    ¡°Is that rare?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yes, quite. Father is always at the dojo, so him moving away from the dojo is something that rarely happens even in a year. I tried checking it out since we were talking about him, but I didn¡¯t expect for him to really be moving.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Now that she mentions it, I don¡¯t remember seeing Asahi anywhere aside from the dojo.


    In the first place, NPCs aside from adventurers normally are in the same settlement the whole time, so you certainly could consider this a rare case.


    ¡°Can you tell where he is?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°This is¡­probably the capital. But¡­he is not in the center of the city. It feels more like he is barely outside of the city.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Outside the city? Which side?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°West. Does that mean he hasn¡¯t arrived in the city?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°West¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I ended up imagining something bad there.


    I might just be overthinking it.


    Whichever the case, I just have to confirm.


    I asked Mitsuki.


    ¡°Mitsuki, do you have a Teleportation Stone?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yes, I do¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Then please use that right now and return to the capital.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh? But¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    My sudden suggestion made her cat ears shake as if going ¡®hm?¡¯ which was cute, but this isn¡¯t the time to be enraptured.


    ¡°If it is nothing, you can return at once. That¡¯s why¡­please.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Then¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    Being pushed by my threatening attitude, Mtisuki raised her Teleportation Stone, but¡­


    ¡°¡­? Nothing is happening.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Looks like my bad feeling turned out to be real.


    (This is bad¡­) (Souma)


    Teleportation Stones are convenient escape items, but they are not all-powerful.


    Just think about it. If you could use Teleportation Stones anytime anywhere, you could easily avoid all escape events.


    There¡¯s no way the Nekomimi Neko developers, who love to harass people more than eating 3 meals a day, would allow something like that.


    This game has properly inherited the fate of transportation spells and items.


    When you are in the middle of certain events or in special dungeons, you can¡¯t use Teleport Stones because ¡®the mana is unstable¡¯.


    ¡®Teleportation uses the flow of the mana, so when it is unstable, you can¡¯t teleport¡¯, is the excuse given, but that¡¯s obviously just to fill in the blanks. You could even read it as ¡®A mysterious power has invalidated it¡¯.


    Of course, this is not a field where you can¡¯t use Teleport Stones.


    The Teleport Stone not activating despite that must mean that we are in the middle of some kind of event.


    The problem here is that there¡¯s no event going on around us.


    Meaning that the issue is not here, but that there¡¯s an event ongoing in the capital.


    (Is the Attack on the Capital event already happening?) (Souma)


    You could say that it is natural to think that¡¯s the case.


    I can¡¯t think of any other event that prohibits teleportation other than that one as of present.


    But there was no sign of that when I went to the capital before.


    Thinking about the conditions, it is way too soon for the Attack on the Capital to be happening.


    But¡­


    (Is it really because of the Yellow Slimes?) (Souma)


    The Attack on the Capital event is affected by the Monster Invasion Progress close to the capital.


    The Yellow Slimes have stopped increasing thanks to the efforts of Mitsuki.


    The Monster Invasion Progress should have decreased even more than before the Yellow Slimes propagated.


    (But if the event flag was established before that¡­) (Souma)


    Even if we dealt with it properly, it is true that the Monster Invasion Progress had increased explosively in the whole area around here.


    Once an event flag is established, no matter how much you lower the Monster Invasion Progress from there on, the event will still be happening.


    That said, I feel like this is a bit too sudden, but this isn¡¯t the time to be investigating the reason.


    ¡°Mitsuki, there¡¯s the chance something is happening at the capital! Use the Explorer Ring to confirm the location of your acquaintances!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°?! Got it!¡± (Mitsuki)


    I heard that response as I continued thinking.


    The Attack on the Capital event happening is high, but it is not settled that the attack itself is already happening.


    There should have been a certain degree of preparation time before the attack of the monsters.


    Because that time gets skipped or you get forced into spectator mode, once you entered the route, you couldn¡¯t move freely that much. However, I feel like there was at least a few hours before you couldn¡¯t teleport until the attack.


    The problem is how long has passed since the Teleport Stones couldn¡¯t be used.


    The chances are high that the event flag was established before Mitsuki eradicated the Yellow Slimes, or several hours before that, but I don¡¯t know if the event began right at that moment.


    There¡¯s the chance that we still have some time, or at worst, the battle might have already begun a long time ago.


    In the case the player was not present at the beginning of the event, the capital would suffer great damage.


    If that really happened, people would actually die and¡­


    (No, wait wait!) (Souma)


    There was no moment in the game where Asahi would head to the city to help.


    Every member of the Hisame Dojo has pretty high combat power despite their personality.


    Even if the event has begun, if the people of the Hisame family have gone as reinforcement, the attack might be easily repelled.


    ¡°How are the other people of the dojo, Mitsuki?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°From what I checked, they are all in the capital. Most of them are gathered to the west of the capital.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°I see. Then, they probably noticed the attack and went to provide reinforcements.¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s a bit relieving.


    Now that I think about it, the Hisame family¡¯s dojo lies west of the capital.


    The monsters are technically coming from the southwest, while the Hisame family¡¯s dojo is more to the north.


    It is not in their path, but if an army of monsters passes, I am sure they would be able to find them faster than the people of the city.


    Also, it would be one thing in the game world, but in a real world, if an army of monsters is attacking, it would be more strange that the Hisame Dojo doesn¡¯t move to help the city when it is nearby.


    I thought I would be able to relax for a bit here though¡­


    ¡°But what bothers me is that it really is everyone who is at the capital. Even the ones that are not combatants have moved to the capital. It is as if it is more like an evacuation than reinforcement.¡± (Hisame)


    ¡°Evacuation¡­¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki¡¯s words dig back my uneasiness.


    No, time is of essence here.


    ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s head to the city. If we make a turn to the west and go north, we might be able to hit the enemy from the back.¡± (Souma)


    Right now we are at the south side of the city.


    If we go around to the west and advance from there, we might manage a pincer attack.


    I also thought about using a Teleport Stone to move to other places, but I can¡¯t think of a teleportation spot, and we can¡¯t move to places where we haven¡¯t gone to.


    It is unfortunate, but we have to run here.


    ¡°Ringo!¡± (Souma)


    When I shouted this, Ringo stopped playing with the Bear and immediately came here.


    ¡°There¡¯s the possibility that the people of the capital are being attacked by monsters. We are going there at full speed.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Okay, got it.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo immediately nodded and the Bear hid at my back in that opening.


    Eh, the back of the Bear seems¡­


    No, this isn¡¯t the time for that!


    I feign as if I didn¡¯t see the thing that could be peeked at on the back of the Bear and we move north.


    ¡°Ringo, are you okay?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Yes, I¡¯m okay.¡± (Ringo)


    Mitsuki is fast by default and I can now use less stamina for my Godstep Cancel, so I can move for long periods of time.


    The Bear is clinging to my back, so there¡¯s no problem there.


    In the case everyone is moving at their highest speed, the one lacking behind would be Ringo.


    Even so, Ringo is pretty fast compared to your average NPC.


    We were approaching the city with outstanding speed.


    Mitsuki is using the Explorer Ring, but it seems like there¡¯s no big movements on their side for now.


    If someone dies, she apparently can¡¯t see their location anymore, so even if there¡¯s a battle, this would mean that the humans are on the advantage or there isn¡¯t a battle at all in the first place.


    We are taking a slight west turn here, but we are taking a relatively easy to cross route, so our progress is decent.


    At this rate, we will be reaching the city in around 30 minutes, but then¡­we found that¡­


    ¡°Why is such a monster¡­at this place¡­?¡± (Souma)


    What was there was a monster that shouldn¡¯t be in this field.


    Acid Escargot: Level 130.


    It has a stupid food-like name, but it is unexpectedly strong, moreover, rather than its plain strength, what¡¯s feared about this monster is that when you attack its acid body, it will melt your weapon.


    The monsters in this field should be around level 100.


    It shouldn¡¯t be a place where you can find a monster like this.


    From what I can see, it is only 1, so it must be some sort of bug.


    Thinking this, I tilted my head here, but¡­


    ¡°¡­Look¡­that.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo pulled my sleeve this time, and I looked at the direction she pointed at. What was far away was a green giant.


    ¡°Giganto Goblin¡­¡± (Souma)


    Giganto Goblin.


    It is a super giant goblin that Nekomimi Neko players would say ¡®it is different from your regular goblin¡¯, ¡®just what are goblins even¡¯, ¡®it is not like it is okay to just scale up whatever you please¡¯.


    It is terribly slow compared to a goblin, but the power of one hit of theirs is something that you can¡¯t underestimate, and its level is 155.


    It should be a monster that should only be found close to the Demon Lord¡¯s castle.


    Such a monster is naturally walking in a field that¡¯s around level 100, moving east.


    ¡°Why is it in a place like this¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I muttered this and Mitsuki answered.


    ¡°No, if it is the Giganto Goblin, I have seen it around here before. I say around here, but it is a field a bit deeper to the west though.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°West? But there¡¯s no such high level field there¡ª¡± (Souma)


    Just when I was about to finish saying that, I noticed.


    ¡°I see. The unreleased area of the game!!¡± (Souma)


    The west side of the country that you couldn¡¯t go to in the game.


    What lies beyond the west map is a land overflowing with powerful monsters. A piece of information that existed even when it was still a game.


    If that place is exactly as told, it would have a high Monster Invasion Progress and it would have high level monster spawn points.


    In the first place, the monsters of the Attack on the Capital were not coming from the north where the Demon Lord is at, but from the west side where monsters are more active in this country.


    (Could it be that the Attack on the Capital wasn¡¯t hastened because of the Yellow Slimes, but because the unreleased west side field exists now? No, more importantly, if there¡¯s high level monsters like this mixed in the horde of the Attack on the Capital¡­) (Souma)


    I can understand why the people of the Hisame Dojo evacuated in the off-chance something happened, and even if the Knight Order and the Hisame Dojo were to give their all in defending, they wouldn¡¯t be able to protect it completely.


    The Attack on the Capital might become¡­the worst tragedy in the world.


    Because of how sudden this was, I have no plan for this one.


    There¡¯s the chance that the monsters appearing here are on a level that can¡¯t be compared to the game.


    Even so¡­


    (I¡­we¡­have to do something¡­!) (Souma)


    ¡­A despairing Attack on the Capital that no one has seen before¡­is about to start.

 CH 93

    Light


    Dark


    ¡°It looks like we will somehow make it in time¡­¡± (Souma)


    I can¡¯t say with certainty, but my guess is that they haven¡¯t opened hostilities yet.


    According to the Explorer Ring of Mitsuki, the king is still in the royal castle.


    The moment the battle started, there should have been an event where the king would come out from the castle.


    It is natural to assume the battle hasn¡¯t begun yet if that hasn¡¯t happened.


    We have already run to the field close to the city.


    Leaving aside whether we will make it in time when the battle begins, I doubt the battle will end by the time we have arrived.


    We lower our pace a bit here.


    We confirm our plan while our enemies are still not in sight yet.


    While we were walking there, I confirmed the types of enemies.


    For now, there hasn¡¯t been an enemy I haven¡¯t seen before within the monsters that apparently came from the west.


    The level distribution is around 130-170, and it doesn¡¯t seem like there¡¯s any Butcher class enemy.


    There¡¯s apparently monsters that even Mitsuki can¡¯t match at the interior of the west, so you could say the monsters overflowing from unreleased areas are from the outer part.


    The problem is that the enemies of level 150 have a difference of heaven and earth compared to 100.


    Honestly speaking, if level 150 class enemies were to just blitz us, a city would fall in an instant.


    It somewhat goes above what the Knight Order could deal with.


    I don¡¯t know what kind of high level enemy is mixed in it, but if we don¡¯t do our best, there will definitely be casualties.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go with our original plan. Once the battle begins, we will get the back of the enemy, and draw the attention of the monsters. That alone can lower the pressure of the monsters, and that would be a lot easier for the city.¡± (Souma)


    When I said this, Mitsuki bent her cat ears in worry.


    ¡°Monsters have the tendency to attack the closest enemy. It would mean that, if 3 people get their back, the back half of the enemies will be targeting us, you know?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°I know that. That¡¯s why we won¡¯t be joining in until after the battle at the city begins.¡± (Souma)


    I personally would want us to take on the whole army ourselves.


    But that¡¯s way too reckless.


    ¡°I will be forcing you two into a pretty rough battle thou¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I was about to finish that sentence, but Mitsuki cut me off.


    ¡°No, what I am worried about is you.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Me¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I was confused by the unexpected words.


    Mitsuki looked at me with a sharp gaze as she said this.


    ¡°Honestly speaking, monsters that are merely level 170 are not enemies of mine. It may take time to wipe them out, but I am certain that I won¡¯t be dying.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°If it is you¡­yeah, that might be true.¡± (Souma)


    If we are just limiting it to our chances of survival, Mitsuki would definitely be number one within the NPCs of Nekomimi Neko.


    On top of having outstanding evasion, she also has high resistance to magic and debuffs.


    No matter what big army it is, there¡¯s a sense of safety that she will be able to make it out somehow.


    ¡°I am worried about the defense of Ringo-san, but there¡¯s no problem as long as she fights at a distance. There¡¯s no long ranged attack that would surpass her Lightning Strike, so she won¡¯t be losing in a long range battle.


    Even if it turns into a hard fought battle, she has enough nimbleness to run away when it gets dangerous.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°You have a point.¡± (Souma)


    I do plan on having Ringo concentrate on doing long range attacks in this time¡¯s battle.


    Even if Maki has become the princess, there¡¯s no knowing if she can shoot Lightning Strikes.


    There¡¯s the need for a person who can do anti-flying attacks, so there¡¯s no need to force her into getting close to the battlefield.


    In that case, she should be able to secure a certain degree of safety.


    ¡°That¡¯s why the problem is you. Your strategies, your ability to strike at the weak points of others; I evaluate them highly. But this time around, there¡¯s no preparation at all, and it is a horde of monsters you have no knowledge of¡­ Can you¡­still fight with those conditions?¡± (Mitsuki)


    The gaze of Mitsuki pierces me.


    It is natural for her to tell me that.


    I have fought opponents several times stronger than me a fair amount of times now, but rather than calling it my strength, it was more like my quick-wittedness and knowledge.


    ¡®There¡¯s barely any prior knowledge, and it might turn into a melee, so will you really be able to fight in this situation?¡¯, that¡¯s what Mitsuki is asking here.


    But I can also feel strong expectations deep within her eyes.


    Even when that¡¯s what she is saying out loud, there¡¯s no doubt Mitsuki is the one who evaluates my abilities the highest.


    And I currently have the power to answer that trust.


    (Right¡­) (Souma)


    We have a bit of time here.


    Also, I want to test out just how much I can do in an actual fight.


    ¡°Then, I will prove it to you.¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s why I declared this and pointed at the armored monster that could be seen far away.


    Living Armor: Level 160.


    A monster with high physical defense, and you could say it is a bad match against us warriors.


    But you could also say that if I defeat that guy, it can serve as proof that I can defeat almost all the monsters in this invasion.


    ¡°I will defeat that Living Armor faster than you, Mitsuki. If I do, you will acknowledge me, right?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I see. So you are challenging me to a speed battle. Fine, I accept.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki hasn¡¯t shown that side of hers lately, but she likes competitions.


    I knew she would accept this.


    We line up and set our target.


    I measure the distance to the enemy, and form an image of how I should defeat it and the flow of events until that happens.


    ¡°When we are like this, it feels like we are back to the past.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki suddenly said that.


    She certainly did become a companion of ours after competing with each other.


    ¡°That said, please don¡¯t use any weird tricks here like before, okay?¡± (Mitsuki)


    I chuckled at that.


    ¡°Yeah, I know. I won¡¯t do my petty tricks here. It is a true to the word battle of power.¡± (Souma)


    If not, I can¡¯t make Mitsuki acknowledge my strength and I wouldn¡¯t feel good either.


    That¡¯s why I must achieve 2 things if I want to defeat that guy before Mitsuki.


    First, reach that monster before Mitsuki, who is called the fastest one in Nekomimi Neko.


    On top of that, defeat that sturdy monster in the short time Mitsuki catches up.


    I take a deep breath before the battle.


    My plan is set.


    Now all that¡¯s left is to put it to practice.


    (Alright, I can do this!) (Souma)


    After finishing all my¡­preparations, Ringo took the role of referee and¡­


    ¡°¡­Begin!¡± (Ringo)


    She raised her hand with a cute shout and the match began.


    ¡°[Step]!¡± (Souma)


    The first step was exactly at the same time.


    But Mitsuki¡¯s movement speed is faster than that of Step.


    However, Step has fast initial velocity, so the distance she creates isn¡¯t too big in the first half of the skill.


    I somehow keep up with Step and¡­


    ¡°[High Step]!¡± (Souma)


    I line up to Mitsuki with High Step¡­


    ¡°[Ground Compression]!¡± (Souma)


    And completely overtake Mitsuki with the last skill.


    ¡­But there¡¯s no continuation to this.


    Because Ground Compression is a high tier skill, you can¡¯t cancel it with other attack or movement skills.


    From here, I have to accept the skill stun or force a cancel with a Jump which has high cancel ability.


    Whichever I choose, I will be losing important time and stamina, and I will be overtaken by Mitsuki as a result.


    All fronts closed.


    ¡ªIs what my past self would say.


    But I can now make one more move.


    Ground Compression can¡¯t be canceled with other movement or attack skills.


    However, you could say I can cancel it with other things aside from skills.


    ¡°[Air Hammer]!¡± (Souma)


    Right before the skill stun happened, the spell Air Hammer¡­which I prepared beforehand, pushes my body forward.


    My body accelerated further ahead after the Ground Compression ended.


    I grinned at the sensation of cutting through wind.


    This is the one other skill canceling method in Nekomimi Neko: KB (Knockback) Cancel.


    If the skill cancel is what the developers created as the surface form of cancel, then KB Cancel is a hidden cancel method that exploits the systems of the game.


    Knockback is a game term. It refers to knocking back your opponent.


    The KB Cancel is as the name states; you rewrite the skill stun with a knockback. A drastic move created by Nekomimi Neko players.


    I have said this before in the explanation of the Midare Sakura, but when you get hit with an attack that has knockback while casting normal skills that don¡¯t have Super Armor, you will forcefully be staggered and your skill will be interrupted.


    This KB Cancel is a technique that takes advantage of that.


    The technique itself isn¡¯t complicated at all.


    When the skill ends, you purposely use a knockback spell to omit the stun. By the time the knockback ends, you will be able to use your next skill right away.


    Because it allows you to chain skills really quickly, this technique is also called Rapid-Fire Tech, and it created enough of a shockwave amongst Nekomimi Neko players just like the Godstep Cancel.


    It can¡¯t cancel things like the Midare Sakura with special attack registrations, or the Absolute Katana Reversal which has Super Armor, but any other skill, you can cancel them with any timing you want.


    With this, the freedom of battle in Nekomimi Neko increased by leaps and bounds.


    The ones that are often used for this KB Cancel are Petitplosion and Air Hammer.


    It is utilized with the assumption that you will be hitting yourself, so you lower the power with Magic Customization and increase the Chant efficiency.


    Petitplosion¡¯s power is low and the knockback is pretty low too.


    If you manage to hit yourself right after the skill using Time Activation, you will be able to act again at a far faster pace than when you just wait out the skill stun.


    You could say it is the most handy spell for KB Cancel.


    Air Hammer is originally a spell that ¡®Shoots out a cluster of wind in the set direction and launches the hit enemy in the designated direction¡¯. You can¡¯t even use it on yourself as it is.


    However, by lowering the Range to the lowest output with the customization, it changes into a spell that ¡®launches you in the direction you set¡¯.


    My guess here is that ¡®what¡¯s actually changing when you customize the range is the target location, so when you move it to the minimum, the body of the spellcaster will be closer to the spell¡¯s departure point, and it is deemed as the spell targeting the caster¡¯, but I don¡¯t really get it that well.


    Well, whichever the case, it is probably the usual coding mistake.


    Using this has the opposite trait of when you are using Petitplosion on yourself.


    Because of the movement distance from the knockback and the time, it is used for evasion and movement.


    And right now¡­I am actually using the knockback of the Air Hammer to move and¡­


    ([Air Hammer]!) (Souma)


    I bend and do the chant for Air Hammer once more.


    This is an advantage the KB skill cancel has over the normal cancel.


    There¡¯s a clear difference between skill stun and the staggered state. Different from the skill stun where you can¡¯t use skills or spells, you can chant spells while you are staggered by knockbacks.


    One other plus is that, when you are knocked back, stamina recovers at the same speed as when you are in a normal state.


    In other words, by mixing in a knockback in your skill combo, you can recover your stamina a bit.


    And then, the moment the knockback ends and my feet touch the ground¡­


    ¡°[Step]!¡± (Souma)


    I once again activate the skill.


    I chain [High Step], [Ground Compression], and add in [Air Hammer].


    This way I am using the high tier skills, and because I don¡¯t mix in Slash and Side Slash to cancel, it is faster than Godstep Cancel.


    If I had more MP, I would use Ground Compression and Air Hammer directly, but that¡¯s off the table right now.


    However, even with this, I managed to pull some distance from Mitsuki.


    At this rate, I might be able to get a preemptive strike on the Living Armor.


    (It is a battle of strength from here on!) (Souma)


    I should have been able to show off my speed to Mitsuki.


    Now I show off my attack power.


    And from there, I will prove to Mitsuki¡­and also myself, that I can fight!


    With the enemy before my very eyes, I reserve the activation of the spell and¡­


    ¡°[Step]!¡± (Souma)


    I re-think as I make small adjustments to the distance.


    It is true that I don¡¯t have favored parameters or a broken normal attack like Ringo; I don¡¯t have the cheat level speed or excel at swordsmanship like Mitsuki.


    Even so¡­


    ¡°[High Step]!¡± (Souma)


    I have the proper strength of a game character.


    Even if I don¡¯t have anything special, I have raised my level, gathered strong weapons, and obtained easy to use skills and spells.


    Even if I can¡¯t trace the exact same battle style as when it was a game, I have obtained enough power to replicate about 80% of it.


    ¡°[Oboro Zangetsu] <Hazy Morning Moon>.¡± (Souma)


    The Oboro Zangetsu I used just now is a mid-ranged attack skill of the Otachi that activates with a time lag.


    A slash happens at a slightly further away location I swung from after a space of time.


    Because of the time lag before the slash happens, it is hard to hit with it, and because there¡¯s no damage registration in the first swing, you end up defenseless if the enemy approaches you, but it is a useful skill that makes up for its cons.


    ¡°[High Step]!¡± (Souma)


    The skill¡¯s animation is deemed as having ended at the first swing of the weapon, so you can cancel the skill before the actual slash happens and it will still occur.


    That¡¯s why¡­


    ¡°[Jump]!¡± (Souma)


    I use [High Step] and [Jump] to buy time and space to match the activation of the Oboro Zangetsu¡¯s slash and¡­


    ¡°[Side Slash]!¡± (Souma)


    By using a different skill, it is possible to use two attack skills at the same time.


    Just that there¡¯s not much benefit in doing simultaneous attacks.


    However, there¡¯s always exceptions to everything¡­


    ¡°[Power Up]!¡± (Souma)


    I do a Time Activation of Power Up while I was staggered, and my body shines red.


    This is the reason I aimed for a simultaneous attack.


    The effect of a normal Power Up is to increase your Strength by 1.3 times for 30 seconds.


    But with the Magic Customization, I lowered the spell¡¯s Duration to the very limit, and even increased the MP cost to the max.


    The result is a spell with this effect: Increase your Strength by 9.9 times for 0.5 seconds.


    The highest and lowest you can set something in Nekomimi Neko is 9.9 ¨C 0.1.


    In other words, this spell can perform the highest power up that the system allows in a brief period of time.


    The price is that it is only half a second though.


    However, all of the attacks in that frame of time become killing blows!


    ¡°With this¡­!!¡± (Souma)


    As I shout this, two skills -an horizontal and a vertical slash- hit the armor at the same time.


    I can feel the hard sensation in my arms.


    But I can push it with the Power Up.


    I won¡¯t do something so bothersome like aiming for the weak point!


    I will push through you like that!!


    (I got through!) (Souma)


    My arms finish the swing with a peculiar sensation.


    The armor was cut open, and the vertical slash of the Oboro Zangetsu and the horizontal slash of the Side Slash overlapped cleanly, and drew a cross.


    (How¡¯s that?!) (Souma)


    I look up while still in my swung stance.


    Even if it is a level 160 monster, it couldn¡¯t stay alive from its body being sliced in 4.


    The Living Armor became light particles and melted into the sky without even being able to fight back.


    ¡°¡­Fuuuh.¡± (Souma)


    I let my body be taken over by the skill stun that comes after ending a skill, and exhaled what was accumulated in me.


    A sense of accomplishment slowly surged in me.


    With this, I win this match.


    But I feel like I obtained something worth even more than that.


    Confidence.


    I haven¡¯t properly fought until now.


    I would rely on tricks, would deceive others with words, and would defeat enemies with quick-wittedness rather than strength.


    Because of that, I was even given the nickname Strange Sword User.


    But now¡­


    ¡°I guess it is time for the Strange Sword Style to cease business¡­¡± (Souma)


    I can now say with confidence.


    I am¡­


    ¡°¡­I am already strong in a proper battle too!!¡± (Souma)


    When I let myself be driven by the overflowing sense of accomplishment and proclaimed this loudly¡­


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    I heard a voice of surprise from behind me.


    What¡¯s with that flustered voice just now that was as if saying ¡®I don¡¯t think that¡¯.


    I turned back and asked Mitsuki who had caught up¡­


    ¡°Uhm, I was the normal type of strong there just now, right? Even without using tricks or the Strange Sword, I managed to fight normally, right?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Eh? Ah, yeah, you are right. It was the no¡­norm¡­normal¡­the normal you!¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki answered with her cat ears all flustered.


    I looked at her dubiously and she averted her gaze.


    Her cat ears are covering themselves full force as if saying ¡®don¡¯t look over here!¡¯.


    (Wa? Why that reaction?) (Souma)


    Mitsuki¡¯s usual iron face was gone, and she was visibly acting weirdly here.


    I didn¡¯t understand the reason why and was confused here.


    ¡°¡­Souma¡­you are¡­misunderstanding.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Ringo¡­?¡± (Souma)


    A blue haired girl slowly approached us.


    Ringo really is my goddess.


    She gently wrapped my hands that were stiffened up from putting strength to them in my excitement, and is healing my agitated emotions.


    And then, the goddess looked up at me and said this as if admonishing me.


    ¡°Normal and weirdo mean 2 different things, you know?¡± (Ringo)


    ¡­God is dead.


    (Does my fighting style really look weird when seen from a 3rd person¡¯s perspective?) (Souma)


    A new worry was born as I was reminded of the shortcomings of VR gaming which are always in 1st person view.


    And so, the 1st act before the decisive battle closed its curtains.


    Extra


    Technique Introduction: Oboro Cross Slash.


    One of the special techniques of Souma in his gaming days.


    Shoot out an Oboro Zangetsu from afar, get close with High Step to match the distance and time, mix in a Jump for further adjustments in the timing, and by using Side Slash, you deal a cross shaped attack.


    The damage calculation of the Oboro Zangetsu is done when the slash happens, so it has the benefit that both Oboro Zangetsu and Side Slash can make use of the modified Power Up.


    The name of the technique is written as Oboro Cross Slash but read as Invisible Cross.


    He would definitely end up writhing in shame a few years after because of that name.


    The chuunibyou days of Souma are still ongoing¡­!!

 CH 94

    Light


    Dark


    ¡°It is in sight now.¡±


    We found the horde of monsters when we were right in sight of the capital.


    ¡°That¡¯s impressive¡­¡± (Souma)


    I thought that when I saw it in the game too, but seeing the real thing really is a different beast.


    Just by getting closer to it, I could feel outstanding pressure even though they aren¡¯t heading our way.


    The trembling sound was resonating in my skin, and it was waking up instinctive fear.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell in detail from here, but just the forces on the land are already over 1,000.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­Looks like it.¡± (Souma)


    However, there¡¯s still a plus.


    According to Mitsuki who has good eyesight, the main force of the enemies is fortunately primarily formed of low level monsters.


    The horde is mostly composed of level 95 Red Cap Elites and level 110 Black Orcs.


    It was the same in the game as well, so it should be fine to consider this information correct.


    However, there¡¯s apparently one level 150 monster every ten monsters, so we can¡¯t lower our guard.


    Even if around 5% are strong monsters, it would mean that 50 are strong monsters in every 1,000.


    ¡°As you have predicted, the enemy is divided in 4.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°So it really is like that, huh.¡± (Souma)


    I was a bit relieved as I said this.


    At the very least, when I saw it in the game, they were divided into groups by their speed and traits.


    They were mainly divided into 4 groups.


    The vanguard that is formed of small four-legged beasts and small fast humanoid monsters.


    The normal humanoid monsters and large sized monsters behind those would form the main force.


    The long distance attack unit that shoots stuff like magic and beams that follow from further behind.


    The flying unit that¡¯s flying above those 3 groups formed of things like birds and ghosts.


    The vanguard and the main force have a pretty big distance between them, so there¡¯s a decent amount of time lag in between the enemies reaching the city and the main force pushing on.


    There should be¡­in the game.


    Whichever the case, we don¡¯t have the strength to fight the whole army.


    That¡¯s why¡­


    ¡°We will leave the enemy vanguard to the defense force of the city just as planned. Once their vanguard and the defense clash, Ringo will keep the flying enemies at bay from an elevation closeby, and Mitsuki, who is strong against magic, will crush the long range unit. Then¡­¡± (Souma)


    I take a deep breath as if preparing myself here.


    ¡°I will pull the main enemy force.¡± (Souma)


    I once again announce this.


    This is the best strategy to bring the most influence in the battlefield with few numbers.


    We are going to be dealing with more than half of the army with 3 people, so this is reckless beyond belief, but we won¡¯t be able to overcome this event if we don¡¯t do this much.


    ¡°¡­Thinking it over¡­I am against this.¡± (Ringo)


    But Ringo said this at this point in time.


    ¡°Ringo, I have explained it countless times already. You are the only one who can attack the airborne enemies; the only one who can deal with the mages is Mitsuki. There¡¯s no choice but for me to be the one stopping the movements of the main force.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­But¡­¡± (Ringo)


    I make the last argument towards Ringo who doesn¡¯t seem to be convinced yet.


    ¡°It is impossible to defend against that number of enemies. However, I don¡¯t have the city behind me, so I can just do a preemptive strike and run around. If I do that well, I can distract a good percent of enemies. This is something necessary to protect the city.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Even so¡­I¡­¡± (Ringo)


    Even with that, Ringo wanted to say something, but she bit her lips and endured it.


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go. If we don¡¯t head there quickly, the battle will begin. Ringo-san, please head to your position quickly.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Seeing that the talk was over, Mitsuki pulled me over.


    ¡°Ah, no, Ringo still hasn¡¯t¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Ringo-san, there¡¯s a reason why you were positioned here. We want you to secure a path of retreat for us.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki ignored me and one-sidedly overwhelmed Ringo with her words.


    ¡°Securing a safe retreat path can decide the success or failure of an escape. When we think about escaping, it will be important whether you managed to put up a strong defense. It means that you will be our last haven.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Me¡­?¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo asked back as if surprised, and Mitsuki made the last push.


    ¡°You won¡¯t mind taking this role, right?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­Got it.¡± (Ringo)


    Mitsuki and Ringo nod at each other and begin moving soon after.


    Ringo went to a point where she could immediately aim at the sky.


    Mitsuki pulled me and we headed to where the battlefield is.


    ¡°Stop it, Mitsuki!¡± (Souma)


    I shook off Mitsuki¡¯s hand and complained to her while using Godstep Cancel to run by her side.


    ¡°How can you say that? That¡¯s as if¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Sounds as if Ringo-san won¡¯t be able to run away if we lose?¡± (Mitsuki)


    I opened my eyes wide at her pinpointing what I was about to say.


    ¡°She won¡¯t be running away no matter what we say. Not only that, there¡¯s the risk she would head alone to the battlefield if she sees that you are in danger. In that case, it would be safer to make her not move from that place.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°You¡­¡± (Souma)


    It is true that Ringo would do everything she can to protect that place if she put it like that.


    However, I didn¡¯t expect Mitsuki to think that¡­no, to be able to think like that.


    Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears twitched as if upset at my gaze.


    ¡°Even I know that she is worried about you. However, after seeing you fight just now, I decided to believe in you. That said, please try your best to not be as reckless as possible.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Mitsuki¡­¡± (Souma)


    I was once again surprised by her words.


    The Hisame family should be full of people who wish to die an honorable warrior¡¯s death rather than a regular death by age.


    And yet, the only daughter of that Hisame family, Mitsuki, is saying something like this¡­


    (Is she¡­changing?) (Souma)


    I feel like Mitsuki and Ringo are getting closer from NPCs to humans with each passing day.


    Is it because this world has been enveloped in the factors of reality, or¡­


    Let¡¯s think about that once we overcome this.


    ¡°It is okay. I am sorry for the people of the city, but I won¡¯t be reckless even if asked.¡± (Souma)


    More so when what we will be doing here is mostly an unknown battle.


    Fighting against a horde of strong enemies that I haven¡¯t seen even in the game, in a battle of life or death without resets.


    There¡¯s no way I would want to pull any reckless moves.


    ¡°To be perfectly honest here, I am scared and trembling even now. Rather than worrying about me being reckless or not, we should be worrying about whether I will run away or not.¡± (Souma)


    I endure the shame and speak my honest feelings.


    There¡¯s no delay in my speed here, but that¡¯s because the skills aren¡¯t affected by my trembling.


    I am completely stiffened in the face of that massive army -to the point that I am even regretting my own plan.


    ¡°I see. I am the type that feels uplifted in the face of battle, so I don¡¯t understand that feeling well though.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­really like you, Mitsuki.¡± (Souma)


    I make a wry smile at Mitsuki who is a battle junkie as always.


    For some mysterious reason, I feel like the trembling of my hand decreased a bit.


    ¡°How about you enjoy the battle too? My grandfather said that after his life or death struggle that left him half-alive half-dead, he mourned the end of it before being happy about being alive. If you get into the battle to that degree, I am sure you will forget your fear.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­I am happy for the advice, but the only ones who can do that are the people in your family, you know?¡± (Souma)


    I at the very least doubt I will be able to reach that level.


    I don¡¯t hate Mitsuki, but I definitely can¡¯t share her battle junkie values.


    But the present Mitsuki isn¡¯t just a battle junkie.


    ¡°If you really are uneasy, you could have ignored the enemies in the sky and asked for the assistance of your little sister. With that, the danger you would be facing would have decreased greatly¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    She said this as if in wonder.


    That certainly does have its logic in its own way.


    If we ignore the enemies in the sky, the harm to the city will increase, but I could have asked Ringo to assist me.


    Even so¡­


    ¡°Well, that ain¡¯t happening. Regardless of the harm it will bring to the people of the city, I actually¡­don¡¯t like fighting in a team.¡± (Souma)


    It was rejected for a completely different reason.


    ¡°It is a pain to manage stuff like the aggro of the monsters and predicting their movements. All my surroundings being enemies and them heading my way is a lot easier on me in a variety of ways.¡± (Souma)


    When I said this, Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears twitched as if saying ¡®good grief, this person is hopeless¡¯.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand a single thing of what you are saying, but I do get that what you are saying is quite baffling.¡± (Mitsuki)


    I thought that¡¯s rude, but I am aware of it, so I didn¡¯t say anything.


    At that moment, Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears suddenly jumped up as if saying ¡®abnormality found!¡¯.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this, Mitsuki¡¯s eyes turned grim as she looked at the enemy group that was raising a cloud of dust.


    ¡°The king moved just now. The enemy vanguard must have arrived at the defense line of the city.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­I see.¡± (Souma)


    After that, if the main force gets close to the city, I wouldn¡¯t be able to achieve much even if I were to become bait.


    I have to advance here to save the city.


    Mitsuki speaks to me as if concerned about my fighting spirit.


    ¡°I will say this again, but there¡¯s no need to push yourself. Monsters tend to attack the enemy that¡¯s closest to them. After you get a hit in and make the monsters notice you, you should be able to do your role as a bait simply by running around.¡± (Mitsuki)


    This also implies that, once the monsters notice you, you will be chased around the whole time, but I didn¡¯t say anything about that.


    I simply nodded obediently here.


    ¡°No need to hammer it in, I know. Fighting against the main force alone would be reckless. I am not thinking at all about defeating monsters. The only thing I am thinking about is how to pull them and survive.¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki nodded at what I said with a wry smile.


    ¡°Please do so. I am going to wipe out the rearline of the enemy as soon as possible and definitely go to assist you.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Got it. I will concentrate on buying time.¡± (Souma)


    She must have finally been relieved by my words, Mitsuki made a really faint smile.


    ¡°¡­Then, I will be going. Godspeed.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Yeah, be careful too.¡± (Souma)


    She increased the speed even more and charged onto the backline of the enemy.


    I can¡¯t catch up to that speed with Godstep Cancel, and there¡¯s no need to.


    I take a different route from Mitsuki and advance as if taking a detour.


    I probably really won¡¯t need to worry about Mitsuki.


    There¡¯s no factor that would lead to her being defeated when it comes to compatibility and her ability.


    I looked up at the sky and lightning came flying from the back, dropping the monsters flying there.


    Looks like she has begun too.


    (Now then, all that¡¯s left is whether I can do it or not.) (Souma)


    There¡¯s something I haven¡¯t told Mitsuki either.


    What I proved to Mitsuki there when I defeated the Living Armor was only my speed and attack power.


    I intentionally didn¡¯t show my defensive power.


    That¡¯s obvious.


    I only excel in attack power. My defense is barely different from characters around level 100.


    My attack power comes from my cheat-like weapon proficiency, from how high the attack power of my weapon is at this stage of the game, the weapon category modifier that takes advantage of a coding mistake, my high weapon proficiency because of my training, and my 10 times increase in Strength from Power Up.


    All these factors greatly amplify my power.


    However, there¡¯s barely anything that increases defense, and my armor is the one sold in stores at the capital. The accessories are related to elemental attack and stamina, so there¡¯s no defense up.


    The only special means of defense is at most the Mysterious Scrap of Paper at my chest.


    Nekomimi Neko has a lot of moments that kill you in one hit without caring about defense, so it is a game balance with resetting in mind.


    The most efficient method is to go with the stance of kill before being killed, so you could say this is the result of me applying that here as well.


    Nekomimi Neko doesn¡¯t have level modifiers.


    It doesn¡¯t have a simple game balance where you could solve things physically with punches once you level up, but even with that, a difference of 1.5 times your level is still fatal, and it creates a difference in parameters.


    If I get punched by a level 150 enemy, I will die in one hit¡­is how I should assume it will go, but I am definitely going to die in 2-3 hits.


    Or more like, there¡¯s plenty enough chance to get beaten up if I get surrounded by level 100 monsters and get knocked back and stunned to death.


    (Aah, I might have acted a bit too tough there¡­) (Souma)


    The enemies were coming into sight and the more I approached, the more I felt the pressure in my skin. That weakness was showing in my face.


    My body is trembling from the fear, and I feel like vomiting from the nervousness.


    It even makes me think it might just be better for me to turn tail and run away right now.


    (But I can¡¯t do that.) (Souma)


    It is the fate of RPGs.


    In games, the player is a special existence, and they can easily get stronger and easily save the world.


    But the player saving the world also means that if the player doesn¡¯t do anything, the world will perish.


    That is remarkably true for Nekomimi Neko.


    The many events that seriously come to kill the player, they can fail easily depending on the actions of the player, and the result is that it won¡¯t only bring the doom of the player but the world as a whole.


    I can¡¯t live in a fallen world, and I don¡¯t want to live on knowing that it was my fault that the world will perish.


    It may be self-interested, but those are my true feelings.


    (Haven¡¯t I fought that much in the game? I can do it!) (Souma)


    It is not like I have to defeat the enemies.


    I will just hit them once and then run away to buy time.


    (Basically, it is okay as long as the attacks don¡¯t hit.) (Souma)


    The unexpected bombs would be to get hit by a long ranged attack by surprise, or to get caught in a cramped location.


    Both will be difficult to happen here.


    If I do it well, I can keep the chances of being shot low, and I should be able to lure enemies somehow.


    (A life or death escape sounds cool.) (Souma)


    I hype myself up like this and direct my gaze at the horde of monsters.


    A ruckus is occurring within the army.


    Mitsuki must be rampaging.


    It looks like it is about time I get found.


    I can tell that the monster at the very rear has turned my way.


    (Finally.) (Souma)


    I stop there for a moment.


    This is where I will stop moving forward with Godstep Cancel.


    ¡°¡­Fuuh.¡± (Souma)


    I closed my eyes for a bit while my body skill stunned.


    ¡­I imagine myself increasing the gears by one.


    The battles until now have been short or I didn¡¯t have the chance to use my skills to the full extent because I didn¡¯t have the adequate equipment and skills.


    If it is a battle where I can overcome it by economizing my stamina, it is fine to keep it the same as always.


    But¡­


    (This time around, I will be going full force.) (Souma)


    In the battle from here on, I will need to bring back the sensations I had in the game. Using Godstep Cancel so naturally as if it were walking, using Slash and Side-Slash more than normal attacks, moving in mid-air when traversing the city; I need that feeling back.


    It is not about using the skills in the important moments, but connecting skills in all of my actions.


    I have to match my consciousness to the late stage playstyle of Nekomimi Neko.


    ¡°¡­Go!!¡± (Souma)


    I open my eyes.


    ([Step], [High Step], [Ground Compression]!) (Souma)


    I jumped into the direction of the monsters that covered my whole vision.

 CH 95

    Light


    Dark


    [The infamous Nekomimi Neko developers gave birth to¡­two monstrosities in the game industry.


    The first one is obviously the VR game, New Communicate Online.


    An amalgamation of malice and bugs, and a VR game in development among VR games development. This era¡¯s worst shitty game.


    And the one other one is¡­]


    An extract from the blog of a gamer.


    (It is here!) (Souma)


    Magic and arrows were flying at me after I charged in.


    Even if it is only a part of them that noticed me, their numbers are massive.


    The number of attacks reflects this as well, but most of them are angled highly so as not to hit their allies.


    Most of them can¡¯t keep up with my movement speed and are falling behind me.


    (This one is¡­going to hit me?!) (Souma)


    A number of the attacks drawing a straight line were heading at me for a direct hit.


    If I move to the sides, I might be able to avoid it, but¡­


    (If I do that, I won¡¯t be able to get through here!) (Souma)


    I want to avoid any time loss here, so I intentionally change my route.


    I take the route of running directly into the magic attack.


    ([Step][HighStep]¡­) (Souma)


    I zigzagged with Step and High Step to match the distance, and after I pulled the spells and arrows right before my eyes¡­


    (¡­[Ground Compression]!) (Souma)


    I jumped into the thinnest part of the barrage with Ground Compression.


    An instant of tension!


    ¡°Get through!¡± (Souma)


    I entered the inner area of the barrage as I shouted.


    In the system of Nekomimi Neko, the character¡¯s hitbox won¡¯t disappear while you are using a skill.


    That¡¯s why there¡¯s no invincibility frames just because you are using skills, but Ground Compression ¡®slips away¡¯ from the hitboxes of the first few meters because of its speed.


    The moment you use the skill, your hitbox jumps around 3 meters ahead in one go. All attacks that were at the location where I used the skill will end up missing as a result.


    You can¡¯t slip through monsters and walls with it, but if you get the timing right, you can avoid attacks that you definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid.


    (It has been a while since I have done this, but it went well.) (Souma)


    I was relieved at having properly slipped through.


    Most of all, I am now close to the enemies.


    Ground Compression ended and there was an instant of respite, and¡­


    (Here it is!) (Souma)


    I activate Air Hammer, and carry my body even further ahead.


    My timing was on the slow side which is something to reflect on, but with this, I have completely entered the bosom of the enemy.


    Despite that, the spells and arrows were flying at me sporadically, but having avoided the first offensive, there¡¯s no momentum to that anymore.


    ([Step][Side Slash][Step], [Side Slash][Step][Side Slash][Step]¡­) (Souma)


    I mixed Long and Short Cancels as I avoided narrow margins using Godstep Cancel, approached the enemy, and¡­


    (¡­[Step][Side Slash]!!) (Souma)


    I used the last Side Slash to wipe out the mages in front of me.


    (Good feedback!) (Souma)


    Fortunately, there¡¯s barely any high level monster within the long range group.


    My Side Slash easily sliced the monsters in two like butter, and the semi-circle of over 3 meters created by the Otachi skill killed every single monster inside of it.


    A good start.


    But¡­


    (It really is impossible to advance!) (Souma)


    The corpses of the enemies are obstructing me, so I can¡¯t immediately move forward.


    The Nekomimi Neko feature that the corpses of the monsters remain for a while is biting me here.


    If I try to force a movement skill here, I will end up crashing onto the corpses. That said, I can¡¯t just stand here mindlessly, waiting until they disappear. I would just be an easy target.


    In that case, what I should do here is¡­


    ([Jump], [Instant Charge]!) (Souma)


    I used Jump to spring up over the enemies.


    At the highest point of the Jump, I activate the dagger skill that allows movement in midair, Instant Charge.


    It isn¡¯t as fast as Step, but my body cut through the wind and moved forward.


    (And from here¡­!) (Souma)


    My back was pushed by something, and I flew off to the front with good momentum.


    The Air Hammer that I had Time Activated had pushed my body to the front with perfect timing.


    You can¡¯t adjust the vertical angles of the Air Hammer.


    That¡¯s why you can¡¯t fly in the air with just that alone, but it is perfect to move horizontally in midair.


    ([Instant Charge], [Air Hammer], [Instant Charge], [Air Hammer], [Instant Charge]¡­) (Souma)


    I chain the Instant Charge and Air Hammer, and go over the monsters that were looking up dumbfounded.


    I go over the last monster of the horde, the Old Goblin Mage, using an Air Hammer, and¡­


    (¡­[Air Hammer], [Magic Steal]!!) (Souma)


    I used the 9th skill of the dagger that has an MP absorption effect, Magic Steal.


    I will be replenishing the MP I used for the consecutive shots of Air Hammer as a reward for overcoming this one.


    ([Step][High Step], [Ground Compression]!) (Souma)


    Of course, I won¡¯t be stopping here.


    The main force that is deeper in from the backline unit is my real objective.


    There isn¡¯t that much distance between the backline and the main force.


    I use my fastest movement combo while mixing in the KB Cancel to get through.


    ¡°Uwah!¡± (Souma)


    I glanced at the back, and I could see a massive amount of spells and arrows being shot from the backline unit I slipped away from as if they were giving me one last present.


    It ain¡¯t gonna end nicely if that number of attacks hits me, but¡­


    (I am forging on like this!) (Souma)


    I decided to go forward.


    I  repeat the [Step], [High Step], [Ground Compression] and [Air Hammer] combo two times, and at the end¡­


    (Lunge in!) (Souma)


    The comparatively safe-looking place inside the horde of the main force.


    I took decisive action by lunging into the place that¡¯s packed with Black Orcs.


    ([Step][Side Slash], [Step][High Step]¡­kuh!) (Souma)


    I approached the enemy and defeated them with a Side Slash, and charged in with movement skills as if weaving through their corpses.


    By the second one -the High Step- I crashed onto an enemy, but I managed to enter the horde of enemies.


    The rain of spells and arrows rush to that place.


    The Orc corpses that still remain served as an impromptu wall.


    A number of them got through the Orc wall and reached me but¡­


    ([Hide]!) (Souma)


    At that instant, I used the Ninja Sword skill, Hide.


    The black aura that serves as an absolute barrier covers my body, and not only the long range attacks flying at me, it even blocked all the close range attacks of the surrounding monsters.


    With this, I can¡¯t use Hide for a while, but I managed to endure the emergency.


    (¡­[Side Slash], [High Step]!) (Souma)


    After I eliminated the monsters around with Side Slash, I jumped back with High Step.


    The wall of corpses is gone already, but there¡¯s no second volley from the back which is what I feared.


    It is probably because they stopped attacking now that the distance is too big, or Mitsuki is properly doing her part.


    With that worry out of the way, I direct my eyes to the front, and what¡¯s reflected in my eyes are¡­enemies, enemies, and more enemies!


    I can¡¯t see anything aside from monsters no matter where I look.


    This situation could be called despairing, but I showed a smile.


    This is what I thought in the face of the many enemies.


    (This is it! This is an actual Nekomimi Neko battle!) (Souma)


    Running out of breath from just chaining a few skills is laughable.


    Chaining a different skill at every passing instant, form up your next skill arrangement in the space of the KB Cancel, and form combos while desperately avoiding the attacks of the enemies.


    This is what¡¯s called a normal and proper battle in Nekomimi Neko.


    In the first place, doing a skill battle without KB Cancel -in other words, without the custom Air Hammer and the custom Petitplosion- is like telling you to do a full power sprint with a blindfold.


    Because of this, I have been having stressful battles.


    But now¡­


    I can¡¯t really call it perfect, but I am getting the required skills, spells, and equipment.


    (In other words, this is where the real deal begins!) (Souma)


    My mouth warped at the Lightning Strikes that shine above me every now and then as I lunged into the Red Cap Elite pack that was at my left.


    ([Side Slash]!) (Souma)


    The mechanic of the enemy bodies remaining is incredibly unpopular, but there¡¯s cases when you are fighting groups of enemies where it will work in your favor.


    Corpses remaining means that it is hard for many monsters to approach you.


    In other words, if I defeat the monsters in front of me, I can create a bit of breathing room.


    ([Step], [Side Slash]!) (Souma)


    Even with that, if I stay in place, the corpses will eventually disappear and a drove of monsters will swarm me, and worse, from all directions.


    I use Step to jump diagonally to the side, and hit the new monsters that were trying to go around with Side Slash.


    ([Step], [Side Slash]!) (Souma)


    What¡¯s left is a repeat of this.


    The Red Cap Elites and the Black Orcs are coming in force, but that¡¯s actually convenient for me.


    That simply increases the number of enemies that die from the Side Slash in one hit.


    ([Step], [Side Slash]!) (Souma)


    I cut the enemies in my range, jump to the side, and once again cut the enemies in my range; rinse-and-repeat.


    After repeating that around 4 times more¡­


    ([Air Hammer]!) (Souma)


    Moving with a Time Activation Air Hammer is the basic strategy.


    It would actually be easier on me if I used High Step instead of Step, but Side Slash can¡¯t be chained with High Step because it is a lower tier attack skill, and it costs a lot more stamina.


    4 rotations of Step and Side Slash.


    That¡¯s the limit of the stamina I recover in the middle of the Air Hammer.


    ([Step], [Side Slash]¡ª?!) (Souma)


    But it looks like I can¡¯t just go on auto-pilot here.


    I found a giant half-beast half-human monster holding a giant axe deep in the packs of Black Orcs in front of me that were approaching.


    Savage Minotaur.


    A troublesome enemy that has massive attack power despite being level 155.


    I can also see a level 140 Great Lizard slightly further away.


    It would be problematic if they were to get me unaware.


    (I will get them first!) (Souma)


    I eliminate the enemies before the Minotaur by priority before the next Air Hammer is ready, and while in the middle of the Air Hammer¡¯s knockback¡­


    ([Power Up], [Air Hammer]!) (Souma)


    I chant not only Air Hammer but Power Up too, and set the Time Activation.


    And then¡­


    ([Step], [Side Slash]!) (Souma)


    I match the timing of the Power Up¡¯s activation and use Side Slash.


    That caught the Savage Minotaur perfectly and it also sliced the surrounding Orcs.


    ¡°I did it!¡± (Souma)


    I raised a cheer in the heat of the moment and¡­


    ¡°Eh?!¡± (Souma)


    Because of that, I didn¡¯t notice the one other giant body approaching.


    It was already too late by the time I noticed its presence.


    (Great Liza¡ª?!) (Souma)


    The giant body of the Great Lizard at close range!


    I can¡¯t avoid this charge!


    ¡°Gah!¡± (Souma)


    I was sent flying.


    I blacked out for a moment there.


    After that¡­


    (It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!) (Souma)


    A hard to endure pain attacks my whole body.


    It hurts. It certainly does hurt but¡­


    ([Bloody Stab]!) (Souma)


    The pain will go away with just this.


    The negative dark element Bloody Stab immediately heals my body.


    (¡­I¡¯m okay.) (Souma)


    If it had been a stun, that would have been a different story, but that was a knockback.


    As long as I don¡¯t die in one hit, I am okay.


    I can still get back up.


    What vexes me the most here is my own naivety.


    I lowered my guard from having defeated the Minotaur and had forgotten about the one other enemy.


    It is a mistake that would have been impossible for me to make in the game days.


    However, I have no time to reflect for a long time here.


    ([Oboro Zangetsu], [Ste¡ªkuh!) (Souma)


    I placed an Oboro Zangetsu on the Great Lizard who I have gotten distanced from as a result of the knockback, and tried to move away soon after, but because of that very knockback, the Air Hammer¡¯s timing got messed up to a fatal degree.


    I got distracted by the pain, and completely forgot about counting the seconds.


    It is a clear mistake that really would have been impossible on the game days.


    I head towards the enemy in a defenseless state with movement that wasn¡¯t planned.


    The Black Orcs were swarming at me as if seeing this as a chance.


    ¡°¡­Damn it!¡± (Souma)


    Even with that, I set the Air Hammer before the knockback is over.


    The moment my legs touched the ground, I swept the Orcs with a Side Slash and¡­


    ¡°Wa?!¡± (Souma)


    Overcoming a wall just to hit another one.


    The Great Lizard and the many Orcs died from the Oboro Zangetsu, and this time around, a creature that looks like a giant pill bug rolled this way.


    The level 150 monster, Huge Bug.


    It is a really half-assed name that really encapsulates Nekomimi Neko itself, but that rolling of his has a forced stun on it, and his defensive power is abnormally high.


    A close range attack with no Power Up will most likely be deflected.


    ([Step], [Ground Compression]!) (Souma)


    I jumped back with Step to purposely make the homing roll catch up, and then jump to the side with Ground Compression to avoid it by a narrow margin.


    But at the place I avoided to¡­


    ¡°Are you kidding me?!¡± (Souma)


    Level 170 Death Armor!


    Not only is it high level, but it is clearly a boss class monster!


    (There¡¯s even something like that here?!) (Souma)


    I cursed internally as I unleashed a Side Slash reflexively, but¡­


    (It didn¡¯t get through¡­?!) (Souma)


    It was stopped by the armor.


    It is the same as the time when I attacked Master Torch.


    When you lack way too much power in close range attack skills, the attack will be registered as having been deflected, and you will be skill stunned.


    The Death Armor lifts his greatsword at me who was stopped in place.


    ¡°Crap¡­!¡± (Souma)


    Chills ran down my back.


    But right before that, my body was blown to the back at high speed.


    I was saved by the Air Hammer that I had set to Time Activate directed at the back.


    However, when I look back, I could see the Huge Bug that turned around and was heading my way again.


    On top of that, there¡¯s the Death Armor that is still unscathed and targeting me.


    (Damn it¡­ Can I do this?!) (Souma)


    It would be one thing one on one, but I don¡¯t have the strength to deal with them at the same time.


    The speed of the Huge Bug and the behavior of the Death Armor; I remember those and¡­


    (No, even if it is impossible, I have to do it!!) (Souma)


    I finish the incantation of Air Hammer as if praying, and set it.


    ¡°You are in the way!¡± (Souma)


    I sweep the Orcs coming at me from the right and use Step to go forward.


    I get to the front of the Death Armor who had its weapon ready again, and invite its attack.


    The attack came as expected but¡­


    (Of all things¡­!) (Souma)


    It came with a sweeping slash which is the hardest to avoid.


    I want to escape to the back with Ground Compression, but¡­


    (Damn it!) (Souma)


    Even so, if I avoid it with anything other than Step, the timing will be messed up.


    I used Step directed at the raised arms, prepared for death.


    I aim to avoid the attack of the enemy as if slipping by the enemy!


    (That was close!!) (Souma)


    It truly was a paper-thin difference. The greatsword roared above my head as it passed by.


    My heart shriveled there as if a cold hand had squeezed it.


    But this is where the real deal comes.


    (And here¡­!) (Souma)


    There¡¯s no breathing room in the timing.


    I move back with Step using Godstep Cancel.


    I return to my original position.


    (With this¡­it is here!!) (Souma)


    The Huge Bug approaches from behind with a thunderous sound.


    I am completely pincered here, but¡­


    ¡°[Eternal Heaven Soaring Blade]!¡± (Souma)


    I activate this sword skill.


    My body jumps up with speed incomparable to that of Jump.


    The Huge Bug that had its target evade right before it hit couldn¡¯t stop, and it crashed onto the Death Armor in front of it!


    (Alright!) (Souma)


    The Huge Bug had its rolling stopped by the Death Armor, skill stunning it; the Death Armor was forcefully stunned by the rolling. I have managed to seal the movements of the two at the same time.


    Before the fall of the Soaring Blade began, Air Hammer activated in midair.


    I fly to the back while still in the air.


    While I soared in the air¡­


    ([Power Up][Power Up][Power Up][Power Up]!!) (Souma)


    I do the incantation in the time until the fall.


    I set several spells with a time lag.


    The exact moment I landed, I raised Shiranui and¡­


    ([Oboro Zangetsu], [Step][Oboro Zangetsu], [Step][Oboro Zangetsu]¡­) (Souma)


    I adjust the positioning to hit both the Huge Bug and the Death Armor¡­and activate 3 Oboro Zangetsus while matching the activations of the Power Ups.


    On top of that¡­


    ([High Step], [Jump], [Side Slash]!!) (Souma)


    I mix in a Side Slash at the last Oboro Zangetsu and¡­


    ¡°[Oboro Cross Slash]!!¡± (Souma)


    I put my fighting spirit in that shout!


    The Side Slash this time around didn¡¯t bounce off the armor, and it sliced through the shell of the Huge Bug and the armor of the Death Armor.


    The cross slash was engraved in the two monsters.


    Even the Huge Bug and the Death Armor couldn¡¯t endure the 4 attacks that had the effect of the Power Up, and both of them became light particles and disappeared.


    ¡°¡­Shit!¡± (Souma)


    I grinded my teeth as I saw that.


    My body can¡¯t move because of the skill stun.


    Overlapping 3 Power Ups took me my everything, and I can¡¯t use magic to cancel the skill stun now.


    Also, the angle of the 2nd shot of Oboro Zangetsu was off, and it only hit the Death Armor.


    ¡°I am still lacking.¡± (Souma)


    The skill stun wore off while I was muttering this.


    I was feeling annoyed at how my own battle mastery has degraded, but the battle still continues.

 CH 96

    ¡ªI don¡¯t know how many monsters I have defeated anymore.


    I killed several dozen enemies with the Step, Cancel, to Side Slash combo, and then chain Step with a movement skill to confuse the enemy. I would sweep the enemies using a combo attack after a Petitplosion, forcefully canceled skills by purposely having many attacks scrape me. For the fast enemies, I would bait their attacks, use Hide to block them and forcefully create an opening. I would defeat strong enemies by using a Power Up Oboro Zangetsu that I unleashed in advance.


    I would get shot every so often, but I could replenish my HP with Bloody Stab and my MP with Magic Steal. In that sense, you could say I can fight semi-indefinitely.


    Honestly speaking, I would like to have the special ability, Soul Eater, that absorbs stamina when I am fighting, but I compensate for the lack of it by mixing in Air Hammers often.


    Shiranui has high durability from the very beginning, so there¡¯s no problem, and there¡¯s barely any loss in equipment from the ones with low durability.


    The nerve-wracking battles that shave away at my psyche continued, but I feel like I could continue fighting for several tens of minutes to several hours.


    In other words, there¡¯s no loss that sticks out for now, and I can continue fighting.


    It is going well as a whole.


    Even so¡­!


    (¡ªIt is not enough!) (Souma)


    It makes me think something like this is not enough.


    There¡¯s still a lot I am missing.


    I don¡¯t have enough stats, don¡¯t have enough skills, don¡¯t have enough equipment, and don¡¯t have enough proficiency.


    But even I know that¡­the thing I truly am missing is not the performance of my character.


    (I should be able to fight better!) (Souma)


    I notice that my way of fighting is way too lacking compared to when it was a game.


    The more I fought, the more it bothered me the difference in how I fought at my best, and it makes me want to shout that this is not it.


    The angles of my Steps are lacking.


    My spell choices are lacking.


    My predictions for the Time Activations are lacking.


    The timings for the Cancels are lacking.


    The things that I could do at the time when I fought inside the game everyday, the things that I should be able to do¡­I currently can¡¯t do them with my current self.


    The sensation of the wind brushing my cheek, the sensation of stepping onto the ground, the pain I feel from the attacks scraping me, the fear that I might die, the sound of my drumming heartbeat, my body screaming from the chaining of consecutive skills.


    Everything that wasn¡¯t in the game was messing up my sensations, and impedes efficient skill usage.


    ¡ªI scold myself to remember.


    That time when I held Shiranui which I changed its attack power to minus, equipped fully with cursed armor, fighting for 2-3 hours in the hidden dungeon without any breaks¡­


    That time when I continued fighting solely for the sake of changing the risk of death into thrill¡­


    This is vexing. So vexing. Those sensations alone continued piling up, and it is dulling my body¡¯s sharpness.


    But even with that, the muscle memory that has seeped into me is slowly returning as I activate skills, as I shoot spells.


    ([Step][Side Slash], [Step][Side Slash], [Step][Side Slash][Step][Side Slash], [Petitplosion][Air Hammer]!) (Souma)


    I get close, do a sweeping slash, use a two stage Step to avoid the enemy that jumped onto me, do a sweeping slash, get blown away, and do a double chant¡­


    ([High Step][Jump][Side Slash], [Side Slash], [Step][Side Slash]!) (Souma)


    Jump in, cancel it, sweep, do an explosion to bring me back, sweep the opposite side, jump into the opening between the corpses, sweep, and get blown from the back.


    At that moment¡­


    (That one is¡­!) (Souma)


    What I saw while I was flying to the back with Air Hammer was the Quick Ring Assassin whose face peeked from the horde.


    The fast monster that appeared once we entered the second half of the battle.


    It is a troublesome enemy, but¡­


    ([Side Slash], [Step][Oboro Zangetsu], [Step], [Side Slash]!¡± (Souma)


    After I deal with the enemies around, I activate Oboro Zangetsu early, pull her in with a Long Cancel Step, and intercept it with Side Slash.


    ¡°Wa?!!¡± (Souma)


    The strength of Quick Ring type monsters is their outstanding evasion.


    It even detected the invisible slash and jumped back.


    But¡­


    (I already have you figured out!) (Souma)


    The Oboro Zangetsu I unleashed just before appeared.


    There¡¯s no way an agility specialized monster would be able to endure that hit. After confirming that its body was sliced in two, I searched for my next prey and¡­


    (¡­[Step][Side Slash]!) (Souma)


    I unleash one more Side Slash to the enemy group, and take a breath after being blown away with the Time Activated Air Hammer.


    At first, I thought the enemy thought patterns had increased because it has approached reality, but monsters have their respective characteristic actions and movement speeds.


    If I can read those, I can easily pinpoint the enemies with special evasion patterns like the Quick Ring Assassin of just now. I can somewhat tell which attack to do at what timing.


    Also, I don¡¯t feel the same pressure I felt from the enemies at the beginning.


    Mitsuki and Ringo are probably doing well.


    There¡¯s already no magic attacks or attacks from the sky.


    I just have to concentrate on my own battle.


    I was grateful towards my comrades that are way too good for me, but I concentrated on my battle to the point where I even forgot that.


    What¡¯s important is to not use my action slots too much for evasion.


    Even when using the same number of skills, if there¡¯s a lot of movement skills, the number of enemies I defeat are proportionally less.


    If I am going to be using my time efficiently, only mixing in one movement skill while using Side Slash has the highest kill rate.


    I calculate the best positioning by predicting the movement speed in order to not need evasion.


    ([Step][Side Slash][Step][Side Slash], [Step][Side Slash], [Step][Side Slash], [Ground Compression][Jump][Side Slash]¡­) (Souma)


    I jumped in with a 2 stage Step to cut in from the front, used a backstep to sweep the right side, jump to the side, poured a slash on the left side this time, and after the corpses disappeared, I used Ground Compression to get in in one go at the big space that was opened, float for a bit with Jump and Cancel it with Side Slash, slashing the new pack of enemies.


    At that moment¡­


    (Alright, perfect timing!) (Souma)


    The Air Hammer activated at the perfect moment, and it carried my body to the back.


    Because I am defeating around 10 enemies every second, enemy light particles were dancing in the battlefield without end.


    With that sight on the side, I raised cheers internally about how my technique is coming back to me.


    But I won¡¯t lower my guard.


    I confirm the positions of the enemies while chanting the spell, and think of my next set of moves.


    But just searching for a safe location is not enough.


    I jump around the battlefield to not get completely surrounded, and in order to increase my kills, I would purposely jump into the areas where there¡¯s a lot of enemies, and control the thinner areas.


    If the monsters are only from one direction, the pressure of the enemies will definitely weaken, but the amount of enemies I can defeat will also decrease.


    Even while I make sure to not lose escape routes, the best method is to purposely get surrounded by enemies so that I don¡¯t run out of enemies to defeat.


    ([Side Slash], [Step][Magic Steal], [Step][Side Slash], [Step][Side Slash]¡­) (Souma)


    I cut through the right side, jump diagonally left, replenish my MP with the Red Cap Elite in front of me, and before the attacks come, I cut open the pack of enemies that closed in, moved diagonally forward just like that, and cut the last Red Caps that entered my sight together with the remaining corpses, ending my combo.


    At that moment, the Air Hammer activated at the perfect timing, and I internally tilted my head while I was flying.


    (¡­This is strange.) (Souma)


    The enemies are not gathering well for a while now.


    Also, I barely see any high level monsters anymore.


    ¡ªI have a bad feeling about this.


    Since coming here, it is especially palpable that the pressure of the enemies is weaker.


    As if the monsters had felt something and were leaving this place¡­


    (No, I am overthinking it!) (Souma)


    Right now is the time to be fighting the enemies in front of me.


    I shook off my uneasiness and was about to chant the spell I should use next, and then¡­


    ¡°¡­E-Eh?!¡± (Souma)


    The movements¡­


    The skill combos that I have barely stopped using since the battle began¡­


    ¡°What¡¯s¡­this?¡± (Souma)


    ¡ªStopped completely.


    Strength leaves my limbs.


    I fall with my legs tangled just like that.


    What¡¯s even going on?


    ¡°Please wait¡­¡± (Souma)


    I can¡­still do this.


    Even though I finally managed to get back in gear a little bit here.


    ¡°Is this¡­even possible¡­?¡± (Souma)


    A faint voice leaked out.


    I was fighting normally just a second ago.


    Even though I managed to fight normally until just now¡­why¡­just why¡­


    (¡­No.) (Souma)


    It was actually an omen.


    I was simply acting as if I couldn¡¯t see it.


    That I should still be able to fight, that it is still not the end; I was simply deceiving myself.


    (What about¡­what about the people elsewhere¡­?) (Souma)


    Unable to accept this, I throw my gaze to the surroundings.


    But¡­


    I look absentmindedly at my front.


    The people of the city are still fighting the vanguard monsters and the sounds of angry roars and the clashing of blades rang.


    I can¡¯t tell the situation of the battle clearly, but I doubt it is going to end anytime soon.


    I absentmindedly look at the sky.


    Lightning Strikes were still flashing from the sky ceaselessly. Striking down the monsters in the sky and sealing their movements.


    I do feel like the number of enemies is decreasing, but it looks like it will still take time to wipe them out.


    I absentmindedly look behind me.


    The numbers in the rearline unit are visibly decreasing, and it seems like the battle is going in the favor of Mitsuki.


    However, Mitsuki said she would  come running to assist me, but seeing the number of enemies still left, I don¡¯t think she will be finishing anytime soon.


    ¡ªIt simply strengthened my own despair¡­that unfairness.


    ¡°Why¡­? Just why¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I don¡¯t know how many times those words leaked out from my mouth anymore -the words that cursed this unfairness.


    Even with that, I couldn¡¯t endure the internal pressure and explode.


    ¡°Why?!!¡± (Souma)


    The first time I felt despair since entering this battlefield.


    I shouted at the unfair sight right in front of me.


    ¡°Why is it that only the monsters on my side have been wiped out?!¡± (Souma)


    ¡­¡­Why?

 CH 97

    Light


    Dark


    ¡°I feel like I have messed up here somehow¡­¡± (Souma)


    It had been so long since I have had an actual fight, so I got a bit heated up there and forgot my original objective.


    It was only recently that I went ¡®eh, now that I think about it, my job was to buy time¡¯.


    There¡¯s already not a single enemy from the main enemy force.


    I once again looked carefully around, but there¡¯s no sight of enemies around.


    I even deluded myself into thinking that the enemies were running away from me, but that wasn¡¯t the case.


    I felt that way simply because the enemies were decreasing in numbers.


    (Hmm¡­) (Souma)


    I ended up wiping them out, but will Mitsuki get angry at me later?


    Normally, you would think it is impossible to get scolded for having defeated the most enemies, but because of our conversation beforehand, I am a bit unsure about it.


    But frankly speaking, the plan of pulling the enemies and running away had completely slipped my mind the moment I got through the enemy backline.


    However, if I were to tell them honestly that I got way too into fighting, they might label me as being like Mitsuki and that¡¯s scary.


    I am different from the people of the Mitsuki household. I simply got a bit too into fighting thinking how to fight efficiently.


    This is also of course because I wanted to fight and get back my past battle senses, but that¡¯s a natural desire as a gamer.


    If I were to get lumped together with those battle junkies just because of that, I would go crazy.


    (¡­Oh well, let¡¯s leave that aside for now.) (Souma)


    I just have to think about it when that happens.


    I will leave the getting too into it as a matter to reflect on later. For now, the result is a favorable one.


    Right now I should be finishing this invasion event as fast as possible.


    I looked around the battlefield and carefully observed where I should be assisting.


    The backline unit doesn¡¯t seem to be an issue.


    I may not see Mitsuki, but I can tell that the number of enemies are decreasing smoothly.


    I don¡¯t want to deal with mages because of compatibility issues, and I don¡¯t think Mitsuki would lose.


    It should be fine to ignore that side.


    As for Ringo, there¡¯s even less room to get involved.


    From my brief observation, she seems to be defeating the enemies in the sky without issues even if her pace is slower than that of Mitsuki.


    In the first place, I currently have no effective means to attack airborne enemies.


    It is not like it is impossible for me though. I could use movement skills and spells, but it would be a pretty painful battle against monsters that freely soar in all directions.


    (¡­In that case¡­) (Souma)


    There¡¯s only one option remaining.


    I face the city gates where the battle still continues and¡­


    ([Step][High Step], [Ground Compression]!) (Souma)


    With all that in consideration, what worries me is the safety of Maki.


    When I look up, the only Lightning Strikes I see shining in the sky come from one direction.


    There¡¯s no Lightning Strikes coming from the capital¡¯s side.


    Thinking about it normally, she either can¡¯t use Lightning Strikes, or she isn¡¯t participating in this battle in the first place.


    I tried to check that stuff before the battle started, but Mitsuki¡¯s Explorer Ring apparently can only be used on people she knows, so it didn¡¯t work.


    Was Mitsuki not acquainted with Princess Shermia, or was she not acquainted with Maki?


    Anyways, if we can¡¯t use the Explorer Ring, there isn¡¯t much I can do.


    I at least did one thing and left Maki in a corner of my mind.


    The reason why I desperately tried to pull the main force of the enemy was also for the sake of Maki¡¯s safety.


    The situation may change depending on what adventurers are there, but they should have enough power to push aside the enemy vanguard.


    I may believe this, but I still can¡¯t shake off the uneasiness.


    Maki is quite the troublemaker, so there¡¯s the chance she has brought unnecessary danger to herself.


    I continued activating my movement skills at full power.


    (It is slowly coming into sight.) (Souma)


    I slowly began to see the camp on the city side as I approached the city.


    I was expecting this, but the battle array is pretty much the same as the one in the game.


    They are forming a defense formation in a V shape as if covering the city¡¯s gate.


    Both sides of the V formation had different types of people.


    From my point of view, the right-wing is formed of the Knight Order and nobles; the left-wing seems to be formed of adventurers.


    Where should I head first?


    I hesitated for an instant, but in the end, I went in the direction of the right side, to where the Knight Order is at.


    On the adventurer side, I can see effects of stuff like fire and intense skills, but they seem to be doing well. In contrast to that, the Knight Order¡¯s side seems to be getting pushed by the enemy.


    Also¡­


    (Maki might be there!) (Souma)


    If she is there, she should be close to the Knight Order.


    If she doesn¡¯t have Lightning Strike, she can¡¯t fight, but it is hard to believe she is just staying still in this situation.


    I was thinking that while advancing, and I am beginning to see the knights fighting the monsters.


    The Knight Order is fighting with an organized style, efficiently handling the monsters.


    In terms of level, they should be having a hard time fighting those monsters, but they are properly coordinating to fight the monsters on somewhat even grounds.


    You could say it is the polar opposite of the battle style of Nekomimi Neko players, but there¡¯s certainly a perfected art there.


    But it still doesn¡¯t shake off the fact that they are having a hard battle here.


    It doesn¡¯t seem like there¡¯s anyone who has tapped out, but that¡¯s also lowering their damage.


    It feels as if they would crumble with one blunder.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­Queen Meliaruda?¡± (Souma)


    The support pillar for this is the queen of the Rihito Kingdom, the existence of Meliaruda.


    She is a master of healing and buff magic.


    She uses close to bottomless MP, and supports the whole front by casting healing and buffing magic on the whole Knight Order without holding anything back.


    And then, at her side is obviously the king of Rihito Kingdom, Fulfill, slicing the monsters approaching in two.


    That stability they provide is perfect. With the two together, I could feel relief that they wouldn¡¯t be losing to monsters of this level.


    However¡­


    (I don¡¯t see Maki.) (Souma)


    I don¡¯t see the princess who should be by the side of the king and queen.


    I thought all the royalty would be showing up here, but maybe she is staying at home?


    Or she might be fighting together with the bodyguards a bit deeper in?


    (Whichever the case, I will know once I settle things here.) (Souma)


    Enemies are finally close.


    Most of the monsters have their aggro on the knights in front of them and have not noticed me.


    Then, let¡¯s do a preemptive strike as a greeting.


    ([Step][Side-Slash], [Step][Side-Slash], [Step][High Step][Jump][Side-Slash]!) (Souma)


    It would be bad if I were to hit the knights.


    I ambush the enemy from behind with large AOEs while maintaining good enough distance.


    (Figures¡­) (Souma)


    These enemies also avoid well.


    The monsters here are the ones with high speed.


    I only managed to defeat around half of the enemies I was aiming for mostly because I prioritized not hitting the knights deeper in.


    But even with that, I successfully managed to cause unrest in the enemies.


    For some reason, I feel like unrest spread around not only with the monsters, but with the Knight Order as well, but I move into close combat.


    ([Step][Slash], [Step][Slash], [Step][Slash], [Step][Side-Slash].) (Souma)


    I try to control the Side-Slash which has a wide aoe, and decrease the number of enemies with certainty using Slash.


    Slash is weaker compared to Side-Slash, but there¡¯s no problem against speedy enemies.


    If it hits, I can definitely defeat them.


    ¡°Kya!¡±


    While I was lowering the number of enemies in that fashion, I heard a scream.


    When I looked there, I saw a female knight that had fallen on her butt.


    If I remember correctly, she is supposed to be an event character and greenhorn knight, Jessica.


    Going ¡®kya¡¯ on a battlefield is questionable for a knight, but there¡¯s no doubt she is in danger.


    I instinctively use Step to get closer and¡­


    (Crap!) (Souma)


    I noticed that I got way too close.


    There¡¯s 2 monsters approaching Jessica.


    I won¡¯t be able to kill them all with a Slash, but if I use Side-Slash, I would hit Jessica.


    I decide on the moment¡­


    ([Wide Slash]!) (Souma)


    I Cancel the Step and use Wide Slash.


    Because this skill is a sword skill, it doesn¡¯t have much power and doesn¡¯t have as much aoe as Side Slash, but that low aoe is instead serving as a pro here.


    The slashing effect cut both the body of the monsters and Jessica, but the aoe is actually smaller than the visual effect.


    There¡¯s no actual harm in the visual effect that passed the body of Jessica, and it sliced the monsters in the front accurately.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± (Souma)


    It would be bad to leave her behind, so I stop my feet for a moment and speak to her.


    ¡°Hiih! S-Spare me¡­!¡± (Jessica)


    The fear of monsters attacking  must still remain in her.


    I was thinking about speaking to her again, but time¡¯s up.


    ¡°Woops.¡± (Souma)


    My body was suddenly pushed to the side and Jessica got further away.


    The Air Hammer I had set to Time Activate had gone off, and moved my body.


    ¡°Hiiih!¡± (Jessica)


    Jessica screamed once again.


    She screamed just because a person was moving. I think she really isn¡¯t suited to be a knight.


    But an environment that is easier for me to fight in was made around that point.


    Maybe the knights have somewhat read that it would be harder for me to fight if they were to step to the front, the Knight Order seemed to be moving back.


    There were of course monsters who were moving to the front matching that, but half of them had turned back and were heading towards me.


    I take the offer of the Knight Order without hesitation, and wipe out the enemies efficiently with a chain combo formed mainly around Side Slash.


    Because the aggro is being divided between me and the Knight Order, my kill rate is not the same as when I fought the main force, but the monsters in the vanguard are far less than that of the main force.


    I eliminate the enemies while not minding the missed ones, and I advance while slowly moving from the right-wing to the left one.


    I observe the knights while advancing, but I really don¡¯t see Maki.


    Also¡­


    (That person is not here either.) (Souma)


    I can¡¯t find the person that I thought I would be encountering here.


    While I was doing that, I had arrived at the end of the right-wing.


    Just in case, I get away from the right-wing and check the state of the left-wing.


    This side is mainly composed of adventurers, but¡­


    ¡°This is horrible.¡± (Souma)


    They were so disorganized it made me say that.


    The people in this place look like they have a higher level, but there¡¯s practically no coordination. It is truly the polar opposite of the Knight Order.


    The ones who are especially bad are the groups in the middle.


    There¡¯s a team with a whole ton of characters I am familiar with.


    ¡°Ahahaha! Eat this! The attack of a hero!!¡±


    The one who is swinging his sword while laughing is the strongest hero, Alex!


    A shockwave blade was created from his swung sword. The monsters and the adventurer that was close to that were blown away by it.


    ¡°Revolting evil that is sealed within mine right arm¡­devour these vengeful apparitions! Manifest, [Darkness Flame]! ¡­Fuuuh, curse the day you stood before me.¡±


    The one doing a long monologue while shooting out magic is the genius idiotic mage, Sazan!


    Fire was surging from their held up right arm, and the monsters as well as the adventurer closeby were engulfed in fire.


    The adventurer that has been getting caught in the attacks of Alex and Sazan is Raiden.


    On top of that, there¡¯s even a burly macho martial artist, Baccarat.


    ¡°What¡¯s with that displeasing dream team¡­?¡± (Souma)


    If we only consider their combat power, it is a gathering of top class people, but if there were a ranking of parties you wouldn¡¯t want to be in, there¡¯s no doubt this would be in the top ten.


    I don¡¯t know if it is the result of his Horse Hit activating, but Raiden is crazy for entering a team like that.


    This ain¡¯t on the level of meeting strong people, but on the level where it makes me think he is a masochist.


    It is certainly true that the monsters are decreasing thanks to them, but their allies are also running around.


    After watching the adventurer side, rather than fighting the monsters, it is mostly them scattering to not get caught in friendly fire.


    Honestly speaking, I don¡¯t want to jump into that either.


    Thinking I might as well head to assist Ringo or Mitsuki, I looked back, but it seems like Mitsuki is mostly done on her side.


    It is probably already on a countdown to end.


    I then look at Ringo.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­bad.¡± (Souma)


    Ringo had defeated most of the enemies in the sky, but the ghost type monsters with high resistance against physical attacks remain.


    Moreover, the one in the middle of it is the¡­


    ¡°Lich Ghost, huh.¡± (Souma)


    The level 170 boss monster, Lich Ghost.


    This guy is a monster with an appearance like that of a black robe made of mist, and not only is it a Lich on top of being a ghost, it is an undead high above, so normal physical attacks have no effect on it at all.


    Not only that, it has resistances in all 4 main elements and it obviously absorbs darkness.


    Moreover, maybe because it is a boss, it is even immune to healing magic which is supposed to be the weakness of undead. Most attacks aside from the light element won¡¯t work. A really tough enemy.


    On top of that, because it has a nasty special attack, if you fight him for the first time with no countermeasures, there tends to be a lot of casualties. You could call it a super pain in the ass monster.


    It would be terrible if an enemy like that were to attack Ringo.


    Ringo¡¯s Lightning Strike is a physical attack.


    If she were to get attacked by the Lich Ghost, she would have no means to defend against it.


    (And yet, is Ringo even getting targeted?) (Souma)


    Even if it is an ineffective attack, it should create some aggro if it hits.


    It seems like it has deemed Ringo as an enemy because the Lightning Strike hit it.


    I turned up my speed and headed to the place of Ringo, but¡­


    (That¡¯s¡­!) (Souma)


    A rock flew towards the Lich Ghost and hit it.


    The thrown rock is obviously a physical attack, so there¡¯s no damage, but the attack target switched to that person.


    (Just who¡­?) (Souma)


    Thinking this, I search for the person who threw the rock, and there¡¯s an adventurer girl who is dealing with several monsters at once with her mace.


    Her physical stats must be abnormally high, she was showing inhuman physical feats without even using skills as she overwhelmed the monsters. Any monster that showed an opening, she would mawl it to death with her mace.


    (Speaking of which¡­) (Souma)


    The greengrocer Oba-chan told me about the rumor of a mace girl before.


    I ignored it since there was no such adventurer in the game, but she must be the one.


    When I strain my eyes further to get a better look at her¡­


    ¡°Bear!!¡± (Souma)


    At her side, there¡¯s a familiar yellow shadow.


    Actually, I had asked the Bear a request before the battle started.


    I was thinking about having it wait at a separate location together with Ringo, but the Bear seems to be strangely scared of Ringo lately, so I gave it a special order and had it act separately.


    My order was to ¡®find the princess and pass her my letter¡¯.


    It would be rough for the Bear to participate in battle alone, and I couldn¡¯t let go of this moment where there¡¯s a high chance the princess has gone outside.


    I stressed that it shouldn¡¯t push itself, and gave it a bag that had self-defense items and my letter.


    I was worried that it might get mistaken by a monster and get attacked, but it looks like it managed to infiltrate the city side without issues.


    Or rather, the fact that Bear is here must mean¡­


    (That¡¯s¡­Maki?!) (Souma)


    I once again look at that adventurer girl with that in mind, and she does seem somewhat similar to her.


    The adventurer-like men that were fighting by her side look like famous knights that appear often in Knight Order events.


    The final nail was the weapon the girl was holding.


    I thought for sure she was hitting the enemies with a mace, but¡­


    (Isn¡¯t that the initial staff of Princess Shermia!) (Souma)


    It is completely the same as the staff she used in the Attack on the Capital when shooting Lightning Strikes.


    There¡¯s already no doubt about it.


    I increased the speed even more and as I approached her¡­


    ¡°Maki!!¡± (Souma)


    I shouted at the top of my lungs.


    That voice reached the girl.


    ¡°Eh? This voice¡­could it be¡­So¡ª¡±


    She looked back in surprise, but that turned into a decisive opening.


    The Lich Ghost that was floating in the air without doing anything suddenly accelerated.


    ¡°Maki!¡± (Souma)


    This time around, I raise my voice for a different reason.


    But by the time I shouted, the Lich Ghost had already placed a hand on Maki and¡­


    ¡°Eh?!¡±


    Leaving only those words, Maki¡¯s body was swallowed by the Lich Ghost that had approached.


    ¡°Ma¡­ki¡­¡± (Souma)


    Blood drained from my face.


    ¡°She was¡­assimilated¡­?¡± (Souma)


    The special attack of the Lich Ghost: Assimilate.


    It is the horrible attack of swallowing the target into its own body.


    ¡°Princess-sama!¡±


    The two who seemed to be her bodyguards ready their swords to attack the Lich Ghost but¡­


    ¡°You must not attack! You will hit Maki who is inside!!¡± (Souma)


    The tricky part of the Assimilate of the Lich Ghost is that: when the Lich Ghost gets attacked and it has assimilated someone, half of that damage will be dealt to the one assimilated.


    When used, it not only halves the damage, you also end up killing your ally inside when attacking.


    The only way to undo the assimilation is to defeat the Lich Ghost, so as long as the person inside doesn¡¯t have endurance that¡¯s higher than the Lich Ghost, the person inside will end up dying too.


    That said, if you leave it be, they will get their HP sucked by the Lich Ghost and die.


    Stuck between a rock and a hard place.


    But¡­


    ¡°Bear! The white ball!!¡± (Souma)


    I won¡¯t give up here!


    There¡¯s no way I would let my cousin die right in front of me when I finally reunited with her.


    The speed of the Lich Ghost lowers when it has assimilated someone.


    The white ball thrown by the Bear at close range splendidly hits the Lich Ghost and stops its movement.


    ¡°The Princess!¡±


    ¡°With just that much¡­!¡±


    The bodyguards shout at the same time.


    Even if it is a light element attack, the effect of the ball is small, and I know that damage has reached Maki too.


    That¡¯s not my real goal.


    ¡°Thanks, Bear!¡± (Souma)


    Saying this, I stand in front of that guy with Air Hammer, chant Power Up, and at the same time, I¡­


    (This is not enough!) (Souma)


    I threw away the Golden Sakura in my left hand, and took out a ball from my pouch.


    Not the white ball that¡¯s the only one that can deal damage to it, but the black one that heals it.


    ¡°Wa?! Impossible, the dark element against it is¡­!¡±


    The bodyguard knight was saying something, but I held the black ball without caring.


    And then, in front of the Lich Ghost that has been stunned from the light element attack¡­I throw the black ball up¡­towards myself.


    (Please!) (Souma)


    I plead to no one in particular while immediately activating the obvious choice here.


    ¡°[Absolute Katana Reversal]!¡± (Souma)


    The strongest counter skill.


    (Can I do this? The timing¡­) (Souma)


    If I mess up the timing even a bit, it will end up in a miss.


    2 painful seconds.


    The irritating preliminary motions ended, the posture was completed, the time for the counter registration came and¡­


    (Now!) (Souma)


    The black colored ball fell, hit my body, and bursted.


    Detecting the dark element attack, the counter of Absolute Katana Reversal activated.


    (Don¡¯t move. DON¡¯T move!) (Souma)


    I abided by the preset skill motions and swing Shiranui.


    A replay of the time when I fought the Butcher.


    The attack of my Shiranui that had the black ball hit was obviously clad in ominous dark power and¡­


    ¡°Take this!¡± (Souma)


    I caught the Lich Ghost that finally got out from the stun of the white ball!


    If I were to simply use a light attack, I would end up killing Maki as well.


    But the other elements can¡¯t defeat the Lich Ghost.


    ¡­If it were a normal attack, that is.


    But right now I have a negative modifier in my dark element attack because of the rings.


    Using it normally, it would recover the target.


    But against an enemy that would absorb the dark element, it does the opposite!


    ¡°Could it be¡­!¡±


    The knight shouts.


    The attack power of the customized Shiranui, the high skill modifier, the effect of Power Up, and the multiplier of the dark element.


    This one attack that has all of those things stacked up scattered the Lich Ghost without much suspense and¡­


    ¡°Maki!!¡± (Souma)


    The captured Princess was spit out from the inside.


    Maki¡¯s body falls.


    ¡°Princess!¡±


    And the one that arrived faster than me, who was skill stunned, and the knights who were standing there dumbfounded was¡­


    *Grin*


    The yellow and capable plushie caught the body of Maki splendidly and¡­


    *Gusha!*


    Even though it was squashed, it managed to protect Maki¡¯s body from the impact.


    ¡°¡­Nice cushion.¡± (Souma)


    I was relieved and said this to the Bear.


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡±


    Maki wakes up.


    ¡°¡­Maki.¡± (Souma)


    Strength leaves my legs from relief.


    Her attire may be different, but her unyielding eyes are the same.


    Even in a place like this, even in a situation like this, Maki is still Maki.


    When Maki saw me in her vision¡­


    ¡°Eh? ¡­Eh?¡±


    She blinked 2¡­3 times as if she couldn¡¯t believe it, and then, after she finally acknowledged my presence, her eyes opened wide.


    ¡°Sou¡­ma? Are you really¡­Souma? Did you come to save me?¡± (Maki)


    The moment Maki said this, I suddenly felt embarrassed.


    That¡¯s why I faced the other way, and said something cheesy.


    ¡°¡­I have arrived <Ore Sanjou>.¡± (Souma)

 CH 98-99

    Light


    Dark


    ¡°Get away from the Princess!¡±


    I was stopped by the knights that ran my way.


    Speaking of which, the attack that defeated the Lich Ghost, it actually hit it with the dark element that should heal, so the HP of Maki inside of it should have recovered, but for the people who don¡¯t know the circumstances, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for them to think I attacked the Lich Ghost without caring about Maki¡¯s life.


    Looks like they are pretty on guard towards me, and I was soon parted from Maki.


    Or more like, the eyes of the surrounding knights are awfully filled with killing intent and it is scary.


    I worked pretty hard to save the city, and even helped out the knights, so I thought the misunderstanding had been completely cleared, but it looks like the Nekomimi Mansion has been ingrained deeply in them.


    After that, I saw Jessica within the knights that ran here, so I called her, but that might have been a bad choice?


    If only they would let me explain, but the knights are facing here with an incredible look in their eyes, so I can¡¯t find any room for conversation.


    It would be normal to talk to the person that I am acquainted with even if it is even for an instant.


    ¡°Ah, looks like you are alright.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± (Jessica)


    I tried to speak to her with as much of a gentle voice as possible so as not to stimulate the other party, but she really might have received a mental shock there.


    Reading this, I tried to be as considerate as humanly possible.


    ¡°But it would be better to be properly careful, you know? Wounds are not limited to the ones you can see.¡± (Souma)


    I smiled at her after saying that, but it seems like it ended up having the complete opposite effect.


    ¡°A-Aaah¡­¡± (Jessica)


    Looks like my words served to trigger her trauma of the attacking monsters.


    Jessica held her stomach and trembled.


    Thanks to that, the surrounding knights¡­


    ¡°Y-You bastard!¡±


    ¡°What did you do to Jessica?!¡±


    They shouted this at me, glared; the whole combo.


    If not for the intercession of the king and Asahi who heard about the commotion, it might have devolved into a fight.


    With Asahi assuring my identity, and the king acknowledging me as the biggest contributor in this time¡¯s invasion, their hostility has at least been subdued on a surface level.


    I am honestly grateful for that, but because of this, it is not an atmosphere where I can say I want to talk with Maki.


    When I was about to try and do it still¡­


    ¡°¡­No, you will have to explain a number of things before that.¡±


    A familiar voice held my right arm tightly from behind.


    ¡°M-Mitsuki¡­!¡± (Souma)


    When I turned around, there was a cat ears samurai there.


    Her cat ears were standing more upright than ever before to the point that it felt like they would pierce the heavens, and they were fluently saying ¡®I won¡¯t be letting this one go!¡¯.


    And while I was distracted by Mitsuki¡­


    ¡°¡­I also¡­have something I want to ask you.¡±


    Ringo appeared at some point in time and grabbed my left arm.


    Leaving aside Ringo, I¡­can¡¯t match the powerful bullet train of Mitsuki.


    And in this way, I, who should have been the biggest contributor in this invasion, was made to exit without even being able to talk with Maki properly.


    Fortunately, Mitsuki and Ringo didn¡¯t seem to actually be that angry. They freed me by the time we moved away from the city, and were instead happy I was alright.


    On the way, I also met up with the people of the Hisame Dojo, and returned to the dojo with them.


    Ah, by the way, I didn¡¯t see them much while I was fighting, but it seems like Asahi and the other members of the Hisame Dojo, half of them were helping the civilians evacuate and the other half were fighting at the adventurer side.


    When we arrived at the dojo, I asked Mitsuki and the other disciples the details and¡­


    ¡°Eh? Their misunderstanding of me is still not cleared?¡± (Souma)


    And it seems like the knights are still wary of me.


    ¡°Rather than calling it a misunderstanding¡­it is more like your fighting style is a bit too uhm¡­unique. People who see it for the first time will find it odd.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°I see. That might be true.¡± (Souma)


    For the people of this world that don¡¯t have the technique called Order, using Skill Cancel and KB Cancel would be a high threshold.


    That¡¯s why I tried to not show the Cancel type techniques in public, but this time around was an emergency, so I fought pretty hard there.


    Even if describing it as ¡®a weirdo¡¯ like Ringo says is exaggerated, the people who are somewhat quick-witted will feel it off when seeing skill chains.


    Also, now that I unravel an unpleasant memory of mine, there was a town child that told me I moved weird.


    ¡°That said, I doubt you will be antagonized by them from here on. It is for the sake of that that we forcefully pulled you out from that place and lowered their fearsome impression of you¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°S-So that¡¯s what that was for!¡± (Souma)


    Even if it is someone who defeated a whole ton of monsters, if they see how he is being dragged by two girls, their fearsomeness should dim.


    Mitsuki recently has been pretty sharp, or like, even though she looks like a muscle-brain, she unexpectedly thinks about a lot of things.


    ¡°The city might have fallen in this time¡¯s monster invasion. Who do you think would try to actively oppose someone that managed to single-handedly wipe them out?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Aah, yeah, you have a point there.¡± (Souma)


    Thinking about it logically, that certainly does sound like a conclusion you would come to.


    Nekomimi Neko has the tendency of throwing away all common sense to the trash, so it is troubling that this isn¡¯t giving me any peace of mind.


    Even so, when pointed out like that, I feel like I have done quite the big thing here.


    In a game perspective, it is simply as if I finished an intermediate level quest that had its difficulty increased a little bit though.


    ¡°Also, tomorrow, you will be awarded a medal of honor to extol your contributions of today. When that happens, the knights won¡¯t be able to show antipathy towards you even more in public.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Aaah.¡± (Souma)


    Now that she mentions it, there was indeed an event like that.


    When you defeat more than a certain number of enemies in the Attack on the Capital, you will be called to the royal castle, and will be awarded a medal of honor.


    I feel like a medal of honor the very next day of the incident is a bit too fast, but it would be boorish to retort to that game setting.


    A medal of honor was a specially useless item in the game, so you would immediately sell it at the shop or have it rot in your Adventurer Bag, but it should have its uses now that it is a real world.


    I have been acknowledged by the king, so stuff like my influence and the weight of my words might have increased.


    While I was thinking that, someone tapped my leg.


    The Bear that contributed greatly this time too.


    ¡°Good job today as well.¡± (Souma)


    Saying this, I hugged it up and the Bear smacked my arm as if finding it a pain, and then, brought out a paper in front of me.


    It is the letter that I entrusted to the Bear for Maki but¡­


    ¡°Could this possibly be a response from Maki?!¡± (Sonuma)


    There were things written at the back of it which I don¡¯t remember writing.


    Looks like the Bear managed to make contact with Maki and had her write a response when I was dragged away by Mitsuki and Ringo.


    This Bear has been so capable recently it is scary.


    (Let¡¯s see here¡­) (Souma)


    Considering the danger of other people reading our letter, I simply wrote straight to the point that I would like to meet her somewhere, and it seems like the response of Maki was equally short.


    Maki probably wrote it in a hurry.


    It is more like scribbles than a letter, but I am used to her peculiar writing, so I could still read it.


    [To Souma:


    At the royal castle after you are awarded the onor medal.


    Maki.]


    And the fact that she couldn¡¯t write the honor <„ë> part of the medal of honor was terribly real and truly saddening.


    Are her studies going well?


    Well, leaving aside her grammar, the meaning in itself was transmitted.


    The medal of honor award will be done in the audience room, but we should be able to make contact at some point around that time.


    With this, I feel like I will be able to have a proper talk with Maki tomorrow.


    (For now, we just wait.) (Souma)


    It should be fine to consider the matter of the city and Maki to have been appeased for now.


    There¡¯s still a variety of tasks that remain, but according to the Hisame Dojo, there has been no deaths confirmed in this invasion as of now, so I would say this is a passing mark.


    I was relieved at having my past distress cleared, and fatigue immediately pressed on me right after.


    Now that I think about it, I have continuously moved around from dawn till now with barely any breaks.


    Leaving aside my body, my mind is already at its limit.


    ¡°¡­Souma¡­are you okay?¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo had noticed my state and she spoke to me in a low volume. The cat ears of Mitsuki twitched as if saying ¡®Eh? Are you not feeling well?¡¯.


    ¡°Let¡¯s rest early today.¡± (Mitsuki)


    And just as Mitsuki said, we finished the day with just a talk, and went to bed early.


    I was sound asleep until the next morning.


    And then, the next day.


    The conferment of honors apparently happens at noon. However, if I honestly spoke about this, the Clumsy Maid-san might give me a whole ton of mitarashi dango.


    We departed for the city while it was still morning.


    On the way to the city, we of course encountered monsters in the field, but it is not like there¡¯s a monster invasion event anymore, and thanks to the Attack on the Capital event having ended, the Monster Invasion Progress of the monsters at the west of the capital has decreased greatly.


    There¡¯s nothing to be wary about.


    I walked leisurely with the Bear in one hand while chatting with Mitsuki and Ringo.


    And just when we were going to be arriving in the city soon¡­


    Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears suddenly stood up as if they had caught something unearthly.


    ¡°Something big is approaching the city at a pretty high speed.¡± (Mitsuki)


    We immediately get ready for battle at the words of Mitsuki.


    (What¡¯s this ¡®something big¡¯? The monster invasion should be over already. Or is there some sort of unexpected factor again¡­?) (Souma)


    Even at that time, I desperately turned the gears in my brain, but the result was nothing.


    At our right, in other words, at the south, that had showed up.


    ¡°That¡¯s an¡­Express Carriage¡­?!¡± (Souma)


    A fantasy carriage that¡¯s used to move from city to city.


    Of course, that¡¯s just a vehicle, and there¡¯s no danger to it.


    After confirming the identity of this ¡®big thing¡¯, I could tell that the two by my side relaxed.


    But I¡­only I didn¡¯t relax.


    That¡¯s a ride that¡¯s used to move from settlement to settlement.


    If it is coming from the south, it means that that carriage is¡­


    ¡°¡­Souma?¡± (Ringo)


    The moment I noticed that possibility, I immediately chanted Air Hammer.


    At the same time as I finished, I jumped with Step.


    ¡°Sorry, I am going ahead!¡± (Souma)


    I said only that and used KB Cancel to move seriously, running to the gates of the city.


    When speaking of a settlement at the south of the capital, it would be Lamurick.


    That might be a carriage that came from Lamurick.


    (If that carriage is from Lamurick¡­) (Souma)


    There¡¯s obviously merchants who use carriages to carry their goods from Lamurick.


    I don¡¯t really hold any expectations there.


    But there¡¯s always a number of adventurers who are hired to accompany those merchants as escorts¡­


    There¡¯s adventurers that want to go to the capital who would get into the carriage.


    (Am I just expecting too much here? But¡­) (Souma)


    However, the Express Carriage wasn¡¯t too popular of a means of transportation.


    On top of taking more time than the Magic Airship, the amount of times it operates are outstandingly low compared to the Magic Airship that operates once every day on average.


    The only ones who would purposely take the Express Carriage are people that don¡¯t have the money to ride a Magic Airship, people that hate the chance of crashing from the Magic Airship¡­or people that really hate Magic Airships.


    (That¡¯s why¡­just maybe¡­) (Souma)


    Even when thinking it is impossible, I end up expecting it.


    I make a sudden stop in front of the gate, and the carriage stops at almost the same time in front of the gate.


    And then¡­


    The door of the Express Carriage opened and a number of people got off from it.


    An adventurer-looking man, a merchant-looking man, and an adventurer-like man and woman.


    They are all faces I have seen in the game, but there¡¯s no way there would be a miracle like having an acquaintance of mine riding a carriage that I coincidentally saw.


    Games and reality are different.


    What was I getting all excited for?


    The moment I thought this and was about to give up¡­


    ¡°Eh¡­?¡± (Souma)


    The last person finally showed up from inside the carriage.


    Seeing that, I gulped.


    ¡°Could it be¡­¡± (Souma)


    The miracle really happened.


    The one who got down was certainly an old adventurer friend of mine.


    (Aaah¡­) (Souma)


    This reunion was by no means set by the game.


    That¡¯s why this is purely a coincidence.


    But now that I think about it¡­


    I might have already expected this somewhere in my heart when we separated.


    As if fate had a hand in this.


    Or maybe the world is retrieving a past flag as if it were a game.


    ¡°¡­That person¡­what was the name?¡±


    I reunited with the bald eyepatch adventurer that I mistook for the owner at the weapon store in Lamurick.


    Reigokai: Oh hell nah, you damn author. I ain¡¯t letting you end a chapter like that!


    Here is another chapter!


    ¡ª¡ª¨C


    ¡°I see, the boy from before! I came to the capitol pretty fast myself, but to think you would get here before me, boy! Gahahahaha!¡±


    The last one to come down from the carriage was Kragus-san.


    The person that I met at the weapon store at the time when I just began moving together with Ina.


    The first time I met him, I mistook him for the owner of the store, and¡­


    I asked him with a straight face: ¡°The bill please¡±. A really shameful episode of mine, but let¡¯s forget that.


    I already did.


    I don¡¯t remember anything anymore.


    At that time, Kragus-san scratched his head and said: ¡°Sorry, boy, I am a customer¡­¡±.


    I don¡¯t have a single recollection of his apologetic expression or my cringiness at that time. Nope, don¡¯t remember at all.


    It flashes in the corner of my mind every time I enter a weapon store and it depresses me a bit.


    No wait, no, I don¡¯t remember.


    ¡­I will leave it at that.


    Well, leaving that harmless thought of mine on the corner¡­


    ¡°Ah, by the way Kragus-san, if you were in Lamurick, I would like to ask something.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Hmm, what is it? Booze? Women?¡± (Kragus)


    ¡°No, it is not booze or women¡­well, it is a woman though¡­¡± (Souma)


    He gave a lead up that makes it really hard to ask, but I still asked.


    ¡°Do you know an adventurer named Ina Trail?¡± (Souma)


    I asked without much hope.


    Kragus-san is an adventurer like Ina, but this world doesn¡¯t have something like an Adventurer Guild, so I would say it was a 50/50 whether he knew Ina.


    But Kragus-san said as if nothing.


    ¡°Hmm, Ina Trail, huh. Of course I know her. She is a part of the¡­most famous adventurer duo in Lamurick after all!¡± (Kragus)


    At first, I thought that I heard wrong.


    Ina was always a lonely adventurer. She got close to me because she could only adventure alone no matter what she did.


    It is clearly strange that he said ¡®duo¡¯.


    But from what Kragus-san said, it doesn¡¯t seem like we are talking about a different person.


    ¡°The reason why the girl Ina got famous was not because she is an adventurer, but because she suddenly began doing weird stuff.¡± (Kragus)


    She apparently began doing something eccentric like single-mindedly cutting a wooden stick with a knife while mumbling something around 10 days ago.


    ¡­It pains my ears, or like¡­I do have an idea about this.


    10 days ago was right around the time when I arrived at the capital from Lamurick, and the wooden stick is probably the Master Torch I gave to Ina.


    I can tell that Ina read my letter and began to use Master Torch to increase her Weapon Proficiency.


    Lamurick is not that big of a place. If there¡¯s someone doing weird stuff, they will be standing out to a decent degree.


    But the decisive thing was that she collapsed in the middle of the town.


    In the middle of the town that has absolutely no monsters, she suddenly collapsed with her stomach bleeding.


    I thought for a second that it was failed suicide, but I soon noticed the truth.


    What Ina had was a Wakizashi which is categorized as a Dagger and a Ninja Sword.


    Within the skills you can learn when you increase your proficiency, you will obviously learn the skill that¡¯s called the one-hit one-suicide, the self-destruction skill, Bloody Stab.


    (Crap! I should have written that in my letter too¡­!) (Souma)


    Even if she doesn¡¯t fight monsters or cause events, if she tests out an unknown skill in the middle of the city, there¡¯s the danger of dying.


    That is Nekomimi Neko.


    But it fortunately seems like Ina managed to survive the baptism of that Nekomimi Neko.


    ¡°However, she found a partner from within the medics that carried her.¡± (Kragus)


    The name that showed up there was a nostalgic one.


    My first companion in my game days, and the only person I have activated the marriage event with: the Healer, Thiel.


    I don¡¯t see any connection between Ina and Thiel even when searching my game knowledge, but it seems like they connected in some way.


    The two apparently formed a party soon after.


    ¡°From there on, they were blasting through everything. At first, that Thiel girl was the one pulling her leg, but that Ina girl managed to properly raise her level, and they are now both high level adventurers in Lamurick.¡± (Kragus)


    Ina is using an unusual two-weapon style with the knife and wooden stick.


    As for Thiel, she is using a wand with a fearsome design that doesn¡¯t suit her appearance as she fights.


    The weird battle style of the two immediately made them the talk of the town of Lamurick.


    This is just a possibility, but the weapons of Ina might be the Wakizashi and Master Torch.


    The weapon of Thiel must be the Guernica Wand.


    The capabilities of the Guernica Wand are outstanding in early game, and Master Torch could be used as a shield of sorts.


    Both are quirky weapons, but their practical use is high.


    ¡°I departed from Lamurick yesterday morning. At least half of the conversations at the tavern at that time were about those two. That¡¯s how much they stand out.¡± (Kragus)


    After that, the two apparently hunted, hunted, and hunted the fields and dungeons around the town at blinding speed.


    If they are so well known by the adventurers of the town in just 1 week, they must have really been going crazy there.


    (But¡­I see¡­) (Souma)


    Now that I have heard this much, there¡¯s no room for doubts.


    Ina really did find a companion.


    I am filled with disbelief here, but now that I think carefully about it, it might not be that impossible of a thing.


    Ina being solo in the game was simply an assumption from the situation, but it is not like I properly observed it.


    I met Ina soon after arriving in this world. In other words, it was right after the start of the game from the game perspective.


    Putting it in an extreme way, The reason why Ina didn¡¯t make companions until now was simply because in the beginning of the game ¡®Ina was solo when the game started¡¯, so there might have been a setting where ¡®she can actually make comrades after that point¡¯.


    Also, from my experience until now, the discrepancy in the actions of the characters compared to the game is big -aside from events.


    There was probably no setting lorewise about Ina having to fight solo. In that case, the system enforcement must not have been that strong on this one.


    Thinking about it like that, even if Ina was solo in the game, it wouldn¡¯t be that strange for her to find a companion.


    On top of that, Ina living her life in Lamurick was a wish of mine.


    That¡¯s why this is a joyful development.


    There¡¯s no need to put any complaints about this being impossible. I should be giving my blessings here.


    That should be the case.


    And yet, something is still bothering me..


    (Could it be that I am feeling lonely here?) (Souma)


    I probably thought somewhere in my heart that Ina would chase after me forever.


    That¡¯s why I was expecting Ina to be in that carriage, and asked Kragus-san about her.


    I am sure that¡¯s what it is.


    When she was by my side, I thought of her as annoying and didn¡¯t pay her much attention, and even created distance with her thinking that she was a hindrance, and yet, here I am, being selfish.


    I left her there by my own will, and I now have irreplaceable comrades that will walk together with me¡­


    (Eh¡­?) (Souma)


    Speaking of which, it has been quite a while, and yet, Ringo and Mitsuki haven¡¯t arrived.


    Not only that, even the Bear that should have been in my arms is not there anymore.


    Wondering what was going on, I look back and¡­


    *Whisper Whisper*


    My irreplaceable comrades were clearly whispering something while looking at me.


    That¡¯s really unpleasant.


    I can¡¯t hear what they are saying clearly, but I could barely pick up: ¡®between men¡­¡¯, ¡®hurrying that much¡­¡¯, ¡®the balding one¡­¡¯, ¡®that was his taste¡­¡¯, ¡®*Grin*¡¯.


    I have a really bad feeling about this.


    When they noticed that I was looking their way, Ringo ran here.


    ¡°¡­Souma, no!¡± (Ringo)


    She got in between me and Kragus-san, and spread both arms.


    ¡°Wa, R-Ringo¡­?!¡± (Souma)


    Ringo is expressionless and I can¡¯t read her emotions, but I could feel desperation from her face.


    Me and Kragus-san were dumbfounded by this, and Ringo exclaims politely.


    ¡°¡­Please keep your deviantness¡­to battles only.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°This is definitely a misunderstanding. Also, I don¡¯t remember having become a deviant when fighting!¡± (Souma)


    This is the moment when I thought my comrades might not understand me.


    Looks like they have misunderstood that I hurriedly ran after the carriage to meet Kragus-san.


    I think they had an even bigger misunderstanding than that, but I cleared their misunderstanding after telling them the details.


    However, even when I told them everything, the expressions of the two didn¡¯t clear up.


    ¡°¡­I see.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo simply nodded as if displeasure still remained, and as for Mitsuki¡­


    ¡°¡­Aah, the girl that was with you at that time, huh. I think you get too into the people that you have gotten involved with. If you get too worried about it, it will just bring more pain when people you know die.¡± (Mitsuki)


    She gave me that useless advice.


    I was about to object by reflex, but contrary to her cold words and expression, Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears were hanging down as if going ¡®I am worried~¡¯, so I swallowed my words.


    I have been working really hard so that a situation like that doesn¡¯t happen, but no matter how hard I work, it probably won¡¯t be possible to avoid all casualties.


    That¡¯s why I should accept the advice of the warrior Mitsuki who has lived in this dangerous world.


    There are parts I can¡¯t submit to, but I will at least keep it in mind.


    ¡°Then, I will be going now!¡± (Kragus)


    Seeing that our conversation was wrapped up, Kragus-san said this.


    And then, at the end¡­


    ¡°The next Express Carriage is coming in around 2 weeks! Do your best, boy!¡± (Kragus)


    He said something I found hard to react to as he walked off.


    I could feel the strong gaze of the two from my back for some reason.


    ¡°A-Alright, let¡¯s go to the city too.¡± (Souma)


    I then crossed the gate with hurried steps as if running away.


    It has been a few days since I have come to the capital, but I feel like the city is livelier than normal.


    There¡¯s a lot of pedestrians to the point that I would at times almost crash onto others passing.


    Leaving aside Mitsuki, Ringo worries me since she is not used to crowds.


    I walk to the center of the city in a way that covers the body of Ringo.


    I asked Mitsuki who was avoiding the wave of people swimmingly as if nothing.


    ¡°Hey, it feels like there¡¯s a lot of people. Is something happening today?¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki tilted her cat ears for a while.


    ¡°It is probably because of what happened yesterday. Most monsters have been defeated, but there¡¯s apparently still stray monsters in the west. Also, after we defeated the monsters, we didn¡¯t collect the items.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Aaah, now that you mention it¡­¡± (Souma)


    I didn¡¯t really fight in a way that increased the drop rates, but I defeated more than a thousand monsters there, so there should have been a good amount of drop items.


    Within those, there should also be high level monsters that would normally not appear in that field.


    If there¡¯s the chance to obtain those without any risks, this would be a chance for the low level adventurers.


    What bothers me is that all the adventurers we are passing by don¡¯t seem to be heading to the west entrance.


    (I see. The Monster Invasion Progress.) (Souma)


    Even in the game, after the Attack on the Capital event ended, a big change in the Monster Invasion Progress happened, and a whole lot of events and quests would be unlocked.


    In the game, there would also be cases when the event would end even without the player getting involved after a certain period of time, so now that the world has become real, the quests that are posted in the bulletin board should be possible to accept by everyone else and not only the player.


    ¡°Ah, sorry¡­¡± (Souma)


    I ended up bumping into someone because I was too deep in my thoughts.


    (Geh!) (Souma)


    When I lifted my head and looked at the person, the one who was there was clearly a hoodlum adventurer.


    If I remember correctly, it is a group of 3 that would become your rivals in an event at the beginning of your time in the capital.


    Abel, Beat, and Cliff; names that you would hear in murders or as victims.


    ¡°You bastard, we are Rihito¡¯s¡ª¡±


    The leader Abel who I bumped into was about to say something and I thought it would turn into trouble, but¡­


    ¡°Oi, Abel, let¡¯s go already!¡±


    ¡°We have a whole ton of work waiting for us. We ain¡¯t got no time to waste on that guy!¡±


    Because the remaining two said this and hurried him¡­


    ¡°¡­Tch! Be careful in the future!¡±


    Abel didn¡¯t stay any longer and walked to the outside of the city while pushing me away.


    (That¡¯s a relief¡­) (Souma)


    I honestly wouldn¡¯t lose even if it were to turn into a fight because of the level difference, but it is fortunate that it didn¡¯t turn into a fight in the middle of the city.


    I looked back to see if the girls got scared there and¡­


    ¡°¡­Are we not going?¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo asked me as if nothing happened.


    ¡°That was quite the underling display. Those types of people get weeded out really quickly or evolve, so they are valuable. I have seen something rare.¡± (Mitsuki)


    As for Mitsuki, she was treating them like they were rare animals.


    That¡¯s horrible in its own way.


    And the Bear¡­well, the Bear is fine.


    Leaving the bumping into them aside, judging from what those 3 said, there really must be an unprecedented rush of quests.


    (Well, work hard.) (Souma)


    There¡¯s only a handful of quests that have rewards I want, so if they are going to clear the quests that are a pain in the ass, I am all for it.


    Even if they were to fail and die, to be frank here, it wouldn¡¯t hurt me.


    The thing about me ¡®getting too into the people I have gotten involved with¡¯ was a lie, is what I thought as I pushed my way through the crowd of people and advanced to the royal castle.


    I waited a bit at the castle, but the medal of honor award had nothing happen to a shocking extent, and it finished pretty peacefully.


    I am the only one who is receiving the medal of honor, so I had Ringo, Mitsuki, and the Bear wait outside the audience room, and entered alone.


    The knights were glaring at me as usual, but there¡¯s obviously no one who would do something to me when the King was the one calling me here.


    Also, I don¡¯t see the princess, Maki, anywhere.


    Is she waiting somewhere?


    This is my first time in such a formal environment, but there should be no issues as long as I move in the same way as the game.


    I desperately tried to remember how I moved in the game, traced it, and somehow managed to overcome the ceremony.


    Even though it was only an event of a few minutes, it was really stressing, but that¡¯s all there was to it.


    However, when I regrouped with Mitsuki and Ringo, and was about to go outside the castle¡­


    ¡°¡­Over here.¡±


    A maid that approached me while covering her face whispered this to me.


    (So it is here.) (Souma)


    I looked at Ringo and Mitsuki, and nodded.


    Having confirmed this, the maid pulled my hand, and we advanced through the castle with quick steps.


    I thought we would be going to a room where no one comes in, but the maid continued pulling me till we left the castle.


    We pushed through the surging crowd of people, and entered an alley with few people.


    (¡­Wait, if I remember correctly, the letter said ¡®in the castle¡¯ though?) (Souma)


    My doubts swell up.


    What surfaced in my head was ¡®trap¡¯.


    When people finally disappeared from sight, I raised my voice.


    ¡°Hey, just how far are we going to¡­!¡± (Souma)


    But a second faster than I did, the maid¡­no, the something that was disguised as a maid moved.


    (Shit¡­!) (Souma)


    I was completely caught off-guard.


    I couldn¡¯t react at all until she turned around and jumped at me.


    What truly caught me off-guard was that those were not normal human movements.


    I easily allowed her approach, and she restrained both of my arms in the blink of an eye.


    And then, what she whispered in my ear made me open my eyes wide.


    ¡°¡ªSouma, I am so glad you are alright!¡±


    I was surprised and looked at the face of the maid again.


    What was there was the face of my cousin, who is 2 years younger than me, with tears in her eyes.

 CH 100

    Light


    Dark


    ¡°Souma!¡±


    The girl calls my name happily in a maid outfit.


    The maid I thought was guiding me to Maki was actually my disguised cousin.


    I somehow tear Maki away from me, avoid the gazes of doubt from Ringo and Mitsuki, and for now, we head to the only place in this city where we don¡¯t have to worry about the gazes of people. In other words, to the Nekomimi Neko mansion that made the Knight Order retreat, but¡­


    ¡°This is horrible¡­¡± (Souma)


    When we finally got inside the residence, there was a disaster there that made me want to cover my eyes.


    Maybe this is the result of the battle of the Knight Order against the mansion, but there were things scattered about on the ground, the coating had come off, and on top of that, there were strange creatures and dolls at the lobby in the first floor that were probably from the rooms of the 1st and 2nd floor.


    The ones that were freed by the knights must have been pushed all the way here with their retreat.


    The lobby that had a dried water fountain and spring had already become the playground of the apparitions.


    Moreover¡­


    ¡°Uwa¡­¡± (Souma)


    The moment we entered the mansion, they all looked this way.


    This is pretty scary.


    I think we will be able to manage somehow even if they were to attack since we have Mitsuki, but considering the Bear, it would be a bit painful to wipe them out.


    ¡°What should we do about this¡­?¡± (Souma)


    The moment I fell into thought there¡­


    I saw a small shadow boldly standing in the way of the apparitions and us.


    ¡ªIt is the Bear.


    The Bear raised its hand, and the dolls that were making a ruckus until now suddenly stopped moving, and hurriedly began to form rows.


    And then, when the Bear lowered its hand, they all moved at the same time and began cleaning up the mansion.


    ¡°Eh? What¡¯s this¡­?¡± (Souma)


    The Bear grinned at us who were surprised, and then joined the others in the cleaning of the mansion.


    My brain couldn¡¯t keep up with the way too sudden development.


    The Bear is certainly a character here, but it is simply the gimmick of one of the rooms.


    I doubt it was the leader of this place.


    While I tilted my head at this, Mitsuki said with both cat ears bent as if in thought.


    ¡°This is just a guess, but¡­maybe it has become the top one here because it raised its level outside?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Aah.¡± (Souma)


    The Bear did defeat Yellow Slimes by using items, would bully cows with the Wakizashi, and defeated the Water Elementals with the skill of Gouging Vajra.


    It wouldn¡¯t be strange for its level to have increased.


    The question here is if these guys are made in a way to obey the high level characters, or if there¡¯s some sort of mental connection between them. Just how intelligent are these guys?


    In Nekomimi Neko, there have been cats, birds, horses, and even cat eared dogs that could speak human language, but those were monsters that showed up from special events, or high level unique monsters that are difficult to even encounter.


    Or more like, a bear and dolls that are clearly inorganic things having intelligence? How does that even work?


    I feel like if I were to think too seriously in those areas, my head will end up hurting quite a lot.


    ¡°Well, it is convenient, so who cares.¡± (Souma)


    It was a pain, so I just decided not to think about it.


    I doubt there¡¯s some proper reason readied in a place like Nekomimi Neko, and paying any mind about those things in a world that has been recreated in such a haphazard manner like this one, thinking about stuff of this degree just ain¡¯t worth it.


    I convinced myself like that and decided to talk with Maki.


    Even if the disguise has not been discovered, there will definitely be talk if the princess stays out for too long.


    I would like to be spared from being chased as the kidnapper of the princess.


    I need to finish the talk as soon as possible.


    I had Ringo and Mitsuki leave for now, which they didn¡¯t seem to like much, and we faced each other all alone.


    I once again commemorate our reunion while looking at her face.


    ¡°It has been a while, Maki.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Y-Yeah.¡± (Maki)


    Maybe because we haven¡¯t seen each other in a while, we were finding it pretty awkward here.


    ¡°W-Well, I am glad to see you in good health.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°That¡¯s what I should be saying. I am truly relieved that you are okay, Souma.¡± (Maki)


    The awkward conversation continued.


    It seems like it isn¡¯t only me who is nervous here.


    This is the first time I have felt like this with Maki, it just throws me off.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s talk about our situation. I think you already know, but we are¡­¡± (Souma)


    I wanted to move the conversation forward even if a little brute forced, but¡­


    ¡°Uh, Souma, wait for a bit.¡± (Maki)


    Maki stopped me.


    And then, after going aaah and uuh for a while, she eventually nodded as if she had resolved herself.


    ¡°Sorry, Souma!¡± (Maki)


    She lowered her head with a loud voice.


    Rather than calling it lowered, it is more like she pushed her head to the ground.


    Basically, groveling.


    ¡°Wa, oi, Maki?¡± (Souma)


    How to say it¡­this is not the type of apology she would do.


    I myself didn¡¯t expect to experience her groveling to me when I came to this world.


    Maki says with her head still on the ground.


    ¡°I am really sorry, Souma. Because I told you to go to the game world¡­ But I didn¡¯t imagine something like this would happen at all¡­¡± (Maki)


    Maki apologized in tears, but if she could have expected a situation like this, that would instead make her dangerous.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really think this is your fault, Maki.¡± (Souma)


    The one that caused me to fall into this world was certainly Maki.


    But it is not like I hold a grudge on her because of it.


    Who would even imagine that the mallet sleeping there would actually grant the wish?


    That¡¯s why¡­


    ¡°I have already acknowledged that that was an accident¡­ Also¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Also¡­?¡± (Maki)


    I lifted Maki¡¯s head and I told this straight into her damp eyes.


    ¡°I am having a good amount of fun in this world. I am actually a bit grateful to you, Maki.¡± (Souma)


    Maki made a dumbfounded face for a moment there, but it then warped¡­


    ¡°Souma¡­you idiot¡­¡± (Maki)


    Maki¡¯s hand powerlessly hits my chest while she let out a tearful voice.


    Hits that were so weak it felt like gentle caresses connected to my chest over and over.


    ¡°Souma¡­you are a real idiot.¡± (Maki)


    I silently received those words of hers as she clung onto me, as if she were trying to hide her crying face.


    ¡°¡­But I am really glad you are okay.¡± (Maki)


    I pat her trembling shoulders while I said this to soothe her.


    I did that the whole time until she stopped crying.


    It took quite a good deal of time before Maki stopped crying, and she had somehow recovered enough to have a conversation after a few minutes.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. Even though I am the one apologizing here, I feel as if I caused you extra hassle here.¡± (Maki)


    Maki seemed to finally be getting back in gear. She laughed shyly.


    This loose atmosphere of Maki is truly her distinctive flavor.


    I finally managed to explain the things that have happened until now without any worries.


    About the fact that we have entered a world that is exactly like New Communicate Online.


    How I somehow managed to arrive at the capital by utilizing my game knowledge, and how I did a whole lot of events.


    After that, I explained to her about how she switched places with the princess of this country from the wish of her tanzaku.


    ¡°Eeh? Then, the blue haired girl from before was the real princess?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Hm? Well, basically.¡± (Souma)


    But I feel like Ringo has already established herself as an individual -as Ringo herself.


    Princess Shermia is basically a different person already, and a part of my heart wishes for that to be the case.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have any proof of that switching, so it is not like that¡¯s certainly it though¡­¡± (Souma)


    When I said this¡­


    ¡°Ah, I have that tanzaku.¡± (Maki)


    Maki took out the tanzaku from the apron dress¡¯s pocket and showed it to me.


    This is my first time seeing the real thing, but it certainly has written that she wants to become a princess.


    ¡°Is that the real one?! Then, if you write your wish there, after one year¡­¡± (Souma)


    I leaned forward and was about to take the tanzaku, but Maki avoided my hand.


    ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t seem to work. I haven¡¯t been able to write anything on it since coming to this world.¡± (Maki)


    My wish was easily crushed.


    Judging from what she said, after the tanzaku granted the wish, it technically became an ¡®indestructible object¡¯ and it is now impossible to write anything new to it .


    Figures it would be impossible to reutilize a convenient item like this.


    ¡°But¡­you coming to this world is a mystery in the first place. If it is a wish like becoming a princess, you could have become one in our original world. Was there any reason to bring you to this world too?¡± (Souma)


    When I tilt my head at the question¡­


    ¡°I-Isn¡¯t that fine? This world was probably made just recently, so maybe it was easier to make me a princess here¡­¡± (Maki)


    Maki tells a transparent lie.


    I thought she must know something, but before I could question her, Maki said with energy¡­


    ¡°Also, I would have preferred a world where Souma is in, so this is fine! I was worried the whole time when you disappeared.¡± (Maki)


    Maki was worried when all contact was lost with me after our call, and went out of her way to come to my room to ask about me.


    When she did, what she found was a room with no one in it. She then saw the VR machine with the notice that the call was cut, and actually began suspecting that I might have been thrown to the game world.


    ¡°Since then, I was thinking the whole time about going there to save you, so this worked just fine.¡± (Maki)


    She said it as if nothing, but people who can say ¡®this worked just fine¡¯ at being thrown into an unknown world are rare.


    I am a bit happy that Maki felt responsible about this in her own way.


    ¡°Or more like, you say you came here to save me, but in the monster invasion, didn¡¯t you say something like ¡®you came to save me?¡¯?¡± (Souma)


    When I pointed this out to hide my embarrassment, Maki¡¯s face turned beet red.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­a princess is someone you come to save after all¡­¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Is that how it works?¡± (Souma)


    I don¡¯t understand that logic.


    ¡°A-Anyways, I was really worried! Your room was a total mess, so I thought something must have happened¡­¡± (Maki)


    ¡°W-Wait! What was that about my room?¡± (Souma)


    I think I heard something I couldn¡¯t let go of.


    When I asked this, Maki looked away as if finding it hard to say.


    ¡°Ah, uhm¡­you see¡­ Actually, let¡¯s not talk about it. You will regret it if you hear it.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°No, it will bother me even more if I don¡¯t! Just tell me!¡± (Souma)


    Maki continued keeping silent here even when I said this, but when I asked her even more strongly¡­


    ¡°Got it. If you want to hear it that much, Souma¡­¡± (Maki)


    She lost to my pressure and finally spoke.


    Hearing that, I¡­


    ¡°You left the food out in the kitchen even though it is summer, right? When I checked what that black thing was at the side of the dishwasher¡­¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Gyaaaah!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°When I wondered what it was, a green sticky something¡­¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Hiiih!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°There was a strange rustling sound¡­¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Uwaaaaah!!¡± (Souma)


    I obviously regretted it.


    What should I do? I can¡¯t return to that room anymore¡­


    After the horror story of my room had been wrapped up¡­


    ¡°¡­Eh? What were we talking about?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°We were talking about how worried I was about you! Why do you forget that part?¡± (Maki)


    We finally returned to the main topic.


    Maki apparently didn¡¯t just do a monster extermination in the kitchen of my room.


    ¡°Actually, I tried out Nia¡­New Communicate Online(?) after that. Since I thought you might be in the game.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Eh? You tried that out?¡± (Souma)


    I asked back in reflex at the unexpected development.


    Maki is the opposite of me, an outdoor type, and is bad with electronics.


    She is the type that wouldn¡¯t use a VR machine even if by mistake.


    I do feel happy that Maki tried out Nekomimi Neko for my sake, but I don¡¯t know what to say about her first ever VR game being Nekomimi Neko.


    I don¡¯t know if Maki knew how I felt or not, but she suddenly spoke.


    ¡°Yeah, it was truly an outrageous game. I heard that games destroy your humanity, but it really made me think that¡¯s true.¡± (Maki)


    She speaks as if she had remembered something fearsome.


    ¡°Was it¡­difficult?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°It is not on the level of just being difficult. That was¡­that was the game of the devil!!¡± (Maki)


    To think Nekomimi Neko would even cause fear to Maki.


    ¡ªThat¡¯s what I thought at that time.


    But a few minutes later, I would completely change my mind.


    ¡°Cause you know¡­¡± (Maki)


    Cause I would hear a story about Nekomimi Neko I have never heard before from my cousin that¡¯s tone-deaf about games.

 CH 101

    Light


    Dark


    Maki called Nekomimi Neko the game of the devil.


    To make even the incarnation of freedom, Maki, fear it, as expected of Nekomimi Neko.


    That¡¯s what I thought at first, but¡­


    ¡°¡­Cause you know, it was weird from the very first event(?) with the green people! I was suddenly killed there.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°The green¡­aah, the Trap of the Lizardmen.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°It is probably that one. It isn¡¯t fair that 5 enemies appeared at the very beginning, right?!¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Wait, eh¡­? 5?¡± (Souma)


    I felt strange clouds coming from there on.


    The Trap of the Lizardmen is a tricky event made to look like a single woman is being attacked by 4 lizardmen, but it is actually the lizardmen who are being attacked by the woman.


    Most tend to die in their first playthrough by the female bandit, but the fight itself is 1v5.


    You should be able to get a decently advantageous situation in numerical terms.


    ¡°No, you shouldn¡¯t end up in that situation at that event¡­ Uhm, how did you fight that?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh? How, you ask. Normally.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Normally?¡± (Souma)


    There hasn¡¯t been an instance where her ¡®normal¡¯ could be trustworthy.


    When I asked this dubiously, Maki was taken aback.


    ¡°Yeah. I simply defeated the woman that attacked me and the green people¡­¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Alright, out!¡± (Souma)


    I knew something was weird here and it was exactly as I thought.


    She killed the female bandit and the lizardmen that should have been her allies.


    Pitiful Reinhardt¡­


    Or more like, I don¡¯t think winning against them 1v5 is something that a game beginner should be able to do, however, Maki may be bad with electronics, but she has terribly good physical capability.


    In VR games where your physical prowess directly contributes to how good you are in the game, I can¡¯t really say for sure it is impossible.


    ¡°At any rate, what happened after that? You defeated the lizardmen, so you couldn¡¯t even get a ride to the town, right?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Hm? I don¡¯t know what you are talking about a ride, but I just advanced normally, you know? I grabbed the Drop Item(?) inside the wagon and walked the road.¡± (Maki)


    No, that¡¯s not picking up Drop Items but murder and robbing.


    I retorted internally like that as I urged her on.


    ¡°And then, I found a suspicious fortress surrounded by soldiers, and then it immediately clicked -that this must be the enemy base.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°U-Uhm¡­enemy base?¡± (Souma)


    I was dumbfounded by her strange statement.


    Not only the capital, even other cities and slightly bigger towns have walls around, but I don¡¯t know if to call that a base just because of it.


    Also, enemy?


    What were you even fighting against, Maki?


    ¡°Because the people holding spears at the gate were chasing after me and tried to capture me, you know? That means they are ¡®enemy characters(?)¡¯, right?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°No, that¡¯s¡­¡± (Souma)


    That was probably a soldier filled with a sense of justice trying to protect the city from a thief player.


    No matter the settlement, when you kill an innocent civilian, your Influence Affection for that location drops down to the lowest.


    It was simply because the affection meter of Lamurick had gone down with Maki having defeated the lizardmen merchants.


    ¡°I did my best there, but I lost and had to redo everything from the beginning.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°I-I see¡­¡± (Souma)


    She was talking about it gleefully as if boasting about her hardships, but I already have no words at her misunderstanding here.


    You normally would feel you did something wrong when you are suddenly attacked by soldiers at a settlement, but for Maki who doesn¡¯t have gaming experience, she simply felt ¡®that¡¯s just how it works¡¯.


    The misunderstanding playthrough of Maki went full force from there.


    Maki began the game from the very beginning, wiped out both the female bandit and the lizardmen easily this time around, stole the wagon, avoided the enemy base (Lamurick Town), and made a cave at a mountain nearby her headquarters.


    In this game, your HP and MP recover naturally with the passing of time regardless of the place.


    You can¡¯t automatically skip time unless it is in an inn, so that¡¯s a pain, but you can heal your fatigue and wounds without the need to use an inn.


    Maki hunted the field enemies that were close to the cave to strengthen herself, and then, using the shadow of the night, she approached the base (Lamurick Town), and did her first Save at the Monolith close to the town.


    From there on, she would sneak into the town, attack the stores, and steal their goods.


    She would get found by the enemy soldiers (the town guards), but she would run away at full speed, and managed to end things without any issues.


    ¡°It didn¡¯t go well at first, but I slowly got the hang of it. Also, the Items(?) in the enemy base replenished after one day, so it was really convenient~.¡± (Maki)


    She is talking about it like she is having fun here, but making a mountain cave as your dwelling, sneaking into the town at night and stealing the store goods at night¡­


    (That¡¯s totally a bandit!) (Souma)


    Moreover, it is not like she is roleplaying here. She actually thinks this is the proper way of playing the game.


    (That¡¯s not it! That¡¯s wrong, Maki! That¡¯s not the kind of game Nekomimi Neko is!) (Souma)


    But the screams of my heart didn¡¯t reach her.


    ¡°What was the most difficult was the weapon, I guess. My first sword broke, so I tried out a number of the ones in the base, but they were all weak, so I gave up~.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Gave up?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yeah. I thought it was fine to not have a weapon.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Barehanded style?!¡± (Souma)


    Maki announced that she gave up on using weapons.


    Moreover, she says the weapons were weak, but there¡¯s no weapon weaker than the Rusting Sword you get at the beginning.


    Could it be that¡­


    ¡°Hey, Maki, did you¡­properly equip the weapon in the Menu Screen?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Menu Screen?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°The screen you bring out when you do stuff like logging out! Did you properly choose the Equip there?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I did nothing of the sort. Eh, you can¡¯t use a weapon by just holding it?¡± (Maki)


    She gave me that response.


    This is the first time I see someone that¡¯s not following the basics of RPGs where the effects of the weapon won¡¯t show if you don¡¯t equip it.


    You normally wouldn¡¯t be able to do a barehanded playthrough in your first run.


    But Maki took advantage of the speed from not holding a weapon, moved deftly like a wild beast with her rare physical prowess, and continued defeating both monsters and humans.


    That said, fighting barehanded isn¡¯t difficult only because of its attack power and reach.


    ¡°But aren¡¯t there a lot of hard to use Barehanded Skills? How did you¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh? What are skills?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Nani?!¡± (Souma)


    Time froze.


    ¡°You¡­could it be¡­¡± (Souma)


    Impossible¡­ I think it is impossible, but¡­


    ¡°You haven¡¯t used skills?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­? Nope.¡± (Maki)


    She answered instantly without any hesitation.


    No, she is even looking at me as if saying ¡®what is this guy talking about?¡¯.


    Well, if a person that hasn¡¯t done any VR games or RPGs even once until now begins a game without reading a manual or meeting the tutogramps, of course they wouldn¡¯t know about the existence of skills.


    But¡­but¡­is that even possible?


    ¡°W-Wait. But there¡¯s events where you can¡¯t clear them unless you use stuff like skills or spells¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°There¡¯s other events(?) aside from the first one?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°¡­Aaah.¡± (Souma)


    This is shocking.


    I am speechless.


    But you could say it is understandable.


    She was shut in a cave the whole time and her Affection with the people of the town was the worst, so there¡¯s no way events would happen.


    No, there¡¯s events that happen at the fields and dungeons, so it is not like there¡¯s completely none, but events that you need to set up the flag for won¡¯t happen, and if she is not moving away from the surroundings of Lamurick, the number of them are also limited.


    ¡°Wait a moment! Then why did you say stuff like ¡®it destroys your humanity¡¯ or ¡®game of the devil¡¯¡­?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s cause people, animals, and everything attacks me when they see me, you know? I thought it was really barbaric, or like, horrible. If I hadn¡¯t heard about you beforehand that games are where ¡®you fight enemies¡¯, I would have been really surprised, you know?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°I am the one that¡¯s surprised by your interpretation!¡± (Souma)


    Or more like, the game is not the devil, your playstyle is.


    ¡°T-Then, it has nothing to do with the bugs?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Hm? What are bugs? The ones that fly around?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°How can this be¡­¡± (Souma)


    I fell on my knees there.


    There¡¯s a lot of bugs in Nekomimi Neko.


    Even with patch after patch, there¡¯s still a whole ton of them.


    However, the playthrough of Maki was so¡­abnormal that there wasn¡¯t any room for bugs to happen.


    Maki didn¡¯t trigger any events, didn¡¯t equip weapons, and didn¡¯t use skills as she plainly battled repeatedly.


    There¡¯s barely any room for bugs to happen in that situation.


    No, even if a bug happened, Maki knows close to nothing about games, so she would just accept it by saying ¡®that¡¯s just how it works¡¯ and ignore it.


    (What¡¯s with that¡­?) (Souma)


    That¡¯s vexing.


    Spitting out poison at the unbelievable game balance, being pulled the rug out under you by an incomprehensible monster, being thrown about by a nasty event, and be brought to tears by a fatal bug.


    That¡¯s the correct way of enjoying Nekomimi Neko that I know.


    Only when the player has overcome those, will they be able to discover the importance of the systems that are unexpectedly useful in Nekomimi Neko, their pointlessly vast amount of skills and spells, and the exploitability of the many bugs that exist.


    You will then learn the ecstasy of getting the better of the unreasonableness of Nekomimi Neko, and slowly get hooked to the game.


    That¡¯s the right path of a Nekomimi Neko player.


    Unbeknownst to all this, Maki pushed all of those away, and not only Nekomimi Neko, she barely even used the RPG systems, fought against monsters endlessly with her bare hands, and infiltrated enemy bases to steal their goods.


    She was technically playing a survival stealth action game.


    Moreover, what annoyed me the most was¡­


    ¡°There¡¯s also one more reason as to why I called it the Game of the Devil. Even when it is this bad of a game, when I tried it¡­it was a little bit¡­just a little bit fun, and I just couldn¡¯t quit it¡­ Ehehe.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®ehehe¡¯ me!¡± (Souma)


    Is the fact that she thinks she has been playing Nekomimi Neko like a role-model when she was doing a playthrough like that!


    I am already at my limit.


    ¡°¡­I will teach you.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°I will teach you what a real RPG is, what Nekomimi Neko is!!¡± (Souma)


    Saying this, I pulled Maki¡¯s hand and began walking.


    ¡°S-Souma?¡± (Maki)


    I listened to the flustered voice of Maki while wondering ¡®when it was that our hobbies stopped matching¡¯.


    When we were children, I would play-pretend with her.


    I would be the hero and Maki would be the captured princess. I defeated the invisible evil Demon Lord and the air dragon.


    I am not going to wish for the exact same thing as we did at that time.


    But it would be bad to have Maki misunderstand that this Nekomimi Neko is a game where you just blindly rampage with your superhuman body.


    In the first place, Maki doesn¡¯t understand RPGs on a fundamental level.


    That¡¯s basically a playthrough with self-imposed rules like: Solo Play, can¡¯t change equipment, can¡¯t use skills or spells, and can¡¯t buy items.


    In the beginning of the game, the events don¡¯t have battles, so she managed somehow with just her physical strength, but this world isn¡¯t that soft.


    In my opinion, Maki wasn¡¯t playing the game.


    She was simply rampaging in a virtual world.


    Games have their own rules and art.


    Whether you understand this or not can create big differences in your gameplay efficiency.


    ¡°W-Where are we going?¡± (Maki)


    Maki asked as she held my hand tightly.


    I moved in the heat of the moment, but¡­


    ¡°We won¡¯t be going anywhere far. Uhm¡­over there should be fine.¡± (Souma)


    I quickly decide on the location.


    The living room that we decided to sleep in on our first day.


    There¡¯s the sofa and table set up nicely, and there¡¯s a moderate amount of obstacles.


    I brought Maki to a corner of that room and¡­


    ¡°Hey, Maki, can you go touch the wall at the other side and come back here?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh? Why?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Hm, well, I just wanted to check something out. Ah, do it as fast as you can, okay?¡± (Souma)


    I requested that of Maki.


    My plan is simple.


    Even if we are talking about RPG elements, it would be difficult to show the benefits of events and equipment here.


    That¡¯s why I am thinking about showing Maki the power of skills real quick.


    By doing that, she should be able to properly understand that she can¡¯t do the same in this game as she did in reality.


    ¡°Then, here I go.¡± (Maki)


    Maki said this, unaware of those plans of mine.


    ¡°Fast!¡± (Souma)


    She began running like a gale.


    They were not polished and fluid movements like those of Mitsuki.


    She avoided the table with supple movements like that of a wild beast, scraped the sofa with forceful twists, and pushed her hand on the wall.


    She turned just like that, and returned to me at a speed as fast as a breath.


    ¡°Is this enough?¡± (Maki)


    Maki returned without breaking a single sweat, and I responded with a raspy ¡®yeah¡¯.


    ¡°So, how was it?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Eh, uhm¡­it was inhuman¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Waa?¡± (Maki)


    Maki made a displeased look, but this is my honest opinion.


    I knew how high Maki¡¯s athletic ability was, but that has been amplified to unbelievable degrees since switching spots with the princess of this world.


    I might have been a bit wrong here.


    It would be impossible to overcome Nekomimi Neko with your naturally born physical attributes while ignoring the game logic, but Maki is currently the princess.


    If she has the same specs as the Princess Shermia of the game and can use them to its full extent, it would be quite the weapon.


    The power of royalty is on a whole other level within the NPCs, and their equipment is also exemplary.


    You can tell after seeing their battle in the Attack on the Capital.


    Maki might have obtained a body that¡¯s plenty strong enough to not rely at all on the game elements.


    But¡­


    ¡°Maki, look carefully at the movements I will be doing now.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Souma?¡± (Maki)


    But that¡¯s not something that can overcome the wall of a gamer.


    Honestly speaking, when it comes to athletic capabilities, I don¡¯t even reach the toes of Maki.


    It is a sad reality, but still reality.


    In my senior high school days, I won¡¯t forget the day when we played badminton on New Year¡¯s and was completely crushed.


    Since the day when I was completely beaten to a pulp by my cousin that¡¯s 2 years younger than me -and a girl on top of that- I swore I wouldn¡¯t ever compete against her in sports.


    But it is different inside a game.


    Anyone can become first-rate inside a game.


    By simply pushing a few buttons in succession, you can run as fast as a record holder; with just a few key controls, you can play famous songs; and just by deciding your attack, you can use deadly techniques.


    I myself can¡¯t run like an athlete, and I can¡¯t control the sword like a sword master.


    However, I can Order skills.


    Just watch, Maki.


    ¡°This is the normal of the game¡­of Nekomimi Neko!!¡± (Souma)


    I shout and¡­


    ([Step]!) (Souma)


    I first jump to the front with [Step] at a speed that I normally would definitely not be able to bring out.


    My body accelerates.


    But at this rate, I will end up crashing with the sofa in front of me.


    ([High Step]!) (Souma)


    That¡¯s why I Short Cancel that Step and use High Step to ignore the inertia and turn to the right.


    Normally, when people turn¡­no, when living beings turn, they will definitely decelerate.


    In this case, you would first plant your feet, kill the forward momentum, kick the ground to obtain the energy to move to the side, and you will finally be able to turn to the right.


    But that¡¯s the laws of the real world.


    The laws in a game are different when you Cancel with a skill.


    You can move to the side without any notice in a state where you were moving at top speed forward.


    I jump to the side on a degree where I might even be going too far.


    But with this, there¡¯s no obstructions between me and the wall.


    At that moment¡­


    ([Ground Compression]!) (Souma)


    I obviously use Ground Compression for the ending of the combo.


    When humans move normally, they would require a certain distance before reaching max speed.


    But with Ground Compression, you can go to max speed in an instant, moreover, that speed easily surpasses that of the speed a running human can achieve.


    Even so, if you get skill stunned after using that, it would be pointless.


    That¡¯s why I crash onto the wall on the other side just like that.


    ¡°Tch!¡± (Souma)


    My hand obviously touched the wall at that moment.


    With this, I go back!


    ¡°Souma?!¡± (Maki)


    I heard the surprised voice of Maki behind me, but paid it no mind.


    It looks like a flashy crash, and you might think it must have hurt a lot, but even when you crash onto an obstacle while you are using a movement skill, you won¡¯t be damaged much.


    ([Air Hammer]) (Souma)


    A second after I crashed onto the wall, an Air Hammer with pinpoint timing blew from right behind me.


    I chant the next spell while in the air.


    I have no intention of avoiding every single obstacle on my way back.


    ([Instant Charge]!) (Souma)


    The Instant Charge of the dagger skills can be used in any direction.


    I immediately turned back with no turning around motion while I was blown away from my back.


    I flew over the sofa and while still in midair¡­


    ([Air Hammer]) (Souma)


    I fly in the air with the Air Hammer that I chanted before.


    If I can move in a straight line, the vastness of the room is nothing.


    From there, I chained Instant Charge and Air Hammer again and¡­


    ¡°Well, something like that.¡± (Souma)


    Landed right in front of Maki.


    I can tell even without measuring our times.


    Maki made a round trip with inhuman speed, but I definitely got back faster than her.


    With this, Maki should have noticed the importance of skills.


    ¡°How was that?¡± (Souma)


    I asked this with expectation in my heart and¡­


    ¡°Souma, why did you give up your humanity?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°I haven¡¯t!!¡± (Souma)


    I feel like she said something incredibly rude.


    I endure the urge of saying ¡®you are also pretty out there too¡¯ and admonish Maki.


    ¡°This is a movement method that uses the game system. In other words, it is a game-like movement method. You should learn this too and¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°But I won¡¯t be losing!¡± (Maki)


    She ain¡¯t listening.


    ¡°I slacked a bit there, but if I get serious, I can be even faster.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not my point¡ª¡± (Souma)


    Looks like I have ignited her competitive nature.


    I tried to stop her, but it was already too late.


    ¡°Watch!¡± (Maki)


    She shouted this and ran off in the direction of the opposite wall.


    I really didn¡¯t have the chance to stop her.


    I had no choice but to watch over her dumbfounded.


    (Right, this is Maki¡­) (Souma)


    She was a bit meek while she was reflecting about me, but once that¡¯s over, she immediately becomes like this.


    I would have wanted her to stay meek for a bit more.


    While I was thinking that with slumped shoulders, a piece of paper fell onto the ground.


    ¡°Hm? This is¡­¡± (Souma)


    It must have flown off when Maki ran off.


    I thought it was a piece of paper, but it is the tanzaku.


    I picked it up.


    What was written there was the fairy-tale wish of ¡®I want to become a princess¡¯ in big letters.


    But¡­


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Souma)


    When I looked closely, that wasn¡¯t all there was.


    There¡¯s something written in small letters at the right corner of the tanzaku.


    ¡°¡­Ria¢Ù <¥ê©`¥¢¢Ù>?¡± (Souma)


    Is it a memo?


    Not only is it small but it is also a peculiar handwriting, so I can¡¯t read it well.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± (Souma)


    I tilted my head at the unknown code.


    ¡°How¡¯s that, Souma? This time must have been¡ªah, d-don¡¯t!!¡± (Maki)


    Maki had come back and stole away the tanzaku.


    And then¡­


    ¡°D-Did you see it¡­?¡± (Maki)


    She seemed to be strangely suspicious here as she asked this.


    Is she talking about the weird letters at the corner?


    ¡°Well¡­I did.¡± (Souma)


    When I said this, Maki¡¯s face visibly turned beet red.


    ¡°I-It is not what you think!!¡± (Maki)


    She shouted in a loud voice for some reason, and ran off from the room without looking back.


    ¡°Ah, oi, what about the talk¡­?¡± (Souma)


    Only my words rang in the new empty room.


    ¡°What was that?¡± (Souma)


    I don¡¯t get Maki a lot of times, but it is even more so the case here.


    Does that mean Maki is still Maki even if she has come to an isekai?


    Having discovered this reality that I don¡¯t know if to think of it as relieving or not, I for now recite the lesson of today.


    ¡ªMaki and I really don¡¯t match!!


    Author: Looks like Ria¢Ù <¥ê©`¥¢¢Ù> was too hard of a code for Souma. <TLN: And for me too. I have no idea what it could mean.>

 CH 102

    Light


    Dark


    Previous Chapter l Next Chapter


    I somehow managed to capture Maki who ran away after saying something that didn¡¯t make sense, and we talked about our plans from here on.


    The surprising thing was¡­


    ¡°Hmm, this world will be in big trouble if left be, right? In that case, I would like to do something about this world before returning, if that¡¯s okay with you, that is. The people in the castle were all nice people compared to the people in that game. I don¡¯t want them to die or be injured.¡± (Maki)


    Maki prioritized clearing the game than returning home.


    Of course, I also agree completely with her opinion here.


    Actually, I was thinking about how to convince her if she wanted to return immediately.


    ¡°But is that okay?¡± (Souma)


    Even if she says that, she should have her own lifestyle.


    She should have more friends in our world than here, and different from college where you can still recover to a certain degree even if you were to take a break, I know how big of a deal it is to leave a blank in your high school life.


    ¡°That¡¯s of course not okay. But I have tried out being an adventurer to search for Souma, and I learned that the people in this world truly live with their all. They are putting their lives on the line in circumstances where it wouldn¡¯t be strange for them to die at any moment.¡± (Maki)


    Maki said this as if gazing at something far away.


    But I also understand that.


    This world is always brushing death.


    You could say the extreme words of Mitsuki display that view in a way.


    The reality is that people can die from just a small mistake in this world of Nekomimi Neko, destroying cities, and bringing the downfall of humanity.


    And the one that can stop that is¡­


    ¡°This may sound really conceited, but we are strong, right? That¡¯s why I think there should be something we could do.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Maki¡­¡± (Souma)


    Since when did Maki grow able to say such respectable things?


    ¡­Well, if she hadn¡¯t been robbing the ¡®people that must be protected¡¯ inside the game and killing them no questions asked, this would have been more moving.


    ¡°Alright, got it!¡± (Souma)


    But if Maki is that resolved here, there¡¯s no reason for me to object.


    ¡°Let¡¯s move for the sake of this world¡¯s peace. I would like to defeat as many monsters as possible, and then defeat the Demon Lord at the end.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yeah!¡± (Maki)


    Maki responded energetically.


    ¡°The thing is, the event managing to defeat the Demon Lord is pretty rough. You have to do almost all the story events, and that takes a massive amount of time and effort. Also, there¡¯s the chance I can take shortcuts on a number of them.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Hmm? What do you mean?¡± (Maki)


    Maki couldn¡¯t keep up with the conversation and tilted her head.


    It can¡¯t be helped.


    I lacked the details there.


    ¡°Aah, in other words, I need to do a lot of preparation in order to defeat the Demon Lord. Or more like, the main line of this game is connected to defeating the Demon Lord.¡± (Souma)


    Defeating the Demon Lord is the clear condition of this game.


    Then, does that mean I will be able to clear the game at any moment if I had enough power? No.


    System restrictions that can¡¯t be overcome with plain power and level stand in the way of the player.


    For example; the black clouds that are the manifestation of the Demon Lord¡¯s power which hangs in the air of the Demon Lord Castle.


    If the player gets close to the Demon Lord Castle without any countermeasures, the dark lightning bolts that come from the dark clouds will drop the HP of the player to 0 in an instant.


    Or the blood pool that¡¯s around the Demon Lord Castle.


    Even if you somehow manage to overcome the dark lightnings, the player can¡¯t go over the pool around the castle because of the system, and you can¡¯t even get over to the castle until you get specific quest items.


    There¡¯s also stuff like a stone required to get through the dungeon of the castle, a mirror in order to find a hidden stair, and a gem that weakens the Demon Lord.


    It is said that it is impossible to defeat the Demon Lord unless you obtain all these various items.


    And the only way to obtain those quest items is to finish the story quests.


    (But this world is already no different from reality.) (Souma)


    Your freedom of action expands, and the unreasonable limitations on the player are gone.


    I might be able to blow away the clouds with a strong wind, and cross the blood pool with Air Hammer.


    I could destroy the walls for the castle¡¯s gimmicks, and defeating the Demon Lord when it is not weakened wasn¡¯t impossible from the very beginning.


    Which ones I can take a shortcut with and which ones are necessary; I have to think with that mindset, or I might end up doing pointless work.


    ¡°I will think about it for a bit more. That¡¯s why I also want to lay the groundwork so we can use the method that¡­might bring us back to our world.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°There¡¯s a way to go back?!¡± (Maki)


    Maki also bit hard on that.


    It figures that she really wants to return.


    I want to tell her with confidence here, but¡­


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know if we really can return with this, and if it doesn¡¯t go well, we could die at worst, but I do at least have an idea.¡± (Souma)


    It is far from being certain, and it is dangerous.


    I kept my answer to that.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s plenty impressive! And, how do we do it?¡± (Maki)


    Even so, Maki¡¯s eyes were sparkling at having found hope.


    But¡­


    ¡°I will tell you the details once I have made the preparations. But there¡¯s something I want you to do for the sake of that.¡± (Souma)


    I averted my gaze from those eyes of hers and avoided giving details about that method.


    I don¡¯t want to tell her about it when it is still uncertain, and we are talking about Maki here. There¡¯s the chance she will get ahead of herself and who knows what she would do if I were to tell her about it.


    At worst, she might say ¡®I can¡¯t let Souma do something that dangerous!¡¯ and go experiment on her own.


    This method isn¡¯t something you can just find blindly unless you have information about the game beforehand.


    I decided to not tell Maki until it is really close to the moment.


    ¡°I need two things in order to test this method. The first one is something that I have obtained in the game. The other one is something I was thinking of obtaining. Neither of them are easy to obtain, but I am thinking about getting the one I have already gotten before. That¡¯s why¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Got it.¡± (Maki)


    Maki understood what I was trying to get at and nodded with confidence.


    ¡°I will come with you and support you with everything I¡¯ve got!!¡± (Maki)


    ¡°No, that ain¡¯t it!!¡± (Souma)


    She didn¡¯t understand at all.


    ¡°No, what I am saying is that you are a princess right now, Maki, so you can use your contacts as you please, right? I want you to get the remaining one by using that power of yours!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eeeh?!¡± (Maki)


    Maki let out a dissatisfied voice.


    But I can¡¯t go for that one.


    There¡¯s a reason for why I don¡¯t want to.


    ¡°It is an item you obtain from an event of a character named Leila, who is in this city, but it is a whole lot of pain. That¡¯s why I want to avoid going there directly.¡± (Souma)


    I have never cleared it before, but I have learned with my own body that that is a terribly dangerous event.


    No, I don¡¯t know if to call it an event, but¡­anyways, it is dangerous.


    ¡°But that¡¯s an event exclusive for male PCs, so there should be no problems if it is you, Maki. But if possible, try to not make direct contact with that person. Negotiate with her through the Knight Order, and obtain the necessary item somehow.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean with PC and whatever, but if you want me to, I will do it¡­¡± (Maki)


    It seems like she will be doing it despite not looking that happy about it.


    ¡°I will write all cautionary points, so once that¡¯s over, let¡¯s move separately! Right, I have to call Ringo and the others over!¡± (Souma)


    I told this to Maki right away before she changed her mind, and brought out paper and pen from the bag.


    Mitsuki and Ringo came soon after.


    ¡°Finally time to depart? I was tired of waiting.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki kept her attitude of this has nothing to do with her and is looking calm and composed, but her cat ears were twitching, facing me and Maki, and showing full on curiosity.


    I don¡¯t know what¡¯s bothering her here, but if she wants to say something, she should just say it.


    On the other hand, Ringo was¡­


    ¡°Eh? D-Do you have any business with me?¡± (Maki)


    She wasn¡¯t hiding her curiosity at all and was staring intently at Maki.


    But even when Maki asked, Ringo wasn¡¯t answering at all.


    She simply stared, and stared at Maki.


    Tension spread in the place for some reason.


    It was like commanders glaring at each other on the battlefield.


    It was a choking atmosphere, but¡­


    ¡°¡ª?!¡±


    It was broken by Ringo herself.


    Ringo¡¯s emotionless face showed shock for a second and¡­


    ¡°¡­Split hair.¡± (Ringo)


    She said familiar words.


    But her mood was completely opposite to her usual one.


    When she found split hairs on me, she would speak with a tone that had delight in it, but this one even felt as if there was a sense of defeat.


    ¡°Eh, what? What¡¯s the matter?¡± (Maki)


    Maki couldn¡¯t understand the sudden change in the situation, and as for Ringo, her shoulders were slumped, dejected, and she hid behind my back.


    ¡°Uhm¡­Ringo?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Souma.¡± (Ringo)


    When I spoke to her, she looked at me as if clinging onto me.


    (No, even if you look at me like that¡­) (Souma)


    I may think like that, but I can¡¯t just brush her off.


    While I was wondering what to do¡­


    ¡°¡­Hn.¡± (Ringo)


    I don¡¯t know what Ringo thought, but she pushed her head out to me.


    A sudden headbutt attack from the confused Ringo! -is of course not what happened.


    ¡°Could it be that you are telling me to search for split hairs?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this, Ringo nodded.


    ¡°But¡­¡± (Souma)


    Game characters have no split hairs, so there¡¯s no way I will find one even if I look.


    I looked at the other two, seeking help, but¡­


    ¡°¡­?¡± (Maki)


    Maki can¡¯t understand the situation at all, and¡­


    ¡°¡­Bear is late¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki was looking the other way as if saying ¡®I don¡¯t notice anything¡¯.


    Even her cat ears are facing the other way as if desperately appealing ¡®I-I have seen nothing!¡¯.


    It instead makes it obvious, but it doesn¡¯t look like I will be getting any help here.


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t get your hopes up, okay?¡± (Souma)


    I look intently at the hair of Ringo and search for split hairs.


    But there¡¯s no way Ringo would have split hairs to begin with.


    Even so, I would sometimes part her hair in order to appeal that I am seriously searching.


    (But this is kinda¡­dangerous!) (Souma)


    I don¡¯t know what¡¯s dangerous about it, but anyways, it is dangerous.


    How to say it¡­it is way too soft.


    When I put a finger in to part it, it would flow with almost no resistance.


    I don¡¯t really get it, but something about it is incredible.


    I don¡¯t know if it is Ringo who is special here, or this is how it is with everyone from this game world.


    No, from what I remember, Ina¡¯s hair had a lot of peculiarities that really suit that of an energetic person, so my fingers would get caught up in it if I were to brush it with my hand.


    A former princess really is on a whole other level.


    ¡°¡­Hngh.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo also was fidgeting as if ticklish and that made my heart race.


    ¡°Alright, I will be checking behind too.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Okay.¡± (Ringo)


    I moved to the back of Ringo and began checking her hair.


    (Aah, knew it.) (Souma)


    What¡¯s impressive about this hair is not only the touch of it. Even though it is blue hair that¡¯s impossible to find in reality, it doesn¡¯t feel cheap.


    It instead looks extremely beautiful when the light trails onto her hair when I scoop it.


    I have never seen top class silk thread, but I feel like it doesn¡¯t lose at all to those kinds of stuff.


    I feel like you could easily make a water railment if you were to use this.


    No, the charm of Ringo¡¯s hair isn¡¯t only that.


    Can you tell? It is¡­


    ¡°¡­What have you been doing for a while now?¡±


    At that moment, for some reason, Mitsuki got angry at me.


    But I came back to my senses thanks to that.


    ¡°¡­Souma.¡± (Ringo)


    When I looked down, I saw Ringo facing back with her cheeks slightly flushed.


    I hurriedly moved away from Ringo.


    ¡°When Souma gets into something, he immediately forgets about his common sense and surroundings.¡± (Maki)


    Maki says that as if baffled.


    No, leaving aside my surroundings, common sense isn¡¯t something you just forget, but I feel like it would be pointless to argue about that here, so I just shut my mouth and endured.


    Mitsuki seemed to be even more mad than Maki, and¡­


    ¡°Weren¡¯t we supposed to head to the next objective? In the first place, it felt like you had forgotten about your objective in the middle of it. Also, if it is about hair, I won¡¯t lose either.¡± (Mitsuki)


    She said this with a harsher tone than usual.


    Her cat ears went ¡®how¡¯s this?!¡¯ with the tip of their hairs standing, appealing their superiority.


    I want to ask where her competitive nature is burning at.


    ¡°Even if you tell me that, the Bear isn¡¯t coming yet, so it can¡¯t be helped, right? Good grief, just where did it¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­It is here.¡± (Ringo)


    It seems like the Bear had come back right at the time I said that, and Ringo pulled my sleeve.


    ¡°You are finally here, huh. Bear, you¡­Bear?!¡± (Souma)


    I was shocked the moment I saw it.


    The Bear that had appeared at the stairs¡­


    That figure was completely different from before.


    A whole lot of dolls at the back, wearing a bright red cloak, standing at the very top of the stairs; that sight of the Bear even felt like that of a monarch.


    When the Bear found us, it went¡­


    *Grin*


    It showed a ghastly smile and began going down the stairs.


    ¡°Ah!¡± (Souma)


    It missed the first step and rolled down to the very bottom of the stairs.


    Moreover, the big cloak got tangled up in the middle, and by the time the Bear had finished falling to the floor, it had already become a mysterious object covered in a red cloth.


    The bright red cloth that had fallen on the ground was desperately struggling.


    ¡°¡­Ah.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo raised her voice lightly after seeing that.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s the bed sheet of the red room.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°¡­Aah.¡± (Souma)


    Now that she mentions it, it is true that the sheets of the bed in the red room were bright red.


    It is no surprise that the Bear would fall into a situation like this if it were to put such a big thing around its body.


    ¡°Bear¡­¡± (Souma)


    It must have gone that far to act cool.


    I looked at the red cloth with complicated emotions, and Maki, who came to my side, asked me dumbfounded.


    ¡°¡­Uhm, Souma, what¡¯s¡­this?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°My comrade¡­I guess?¡± (Souma)


    Maki nodded at my unconfident words and¡­


    ¡°Aah, so it is true that birds of a feather flock together.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Please don¡¯t include me in that.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears stood up as she pointed this out.


    After helping the Bear, we immediately departed from the mansion.


    Once we got outside, Maki asked.


    ¡°What will you be doing from now on, Souma?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Or more like, why are you still following us?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked her back instead, Maki looked at me as if saying she wants to become a party member.


    ¡°Now now, it should be okay to be together for a bit, right?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Hmm, then, just midway, okay?¡± (Souma)


    It is not like I yielded to the eyes of Maki, but it is not that urgent of a matter.


    It would be troubling to act together with Maki for too long since she is a princess, but there should be no problem as long as we don¡¯t go out of the city.


    ¡°And so, what will you be doing from now on, Souma?¡± (Maki)


    I answered that question with a face so bitter even I can tell I am making it.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? I will do what I can. I don¡¯t really like it, but I will probably have to meet that person again.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°That person?¡± (Maki)


    I nodded with heavy feelings at the question of Maki.


    ¡°The user of the strongest spell of the world, and the world¡¯s most annoying mage. The strongest idiotic genius mage, Sazan.¡± (Souma)


    It unfortunately seems like Mitsuki is not acquainted with Sazan.


    I instead had her check where Raiden is since he is probably together with Sazan, but¡­


    ¡°Right now¡­he is really far northwest from the city, and he might still be on the move here.¡± (Mitsuki)


    It seems like Raiden is out of the capital.


    Is he together with Sazan?


    The Demon Lord Castle is north, so if he is going northwest, I doubt he is heading to defeat the Demon Lord.


    In that case, he might have taken a quest.


    That in itself is pretty troublesome.


    The members of that party may have abysmal teamwork, but their individual strength is abnormally high.


    They will probably be able to return safe and alive no matter the situation.


    I can rest easy in that sense, but there¡¯s the chance that we will have to deal with it differently depending on the event they are getting involved in.


    With members that stand out that much, the people of the city may know something about it.


    I decided to gather information about Raiden and the others before chasing after them.


    When talking about gathering information in this city, it is obviously¡­


    ¡°Oba-chan, 3 apples!¡± (Souma)


    The greengrocer Oba-chan.


    ¡°You really come here often! Every time!¡±


    I pay 150E, receive 3 apples, and give the apples to Ringo and the others.


    Yeah, such a pain.


    ¡°Of course, since you have been helping us out so much. And so, there¡¯s something I would like to know today too. Do you know about Sazan?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Sazan¡­ Ah! The mage wearing a creepy mask in the adventurer party that stands out like a sore thumb? Of course I know!¡±


    As expected of the Oba-chan. Her ears are everywhere.


    Moreover, it seems like she already knows Sazan is in a party with Alex and the others.


    ¡°Then, do you know where that party has gone?¡± (Souma)


    The Oba-chan answered my next question without missing a beat.


    ¡°There¡¯s apparently a big job north. Guess they went there for that. There¡¯s a lot of rumors going around like ¡®there¡¯s a monster rampaging underground in a settlement north of here¡¯, ¡®a girl that has been kidnapped by cultists¡¯ and all other things.¡±


    ¡°A settlement north, underground, cultists, and a girl kidnapped¡­?¡± (Souma)


    The chain of familiar terms made the alarms in my head ring.


    Oba-chan didn¡¯t pay any mind to my state.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know in much detail though. If you are so bothered by it, how about going to the bar on the main street?¡±


    ¡°Bar¡­?¡± (Souma)


    She pointed at the biggest bar in this city that could be faintly seen from here.


    (Aaah¡­) (Souma)


    The moment I saw that, I felt like a piece of the puzzle just clicked.


    What surfaced in my mind were the many adventurers around when we were going to get the medal of honor.


    Why didn¡¯t I notice?


    The reason why the city was overflowing with adventurers wasn¡¯t because of the shockwave of the Attack on the Capital event.


    At the very least, not the group that was heading to the west gate.


    They are adventurers that are challenging a certain ¡®big quest¡¯ that starts from that bar.


    ¡°I see. Thanks.¡± (Souma)


    My mouth just let out those words by themselves, but my brain was already away from this place, and was thinking about the moves from here on.


    Anyways, I can¡¯t waste a single second anymore.


    I left the Oba-chan with unsteady steps and returned to my comrades.


    ¡°Ah, Souma, did you find that Sazan person?¡± (Maki)


    I answered with a clear tense tone towards the carefree question of Maki.


    ¡°¡­Maki, return to the castle at once and dispatch the Knight Order to the place I am going to be telling you.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Souma?¡± (Maki)


    Maki¡¯s voice carried worry.


    But I have no time to explain here.


    ¡°I am sorry, but playtime is over. We fooled around too much. It might already be too late, but we have no choice but to move at full force from here on.¡± (Souma)


    The quest they have headed to is the Sacrifice Dungeon.


    That quest that¡¯s as vicious as the Blue Bird of Michael has a glaring difference from it.


    It is the danger level of the quest.


    ¡°We have to hurry or things will turn horrible. The quest they headed to¡­¡± (Souma)


    Different from the Blue Bird of Michael that technically doesn¡¯t bring danger to the player, the Sacrifice Dungeon has a high Game Over risk.


    Because it is a quest that has battles, it is possible for the player and NPCs to die, and most of all, that quest¡­


    ¡°¡­Has the chance for a forced Game Over due to things aside from the player¡¯s death!¡± (Souma)

 CH 102.5(part1)

    Light


    Dark


    Sponsored Chapter!


    Important: Please read this Side Story!


    Author: Side Stories are supplementary and are made in a way that can be skimmed.


    For the people that are not good with slightly dark stuff, please wait for the next chapter.


    TLN: Hey guys, Reigokai here!


    Personal opinion about this side story? It is actually pretty good!


    I highly recommend reading this though since it sets the stakes and provides important details as well as adds to the mood in later chapters. It is important enough to make me question why it is called a Side Story (that goes the same for the previous side story).


    Now, remember what I said in the previous side story? That I didn¡¯t consider that one dark? Well¡­in my book, this one is dark.


    Anyways, enjoy!


    ¡ª¡ª-


    I lifted the ban for the Godstep Cancel that I planned on not using as much as possible in a settlement and hurried to the bar.


    In Nekomimi Neko, there¡¯s quests that disappear with the passing of time, and there¡¯s also several quests that progress without the player participating.


    If that happened, it would be irreversible.


    I head to the bar at full speed without caring if I leave the two behind.


    I was on the verge of crashing onto people a number of times on my way, but I managed to safely reach the bar.


    When I looked back, the 2 girls were barely following behind.


    I want to wait for them, but securing the parchment is the biggest priority.


    I immediately put a hand on the door and jumped into the bar.


    (How is it?!) (Souma)


    I throw my gaze to the bulletin board as if in prayer.


    I see that there¡¯s¡­still 2 parchments remaining, and I let out a big sigh of relief.


    The parchment posted there are things that call for participants for the quests.


    One of them is for the monster subjugation quest: Ghost Dungeon.


    The other one is the NPC rescue quest: Sacrifice Girl.


    I take the Sacrifice Girl quest without hesitation and bring it to the counter.


    Quest: Sacrifice Girl.


    I have the policy of not researching on the net for events and quests I have not cleared yet, but I have a certain degree of knowledge about this quest.


    When New Communicate Online was still advertised as a true online game, the Sacrifice Dungeon (Tentative Name) quest was introduced.


    You dive into an underground dungeon, save the kidnapped girl from the cultists that are about to sacrifice her for their evil ritual¡­or something like that.


    The name has been changed, but judging from the contents, it must refer to this Sacrifice Girl.


    The excitement when I saw the video about the underground dungeon, which couldn¡¯t be described as historic ruins or a cave, still remains inside of me.


    What bothers me is the one other memory.


    It is what was written in the introduction of the quest: ¡®You won¡¯t be able to survive by just being strong!! If the conditions are fulfilled, it is a forced Game Over?!¡¯.


    I don¡¯t have the confidence to remember the exact words, but there¡¯s no doubt there are forced Game Overs in this game.


    There¡¯s also one other piece of info about this quest I know.


    I accidentally saw a thread related to the Sacrifice Dungeon on the net.


    If I remember correctly, it went: ¡®I have not seen a more hopeless story than this one¡¯, ¡®this quest is worse than trash¡¯; but there were also: ¡®this story is well made¡­the story¡¯, ¡®I enjoyed it quite a bit¡¯.


    There were conflicting comments like this, and I think it technically wrapped up with the conclusion of ¡®I hope the developer that made this quest drops to hell¡¯.


    The conclusion was pretty extreme, but this is par for the course in this game.


    Anyways, I can¡¯t ignore a quest that forces a Game Over.


    ¡°Sorry, I am taking this one.¡± (Souma)


    I showed the scary-looking bartender the parchment for Sacrifice Girl.


    ¡°Sacrifice Girl, huh. It is fixed to 3 people for this one. If possible, I would like you to register with 3 people¡ª¡±


    I cut off the words of the hardboiled bartender.


    ¡°It is okay. Please register me¡­and these girls.¡± (Souma)


    I pointed at the two girls that arrived at the bar later.


    I wrote the name of the 3 people and the quest participation is done.


    I remember that both quests have a fixed party of 3, so it was the right choice to leave one comrade behind.


    Judging from the way the bartender said it, I might not have been able to accept it unless we had 3 people.


    (With this, I can rest at ease for now.) (Souma)


    At the very least, the chances of this quest advancing on its own are gone.


    A game that forcefully throws you a Game Over at a place where the player is not aware of is normally not found in a game, but I can¡¯t really say for sure in this game.


    I want to destroy any dangerous factors as soon as possible.


    I wanted to take the other quest ¡®Ghost Dungeon¡¯ as well if possible, but¡­


    ¡°Bartender, we will do this quest!¡±


    The one who appeared as if reading my mind was the group of 3 that I met at the city just recently: Abel, Beat, and Cliff.


    They gave the parchment of the Ghost Dungeon to the bartender with grins in their faces.


    (So that¡¯s how it works¡­) (Souma)


    I speak internally.


    Basically, this is a choice quest.


    You probably can only take either the Sacrifice Girl or the Ghost Dungeon.


    If I had taken the Ghost Dungeon, they would have taken the Sacrifice Girl.


    (No wonder both had way too tasty rewards.) (Souma)


    You need more than level 50 to participate in this quest, but the reward for it is way above that threshold.


    If I consider this as a bonus quest that you can only take one or the other, I can understand it to a certain degree.


    While I was convinced on my own like that¡­


    Abel and his group noticed us and whistled.


    ¡°Oooh, and here I was wondering who it was. Ain¡¯t that the chick adventurer that just came out from Lamurick?!¡±


    ¡°Do you think a chick like you will be able to take on this quest when you still haven¡¯t even shaken off the egg shells?¡±


    ¡°Gyahahahahahahaha!!¡±


    They began to provoke me with cliche hoodlum lines.


    So annoying.


    I honestly can kick their asses with my current strength, but if that messes up the quests somehow, I would be having my priorities wrong.


    I bit my lips and endured silently, but¡­


    ¡°Just leave it at that. Adults ganging up and acting all high-and-mighty on one boy. How annoying.¡±


    I heard the voice of a woman from behind me, inside the bar.


    (That person is¡­) (Souma)


    The owner of that voice is a brown short haired thief-looking woman.


    She is most likely a high level adventurer.


    I have not spoken to her directly, but I feel like I have at least seen her.


    ¡°And who are you?!¡±


    Beat turned around and shouted at her, but¡­


    ¡°My name is Pora. Don¡¯t you know about me, boy?¡± (Pora)


    She closed the distance in that brief instance, and pushed her nails onto the throat of Beat.


    ¡°Wa, y-you¡­¡±


    Beat was completely frozen and couldn¡¯t move.


    ¡°Damn it, Beat!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with this bitch?!¡±


    Abel and Cliff put their hands on their weapons, but¡­


    ¡°Give it a break already!!¡±


    A giant person appeared from even deeper in, shouting loudly, and the air around froze.


    ¡°Pora, you should also leave it at that with your frolicking. Also, you people, I can¡¯t say I find it commendable for comrades heading to the same village to be causing trouble.¡±


    Abel reacted to the big body adventurer who seems to be the comrade of Pora from his way of talking.


    ¡°Heading to the same village¡­together, you say¡­?¡±


    The adventurer grinned at that.


    ¡°What, you didn¡¯t know? The location for both quests is the same. They are both northwest, at the Saiga Village.¡±


    We then headed to the north gate, and we rode separately on the ox carriage that the requester apparently prepared for us.


    The ox carriage is a 6 person vehicle that¡¯s pulled by a cow type monster, and so we headed there together with the group of Pora.


    Well, I am glad that we didn¡¯t have to share the same ride as Abel and his group.


    Pora¡¯s group apparently took the quest of the Ghost Dungeon, not the Sacrifice Girl, but they are both in the same place: the Saiga Village.


    It was natural for us to go the same path.


    The issue here is why 2 quests have appeared at the same time in the same village.


    ¡°In the first place, cultists are people that worship wicked Gods, obey the orders of demons, and control monsters. In most cases when they act, monsters often also rampage too. On this occasion, I think that they kidnapped a girl to use as a sacrifice, while the monsters were rampaging, in order to call a demon.¡± (Pora)


    Pora explained in that way.


    Even if we are going to be staying in the same village, the Ghost Dungeon quest is at the west side of the village. The Sacrifice Girl quest apparently begins at the east side of the village.


    It would make sense that the Ghost Dungeon is a diversion.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think a demon that you can call from sacrificing one girl will be that big of a deal. Even so, it is not like it is okay to let a girl be killed, right?¡± (Pora)


    I completely agree with the opinion of Pora.


    But what bothers me is that¡­


    ¡°You know quite a lot about the cultists and demons.¡± (Souma)


    Pora is speaking somewhat like an exposition character.


    You can probably tell after playing it for a bit, but this game has a lot of nasty quests.


    I end up imagining a scenario where she is actually the cultist leader.


    ¡°Ahaha. Well, I did investigate a bit about the cultists after all¡­ My village¡­was attacked by cultists.¡± (Pora)


    ¡°Eh?!¡± (Souma)


    But it seems like that ended up with me stepping on a big landmine.


    ¡°It is not only me, everyone in my party is the same. This big man, Randy, got his daughter killed by a cultist.¡± (Pora)


    Saying this, she pointed at the axe warrior Randy.


    ¡°Mana here had her parents killed by monsters that were controlled by cultists.¡± (Pora)


    After that, she pointed at the mage girl, Mana, at the other side.


    And at the end, she pointed at herself.


    ¡°As for me, my village was attacked by cultists, and my parents, siblings, and friends were all killed¡­ That¡¯s why I took this quest.¡± (Pora)


    Being told this much, I can only apologize.


    ¡°So that¡¯s how it was. I am sorry for asking something weird.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. We are the ones that understand the most how lowly cultists can be. Also, I don¡¯t think it is bad to suspect first.¡± (Pora)


    She laughed my words off, and then her face turned serious and she lowered her head.


    ¡°The monster rampage and the rescue of the girl used as a sacrifice; both will have casualties if they fail. We will take the responsibility of wiping out the monsters. That¡¯s why¡­please make sure to save the kidnapped girl, okay?¡± (Pora)


    We arrived at the village without any issues and parted ways.


    Traveling in the carriage seemed to have been a part of the quest, so that conversation just now could be considered part of the quest too.


    In other words, the background story and resolve of Pora and the others is simply a part of the scenario that the game developers thought of.


    But even when I knew that, I could feel something welling up in my chest.


    (I will definitely succeed in this quest!) (Souma)


    It is not a selfish reason like wanting to avoid a forced Game Over. A clear objective had been made inside of me.


    Around 20 in total are participating in the Sacrifice Girl.


    We all were guided first to the house of the Village Chief, who is the foster parent of the kidnapped girl.


    The village chief was a middle aged man.


    He had the classic clothes of a villager in a fantasy game, and his only defining feature is that he is wearing a necklace with a red jewel.


    ¡°That girl is the memento of an adventurer from 2 years ago.¡±


    According to him, the cultists rampaged in the vicinity of this village 2 years ago too, and the adventurers that came defeated them with their lives, and saved the village.


    ¡°Her parents died at that time. And yet, this time around, even she¡­¡±


    The village chief held both of his hands, trembling and mortified.


    Am I the only one who instead finds this excessive kindness as suspicious? Or is it just me who is messed up?


    At that time, I moved my gaze to the surroundings, and there was a drawing at the center of the room of a person that looks like the village chief and a small girl.


    This must be the village chief and the kidnapped girl.


    Both of them have matching red necklaces.


    They might have been made in a set to begin with.


    ¡°Sorry, I lost myself there. When they kidnapped my daughter, they secluded themselves in an underground ruin closeby. It seems like they are using that as their base and doing horrendous rituals every night.¡±


    The village chief calmed himself down and pointed in a direction outside the village.


    ¡°The entrance of the underground ruins is there. I want you people to go there and save my kidnapped daughter.¡±


    ¡°It is here.¡±


    We were guided to the outskirts of the village.


    There certainly seems to be a door leading underground.


    The door looks like a pretty old one, but a part of the surface is shining.


    Is it magic?


    It looks as if that light is creating patterns of some sort.


    If I were to write them down, they would be¡­


    +£üL


    I don¡¯t really know the meaning of it, but it had a strange pressure that made me feel uneasy when looking at it.


    The Village Chief spoke to me while I was staring intently at it.


    ¡°Bothered about it?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. What¡¯s this?¡± (Souma)


    The Village Chief smiled a bit and said: ¡°¡­The decapitated head of a priest.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­No, it is a joke.¡±


    I was taken aback and he simply chuckled.


    This guy is unexpectedly carefree despite his daughter having been kidnapped.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what these symbols mean. However, it seems like there¡¯s several of the same inside the underground ruins, so how about you investigate it?¡±


    That¡¯s where the Village Chief made a strangely deep smile that a plain AI wouldn¡¯t be able to.


    I wonder why¡­.at that moment, I felt chills running down my spine and trembled.


    The Village Chief continued explaining without minding my state.


    ¡°This is the entrance of the ruins, but I want to warn you about one thing. Inside this place¡­¡±


    The Village Chief opens the door while saying this and¡­


    ¡°Uwa!¡±


    Purple smoke bursted out.


    That doesn¡¯t look like it is good for the body at all.


    ¡°As you can see, it is filled with miasma. If you get exposed to the miasma for an extended period of time, you will slowly get your strength stolen away. This is also one of the reasons why the village has left these ruins alone the whole time. But¡­¡±


    The Village Chief brings out pitch black grass wrapped in a big ring from his bag.


    He puts it around his own neck without hesitation.


    ¡°This Evil Warding Grass Decoration that was tied up with a special manufacturing method can block the miasma if you have it on. We have just enough for 20 people. Please equip this before entering the ruins.¡±


    The villagers that had come along gave the Evil Warding Grass Decoration to all the 20 participants.


    I of course accepted mine too.


    (So it is used as a neck accessory.) (Souma)


    I am wearing the Stamina Up necklace that I got in the adventure before.


    I don¡¯t really want to take it off, but I am scared of the constant HP damage.


    And most of all, I doubt I can continue the quest without equipping it judging from the contents of it.


    I reluctantly take off my Stamina Up necklace and equip the Evil Warding Grass Decoration.


    ¡°Have you all put it on now? That grass decoration has an outstanding effect, but it doesn¡¯t have much durability since it is made out of grass. Please make sure not to damage it.¡±


    Hearing the words of the Village Chief¡­


    (This sounds like trouble.) (Souma)


    I cursed at the future pains.


    Just imagining this necklace being destroyed already makes it easy to understand how bad that is.


    The dungeon is already complicated as it is.


    Going back all the way to the entrance wouldn¡¯t be easy, and while you are traveling there, your HP will continue to drop.


    Being killed by the miasma instead of the cultists sounds plenty possible.


    Or there might even be fights breaking out between allies because of those necklaces.


    It wouldn¡¯t be funny if we end up dying from items that are supposed to save us.


    On top of that, even if the enemies are cultists, they are humans that have intelligence.


    If they learn that our weak points are the necklaces, there¡¯s a high chance they will be aiming for that.


    [You can¡¯t survive just by being strong].


    You could say this development proves that point.


    ¡°There¡¯s an especially big door deep in the ruins, and inside of it, there¡¯s apparently an altar. That¡¯s probably the place they would be doing their ritual. My daughter might have already been taken there.¡±


    The Village Chief said this while looking at all of us.


    ¡°I am counting on everyone to save my daughter.¡±


    We entered the ruins.


    Going down the stairs leading underground.


    Purple smoke was wafting about, but there¡¯s no damage thanks to the grass necklace, and it is not so dense that it hampers vision.


    I was fearfully advancing at first, but I managed to walk normally once I got used to it.


    ¡°Woah¡­¡±


    I saw the same patterns on the walls when we got down.


    +£üL


    The more I see it, the more I don¡¯t understand.


    (A decapitated priest, huh¡­) (Souma)


    Thinking about it like that, it certainly could look like a person kneeling and having their head dropped.


    It could also look like the face of a man closing one eye, some crest, or many other things if you try looking for it.


    There¡¯s not enough information to reach a conclusion.


    (Well, if we go deeper in, we might find a hint or other patterns.) (Souma)


    We decided to move further in while I was thinking that.


    But contrary to my expectations, we didn¡¯t find anything for a while.


    Not only the kidnapped girl or the altar, we didn¡¯t find cultists or new patterns either.


    It is just that, at times¡­


    ¡°This again, huh¡­¡± (Souma)


    There would be the same pattern shining at the walls.


    (Maybe we should separate and search for clues? But if we are not together when cultists attack¡­) (Souma)


    While I was deep in thought¡­


    ¡°Lucas!!¡±


    A voice filled with urgency rang.


    When I looked that way, a black shadow was approaching the man most likely called Lucas who was at a corner of the group.


    The man reacted to that voice and turned around¡­


    ¡°Just what is¡ª¡±


    Those were his last words.


    A silver light shone as the shadow approached, and it cut the throat of Lucas.


    ¡°Wa¡­?!¡±


    A vital point was hit in one blow and Lucas slowly collapsed.


    And then, the black something behind¡­


    ¡°Kiyega!¡±


    Raised an incomprehensible ear-piercing scream.


    (This is¡­) (Souma)


    I still haven¡¯t met cultists in the game once.


    That¡¯s why I was imagining people wearing pointy black robes like the ones in comedies.


    But I learned with a shudder¡­


    That bizarre figure had cloth wrapped around its whole body. Its appearance easily surpassed words like dirty or filthy and could only be described as corrupt.


    The sharp eyes filled with madness that could be peeked at from the opening of the reddish brown cloth, steep yellow and dirty teeth that were constantly letting out annoying sounds, and the sharp blade in both hands that were the only things letting out light within its whole dark figure.


    (So this is a cultist¡­?) (Souma)


    What was standing there is a being that only brings disgust on a physiological level.

 CH 102.5(part2)

    Light


    Dark


    Previous Chapter l Next Chapter


    The cultist killed the adventurer, Lucas, who came together with us to the underground ruins, and immediately turned around and escaped.


    ¡°?! Wait!!¡± (Souma)


    It would be bad if we let it get away here.


    Having judged that, I used Godstep Cancel and chased after it.


    ([Step], [Slash][Step], [Slash][Step]¡ªKuh?!) (Souma)


    But the moment I jumped to the corner the cultist turned to, a fireball flew onto me.


    (Ambush?!) (Souma)


    I used the last Step to move to the back and somehow avoid it.


    But my Godstep Cancel chain was cut off because I was surprised.


    Skill canceling is an advanced technique.


    If your concentration gets cut off, you won¡¯t be able to maintain the combo.


    ¡°What about them¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I once again checked inside when the stun was gone, this time with care.


    ¡°Not there, huh¡­¡± (Souma)


    The way they so smoothly aimed for the one that was separated and then retreated with magic support fire¡­they clearly are using more advanced strategies than monsters and are performing them in actual practice.


    (This might be an even rougher battle than I imagined¡­) (Souma)


    I held dark emotions while I turned back to return, and my eyes fell onto the wall.


    £«¡À


    I found a pattern that was different despite not being able to until now no matter how much we searched.


    (Is it really¡­the face of a person?) (Souma)


    But I still don¡¯t understand its meaning.


    I try thinking about a variety of possibilities.


    Should I take the cross at the left side not changing as having some sort of heavy meaning behind it?


    If we include the decapitated priest logic here, that would make it the head of a priest or a cross.


    But I can¡¯t get any further than that.


    In that case, I have to search for other common points.


    (I see! The number of lines hasn¡¯t changed!) (Souma)


    If we consider L as 2 lines, the amount of lines used in +£üL are 5.


    The number of lines used in £«¡À is also 5.


    It is nice that I noticed that, but what to do with that information?


    Should I take these patterns as being a series, or¡­?


    ¡°There! The cultist!¡±


    But I didn¡¯t have the time to sink in my thoughts.


    The shout from behind cut them off.


    (Was this a diversion?!) (Souma)


    Cultists are different from monsters in that they use their head.


    It is plenty possible that they would use a strategy like that.


    I cursed my own carelessness and ran back to the place.


    (What¡¯s the situation¡­?) (Souma)


    I confirm the state of things.


    Looks like the ones who attacked were 3 cultists.


    But it seems like the situation is advancing in our favor.


    The weapons of all 3 cultists are swords.


    They have a decent degree of coordination, but we have the numbers.


    There¡¯s no way 3 people can defeat close to 20 adventurers.


    In that case¡­


    (This is a diversion!) (Souma)


    The moment I arrived at that conclusion¡­


    ¡°Guaaah!¡±


    Another of our adventurers was ambushed by the dagger of a cultist that appeared out of nowhere.


    A fireball flew out one after the other, and the adventurer that was by their side was covered in flames.


    (I was one second too late!) (Souma)


    I clicked my tongue as I used Step to move in.


    There¡¯s no doubt this one is skilled.


    I can¡¯t tell the difference from their attire, but I can from their battle style and weapon.


    This is the guy that killed Lucas in the beginning.


    ¡°Girga!!¡±


    The dagger user noticed my approach and raised a cry.


    But¡­


    ¡°Dira?¡±


    I turned sharply to the right in front of the dagger user, and jumped into the side corridor.


    I don¡¯t know if I would be able to win even if I fought it upfront.


    I will deal with the troublesome mage first.


    If I were moving normally, I would run the risk of being attacked from behind, but the movement speed of Godstep Cancel is top tier.


    Even characters specialized in speed can¡¯t catch up.


    ¡°Rigeaaa!¡±


    The cultist raising its staff deep in the corridor let out a scream.


    A fireball was shot at the same time as they did, but¡­


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know what you are saying!¡± (Souma)


    I used a diagonal Step to avoid it and closed the distance even more.


    ¡°[Purple Lightning Slash]!¡± (Souma)


    I activated a strong sword skill.


    That attack hit the staff-wielding cultist¡­


    ¡°Go¡­ah¡­¡±


    It let out a displeasing sound as it collapsed.


    The defense of a mage is low to begin with, and there must have been a level difference too.


    It seems like I managed to defeat it in one hit.


    (One!) (Souma)


    The moment the skill stun wore off and I raised a cheer internally¡­


    ¡°Guru!!¡±


    A big chunk of steel approached right in front of me.


    ([Step]!) (Souma)


    The skill stun had just barely worn off in time, so I managed to jump back and avoid that attack.


    I confirmed the figure of the enemy while I was moving back.


    The cultist that did a surprise attack on me could be described as an ¡®executioner¡¯. A giant man holding a greataxe.


    I doubt I will be able to get through this guy easily.


    ¡°Gyangi!¡±


    The worst thing is that even the dagger user had caught up.


    I have been completely pincered here.


    But at that moment¡­


    ¡°Mekida?!¡±


    Lightning surged from the narrow corridor, separating me and the cultists.


    Support fire from lightning magic!


    You really gotta have reliable comrades!


    (Now!) (Souma)


    I didn¡¯t miss that brief opening, slipped through the side of the dagger user, and somehow managed to return to my comrades.


    ¡°Gigigi.¡±


    The cultists were looking at this mortified, but they must have judged that they can¡¯t fight against our numbers.


    It looked at the mage that I defeated with eyes that I can¡¯t read emotions from, but it eventually turned around and disappeared deeper into the ruins.


    I confirm the situation.


    The corpse of Lucas who was killed at the beginning.


    And then there¡¯s the corpse of the man that was killed by the dagger user and the corpse of the adventurer that was hit by the fireball.


    It seems like they managed to defeat the 3 cultists that served as the diversion.


    The 3 corpses that were wrapped around with shabby cloth were laying down deep in the corridor.


    (We have 3 casualties and we defeated 4 cultists, huh.) (Souma)


    Comparing the numbers, we should be the ones on the advantage here, but we don¡¯t know how many they have.


    Also, thinking about how people have died, I can¡¯t just think of it as just 3 casualties.


    Most of all, there¡¯s one thing I can¡¯t ignore.


    (Why aren¡¯t the corpses disappearing?) (Souma)


    It is not limited to monsters; when characters die and their HP hits 0, they should disappear into light particles.


    Why is it that they still remain?


    ¡­Honestly speaking, I can only imagine bad things about this.


    I almost seriously considered throwing holy water at them, but¡­


    ¡°¡­Anyways, let¡¯s move away from here.¡± (Souma)


    I decided to prioritize movement.


    If we stay in the same place, there¡¯s the chance we will get ambushed again.


    I want to avoid any more casualties as much as possible.


    We immediately left the place with the many corpses at our backs.


    When we advanced a little ahead¡­


    ¡°Souma-san!¡±


    I turned around after being called and¡­


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    Found a big door that I feel wasn¡¯t there before.


    This is most likely the door that leads to the sacrifice altar that the Village Chief was talking about.


    Moreover, the door is¡­


    £« £­


    A new pattern that resembles the two previous ones was shown there.


    (What¡­does this mean?) (Souma)


    The left one is the same as before, but the right side clearly has less lines.


    The theory about the number of lines has completely crumbled here.


    We teamed up in order to open the door while I was thinking about the mystery of the patterns, but the door was not budging at all.


    There¡¯s not even a keyhole though.


    It would be most natural to think it opens with a special event.


    If I had to say what it is, I would of course say it is the patterns drawn in this door.


    In RPGs, you would normally see doors that you would have to open by controlling the patterns to make them the same.


    (Maybe we have to find the same patterns as this door in order to open it?) (Souma)


    That might be a bit too simple though¡­


    ¡°¡­Hm?¡± (Souma)


    At that moment, I felt like something red passed by at the corner of my vision.


    I chase it with my eyes.


    ¡°Red¡­Imp?¡± (Souma)


    It disappeared into a corridor in an instant, but there¡¯s no doubt about it.


    It is a variety of weak demon that shows up often in RPGs: Imps.


    According to Pora, cultists have connections with demons.


    It might serve as a clue.


    ¡°We are chasing after it!¡± (Souma)


    I told this to my companions and chased after the Red Imp.


    Fortunately, the Red Imp isn¡¯t that fast.


    I thought we would catch up to it really quickly, but¡­


    ¡°Pikiiire!¡±


    We encountered a group of cultists while we were chasing the imp.


    At this rate, the imp will escape.


    I thought that, but¡­


    ¡°¡­What?¡± (Souma)


    The imp avoided the cultists that are supposed to be its comrades, and took a different path of escape.


    (Are the cultists and imps hostile with each other?) (Souma)


    That thought crossed my mind for an instant, but the cultists in front of me readied their weapons.


    ¡°Damn it, get out of the way!¡± (Souma)


    I had no choice but to deal with the cultists in front before the imp.


    The 2 cultists that showed up there were weak.


    The ones that attacked us at the beginning really must be on a whole other level within the cultists.


    It is good that we managed to defeat them easily, but because we were too into chasing after the imp, it seems like people were left behind.


    We probably have 2 people less.


    We returned and searched for the Red Imp and the strayed adventurers, and found a pattern on the wall.


    £«£Ì


    A new pattern.


    But I feel like the shape itself resembles the first pattern heavily.


    I still don¡¯t know the meaning of it.


    We continued wandering around the ruins.


    The patterns of the wall were all £«£Ìfor a while, but then¡­


    £ü£Ì


    Soon after this pattern appeared¡­


    ¡À


    We began finding this one.


    The commonalities of there always being a £« or there being more than two symbols was thrown out the window.


    I don¡¯t know what to take from this.


    But the amount of samples has gone up to a decent degree.


    Decapitated priest.


    Looped symbols.


    Figures that are being simplified as we advance.


    There¡¯s a pattern.


    There must be.


    I feel as if I get one more¡­just one more realization here, I could easily solve it.


    Something terrible happened before that.


    ¡°Gisharaba!!¡±


    ¡°Guegu!!¡±


    The ear-piercing cries of the cultists.


    An attack of the skilled cultist that escaped in the beginning: the dagger user and the greataxe user.


    ¡°This is rough¡­¡± (Souma)


    I lowered my sword after the battle finished.


    There¡¯s new corpses in the corridor again.


    3 of them are from our side.


    One of them is the greataxe cultist.


    ¡°Rad, please answer me, Rad! Shit, you damn cultists!¡±


    An adventurer that has lost their comrade, clung to their corpse as they cursed.


    ¡°You damn cultists! Damn cultists! You¡­you all¡­why?! Why are you always¡­damn it!!¡±


    There¡¯s even adventurers who were kicking the corpse of the cultist that killed their comrades.


    It is not like I don¡¯t understand how they feel.


    If my friends were to be killed too, I could see myself doing the same.


    But I currently don¡¯t feel like doing that.


    There¡¯s other things that I must do.


    There¡¯s one enemy corpse.


    Only the greataxe one.


    In other words, the one who killed most of our group and has shown the most ability within the cultists, the dagger user, is still alive.


    ¡°Please stay on standby there, everyone.¡± (Souma)


    I don¡¯t know what pushed them to do so, but the dagger user and the greataxe user charged onto us as if on their last wits, and it seemed as if they were targeting me.


    They might have judged me as the leader of the group, or they might have simply been programmed to target the player.


    Anyways, if I move around the ruins on my own, the chances of them attacking me are high.


    (I won¡¯t let anyone else be killed.) (Souma)


    I moved away from the group with that resolve, and walked in the direction where the dagger user escaped from.


    I moved through the ruins cautiously, but I couldn¡¯t find the dagger user.


    Instead, I found a number of wall patterns.


    The symbols were all the same.


    ¦®


    A completely new pattern.


    It looks like it would be better to think the theories I have had until now were wrong.


    I walked while being cautious, thinking, and arrived at a familiar place.


    ¡°This place is¡­¡± (Souma)


    The big door that we found in the middle that leads to the altar.


    And what should get a special mention is the pattern drawn on it.


    ¦®


    In other words¡­


    ¡°The pattern changed?¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s when I noticed my own big misunderstanding.


    I thought the walls had several different patterns drawn onto them.


    But that¡¯s not it.


    The patterns drawn on the wall are always one.


    But they are simply changing by some sort of condition.


    That¡¯s why all walls are showing ¦® now.


    ¡ªKnowing that much, even a person as dense as me can notice the meaning of this pattern.


    No, calling it a pattern doesn¡¯t accurately represent this.


    This is no pattern or drawing. It is not even a code in the first place.


    (What¡¯s that about a decapitated priest?!) (Souma)


    I was led astray by the words of the Village Chief.


    Even so, if we line up the symbols in order, I understood the truth immediately.


    This is¡­


    ¡°?! Who is there?!¡± (Souma)


    I was cautious of my surroundings while I was thinking, and I saw a shadow moving in my vision.


    What passed by the corner of my vision was a small red shadow.


    The Red Imp that might be holding the secrets of these ruins.


    ¡°Wait!¡± (Souma)


    I once again chase after the imp.


    I thought the chase would lengthen again, but it reached an unexpected conclusion.


    The imp tripped on something and fell.


    ¡°This is¡­the first place?¡± (Souma)


    The imp tripped on the corpses of the 3 cultists lying on top of each other.


    I had at some point in time returned to the place where we first got attacked by cultists.


    ¡°Gi¡­ru¡­ru¡­¡±


    The imp that lied face up and was looking at me seemed as if it were scared.


    What should I do with this guy?


    The moment I was pondering about it¡­


    ¡°Giru!¡±


    The imp pointed behind me.


    I immediately looked back, surprised by this action.


    ¡°Wa?!¡± (Souma)


    What was there was a wicked shadow that had crept onto me.


    (The dagger user cultist!!) (Souma)


    It is at close range with its filthy elongated teeth.


    The moment I turned around, it had already raised its knife.


    ¡ªDeath.


    I thought that in that brief moment.


    Oh well¡­


    That weak mindset brushed my head.


    But words resurfaced in my mind at that moment.


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s why, Souma, please save the kidnapped girl.¡±


    And at the same time, the face of Pora when saying this showed up.


    That¡¯s right!!


    I can¡¯t give up for their sake too!


    ¡°You¡­!¡± (Souma)


    My sword that I swung in desperation hit the right wrist of the attacking dagger user.


    ¡°Gih!!¡±


    It moved back as if repelled for some reason.


    I don¡¯t know why, but this is my chance.


    I used Step to close the distance, and with Purple Lightning Slash¡­


    ¡°Ningwa!!¡±


    It won¡¯t just take it lying down.


    It let out a shrill cry and came at me, brandishing its knife with movements that seem to be a skill.


    Even so¡­


    ¡°I won¡¯t lose!!¡± (Souma)


    I short cancel Step and activate Purple Lightning Slash.


    The knife of the cultist and my sword hit each other¡¯s bodies almost at the same time and¡­


    ¡°My¡­win¡­¡± (Souma)


    But it must have been the difference in the attack speed.


    My Purple Lightning Slash dealt the damage one beat faster, and it interrupted the damage of the enemy.


    My chest received some damage from it, but that¡¯s all.


    They got a direct hit from me, lost all their HP, and collapsed.


    I thought it was a paper-thin victory, but¡­


    ¡°¡­It wasn¡¯t the case, huh.¡± (Souma)


    The last attack of the dagger user had dealt a fatal hit on me in a certain sense.


    There¡¯s barely any physical damage.


    But the Evil Warding Grass Decoration was destroyed.


    There¡¯s now nothing protecting me from the miasma.


    I sighed and apologized to Pora internally¡­but¡­


    ¡°My HP¡­is not lowering?¡± (Souma)


    There was no HP decrease I thought would be happening.


    But now that I think about it, I don¡¯t think the cultists were affected by the miasma.


    Or maybe they had an item that served the same purpose as the grass necklace, but when I tried checking the corpse of the cultist¡­


    ¡°¡­Wa, eh?¡± (Souma)


    I saw something incomprehensible.


    The dagger user cultist I defeated just now.


    At the place where it should have collapsed at, there was a normal-looking adventurer.


    I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on.


    (Could it be a bug¡­?) (Souma)


    I thought that and directed my gaze to the side.


    ¡°Are you¡­kidding me¡­?¡± (Souma)


    When I looked at the 3 overlapped cultists¡­


    Or what should be cultists¡­


    What was there were not cultists wearing ragged cloth, but familiar adventurers.


    ¡°Abel, Beat, Cliff¡­¡± (Souma)


    The group of 3 that should be doing the Ghost Dungeon quest have lost their lives and are lying there.


    I don¡¯t know what I should even believe in here anymore.


    (Does that mean these guys are actually cultists? No, could it be¡­) (Souma)


    While I was confused¡­


    ¡°O-Onii-chan, are you okay?¡±


    Someone spoke behind me.


    When I looked back, there¡¯s a small girl with a red necklace peeking this way in worry.


    ¡°Y-Yeah, I am okay¡­I think.¡± (Souma)


    After I answered reflexively like that, my guard shot up instantly.


    There¡¯s no doubt this is the girl I saw in the drawing at the village.


    In other words, she is the Sacrifice Girl.


    But where was she?


    How did she get close to me?


    I don¡¯t know if that question showed, or if it was a programmed action, but¡­the girl began to introduce herself.


    ¡°U-Uhm, I am Lipha. I have been chased the whole time by Onii-chan and the others, and I have been running.¡±


    ¡°Running?¡± (Souma)


    I at first didn¡¯t understand what the girl Lipha was saying.


    But it clicked all of a sudden.


    ¡°Could it be that you were the red demon of before?¡± (Souma)


    The girl nodded.


    ¡°Probably. Onii-chan was wearing the Deception Grass Decoration until now after all¡­¡± (Lipha)


    ¡°Deception Grass Decoration¡­?¡± (Souma)


    Being told this, I could only think of one thing.


    The Evil Warding Grass Decoration was given to us to protect us from the miasma, but no one actually tested out its actual effect.


    ¡°When you put that grass decoration on you and enter this Seal Dungeon, you will see illusions¡­¡± (Lipha)


    ¡°Illu¡­sions¡­¡± (Souma)


    I looked at Abel and the others who were lying there.


    It is true that I began seeing Abel and the others, where the corpses of the cultists should be, the moment the necklace was broken.


    ¡­Now that I think about it¡­


    Even the cultists were simply ¡®humans¡¯ that we believed were cultists.


    I doubt they would be able to live in the miasma, and there¡¯s no practicality in wrapping your body in dirty rags.


    Even if you just accept it as it being how it is, a creature letting out such annoying sounds is just weird.


    That was an illusion that took advantage of our preconceptions of the cultists.


    But in that case¡­


    Even if that form was an illusion, the enemies we were fighting were real and had substance.


    Then¡­


    ¡ªWhat were the people we were fighting until now?


    I actually already know the answer.


    But I am scared of confirming it.


    (There¡¯s¡­there¡¯s no way.) (Souma)


    I told myself that internally, but I was almost sure of it.


    I face the corpse of the one I defeated just recently.


    I flipped the short body that was facing down in one go.


    ¡°A-A-Aaaaaaaaaaaaahh!!!¡± (Souma)


    What was reflected in my eyes made me do an incomprehensible scream.


    The strongest cultist that has been making me¡­making us suffer until now¡­


    No, the one who we thought was a cultist was¡­


    ¡°Pora¡­-san¡­¡± (Souma)


    The adventurer with short brown hair, Pora.


    ¡°O-O-Onii-chan¡­¡± (Lipha)


    Lipha spoke to me, seeming scared.


    But I didn¡¯t have any leeway to respond to her.


    ¡°Unforgivable¡­!¡± (Souma)


    I soon understood the trick of what was done to us here.


    There were many hints.


    The Sacrificial Girl and the Ghost Dungeon were being performed at different locations.


    The reward of the quest being outstanding for the job.


    The words of Pora, pointing out that they wouldn¡¯t be able to do much with just a single sacrifice, and even the information about adventurers coming to suppress the cultists 2 years ago and dying.


    On top of that, the correct name of this quest being Sacrifice Dungeon¡­


    ¡­Right.


    Sacrifice¡­Girl and Ghost Dungeon¡­ When you put them together, you get Sacrifice Dungeon. These quests are two yet one.


    They made us put on equipment that showed us illusions for the participants of the Sacrifice Girl and the Ghost Dungeon¡­and made them kill each other. It is that kind of horrible quest.


    I once again looked at the corpse of Pora.


    At her wrist, there¡¯s black grass tied into a bracelet just like my Evil Warding Grass Decoration.


    If my necklace has the effect of making me ¡®see people with the bracelet as cultists¡¯, their bracelets must have the effect of ¡®showing the people wearing the necklace as monsters¡¯.


    Just like how we attacked Pora and her group because we thought they were cultists, her group attacked us thinking we were monsters.


    The objective was probably¡­.


    ¡°Hey, Lipha, why are you in a place like this?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°U-Uhm, Papa told me that if I managed to run until the number got to 1, he would give me a present¡­ I-I was scared, so I told him no, but he¡­forced me here¡­¡± (Lipha)


    Hearing the words of Lipha while she was on the verge of tears¡­


    (So that¡¯s how it was¡­!) (Souma)


    I bit my lips.


    I learn the reason for the light patterns on the walls and the culprit of this quest.


    That was no code.


    If you have followed the whole situation, you will be able to understand clearly what this means.


    The first thing that showed before entering the ruins was¡­


    +£üL


    After that, the Sacrifice Girl side had Lucas die after Pora attacked him.


    At that time, the pattern on the wall¡­


    £«¡À


    Became this.


    After that, we got attacked a second time, and 2 adventurers died, with the 3 of Abel¡¯s group dying as well. And then, I killed the comrade of Pora, the mage¡­


    £« £­


    The pattern changed to this.


    We then killed 2 cultists¡­adventurers and¡­


    £«£Ì


    While we were searching for the 2 separated adventurers, the wall pattern¡­


    £ü£Ì


    Then changed to¡­


    ¡À


    And then the attack of Pora and the axe user Randy.


    Randy and 3 adventurers died.


    ¦®


    You get it now, right?


    This is simply a number.


    The reason why they looked like a pattern on the wall was simply because they were made in a hard to tell way.


    The current one on the wall is¡­


    £½


    I glared at it sharply.


    The number on the wall began with 18 and was decreasing regardless of side.


    This is most likely a countdown.


    It is counting the sacrifices, and they are trying to bring about something terrifying.


    The only one I can think of that can set this up is the current father of Lipha, the Village Chief of the Saiga Village.


    But I doubt a large-scale quest like this can be set up by the Village Chief alone.


    This is just my assumption, but I think all the villagers of the Saiga Village are cultists or monsters.


    It should be safe to assume that we have been had by the village.


    I want to throw everything away and make it so that nothing happens, but¡­before that, I want to bring redemption for them or I won¡¯t feel at peace.


    The moment I reaffirmed that dark resolution of mine¡­


    ¡°S-Save me! A monster¡­!¡±


    A female adventurer ran this way.


    The ones who were chasing her were¡­


    ¡°You damn cultist! Revenge! Revenge for Rad!!¡±


    The adventurer that clung to the corpse of his comrade.


    I ordered him to stay, but it looks like he couldn¡¯t endure it.


    ¡°Wait! Stop, she isn¡¯t¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I desperately raised my voice to stop them, but I didn¡¯t make it in time.


    ¡°Die, filthy cultist!!¡±


    The swung sword of the man stabbed into the back of the running female adventurer.


    ¡°A-Aah¡­¡± (Souma)


    Despair leaked out from my mouth.


    The female adventurer in front of me collapsed and the number on the wall changed.


    £­


    And finally¡­we face the end of the quest.


    ¡°Good work, adventurers¡­ No, our most precious sacrifices.¡±


    A familiar voice rang in the whole dungeon.


    ¡°This voice!¡±


    ¡°Papa?!¡±


    And then¡­


    ¡°Ah, Lipha, my precious daughter. You should come here.¡±


    The moment the Village Chief said this, the red necklace of Lipha shone an ominous light.


    ¡°Eh? What¡¯s this? Onii-chan, save¡ª¡± (Lipha)


    ¡°Lipha!¡± (Souma)


    The figure of Lipha disappeared an instant after.


    The voice of the Village Chief continued ringing.


    ¡°I think there¡¯s already people who have discovered it, but we had you all kill each other for the sake of reviving the Great One. No, become a stepping stone to their revival. How envying. I am unfortunately a demon, so I can¡¯t become an offering for the Great One.¡±


    The Village Chief speaks of his wrongdoings as if he were doing a casual talk.


    ¡°Ah, right right. If you don¡¯t believe that the ones you killed were your own brethren, I recommend you take off the accessories you put on before entering the dungeon. You should be able to understand in an instant with that.¡±


    Light particles pass by my side.


    When I looked there, the corpses here and there had light beads coming out from them and were flying off somewhere.


    ¡°I thought about it for quite a bit before getting this idea, you know? If we were to clash upfront, we would lose members, and it would hinder our activities. When I thought up this idea of having you kill each other to become sacrifices, I thought of myself as a genius.¡±


    I chase after the light beads.


    It will most likely¡­


    ¡°We wiped out the adventurers 2 years ago to keep their mouths shut, but there¡¯s no need for that this time around. We have gathered 17 excellent sacrifices. The last one will be prepared by us¡­ Now, Lipha, it is your turn.¡±


    There it is!


    The light beads were really heading to the big door.


    The gate that leads to the sacrifice altar and has the £­ floating on it.


    ¡°P-Papa¡­? Why are you tying me up? I-I¡­¡±


    The agitated voice of Lipha echoed in the dungeon.


    Lipha is deeper inside this door.


    ¡°W-What are you doing with me? Hey, what¡¯s with that axe? Papa, stop, papa!!¡±


    I swing my sword on the door with all of my strength.


    But the door didn¡¯t budge at all.


    ¡°P-Papa, you said I was important to you. I-I also love you, Papa. Even though you are not my real papa, you took care of me, that¡¯s why¡­¡±


    I used the Purple Lightning Slash which is the strongest attack I can use right now on the door, but even with that, the door didn¡¯t budge.


    ¡°It is okay, Lipha. There¡¯s no way I would do anything terrible to you, right?¡±


    ¡°Pap¡ª¡±


    ¡ª*Thud*


    A dull sound rang inside the dungeon.


    What echoed next was the devil¡¯s whisper.


    ¡°Becoming an offering for the Great One is the biggest honor of all. You are happy too, right?¡±


    And then¡­


    ¡°No way¡­¡± (Souma)


    The number in front of me changed.


    ¡ð


    At that instant, everything ended.


    ¡°Ahahahahahahaha!! Finally! My ambition!! Humans, bear this in heart!! The Great One will finally revive!!¡±


    The only thing that echoed in the dungeon was a mad laughter.


    ¡°Ahahahahahhaha!! Ahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!¡±


    And then, the darkness¡­darkness that ended everything leaked out from the door and¡­


    ¡°Sorry¡­¡± (Souma)


    I let out those last words to my two comrades that are not by my side¡ª


    ¡°Thiel, Marin, I¡­¡± (Souma)


    GAME OVER


    ¡°¡­Haah, that was the worst.¡± (Souma)


    I sighed at the GAME OVER that was covering the whole screen.


    I have no energy to continue the game.


    I bring out the menu screen while it was still pitch black, choose the log out, and end the game.


    ¡°What a horrible scenario¡­¡± (Souma)


    Being freed from the VR machine, I talked to myself.


    It has been quite a while since I began New Communicate Online.


    I thought I knew how nasty this game was, but the scenario on this one was on a whole other level.


    I feel like it would traumatize children if they were to play this.


    Or more like, if this was changed before it was switched to an offline game, was this quest intended for an online game?


    That¡¯s not on the level of bold.


    ¡°What should I do today¡­?¡± (Souma)


    Every time I encounter scenarios like this one, I always think about quitting, but I end up wanting to play it again after some time, and I just power the machine up.


    For now, my objective is to reach 100 affection with my companion character Thiel.


    For the sake of that¡­


    ¡°Alright! I will eat dinner and try it again.¡± (Souma)


    I would feel bad quitting at a bad end.


    The good thing about games is that you can retry as many times as you want even if you fail.


    Since the time I began living alone, I have been speaking to myself a whole lot more.


    And so, I decided to challenge the Sacrifice Dungeon again.


    But I couldn¡¯t have even imagined that, even though I believed I had gotten through the most painful part, in a sense, what came after was the real hell.


    ¡°Damn it! Why?!!¡± (Souma)


    I cursed for who knows how many times now.


    The Sacrifice Dungeon quest was simple once you understood the trick to it.


    There might be casualties by happenstance, but once you learn that the root of all evil is the grass accessory, you just have to convince your allies and take them off.


    The developers must have set it so that if you answer the questions accurately, the decently good AI of New Communicate Online will understand that they have been fooled by the villagers, and properly take off the grass accessory.


    If everyone from one side takes off their grass accessories, conflict won¡¯t happen.


    If you explain the situation to the other team, you can bring the talk naturally to defeating the cultists of the Saiga Village.


    After that, it will be a battle against the cultists.


    Cooperating with Pora, Abel, and the others, you would fight the cultists and the demons transformed into villagers, defeat the most powerful demon there and the boss of the quest, the Village Chief, and the incident is wrapped.


    At the end, you destroy the dungeon entrances where the ¡®Great One¡¯ is sealed, and Happy End.


    ¡ªBut, for some reason, I couldn¡¯t save the girl that became the sacrifice, Lipha, no matter what I did.


    The initial danger of Lipha was to be killed by the adventurers wearing the grass accessory.


    But we immediately took those off, and by reaching the door before the other team, we can avoid that 80% of the time.


    The problem comes after that.


    When the countdown for the remaining sacrifices goes to 1 or when the adventurers discover the scheme of the cultists and take off the grass accessories, Lipha will get teleported all the way to the altar with the power of the red necklace.


    And as of present, I can¡¯t find a way to get past the door where the altar of sacrifice is located.


    The door doesn¡¯t budge no matter the attack I do, and even when I corner the Village Chief, he doesn¡¯t talk about it as if he had forgotten the existence of Lipha.


    I then tried to stop Lipha from getting teleported there in the first place, but all ended up in failure.


    If you kill the Village Chief before the quest happens, you can¡¯t progress the quest, and Lipha will stay locked up in the dungeon.


    I then thought of turning back in the middle, but once you enter the dungeon, you can¡¯t go outside because of the system unless all the adventurers take off their grass accessories.


    And so, I tried to do something about the red necklace of Lipha, but not only is it an indestructible object, it is also impossible to unequip, so I couldn¡¯t do anything.


    ¡°Just what¡¯s going on¡­?¡± (Souma)


    No matter how many times I retried, I couldn¡¯t save Lipha.


    So¡­I finally pulled out the forbidden card.


    I decided to check a walkthrough guide in the Nekomimi Neko Wiki.


    Once I saw the topic for Sacrifice Dungeon in the Nekomimi Neko Wiki, I almost screamed at the astonishing contents of it.


    ¡°What¡¯s¡­this?¡± (Souma)


    Because you know¡­all of my desperate hard work was turned into dust.


    According to the Nekomimi Neko Wiki¡­


    ¡ªThere¡¯s no data for an altar of sacrifice in that underground dungeon.


    Putting it simply, the altar of sacrifice wasn¡¯t implemented in the game.


    That¡¯s why there¡¯s nothing at the other side of the big door.


    There¡¯s simply a door to make it look like there is one, and it is said there¡¯s an altar at the other side, but there¡¯s actually no altar set there.


    And of course, the information I desperately searched about ¡®how to save Lipha that went to the altar¡¯ didn¡¯t exist.


    I don¡¯t know if the developers forgot about the existence of Lipha in the middle of making it, or they felt it was a hassle to create the special event at the end where the altar is located at, but there was no conclusion where ¡®Lipha is saved¡¯ anywhere in the quest.


    ¡°¡­What¡¯s this BS?¡± (Souma)


    I don¡¯t mind the idea of the participants being made to fight in this quest.


    It is nasty, but there¡¯s a way to avoid it.


    I would even say it is a pretty decent story.


    That¡¯s why the problem is Lipha.


    I would still understand if you can¡¯t save her because of the story requiring it.


    But if we end up not being able to save the person we want to save the most just because the developers were cutting corners, or because they forgot, that ¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s way too much!¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s horrible no matter how you think about it.


    I have never seen a more hopeless story than this one.


    I spit this out with all of my piled up emotions.


    ¡°The one who made this should drop to hell!!¡± (Souma)

 CH 103

    Light


    Dark


    TLN: Heya guys, Reigokai here!


    Just here again to recommend you guys to read the Side Story. It may say it is a ¡°Side Story¡±, but it really feels like it is a necessary read. It enhances the experience of this arc and gives more perspective to the point that it makes me question why it was called a Side Story.


    Anyways, that¡¯s all. Enjoy!


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    (I should have noticed when I passed by Abel and the others in the morning.) (Souma)


    Thinking about this, I self-examined myself.


    According to what I heard from the greengrocer Oba-chan, the quest that has a forced Game Over, the Sacrifice Dungeon, has begun without me -the player.


    In the game, the quest didn¡¯t move until the player entered as the last participant, but in this world, characters move freely to a certain degree.


    Saying a part of the authority of the player has moved to the NPCs is a bit of an overstatement, but I should have taken a situation like this into account.


    I was so happy about having reunited with Maki that I might have lowered my caution there.


    This Sacrifice Dungeon quest that has a forced Game Over is a general term for the two quests: Sacrifice Girl and Ghost Dungeon.


    ¡ª¡ª¨CTLN: From here on, the ones who have read the Side Story don¡¯t need to read this part. You will see a line below where you can continue.¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    The Sacrifice Girl is a quest where you have to save a kidnapped girl named Lipha by diving inside an underground ruin west of the Saiga Village, and you fight cultists.


    The Ghost Dungeon is a quest where you have to defeat the monsters that the cultists have called, you dive into a cave that is east of the Saiga Village, and you fight monsters.


    At a glance, both quests are completely different, but the reality is that the west ruins and the east cave simply are different entrances of the same place.


    Meaning that you enter from the west with the Sacrifice Girl, and the Ghost Dungeon you enter from the east, but it is the same dungeon.


    That¡¯s where the nasty part of this quest comes in.


    The participants of the Sacrifice Girl are given a grass necklace quest item, and the participants of the Ghost Dungeon are given a grass bracelet.


    They are given to you with the explanation that ¡®it has the effect of protecting you from the miasma of the dungeon¡¯, but the actual effect for the grass necklace is ¡®see the people who are wearing the grass bracelet as cultists¡¯, and for the grass bracelet ¡®you see the people wearing the grass necklace as monsters¡¯.


    What would happen in that case?


    The participants of the Sacrifice Girl would see the participants of the Ghost Dungeon as cultists, and the participants of the Ghost Dungeon would see the Sacrifice Girl participants as monsters.


    When these two groups meet in the dungeon, they will both think they are enemies, and the result is that you will end up having your life offered to the ritual of the cultists.


    Actually, these two quests themselves are a trap readied by the villagers of the Saiga Village.


    All the villagers of the Saiga Village are either cultists or demons disguised as people. They were trying to revive the ¡®Great One¡¯ by making adventurers kill each other to turn into sacrifices.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨CThis is where the recap ends¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    I fell right in that trap the first time I did this, ended up fighting the adventurers I got along with, and ended up killing them.


    It could still be wrapped up as a funny story in a game, but with this being reality, it would be a completely traumatic experience.


    But I fortunately know about it.


    I have a countermeasure.


    ¡°Maki, all the residents in the Saiga Village northwest of here are cultists. They are trying to revive something fearsome by deceiving adventurers. I want you to dispatch the Knight Order at once and have them head there to suppress them.¡± (Souma)


    I know this is an absurd request, but I have no time to explain.


    It is rare to see Maki nod seriously at my words.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t really get it, but got it! I will definitely convince the knights and bring them there! I-It is okay. If push comes to shove, I will use my charms!!¡± (Maki)


    ¡°No, drop that¡­¡± (Souma)


    I looked worried at Maki who was puffing her chest out.


    ¡°Fufu, I can be pretty impressive when I am serious, you know? ¡­*Wink*!¡± (Maki)


    Maki boldly pinched up the apron part of her apron dress!


    The dress part of the apron dress was boldly exposed!


    ¡­What is she even trying to achieve here?


    ¡°O-Oh well, that¡¯s fine. Anyways, it would be a great help. Thanks, Maki.¡± (Souma)


    I know from past experiences that if I get involved with her even more here, I will end up getting stuck, so I wrapped up the talk there.


    I can¡¯t rely much on Maki, but I have no choice but to believe in her position as a princess here.


    ¡°We will be moving. I will explain while we are running.¡± (Souma)


    Judging from the situation, it seems like the quest has already begun.


    I can¡¯t abandon that Sacrifice Dungeon quest.


    The danger of that quest shoots up when people who have outstanding strength participate, and it is literally a quest where ¡®you can¡¯t survive simply by being strong¡¯.


    I actually want to move using KB Cancel, but if I were to shoot Air Hammer consecutively at this stage, I will end up running out of MP in the middle.


    I advance with Godstep Cancel as I explain the basic gist of the quest to the two.


    As always, I couldn¡¯t tell them my information source and simply told them the conclusion, but they all listened to me without a complaint.


    To be more precise, Ringo listened spaced-out until the end, Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears were shaking as if saying ¡®this really is suspicious¡¯ as she listened, and the Bear would smack my head every now and then which I don¡¯t know if to take that as listening to what I am saying or not.


    It seems like it has taken a liking to clinging to the back of my head, but maybe it is using me as a horse or something.


    Leaving aside the Bear, the plan from here on is this one.


    We will first charge into the underground dungeon at full speed, convince the quest participants, and avoid the killing.


    We were pretty late in departing, but that side should have their time taken by them moving in a carriage and the explanation of the quest.


    We could still make it in time.


    After entering the dungeon and stopping the adventurers, we wait for the arrival of the Knight Order and Maki while staying at the dungeon.


    The quest itself can be accepted when you are low level, and the demons and cultists in the Saiga Village aren¡¯t that strong.


    The Knight Order should be able to easily suppress them.


    There¡¯s a reason why we are not going to be heading directly to the village and doing the suppressing ourselves.


    There¡¯s a bug, or more like, they cut corners in it. If you advance the quest normally, you definitely won¡¯t be able to save the Sacrifice Girl, Lipha.


    This girl Lipha is being locked up inside the dungeon as bait for the adventurers and one of the sacrifices.


    When they notice that the adventurers figured out the scheme of the Saiga Village, she will end up getting teleported to the altar of sacrifice.


    In a normal game, after you defeat the cultists, you would go to the sacrifice altar and save Lipha, but the map for the sacrifice altar was not implemented in the game, so it is impossible to save her because of system limitations.


    There was no solution in the game, but it is different in this world.


    Lipha gets teleported to the altar when the adventurers notice the scheme of the cultists and try to leave the dungeon.


    Then, we can have the adventurers stay in the dungeon, and have a different group suppress the village.


    With that, Lipha won¡¯t be sent to the altar, and we should be able to save her as a result.


    But that¡¯s only after we stop the quest participants.


    Or more like, if we don¡¯t, not only Lipha, the whole world might perish here.


    (Well, I don¡¯t really know the details for that one at all though.) (Souma)


    I certainly did get a game over in the game, but I don¡¯t know what exactly happened to the world.


    There¡¯s the chance that it will end with only me dying, or it might actually just straight up destroy the world.


    However, thinking about how this world adjusts itself now that it has become real, there¡¯s the chance that ¡®what will be revived is something so dangerous that no resident in this world can do anything about it, which will result in the world perishing¡¯. I feel like that¡¯s the most natural conclusion.


    Well, I can hypothesize all I want here, but what I can say for sure is that nothing good will happen.


    I must stop that from happening no matter what.


    ¡°We are soon going to arrive at the Saiga Village.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki warns us with a sharp voice.


    Hearing this, not only me, but even Ringo¡¯s expression turned serious.


    The Bear also smacks my cheek as if spurring me on.


    I appreciate the sentiment, but its hand is so fluffy it actually relaxed me.


    ¡°Let¡¯s enter the dungeon in a way that the villagers don¡¯t find us. Mitsuki, what¡¯s the location of Raiden?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Already at the west side of the dungeon. He is currently heading to the center.¡± (Mitsuki)


    This is bad.


    But clashes normally happen close to the center.


    That they are moving must mean that the worst case scenario at least hasn¡¯t happened.


    ¡°We will enter from the west side too. From here on, we are going full speed without stopping. We might be leaving you behind, Ringo¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­It is okay. I will catch up.¡± (Ringo)


    The words I let out with guilt were easily shot down.


    With this, I can move at full speed without worrying.


    ¡°Over here!¡± (Souma)


    My MP should be able to keep up now.


    I begin moving using KB Cancel.


    I guide Mitsuki and we head to the entrance of the dungeon.


    There were no watches at the entrance. How careless.


    At the wall¡­


    £«£üL


    There were those light figures.


    It is the same as the game.


    There¡¯s no doubt this is the entrance.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry!¡± (Souma)


    I told this to Mitsuki and we jumped into the dungeon where miasma drifts about.


    I don¡¯t know how many times I have repeated this quest.


    It is hard to say whether those were good memories, but thanks to that, I have a pretty good mental map of the dungeon.


    ¡°Let¡¯s head to the center for now. If you feel the presence of people nearby, please take over on guiding instead, Mitsuki.¡± (Souma)


    Saying this, I decide to head to the center first and¡­


    ¡°There¡¯s someone nearby.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°All of a sudden?!!¡± (Souma)


    That plan was soon scrapped.


    But we can¡¯t just leave that be.


    ¡°Over here.¡± (Mitsuki)


    I followed after Mitsuki who ran off.


    We ran in the dungeon, turned a few corners, and the one who appeared in front of us was¡­


    ¡°S-Sazan?!¡± (Souma)


    The idiotic genius mage who wears a mask and is facing down dejected, Sazan.


    Sazan was dumbfounded for a while after seeing us, but soon regained energy.


    ¡°Hoh? I don¡¯t know what you guys are, but knowing my name makes you promising. Fufufu, consider yourself lucky. If you so wish, I can make an exception and¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    They began spitting nonsense.


    ¡°Who cares!! More importantly, why are you here alone?¡± (Souma)


    I cut them off and asked them this, and Sazan averted their masked face.


    ¡°Fuh! The evil warding talisman created by the common people is not effective in the face of mine dark powers. The moment the warding powers yielded to mine great darkness, I¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Aah, in other words, you were the only one who broke your Evil Warding Grass Decoration, and ran away because you got scared.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°T-That¡¯s not it!!¡± (Sazan)


    Now that I look closely, he doesn¡¯t have the grass necklace around their neck.


    That¡¯s supposed to be a necklace that protects you from the miasma of the dungeon, so Sazan hurriedly tried to get out of the dungeon when they broke it.


    ¡°Perk up your ears and listen. The pitch black dark destiny I tread on¡­¡± (Sazan)


    They are still saying something weird here, but if they have taken off their grass necklace, then there¡¯s no danger.


    It should be okay to leave them be.


    ¡°Oh well, we are in a hurry here, so see ya.¡± (Souma)


    I tried to hurry off, but¡­


    ¡°W-Wait! Are you going to leave me in a place like this?¡± (Sazan)


    They grabbed my leg and stopped me.


    ¡°Let go! I don¡¯t have the time to deal with you!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°N-No, I won¡¯t let go! I can¡¯t get out of this dungeon on my own. I won¡¯t let go until you get me out of this dark, scary, and humid place!¡± (Sazan)


    They are getting angry at me instead.


    This is why I hate this person.


    ¡°We have to hurry to the center of the dungeon! How are we going to bring you?!¡± (Souma)


    When I shouted this¡­


    ¡°I don¡¯t care! That¡¯s why you¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan brought out a surprising plan.


    ¡°Raiden is a hopeless idiot. He is a pervert that rushes into scenarios that one would definitely retreat from. I don¡¯t like people that have no shred of intelligence. Fights should be done with elegance. Using fire magic or stuff like that really is the best. But that idiot that doesn¡¯t understand the beauty of battle would always complain to me. Good grief, what is he getting all angry for just because he simply got caught in my spells a few dozens of times? Seriously, what an incomprehensible fool.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°¡­¡±


    They took advantage of my silence to spit out annoying complaints.


    That¡¯s right. What Sazan proposed here was to bring them while carrying them.


    I very reluctantly accepted that request, and decided to move on ahead with Sazan on my back, but¡­


    ¡°Baccarat is also hopeless. I don¡¯t know why, but he is really strict with me. Even though he is so clingy with others, taking care of them to an annoying extent, he takes an attitude as if I am the only one who he finds a pain when I approach him. I think he acts like that because he knows and is jealous of my insurmountable talent in magic. A person with such narrow views is truly hopeless. Hopeless hopeless.


    Because of how annoying his jealousy was, I threw in some super spicy seasoning on his food the other day.


    ¡­He got really angry at me after that.


    Narrow-minded people really are hopeless.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Because of the increase in weight, my movement speed dropped sharply, and on top of that, they have been complaining nonstop since a while now and it is annoying to an unbearable extent.


    ¡°I want Alex to reflect. He is my first comrade before meeting Raiden and Baccarat. In other words, a sworn friend. And yet, there are times when he would act as if he had forgotten about me.


    No, it is not like I feel lonely, you know?


    But as a battle friend and¨Cbohyu?!


    Ouch!


    I-I bit my tongue there!


    Your back really is such a bad ride!!¡± (Sazan)


    Now they are even complaining about my back not being a comfortable ride.


    What¡¯s with this endlessly annoying creature?


    The Bear who is stationed at my head was smacking my cheeks as if complaining about the monologue unfolding at my back that had its annoyance setting turned up to max.


    The cat ears of Mitsuki who were by my side were twitching as if criticizing me with ¡®why did you pick that up?¡¯.


    I couldn¡¯t endure that pressure and ended up justifying myself here.


    ¡°No, even if this person is like this, they are comrades, so it would be faster to convince them with this person here, right?¡± (Souma)


    For some reason, Raiden tried to make it so other quest participants were not involved with Sazan much, so they might not notice that Sazan is their own comrade, but Raiden and Alex shouldn¡¯t mistake their own party member.


    My movement speed dropping hurts, but fast movement skills are hard to use in a complex dungeon in the first place.


    Even if our speed drops a little bit here, I thought that bringing this when convincing Raiden and the others would serve as a positive, but I might have been overly hasty.


    I have at least explained the situation to Sazan even if a bit simplified.


    Even though Sazan should know the situation now, they are still taking this attitude.


    It even makes me think this person might be incredible in a certain sense.


    But that hellish time came to an end.


    ¡°We are now close to Raiden. There¡¯s also the presence of several people deeper in. It seems like a battle¡­still hasn¡¯t happened.¡± (Mitsuki)


    The long awaited report of Mitsuki.


    Looks like we made it in time.


    ¡°No¡­there¡¯s also one other group close to here. It seems to be the Ghost Dungeon group.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Really?!¡± (Souma)


    It seems like we were closer than I imagined.


    There¡¯s the chance that battles will break out whenever any side sees the other.


    And so, we catch sight of an adventurer group in front of us.


    They must be the participants of the Sacrifice Girl.


    (This is bad!!) (Souma)


    They have their weapons ready and have a dangerous atmosphere around them.


    I don¡¯t know about the other side, but this side seems to have already found the participants of the Ghost Dungeon.


    I can¡¯t waste a single moment here.


    ¡°Mitsuki, can I leave the Ghost Dungeon side to you?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Okay.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Her reliable response gave me strength.


    ¡°Then, I leave that side to you. As for me¡­I will take this one!!¡± (Souma)


    I used Ground Compression which I hadn¡¯t used until now because we were inside a dungeon.


    I accelerate in one go towards the adventurers!


    ¡°And after that I¡ªbyuh! H-Hey, if you are going to ramp up the speed, at least tell me!¡± (Sazan)


    I ignore the complaints at my back, and stand in front of the adventurers.


    First, concentrate on stopping them, on diverting their attention from the participants of the Ghost Dungeon.


    ([Step][Side Slash][Step][High Step][Air Hammer], [Step][High Step][Ground Compression]!!) (Souma)


    I weave through the group of adventurers that have their weapons out, and step in front of their path while drawing their attention.


    I canceled the last Ground Compression by crashing onto the wall which made the Bear crash onto the wall too. The Bear protested about it, but I don¡¯t have the time to deal with it.


    ¡°W-What¡¯s with you?!!¡±


    The bearded man at the front raised his voice as if scared.


    I raised my voice as if appealing to him.


    ¡°Everyone, please lower your weapons! The cultists that you saw are illusions shown by real cultists!! The real cultists are elsewhere!!¡± (Souma)


    Will it transmit¡­?


    I was uneasy, but the bearded man nodded at my words.


    ¡°¡­I see. I get it now.¡±


    ¡°O-Oi, Rad?!¡±


    The adventurer that¡¯s most likely his comrade got flustered, but the bearded man called Rad wasn¡¯t fazed by it.


    He looked at me and nodded once again.


    ¡°The real cultists are elsewhere, right? I get it real well. In other words¡­you are the real cultist!!¡±


    ¡°E-Eeeeeh?!¡± (Souma)


    Is what I thought, but he came out with a crazy conclusion.


    ¡°Why did it end up like that?! I simply¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Shut up! Seeing your movements just now, even a child would be able to tell that you are not human! You must have sold your soul to the devil, or you might be the devil itself, but you messed up!!¡±


    ¡°Eh, no, wa?!¡± (Souma)


    Rad pressed in while I was confused.


    ¡°In the first place, what¡¯s with that stuffed toy that moved on top of your head and the suspicious masked man at your back?! I have not seen a man more suspicious than you in my entire life!!¡±


    ¡°N-No, this is¡­¡± (Souma)


    W-What should I do¡­?!


    I can¡¯t refute that!!


    ¡°Hehe, as expected of Rad! Everyone, get him!!¡±


    All the adventurers ready their weapons at once at the words of the adventurer by the side.


    Moreover, they are directed at me¡­


    Me + Bear + Deadweight vs 19 adventurers.


    The battle of the century raises its curtains now!!


    ¡°Good grief, if you had noticed, say it sooner.¡±


    The curtains weren¡¯t raised.


    Raiden, who was at the back of the group, barely came in to stop us.


    ¡°Sorry about that. My desire of not wanting to be put in the same group as you guys won over me for a moment there.¡± (Raiden)


    It seems like he actually noticed us at a pretty early stage, but seeing us, he suddenly didn¡¯t feel like wanting to call himself an acquaintance of ours.


    It would be one thing if it were the other participants who haven¡¯t had contact with you, but to even have your own party member act as if they don¡¯t know you¡­as expected of Sazan.


    What a fearsome lack of charisma.


    On the other hand, it seems like Raiden has an unexpectedly high reputation among the group. The adventurers that were directing their weapons at us were cleanly stopped with just his few words.


    Alex doesn¡¯t seem to understand the situation well here, but he somewhat rode in the mood and went.


    ¡°So that¡¯s how it was! Damn cultists! Yeah, I thought they were suspicious from the very beginning too!¡± (Alex)


    He simply said whatever he pleased to match.


    Of course, most were half in disbelief here, but once we actually show the effects of the necklace and bracelet in person, everyone should believe us.


    What¡¯s left is for Mitsuki to convince the other side, but that¡¯s most likely going to be okay.


    Mitsuki is apparently famous, so I think she is better than me at convincing people.


    Without betraying those expectations¡­


    ¡°Mitsuki!!¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki brought the Ghost Dungeon adventurers here.


    There was still unrest within the people that still had the grass bracelet, but maybe they understand the situation, there¡¯s no one with their weapons out.


    With this, the forced Game Over has been almost completely avoided.


    ¡°Looks like it went well.¡± (Souma)


    I finally relaxed the strength in my shoulders and spoke to Mitsuki.


    Mitsuki also has a pretty happy face there¡­no, cat ears¡­is what I thought, but the cat ears don¡¯t seem that energetic.


    ¡°I managed to convince almost everyone, but¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Is something the matter?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this, the cat ears of Mitsuki went ¡®it has gotten problematic¡¯ and shriveled as she answered.


    ¡°There¡¯s apparently a certain group of 3 that are acting separately. I still haven¡¯t been able to explain it to them.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­Who are they?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Abel, Beat, and Cliff.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Those guys, huh.


    I frowned.


    They really don¡¯t do anything decent.


    I don¡¯t really care what happens to them, but if they end up finding Lipha¡­she would be in danger.


    There¡¯s no choice but to search.


    When I sighed¡­


    ¡°Aah, uhm, sorry. There¡¯s actually one guy from our team who is acting separately too¡­¡± (Raiden)


    Raiden brought out even more trouble.


    I ask while still having a bad feeling.


    ¡°Uhm, who is the one acting alone?¡± (Souma)


    When I did, Raiden made a complicated expression as he gave the worst answer.


    In other words¡­


    ¡°One member of our party, Baccarat.¡± (Raiden)


    According to Raiden, not long after Sazan went off, Baccarat said ¡®I feel the presence of prey from over here¡¯ and walked off somewhere.


    (Why him of all people?!) (Souma)


    I desperately endure letting out that shout filled with resentment, and we hurriedly run through the dungeon.


    ¡°Mitsuki, please hurry! If they meet, it will be over!!¡± (Souma)


    Baccarat is the strongest when it comes to specs in the Alex party.


    His level easily goes over 150.


    On the other hand, Abel and his group are simply rival characters in the beginning stages of the capital.


    Their levels are barely 70, if even.


    Even if it is 3 against 1, it wouldn¡¯t even be a battle.


    Moreover, Baccarat would see the ones wearing grass bracelets as cultists¡­


    (At this rate¡­) (Souma)


    My brain shows the worst future for the 3.


    I felt something bitter rising from my stomach.


    Bear was rubbing my neck as if calming me down, but that won¡¯t be appeasing me.


    ¡°You seem to be pretty desperate here. They were the ones who insulted you at the entrance of the capital, right? Would you get that desperate over people like that?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki probably wants to say that I get too into the people that have been involved with me.


    But this is not on that level.


    ¡°That¡¯s not it! This is an issue of humanity¡­no, an issue of male pride!!¡± (Souma)


    When I shouted this, Mitsuki went ¡®hmm¡¯ and her cat ears jumped once.


    It doesn¡¯t seem like she is convinced, but she isn¡¯t lowering her speed which is something I should be grateful for.


    (Make it! Make it in time!!) (Souma)


    I prayed as I advanced with the lead of Mitsuki.


    A stressful time passed and finally¡­


    ¡°It is close. We should be able to see them soon.¡± (Mitsuki)


    The goal is finally at sight.


    But the moment I relaxed a bit there¡­


    From the front¡­


    ¡°Aaaaah!!!¡±


    A scream that resonated in the whole dungeon echoed.


    ¡°Could it be¡­!!¡± (Souma)


    I wring out my low reserves of mana and raise my speed.


    But by the time I arrived, everything had ended.


    ¡°We¡­didn¡¯t make it in time, huh¡­¡± (Souma)


    I muttered this with regret and pity.


    Below me were Abel, Beat, and Cliff half-naked.


    Their clothes are disheveled, and they are twitching.


    And directly at the side of them, there¡¯s a brawny man standing there who noticed me and turned around.


    ¡°Oh my? You are quite the nice man too. Have any business with me?¡±


    He is the last member of Alex¡¯s party and one of the strongest adventurers in Nekomimi Neko.


    The one that must not be named, hole driller, the Homo Martial Artist.


    His special ability that allows him to tell people apart by their muscles and hip-line (exclusively men).


    Rose Piercer, Baccarat.

 CH 104

    Light


    Dark


    There¡¯s suspicion that Abel, Beat, and Cliff have now lost something really important as men here.


    ¡°Oh, no way! I have not done something so wonderfu¡ªbarbaric as that, you kno~w?¡± (Baccarat)


    According to Baccarat-san, it is a misunderstanding.


    ¡°See, these boys were together with us on the way to the village, right? And so, because the cultists that showed up were of the exact same body build as them, I tore their clothes off to confirm! Of co-ur-se I did have a little taste as a side-benefit though.¡± (Baccarat)


    ¡°Haah, I-I see¡­¡± (Souma)


    Looks like nothing happened.


    Man, that¡¯s a relief.


    I cleared up my worries and rubbed my chest.


    ¡­Yeah.


    It is questionable whether a simple side-benefit would roll their eyes all the way to their whites, have saliva drooling down from their half-opened mouths while they are twitching as if they were in a nightmare, but¡­well, there¡¯s discrepancies in every scenario!!


    I decided to trust the explanation of Baccarat without a single shred of doubt, and pushed this matter to a corner of my mind.


    Whichever the case, the casualties of the Sacrificial Dungeon are 0 which is something to be proud of.


    Convincing myself like that, I explained the situation to Baccarat.


    When I told him about the plans of the cultists and the trick of it, Baccarat made an exaggerated surprised expression and said.


    ¡°Oh my, that¡¯s scary!¡± (Baccarat)


    He squirmed his body overly dramatically, but unfortunately, what¡¯s really scary here is that sight of his.


    As traumatic as a Namahage**. <Folk demon>


    If children saw this, they would probably cry.


    But this doesn¡¯t comprise everything about the man called Baccarat.


    ¡°That said, you are also impressive. To think you would be able to see through the plans of the cultists. You have my respect~.¡± (Baccarat)


    He is putting an act here to a displeasing extent, but more than half of it is most likely a camouflage.


    He is wary about someone like me who knows unnaturally much, and is acting even dumber to analyze me.


    This man is the big sis type and also a complete carnivore.


    If I lower my guard, I will get eaten.


    ¡­In a whole lot of meanings.


    Just imagining it made my stomach churn.


    I take care not to show on my face that chills were running down my back.


    ¡°Well, I coincidentally had information about it and it all pieced up together.¡± (Souma)


    I just gave a harmless answer and slipped away from it.


    We decided to return to where everyone is for now.


    Baccarat said he would be carrying the unconscious Abel and his group.


    I honestly didn¡¯t want to carry them anyways.


    I simply said ¡®Wow, how kind of you. That would help out greatly¡¯ and leave him in charge of them.


    When I said that, I thought he licked his lips like a ferocious beast, but I must have seen wrong.


    Because I was so concentrated on going fast here, I was a bit hazy on our current location for a moment there, but with Mitsuki here, there¡¯s no worries about getting lost or straying.


    While we were moving, Mitsuki said¡­


    ¡°¡­That man has been staring at your butt from behind. It is annoying. Can I cut him down?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Her eyes were glaring and her cat ears were standing up as if saying ¡®I am serious here~¡¯ as she proposed this which was a bit scary, but we managed to regroup with Raiden and the others mostly without issues.


    On top of that.


    ¡°¡­Welcome back.¡±


    Ringo has also managed to regroup with us, most likely getting all the way here on her own.


    (With this, any immediate danger has been avoided.) (Souma)


    I destroyed the bracelets of Abel, Beat, and Cliff on my own discretion.


    With this, I doubt they will go crazy even if they wake up.


    But they have a lot of previous transgressions.


    I am a bit uneasy here, but I asked Baccarat to take care of the 3 and he agreed instantly.


    With this, I would say the chances of Abel and his group causing trouble have disappeared almost completely.


    There¡¯s still people wearing bracelets and necklaces, but that¡¯s in order to avoid the event from advancing.


    We have clearly explained the situation to them, so there¡¯s no problem.


    There¡¯s already no worry of altercations happening between participants.


    And if no adventurers die, there¡¯s no worry of that ¡®Great One¡¯ reviving.


    With this, most worries should have been wrapped up.


    (No no, wait wait.) (Souma)


    From my experiences until now, the moment I think ¡®there¡¯s nothing to worry for now¡¯, there will be a big pitfall awaiting me.


    As long as not all things have been wrapped up, I still can¡¯t relax.


    I look at the Bear who is poking Abel and his group, who are still unconscious, with curiosity as I think.


    The remaining issues are Lipha and the Saiga Village.


    There¡¯s no assurance that the event won¡¯t progress if the people in the dungeon go to the Saiga Village.


    I will leave the cultists of the village to Maki, and prioritize securing Lipha.


    The problem is the location of Lipha, but well, it is not like I don¡¯t have an idea.


    I separated from the group and decided to search for Lipha.


    ¡°Mitsuki, Ringo, please come with me.¡± (Souma)


    Saying this, I head to a certain location with Mitsuki, Ringo, and the Bear while at it.


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s nostalgic.¡± (Souma)


    That thought leaked out from me while I was standing at the destination -the big big door in the center of the dungeon.


    I believed in the information that the sacrifice altar was across this door and tried to open this door countless times with a variety of methods.


    But the reality was that there was no map made for what was across this, and it was all wasted effort.


    I can¡¯t hate the developers of Nekomimi Neko enough for this one.


    ¡°Mitsuki, do you feel anyone around here?¡± (Souma)


    But it is not like I came here to complain.


    This is the place where the encounter rate for Lipha was the highest.


    I thought for sure she would be around here, but¡­


    ¡°¡­Nothing. At the very least, it doesn¡¯t seem like there¡¯s anyone closeby.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Looks like it was a miss here.


    A good amount of time has passed since the quest began.


    She might have moved more than I imagined.


    ¡°Then, should we search for a bit more?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Noticing that my attempt missed, Mitsuki proposed this, but I shook my head to the sides.


    ¡°No, wait for a bit. There¡¯s something I want to test out first.¡± (Souma)


    I glare at the big door right in front of me that has made me suffer greatly in the game.


    The door has the £«£üL light letters on it.


    Everything looks exactly like the game.


    ¡ªBut I know that this world is not exactly like the game.


    Maybe it is to maintain the reality of this real world, but I already know that places where the story points as existing but don¡¯t actually do in the game will have cases where they will properly exist in this world.


    That¡¯s why there¡¯s a high chance that the sacrifice altar does actually exist on the other side of this door in this world.


    Also, terrain objects in the game like doors and walls are impossible to destroy aside from specific ones that have been set with HP.


    But that¡¯s different in this game too.


    As long as you have enough firepower, you can destroy any walls or doors.


    In other words¡­


    In this world, I might be able to destroy this door and reach the altar that is at the other side.


    ¡°¡­Fuuuh.¡± (Souma)


    I calm myself down first.


    Timing is the core of skill usage.


    There¡¯s the risk of failure with a stirred up mind.


    ¡°Alright!¡± (Souma)


    I confirm that I have calmed down and once again face the door.


    I chant Power Up and set the Time Activation.


    And then, I use the combo that shone well in the Attack on the Capital.


    (¡ª[Oboro Zangetsu], [High Step], [Jump][Side Slash]!!) (Souma)


    In other words, Oboro Cross!!


    The defense of terrain like walls is proportional to the dungeon¡¯s level.


    A low level dungeon door like this one wouldn¡¯t be able to stand at all against the power of this combo.


    The vertical and horizontal slash splendidly hit the door¡­


    ¡°E-Eh¡­?¡± (Souma)


    ¡ªBut the door didn¡¯t budge at all.


    I tried out a variety of things after that, but the door didn¡¯t show any signs of breaking. Not only that, it didn¡¯t even have a scratch.


    Mitsuki and the others were watching this at the beginning, but they must have gotten bored of it in the middle.


    ¡°I will go search the surroundings.¡± (Mitsuki)


    They all went off somewhere together.


    But I didn¡¯t give up.


    You could even say that them leaving allows me more freedom in my actions.


    I tell myself this as a sore-loser and challenge the door single-mindedly.


    At the end, I even used Setsuna Samidare Giri, but that simply ended with the result of reducing the durability of Shiranui.


    (What unbelievable toughness¡­) (Souma)


    This already surpasses hate and impresses me instead.


    I gaze at the powerful enemy towering in front of me and feel like speaking.


    ¡°¡­I admit it. You are strong. Also, not only are you strong, you are big and hard. I will acknowledge that alone.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The door isn¡¯t answering.


    What a shy guy.


    ¡°But that¡¯s not what defines the worth of a man. The strength a human has is not only brute force.


    Knowledge and wisdom.


    People that have those are the truly strong ones.¡± (Souma)


    The door still didn¡¯t answer as expected.


    Silent to the very end.


    ¡°It would be insulting to think my only strength is the attack skills.


    I will show you.


    The true power of humans. Show you that it is not all about brute force!¡± (Souma)


    The door is still not answering even after saying that much.


    ¡­It is beginning to get a little embarrassing.


    ¡°This is the end. Here I go¡­¡± (Souma)


    Even with that, I still wrung out the wisdom of humanity, the crystallization of it onto this rival that is standing against the protagonist without faltering.


    ¡°[Petitplosion]!!¡± (Souma)


    Around 10 minutes after that.


    Mitsuki and the others found me when I had moved away from the door and was wandering around.


    While I was feeling down, getting lost in a dungeon that I should know the ins-and-outs of¡­


    ¡°In other words, you couldn¡¯t even scratch the door even when you had it eat a whole ton of skills and spells?¡± (Mitsuki)


    The harsh words of Mitsuki fly at me as if giving me the final blow.


    I wanted to get a word in about how that¡¯s not the case, but it is undeniable that I couldn¡¯t break the door.


    I simply bit my lips.


    ¡°Moreover, to get lost after that¡­ We have completely wasted time here. Let¡¯s hurry back and think of a plan to search for that girl called Lipha.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°No, wait!¡± (Souma)


    When Mitsuki said that, I interjected.


    It is true that I couldn¡¯t break the door and got lost after that, but it is not like I didn¡¯t produce any results.


    ¡°I actually found this just now!¡± (Souma)


    Saying this, I take out a red stone.


    ¡°¡­What about it?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki tilted her cat ears dubiously.


    ¡°¡­Ah, apple?¡± (Ringo)


    As for Ringo, she mistook it for food.


    I thought ¡®good grief, these people¡¯, but now that I think about it, these two haven¡¯t seen Lipha once.


    There¡¯s no way I would be able to get across here like this, so I explain to them from the very beginning.


    ¡°When I saw this stone, I thought I had seen something of a similar color before and it soon clicked. Lipha was wearing a necklace with a red stone. But I have never seen an item like that elsewhere. That¡¯s why I think that item was made from a ¡®special something¡¯ inside this dungeon.¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki tilted her cat ears in confusion at my proud words.


    ¡°Meaning that the necklace of that girl is made from a gem unique to this dungeon? But even if we learn about that, how can that help in searching¡ª¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°No, it will help.¡± (Souma)


    I cut off Mitsuki before she finished.


    Or more like, now is where I enter the main topic.


    ¡°When holding this stone, there¡¯s the feeling as if it is being attracted to something. If this and the red necklace of Lipha are of the same material, then they might be pulled towards each other. In other words, if we head to the place this stone guides us to, Lipha will surely be there!!¡± (Souma)


    When I said this with confidence, the Bear began clapping as if saying ¡®oooh¡¯.


    Because of the material of its hands, it didn¡¯t do a clapping sound, but it still made me happy.


    But seeing this¡­


    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t spoil him.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo scolded the Bear.


    ¡°A-Anyways, follow me everyone!¡± (Souma)


    I give the order loudly as if to shake that off.


    From getting lost to guiding everyone; I began walking in front.


    Onwards to Lipha!


    ¡°To think we would actually find her¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears dropped as she muttered this dumbfounded.


    We really found Lipha while following the location of the stone.


    Her necklace is releasing a red light even now, and the stone in my hand was shining as well, as if calling each other.


    And so, my theory proved to be correct.


    I felt triumphant internally but tried not to show that outside as much as possible as I began explaining the situation to the sacrifice girl, Lipha.


    It seems like she is an unexpectedly intelligent girl, she immediately understood the situation when I explained it to her.


    With this, it might be okay to tell her everything.


    With that judgment made, I told her about how everyone from the Saiga Village are cultists, and how the Village Chief -her Papa- is a demon.


    I thought she wouldn¡¯t believe me, but it seems like she had her own suspicions, even when she was shocked by it, she accepted that reality.


    Unfortunately, we couldn¡¯t take off her necklace.


    It seems like it is also impossible to unequip it and it is indestructible in this world too.


    We have one worry less now that we found Lipha, but if the quest advances, there¡¯s the risk that she will be sent to the altar.


    Right now we have no choice but to wait, believing that the Knight Order will suppress the village.


    We returned to where the adventurers are while having a chat with Lipha, but¡­


    ¡°¡ª?!!¡±


    In the middle of our walk, the ears of Mitsuki suddenly stood up as if they had detected something.


    And then, at the same time¡­


    ¡°Souma, the wall¡­!¡± (Ringo)


    Being urged on by Ringo, I looked there, and it was at the moment when the figures on the wall were changing.


    The £«£üL on the wall changed to £«¡À.


    It is hard to tell, but this means it changed from 18 to 17.


    This number represents the required number of deaths in order to revive the ¡®Great One¡¯ and it is also a countdown for the forced Game Over.


    When this number hits 0, the Great One will be revived, and it will force a Game Over.


    No, more importantly, the fact that the number in the wall lowered means¡­


    ¡°Someone was killed in this dungeon?¡± (Souma)


    While I was dumbfounded by this, the numbers on the wall changed at blinding speed.


    16 to 15.


    By the time it lowered again to 14, it went to 12 in an instant.


    The numbers are lowering at an abnormal pace.


    People are dying.


    (Could it be that the killing between adventurers has begun? But I explained to them sufficiently. Also, no matter how you think about it, this pace is just¡­) (Souma)


    Mitsuki said in a sharp voice while I was confused.


    ¡°It is faint, but I hear the sound of battle from the west entrance. It seems like something is happening there.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Entrance?!¡± (Souma)


    It is the opposite direction from where the adventurers are.


    In other words, this irregular situation is happening from something outside the participants.


    I immediately reached a decision.


    ¡°Ringo, Bear! You two bring Lipha to the place of Raiden and the others!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­¡­.Okay, got it.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo nodded after a longer silence than normal.


    She is probably sad that she couldn¡¯t go with us, but we can¡¯t just leave Lipha alone.


    Considering the speed too, this is the only choice.


    ¡°¡­Be careful.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo sends us off with those words, and Mitsuki and I dash off.


    Looks like we got pretty close to the entrance while we were searching for Lipha.


    Just when we were pretty close to seeing the entrance¡­I met someone unexpected.


    ¡°Maki?!¡± (Souma)


    I didn¡¯t even have time to think about why Maki is in this place.


    ¡°This is bad, Souma!!¡± (Maki)


    Maki was running this way with unusual panic.


    And what she said after relaying an unbelievable reality.


    ¡°All the cultists in the village entered the dungeon and began killing themselves!!¡± (Maki)

 CH 105

    Light


    Dark


    I doubted my ears at what Maki said.


    ¡ªMass suicide inside the dungeon.


    An action that didn¡¯t exist in the game.


    But it is effective.


    (I lacked a bit of thought there.) (Souma)


    Having Maki attack the village was an action that wasn¡¯t in the game.


    Irregular actions bring about irregular reactions.


    That¡¯s the natural conclusion.


    If I wanted to do it perfectly, I should have acted solely within the boundaries of the quest completion.


    No, I had to deviate from the path in some way or there wouldn¡¯t have been a chance to save Lipha in the first place.


    ¡°Souma?¡± (Maki)


    I was spoken to by Maki who got closer to me and I finally came back to my senses.


    Right, this isn¡¯t the time to be thinking about that!


    ¡°We are stopping them! Lead the way!¡± (Souma)


    Even if they are cultists, in this world, they are actual people.


    I doubt we can persuade them, but if possible, I would want them to stop an action as foolish as suicide.


    Also¡­


    ¡°G-Got it. Over here!¡± (Souma)


    We dash through the dungeon with Maki leading the way this time.


    Mitsuki ran by my side there and whispered to me.


    ¡°¡­You have an idea of what they are trying to revive, right?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yeah, it is probably ¡®that¡¯.¡± (Souma)


    A normal demon resurrection would not require these many sacrifices, and it wouldn¡¯t be Game Over just from it reviving.


    Also, judging from the name of this place ¡®Seal Dungeon¡¯, I feel like there¡¯s a connection with that place.


    ¡°Then, you understand, right? We must stop that resurrection at all cost.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Of course I know.¡± (Souma)


    Resurrection = Game Over after all.


    It wouldn¡¯t even be an exaggeration to say that I am the one most aware of the danger.


    Or more like¡­


    ¡°But that¡¯s unexpected. I thought you would want to fight it.¡± (Souma)


    I thought Mitsuki would welcome the resurrection with open arms.


    But Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears twisted as if saying ¡®that¡¯s horrible~¡¯.


    ¡°What a terrible thing to say. My father has told me plenty about the threat of ¡®that¡¯. I do want to try fighting it personally, but if the result of not achieving that means that it will bring harm to innocent people, it must be avoided.¡± (Mitsuki)


    It would be against the Hisame family¡¯s policy of protecting the civilians after all.


    Well, it certainly wouldn¡¯t be nice to die from the selfish action of a battle junkie.


    ¡°More importantly, you should really be careful.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Eh? Me?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yes, you would do outrageous things at times, so please refrain from doing any rash actions as much as possible¡­ So I say, but I am sure it will be falling in deaf ears anyways, so at least consult me or Ringo before doing anything.¡± (Mitsuki)


    I am pretty untrusted here.


    And I am being told this by a battle junkie of all people.


    ¡°I know. I will exercise restraint on this occasion. If I am going to do something, I will consult first.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Please do.¡± (Mitsuki)


    At the time when an agreement was made between me and Mitsuki, Maki, who was leading the way, looked back and shouted.


    ¡°Geez, what have you been whispering to each other for a while now?! We will soon be¡ª¡± (Maki)


    ¡°?! Front!¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Maki)


    Maki faced the front at the warning of Mitsuki, but it was an instant too late.


    ¡°Kya!¡± (Maki)


    Maki, who is supposed to be a high level character, was easily sent flying to the back.


    I confirmed that Mitsuki had caught her from the side of my vision and glared at ¡®that guy¡¯ that had sent Maki flying.


    ¡°¡­Good work, young lady. I knew that you would go to the ones that got in our way if I let you escape, and it was exactly as I thought.¡±


    A voice I remember hearing in the game.


    The voice of the Saiga Village¡¯s chief which I have heard countless times in the explanation of the quest and before the Game Over.


    But his appearance is already not that of a human.


    ¡°Demon¡­¡± (Souma)


    A black and rugged physique with two twisted horns.


    Two jet black wings at his back like those of a bat.


    ¡ªThe demon that was controlling the cultists, the Village Chief, has revealed his true form.


    The first one to react was Maki, who had been blown away and had recovered from the impact.


    ¡°Why are you here?! What about the knights?!¡± (Maki)


    The Village Chief simply created a smile with his true form.


    ¡°Aah, those weaklings? They must be lying down somewhere. If I knew knights were that weak, I wouldn¡¯t have needed to waste my pawns.¡±


    ¡°C-Could it be¡­!¡± (Maki)


    Maki went pale at the response of the demon, but¡­


    ¡°No, we haven¡¯t killed them. I had a single ¡®piece¡¯ take off their equipment. If I ended up killing them, I would be offering a coarse thing to the Great One as the last one after all.¡±


    The demon denied that.


    The problem is this ¡®last offering¡¯.


    I hurriedly looked at the wall and the number had at some point in time gone to 1.


    That village has more than 20 villagers.


    Even if a number of them are demons who can¡¯t be used as sacrifice, they should have been able to manage the 17 sacrifices with only the remaining villagers.


    (This is bad¡­!) (Souma)


    If this goes exactly as the quest, Lipha will be teleported to the altar.


    The reason why there aren¡¯t any signs of that happening just yet must be because it is advancing in an irregular manner.


    But that isn¡¯t the only strange thing here.


    (Was this guy that strong?) (Souma)


    The demon in front of us.


    I have fought him before at the Saiga Village, but it is in the end a low level quest boss.


    It is honestly not an enemy that the Knight Order should be losing against.


    It is also strange that Maki would get sent flying when she has outstanding stats even if she had her guard down.


    ¡°You look as if something doesn¡¯t make sense here. Seems like, even though you saw through our plan, you didn¡¯t know about this stone.¡±


    ¡°That necklace is¡­the one that Lipha-san was wearing¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    As Mitsuki said at the back, the thing that the demon held was a pendant releasing bright red light.


    It is the exact same as the cursed equipment that Lipha had.


    ¡°Do you people know what this stone is?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it¡­a gem you can obtain in this dungeon?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Close. You have really come pretty close. You do have the truth in your grasp by being aware that it only exists in this place.¡±


    The demon laughs at the response of Mitsuki.


    ¡°You must have an inkling already, right? The fact that this is the place where the fragment of our only God is sealed in.¡±


    ¡°So it really is the Evil God, Dis Aster.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki mutters with a grim tone.


    (Figures¡­) (Souma)


    When speaking of a being that can force a Game Over, that¡¯s the only one that comes to mind.


    It is true that the Fragment of the Evil God deep in the Hidden Dungeon, the Sealed Magic Dungeon, was crazy strong.


    If something like that were to be released and it can move around without any restrictions, it is possible for the world to perish.


    ¡°The fragment here of Dis Aster-sama isn¡¯t that big, but even so, it was still sealed tightly. At the other side of the door in the middle of the dungeon. That place is the Seal Space. The fragment of Dis Aster-sama is sealed there.¡±


    ¡°So that place wasn¡¯t the Sacrifice Altar¡­¡± (Souma)


    The demon picked up my question with his sharp ears and answered.


    ¡°No, in a sense, it is also a Sacrifice Altar as well. We took a long time to gather the overflowing power in the dungeon in order to take advantage of the annoying power that seals Dis Aster-sama and make it into power that revives Dis Aster-sama.¡±


    ¡°So you diverted the power for the seal into your own convenience¡­¡± (Souma)


    I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s a setting that existed in its game days or it is one that was created after this world became reality, but after hearing that, I can understand a bit why deaths connect to the resurrection of the Evil God in this place.


    ¡°But in order to send that power to Dis Aster-sama, there was the need to touch the fragment of Dis Aster-sama directly to create a pathway. But the door standing before the Seal Altar was sturdy and we couldn¡¯t reach Dis Aster-sama¡¯s fragment no matter what. Our plan was on the verge of failing there.¡±


    I was thinking about why this demon was talking for so long while listening to him.


    Does he have some sort of plan?


    I have to at least be vigilant here.


    ¡°But at that moment, I found it in this dungeon. A small small fragment that was repelled at the moment of the sealing.¡±


    ¡°Small¡­fragment¡­? Could it be¡­!!¡± (Mitsuki)


    It seems like Mitsuki has understood what the demon said.


    And it also connected one instant later for me too.


    (Oi oi oi! That¡¯s bad!) (Souma)


    I realized that I have messed up greatly here and blood drained from my face.


    I unconsciously tighten my left hand.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. What we found were 3 small fragments that are the size of a nail. We attached them to gems and made them into accessories.¡±


    The demon looked gleefully at us panicking and said this.


    ¡°That red gem necklace provided us with a wonderful blessing. First of all, if a demon like me were to wear it, my power would greatly increase in this space where the mana of Dis Aster-sama overflows. To the point that it can overwhelm the Knight Order.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why everyone¡­!!¡± (Maki)


    Maki shouts.


    The secret to the demon¡¯s strength was the red stone necklace and¡­the miasma of this dungeon.


    It is true that I have only fought the Village Chief above-ground.


    So that means he would have had far more power if I had fought him in the dungeon, huh.


    ¡°And if you put it on a human, the mana of Dis Aster-sama will slowly seep into their body, and will become a sacrifice of good quality.


    ¡­Right.


    If you wear that necklace for 2 years, you would become a top quality sacrifice.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you raised Lipha?!!¡± (Souma)


    I now understand the one other mystery as to why this demon was so adamant in leaving Lipha as the last sacrifice.


    He had Lipha put on the necklace that has the fragment of the Evil God, and has ¡®raised¡¯ her as a sacrifice.


    But the demon continues smiling.


    ¡°And the last effect.


    Even when the power of Dis Aster-sama¡¯s fragment has been sealed, they attract each other; trying to become bigger fragments in order to achieve resurrection. To be more specific, the small fragments are attracted to the bigger ones and try to be absorbed. Do you know what you can achieve by utilizing that trait to its maximum effect?¡±


    I have seen that answer countless times in the quest.


    The red shining necklace and Lipha who disappear into the altar.


    ¡°They will be teleported to where the Fragment of the Evil God is at¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°That¡¯s right. When used once, the small fragment will be absorbed by the big fragment, so it is a one-time use. Moreover, there¡¯s no way to return from the Seal Space -a one-way trip. But thanks to that, the preparations for the revival of Dis Aster-sama have been set. At that time, we lost one ¡®piece¡¯ and one small fragment, but that was a small sacrifice.¡±


    ¡°You¡­!¡± (Souma)


    I was on the verge of raging from how he saw people as just disposable tools, but the demon wasn¡¯t fazed.


    ¡°¡­Do you still not know why I can stay this calm? The seal of the Seal Space was problematic, but once you enter, it will change into the toughest of defenses. No matter what happens there, no one will be able to do anything.¡±


    He said that while holding the necklace and¡­


    ¡°Shit!!¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki was about to shoot out towards the demon, but¡­


    ¡°Stop! If you do that¡­!¡± (Souma)


    I raised my voice desperately too.


    I know better than anyone just what will happen when he uses that necklace.


    That must be stopped at all costs.


    But¡­


    ¡°¡ªToo slow.¡±


    The necklace shone mercilessly.


    ¡°Now, Lipha, it is time to fulfill your role!¡±


    Faster than Mitsuki jumping out and me raising my voice¡­


    ¡°No one can break that door aside from that Great One¡¯s resurrection! ¡ªIt is our win!!¡±


    The necklace of the demon released a ghastly light and the demon disappeared.


    ¡°¡­Huh?¡±


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡±


    ¡ªThe face of the Village Chief transformed as a demon suddenly appeared at close distance.


    ¡°Gy-Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!¡±


    It looks pretty nasty when seeing it from up-close.


    I hurriedly carried off Lipha who was by my side and hid behind Mitsuki despite being aware that that¡¯s pathetic.


    ¡ªBut I wasn¡¯t the only one who was flustered here.


    Lipha was within my arms and¡­


    ¡°E-Eh? Onii-chan? Where¡¯s Ringo-oneechan¡­?¡± (Lipha)


    Lipha had her eyes wide open while Mitsuki doesn¡¯t seem to understand what¡¯s going on with her cat ears going up and down restlessly.


    As for the demon, he seemed to not be able to say anything while looking spaced-out at the broken red necklace.


    But Mitsuki and the demon, who had a lot of prior information, noticed pretty soon after.


    They ended up noticing.


    ¡°C-Could it be¡­!¡±


    ¡°Could it be¡­!¡±


    The two of them raised their voices and looked at me at the same time.


    The demon had a terrified expression as if saying ¡®I can¡¯t believe this¡¯ and Mitsuki¡¯s usual expressionless face was showing a shocked expression as if saying ¡®is this guy serious?¡¯.


    Their gazes had fearsome pressure.


    ¡°U-U-Uhm¡­¡± (Souma)


    Having lost to the pressure of the two, I scratched my head as if playing the fool.


    ¡°¡­Maybe it really was a bad idea to have taken this~. Just kidding.¡± (Souma)


    I say this with a dry laugh, and within my left hand¡­there was the bright red stone beginning to pulsate creepily.


    The bright red stone that I had found¡­on top of the altar when I separated from Mitsuki and the others before.

 CH 106

    TLN: Hey guys, Reigokai here!


    I said before I would take a 3 day break, but screw it, 2 is plenty enough. xDD


    Sorry about the delay for the ones who weren¡¯t aware of this.


    Anyways, enjoy!


    ¡ª¡ª


    ¡ªDo you know what a ¡®patch¡¯ is?


    A patch is originally a word for a cloth used to mend a wound, but in a game, a patch are extra files placed to adjust the balance of the game or fix bugs.


    I don¡¯t know the details for the origin of this word, but I think it is called that because it is technically to ¡®close the holes that are the bugs¡¯; a ¡®patch¡¯ for programming.


    Within Japan¡­no, within the VR games sold in the whole world, the game that received the most benefits from these ¡®fix patches¡¯ was without doubt Nekomimi Neko.


    Nekomimi Neko disillusioned many players with how faulty it was, but with around 37 patches, it slowly became decent, and it is now possible to barely clear the game if you advance with utmost care.


    This is almost completely true, but it can also create a big big misunderstanding here.


    It is true that the game got better with the patches, but there were actually some patches that were atrocious.


    There were actually bugs that were born from those patches, or instances when the balance got worse because of it.


    Whenever that happened, they would rapid-fire patches in order to fix those patches, and you could say that slowly, like really slowly, at a snail¡¯s pace, made things better.


    According to rumors, their main programmer escaped before the game finished, and not only the game itself, but a lot of the patches that came after the game was released were lacking in technique.


    As for how half-assed the fixes of the patches were¡­there were no issues happening in the middle of the game, but they still caused issues in this world. Just remember the incident of the Butcher and you will be able to get what I am saying here.


    Not only that. There were even cases where they would try to fix small issues in weird ways which would create even worse bugs.


    If I had to bring out a specific one, it would be the ¡®forgetful knight captain¡¯ which involves an event that you can end up doing twice.


    The ¡®Midsummer Night Dream Punchline¡¯ bug that creates an event that didn¡¯t exist because an event flag remained before the fix.


    Because of the evil practice of tinkering with the character data using patches, a bug where the same character would have their appearance change as much as 3 times in the middle of the event was baptized as Franken Baron.


    There have been many patches released that have created numerous shocking bugs, but the first patch -ver 1.01- was truly horrible.


    Maybe you will understand better if I say that more than half of the later patches were to fix that very patch.


    Anyways, Nekomimi Neko developers operate on the basic principle of ¡®it is fine as long as the visible bugs disappear¡¯, so they tend to not be solved at its core.


    For example; the Midair Jump bug which was called Friday Night Sky Walker, was fixed in a weird way like ¡®you can¡¯t use it in midair anymore¡¯. The bug may have been quelled with that, but that at the same time killed any reason to use that skill.


    And one other thing.


    The fix for the Infinite Mirage Prison skill bug which allowed you to jump through walls was also pretty slapped on, and to be honest, pretty incomplete.


    But there¡¯s times when such sloppiness works in the favor of the player.


    This time around, I used a loophole from one of those fixes, the Mirage Prison Wall Jump Bug Ver 1.01, to get into the Sacrifice Altar.


    I used that exploit when I was challenging the door of the Sacrifice Altar.


    Seeing that my current strongest skill, Midare Sakura, had bounced off, I gave up on destroying the door.


    I switched my plan to use the ¡®wall jump bug¡¯.


    The wall jump bug using the 8th skill of the Ninja Sword, Infinite Mirage Prison, is the one I explained before that was used for the The Masked Rihito Royal Family.


    The Infinite Mirage Prison is a skill that deals slashes randomly while teleporting, but because it has been made so the player can only jump within a radius of 10 meters that the player can exist in, you can enter places that you normally wouldn¡¯t be able to get into like locked places.


    In the case when you luckily get the last teleport point on the other side of the wall, you can go deeper in without much effort. That¡¯s basically how this exploit works.


    But because of a patch fix, even if you were to get to the other side of the wall for an instant with the random teleportation of Infinite Mirage Prison, you will always return to the place you were originally in.


    In other words, the wall jump using that skill became impossible¡­or at least it seemed to at a glance.


    What was fixed in the patch was ¡®you will end up at a different place at the end of the skill¡¯, but the root issue of ¡®you can teleport to places in the middle of the skill which you couldn¡¯t go to before¡¯ was still there.


    They simply adjusted the end result to reduce the effects of the bug, but you could say the bug itself had not been fixed completely.


    In that case, the story is simple.


    If you return to your original position when the skill is casted to the end, you just have to end the cast in the middle of the skill.


    Us Nekomimi Neko players knew the method to do this long before.


    ¡ªThat¡¯s right, Knockback Cancel.


    At that time when I was facing the door, I first chanted Petitplosion.


    And then, I made it so the Time Activation would be casted once the random teleports of Infinite Mirage Prison began.


    The result was that, right when I randomly teleported to the other side of the door, Petitplosion activated.


    It canceled the skill, and I managed to safely get to the other side.


    By the way, this combo of Petitplosion+Infinite Mirage Prison is a small trick that helped me out countless times in the game days when I was locked up by traps or bugs.


    In the past when I was trapped in the Nekomimi Mansion with Ringo, I tried to use this to escape, but the skills were nullified at that time.


    In that sense, you could say I finally got my revenge here.


    I managed to invade the Sacrifice Altar without hurting the door, took the red stone that was on top of the altar -in other words, the Fragment of the Evil God- and left the room with Infinite Mirage Prison again.


    The only issue with this exploit is that where you move is completely random.


    I tried to return to the other side of the door with the skill, but this time around, I ended up at what¡¯s probably a different corridor.


    Because of that, I got a bit lost there which you could say was a mistake of mine.


    But the demon, who doesn¡¯t know these hidden circumstances, was finding it unpleasant that I could take the Evil God Fragment from the room that I definitely shouldn¡¯t be able to enter.


    ¡°Why?! Why does a bastard like you have that?!!¡±


    His completely carefree attitude of before flew off the window, and he shouted while exposing his vulgar tongue.


    He didn¡¯t stop there.


    ¡°Could it be that you knew everything about our plans and¡­¡±


    The demon was reading too deeply into this on his own, directing a gaze of dread, but that¡¯s a misunderstanding.


    Well, having gotten this far, any half-assed deception will be pointless.


    I stopped the demon who was about to continue speaking.


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t know this was the Fragment of the Evil God. I was only sure that you guys were going to resurrect the Evil God when I heard it from you.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°What?! Then, why do you have that¡­?!¡±


    The demon showed even bigger surprise, and I answered with my chest puffed out.


    Why? There¡¯s no need to even think about it.


    ¡°Because it was left in a pretty conspicuous place!!¡± (Souma)


    It really comes down to that.


    Just imagine it.


    ¡ªAn unexplored room that didn¡¯t exist in the game.


    ¡ªA big altar in the middle.


    ¡ªA red stone resting on top of it as if suggesting something.


    Of course you would take it! It is common sense!


    Me not noticing it was the Evil God Fragment might be questionable, but please understand that it can¡¯t be helped to a certain degree.


    The moment I saw it, the first thing that came to mind was that it resembled the stone in the necklace of Lipha, so I assumed it was a trashed quest item, but that¡¯s as far as I got.


    Now that I think about it, the central part of the Evil God Fragment was also a red stone, but the size was on a whole other level, and that one was letting out an even more dangerous light.


    Or more like, you normally wouldn¡¯t think that such an important thing would be placed in the open like that.


    ¡­Well, that said, I did think it was a bit strange when I picked it up though.


    I couldn¡¯t put it in my bag no matter what I tried, and it was pulsing like a living thing.


    I also felt as if something was calling me inside my head, but I got used to that in the red room of the mansion, so I didn¡¯t really pay it much mind.


    ¡°S-Such a reason¡­¡±


    The demon trembled at my words.


    Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears curled up as if saying ¡®I can¡¯t listen to this anymore!¡¯.


    She is so good at controlling them.


    (N-No, but the result is fine!) (Souma)


    Maki and Lipha seem to be confused, unable to understand what¡¯s going on, but just looking at the situation, you could say this is close to being ideal.


    I myself also question this development, but thanks to this, the necklace teleportation has technically failed.


    The red necklace that was the source of the demon¡¯s power has broken and we have secured Lipha who is the last sacrifice.


    I can say for sure that this is heavily on our side.


    ¡°¡­I won¡¯t let this end.¡±


    But that¡¯s exactly why I was slightly late in reacting to the actions of the demon.


    ¡°As if I will let this end with that reason!¡±


    A second after his body trembled, the demon raised his head, and that face of his was a decisive one.


    (Is he coming?!) (Souma)


    I felt like he was going to do something here, so Mitsuki and I took our battle stances.


    Mitsuki stood in a position that favors protecting the whole area, while I cover Lipha at my back.


    But what the demon did was something that far surpassed our expectations.


    It took a deep breath and shouted loudly to the back.


    ¡°Martyrdom!!¡±


    A single word.


    This turned the situation around again.


    Even when thinking this was bad, it was already too late.


    We can¡¯t act on the speed of sound here.


    It is impossible to stop the voice of the demon from reaching the cultists.


    What we could do at most was look at each other and share the sense of dread.


    ¡°Hahahahahahahahaha!! This is the end! It may not be a perfect one, but the seal of Dis Aster-sama will be undone! The world¡­will end!¡±


    The number on the wall changed to 0 as that ominous laugh echoed.


    The last cultist who hadn¡¯t been disarmed by the knights must have taken their own life just now.


    The seal of the Evil God¡¯s Fragment is released.


    The letters Forced Game Over danced in my head.


    ¡°Uwah!¡± (Souma)


    I felt intense heat and a wicked breath from the red stone that was in my left hand.


    That turned into an unbearable heat in an instant, and swelled to a degree where I couldn¡¯t hold it in my hand anymore.


    ¡°Please let go of it! Quickly!¡± (Mitsuki)


    I threw the stone that was pulsing intensely in accordance with the rare cornered shout of Mitsuki¡­


    ¡°Dis Aster-sama! Finally, I¡­huh?¡±


    Towards the demon that continued laughing loudly.


    The stone drew a parabola in the air as it headed towards the demon with a frozen laughing face.


    The change of the Evil God Fragment didn¡¯t stop even in that timeframe.


    It ignored the law of conservation of mass, and continued expanding ceaselessly.


    A part that looked like an arm grew from the center, something jutted out from the place where a head should be, and black armor began covering those.


    But what stood out the most from that body were the large quantity of tentacles.


    Flat tentacles like ribbons were growing out en masse from the center of the body.


    It then began moving as if seeking prey.


    It naturally moved to the closest prey which is the body of the demon.


    ¡°Dis Aster-sa¡­ma¡­?¡±


    That flustered voice became the last words of the demon that offered his flesh to the Evil God.


    When those ribbon-shaped tentacles stabbed onto the body of the demon, it sucked the life force from his body.


    The body of the demon lost strength in less than a few seconds, and became light particles that melted into the miasma.


    ¡ªIt was an unceremonious death for a demon who killed many people.


    We were watching that dumbfounded but¡­


    (No, this ain¡¯t the time to space out!) (Souma)


    I immediately scold myself and stand back up.


    Fortunately, there¡¯s no signs of a forced Game Over happening.


    But the cluster of tentacles that had freed the body of the demon were moving around, searching for new prey.


    Maybe because it is right before its resurrection, its movements are slow and it is not as big as the hidden dungeon one, but it is by no means an enemy we can be optimistic about.


    (To think I would end up fighting this guy at a place like this.) (Souma)


    You could say this is close to the worst situation there could be, but I have to admit it already.


    ¡ªThe strongest enemy in Nekomimi Neko, which made players go: ¡®Its existence itself is a bug¡¯, ¡®the developers definitely didn¡¯t do a playtest on this!¡¯, ¡®I don¡¯t feel like they intended us to clear this at all¡¯¡­


    Has resurrected.

 CH 107

    Fortunately, it seems like the resurrected Evil God is still far from having fully awakened.


    After skewering the demon nearby and drying him up, it moved its tentacles, but it seems like we are maintaining peace for now.


    If we are going to make a move, now¡¯s our only chance.


    (But what should we do?) (Souma)


    The Fragment of the Evil God that was at the deepest recesses of the Hidden Dungeon, the Sealed Magic Dungeon.


    That guy had overwhelming power to even bring despair to the most seasoned of Nekomimi Neko players.


    The one in front of me may be of a different size, but in terms of appearance, it is almost the very same as the hidden boss.


    Is there any hope for victory?


    I desperately replay the data of the Evil God which was in the Nekomimi Neko Wiki.


    The most dangerous part of this guy is its abnormal attack power.


    [Genocide Web]: First mechanic that makes you question the sanity of the developers. A fearsome wave is shot from the mouth of the Evil God. If you see the Evil God opening its mouth, it is the preliminary motion of this attack coming.


    It takes around 1 minute to charge, so you can avoid the attack if you destroy the head before that. But because the head is at a hard to aim position and has a ridiculous amount of HP, it is not realistic to aim for it.


    Because of how long it takes to charge, its AOE is wide, and it covers the whole seal space. Also, since it goes through obstacles, there¡¯s no point in hiding. It holds outstanding attack power, and has the ability to nullify both defense and counter type skills.


    Even if you are a character over level 300, it is impossible to survive if this hits you.


    When this is used, your comrades will most definitely be wiped out.


    The player can get away from it with teleporting skills like Ground Compression or Infinite Mirage Prison for a do-or-die.


    Being able to pull this off stably is the first task to defeating the Evil God.


    Good luck.


    [Kill Beam]: Second mechanic that makes you question the sanity of the developers.


    A murder beam that¡¯s shot from the gem at its chest that¡¯s the main body of the Evil God.


    There¡¯s no preliminary motion aside from the gem shining for a second before the attack and there¡¯s no condition for activation.


    On top of that, the attack speed is abnormally fast. The moment you think it shone, you have already been hit, so it is really difficult to avoid.


    It has overwhelming power, so if it does a direct hit, you will die instantly even if you are level 300.


    Even if it doesn¡¯t, if it scrapes a part of your equipment, you die instantly.


    If you grasp the timing, it is easy to defend against, but you will die instantly regardless.


    It is light element, so you can reduce the damage with accessories. Of course, you will die instantly even if you reduce the damage.


    At bare minimum, get a light element nullification one or higher.


    As long as you come prepared, it will actually become an opportunity to break through.


    [Paralyzing Tentacles]: The countless tentacles that come from the body of the Evil God.


    They are normally just wriggling around, but if you approach them a certain range, they will attack you all at once.


    They are relatively fast and there¡¯s a lot of them.


    Each individual attack doesn¡¯t deal much damage, but the troublesome part is that they have HP absorption and forced stun.


    The latter one is especially fatal. If you get hit, your skill will get canceled regardless of posture, and you will get stunned in place.


    If other tentacles hit you in that timeframe, the stun will continue, and you will fall into stun hell.


    Putting it simply -to no one¡¯s surprise- you die if you get hit even once.


    Your skills are forcefully canceled if you get hit by this, but it doesn¡¯t erase Time Activations.


    You have a chance of survival if you set an Air Hammer beforehand.


    (No, this is impossible¡­) (Souma)


    I shook my head in the middle of it, and stopped replaying it in my mind.


    The Evil God¡¯s Fragment also has a variety of other attacks like shooting out magic spheres from both hands.


    It would be one thing if we had prepared plenty beforehand, but in this current state, it is not an opponent we can win against.


    The only hope here would be a short battle, but¡­


    (Those tentacles¡­) (Souma)


    The Evil God¡¯s Fragment is the type of enemy that has HP set for each part of its body.


    But the main body is the red gem in the middle of its chest, so even if the other parts are still fine, you can win if you drop that part¡¯s HP to 0.


    Judging from how it was resurrected, it should also be dying if we defeat the red gem on its chest.


    With this size, it might not have as much HP as the hidden boss of the game.


    If we get some good hits in, we might be able to win.


    But as long as there¡¯s tentacles remaining, all damage to the main body will be redirected to the tentacles.


    The number of tentacles is already more than dozens, but their HP individually is actually low.


    However, the regrowth speed of the tentacles is fast, so even if you wipe them out once, they will come back after a brief period of time.


    That means that, in order to eliminate those tentacles, we require an outstanding number of moves.


    (We don¡¯t have enough people¡­!) (Souma)


    It is currently impossible to win against this one.


    Then, I have to think of a different method.


    ¡°Mitsuki, do you think it is possible to reseal this one?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Impossible¡­ I don¡¯t think so, but it would be difficult. I felt the flow of the air in the dungeon change just a moment ago. It seems like the door of the Seal Space has been opened with the resurrection of the fragment. If we bring that thing there and pull the appropriate procedures, it might be possible to seal it, but I don¡¯t know the steps for that.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki answered with her cat ears bent as if troubled.


    I didn¡¯t have much hopes for that, but it really does seem like sealing isn¡¯t an option.


    (No, wait¡­) (Souma)


    Even if we can¡¯t seal it, it might be possible to shut it inside the Seal Space temporarily.


    As long as we can buy time well here, we can also obtain the ¡®power of numbers¡¯.


    We have close to 40 adventurers and the knights that Maki brought after all.


    ¡°S-Souma!¡±


    The Evil God moved in the middle of my thoughts.


    It is heading this way even if slowly.


    But that actually works in my favor.


    I quickly put a hand in my bag and bring out a store knife which I throw towards the Evil God.


    Of course, I am not expecting much from its damage.


    The knife had reached pretty close to the Evil God, but it won¡¯t pose any danger to it.


    However¡­


    ¡°Wa¡­wawa!¡± (Maki)


    Maki got flustered at the tentacle piercing the knife.


    The HP of the knife was absorbed completely by the many tentacles and destroyed.


    (So it really is the case.) (Souma)


    I lost one weapon here, but I got important information in exchange.


    The resurrected Evil God is not distinguishing between individuals.


    The game setting of blindly attacking anything with HP is present here as well.


    With this, the chances of surviving have increased greatly.


    ¡°There¡¯s something I want to ask you two.¡± (Souma)


    I faced Maki and Mitsuki with hardened resolve.


    ¡°I want you to gather as much of the equipment of the knights and adventurers as possible into the Seal Space.¡± (Souma)


    Just a few seconds ago, the Mitarashi Dango I threw in the air was pierced by a beam and instantly evaporated.


    ¡°Holy shit!¡± (Souma)


    I hurriedly retreated and turned a corner.


    I turned around the black bag and scattered around the Fancy Skulls to hold it back.


    The black skulls were working well as obstructions, but the other party is slowly learning.


    It seems like it has recognized that it can simply destroy these obstructions.


    The black skulls were being shot and destroyed one after the other by magic spheres.


    But it serves to buy a brief amount of time.


    I put a hand in the bag in the time the skulls are being destroyed, and prepare new items for decoy.


    I had Maki go to where the knights are, and Mitsuki to where the adventurers are in order to gather equipment.


    I didn¡¯t give them a detailed explanation, but it seems like Mitsuki understood what I am trying to do here since I have been with her for a good while now.


    I left all the explaining to Mitsuki and had the two of them move at once.


    But there¡¯s obviously going to take time to explain the situation and gather the equipment of the adventurers and knights.


    There¡¯s the need for someone to pull the attention of the Evil God Fragment in that time.


    Even if asked who, Lipha is out of the question, and it would be impossible to ask this of Mitsuki who is popular with the adventurers and Maki who can move the knights.


    The role of diversion would naturally fall to me, so I have no objections there.


    I don¡¯t, but¡­


    (Figures this would be rough.) (Souma)


    I noticed this after actually fighting, but the Evil God Fragment is pretty weakened.


    The one I fought in the game was a different fragment, so it might not be correct to say ¡®weakened¡¯, but it is far weaker than the Evil God Fragment hidden boss of the game.


    If I had to compare the difference, the size would be the first thing to come to mind, but its endurance and attack power have fallen proportionally.


    It goes especially so for endurance. When I swung Shiranui with the intention of warding the tentacle off, that alone was enough to tear it off.


    It seems like the HP of the tentacles is even lower, so considering the plan itself, this is something to rejoice about, but considering the durability of Shiranui, you could also say I can¡¯t just swing against the tentacles willfully.


    For the reduction of attack power, I can tell how weaker it is from the long range attacks it is shooting from both hands.


    Just that, when it comes to the beams, even if they are weaker, they are still pretty strong.


    If I get hit by it, I am definitely dying.


    I am somehow blocking them with decoys, but I can¡¯t even relax for a second.


    The biggest saving here is that the Genocide Wave I was the most wary about isn¡¯t showing signs of happening.


    The awakening must have been incomplete.


    The head of the Evil God is making noises as if groaning, and both of its eyes are not even open.


    Looks like it hasn¡¯t regained the faculties of its head yet.


    It of course isn¡¯t shooting the Genocide Wave from its mouth either.


    With this, you could say my biggest worry has been solved.


    But, on the other hand, you could say a new problem has shown up.


    ¡°?! It is here!¡± (Souma)


    When I look back, I saw the Evil God turning the corner while using its tentacles like spider legs.


    But the amount of tentacles is more than twice compared to before, and it is already easily above the hundreds.


    Looks like it is regaining its faculties by recovering its energy through the absorption attacks of its tentacles.


    (It would be dangerous to have it absorb any more items.) (Souma)


    If it were to recover its head and got the ability to shoot the Genocide Wave, we would be wiped out in an instant even if we were to attack it in a group.


    Considering that a number of items will be absorbed in the Seal Space, I want to avoid using any more items as decoy, but¡­


    ¡°Souma!!¡±


    The moment I began worrying, a Lightning Strike flashed by my side.


    It shot the tentacle that was stretching over to the consumable item between the both of us.


    ¡°Ringo!¡± (Souma)


    The one standing deeper in the corridor was Ringo.


    The Bear was riding her shoulder.


    ¡°Preparations are done. Please hurry to the Seal Space.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki was also behind her.


    Looks like the preparations are finally done.


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief. You saved me there!¡± (Souma)


    I sighed in relief at this and ran to where Ringo and the others are.


    Ringo was assisting my retreat with her Lightning Strikes.


    ¡°¡­Hurry.¡± (Ringo)


    The Lightning Strikes are destroying the tentacles, but the Evil God isn¡¯t such a softie that would be stopped by something like that.


    Even with that, I took advantage of the Evil God¡¯s speed lowering there and used a skill at the end to jump into the corner Ringo and the others showed up from.


    ¡°What about the evacuation of the other people?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°We are already the only ones remaining in this dungeon.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°I see. I am sorry for making you all tag along in this dangerous act, but¡­¡± (Souma)


    I was trying to apologize, but¡­


    ¡°¡­It is okay. If you had left me behind¡­I would get angry.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°As if this is the first time.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡ª*Pat pat*


    They stopped me beforehand and told me that.


    The only one I didn¡¯t know what was trying to say was the Bear, but it is probably telling me to not worry about it.


    I run while dropping skulls from the black bag.


    This place is fortunately close to the Seal Space.


    At this pace, we will be able to pull the Evil God.


    While I was thinking that, I saw the door.


    It certainly is open.


    ¡°Then, please close the door once it enters. Make sure to not let it find you no matter what.¡± (Souma)


    When I stopped my feet for a second to say this¡­


    ¡°Godspeed.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki bowed her cat ears and ran off.


    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t die.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo held my hand for an instant and left.


    I waved back at the Bear who was waving at me from her shoulder.


    ¡°¡­Now then¡­¡± (Souma)


    I also enter my last preparations.


    I drop Mitarashi Dangos as if creating a path and enter the door.


    ¡°Woah¡­¡± (Souma)


    It really turns into an incredible amount when it comes to the equipment of several dozens of people.


    There¡¯s equipment piled up to the point that it felt like they were making a mountain here.


    It is quite the sight.


    But this is unfortunately not the time to be fascinated.


    ¡°With this¡­it is done!¡± (Souma)


    At the end, I bring out the Cooler Box from the bag, put a hand in and turn it around with force.


    The insides of the box fell out and hit the ground.


    The plates and bottles broke, making ear-piercing sounds, but this is fine.


    I confirmed the results of this and nodded heavily.


    To be honest, food items have way too low HP, so they aren¡¯t of much use.


    Bluntly speaking, there was no need to scatter the food inside the box, but it should serve as a bit of an extra.


    I pay attention to both my back and front, and wait for it to come.


    If I were to get attacked in a place like this with no escape, I wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything.


    I want to escape from this place as fast as possible, but it would be the worst if I were to move and it doesn¡¯t come to this room.


    I stay in place with that internal conflict.


    The fear of not knowing when I will get attacked is scraping away at my sanity here.


    My impatience accelerates.


    At the time when I was beginning to doubt the Evil God was not chasing me anymore¡­


    ¡°¡­It is here.¡± (Souma)


    The resurrected Evil God finally showed up.


    Despite having a fearsome appearance, I even felt relieved at it showing up.


    It entered the room without any hesitation.


    There¡¯s a whole lot of ¡®food¡¯ in the room.


    With this, this guy won¡¯t be running away anymore.


    The gem in the chest of the Evil God shone and was about to pierce me with that light, but before that happened¡­


    ¡°[Infinite Mirage Prison]!¡± (Souma)


    I escaped that room with the random teleport.


    ¡°Woah!¡± (Souma)


    I got hit by the explosion of Petitplosion, and my body stiffened for an instant there.


    I hurriedly looked around, and I was now outside the Seal Space. Realizing this is most likely a corridor close to the Seal Space, I felt relieved.


    Looks like I managed to succeed in the wall jump in one go.


    Tension drained from my body and I was on the verge of collapsing right then and there, but it is not like it has ended just yet.


    I immediately turned back to the Seal Space to confirm whether the door was closed, but¡­


    ¡°It looks like it went well on their side too.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki came before that.


    ¡°By ¡®too¡¯, do you mean¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yes, there weren¡¯t many issues. It is probably moving its tentacles busily right now inside there.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Those words truly drained me completely.


    Looks like the plan has succeeded for now.


    ¡°With this, we have bought enough time. Let¡¯s escape too.¡± (Souma)


    I won¡¯t go as far as saying I have no regrets anymore, but there¡¯s already nothing I can do here.


    I abided with Mitsuki and hurried to the exit.


    When we got out, all the adventurers welcomed our return together.


    I was a bit happy that they went through the trouble of doing that for us.


    Raiden stepped to the front as if representing the adventurers.


    ¡°Man, that got hectic, didn¡¯t it? Well, after coming this far, we have also resolved ourselves here, ya know? The enemy is big, but there¡¯s no need to fear. Let¡¯s show the Evil God that numbers are the strongest power.¡± (Raiden)


    Even though he didn¡¯t do anything this time around, he still spits out nice stuff.


    I am not really satisfied by that, but I also nodded.


    ¡°For now, can you tell us how to fight in the case the Evil God shows up?¡± (Raiden)


    ¡°Alright, then¡­¡± (Souma)


    On the suggestion of Raiden, I kill time by telling the others about the countermeasures if the Evil God shows up.


    The other adventurers aside from Raiden and the knights also listened to what I was saying, and they seemed somewhat happy somewhat not.


    I understand being scared of the Evil God, but isn¡¯t everyone a bit too nervous here?


    An hour passed without anything happening.


    The other exit has already been destroyed with explosives for quest use.


    If anything is coming out, it will be from this entrance.


    After talking about the plan when the Evil God shows up, we made a semi-circular formation to surround the entrance.


    I wanted to talk to Sazan in this opportunity, but everyone is making grim expressions, so it is a situation that¡¯s a bit hard to have a conversation in.


    Ringo, Mitsuki, the Bear, and Maki have gathered up around me.


    Within those, Maki, who is the one that¡¯s the least used to this world, asked me.


    ¡°Will it really come?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°We did lock it up with the door, but it is probably ineffective. It will naturally be coming.¡± (Souma)


    When I said this, Maki made an even more uneasy expression.


    ¡°Can we¡­win?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°It is okay. I said this is the strongest enemy in the game, but it is an enemy I have won against before. Countermeasures have been put in place, so there¡¯s no problem.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°R-Right.¡± (Maki)


    Even if it is Maki, it seems like she still feels fear towards an unknown enemy.


    Because I had to pull the Evil God, I left all the explaining to Mitsuki.


    Mitsuki might have exaggerated the threat of the enemy.


    (Good grief. If it is coming, it should come already.) (Souma)


    When I was beginning to think that, the cat ears of Mitsuki stood up.


    ¡°So a mere door like that couldn¡¯t stop it, huh.¡± (Souma)


    Me standing up after that mutter and Mitsuki¡¯s call of attention happened almost at the same time.


    ¡°It is coming¡­ No, this is¡­?!¡± (Mitsuki)


    The next instant, from inside the dungeon¡­


    ¡°W-What¡¯s thaaaat?!¡±


    ¡°Evil God? Is that¡­the Evil God?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that just a yellow slime?!!¡±


    ¡ªThe strongest enemy of Nekomimi Neko, the Yellow Slime, appeared.

 CH 108

    ¡°Looks like it went well.¡± (Souma)


    I saw the Yellow Slime that came out from the underground dungeon and let out a sigh of relief.


    It goes without saying, but my plan was ¡®gather the equipment items into the Seal Space and have the Yellow Slimes consume it. Then pull the Evil God Fragment there, and have it be eaten by the increased number of Yellow Slimes.


    You may remember this, but I put a single Yellow Slime inside a bottle and stored it in the Cooler Box with the intention of using it for the Attack on the Capital.


    I turned that Cooler Box over within the Seal Space that had the equipment piled up and freed the Yellow Slime inside the bottle.


    That single freed Yellow Slime ate the items closeby as planned, and increased its numbers at an accelerated pace.


    It was actually rough to stay on standby there until the Evil God came.


    I had the Yellow Slimes eating and increasing in numbers on my peripheral, waiting for an Evil God that I didn¡¯t know when it would come.


    I didn¡¯t know when the Yellow Slimes would target me as prey too, but if I were to move my attention away from the door, there was the risk of dying instantly from the Evil God¡¯s beam. It really felt like I was being strangled out of my breath there.


    But that pain bore fruit, and we successfully managed to lock up both the Evil God and the Yellow Slimes on the same room.


    Even if they are Yellow Slimes, they are still level 120 monsters.


    The Evil God Fragment may be weaker here, so you might think they would immediately be defeated by it, but in my eyes, the compatibility of the Evil God Fragment is bad against the Yellow Slimes.


    The Kill Beam and the tentacles are troublesome attacks, but they are both single target attacks.


    Against enemies that attack with numbers like the Yellow Slimes, they aren¡¯t that effective.


    Moreover, their HP is 1.


    With this, the forced stun of the tentacles and the HP absorption won¡¯t be of much use.


    They will certainly die after one hit before the stun even comes into effect, and even if they absorb their HP, it won¡¯t be much with just 1.


    That¡¯s why my biggest worry when I thought of this plan was the Genocide Wave.


    If they get hit by that AOE attack, there¡¯s the chance the Yellow Slimes would be wiped out instantly.


    I was thinking about crushing the head at any cost before running away, but thanks to the awakening being incomplete, there was no need for that.


    The fact that the Yellow Slime came out instead of the Evil God must mean that it at least managed to overwhelm the Evil God.


    Anyways¡­


    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t really feel like it, but let¡¯s go.¡± (Souma)


    If we don¡¯t do something about the Yellow Slimes, it might turn into something worse than the Evil God Fragment.


    The people around making a ruckus despite having been told the situation by Mitsuki was a bit strange, but I need to do what I need to do first.


    I prepare myself and drink the poison I prepared.


    Poison ran through my body and I felt dizzy.


    Now that I think about it, this is the first time in my life I have been poisoned.


    It is an unpleasant feeling that¡¯s hard to describe, but it can¡¯t be helped.


    I have to do something that will be even more unpleasant than this after all.


    ¡°¡­Souma?¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo¡¯s slightly uneasy voice rang on my back as I approached the Yellow Slimes.


    I purposely had the Yellow Slimes eat at my arm and provoke a chain reaction of death.


    I tried putting it simply like that, but when the Yellow Slimes wrapped around my arm, that disgusting feeling was indescribable.


    Even if I know I won¡¯t be dying from this, it is an experience that I don¡¯t want to have again, but the effects fortunately occurred soon after.


    ¡°Uwaaah! What¡¯s that?!!¡±


    ¡°The colors¡­the colors are changing!¡±


    ¡°Cannibalism?! Are they increasing in numbers by cannibalizing each other?!¡±


    ¡°Wait, they are dead¡­¡±


    Poison coursed through the Yellow Slimes, and after seeing that their colors changed as they disappeared, the people around grew even noisier.


    But I don¡¯t have the time to mind them.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry!¡± (Souma)


    I shouted to Mitsuki, Ringo, and the others, and ran into the dungeon as if chasing after the chain of poison and predation.


    Mitsuki seemed to be flustered like the other adventurers for some reason, but she soon ran by my side.


    ¡°Where?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°The Seal Space! We have to confirm what happened to the Evil God!¡± (Souma)


    I tilt my head at how strangely confused Mitsuki is right now.


    Now that the Yellow Slimes have overflowed all the way here, it is certain that they weren¡¯t defeated by the Evil God, but that doesn¡¯t ascertain that the Yellow Slimes have defeated the Evil God.


    On the contrary, the intense speed in which the Yellow Slimes are increasing tells me that the Evil God Fragment has survived for that long, and there¡¯s the possibility that the Evil God and the Yellow Slimes are still in the middle of their battle.


    The HP of the tentacles is low, so I thought the Yellow Slimes wouldn¡¯t lose to the Evil God Fragment, but winning is a different story.


    The damage of the Yellow Slimes is proportional to the surface area of the target.


    That¡¯s why, it would be one thing if it is the arms and tentacles which are shaped in a way that are easy to stick onto, but the main body has a massive amount of HP despite its small size, so it is hard to say whether they can defeat the gem part.


    In exchange for the tentacles absorbing HP, the main body doesn¡¯t regenerate on its own.


    I think the Yellow Slimes would win eventually, but it is not like I can just ignore the Yellow Slimes that have come to the surface.


    I tried to lock them up by closing the door to at least buy some time, but the door that has turned into just a plain and simple door after the seal was undone wasn¡¯t enough to keep the Yellow Slimes in place.


    It would be really great if the Yellow Slimes defeated the Evil God, but being too optimistic¡­


    ¡°Ouch?!¡± (Souma)


    I suddenly felt an impact on my head.


    My thoughts were cut off.


    When I look behind me in reflex to check what happened¡­


    ¡°Upu?!¡± (Souma)


    Something flew onto my face as if aimed¡­


    And exploded.


    (Ow!! ¡­Or not?) (Souma)


    I was prepared for the pain, but there was nothing.


    Rather¡­


    ¡°Ah, the poison¡­¡± (Souma)


    The poison that I had left as it is because of my hurry had been cleansed off.


    On top of that, it seems like the HP that decreased from the poison has been healed too.


    Looks like what was thrown at me was a healing and antidote potion.


    I felt relief at the fact that it was harmless and¡­


    ¡°Wabuh?!¡± (Souma)


    One extra potion flew¡­


    And smashed onto me.


    It¡­doesn¡¯t hurt, but it is a bit bad for my heart.


    This one seems to have been a HP recovery potion.


    I appreciate that, but my HP is at full.


    Anyways, there¡¯s no real need to heal me.


    ¡°Stop it. My HP is already¡ªOwah!¡± (Souma)


    Even though I said that, I am still being thrown potions.


    Moreover, the one doing this prank-like action is unexpectedly¡­


    ¡°Wa, Ringo, it is alread¡ªpuh!¡± (Souma)


    The culprit is Ringo who is running behind me.


    She left the Wakizashi to the Bear who is at her shoulder, and she is taking out potions from her own Adventurer Bag and throwing them at me.


    I was the one who prepared the potions and bag, but I didn¡¯t give them to her so that she would use them for this.


    When I was about to protest¡­


    ¡°¡­Souma, you were reckless again.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo said something incomprehensible with a displeased tone.


    I looked at Mitsuki for help, but she is chasing after the disappearing Yellow Slimes with a clear face, and cat ears-chan is facing the other way as if saying ¡®you reap what you sow!¡¯.


    I looked at Maki just in case, but it seems like she doesn¡¯t understand what¡¯s going on here at all. She went ¡®target practice? I will do it too~¡¯ and got a potion from Ringo and threw it at me.


    I want to tell her to not participate if you don¡¯t get it.


    ¡°¡­Even though I told you so many times, you never¡­reflect.¡± (Ringo)


    The added complaint of Ringo finally made me remember the previous instance.


    Now that I think about it, at the time when I jumped into the Yellow Slimes, I think Ringo and Mitsuki were angry at me and told me to not be reckless.


    If I am told I haven¡¯t grown from that, that would be it, but in that case, I would have wanted them to say something before the Yellow Slimes showed up.


    ¡°I am sorry, Ringo!¡± (Souma)


    Even so, I tried to apologize, but potions were raining on me no questions asked.


    They are HP potions, so it doesn¡¯t hurt and doesn¡¯t lower my HP, but there¡¯s something psychologically painful about it.


    No, if this is Ringo¡¯s utmost effort of protest, it is in a way cute though.


    ¡­Yeah.


    A few years ago, when I was so into the game and didn¡¯t fulfill my promise with Maki, she angrily deleted the save file of the game I was into at that time. Thinking about that instance, this truly is a cute way of getting angry.


    (We had a serious fight that day¡­) (Souma)


    That girl has been burning with abnormal hostility towards games by that time already. She might have a grudge towards games.


    She seemed to have had a pretty good amount of fun playing Nekomimi Neko despite that though.


    Ah, anyways, I do want to accompany Ringo in her anger, but this isn¡¯t a situation where I can pay mind to that only.


    ¡°Wait! ¡­It is in sight.¡± (Mitsuki)


    The wild dance of potions finally stopped with those words.


    The door is already in front of us.


    It probably was pushed open by the pressure of the Yellow Slimes. It isn¡¯t broken, but it is wide open.


    Is the Evil God alive, or has it been defeated?


    In this moment alone, Ringo and I forgot our quarrel and jumped into the Seal Space.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­!¡± (Souma)


    There was no sight of the Yellow Slimes anymore, and in exchange, there was something at the center of the room.


    ¡ªA giant pulsing red gem.


    It had expanded to a degree that it can¡¯t be held in my hand, and it is pulsing like a living being compared to before its resurrection, but there¡¯s no doubt it is the fragment of the Evil God.


    It looks like the Evil God Fragment had all of its parts destroyed, and there¡¯s only the main body remaining.


    It is a rare state, but it is not impossible for that to happen.


    Even if those respective parts are destroyed, they will regenerate in a set amount of time.


    That¡¯s why it is standard practice to aim for the central part after destroying the other parts to a certain degree, but the Yellow Slimes predate without distinction, so the central part with a whole ton of HP was the only thing that remained.


    At any rate, this is our chance now that the other parts have been destroyed.


    Let¡¯s finish it off before some part regenerates -is what I thought as I approached the Evil God Fragment, but¡­


    ¡°¡ª?!¡± (Souma)


    The Evil God Fragment released an ominous light.


    (This is bad!!) (Souma)


    That¡¯s the animation for the Murder Beam.


    There¡¯s already nothing in this room remaining to serve as a decoy, and there¡¯s no time to prepare anything.


    At this rate, someone in this room will die!


    (As if I will let you!!) (Souma)


    I went to the front, prepared to die for this one, but at that moment¡­


    ¡°Wa?!¡± (Souma)


    But a silver light passed by me.


    That hit the red gem of the Evil God and pierced it splendidly.


    ¡°Get down!!¡± (Souma)


    Almost at the same time, the beam was shot, but the shot strayed because of the attack that came before.


    The beam passed overhead as we got down to the ground, and it hit the wall.


    ¡°Are we¡­safe?¡± (Souma)


    The light of the Evil God Fragment in front of my eyes doesn¡¯t have the same intensity as before.


    Looks like that just now became the last struggle of the Evil God Fragment.


    The predation of the Yellow Slimes and the attack just now must have dropped its HP to 0.


    The Evil God¡¯s red gem slowly changed into light particles and¡­


    *Clang*


    The ¡®something¡¯ that pierced the Evil God Fragment dropped to the ground and made a dry sound.


    ¡°¡­Waki¡­za¡­?¡± (Souma)


    The identity of the mysterious attack was the Wakizashi thrown at outstanding speed.


    Looks like Ringo noticed the danger and used the Gouging Vajra skill to attack the fragment.


    (That was close¡­) (Souma)


    That one mistake was about to cause a death.


    Even if weaker and on its last breath, it is still the Evil God.


    I shouldn¡¯t have remained vigilant.


    Looks like I have to pass the MVP this time around to Ringo.


    ¡°You saved me there, Rin¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I looked back to congratulate her, and what was there was¡­


    *Grin*


    The Bear with a grin on its face while still in a throwing posture.


    And so, the Evil God Fragment was subjugated¡­by the Yellow Demon and its group.

 CH 109

    Light


    Dark


    ¡ªIt has been discovered that there¡¯s a big misunderstanding here.


    I thought Mitsuki had understood my plan and had explained it to everyone, but there was an unbelievably relay mistake.


    Actually, Mitsuki misunderstood my plan as being ¡®gather the equipment at the Seal Space, bait the Evil God Fragment there, and in that open time, strengthen our forces at the entrance, and defeat the Evil God with the power of the adventurers and knights.


    No, it is true that while I was explaining the plan ¡®gather the equipment into the Seal Space¡¯ and ¡®I need it to buy time¡¯, Mitsuki said ¡®I understand the plan¡¯ and ran off, but I didn¡¯t confirm whether she really understood the plan.


    Even when I felt that perceptiveness was a bit off, I thought ¡®wow, this must be what it feels to be of one mind!¡¯ and didn¡¯t pay it much mind.


    But to think she would misunderstand it in that fashion.


    I won¡¯t say there was no room for misunderstanding, but for her to reach that conclusion there. That¡¯s a battle junkie for ya.


    She is a fighter to the core.


    Normally when gathering equipment, the only possibility would be to have the Yellow Slimes eat it and have them in turn eat the Evil God.


    As expected of the Hisame family. Their way of thinking is a notch different from the norm.


    In that case, everyone who heard the explanation of Mitsuki must have misunderstood my plan too.


    In other words, everyone gathered here intended to fight the Evil God Fragment.


    No wonder they were listening so intently when I was talking of the countermeasures in the case the Evil God came out.


    I think about it for a bit.


    If Yellow Slimes come out instead when I am completely expecting the fragment¡­


    Yeah, I would be a bit surprised.


    Also, thanks to the misunderstanding being resolved, I now understand the anger of Ringo even more.


    In the eyes of Ringo, not only did I do something while keeping it a secret from everyone, but I also put myself in danger in order to defeat those Yellow Slimes.


    Ringo is for some reason more sensitive to dangers on me, so that must have been a situation she couldn¡¯t ignore.


    No, everyone was seriously listening to the countermeasures for the case when the Evil God came out, but when it came to the countermeasures for the Yellow Slimes, they weren¡¯t listening at all, so I thought for sure that they were throwing all the responsibility to me there.


    Well, because of that misunderstanding, I was questioned heavily by the people that remained on the surface when we came out.


    It couldn¡¯t be helped, so I gave them a lecture of the circumstances until now and the danger of the Yellows Slimes and the way of defeating them while at it, but¡­


    ¡°That was pointlessly tiring¡­¡± (Souma)


    First, about the knights. It seems like they still think I am a cultist. Some of them misunderstood that the Yellow Slimes are like my underlings, so my words didn¡¯t get to them that well.


    And as for the adventurers, honestly speaking, there¡¯s a lot of muscle-brains there.


    There were a whole lot of people who couldn¡¯t keep up with too complicated talks.


    And when it came to the Slime Mold Radial Extermination that even Sazan understands, I did my best to explain it, but it didn¡¯t get through well.


    I thought ¡®are they below Sazan?¡¯, but Sazan himself seems to be standing there spaced out, and didn¡¯t seem to be listening, so you could say they were still better.


    Well, it seems it was worth the pain since the Yellow Slimes countermeasures must have been transmitted to a good number of people, so I doubt the world will be destroyed by Yellow Slimes from here on.


    That was my only consolation as I ended the long explanation.


    There were a lot of miscalculations, but with this, it should be okay to consider the quest ¡®Sacrifice Dungeon¡¯ having been finished.


    ¡°Now then, next¡­¡± (Souma)


    We simply have to accomplish the last objective.


    ¡°Hey there, good work.¡±


    When I approached Alex and his party, the very first one to speak to us was Raiden.


    And then¡­


    ¡°I don¡¯t really get it, but that¡¯s as expected! Well, it doesn¡¯t even reach the toes of my splendorous accomplishments as a hero though, but I think you did pretty well for a commoner. Ahahahahahaha!¡± (Alex)


    Alex was pointlessly in a good mood despite not doing anything.


    ¡°Defeating the Evil God. Isn¡¯t that impressive! With this, I will be able to spend a sweet time with Abel-chan and the others without worries¡­ Ufufu, actually, I have made prior arrangements to meet them privately just a few moments ago.¡± (Baccarat)


    I don¡¯t want to understand what Baccarat means here, but he gave me words resembling a congratulations.


    But Sazan alone seems to be looking the other way.


    Well, his attitude being bad is as usual, but this time around, it would be troubling if he doesn¡¯t listen to me.


    I approached him without a choice and tried to talk to him.


    ¡°Hey, Saza¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Hm, looks like you defeated the Evil God.¡± (Sazan)


    He instead spoke to me with a curt tone, and that surprised me a bit.


    I answered while confused.


    ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t the one who dealt the finishing blow, and that was probably a pretty small fragment¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°The small details don¡¯t matter. Anyways, you defeated it, right?¡± (Sazan)


    If he puts it that way, it would be strange to deny it.


    ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± (Souma)


    I simply nodded.


    When I did, Sazan finally faced this way with his face covered with a mask.


    ¡°¡­Alright. I will acknowledge you as my rival.¡± (Sazan)


    I felt like time stopped there.


    ¡°¡­Huh?¡± (Souma)


    But that was of course my own perception.


    Time was moving on as normal, and there was Sazan who was obviously making a smug face below that mask.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me say it more than once. I am telling you I will be making you my rival. Close that silly mouth of yours and go ahead and show that overflowing honor with all your limbs.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡ªIt is this.


    This man that is pointlessly haughty and arrogant is Sazan.


    ¡°Well, thanks. But sorry, I have something more important to ask you about.¡± (Souma)


    I held back my rising headache and somehow pushed that out.


    ¡°Hmph, what is it?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°I am searching for a certain spell. The offensive spell, Stardust Flare. I want your cooperation in obtaining that.¡± (Souma)


    Stardust Flare is one of the strongest spells that can only be learned with the event of Sazan.


    Of course, I won¡¯t be able to achieve much power since I am not a mage job, but the effect of the spell or the AOE has nothing to do with how strong your magic power is.


    The only thing that magic power decides is the damage of it, and any other factors are not affected no matter who uses it.


    That said, I don¡¯t think Sazan will accept this proposal.


    Most character events require you to have their affection on a certain threshold or they won¡¯t be unlocked, and that goes the same for this Stardust Flare related event.


    I was forced to bring Sazan around as a comrade in order to learn this, so there¡¯s no doubt about it.


    This world ignores the rules of the game to a certain degree, and it seems the affection rate changes depending on the emotions of the person themself, but I doubt he has taken a liking to me to the point that the character event will happen.


    But even if I know it will be refused, if I speak about it beforehand like this, there¡¯s the possibility of negotiati¡ª


    ¡°Got it.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Wa?! It is okay?!¡± (Souma)


    I got an unexpected answer and ended up getting flustered.


    Sazan looked at me with suspicious eyes below the mask.


    ¡°Complaining even though I accepted. What a weird guy you are. I am the type that doesn¡¯t like creating debts with others, you see. It can¡¯t be helped, so I will listen to that request of yours.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Kuh! ¡­Thanks.¡± (Souma)


    The way he put it annoyed me, but I somehow managed to endure it.


    I at least thank him.


    When I did, Sazan got even more cocky.


    ¡°Hmph, I am the one that had his name reverberate through the whole world as the number one mage, you know? Being able to order someone like that; you really are a lucky one. Right, if you want to become my disciple¡ª!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan was speaking with his haughty tone, but he suddenly stopped talking.


    ¡°Yes yes, aren¡¯t chu amashing~. It is about time you close your mouth and head over here, okay~?¡±


    The one who said this behind Sazan was Baccarat.


    Baccarat grabbed the back collar of Sazan and picked him up.


    ¡°S-Stop it! D-Don¡¯t touch my noble cloak with your dirty ha¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Hah? What did you say about my hands?¡± (Baccarat)


    ¡°Hiiiiih! I-It is nothing! Nothing!¡± (Sazan)


    They were having that exchange while Baccarat carried off Sazan faraway.


    That looked like the mother carrying off her kitten.


    I was watching that spaced out, but¡­


    ¡°Sorry, he doesn¡¯t seem to know self-control, you see. If he troubled you in some way, I apologize in his stead.¡± (Raiden)


    This time it was Raiden who showed up and lowered his head to me. I finally came back to my senses there.


    ¡°No, it is fine. I don¡¯t mind it.¡± (Souma)


    You could even say that was subdued for Sazan standards.


    To the point that I am even worried if he is not feeling well.


    ¡°I am grateful that you say that.¡± (Raiden)


    Raiden laughs with a face that still has a bit of bitterness remaining.


    I think he is having it rough but¡­


    (Well, it is a reward for masochists.) (Souma)


    It is not something for me to be worried about.


    Rather, it is pretty friendly of him to follow-up for Sazan.


    You could say it is great that he is properly meshing in with his party.


    ¡°Well, leaving aside Sazan, this is the second time you have saved me.¡± (Raiden)


    ¡°Hm? Aah, well, you could say that.¡± (Souma)


    Speaking of which, I have helped Raiden out at the time with the Butcher too.


    No, Raiden got in danger because we brought out the Butcher, so I simply saved Raiden who was trying to stop it.


    While I was feeling nostalgic remembering that¡­


    ¡°¡­Hey, it may be questionable to say this when I was the one being saved, but don¡¯t get too ahead of yourself, okay?¡± (Raiden)


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Souma)


    My body froze at the unexpected words.


    Raiden muttered ¡®I¡¯m no good at this though¡¯ as he continued speaking.


    ¡°Seeing you so desperately trying to save those 3 and the child called Lipha, it made me a bit uneasy, you see. In the first place, this time¡¯s matter had nothing to do with you.¡± (Raiden)


    ¡°Aah, well, that¡¯s true¡­¡± (Souma)


    I actually have knowledge that there will be a Game Over if you fail this quest though.


    When taking that into account, you can¡¯t really say it has nothing to do with me, but it is true that, from an outside perspective, it must look like I am a busybody for sticking my head into this quest.


    I made a complicated expression, and Raiden hurriedly waved his hand.


    ¡°Ah, no, that in itself is fine. The problem is that you are being way too desperate. Even you wouldn¡¯t be able to save everyone involved, right? That¡¯s why, I was worried that you would be crushed if something like that were to happen.¡± (Raiden)


    When he told me that, the words of Mitsuki replayed in my head.


    ¡ª¡°You get way into the people that have gotten involved with you.¡±


    Maybe that¡¯s what she meant with this.


    Even if I have the game knowledge, it is not like I can solve the troubles of all the people I meet and assure their safety.


    Characters have free will, and a number of quests are now moving on their own, so it is more so the case.


    For example; I have no connection at all with Lipha in this world.


    But if Lipha had been sacrificed exactly as scripted in the game, what would have happened to me?


    Mitsuki must have been worried about that.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really mind you saving others.


    But you must not get too worked up about it.


    You must know how to draw lines or you might be the next one dying.¡± (Raiden)


    I could tell my face stiffened there.


    Raiden made an apologetic look after seeing my face, but he continued speaking clearly.


    ¡°At the very least, there¡¯s nothing you can do about events that are already too late by the time you learn about it, or things that happened faraway.


    It is a tough pill to swallow, but there¡¯s no human that can live without losing something.


    There¡¯s also situations where you can¡¯t overcome them without sacrifices.


    For the sake of those moments, you must make amends inside yourself, or like, you must decide on your priorities at least.¡± (Raiden)


    (Priorities, huh¡­) (Souma)


    Raiden is a hopeless masochist, but I thanked him for the advice, and returned to my comrades.


    Noticing me, the first one to come running to me was Ringo who was talking to Lipha. The Bear was pointlessly hitting my shoulder, Maki was making a ruckus, and Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears were twitching.


    Seeing this¡­


    (For me, these people are my most important friends.) (Souma)


    I think something that obvious at this point in time.


    Ringo worries about me more than I myself do, even Mitsuki too despite not showing it. I was reminded that those harsh words of hers are because she is worried about me.


    There¡¯s the Bear who is always consoling me, and there¡¯s Maki who can share talks about our original world.


    I once again felt that I am blessed with good friends.


    Thinking that, I also felt that I should have them take shape.


    It is a bit embarrassing, but it should be fine for there to be those occasions.


    I scratched my cheek while facing Ringo first.


    ¡°Ringo, uhm, sorry about before. Those kinds of dangerous things¡­uuh, I will try my best to not do them.¡± (Souma)


    I lowered my head with somewhat indecisive words.


    ¡°¡­Hn.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo nodded.


    The Bear patted my shoulder.


    It probably means that she forgives me.


    ¡°¡­Thanks.¡± (Souma)


    When I smiled at Ringo, Ringo averted her gaze as if a bit embarrassed.


    While thinking I have seen something rare there, I moved my gaze to the Bear riding my shoulder.


    My eyes made contact with the Bear¡¯s. It crossed its arms as if covering its body and faced back as if curling up¡­


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t need to pull that again.¡± (Souma)


    It must be the joke of that time when I saw it ¡°changing¡± at the Hisame Dojo.


    It is bringing out quite the nostalgic event.


    I end up wanting to retort when talking with the Bear, so I feel like I haven¡¯t properly thanked the Bear despite having been helped out quite a good number of times.


    Resolving myself here, I lowered my head.


    ¡°Bear, uhm¡­thanks for everything. Today as well, no, not only today, you are always helping me out. I am counting on you from here on too.¡± (Souma)


    I said this and raised my head.


    *Grin*


    The Bear answered me with that smile that spoke more than a thousand words.


    This guy is the same as always, and that¡¯s what makes it reliable.


    ¡°¡­Maki.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Souma.¡± (Maki)


    The next one is Maki.


    Maki looked at me with a face filled with expectation, so I said with a face as serious as possible.


    ¡°The Knight Order behind is on standby, so shouldn¡¯t it be about time for you to return to the castle?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡± (Maki)


    The knights behind move at the same time as I said this.


    ¡°Now, Princess-sama, your business should have finished already. Let¡¯s go back.¡±


    ¡°The King and Queen must be worried. Now now!¡±


    Maki was taken away by the knights.


    ¡°Eh? Wait, eeeeh?! I am the only one being treated like this?! S-Soumaaaa!!¡± (Maki)


    Maki was flailing her arms while asking for help.


    I saw her off with a smile.


    After confirming that Maki was pushed inside the carriage of the Knight Order¡­


    ¡°Ah, crap¡­¡± (Souma)


    I noticed that we haven¡¯t coordinated a means of contact.


    If only I readied a Communication Ring like the one I gave to Train-chan before, but it seems like I don¡¯t have any means of contacting her aside from going to the castle again.


    Oh well, that¡¯s fine.


    The suspicions that I am a cultist should have been cleared with this, so I should be able to manage somehow if I make a request at the castle.


    More importantly, right now¡­


    ¡°Mitsuki.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yes?¡± (Mitsuki)


    I face Mitsuki at the end.


    She has her usual expressionless face, but I see her cat ears alone are moving slightly as if nervous, and thought that¡¯s just like her.


    What I want to say to Mitsuki is also obvious.


    ¡°I was also told by Raiden to not get too into other people. I think I now understand what you were worried about, Mitsuki.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­I see.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears turned serious at my words.


    She slightly averted her gaze from me and muttered this in a low voice.


    ¡°It is not like I am an emotionless person. I feel pain when my comrades get injured, and if a friend dies, I will also be saddened. Me journeying alone isn¡¯t unrelated to this.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°I¡­see¡­¡± (Souma)


    I understand that sentiment.


    Just like how I left Train-chan in Lamurick, Mitsuki knew the dangers of her own journey, and didn¡¯t make any companions the whole time.


    ¡°You are the first person I have found that can stand side by side with me. You are a truly truly important companion of mine.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Her face is expressionless, but I can feel the deep affection of Mitsuki through her words and her cat ears, and I could feel my chest burning hotter.


    ¡°Speaking of which, you have become a temporary companion of mine, right? There were perplexing moments, but I already can¡¯t think of traveling without you, Mitsuki.¡± (Souma)


    I look at Mitsuki straight on and form words that can best express my emotions.


    ¡°I also consider you as a precious comrade of mine, Mitsuki. If possible, please continue¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Then!!¡± (Mitsuki)


    For some reason, Mitsuki raised her voice there and closed the distance with incredible speed as she grabbed my shoulders.


    ¡°Eh, Mitsuki?!¡± (Souma)


    She is putting so much strength here, it honestly hurts.


    Or more like, she is a bit too excited here, it is a bit scary.


    But Mitsuki doesn¡¯t seem to notice that state of mine and she looks at me with swirling eyes like those of a hunter aiming at its prey, with her usual calm attitude gone somewhere.


    ¡°T-Then this is a good chance! To celebrate me becoming an official member, how about going together with me to the mirage cave?!¡± (Mitsuki)


    Seeing the approaching Mitsuki and her cat ears flapping at astounding speed on top of her head, I¡­


    I thought cats really are hunters.

 CH 110

    Light


    Dark


    A serious heroine-chan is dangerous¡­


    The frenzy of Mitsuki, who had become a hunter, continued until the scared Lipha hid behind Ringo and began crying.


    It seems like even Mitsuki got damaged from having a child crying because of her. That¡¯s when she finally came back to her senses.


    A while after that, everyone took distance from Mitsuki (including me), but we are talking about Mitsuki who is well-known for her poker face.


    As for the person herself¡­


    ¡°Sorry, I lost myself a bit there.¡± (Mitsuki)


    She said that with a bareface, and she immediately went back to her detached attitude.


    But at the top of her head, those cat ears of hers were going ¡®Aaah!! I am so embarrassed I can¡¯t face my ears to everyone!!¡¯ and covered themselves without moving an inch, so she might be feeling pretty down internally.


    I watch her with a lukewarm gaze from a slightly further away location as we head to the Hisame Dojo first.


    ¡°Definitely, definitely come play, okay?! Souma-oniichan, Ringo-oneechan, and¡­Bear-san!!¡± (Lipha)


    Saying this, Lipha waved at us energetically from the entrance of the dojo.


    ¡°Yeah, see ya later!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Hn.¡± (Ringo)


    We waved energetically as well.


    Turning into a hunter and making her cry must have resonated in her, Mitsuki was naturally ignored, and her cat ears shriveled even more, but well, she reaps what she sows.


    ¡­Right.


    Lipha was entrusted to the Hisame Dojo after she lost her home.


    We can¡¯t bring her on our journey, and if we are going to entrust her somewhere, the dojo came out as the best candidate since there¡¯s apparently a lot of children there.


    When we explained the situation to Asahi-san, he happily agreed.


    His face is scary, but he is not that bad of a person, so I am sure he will take good care of Lipha.


    It may be painful to lose your parents over and over in such a short span of time, but there¡¯s little we can do from here on.


    The only thing I can do is pray that she will get used to the Hisame Dojo¡­no, if possible, have fun without being dyed by the dojo as much as possible.


    (This should be fine, right¡­?) (Souma)


    On our way back to the capital.


    While I was remembering Lipha and had fallen silent, Mitsuki, who had finally had her ears recover, spoke to me.


    ¡°What are you making a dispirited face for?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Eh? No, uhm¡­¡± (Souma)


    Seeing me flustered, Mitsuki speaks.


    ¡°You can¡¯t give a hand to every human in this world. You need to create a delineation and be selective somewhere. There might be a day when you will need to accept a small sacrifice in order to achieve something big.


    ¡°But¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°But?¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki lifted the corners of her mouth and showed a rare¡­a truly rare smile towards me who was dispirited.


    ¡°It is not like I am trying to lessen the value of your actions. That very sight of hers is your medal of honor. It is something to be proud of.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Mitsuki¡­¡± (Souma)


    Those were unexpected words, and that¡¯s exactly why they made me happy.


    ¡°I see. Right¡­¡± (Souma)


    There¡¯s a limit to what I can do, and it is not like I can save every single person.


    It is different from the game days where I was the sole protagonist of this world.


    It is not like I can get involved with every event that happens in this world, and being mortified by that would just be absurd and simple arrogance.


    But that doesn¡¯t mean I shouldn¡¯t extend a helping hand to others.


    I should learn my own limits, hold back to a degree where I won¡¯t be crushing myself, and if with that I can still manage to extend a helping hand, it should be allowed.


    Mitsuki is teaching me this.


    I was pulled by her smile and answered her with a smile as well, and suddenly¡­


    I could feel my hand from the opposite side of Mitsuki being pulled.


    When I looked there, there was Ringo with tormented eyes to a shocking extent.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did something¡ª¡± (Souma)


    When I tried asking in worry, Ringo shook her head to the sides in a hurry for some reason.


    ¡°N-No, that just now¡­w-was the Bear.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Eh? Bear?¡± (Souma)


    I shift my gaze to the Bear that is riding on the shoulder of Ringo, and I feel like the Bear was making an ¡®Eh?¡¯ face too.


    I think it definitely was Ringo judging from the position too though. Oh well.


    I return my gaze to Mitsuki.


    ¡°¡­The city seems to be noisy.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki was looking in the direction of the city and making a serious face.


    Her cat ears were also going ¡®did something happen~?¡¯ and are tilting to the side.


    I have a feeling it is a new crisis.


    We all ran with hurried steps and a crowd had formed at the Monolith in the west gate.


    ¡°Did something happen?¡± (Souma)


    I got someone closeby and asked them.


    The merchant-like man explained the situation to me in an agitated manner.


    ¡°It is a crash! A crash! The Magic Airship I was riding on crashed! Thanks to that, my valuable Teleport Stone¡­damn it!¡±


    When a Magic Airship crashes, the merchants use Teleport Stones to escape.


    So a Magic Airship somewhere had crashed, and the merchants that were riding it have teleported to the Monolith here.


    The problem is the adventurers.


    I have experienced it before, but most adventurers riding the Magic Airship don¡¯t have Teleport Stones.


    If adventurers were riding that¡­


    Unfortunately, that worry of mine turned out to be true.


    ¡°Y-You are an adventurer, right?! Can you please save her?!¡±


    A different young merchant ran to us and asked this of us.


    ¡°That girl? Was there someone who remained there when the Magic Airship crashed?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°T-That¡¯s right! She is an adventurer I met at the Magic Airship, but she said she didn¡¯t have Teleport Stones! In the ride this time around, no one had extra stones, so I told her to please use mine, but she said that it would be okay since she is an adventurer¡­!¡±


    He was so agitated here that I can¡¯t keep up well with what he is saying, but I can tell that it is an emergency.


    I was told just recently to not get too into other people, but this and helping out are two different things.


    It should be.


    I make eye contact with Mitsuki.


    She nodded lightly.


    ¡°We might be of help. Where did the Magic Airship fall?¡± (Souma)


    Depending on the location, we might be able to get there at once, and if it is a low level location, there might not even be the need to save them.


    The merchant made a pained expression and said this in a low volume.


    ¡°Lizamisu¡­ The Lizamisu Wasteland.¡±


    ¡°Lizamisu Wasteland.¡± (Souma)


    Those words not only rendered me speechless but also Mitsuki.


    The level of that field is 145.


    It is a dangerous field even within the south fields of the capital.


    As long as that adventurer is not over level 150, and it is not a place you can survive on your own.


    Moreover¡­


    ¡°It is way too far from here.¡± (Souma)


    No matter how much we hurry, I don¡¯t think we can make it in time.


    There¡¯s no point there we can move close to with a Teleport Stone. No matter what fast movement method we use, even with a Magic Airship, the adventurer will most likely be dying faster than we arrive.


    No, they might already be¡­


    ¡°I-Is it not possible? Are you saying you can¡¯t save her?!¡±


    The young merchant grabbed my shoulders and shook me, but it couldn¡¯t be helped.


    No matter how high level you are, you can¡¯t overcome the wall of distance.


    I directed a gaze to Mitsuki, but she silently shook her head to the sides.


    In other words, that¡¯s what it means.


    To think we would immediately get a situation where we would really not be able to make it in time.


    ¡°I am sorry, but it is impossible.¡± (Souma)


    I brush off the hand of the merchant while feeling bitter about it.


    ¡°No¡­way¡­¡±


    He was so heated up just now, but he suddenly lost strength and fell down on his knees.


    ¡°¡­I am sorry.¡± (Souma)


    I once again lower my head.


    Even when I decided to make a delineation here, it still feels bitter.


    But the merchant who met that adventurer would most likely not be on that degree.


    He punched the ground as if venting the anger he couldn¡¯t direct on anyone.


    ¡°Damn it! Why?! She said that this was her first time leaving Lamurick. Even though she was looking forward to meeting her benefactor in the capital¡­and yet¡­!¡±


    Those words¡­


    Why?


    My heart jumped.


    ¡°What was¡­the name of the girl¡­?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    I asked with a raspy voice.


    ¡°What was the name of that girl?¡± (Souma)


    I am baffled by my own imagination.


    She¡­she should hate Magic Airships.


    That¡¯s why it should be impossible.


    There¡¯s no way.


    Even though I think that, the worst thing imaginable still swirled in my mind.


    I could feel my chest contracting, and my heartbeat was going haywire here.


    And then, I wait for the merchant to answer, and what came to my ears was¡­


    (¡ªhear me?)


    Suddenly, I heard a voice.


    Even when I looked around, I couldn¡¯t see the owner of it.


    And yet, it was a voice as if whispering into my ears.


    (Souma-san, can you hear me?)


    A way too nostalgic voice.


    ¡°Ina¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I muttered this unconsciously.


    And then¡­


    ¡°Right, I remembered! It certainly was Ina. Her name was Ina Trail!¡±


    The one other voice reaching my ears made me feel as if everything below me was crumbling.

 CH 111

    Light


    Dark


    ¡°Ina¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I couldn¡¯t believe it at first.


    No, I probably didn¡¯t want to believe it.


    ¡°Is something the matter?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­Souma?¡± (Ringo)


    My comrades directed dubious gazes at me when I raised my voice suddenly, but I didn¡¯t have the leeway to give attention to them.


    Because a contact from Ina at a time like this¡­


    It is as if she¡­


    (¡­No.) (Souma)


    The Communication Ring is an item that allows you to talk to the registered person for 3 minutes only.


    Ina contacting me in itself isn¡¯t strange.


    The timing can be explained as just a coincidence too.


    Forcing myself to think like that, I try to fix my agitated feelings.


    ¡°Ina? Is that you, Ina?¡± (Souma)


    Even with that, my voice was a bit shrill, but it can¡¯t be helped.


    At those words¡­


    (Y-Yes! It is Ina. That voice is Souma-san. It is Souma-san, right? Uhm, it has been a while. I am¡­happy I could hear your voice again.) (Ina)


    A voice filled with emotion came back at me.


    That voice was overflowing with pure delight at the fact that she can talk to me, and it doesn¡¯t sound at all as if she were in a dangerous place.


    In the first place, there¡¯s no way she would be able to contact me like this if she were in the Lizamisu Wasteland.


    Ina¡¯s train mode only happens in the areas around Lamurick, and it is impossible for her to level up any further than she already was unless she came to the capital.


    The current Ina, even if she were to be on a fast pace, would only be around level 70. If she were to be thrown into the Lizamisu Wasteland where there¡¯s a lot of nimble beasts, she would be dead without being able to last even a minute.


    It must have been a misunderstanding.


    Thinking this, I spoke in order to confirm this.


    ¡°Ina, you¡­¡± (Souma)


    (Yes, what is it, Souma-san?!) (Ina)


    That way too cheerful voice made me lose momentum in the following words.


    ¡°¡­Why didn¡¯t you contact me sooner?¡± (Souma)


    In the end, my mouth moved on its own, and spoke out safe words.


    (Ah, that¡¯s¡­) (Ina)


    Ina seemed a bit troubled there.


    (Because I promised, didn¡¯t I?) (Ina)


    ¡°What?¡± (Souma)


    (That I would treasure this ring for the rest of my life.) (Ina)


    The moment I heard those words, I felt as if my head was smashed.


    It is in part because she was treasuring my casual gift to such an extent.


    But I noticed the one other meaning behind those words.


    Once those 3 minutes pass, the Communication Ring that Ina promised to treasure for the rest of her life will break.


    If she used that, it means¡­


    The worst feeling was stuck in my throat.


    But I wrung out my voice.


    ¡°Ina, please answer me honestly.¡± (Souma)


    (Y-Yes!) (Ina)


    I needed courage to voice out those next words.


    Even so, I can¡¯t leave things hazy anymore.


    I endure the pain attacking my heart and finally speak those decisive words.


    ¡°You are currently in Lizamisu, aren¡¯t you?¡± (Souma)


    (?!)


    Her reaction was extreme.


    To the point that there¡¯s no need for anymore words.


    But now that I had let my mouth loose, my words were not stopping.


    ¡°I am currently in front of the capital¡¯s Monolith. I heard from the merchants that escaped that you were riding in the crashed Magic Airship.¡± (Souma)


    My words were filled with confidence.


    (T-That¡¯s not it! Lamurick! I am in Lamurick, but I got nostalgic and ended up¡­contacting Souma-san¡­) (Ina)


    Ina desperately denied it.


    But that agitation already proved I am right.


    ¡°That must be a lie.¡± (Souma)


    Ina didn¡¯t answer those added words.


    What came out in exchange was¡­


    (¡­I¡¯m sorry.) (Ina)


    I don¡¯t understand.


    (I am sorry for breaking your order. Even though you wrote to not come¡­I wanted to see you, but now¡­) (Ina)


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter!!¡± (Souma)


    I shouted by the time I noticed.


    ¡°Orders or promises, that doesn¡¯t matter anymore! What¡¯s most important right now is for you to survive!!¡± (Souma)


    (Souma¡­-san¡­) (Ina)


    I raised my voice without caring about my surroundings, but after I listened to the scared voice of Ina which brought back my calm a little bit¡­


    I visualize the information of the Lizamisu Wasteland in my head.


    I think of a countermeasure for Ina to survive.


    ¡°Ina, listen well. It is true that the enemies in Lizamisu are really fast. Even if you try to escape from the monsters there, you will have no hope in level ground. But there¡¯s a safe zone in that area.¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s right, there¡¯s one.


    That¡¯s why, it is alright.


    I continued speaking in order to divert my uneasiness.


    ¡°Climb the trees. The monsters there are all beast types and can¡¯t climb trees. That¡¯s why, as long as you manage to climb a tree¡­¡± (Souma)


    (Souma-san.) (Ina)


    Ina said this, troubled, as if cutting off my words.


    (I am currently on top of a tree. I wouldn¡¯t be able to talk to you this much if I didn¡¯t.) (Ina)


    I feel a small giggle.


    With this, we might be able to manage somehow.


    I was a bit relieved too.


    But¡­


    (But it is no good. Monsters are tackling the tree more and more, and every time they do, it is shaking. I probably¡­won¡¯t be able to endure for more than a few minutes.) (Ina)


    My hope was mercilessly destroyed.


    Right.


    This world is different from the game. Objects like trees and rocks are now possible to destroy.


    The top of trees are not a safe zone anymore.


    (But that¡¯s okay! I am of course a bit scared of dying, but¡­but having heard Souma-san¡¯s voice in my last moments¡­that alone is¡­) (Ina)


    ¡°Something like that¡­!!¡± (Souma)


    I was about to shout in anger, but I finally noticed.


    The reason why she acted cheerful and why she lied that she was in Lamurick was because she didn¡¯t want to make me worry.


    Because she didn¡¯t want to make me feel responsible for her own death; so that I wouldn¡¯t be pained for not being able to save her. She hid her own situation, and truly just called me in order to make this her ¡®last conversation¡¯.


    Even though she is going to be dying soon, even though she can¡¯t read the atmosphere, even though she clung to me to an annoying extent, just in her last moments alone, she¡­


    ¡°You are an idiot.¡± (Souma)


    (Ahahaha. I also think that.) (Ina)


    Now that I listen closely, I can tell that Ina¡¯s voice is trembling slightly.


    Of course she would be.


    There¡¯s no way she wouldn¡¯t be scared of dying.


    (Why are you so¡­!!) (Souma)


    Just when I was about to scream, overwhelmed by my emotions¡­


    ¡°?!¡± (Souma)


    My shoulder was pulled with force.


    It was Mitsuki.


    ¡°The one you are talking to is Ina-san, right? The person that was together with you in Lamurick? If it is her, I can pursue her.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°But Lizamisu is¡­¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki interrupted my words.


    ¡°No matter how much we hurry, it will take 2 hours. Please don¡¯t expect me to make it in time.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Then¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Seeing that face of yours¡­I can¡¯t just do nothing.¡± (Mitsuki)


    I could feel my chest being squeezed.


    But I endured it and lowered my head.


    ¡°¡­Please. I can¡¯t move from here.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Leave it to me.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki ran off without hesitation.


    It would be nice if she makes it in time.


    But the situation is despairing.


    There¡¯s already little time remaining.


    Even so, I still asked in order to calm down my shaking heart.


    ¡°¡­Hey, Ina, why did you ride a Magic Airship? You hated that, right?¡± (Souma)


    The reason I thought she might come by carriage was because Ina showed strong opposition to Magic Airships at the boarding station.


    (Sorry, that was a lie.) (Ina)


    ¡°Lie¡­?¡± (Souma)


    Ina¡¯s answer was straight.


    (I didn¡¯t want Souma-san to ride the Magic Airship and go somewhere. I wanted to keep you there no matter what. That¡¯s why¡­) (Ina)


    Now that I think back on it, what Ina said back then was strange.


    Basically, she was desperately trying to make me stay there.


    ¡°But why go that far¡­? You have managed to make a companion, right? Then¡­¡± (Souma)


    (Even Thiel-san becoming my companion was thanks to you, Souma-san.) (Ina)


    ¡°Me? But¡­¡± (Souma)


    I didn¡¯t really do anything.


    Before I could say that, Ina spoke.


    (When I was injured and taken to the medics, the one who treated me then was Thiel-san. At that time, she told me about it.


    The story of the man that was carried to the medics just like me and left a staff.) (Ina)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± (Souma)


    It is true that that was me.


    I had decided in my heart to give Thiel the Guernica Wand since the game days.


    That¡¯s why, before I left Lamurick, I gave Thiel that staff with the excuse that it was to pay her for the treatment.


    (I got along with Thiel-san with that story as the trigger. That¡¯s why this is thanks to Souma-san too.) (Ina)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­something like that¡­¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s simply a coincidence and a distortion of facts.


    Me giving the staff to Thiel was also simple self-satisfaction.


    It is by no means something to be praised for.


    And yet, Ina was talking about it so passionately as if I were some sort of hero.


    (Because it was thanks to Souma-san that everything changed. Thanks to you, Souma-san, I met Thiel-san. Thanks to meeting Thiel-san, I learned about a way to heal the disease of my mother. Thanks to Souma-san leveling me, it made it a lot easier to  gather the items for that sake, and level Thiel-san too.


    And then, I really managed to cure my mother¡¯s disease¡­) (Ina)


    I could feel the last piece of the puzzle fitting in at that moment.


    (Aah, I see¡­) (Souma)


    I did think there would be no way for Ina to come to the capital without curing the disease of her mother.


    But Ina obviously has a character event too.


    Since I didn¡¯t make Ina a companion of mine in the game, I never did that event.


    But if Ina has a sick mother, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for the way to heal her to be within that character event of hers.


    Ina desperately adventuring together with Thiel was most likely her performing those events in order to cure her mother.


    But one of the reasons why she hurried that much was most likely¡­


    (Thiel-san told me¡­


    When my mother¡¯s disease is cured, let¡¯s go meet Souma-san together at the capital¡­ But Thiel-san¡­when my mother got better, she gave me money, and told me to meet you one step ahead of her by getting on the Magic Airship.) (Ina)


    Thiel must have known that Ina wanted to meet me more than she did.


    That¡¯s why she must have secretly saved money for a Magic Airship trip to make Ina happy.


    That¡¯s a beautiful story, and should have been welcomed with happiness, but¡­


    (Damn it! Why?! Why did it turn out like this?!) (Souma)


    I curse the misfortune, but I am also partly at fault here.


    I knew that Ina might chase after me.


    But despite me knowing that possibility, I didn¡¯t do anything.


    (Why did I leave Ina be until it became like this?!) (Souma)


    It is only at this point in time that I feel shame for my ignorance, but this is not the time to be mourning.


    If left be, Ina will definitely die.


    (Die? Ina will?) (Souma)


    I could feel my breathing go unstable at the words that surfaced.


    The girl that troubled me as a loner and got involved with me to an annoying extent¡­


    She chased me around, messed up the whole time, but despite all that, she would still smile cheerfully. That girl is going to¡­die?


    ¡ªThere¡¯s no way I can accept that.


    But time is cruel and merciless.


    The end will come in mere few seconds.


    The effect of the ring will end, Ina will be killed, and I won¡¯t be able to see that smile ever again.


    (There should be a way!) (Souma)


    That¡¯s why I think just like usual.


    A move that will turn things around.


    I search for the way to not lose anything; the way to not sacrifice anyone.


    (Isn¡¯t there¡­isn¡¯t there something?) (Souma)


    Think.


    Think, think, think, think.


    The topography, exploits, monster traits, event conditions; I bring out all the information I have and search for the best method.


    But, even with that¡­


    (¡­Impossible.) (Souma)


    Ina is¡­the place Ina is in is a field that¡¯s far away from the capital.


    Heading there in just a few minutes is impossible even with a Magic Airship.


    ¡ª ¡°There¡¯s no human that can live without losing anything.¡±


    The words of Raiden stab me at this timing.


    That string of sounds were tormenting me with palpable mass.


    ¡ª ¡°You can¡¯t extend your hand to all the people in this world.¡±


    The words of Mitsuki that had clear warmth in them were standing before me as an unfeeling reality.


    The limits of an individual.


    No matter how outstanding a person is, it is not like you can stop the tragedies in the whole world.


    The moment I learned about the situation, it was already in a checkmated state.


    Since the moment I heard the name of Ina, the path of a Happy End had already been cut off.


    (Impossible. Right, it is impossible.) (Souma)


    I realized this.


    That¡¯s why I¡­gave up.


    I had to.


    (Souma-san? Why are you not saying anything?) (Ina)


    About thinking.


    About opposing this situation.


    (Please¡­please say something! It is the last time, you know? I won¡¯t be able to talk to you anymore after this¡­) (Ina)


    When living, there¡¯s times when you lose something.


    Sacrifices cannot be avoided.


    (P-Please, Souma-san! I¡­I don¡¯t want an end like this. Dying alone even in my deathbed would be¡­) (Ina)


    It is something hopeless, and it is impossible to avoid unless you have strength like mine.


    (I beg of you, please don¡¯t abandon me! If I were to be abandoned by Souma-san, I¡­would already have nothing¡­) (Ina)


    The voice of Ina was reaching my ears even while I was falling in despair.


    Her trembling voice, her clinging voice rang in my ears.


    (Souma-san¡­please¡­please¡­) (Ina)


    But even that slowly grew weaker.


    (¡­I am¡­sorry.) (Ina)


    And at the end, she arrived at those weak words.


    (I must have been annoying even until the very end, right? But please let me say this one last thing at least.) (Ina)


    As if shutting out that weak voice of hers, I¡­


    (Souma-san, thank you very much¡­for everything¡­) (Ina)


    I closed my eyes.


    And then, I slowly opened my eyes.


    ¡ªI have decided.


    Stuff like priorities or delineations; I kick all that shit to the side.


    No matter how hard I think about it, my decision won¡¯t change.


    There¡¯s no way I would.


    Even if this choice creates countless irreversible things, I don¡¯t care.


    No matter how many sacrifices it creates, I will submit to them.


    There¡¯s no time anymore.


    I don¡¯t know when the effect of the ring will run out, and I don¡¯t know when the tree will fall.


    There¡¯s no time to hesitate any further.


    That¡¯s why I told her.


    The words that will begin it all.


    ¡°Ina, there¡¯s something important I have to tell you.¡± (Souma)


    Those words push an invisible switch inside Ina.


    A special switch that calls for destruction just like the train mode.


    (Souma¡­-san¡­?) (Ina)


    Ina answered me even with her raspy voice.


    I can¡¯t tell from her voice if it is ¡®progressing¡¯ well.


    But I have to believe it is going well.


    In front of this Monolith at the capital¡­


    With the Communication Ring that is on the finger of Ina¡­


    The conditions are set.


    They should be.


    I take a deep breath.


    With withering strength and trembling voice, I squeeze out strength and string words.


    ¡°Please listen, Ina. I¡­¡± (Souma)


    Even though I had resolved myself, I hesitated slightly before speaking them out.


    Not because of the uneasiness of what will happen after this, but because of the hesitation that I might not have the qualifications for it.


    But¡­


    (Who cares even if I don¡¯t have the qualifications!) (Souma)


    My hesitation was blown away by even stronger emotions than that.


    I put those emotions into my words.


    And finally said it.


    ¡°¡­I love you, Ina. Please marry me.¡± (Souma)


    I could feel Ina gulping from a far away location.


    I speak the ¡®keywords¡¯ ¡®in front of a Monolith¡¯ ¡®towards the person I gave a ring to¡¯.


    The conditions for the marriage proposal event should have all been set.


    That¡¯s why all that¡¯s left is Ina¡¯s affection. In other words, the feelings of Ina.


    The time I was together with Ina was way too short.


    To the point that it wouldn¡¯t even be an option if this world were purely a game.


    But in this world that¡¯s not ruled by numbers, maybe¡­


    That¡¯s why I simply wait.


    My heart is drumming to a noisy extent.


    My chest is being squeezed.


    Even with that, I waited for her response as if praying.


    A short yet long silence.


    Eventually, the answer Ina gave me was¡­


    (Yes, with pleasure!) (Ina)


    That trembling voice mixed with tears and happiness pushed even me close to tears of relief.


    But this isn¡¯t the end.


    ¡°Can you please say the oath together with me?¡± (Souma)


    (But Souma-san, I¡­!!) (Ina)


    Ina was about to say something.


    But I won¡¯t let her finish it.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t for your sake. I want you to say it.¡± (Souma)


    (¡­Yes!) (Ina)


    Ina, who answered with a tearful yet happy voice, probably can¡¯t even begin to imagine it.


    ¡­Just what will happen from this action.


    There¡¯s no doubt she doesn¡¯t even imagine she is about to do something here that might destroy the world.


    But that¡¯s fine.


    I decided to push it till the very end.


    ¡°Souma Sagara¡­¡±


    (And Ina Trail¡­)


    That¡¯s why we speak out the last words.


    The irreversible oath.


    ¡°¡°Swear eternal love under the name of the Only God, Ledistas-sama.¡±¡±


    The words of the two end.


    It was at that moment¡­


    Light descends from the sky, directed at the Monolith.


    The divine yet ominous demonic light.


    (¡­Yeah, I know about it.) (Souma)


    I know this sight.


    <<Congratulations! Truly congratulations!>>


    Within this guilty sense of accomplishment and floating feeling like that of being drunk, I heard that voice from above.


    I know the identity of this voice.


    I know what is going to happen from now on.


    <<Let me bless you two for your wonderful love.>>


    The thing that was called the worst in the game: the Blessing of the Demon Lord.


    Blessing and curse; the reversal of virtue and evil.


    The time freezing curse that changes your beloved one into a statue without allowing any inbetween.


    <<The blessing of the Only God in this world, the familiar of the Evil God Dis Aster-sama, the Demon Lord that will bring the end of this world!>>


    The declaration of the Demon Lord that came from the infinite sadism and joy in their heart towards the foolish victims¡­


    For the present me, that choice is¡­


    <<Then, let¡¯s grant the blessing of immortality to the bride.>>


    Truly a blessing.


    That day, due to the lightning that rained all so suddenly, the head figures of the kingdom were cursed.


    The Light Hero, Alex; top knight, Spark Hawk; fearful Jane; the immortal Raiden.


    Those people who shone brighter than anyone, those people who should have passed their lives more densely than anyone, had been turned into statues. Not letting them live or die due to the curse of the Demon Lord.


    Within the list of victims that numbered the dozens, there was the medic I know well that was dispatched to Lamurick, Thiel Rentia; the one affiliated to the Knight Order, Jessica Kretia; and¡­


    ¡­The adventurer that was found on top of a tree in the Lizamisu Wasteland, Ina Trail.

 CH 112

    Light


    Dark


    A while after the Demon Lord¡¯s voice could not be heard anymore, I couldn¡¯t move a single finger from the lethargy, and was just standing still there.


    I can¡¯t hear the voice of Ina in my ears anymore.


    But the fact that I heard the voice of the Demon Lord must mean that the marriage proposal event has safely succeeded.


    At the very least, that¡¯s the only thing I can believe in.


    After recognizing the current situation, I finally have leeway to give a bit of attention to the surroundings.


    ¡°Ringo.¡± (Souma)


    I look back and call her name.


    ¡°¡­Souma.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo was okay.


    But even when I called her, she for some reason was still hanging her head down and wasn¡¯t moving at all.


    ¡°Ringo¡­?¡± (Souma)


    When I tilted my head at that reaction, something approached us at astounding speed.


    ¡°Mitsuki!!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief. So everyone was okay.¡± (Mitsuki)


    It is Mitsuki who went to protect Ina.


    Mitsuki let out a sigh of relief after seeing us, but that¡¯s actually what I should be saying.


    ¡°More importantly, was your side okay, Mitsuki? That lightning fell at your place¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°No problem. There¡¯s a special technique in the Hisame Style called Raikiri <Lightning Cut>.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­I see.¡± (Souma)


    Looks like she cut the lightning of the curse.


    I couldn¡¯t help but question if that¡¯s how it works, but we are talking about Nekomimi here, so she might have gotten preferential treatment from the developers.


    Mitsuki could get away from the time stop in the game too despite being a marriageable character, so I thought she must have had some sort of countermeasure.


    But well, I didn¡¯t expect her solution was to cut it though.


    ¡°¡­Fuuh.¡± (Souma)


    But with this matter, my strength has left me nicely.


    You can call me selfish here, but it is in part because I am relieved after confirming that my comrades are okay.


    The Blessing of the Demon Lord is an event where the marriage partner and all the marriageable characters are hit with the time stop curse.


    The Bear¡­would be out of the question.


    Princess Shermia wasn¡¯t a marriageable character to begin with, and Ringo has been separated from the game system.


    Mitsuki, who is a marriageable character wasn¡¯t affected by the event.


    I have managed to confirm the safety of these two.


    As for Maki who is in the position of Princess Shermia, she should most likely be fine.


    But as for the other people¡­


    ¡°¡­Gotta confirm.¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s the least I can do as the one that caused this.


    ¡°What happened? I came back thinking an abnormality had occurred, but could it be¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave the talk for later. Let¡¯s go inside the city for now.¡± (Souma)


    I stop Mitsuki, who had her cat ears raised as if trying to intimidate, open up the way through the merchants, and head to the entrance of the city¡­


    But¡­


    ¡°¡­Ringo?¡± (Souma)


    For some reason, Ringo was not coming along.


    When I looked back, Ringo wasn¡¯t moving a step from her original position, and was looking down at her own hand as if melancholic.


    Even though the Bear was poking her face while riding her shoulder, she wasn¡¯t reacting at all.


    ¡°Ringo!¡± (Souma)


    She finally raised her head when I shouted.


    Our eyes made contact, and Ringo hid her left hand on her back as if she had come back to her senses.


    I don¡¯t really get it, but it seems like there¡¯s some sort of problem.


    I walk back and ask her.


    ¡°Ringo, are you okay? Could it be that something happened¡­?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Nothing.¡± (Ringo)


    But the face of the usually expressionless Ringo was clearly stiff.


    ¡°I see? If there¡¯s any issues¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°None¡­ I¡¯m okay.¡± (Ringo)


    Even when I asked again, she simply answered back with that.


    When I was wondering if I should say something more¡­


    ¡°¡­Are you going¡­to the city?¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Eh? Y-Yeah.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Then, we should hurry.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo took my hand and began walking ahead.


    ¡°Ah, oi, no need to pull that hard¡­¡± (Souma)


    I speak to her, but she doesn¡¯t stop.


    She grabbed my hand tightly as if saying there¡¯s no way she would let go, as she walked further and further ahead.


    But, is it my imagination?


    The hand of Ringo that¡¯s holding mine tightly¡­felt like it was trembling faintly.


    Of course, we soon regrouped with Mitsuki and¡­


    ¡°I see, that¡¯s why you returned at that time.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yes, I wasn¡¯t sure if to, but I thought it was of utmost importance to confirm your safety.¡± (Mitsuki)


    I managed to hear a bit about the circumstances from Mitsuki.


    On her way to save Ina, Mitsuki also heard the voice of the Demon Lord.


    She got vigilant at the ominous words and lightning suddenly came down.


    She somehow managed to overcome that, but she had judged that something strange was happening, and decided to return for now.


    ¡°Also, the reaction of Ina-san from the Explorer Ring is strange.


    Even though it is certainly detecting the person, the response is weak¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    The response being weak is most likely because the time of Ina has been stopped.


    That¡¯s why this most likely confirms that I have succeeded.


    But I don¡¯t know what kind of face I should be making in response to that.


    Fortunately, the time for that soon came to an end.


    ¡°What is that?¡± (Souma)


    We found a crowd at the front.


    That¡¯s most likely what I am searching for.


    ¡°I will check it out for a bit.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Saying this, Mitsuki weaved through the crowd and advanced.


    It didn¡¯t take long for her to disappear inside it.


    A display of skill that I can only say is as expected. We wouldn¡¯t be able to copy that.


    I thought about chasing after her, but before that, I looked back.


    ¡°¡­Ringo.¡± (Souma)


    When we regrouped with Mitsuki, Ringo soon let go of my hand, and she has been walking a few steps behind us the whole time since then.


    Even when I asked her if something happened, she simply shook her head with a downcast look and didn¡¯t answer me at all.


    She seemed to be withered even now and won¡¯t make eye contact.


    That¡¯s why I¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± (Souma)


    This time around, I was the one who took the hand of Ringo.


    ¡°¡­Sou¡­ma?¡± (Ringo)


    Her beautiful blue eyes looked at me in surprise.


    My tongue suddenly stiffened.


    ¡°Ah, uhm, you know¡­can you follow me?¡± (Souma)


    Hearing my words that sounded like an excuse, Ringo once again opened her eyes wide.


    And then¡­


    ¡°¡­No matter what happens¡­¡± (Ringo)


    Her eyes that were downcast the whole time until now showed a strong light and¡­


    ¡°¡­I will always follow you, Souma.¡± (Ringo)


    She grabbed back my hand tightly.


    ¡°Uwah!¡± (Souma)


    I fell forward and let out a strange noise.


    We desperately pushed our way through the crowd and, suddenly, there were no people around us.


    Ringo and I jumped out from the extra momentum.


    ¡°Wa?!¡± (Souma)


    But that surprise grew hazy and disappeared at what I witnessed at the front.


    What was there was a perfected work of art depending on your perspective.


    That burly and muscular figure with both arms upwards as if displaying his body reminiscent of Greco-Roman statues¡­was by no means a mere sculpture.


    That figure of his was like that of a life-like wax doll. The face of this half-naked man was familiar¡­


    ¡°Could it possibly be¡­¡± (Souma)


    While I was frozen in front of ¡®that¡¯, Mitsuki, who had arrived first, came to my side and nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s no doubt. This is¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    And then, as if supporting my conviction, she said confidently¡­


    ¡°This is¡­the double frontal biceps.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Excuse me?!¡± (Souma)


    Not Baccarat?!


    Receiving my questioning look, Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears got surprised.


    ¡°This unpleasant pose that my father made often after finishing a bath, if I remember correctly, he called it the double frontal biceps. Was it wrong?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Who asked you about the pose?!!¡± (Souma)


    The shock or grim emotions of seeing an acquaintance cursed were all blown away with that.


    ¡°Good grief¡­¡± (Souma)


    I leaked that out and Mitsuki twitched her cat ears as if satisfied.


    ¡°A grim look really doesn¡¯t suit you. I don¡¯t know the circumstances, but even if you are feeling down, the situation won¡¯t be resolving itself, right?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Mitsuki¡­¡± (Souma)


    Looks like Mitsuki saw through my conflicts and tried to cheer me up in her own way.


    I find it questionable that her way of doing so was a body-building joke, but that also raised the question of whether there¡¯s body-building in this world. Anyways, my gloom was blown away.


    This time around, I face the cursed Baccarat in a composed manner.


    Baccarat¡¯s body is completely stiffened up, and no matter where I touch him, the only thing I can feel is as if I am touching a cold rock.


    I may not be able to change the pose, but it is possible to move him from his position.


    When I pushed him hard, his body moved slightly backwards.


    In science fiction, things normally get complicated when time freezing or time stop comes into play, but this is a fantasy world.


    It is a time stop that is more rough on the edges. In magic terms, it is more like a state where their body functions have been stopped.


    As if pulled by my actions, Ringo nervously touched the body of Baccarat while Mitsuki did so reluctantly.


    ¡°¡­Pantomime?¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°He is completely stiffened. He might serve as a shield.¡± (Mitsuki)


    And then said something rude.


    I looked around and saw Alex deep in too.


    This one had his sword up and was frozen in a pose that was truly like that of a hero¡¯s statue.


    I am a bit worried that the children will be doodling on his body.


    A bit further away, there¡¯s Raiden who is looking back with an exasperated look and a wry smile as he kindly watches over Alex and the others.


    But that Raiden is also frozen in place and isn¡¯t moving.


    Even when I was prepared for this, my chest hurt a bit.


    And then, I look even further to the side, and there¡¯s a comparatively smaller figure there.


    ¡°Sazan¡­¡± (Souma)


    That mage boy was not taking a peculiar pose like his other comrades.


    It was as if he was watching his comrades, spaced out, and was simply standing there.


    I wonder why.


    Even though I said I hate Sazan, my chest felt like it was squeezed harder than when I saw the others.


    I slowly approached Sazan.


    I spoke to him while looking at his mask that wasn¡¯t moving an inch.


    ¡°Hey, Sazan, I thought of you as the worst kind of guy and hated you in the game, but maybe in this world, I could have¡­¡± (Souma)


    While I was saying this, I placed a hand on his shoulder and¡­


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Souma)


    The next moment I opened my eyes wide at the warm and soft feeling of a human¡­


    ¡°W-What are you doing all of a sudden, you bastard!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan, who had not moved an inch until now, shook off my hand.


    ¡°What were you trying to do by taking advantage that my comrades¡ªI mean, my slaves have been hit by a curse?! I-If I get serious, I can turn you into dust with the strongest of spells, you know?! I-It is the truth!!¡± (Sazan)


    He seems to be shouting something, but it is barely registering in my ears.


    What took over my mind right now was that Sazan is moving.


    ¡°S-Sazan? You¡­what about the curse of the Demon Lord¡­?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this, Sazan shrugged his shoulders.


    ¡°It is true that mine slaves have fallen from the magic of this fellow called Demon Lord. But me who houses great darkness in my body and am called the heaven-sent child of the darkness, something of that degree¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°I see! There¡¯s no way it would be possible to get married with someone like you after all! Man, I am glad you can¡¯t be married!!¡± (Souma)


    Now that I think about it, I have never heard of a marriage event with Sazan.


    Even if it did exist, I definitely wouldn¡¯t do it, but if I have never heard about it, it must mean that it doesn¡¯t exist.


    I got excited here and unconsciously grabbed the hand of Sazan and waved it.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I am this happy about you being okay! Man, seriously, thanks! Thanks for not being someone that can be married!!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­You bastard, do you have a grudge against me?¡± (Sazan)


    As for Sazan himself, he is saying nonsense with a reproachful tone, but I couldn¡¯t lower my rising excitement here.


    Also, if we are talking about having grudges, I of course have.


    ¡°F-For how long are you going to be doing this?!¡± (Sazan)


    Unfortunately, Sazan soon shook off our held hands.


    ¡°More importantly, do you know what happened here? I heard the voice of the Demon Lord too, but even with my exemplary brain, I can¡¯t understand the situation. What should I do in order to cure these¡­these guys?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Sazan¡­¡± (Souma)


    I was speechless for a moment at the unexpected emotions that Sazan showed.


    But I reached a conclusion with that.


    ¡°¡­Right.¡± (Souma)


    Let¡¯s stop the mourning and brooding of what I myself did.


    It is not too late to do that after everything is done.


    Right now I should be moving for the sake of the people that have been cursed by the Demon Lord because of me.


    As the first step for that, I run to the place of Raiden.


    ¡°Ah, oi!¡± (Sazan)


    I ignore Sazan and run close to where Raiden is.


    And then¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief. It is here.¡± (Souma)


    I picked up the key that was at his feet.


    This is a quest item: the Golden Key.


    In Nekomimi Neko, when the main characters die or are frozen by the curse of the Demon Lord, you won¡¯t be able to continue the quests that are involved with them.


    Because that would make it impossible to clear the game like that, the people that have died or are cursed will drop the necessary quest items.


    ¡°Y-You bastard, that¡¯s a possession of Raiden¡¯s, right?! How dare you brazenly steal in broad daylight¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Mitsuki, Ringo!¡± (Souma)


    I ignored Sazan who was making a fuss and called my two comrades.


    At the same time, I picture the characters that have been hit by the Demon Lord¡¯s curse, and the quest items those characters hold.


    I think about the quests that I will be needing from now on, and count from there what is the minimum that I need.


    Someone might pick up the quest items on the ground as time passes.


    I must act as fast as possible.


    I ordered the two who came running to me at once.


    ¡°We are moving. We have to gather items first.¡± (Souma)


    Ringo, Mitsuki, the Bear, and for some reason Sazan -who was still complaining- joined in the search, and we gathered the minimum required quest items¡­I think.


    We went around in priority order, but at the end, there really were items that others must have taken.


    But in this world where freedom has increased, even if we are missing some items, we can compensate by managing something.


    After we finished going around, I announced the end of the search.


    The surroundings were already dark.


    I want to go back and sleep, but can¡¯t do that.


    ¡°I am sorry, but I would like you to do one more job. Ringo, I would like you to bring the bodies of Raiden and the others to the mansion together with Sazan. It would be pitiful to just leave them in the open like that.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Okay, got it.¡± (Ringo)


    Done with Ringo, I faced Mitsuki this time around.


    ¡°Mitsuki, you go with the Bear to talk with Maki. Explain what has happened, and set a time we can meet.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Understood.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki nodded too and we were supposed to scatter, but for some reason, the gazes of everyone were still on me.


    I made a dubious look at this, and Sazan stepped to the front representing everyone and asked me.


    ¡°And what will you be doing in that time?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Me? I¡­¡± (Souma)


    I could feel the gazes moving south naturally as I answered.


    What I will be doing is something that I actually wanted to do immediately, but was holding back the whole time on.


    In other words¡­


    ¡°I will go meet that person.¡± (Souma)


    I can surpass Mitsuki in speed when it comes to level ground, but when it comes to terrain with a lot of curves and in super long distances, I lose to Mitsuki by one or two steps.


    The path that Mitsuki said would take her 2 hours, I got there in 3 hours, and so, I arrived at the Lizamisu Wasteland.


    Beast monsters would occasionally attack me in the darkness, but¡­


    ([Step], [Side Slash]!) (Souma)


    With enemies of this level, there¡¯s no need for tricks.


    I literally swept through the enemies with a hit of Shiranui and searched for her.


    ¡°¡­There.¡± (Souma)


    A tall tree that only few exist in the field.


    She was on one of them.


    ¡°There we go.¡± (Souma)


    I climb the tree.


    With my enhanced physical strength, I smoothly climbed up the tree and approached Ina.


    ¡°Ina¡­¡± (Souma)


    How many days has it been since I separated from her in Lamurick.


    Even though it has been a while, she hasn¡¯t changed.


    Ina was covering the Communication Ring on her left hand with her right as if it were the most precious thing in the world, and had a posture as if she were praying.


    I peeked at her face, and looking at her closely, I could see a tear rolling down her face -that must have been judged as part of her body- frozen in time together with Ina.


    Right now I have no means of knowing if those are tears of sadness or happiness.


    ¡°Ina, I am sorry.¡± (Souma)


    Even though I knew it was pointless, I still tried to wipe off that tear.


    My hand was obviously stopped by the hard sensation, yet I had to try despite knowing this would happen.


    But I pushed off those feelings of mine and¡­


    ¡°I am sorry, but please wait for only 10 days. Within 10 days, I will definitely¡­¡± (Souma)


    Below the brilliant shining moon, I declared this with strong will towards Ina who didn¡¯t answer¡­who couldn¡¯t answer.


    ¡°¡­Defeat the Demon Lord.¡± (Souma)

 CH 113

    Light


    Dark


    I returned to the mansion, and after carrying Ina to a room, I headed to the living room. The gazes of everyone there gathered onto me.


    Ringo looked up at me with a more anxious face than normal.


    Mitsuki looked at me with a calm face and her ears standing upright.


    The Bear was wearing the red cloak of before and tilting backwards from the weight while still looking at me.


    Maki is simply directing her gaze at me while eating the famed maple honey pudding from Dust.


    Sazan, who had curled up in a corner because of the group of strangers, stood up with energy the moment he saw me .


    It is a vexing group of misfits, but there¡¯s no doubt each one of them excels in their area of expertise.


    Especially for the last one. There¡¯s a lot of things I want to say to him, but he must have come here prepared for that.


    I swallowed my complaints.


    In exchange, I voiced out something more important.


    ¡°Let me say this first. The one who brought upon the Curse of the Demon Lord that is pushing this city¡­no, this country into chaos¡­was me.


    I provoked the Demon Lord knowing that this would happen.¡± (Souma)


    Hearing that confession of mine¡­


    ¡°W-What did you say?!¡± (Sazan)


    The only one who reacted heavily was Sazan.


    Ringo and Mitsuki most likely were aware a long time ago.


    Ringo looked even more worried at me, and Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears simply twitched once but stayed calm. Maki seemed to have already guessed that and simply nodded with an ¡®I knew it¡¯ and continued eating her pudding.


    Also, the moment I finished speaking, the Bear finally fell behind over the weight -though that probably has nothing to do with what I said.


    Not being blamed to this extent is instead a bit unsettling, but the best way to repent for this is not by apologizing here.


    That¡¯s why I speak out the next words.


    ¡°And so, I have decided¡­ I will defeat the Demon Lord. I want the cooperation of everyone for the sake of this.¡± (Souma)


    When I said this¡­


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s a given.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°That was my intention from the very beginning.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Ringo and Mitsuki were the first ones to stand up and show their will.


    Right after, the Bear had finally stood back up and made a wicked grin.


    ¡°Well, it is an enemy that we had to defeat originally anyways. If it is something that Souma wants to do, I will help out with anything.¡± (Maki)


    Maki declared this as she finished eating her pudding.


    And then¡­


    ¡°¡­I¡­¡± (Sazan)


    The last remaining one¡­


    ¡°Just this once¡­ It can¡¯t be helped, so just this once, I will help you out.¡± (Sazan)


    He averted his masked face while saying this with a slightly clouded voice.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really want to cooperate with the very culprit that caused this situation, but I joined forces with Alex in the first place because he said we would defeat the Demon Lord. The Demon Lord is involved with my sealed right arm¡­ You could basically say it is my sworn enemy.


    Also, it is not like¡­I don¡¯t want to cure my slaves¡­¡± (Sazan)


    I push out a reminder to Sazan towards his half-baked words.


    ¡°Listen here. This time around, I won¡¯t have the leeway to show tact or consideration towards you. If you say you are going to cooperate, I will be working you to your bones.¡± (Souma)


    I am certain Sazan smiled below that iron mask of his.


    ¡°Hmph, don¡¯t belittle me! I am the famed mage, Sazan! That¡¯s why I won¡¯t mix trifle matters in the face of important moments. Just for this instance, I shall allow you to command me for the noble endeavor of executing the Demon Lord.¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan voices this out loudly.


    It is vexing, but just at that moment, he really did look like a great mage.


    ¡°¡­Then, that¡¯s settled.¡± (Souma)


    The powerful speech that I can¡¯t believe came from Sazan¡¯s mouth made me leak out a smile.


    I tightened my fist and declared with strengthened resolve.


    ¡°We will definitely defeat the Demon Lord with our own hands!!¡± (Souma)


    Now that we have united our wills, it is finally time to move to reality.


    The first one to speak was Maki who can keep tabs on the Knight Order.


    ¡°Ah, I thought you would be worried about it, so I heard about the situation revolving around the Curse of the Demon Lord. The frozen people will be safeguarded at the castle, and it seems like people who can¡¯t move outside the city as well, so the Knight Order has arranged so those people are also carried into the city too.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Have there been people who have¡­died from having their comrades stopped in place?¡± (Souma)


    Maki shook her head to the sides at my question.


    ¡°Hmm, there were people who hurriedly returned after having their comrades frozen, but it seems like the adventurers of this city that haven¡¯t been frozen are fine. It seems like there¡¯s still no information about the situation in other cities though.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s a relief for now. With this, we can concentrate on defeating the Demon Lord without any worries.¡± (Souma)


    What I feared the most was a party being wiped out from a party member freezing in the middle of their adventure. It means that there¡¯s no increase in deaths for now.


    Can¡¯t be relieved about that just yet, but judging from what Maki said, there¡¯s nothing of the sort as of yet.


    ¡°But do you have a plan? Defeating the Demon Lord is the dearest wish of the people in this world. Subjugation raids have been formed numerous times, but not only defeating the Demon Lord, there hasn¡¯t been anyone who has successfully arrived at the Demon Lord Castle.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki spoke as she let her cat ears rest.


    That worry of hers is natural.


    ¡°About that¡­we should be able to manage somehow. At the very least, I have the information that can allow us to.¡± (Souma)


    Even if it is an unknown endeavor for Mitsuki and the others, this is something that I have experienced a number of times in the game.


    If there¡¯s no changes in how it works, there¡¯s no doubt we can clear this depending on how we do it.


    But¡­


    ¡°The problem is the time limit. I am thinking about defeating the Demon Lord in 10 days.¡± (Souma)


    When I said this, everyone obviously made a surprised expression.


    Ringo doesn¡¯t seem to really get it, Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears were twitching, and Maki was making an honest shocked expression.


    As for Sazan, he was looking at me with eyes as if saying ¡®What¡¯s with this dude? Is this guy the most delusional person of the century?¡¯.


    He is the last person I would want to be looked at like that, but it is not like I don¡¯t understand how he feels.


    However, there¡¯s a reason why I must solve this within 10 days.


    According to the 7743 Reports compiled by the players of Nekomimi Neko, the players only have a mere 10 days remaining after the Blessing of the Demon Lord.


    7743 Reports.


    Also known as Anonymous Reports**. It is the biggest data of the massive number of victims from the Blessing of the Demon Lord, and it is also linked in the Nekomimi Neko Wiki. <Anonymous is Nanashi in japanese. This is a wordplay of Nana (7) Shi (4) San (3) combined into Nanashi-san Reports.>


    Most of the reports encapsulate the players that have had their data forcefully saved by the Blessing of the Demon Lord and have tried to aim for a game clear.


    Putting it simply, it is a playthrough diary.


    There would be theories and confirmations added to this, and it was at some point in time called with an exaggerated name like 7743 Reports.


    There¡¯s an ocean of things reported there, but within those, the most important one is that: after the Blessing of the Demon Lord happens, the only remaining playtime you have is 10 days.


    In this game, even if deaths happen, you can still continue playing like normal, but Nekomimi Neko is industrious when it comes to detriments. Actually, when characters die, a few cons happen.


    When an adventurer dies, the Monster Invasion Progress bar around the areas will increase faster; when a merchant dies, the price for commodities increases and the prices of items make a sudden jump; when a knight dies, public order worsens and bandit related events occur more often; when a famous person dies, the city will lose energy, and it will be harder for events to happen.


    Each of them individually don¡¯t cause much effect, but if it is dozens of them, the story changes.


    The ones who are hit by the Blessing of the Demon Lord will have the cons of a dead person applied to them.


    This game allows the marriage with people of the same gender, so almost all the characters that you can marry should have had their time stopped regardless of the player¡¯s gender.


    Also, those marriageable characters are mostly characters with high power, so their cons are comparably bigger than when others die.


    Due to the loss of chief characters, the nation will visibly decline, and once it has reached a critical state, a variety of problems will explode. That is the 10 day countdown of the Blessing of the Demon Lord.


    In this world, events happen without me getting involved.


    If a fatal event happens somewhere I am not in¡­or even if it is not that big of an event, once 10 days pass, it will be impossible to avoid casualties from popping out because of this.


    That¡¯s why I want to finish this within 10 days at all costs.


    No, I must.


    You might think, who do you think you are after causing all of this?


    But I definitely don¡¯t want any deaths to come out from this matter.


    This is not for the sake of the people that might die from this, but for a much selfish  reason.


    ¡°Hmm, I know that Souma is versed in those areas, but¡­will you really be able to defeat the Demon Lord in 10 days?¡± (Maki)


    Maki went straight to the core of the topic as if cutting off my self-deprecating thoughts.


    If I had to choose between one or the other, I would say she is an idiot, but the gears in her brain do turn well.


    Before, when I talked to Maki about clearing the game, I postponed that and prioritized searching for the method to return.


    If I had been sure that I could defeat the Demon Lord in 10 days at that time, I would have headed to defeat the Demon Lord first before searching for the method to return.


    And the reality is that I did think it would be impossible to defeat the Demon Lord within 10 days at that time.


    But right now the situation is a bit different from then.


    ¡°We will be thinking about whether we can do that from here on.¡± (Souma)


    I say that and drop my gaze to the table.


    You could say it is in theory possible to go to the Demon Lord Castle and defeat the Demon Lord even at level 1.


    However, even if the Demon Lord Castle itself exists since the beginning of the game, it is still the base of the last boss.


    You can¡¯t just reach that place by regular means.


    What will help us solve that is¡­


    ¡°These are¡­the items we got this time around, huh¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    The numerous quest items that are lined up on top of the table.


    Aside from the Golden Key, there¡¯s also many keys of varied forms and sizes, colorful gems and jewels, a gray relief, a miniature model of a city that¡¯s inside a glass case with water in it, a silver sake cup of pristine color, and even a toy duck and a rubber ball. There really are a wide variety of items here.


    ¡°It really is difficult¡­¡± (Souma)


    This still isn¡¯t reassuring for our objective of reaching the Demon Lord in 10 days.


    No, putting it bluntly, it would be impossible.


    It is not that we are lacking the items, but the fact that there¡¯s way too many events we have to achieve from here on.


    You could even say the amount of quest items we have right now is way too little in order to go to the Demon Lord Castle.


    Just like the key of Raiden and the silver sake cup, there¡¯s a lot of key items that will be necessary for the next event.


    With these many items, we can do all the Demon Lord related events, but 10 days is not enough at all.


    In order to challenge the Demon Lord in perfect condition, you need to finish more than 120 events.


    We have obtained a number of quest items ahead of time and understand most of the ways to clear the events, so we can take a pretty good amount of shortcuts, but 10 days is still too tight of a deadline.


    What I should be thinking about first is what events I should be doing to fight the Demon Lord in the shortest required amount of time.


    In the game days, regardless of parameters, skills, and exploits, you had to take countermeasures in order to challenge the Demon Lord Castle. Basically, there were 3 walls you had to overcome no matter how strong you were.


    What we must solve here first are these 3 things.


    The 1st one are the dark clouds around the Demon Lord Castle.


    If you approach the Demon Lord Castle without countermeasures, you will get hit by lightning coming from the clouds and die instantly no matter how high your defense is. You must protect your body by obtaining a specific item.


    However, we have that item within the items we got.


    We can greatly decrease the damage from the lightning with this, so we should be able to manage somehow.


    The 2nd one is the seal of the large gates at the Demon Lord Castle.


    The castle gates of the Demon Lord Castle have a number of gimmicks to keep them locked, but if you are heading there solo, you can get through most of them with the Mirage Prison Wall Jump.


    However, the last door before the Demon Lord is a safe zone, and you can¡¯t use skills.


    For that door alone, you need to do something about it without relying on bugs.


    Undoing the seal of this door is a pain, and I doubt we will make it in time within the 10 days we have.


    That said, there¡¯s actually a hidden trick to open that last door without doing the event.


    There¡¯s an event where you have to input keywords totalling 4 syllables in order to open the large gate.


    If you write Open The Gates here, you can safely open the large gate of the Demon Lord Castle, but if you input There Is A Fire, for some reason, all the doors of the Demon Lord Castle open up.


    By using this, you can easily open the door before the Demon Lord too.


    But this hidden trick is a double-edged sword.


    Because once you do this, the monsters that were at the other side of those doors will be attacking you all at the same time, so the clear difficulty will jump up by several times more.


    There were many reports of people who have suddenly gotten surrounded by dozens of monsters the instant they step into the Demon Lord Castle after using this trick and, when that happens, you won¡¯t even be able to prove a match unless you have an overwhelming difference in ability.


    However, having to be reckless is something I was already aware of when I signed up for this.


    And it is also true that you will require at least the power to deal with those if you are planning on challenging a Demon Lord that hasn¡¯t been weakened.


    Even if the battle will be more difficult, there¡¯s no other way but that one to open the door.


    I am thinking of challenging the Demon Lord Castle using this hidden trick.


    And so, the 3rd and most troublesome obstacle is the blood pond around the Demon Lord Castle.


    At the bottom of the volcano crater where the Demon Lord Castle is in, there¡¯s a blood pond that is accumulated at the bottommost part of the mortar shaped terrain. It is said those are the remains of the people that have challenged the Demon Lord until now.


    This point that is boiling with the heat of the volcano is an impregnable zone that blocks the path of the player in system terms.


    The Demon Lord Castle is surrounded by this blood pond, so you of course need to overcome that pond in order to get to the castle.


    However, in order to achieve this, you need an item called the Moon Bridge, but in order to obtain that, you need to perform a ritual in full moon, crescent moon, half-moon, and new moon with the First Moon Sake Cup to gather the power of the moon.


    This is most likely the biggest bottleneck in the quests of Nekomimi Neko. Because of the order of the ritual and the phases of the moon, it will take 1 month no matter what.


    And I of course can¡¯t afford that amount of time.


    For this one, I will have to ignore the knowledge in my game days and somehow manage to clear that pond without the Moon Bridge.


    Fortunately, this world doesn¡¯t have action restrictions towards the player contrary to its game days.


    If I use Air Hammer and Instant Charge, I should be able to cross that pond alone.


    That said, if I am thinking of bringing my comrades, I have to eliminate the pond or climb over it through a bridge or something.


    (Maybe I really should use some random items to create footing? No, if I take too much time, the lightning will¡­) (Souma)


    The lightning can be mitigated with the quest item, but a certain degree of damage will still get through.


    I think it is damage that will prove no issues to run through, but it will be a bit rough if it is to stop your feet and do manual labor.


    (Then, maybe we should create a hole somewhere to drain the blood pond?


    ¡­That won¡¯t work.


    It is accumulated at the very bottom of the crater, so it is impossible to dra¡ªhm?) (Souma)


    For some reason, my own words bothered me.


    (I see.


    Even if it has a peculiar aspect, it is still liquid without doubt.


    Then¡­) (Souma)


    When I thought that, an idea to clear this appeared in my head.


    Just turn your perspective around.


    Getting rid of it or going around it is not the only way to deal with it.


    ¡°Alright, I have decided!¡± (Souma)


    Saying this, I punched the palm of my hand and looked at everyone gathered here.


    ¡°We will now be heading to the underwater city and get the underwater aptitude item.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Huh?!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan froze at my sudden words, but my decision won¡¯t change.


    It is currently 11:52 PM.


    We should be able to make it in time even from here on.


    I don¡¯t know when we will be able to gather all the members next time.


    If we are going to move, it has to be now.


    Everyone was looking at me with bewildered looks as I put the quest items in the bag and rummaged through it. Mitsuki eventually came to the front to represent them.


    ¡°I have certainly heard rumors that, at the very depths of the underwater city, in the treasury room of the chimera being, Poseidal, there¡¯s a treasure that allows you to live freely inside the water.


    But we are heading out from here on?


    It is said that the location of the underwater city has been unknown for several decades. It is already late in the night, so departing at this time is a bit¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    I bring the items out as I give a bold answer to that.


    ¡°I plan on returning here after 2 hours, and there¡¯s no need to worry about the traversal underwater.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± (Mitsuki)


    I picked up an item.


    The miniature city model that¡¯s inside a glass case full of water.


    ¡°The underwater city is right here.¡± (Souma)

 CH 114

    *Bon Bon¡­*


    The dull sound of antique clocks rang in the mansion.


    22 of them.


    It is the clock that notifies you that it is midnight.


    Pushing away that somewhat ominous sound of it, Mitsuki spoke.


    ¡°Is this really the underwater city?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Yeah. It is understandable that no one could find the location of the underwater city. The world inside this case is the city called the underwater city.¡± (Souma)


    There¡¯s a glass case big enough for me to wrap both of my arms completely in front of me.


    You can see a miniature city inside this case filled with water.


    But there¡¯s no opening at all in this case.


    As far as one can see, it looks as if it is impossible to interact with this smooth surface.


    But this is a magic item.


    Considering the size issue too, there¡¯s no way you can use normal means to enter it.


    ¡°Well, showing you would be faster. Everyone, come here and place your hand on top of this.¡± (Souma)


    Everyone including the Bear touched the glass case of the Underwater City.


    (Hm? I feel like I am forgetting something¡­) (Souma)


    That thought crossed my mind for a moment, but¡­


    (No, right now we have to hurry.) (Souma)


    I don¡¯t want to waste much time.


    I snap back into it and try to speak out in the clearest tone I can muster.


    ¡°¡ªTo where the water dragon resides!¡± (Souma)


    I blacked out for an instant.


    ¡°Woah¡­¡± (Souma)


    For a second, it felt as if the world had expelled us, or as if we had disappeared. It was a strange and hard to describe sensation.


    It felt somewhat similar to the time when I first entered this world.


    (I see, so this is how it feels to teleport.) (Souma)


    I looked around as I felt this.


    The sight in my eyes was not that of the western style mansion I have already grown used to living in.


    What¡¯s covering all directions is water.


    A sight as if we had entered an aquarium spread before my eyes.


    That¡¯s right, this is inside the glass case already.


    We are in the Underwater City.


    Anyways, it would be best to confirm the safety of everyone first.


    Thinking this, I searched for everyone and¡­


    ¡°Is everyone¡­ah.¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s when I finally remembered what I had forgotten.


    My comrades were making shocked expressions.


    Within those, there¡¯s of course ¡®her¡¯ who has cat ears.


    Because we suddenly appeared inside the water, her clothes are now sticking tightly to her body like before¡­


    ¡°Yaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!¡± (Mitsuki)


    A feminine scream came out from Mitsuki as our underwater adventure began.


    This underwater city quest happens in midgame, so the level of the dungeon is around 130.


    The level of the enemies is by no means high, but as long as it is an underwater dungeon, you could say the difficulty has shot up drastically.


    It is true that you won¡¯t feel pain from lacking oxygen thanks to how the game works, and even without goggles, you can see normally.


    However, your movements will dull slightly from the water resistance, and even now, our HP is decreasing at an astounding rate.


    At this moment when I can¡¯t confirm the HP in the menu screen, it is possible to die with one moment of leniency in the healing.


    Especially in this dungeon where it isn¡¯t possible to use items like the Teleport Stone to escape.


    In order to get out, you have to reach the outer walls of the dungeon -the glass wall- and speak the keywords ¡®to the land of light¡¯ while touching it.


    There¡¯s also an assisting mechanism where there¡¯s a number of big bubbles of air in the resting points, and if you enter them, your HP gets automatically restored over time.


    In other words, the basic clear method of this dungeon is to quickly go from one air bubble to another to recover your HP. Due to this, the speed at which you defeat your enemies and your own movement speed is important.


    It is important, but¡­


    ¡°This is¡­troubling.¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki, who is supposed to be the main force in that front, has been rendered out of commission before the battle even began.


    I did try alleviating the problem for now by lending her extra armor I had, but¡­


    ¡°¡­Mitsuki, are you okay?¡± (Ringo)


    She was completely weakened to the point that it even worried the silent Ringo.


    As for Maki¡­


    ¡°Aah, I see. Cats do hate baths.¡± (Maki)


    She was nodding there, but I don¡¯t know about that.


    I think it is more likely because of her clothes getting transparent or her cat tail being seen, so getting wet must have become a trauma for her.


    Whichever the case, what¡¯s certain here is that Mitsuki is bad with water fields. She currently has a pale white face that doesn¡¯t have a shred of her usual dignified appearance, and her cat ears were telling fluently ¡®I want¡­to go hwome¡­¡¯.


    That¡¯s not the only factor that¡¯s lowering our battle power here.


    Fortunately, Ringo seems to be doing well even in the water. Rather, she is looking around as if finding all of this novel and couldn¡¯t find anything off about her, but I asked her to hold back on using Lightning Strike in the water.


    As the name Lightning Strike states, it is an electricity based attack.


    It is set as a physical normal attack, so I don¡¯t think there will be a problem, but I can¡¯t deny the possibility of an electric shock the moment she uses it.


    It would be safer to not take any unnecessary risks.


    Also, there¡¯s another person who is flustered inside the water. There¡¯s one idiot wearing a black robe and looking like he would be drowning on a whole lot of water.


    ¡°Guh! I knew it. The truly fearsome things are the threats that can¡¯t be seen with the naked eye!!


    It is coiling around me as if vengeful spirits are swarming on me, stealing away the freedom of my body!


    But for someone like me who has been blessed with power of the wicked and has made darkness my dwelling, such fetters¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan has been making noise for a while now.


    What he is saying is mostly nonsense, but as displeasing as it may be, you begin to understand what he is saying after getting used to it.


    According to my Sazan language translation engine that has been polished by my gaming days, he said this: ¡°T-The robe is sucking the water and it is heavy! B-But I won¡¯t lose!¡±


    He always exaggerates in whatever he does.


    I thought ¡®just take those clothes off already¡¯, but there¡¯s actually someone who is receiving the effects of the water the most strongly in the physical meaning.


    ¡°Bear, are you¡­okay?¡± (Souma)


    It is the Bear whose whole body is made from water absorbent material.


    Just when I thought the Bear had dragged its heavy body and climbed my body¡­


    ¡°Ah, oi?!¡± (Souma)


    It entered my Adventurer Bag at my waist without even my permission.


    Despite knowing that my voice was not going to be reaching, I still let out a baffled voice.


    ¡°Anything goes with you, huh¡­¡± (Souma)


    If I remember correctly, you can¡¯t put living things in there, but maybe it is categorized as inanimate because it is a plushie?


    The Bear easily entered the bag and disappeared.


    I want to know whether it is an NPC or an item already.


    Anyways, this is how everyone is carrying issues here, so the only ones who can fight normally here are probably me and Maki.


    Now that it has come to this, there¡¯s no choice but for us two to do our best.


    I directed a ¡®I am counting on you¡¯ gaze to Maki, but¡­


    ¡°S-Souma, you pervert!¡± (Maki)


    That gaze of mine didn¡¯t transmit at all, and she covered her chest with both arms.


    When I saw that, instead of being pissed by the misunderstanding, it made me sad.


    (Why is it that I only get weirdos as my companions¡­?) (Souma)


    I was getting dizzy here, but regardless, what¡¯s most imperative right now is to obtain items with the underwater attribute.


    I swallowed my complaints and shouted.


    ¡°Anyways, time is of essence. We are blasting through!¡± (Souma)


    As I said in the beginning, this Underwater City quest is a quest that shows up in the middle part of the story.


    The final objective here is to obtain the item that¡¯s in the treasury room at the center of the dungeon.


    The treasury room is in the biggest building of the Underwater City, and going straight there from the starting point may look like the shortest route, but there¡¯s black water swirling about in its surroundings.


    The players call this Poison Sludge and it is troublesome stuff. If you enter that without any countermeasures, you get hit with Damage over Time, Blind, and Lowered Movement Speed. And at the end, you get pushed back by the water current.


    If you try to get through this Poison Sludge normally, you won¡¯t ever be getting through it, and before you do that, you would need to obtain the equipment that¡¯s for exclusive use in this place, the Water Dragon Ring that can nullify the Poison Sludge.


    The normal flow of things would be to go to the corner of the opposite side of the city to get the Water Current Ring, equip it to get through the Poison Sludge, and defeat the guardian of the treasury room, Poseidal.


    In this treasury room, aside from the Unique Item, the Water Dragon Necklace, that gives the underwater aptitude to the wearer, there¡¯s also the quest item, Water Jewel.


    Or more like, the main objective in a normal playthrough would be to obtain the Water Jewel, and the other things are just extras.


    But if you have an item you get from the time stopped people, you can take a shortcut for the quest of the Water Jewel.


    This time around, I am not concentrating on the Water Jewel at all.


    That said, if we are going to be getting the Water Dragon Necklace, we will be getting the Water Jewel too, and I know pretty much the whole path of this dungeon by heart.


    I was thinking that, but I was too naive.


    I didn¡¯t notice the big problems that my party has.


    The fatal weak point of my party is¡­


    ¡°Everyone, don¡¯t get too far from me. There¡¯s water currents in some parts here, so you will end up washed away to weird places if you aren¡¯t careful.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Ah, w-what¡¯s this? My body is being washed away! Stop it! I am  the great mage, Saza¡ªuwaaaah!!!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°As we advance in this dungeon, our HP will slowly be drained. It would take time to heal if we stop moving, so let¡¯s hurry as much as we can¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Fu-Fumu, allow this great mage Sazan to give a proposal here. U-Uhm, my legs have tired, so I would like to take it a bit slower, you know¡­just kidding¡­¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°I command you as the great mage and owner of the strongest fire, Sazan, bring about the hellfire of the dark¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°We have defeated the enemy a long time ago! Or more like, even if you use fire magic here, it won¡¯t have any effect!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°This great mage Sazan commands, oh peak of the water, bring about a great flood from the accursed darkness¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°As I¡¯m telling you, your chants are way too long! Or more like, the enemies have resistance to water magic, so it won¡¯t be effective!¡± (Souma)


    ¡ªThe existence of Sazan.


    If there¡¯s a trap, he would fall for it; if there¡¯s an enemy, he would make a long chant, slowing our progress speed; and even when there¡¯s nothing happening, he would whine that he can¡¯t walk.


    It is a sight I have been shown thoroughly in the game days, but he is so useless here, it makes me wonder just what was the splendid attitude he showed me at the mansion.


    (Damn it! Even though I can¡¯t afford to dawdle here for the sake of defeating the Demon Lord¡­) (Souma)


    I thought this Underwater City would be easy, but because of Sazan, even though it has been more than 1 hour since we departed, we still haven¡¯t been able to reach the other side of the city.


    At the moment when my irritation had reached its peak, Sazan spoke once again.


    ¡°Hmph! If you are so bothered by me, s-shouldn¡¯t you just do ¡®that¡¯?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°What¡¯s ¡®that¡¯?¡± (Souma)


    I answered without hiding my bad mood.


    Sazan faltered for a second at my tone, but he said it in the end.


    ¡°You know¡­you can just carry me on your back again, right?!¡± (Sazan)


    This guy¡­this guy¡­just how much does he plan on pulling our legs?!


    I was on the verge of snapping at the words of Sazan, the future looking pitch black.

 CH 115

    Light


    Dark


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t drop me, okay?! You definitely must not!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°I won¡¯t, so just stay put!!¡± (Souma)


    I was finding it annoying from the bottom of my heart how Sazan was clinging even harder to me after that, but in the end, I obeyed him.


    Well, it is true that me carrying him would allow us to move a lot faster than having him complaining and stopping his feet.


    But I have stopped participating in the battles, so there¡¯s a visible drop in the speed at which enemies are being defeated.


    There¡¯s obviously me carrying Sazan on my back, but there¡¯s also Mitsuki who is still lacking energy, Ringo who can¡¯t use her Lightning Strike, and the Bear who is inside my bag.


    Our party is barely functioning, so that¡¯s natural.


    Within all that, the only one who was shining was Maki.


    When Maki catches sight of an enemy, she would jump one step faster than anyone, smack them with what seems to be a magic staff, and defeat the enemies in the blink of an eye.


    She was defeating the enemies without any issues with her high level, stats, and her inherent good intuition.


    Ringo follows after the same way since everything is fine aside from not being able to use Lightning Strike, but since she is not used to battles where she doesn¡¯t use it, she is being pushed back by Maki the whole time.


    (No, that¡¯s not all.) (Souma)


    I don¡¯t know if it is the difference in equipment, or because of the modifiers of Maki for being a princess, but there¡¯s a clear difference in their power.


    Especially that speed. It is overwhelming.


    As I have said before, within the many basic stats, agility works the same way as stamina in the fact that it is a stat that doesn¡¯t increase with level ups. It is one of the entries that¡¯s the most valued when evaluating the capabilities of a character.


    It affects almost all of your actions, and for the ones who have a high value of this, all their actions are faster, and they would show high performance in a variety of scenarios.


    Its base number is 100.


    When you get to the high levels, there will be ones showing up that have more than 1,000 in this stat, so you could say that¡¯s a low number in this game, but the reality is that more than 80% of the characters that exist in this game have a set value of 100 agility, and the player is also included in this.


    However, a number of characters are given even more or even less than that.


    The Nekomimi Neko Wiki has a page where they compare the speed of each character, and I remember that a bit.


    From the characters that show up in early game, the one considered high would be Ina with her 120 in regular state.


    When she enters train mode, I think her agility is 180.


    1.8 times may not be that big of a deal, but to put it in an easier to visualize way, it would be like a person that can run 100 meters in 18 seconds and a person that can run it in 10 seconds.


    In other words, there¡¯s at least a difference in speed comparable to that of a slow girl and a short distance athlete.


    Unfortunately, there was no data for the speed of Princess Shermia, but Ringo¡¯s speed is fast, and this is through feeling alone, but I think it is over 130 agility.


    But Maki is a whole level faster.


    I would say it is around 160¡­no, 170 in terms of agility.


    According to calculations, when you use Godstep Cancel, you apparently go 1.7 times faster than when running at full power, so Maki can reach that same degree of speed with a normal dash.


    By the way, the fastest character within all of the characters is of course Mitsuki, and her agility is 250.


    That speed of hers is already not in the realm of just fast. It is as if she is coded differently at that point.


    Her Cheetah nickname isn¡¯t just for show.


    Thinking back on it, it really was naive of me to think that I would be able to escape from her with Godstep Cancel way back.


    I have said before that Mitsuki is the only one who would fall in speed when using Step, but that¡¯s not accurate.


    It is true that Mitsuki¡¯s movement speed is faster than that of the player¡¯s Step, but agility also affects skills.


    And so, if Mitsuki uses Step, she would end up moving 2.5 times faster than the Step of a player.


    That applies to attacks as well.


    In the case Mitsuki attacks with the same skill as me, Mitsuki can get in 2.5 times more attacks in the time it takes for me to get one in. In the case when we chant the same spell, Mitsuki would be able to finish the chant in less than half the time it takes me.


    Moreover, her other stats and her sword mastery are top class, so it is an actual cheat in-game.


    Well, that in-game cheat is currently trembling like a kitten wet from the rain though.


    I deviated from the topic a bit there, but what I am trying to say here is that even a small difference in agility can create a big gap.


    Ringo is working hard here too, but the difference is clear to the eye.


    Situations where Maki would have already wiped out the enemy by the time Ringo arrived were common.


    Ringo doesn¡¯t seem to be bothered by it, but Maki probably understands that she is contributing a lot here, she is a lot more merry than usual.


    She came to my side and puffed her chest out at the time when we were taking a break inside the bubble.


    ¡°Ehehe, you must see me in a new light now, right~?¡± (Maki)


    ¡®It is getting to her head¡¯, is what I thought, but it is true that I am grateful for the help of Maki in this moment when we are not progressing well.


    ¡°Yeah, to be honest, it is thanks to you that we managed to get this far. You have been a great help. Thanks.¡± (Souma)


    It is a rare moment where I tell her my honest feelings, but she probably didn¡¯t expect me to actually praise her, she suddenly got all flustered.


    ¡°E-Eh? A-Aw, okay. Uhm¡­you have my thanks too.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°No, why are you thanking me?¡± (Souma)


    This slightly casual chat comforted my emotions that had been irritated by Sazan.


    Just when I made a faint smile¡­


    ¡°?!¡±


    A cracking sound was suddenly made close to me and I reflexively looked there.


    ¡°R-Ringo?¡± (Souma)


    The origin of that sound was Ringo.


    She looked back at me, facing the outside and with Wakizashi in hand.


    ¡°¡­I tried it out just now. Even here¡­I can properly use it.¡± (Ringo)


    A cracking sound was made at the same time as she said this, and lightning came out from the tip of the Wakizashi.


    It slipped out from the air bubble and advanced through the water at a speed that wasn¡¯t any different from when it was on land.


    Seeing this, I finally understood what was going on.


    Ringo must have done a test shot just now with her Lightning Strike.


    The inside of the bubble is filled with air, so there¡¯s no need to worry about getting shocked, and if you shoot it while facing the outside, you can tell whether Lightning Strike can be used inside the water.


    That¡¯s quite the good idea she got.


    Progress went well from there on.


    Ringo¡¯s Lightning Strike is several times faster than the movement speed of Maki.


    Because of the fact that they are lower level enemies, we managed to advance without having to stop our feet thanks to Ringo.


    ¡°The thing Ringo-chan is doing is so cool.¡± (Maki)


    The contribution of Ringo after being able to use Lightning Strike was dazzling, to the point that Maki was jealous of her.


    Hearing this, Ringo thought about it for a bit.


    ¡°¡­¡­I will¡­teach you next time.¡± (Ringo)


    She proposed this to Maki.


    Speaking of which, the character data of Maki should be the same as Ringo¡¯s.


    It shouldn¡¯t be impossible for her to use it.


    ¡°Eh? Is that okay?¡± (Maki)


    I don¡¯t know if Ringo knows about it or not, but she nodded at Maki.


    ¡°¡­That way¡­it will be of help for Souma too.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°I see. Ringo-chan, you are a good girl, huh.¡± (Maki)


    In the past, Ringo would only talk to me, but she has properly grown.


    She was fighting monsters while having that conversation.


    (Compared to that¡­) (Souma)


    I look at the luggage on my back.


    ¡°¡­W-What? Even if you look at me like that, I am not getting down!¡± (Sazan)


    I sighed while wondering when this guy will grow as we hurried to our destination.


    ¡°So we finally got all the way here, huh.¡± (Souma)


    It has already been 1 hour and 45 minutes since we teleported to the Underwater City.


    We have finally arrived at the opposite end of the Underwater City.


    It was a strange place.


    There¡¯s a number of weird holes on the ground, and small bubbles would come out from time to time.


    Deep in, there¡¯s a statue of a dragon, and this is what¡¯s written there: ¡°Let thine self be bestowed with the divine protection of the water dragon¡±.


    Those were some flamboyant words that sound as if they would come out from Sazan¡¯s mouth, but the meaning is simple.


    ¡°Mitsuki, please give me the rings you are wearing. Could you please put this one on in place of it?¡± (Souma)


    When I called Mitsuki and asked this of her, she slowly tilted her cat ears but still obeyed.


    I received the 4 Element Ring from Mitsuki and I gave her the Strength Up Ring that can be bought in stores.


    After confirming that she had put it on, I gave the next instruction.


    ¡°Next, please try touching the bubbles coming from there.¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki didn¡¯t seem to understand the situation well, but that¡¯s the fastest of Nekomimi Neko character for ya, even when her movements are dulled from being inside the water, she still managed to catch the bubble.


    ¡°?! This is¡­!!¡± (Mitsuki)


    The moment Mitsuki touched the bubble, the Strength Up Ring that Mitsuki had put on began to shine.


    At the same time as she did, a thin film wrapped up her body.


    Her shriveled cat ears were regaining energy.


    This is the ¡®Divine Protection of the Water Dragon¡¯.


    When you touch the bubbles coming out from that hole, one of the rings you are equipped with will change into the Water Dragon Ring.


    This Water Dragon Ring not only grants strong water resistance and underwater aptitude, but also completely nullifies the troublesome effects of the Poison Sludge.


    But, most likely because of how good it is, it is a time-limited item.


    It is equipment that can only be used in the Underwater City, so you can¡¯t just put it inside your bag or Cooler Box to bring them out. When you exit the glass case, it will always get destroyed.


    Moreover, even if you lose the Water Dragon Ring like that, you obviously don¡¯t get your original ring back.


    It would of course be pretty painful if you were equipped with an important ring, and it can also change rings that are required for quests, so in the worst case scenario, you might get hard stuck in your playthrough.


    Well, inconveniences like that are common in Nekomimi Neko, so there¡¯s no point in making a ruckus about it now, but there¡¯s the need to be careful.


    ¡°Everyone else as well, if you have important rings that you wouldn¡¯t want losing, please entrust them to me. I will give you replacement rings.¡± (Souma)


    I fortunately have bought a lot of store rings, so there¡¯s no lack of expendables.


    I chose a number of rings that don¡¯t seem to be useful and brought them out.


    I was thinking of distributing them to everyone, but then, I noticed a strange point.


    ¡°¡­Ringo? What happened to your other ring?¡± (Souma)


    Last time when we went to the accessory store, I remember having bought 2 rings for Ringo and she was wearing them in her right hand.


    But there¡¯s only one ring in her slender fingers.


    ¡°¡­L-Left hand. It would be unbalanced if they are both in the right after all.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo answered with that, but for some reason, she hid the important left hand on her back.


    Could it be that she lost it? That¡¯s what I thought, but¡­


    ¡°¡­Wait a bit.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo faced back, took off her rings, and gave me both.


    She properly had both, and it doesn¡¯t look like they are broken or damaged.


    And yet, Ringo¡¯s behavior was strange, but right now it is more important to get the Water Dragon Ring than questioning her.


    I gave the other 3 their rings too while they took off their own rings, changing them to useless store rings.


    Anyways, now that we have come all this way, there¡¯s only one more push left.


    That¡¯s what I thought, but¡­


    ¡°D-Damn it! Don¡¯t run away! Fight me fair and square!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, hey, wait! I am Sazan, you know?!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°¡­Oi.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Y-You damn mere bubble. To try and oppose me¡­ You must be quite¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you catch a mere bubble?!!¡± (Souma)


    Even then, Sazan was pulling our legs.


    Maki and Ringo, and even the Bear who poked its head out from the bag managed to catch a bubble, and yet, even after more than 5 minutes, Sazan was the only one chasing after the bubble.


    You can only get one ring per person, so you can¡¯t do it in his stead.


    We tried watching over here patiently, but when Sazan noticed that I was watching, he said unapologetically.


    ¡°H-Hmph, it is not my fault! It is this thing¡¯s fault for running so pretentiously despite being a bubble!¡± (Sazan)


    I obviously snapped at the words of Sazan.


    (T-This guy!!) (Souma)


    I reached the limit of my patience and was about to shout at him, but¡­


    ¡°¡­Souma.¡±


    I returned to my senses from the warm sensation I felt on my back.


    It is Ringo.


    Ringo stopped me by hugging me from behind.


    ¡°¡­You can¡¯t help him even if you get impatient.¡± (Ringo)


    Those words entered my ears when blood was rushing to my head.


    Those words that hit where it hurt were about to make my head boil again, but¡­


    (No, she is right¡­) (Souma)


    What Ringo is saying is completely right.


    Even if there¡¯s the matter with Ina, I am being way too impatient here.


    You can understand easily just by thinking calmly about it.


    The reason why Sazan can¡¯t catch the bubble isn¡¯t because he was slacking like before, but because his physical prowess is fatally low.


    Scolding someone one-sidedly when they are doing their best. I really would have been in the wrong there.


    In the first place, I knew from the very beginning that Sazan would be deadweight.


    Despite all that, I brought Sazan with me.


    (¡­Alright!) (Souma)


    I psyche myself up and grab both shoulders of Sazan from the back.


    ¡°Hiyawa!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan let out a weird scream after his shoulders were suddenly grabbed, and I spoke to him with a gentle tone.


    ¡°Sazan, you are getting too greedy. Calm down.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Muh. I am not getting gree¡ªfuguh?!¡± (Sazan)


    He puckered his lips and protested, but I am not going to argue with him.


    I shove a potion into that mouth of his and tell him this while recovering his HP.


    ¡°No, you are getting greedy. You are clumsy anyways, so stop looking at all the holes from the very beginning. It is fine to just concentrate on the ones in front of you -just half of them. Narrow your aim to half of them, and make sure to catch the bubbles that come from there.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I-I am not clumsy!¡± (Sazan)


    Even when he protested in that fashion, I could tell that his attention concentrated on the holes in the front.


    He really isn¡¯t honest.


    ¡°Ah!¡± (Sazan)


    A bubble came out from the deeper hole.


    Sazan was about to move by reflex to that, but I pulled his shoulder and stopped him.


    ¡°I am telling you to not go!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Uh. But we let it go again!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. Come on, concentrate on the front.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°O-Only this once, okay?!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan spit out nonsense there as he returned his gaze to the front.


    And then¡­


    ¡°Here it is!¡± (Sazan)


    A bubble floated out from a perfect spot where Sazan would be able to reach if he were to stretch out his hand.


    ¡°Wawawa! Y-You¡­!¡± (Sazan)


    Having it pop out from the best position must have instead created more pressure. Sazan was panicking.


    But his hands that were being flailed about randomly fortunately hit the bubble.


    ¡°Ah!¡± (Sazan)


    And his finger got wrapped around in light.


    An instant later, the Water Dragon Ring was in his finger.


    ¡°¡­You did it.¡± (Souma)


    I pat the shoulder of Sazan who was looking at his own finger as if in disbelief.


    And then, Sazan raised his voice happily.


    ¡°Y-Yeah! Thanks to you¡ªn-no, don¡¯t misunderstand! This time around, I coincidentally followed your advice, but it is not like I have accepted y¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Don¡¯t do such a blatant tsundere display. It is disgusting.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°D-Disgus¡ª?!¡± (Sazan)


    Was Sazan shocked by that? He sank down sadly, but well, I don¡¯t really care about his feelings.


    What¡¯s most important right now is that we accomplished our objective here.


    With this, all members have obtained the Water Dragon Ring.


    It is an item that can only be used here, so its effects are outstanding.


    With this, we won¡¯t have to worry about our HP lowering underwater and, with this, we can advance no matter if it is inside black waters or red waters.


    ¡°Kuh! Oh well, fine. More importantly, we have to depart at once, right? With this, we should be able to get through those accursed dark waters around the treasury room.¡±


    Sazan, who was being carried until now, suddenly got all cocky and said this.


    It is nice and all that he got motivated here, but¡­


    ¡°Eh? ¡­Ah, no, I did think about doing that if there¡¯s time, but there¡¯s no point anymore. We won¡¯t be going to the treasury room.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Huh?¡± (Sazan)


    I checked the time with Sazan letting out a dumbfounded voice at the side.


    It is soon going to be 2:00 a.m.


    The people of this world would normally be in bed and having dreams at this time.


    ¡°Knew it. We are already out of time.¡± (Souma)


    Saying this, ¡®that sound¡¯ rang just at the exact time.

 CH 116

    Light


    Dark


    ¡®That sound¡¯ that reached my ears was of course¡­


    *Bong Bong*


    The bell sound of an antique clock that doesn¡¯t fit an underwater dungeon.


    ¡°Where is this coming from¡­?¡± (Mitsuki)


    The recovered Mitsuki shook her cat ears at the sound of the clock that can¡¯t be seen.


    I was about to say something to Mitsuki, but my vision stabilized before I did.


    What I felt was a sensation as if being thrown out from the world, as if I am going to disappear.


    And then¡­


    ¡°W-What¡¯s this?!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan opened his eyes and raised his voice in confusion. What he saw in front of him was a space filled with clocks.


    Inside this vast room that¡¯s unnaturally composed solely of white, there¡¯s several dozens of clocks of different sizes, or maybe even hundreds, floating in the air.


    That alone was enough of a tell to understand that this is not a normal space.


    ¡°W-What about the Underwater City?! Why did we end up in a room filled with clocks¡­?¡± (Sazan)


    As if answering Sazan who was on the verge of falling into a panic here¡­


    ¡°Thine souls have been imprisoned in the infinite circle of time.¡±


    A voice echoed from somewhere.


    ¡°W-Who are you?!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan panicked even more and shouted this, but the owner of the voice didn¡¯t get flustered at all.


    Of course they wouldn¡¯t.


    That voice comes from the one that rules over this world.


    There¡¯s no way it would be shaken from the shout of Sazan.


    ¡°I am this world¡¯s lord. Ruler of time, but living in the counters of time.¡±


    ¡°Rifts¡­of time¡­?¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan muttered dumbfounded and looked at me as if he remembered something.


    His gaze through his mask gave me the impression as if he were clinging onto me here.


    I felt like there would be trouble, so I took one step forward and¡­


    ¡°Adventurer, find mine whereabouts!! That¡¯s thine only means of escaping from the clutches of time¡ª¡±


    ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s go home.¡± (Makoto)


    I slash the antique clock in front of me with my Shiranui and shut that voice up.


    A clock that is slightly tilted, top and bottom split in two.


    ¡°Wa, ah, wait¡­! E-Eeeeeeh?!¡± (Sazan)


    And then the confused voice of Sazan.


    ¡°Marvelous, adventurer, thine¡­¡±


    I listened to the last words of that ¡®voice¡¯ and my vision stabilized once again -along with the sensation I am feeling for the 3rd time today and already getting used to.


    ¡°Aah, finally back¡­¡± (Souma)


    By the next instant, we were already standing in the nostalgic Nekomimi Mansion.


    I looked around and there were the same members as when we just left.


    Sazan had his mouth wide open and was frozen in place, but it is Sazan, so that should be fine.


    After confirming the safety of my comrades, I once again look back. There was the ¡®Cursed Antique Clock¡¯ event item that I had taken out from my bag right before leaving to the Underwater City, and it was on the ground, split in half.


    Looking at the number, it stopped at 2:02.


    (That was a lot rougher than I thought, but if we just look at the result, you could say it is exactly as planned.) (Souma)


    But if we consider this as a playthrough to defeat the Demon Lord within 10 days, we will be facing even harsher days from tomorrow on.


    For the sake of this¡­


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s disperse for tonight. Good work today. Please take a most needed break in preparation for tomorrow.¡± (Souma)


    It is important to properly rest your body and spirit.


    I also would like to take my time thinking by myself about what to do from here on, so I decided to wrap it up for today.


    But the issue would be our lodging.


    ¡°Uhm, Maki will be returning to the castle, but what about you, Sazan? There¡¯s a lot of free rooms here, so you can stay¡­¡± (Souma)


    Thinking this, I asked Sazan to look out for him.


    ¡°W-Wait a moment!!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan suddenly let out a shout that echoed through the whole room.


    Despite that, it seems like he still couldn¡¯t hold down his tension, he poured down intense words in one breath.


    ¡°Y-You bastard, even after facing so many abnormal situations, why are you opening up the discussion for lodgings so naturally as if everything is now over?! Before doing that, you should explain to me! Explain!! First, what was that room with a whole lot of clocks?! Why did we manage to come back after cutting down that clock?!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Eh? Ah, right, I still haven¡¯t explained the puzzle.¡± (Souma)


    Sazan is still a top class mage that has a strong desire for knowledge.


    Looks like he gets bothered by stuff like that.


    ¡°What I cut down was the Cursed Antique Clock that drags the people who hear it into a world of nightmares. That guy¡¯s ¡®Search for mine whereabouts¡¯ is a puzzle you usually see of finding the correct clock. Their words denoting ¡®ruler of time¡¯ means clock, and the ¡®counters of time¡¯ meant that the needles of the clock were going in reverse.


    Within those, there¡¯s clocks with hidden doors, and within that memo you will find the biggest hint which is ¡®the demon only walks the same steps¡¯. Basically, the correct clock is the one that goes back to the same time every time you go to the next room.


    Just that, no matter which clock you see in that room, the way the needles move is abnormal.


    However, the only one within those that I cut was ¡®the clock that was always pointing at 12 o¡¯clock¡¯ which had the chance of always getting rewinded.


    Cause you know, if it is always at 12 o¡¯clock, it would look as if it isn¡¯t moving at all, right?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I see, so that¡¯s the correct ans¡ªwait, that¡¯s not it! I am not asking for the answer to the puzzle!!¡± (Sazan)


    Even though I politely explained to Sazan, he suddenly held his head and shouted.


    I have thought this since the game days, but he really is one unstable dude.


    ¡°You are probably tired. I am sure you will feel better with a night of sleep, so take a nice rest today and¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I said this while stretching my hand to him, but he slapped it away.


    ¡°It is because of you that I am tired! ¡­Aah, I don¡¯t care anymore! I am fine with the clock talk already, so tell me about the Underwater City!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Uhm¡­Underwater City?¡± (Souma)


    I tilted my head and he closed in on me even more heated up.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, what do we do about the Underwater City?! We still haven¡¯t defeated Poseidal, and we haven¡¯t gone to the treasury room either! Is it really okay to give up like this?!¡± (Sazan)


    I feel like I finally understand what Sazan is trying to say here.


    ¡°Aah, could it be that you want to go to the Underwater City? Listen here, I know that you are feeling unaccomplished here since we ended it in the middle, but right now what¡¯s most important is defeating the Demon Lord. Let¡¯s not dive into a dungeon one more time when there¡¯s no real business there, okay?¡± (Souma)


    I try to be as polite as possible when admonishing him, and yet, Sazan instead reacted as if he had been shocked by this.


    ¡°Wa, e-eh?! Why are you talking as if I am the one being selfish here?! T-That¡¯s not it, that¡¯s weird!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°No, even if you tell me that¡­¡± (Souma)


    I can only say you are the weird one here.


    ¡°D-Didn¡¯t you say that when we were moving?! That there¡¯s an underwater aptitude item called the Water Dragon Necklace lying in the treasury room after defeating the boss Poseidal?! Is it really okay to not go get that?¡± (Sazan)


    It is true that I did explain how to advance the Underwater Quest while we were walking, but¡­


    ¡°No, didn¡¯t I say we wouldn¡¯t be going to the treasury room? Even if it has the underwater aptitude, the Water Dragon Necklace is an Unique Item, so there¡¯s only enough for one, and the effects aren¡¯t that good, so there¡¯s not much point even if we were to get it, right?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°N-No point, you say? Then, what about the underwater aptitude item¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    I sighed at Sazan who was about to say something weird, and pointed at his finger.


    ¡°What, so you didn¡¯t notice? If we are talking about an underwater aptitude item, it is equipped on your finger, you know.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan let out a dumbfounded voice and there was the exclusive equipment of the Underwater City, the Water Dragon Ring, sparkling on his finger.


    As for the trick, well, it isn¡¯t that big of a deal really.


    The Water Dragon Ring is an exclusive equipment created for that area, and it is not like it is impossible by the system to use in other places aside from the Underwater City.


    It is simply that it will be lost if you exit the place from the outer walls.


    Turning that around, it also means that if you manage to exit the Underwater City with other means aside from the regular one, you will of course stay with the ring.


    However, using teleportation escape items or magic of the sort is prohibited in the Underwater City.


    Even if we are talking about Nekomimi Neko, which was made by monkeys, you can¡¯t get out of there with normal means.


    ¡ªAnd so, what I used there was a hidden trick, the Daddy Longlegs¡¯ Antique Clock Teleport.


    Do you remember I did a lot of quests right after I obtained the mansion?


    Blue Bird of Michael, Throb! Serial Murders of a Whole Bunch of Nobles, Dearest Wish of the Alchemist, Strange Happenings at the Clock House, and Guidepost for the Lost.


    I have mostly cleared all of these quests.


    But within those, there¡¯s only one that, even though I have solved, it still couldn¡¯t be called as being cleared.


    The Strange Happenings at the Clock House.


    For this one, I only retrieved the Cursed Antique Clock and didn¡¯t step further than that.


    That¡¯s because this quest actually has an incredibly convenient trait.


    The event of the Cursed Antique Clock will have its flag planted once the player and their companions hear the bell of this clock.


    And then, at 2:00 a.m. of that day, you will be forcefully dragged into a nightmare shown by that clock.


    This is impossible to avoid, and if you heard the bell of the cursed clock, you will definitely get dragged into the event at 2:00 a.m.


    However, in exchange, if you break through the nightmare of this antique clock, the player and their group will be freed, and you will be returned in front of the clock.


    Basically, you will for sure return in front of the cursed clock if you have heard the bell of the clock beforehand.


    You can¡¯t return from the nightmare with anything aside from a clear, so you can only do this once, but if you use this trait, you can move from places that are impossible to return from.


    That¡¯s where we finally return to the main topic.


    In the first place, I didn¡¯t have any other means of obtaining underwater aptitude items aside from the Water Dragon Divine Protection of the Underwater City.


    Also, it is probably impossible to avoid the blood pool of the Demon Lord Castle.


    What we needed was not only equipment for underwater aptitude, but also the effect of this Water Dragon Ring which ¡®allows the wearer to see inside muddied waters¡¯.


    And so, before we departed, I took out the Cursed Antique Clock, had everyone hear it, and entered the Underwater City.


    I was actually planning on getting the treasure of the treasury room, but there was no real need for any items there, so there¡¯s no need to be mortified about it.


    The result is that we managed to obtain enough rings for everyone, and safely returned to the mansion with the clock teleport, but¡­


    (Crap, how do I even explain this to Sazan?) (Souma)


    I got hit with a problematic point.


    Mitsuki and the others have been pretty accepting of me exploiting bugs, so I had grown dull about it, but what I did really might look unnatural from a 3rd person¡¯s perspective.


    As for Sazan¡­


    ¡°Eh? Wa? Why do I still have this ring? Isn¡¯t this the equipment that you can only use in the Underwater City¡­? Eh?¡± (Sazan)


    He was completely confused here.


    But it would be difficult to explain to him the full process of being able to use the Water Dragon Ring in other places aside from the Underwater City.


    The only reason we still have the rings is because we took advantage of a hole in the data processing of the game, and it isn¡¯t logical when thinking about it purely from a lore standpoint.


    Now that I think about it, I should have just deceived him instead of telling him everything so honestly, but with the time limitation of the antique clock teleport, and my hurry of wanting to defeat the Demon Lord as fast as possible, I might have tunnel-visioned a bit there.


    It can¡¯t be helped, so I decide to just deceive him here for now.


    ¡°Uhm, Sazan, looks like not being able to use that ring anywhere else aside from the Underwater City was my misunderstanding. That¡¯s why, there¡¯s actually no issues here. There¡¯s nothing for you to worry about.¡± (Souma)


    Fortunately, Sazan is looking dizzy from making so much of a ruckus.


    That¡¯s why I poke at that opening in his heart and tried telling him gently.


    ¡°Eh, aah, I see. Is that so? In that case, there¡¯s no issue. Ahaha, I can¡¯t believe I lost myself there¡­as if I would fall for that!!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Ugh!!¡± (Souma)


    But even if it is Sazan, it looks like he wasn¡¯t deceived.


    I am beginning to feel like he is becoming the straight man in a comedy skit, but the eyes deep inside the mask are shining.


    ¡°Or more like, you people don¡¯t think anything about this?! This is clearly weird -in a lot of ways!!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan looked back at my comrades and searched for sympathizers.


    But¡­


    ¡°¡­I will simply follow Souma.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo barely worries about the small details.


    ¡°I have lately begun thinking that I would be losing if I worry about it.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki has begun giving up in a variety of ways.


    ¡°Uhm, was there anything weird there?¡± (Maki)


    Maki considers that it isn¡¯t strange for anything to happen in a game.


    *Grin*


    The Bear is the most mysterious one here to begin with.


    That¡¯s why Sazan didn¡¯t get the response he wanted.


    ¡°W-What¡¯s this? I-I am the weird one here? No, t-there¡¯s no way. I am Sazan. The great mage, Sazan!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan stumbled back, but he somehow managed to stay on his feet.


    And then, he shouted with tears that could clearly be seen through the mask.


    ¡°Y-You are all crazy!! I-I am definitely not gonna get deceived, you got it?!¡± (Sazan)


    He ran off with those parting words.


    I saw off the back of his black robe and¡­


    (No, you are the last person I want to hear that from.) (Souma)


    Is what I thought but¡­


    After that, Sazan immediately came back, he said ¡®As if I can stay with you crazy people! I will return to a single room!¡¯ and shrewdly stayed in the mansion.


    Well, that¡¯s better than him spreading any weird rumors in the city.


    However, it is not like this has solved the problem.


    My head hurts just thinking about how I will have to persuade him later.


    The next morning, I got up from the bed feeling gloomy while thinking about this and¡­


    ¡°Uwa!¡± (Souma)


    There was a familiar robed person curled up at the side of my bed, trembling.


    It is Sazan who should have been sleeping in a different room.


    He seemed to be mumbling something the whole time while trembling, so I tried listening to what he was saying and..


    ¡°Help me, spare me, sorry, stop it, I apologize, so please don¡¯t chase me¡­¡± (Sazan)


    He was super scared for some reason.


    Or more like, I am the one with the horror experience here.


    I sighed at the trouble first thing in the morning, and the door of my room opened up a bit.


    There, I saw the figure of what must have scared Sazan, and I spoke with a baffled tone.


    ¡°Bear, you are working too much.¡± (Souma)


    The culprit this time around, the small plushy, scratched its head as if embarrassed about it.


    For some mysterious reason, Sazan became abnormally obedient as if he had become a different person, and barely complained anymore.


    However, when the yellow thing entered his vision, he would scream ¡®hiiih!¡¯ in fear, but well, that¡¯s the lesser evil.


    And in this way, the problem (Sazan) was resolved by the yellow demon of our mansion.


    ¡ª¡ª-


    Author: This is the baptism of Nekomimi Neko!!

 CH 117

    Light


    Dark


    Since the moment I couldn¡¯t hear the words of Ina, there has been a voice echoing in my heart, telling me ¡®forward, move forward¡¯.


    The reality is that there¡¯s no time I can waste if I want to defeat the Demon Lord within 10 days.


    But if we move without any plans and just hurriedly advance, that in itself will waste time.


    I hold back my impatience and make preparations to move efficiently.


    First, I need to have a grasp of our battle power.


    I took this chance to use the Level Appraisal on everyone to check all their levels.


    First, I used it on myself.


    ¡°Level 156, huh. It is higher than I thought.¡± (Souma)


    I have cleared the Stream Cave and the Yellow Slime event since the last time I checked my level, but we didn¡¯t defeat that many enemies in the cave, and the Yellow Slimes defeated by the chain reaction aren¡¯t counted as EXP.


    This is most likely thanks to having defeated the monster army at the Attack on the Capital.


    The main force of the attack was composed of level 95 Red Cap Elites and level 110 Black Orcs.


    You gain a lot less EXP when there¡¯s a big gap in levels, so no matter how many there are, I would at most be right before 120.


    There¡¯s no way I would level up all the way here with just that much.


    That said, there were a few dozen enemies higher than level 120.


    Different from weapon proficiency, there¡¯s no bonus for defeating higher level enemies, but they still have a decently high amount of exp.


    There was also an unbelievable rate of rare monsters and boss monsters within those high level monsters.


    The exp set for monsters in Nekomimi is also haphazard, so you can¡¯t say it is the same for everyone, but if you defeat a boss monster with the recommended level, you normally go up 1-2 levels, and if you defeat monsters with a level difference of 20-30 levels, you can raise 3-4 levels really fast.


    As if backing up my hypothesis, Ringo, who has pretty much been together with me the whole time, was level 149.


    Her level should have been higher than mine before the Attack on the Capital. The difference in number between the flying unit and the main force must have created this disparity in levels.


    This is all still within expectations.


    What surprised me was the level of Maki.


    When I pushed the appraiser on the arm of Maki, who seemed to be curious about this¡­


    ¡°Level: 182¡­¡± (Souma)


    I was hit with an unexpected high score.


    ¡°Eh? What¡¯s that? Is it high?¡± (Maki)


    Maki asked me innocently, but this is an unbelievably high level.


    She could even be within the top 5 of the adventurers in the capital.


    ¡°182¡­¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo muttered this as if in shock that Maki is 30 levels higher than herself.


    Ringo starting at level 1 really was because her position in the game had been taken away.


    Or more like, it might be better to say that Maki not only took her position as the princess, but also her level.


    Ringo, you can get a bit angry at Maki, you know? -I think this while I head to the next one.


    I approached Sazan with the appraiser and he retreated as if covering his body.


    ¡°I-I won¡¯t do it! I have vowed to not expose my forsaken true name to people so readily after all!!¡± (Sazan)


    Judging from what he says, Sazan seems to be a fake name.


    Maybe his real name is something like Yamada Tarou, or a joke in that vein.


    This really does smell like terminal chuunibyou, but I don¡¯t have the time to waste on that.


    I currently have a trump card to deal with Sazan.


    ¡®Bear, I choose you!!¡¯ -is what I was thinking of saying, but I stopped.


    Even if it is Sazan, I didn¡¯t really want to do something displeasing towards a person that hasn¡¯t really done anything bad.


    I am not interested in the secrets of Sazan anyways.


    I can comply with this much.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine by me. Then, do it yourself and just tell me the level.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh? Is that fine? Uhm, won¡¯t you think I am lying or something like that?¡± (Sazan)


    He asked back, surprised.


    I feel like that¡¯s not something to be surprised about, but it would be a pain to make things complicated here.


    I just nodded.


    ¡°Even if it is you, I doubt you would make such an unreasonable lie. If you are worried about it, just cut off the paper on the level part and give it to us.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°T-That¡¯s true¡­ Uhm, s-sorry about it.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Spare me all that and just do it.¡± (Souma)


    I give the appraisal paper to Sazan who has been really easy to deal with after the bear shock.


    When Sazan confirmed the appraisal, he methodically folded the paper and cut it in half.


    ¡°Behold! This is the realm of my soul!¡± (Sazan)


    He returned to his grandiose tone as if he had remembered about it and gave me the right half of the paper.


    Leaving aside this realm of his soul, I was curious as to what level Sazan is and peeked at his paper¡­


    [: Level 157]


    ¡°Bear, I choose you!¡± (Souma)


    The moment I saw that number, I reflexively threw the Bear at him.


    ¡°S-Stop! Hiiiih!!¡± (Sazan)


    The Bear and Sazan began a game of cat and mouse.


    Depending on how you look at it, that¡¯s a pretty wholesome sight.


    ¡°Oops. I did that by reflex¡­¡± (Souma)


    Sazan didn¡¯t really do anything bad here, but my mouth just moved on its own after seeing that number.


    I don¡¯t really find it vexing that there¡¯s a big gap between us though. The mind really works in mysterious ways.


    I do feel bad for doing that to Sazan, but there¡¯s no real harm, so it should be okay to leave it be.


    The appraiser unfortunately doesn¡¯t work on the Bear that¡¯s energetically chasing after Sazan, so there¡¯s only one person remaining.


    Mitsuki took the appraiser herself as if in understanding, and pushed it on the palm of her hand.


    After confirming that the appraisal was done, she gave it to me.


    The number was¡­


    [Mitsuki Hisame: Level 57].


    The worst record of today has been registered.


    ¡°¡­Disappointed?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki asked this of me while observing my face and bending down her cat ears, but I shook my head to the sides.


    ¡°No, I know how strong you are, Mitsuki. I wouldn¡¯t think that.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­I see.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki didn¡¯t change her wry smile at my response, but her cat ears jumped up.


    She really is easy to understand.


    (I already knew this after all.) (Souma)


    It is indeed a surprising number, but it was expected.


    When making Mitsuki a companion, you would see her Status, and the first thing you would be surprised by is how low her level is, then get surprised by how outrageously high her stats are. This is already a standard reaction in Nekomimi Neko.


    I of course also experienced this.


    She has a whole lot more battle experience than Alex, but her level isn¡¯t that high.


    There¡¯s actually a bit of a gimmick to this. The required experience Mitsuki needs to level up compared to other characters is abnormally higher.


    The difficulty of her leveling up is already a well-known fact, and it is to the point that one of the 3 conditions to be considered a veteran player in Nekomimi Neko is to have Mitsuki over level 100.


    By the way, one of those 3 conditions is ¡®being able to use Midare Sakura¡¯, so that would mean I have already put one foot in the veteran player realm in this world too.


    Well, making Mitsuki a companion is pretty much like an extra after you clear the game, so just think about leveling up Mitsuki as one of the factors to continue playing the game.


    In exchange, the strength of Mitsuki when she is high level is on a whole other realm. Even level 300 players would be trash compared to her stats.


    You couldn¡¯t bring her to the Demon Lord battle in the game, so I don¡¯t know how much I can rely on her in this world, but that high growth of hers is really reliable.


    (Looks like everyone can increase their levels more.) (Souma)


    Having room to level up is a good thing.


    Because of how the exp system works in this game, you can¡¯t get too high compared to the enemies that appear.


    You could even say there¡¯s basically a hard cap to the level.


    In this current situation where we can¡¯t expect to go the route of completely weakening the Demon Lord, it will be important to strengthen our side.


    I search for the best hunting grounds for their respective levels and characteristics while moving to the next item adjustment.


    Looks like the mansion stops doing bad things to you once you make an ally of the Bear, so I put the Bear on my shoulder, and this time around, I do find the facilities for weapon and magic customization.


    First of all, I repair the durability of my weapons and armor beginning with Shiranui which had its durability lowered from the incident underground.


    I still have the whole remaining prize money I got from Poison-tan, so there¡¯s no need to be stingy with the Element (E) here.


    I repaired them all fully.


    I also found the Magic Customization device, so I decided to do that too.


    However, not mine, but Sazan¡¯s.


    I peeked at the customization screen of Sazan to test it out, and it seems like he has all of his spells customized at max in Power and lowest in Chant Time by default.


    Of course he would be deadweight the whole time with settings like this.


    I pushed away the complaining Sazan and forcefully had him tinker his spells.


    He clung onto my leg and pleaded at the end, but he calmed down in one go after I gave him a peek of the Bear.


    The great yellow demon.


    Seeing Sazan heading to the device half in tears, I felt bad for him, but knowing how much damage Sazan will cause otherwise, I can¡¯t be lenient here.


    I have a countermeasure for the Demon Lord, so this works just fine.


    I had the spells of Sazan tinkered all the way, no questions asked, and remade them into a practical build.


    ¡°Next, we have to do something about our armor.¡± (Souma)


    In the time I was tinkering with the spells of Sazan, it seems that everyone has repaired the durability of their equipment without any issues.


    However, even if they are in a perfect state now, I am still uneasy about the quality of the equipment.


    It is not that the repair was incomplete. It is a simple issue of being weak.


    Especially mine and Ringo¡¯s. It is the mythril armor sold at the stores in the capital.


    It is convenient that it has elemental resistance, but when calculating the level of it, they would be at most level 100 equipment.


    It is really unreliable if we are going to be fighting the level 250 Demon Lord.


    I was thinking that we might need to obtain equipment as we do the quests, but¡­


    ¡°Ah, in that case, do you want me to ask Father?¡± (Maki)


    Those words of Maki easily overturned this.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it to be this easy¡­¡± (Souma)


    Just a few minutes after Maki suggested this with a carefree tone, we were now in the treasury room of the castle.


    Maki had arrived at the castle and told them: ¡°These people said they need weapons to defeat the Demon Lord! Can I take a few items from the underground treasury room?¡±.


    And he easily gave the OK.


    You are way too soft on your daughter, King.


    Well, the important people of the country can¡¯t move because they got hit by the curse of the Demon Lord, and our abilities have been confirmed in the Attack on the Capital event.


    Giving us as many items as we want if we are going to defeat the Demon Lord might have been a decision of his as the king.


    By the way, while we were talking to the Rihito King, both their real daughter Ringo and the Queen were for some reason looking at each other without even blinking.


    They really are mother and child.


    Looking at that from the side was really bizarre, but Ringo seemed to be a bit satisfied once that was done, so it should be fine.


    ¡°How is it, Souma? Any good items?¡± (Maki)


    Maki asked me as if she were proud, but¡­


    ¡°Even if you ask me whether there¡¯s a good item¡­¡± (Souma)


    There¡¯s actually only good items here.


    This treasury room is actually a place that¡¯s opened up after defeating the Demon Lord as a reward.


    The quality of the items can¡¯t even be compared to the ones from your regular dungeons and stores.


    I wanted to just grab them all and leave, but when we entered, they told us ¡®just take what you need¡¯, so I decided to keep my word.


    ¡°This, this, and this.¡± (Souma)


    I have a pretty good idea of what items there are in the treasury room.


    I quickly found the items we might need.


    The highest priority is armor.


    I got the powerful armor called [Splendor Armor] that has strong dark element resistance for me. For Ringo, I got the [Fairy Clothes] which is light but excels in magic defense. As for the 3rd one¡­


    ¡°Sazan, you wear this.¡± (Souma)


    I grabbed the Rainbow Robe that not only increases defense in all fronts, but also increases max MP.


    But Sazan made a weird pose as he answered me.


    ¡°Hmph! I am happy for your consideration, but for someone like me who has turned his back from the light and has decided to live in the darkness, such equipment doesn¡¯t suit me. What fits me is something like this pitch black robe that¡¯s as if it were the manifestation of darkness¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Shut up and just wear it! You will die from a stray shot with equipment like that!!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Okay.¡± (Sazan)


    After pushing the Rainbow Robe to Sazan, I chose a number of things that might be useful.


    Elemental weapons that I still didn¡¯t have yet, the [Mirror Gauntlet] which can repel light element attacks, the [Dragon Talisman] that has powerful resistance to all debuffs, and stuff mainly revolving around defense.


    From what I see, there¡¯s no need for any changes in the equipment of Mitsuki and Maki.


    I matched items for me, Ringo, and Sazan in a way so that it decreases any openings.


    ¡°Something like this, I guess¡­¡± (Souma)


    As for the things that can be used, I took everything without hesitation.


    I took so much, there were empty spaces in the treasury room here and there, but I shook off my guilt by thinking of this as advance payment for subjugating the Demon Lord.


    ¡°We are done here then.¡± (Souma)


    I take a small pouch at the end.


    ¡°Ah, Souma, what¡¯s that? That¡¯s not equipment, right?¡± (Maki)


    I opened the pouch and showed the inside of it to Maki who peeked at me full of curiosity.


    ¡°¡­Seeds?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Yeah. Not to plant but to eat.¡± (Souma)


    What was in that small pouch was exactly as Maki said: seeds.


    These are basically doping items that permanently increase the stats of the person that eats it, just like the Power Seed.


    It is the type of rare item that certain hardcore players would drool for.


    However, there¡¯s someone who got unexpectedly interested in it, but not because of its effects.


    ¡°¡­Seeds? Of fruits? Tasty?¡± (Ringo)


    It is Ringo who is the most glutton in our party.


    She was expressionless with only her sparkling eyes looking intently at my hand.


    ¡°Aah, no, they are probably not fruit seeds. I don¡¯t think they are tasty either.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Too bad.¡± (Ringo)


    Even though she said that, her eyes were not moving away from the pouch.


    I avoid the inquisitive gaze of Ringo who generally eats little but is a glutton, and I also checked the contents of the pouch.


    An assortment of all seed items.


    These seed items that increase the stats when eaten are a 100% drop from bosses that can only be defeated once.


    That¡¯s why it is not like they are super rare to the point that you rarely see them, but aside from that, you can only find them in set treasure chests and tool stores as pick-up items at really low rates, so you could say it is an item that is impossible to get in large amounts.


    Adding to the fact that it only increases your stat by 1 even when used, this seed won¡¯t be breaking the balance in a normal playthrough.


    Even while I was thinking all this, Ringo was looking at me as if saying ¡®are you not eating it?¡¯, but there¡¯s too many people around to do that.


    It is not like I like eating while people are watching me, so eating them right here is pointlessly difficult.


    I place it inside the bag while thinking: It really has to be this.


    Yesterday, we went to the Underwater City to prepare for the battle against the Demon Lord.


    We improved our equipment, customized our spells, and a lot of other things.


    We will most likely be doing as much as possible for the weakening of the Demon Lord, and increasing my level and that of my companions.


    But that alone won¡¯t be decisive against the Demon Lord.


    Without enough time, the weakening of the Demon Lord will be incomplete, and if we are opening all doors of the Demon Lord Castle, we can¡¯t take our sweet time leveling up at the Demon Lord Castle.


    If we can¡¯t earn experience in that castle that boasts the highest level enemies before clearing the game, we will end up stopping somewhere before level 200.


    Facing the Demon Lord in that state would be way too reckless.


    Moreover, my objective isn¡¯t only to defeat the Demon Lord.


    It is to achieve complete victory within 10 days.


    In a game, that¡¯s basically saying we have to defeat the Demon Lord with no mistakes, no resets, and with no deaths from my companions.


    In order to achieve that, we most likely need strength on a different spectrum.


    We won¡¯t be able to reach that with normal means.


    (For the sake of that¡­) (Souma)


    My gaze gravitated to the Adventurer Bag where I placed the seeds.


    Seed items permanently increase your stat by 1.


    Since there¡¯s no means to get a large amount of them, it won¡¯t break the balance of the game.


    That¡¯s true¡­if you play the game normally.


    But I already know of a bug that can break through that principle in Nekomimi Neko.


    Then¡­


    ¡°¡­We have to go.¡± (Souma)


    Those words leaked out from my mouth.


    ¡°¡­Souma?¡± (Ringo)


    I heard the uneasy voice of Ringo.


    She grabbed my hand tightly as if trying to stop me.


    However, my consciousness was already elsewhere.


    To a part of the field that¡¯s further south from here called Deus Plains.


    One of the strongest boss monsters in Nekomimi Neko.


    The enemy that we fought before and barely won by a paper-thin difference with a tactic that was practically a gamble.


    Its name¡­


    ¡°King Butcher.¡± (Souma)


    I had silently decided on fighting the white giant that is sealed in the rocky mountain.

 CH 118

    Light


    Dark


    The last boss of this world that¡¯s called the Isolated Lord, the Endbringer Demon Lord, takes mana from all parts of this nation and amplifies their own power.


    Thus, you go around every area before your direct confrontation with the Demon Lord, hit the source of the Demon Lord¡¯s power, and the official game story states that you should shave off its power.


    The process of shaving off the Demon Lord¡¯s power is basically the story quests. The main story advances for the objective of weakening the Demon Lord and defeating them.


    There¡¯s a mountain of things you have to do for this weakening. It doesn¡¯t simply decrease the HP and attack power, it also seals their ability to regenerate HP, reduces the resistances, makes it impossible for them to use ultimate attacks, and many other things.


    There¡¯s also changes in what you weaken depending on the quest branches. Stuff like making one unusable between the ¡®Wide Shot that shoots homing bullets by 10 x number of people¡¯ or the ¡®Spread Shot that shoots a fixed amount of 30 homing bullets¡¯.


    And so, how you weaken the Demon Lord depends on your playstyle and your party formation, but what I can say for sure is¡­


    ¡ªA Demon Lord that is not weakened¡­no, even while weakened, the Demon Lord is strong.


    I have defeated the Demon Lord at level 183 aiming for a low level clear by utilizing the Master Torch efficiently.


    However, flipping that around, it means that even in my game days, I needed to raise my level all the way to 183.


    Moreover, at that time, I used more time than in a normal playthrough to weaken the Demon Lord as much as possible.


    I did all quests except the ones that would level me up too much, exploited the hell out of the game, and faced the Demon Lord with the best state I could think of at that time.


    Even when I did all that, I still needed to challenge the Demon Lord several dozen times before I could defeat them without any casualties.


    In the first place, this game is sadistic in nature.


    It is made with such a delicate balance that, even when you challenge the boss in the appropriate level, ¡®you will spit out blood without giving up, challenging it countless times, and still won¡¯t be able to win by a narrow margin¡¯.


    I don¡¯t think it is on purpose, but for good or for bad, it is a game balance that requires you to exploit bugs.


    It already goes without saying that the last boss that is the Demon Lord is even nastier.


    Of course, it is not like I am the same man as the time when I cleared the game.


    There are techniques I learned after defeating the Demon Lord, and I couldn¡¯t bring as much effectiveness with the Master Torch in the game compared to now.


    However, even with all that, you should be able to understand now just how tall of a wall it is to defeat the Demon Lord within 10 days, right?


    We won¡¯t have a chance to win unless we weaken the Demon Lord as much as possible.


    I decided to divide the party for efficiency.


    First of all, I tell Mitsuki and Maki as much as possible about how to clear the quests, and have them proceed with clearing the game.


    Mitsuki¡¯s combat capabilities and mobility are high, so she can go anywhere alone.


    You could even say she performs best when alone.


    On the other hand, Maki herself not only has high battle power, but can also move the Knight Order which is big.


    The Princess being able to move the Knight Order is questionable realistically, but¡­


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but they will do it if I ask them~.¡± (Maki)


    So she said, so I will rely on her.


    Anyways, having numbers and political power is convenient.


    Depending on how well these two do, it will affect how much the Demon Lord will be weakened.


    If it is just like the game, Sazan should be able to use the Teleport spell.


    I say Teleport, but it is the type that only works on the user, so it isn¡¯t suitable when acting in a party, but it is certain that it is the most convenient when moving from settlement to settlement.


    I am a bit uneasy about it, but I will have Sazan gather information from various locations, buy items, and reduce the Monster Invasion Progress.


    In the 7743 Reports, there was also written information about how to prolong your playtime in the Curse of the Demon Lord.


    For example; for the sudden increase in Monster Invasion Progress after the Curse of the Demon Lord, you can purposely spread the Yellow Slimes, and then use the radial extermination to wipe them out and reduce the progress.


    It is a specific remedy, so one mistake and it can become something that does more harm than good, but the way to deal with Yellow Slimes has spread quite a good degree thanks to the incident of before.


    I plan on having Maki publicize the way to deal with the Yellow Slimes as well, so I decided to go ahead with it despite there being risks to it.


    The question still remains about whether Sazan is the guy for the job, but then what would I even use him for? No matter what I put him on, it would only make me uneasy.


    I am really scared of making him take quests, so the truth is that I decided to throw him work that doesn¡¯t have to do with that.


    Just in case, I gave the job of keeping an eye on him to the Bear so that he doesn¡¯t slack in his work.


    Seeing how Sazan trembled and shed tears of happiness when I told him this, I am sure he will do his best.


    The Bear can teleport with him if he enters his bag, so I would say they are a pretty nice duo.


    After that, we arranged the way we will keep in contact, and we departed to our respective destinations.


    First it was Sazan in tears: ¡°N-Now¡¯s your chance to stop me! If you so wish, this exemplary Sazan wouldn¡¯t mind going with y¡ªhiih! I-I got it, I got it! I will go at once, Bear-sama!¡±


    He departed together with the Bear.


    The next one is Maki.


    ¡°Then, I will be going. If you need anything, you can tell someone from the castle¡­ You must not corner them too much, okay?¡± (Maki)


    Maki made a strangely worried expression despite being Maki, and returned to the castle.


    And the last one is Mitsuki.


    She moved gently without really showing off here.


    ¡°Well then, I will be going too.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Yeah, counting on you. But don¡¯t push yourself too hard, okay?¡± (Souma)


    When I said this, the cat ears of Mitsuki shook as if saying ¡®no worries!¡¯.


    ¡°You as well. Don¡¯t push yourself too hard. Also¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    She suddenly got close to me and hugged me tightly between her arms.


    ¡°Wa, eh?!¡± (Souma)


    I couldn¡¯t move because of how sudden all of this was, and she whispered in my ear.


    ¡°¡­Once everything is over, please tell me your secret already, okay?¡± (Mitsuki)


    After saying all that, Mitsuki separated from me just as sudden.


    I was going to ask what she was doing out of nowhere, but after seeing the face of Mitsuki being bright red to a point I haven¡¯t seen before, I swallowed my words.


    I didn¡¯t even need to see her cat ears that were flapping. Mitsuki is currently embarrassed to unseen degrees.


    But as expected of Mitsuki. Aside from her blushing face, she still maintained her poker face.


    ¡°¡­Later.¡± (Mitsuki)


    She said that shortly and departed like the wind.


    Such a spectacular display of skill as she departs. That technique of hers in her hit-and-run really is awe-inspiring.


    ¡°Now then¡­¡± (Souma)


    I mutter this as if trying to play off my heated up face.


    Everyone has left.


    All that remains is my turn¡­no, our turn.


    ¡°¡­We should be going too.¡± (Souma)


    I said this and looked at my side.


    ¡°¡­Hn.¡± (Ringo)


    My last remaining comrade, Ringo, nodded slightly as usual.


    There¡¯s a reason why it ended up like this.


    I intended to head to the Deus Plains on my own, but something unexpected happened.


    Mitsuki and Ringo were fervently against it.


    The condition Ringo gave me to allow me to head to the Deus Plains was ¡®head there together with Mitsuki¡¯.


    The condition of Mitsuki to allow me to head to the Deus Plains was ¡®head there together with Ringo¡¯.


    The two seemed to not want to allow me to head there alone.


    After thinking about it, I decided to bring Ringo.


    Both Ringo and Mitsuki didn¡¯t seem to want to yield.


    If there¡¯s the need to bring one or the other, choosing Ringo would be the natural choice.


    As I said before, with the Explorer Ring and the mobility of Mitsuki, along with her popularity among adventurers, makes her the best within our group to do quests.


    I can¡¯t have Mitsuki fooling around in a situation like this.


    On the other hand, Ringo isn¡¯t suited to do quests.


    She is right around the same level as me as well, so bringing her along to level up is an option.


    I quickly decided to bring Ringo with me.


    Ringo nodded as usual when I voiced out my decision, and Mitsuki said: ¡°With Ringo-san by your side, I can also have peace of mind¡­ Since it is your little sister, I can also rest at ease in a different meaning.¡±


    Mitsuki muttered in a really low voice unlike her, so low I couldn¡¯t pick it up, but that was the final decision.


    I actually wanted to go alone, but it can¡¯t be helped.


    It is not like we can¡¯t level Ringo up here, so I decided to do that.


    ¡°¡­Go?¡± (Ringo)


    While I was deep in my thoughts, Ringo hurried me.


    ¡°Aah¡­no, please wait for a bit.¡± (Souma)


    Because you can put all your items in bags, preparations to depart don¡¯t take that much time in this world.


    However, there¡¯s one thing I haven¡¯t done yet.


    I had Ringo wait there and head back inside the mansion.


    And then, I opened a certain room.


    ¡ªAt the center of that room there¡¯s 100 seats, and there¡¯s one girl sitting there.


    However, the girl sitting there isn¡¯t moving an inch.


    If I don¡¯t do anything, she probably won¡¯t ever move¡­


    ¡°I will be going now, Ina.¡± (Souma)


    I spoke to the girl that was like a doll.


    I obviously didn¡¯t get any response.


    Seeing how this noisy girl has changed to this state, my chest hurt a bit, but I put that away.


    ¡°I leave Ina to you all.¡± (Souma)


    I probably won¡¯t be able to come back to this mansion for a while.


    Ina won¡¯t be harmed since she has been hit with the curse, but I told the gimmicks of this mansion this, and then left that room while shaking off my lingering feelings.


    When I returned to the entrance of the mansion, Ringo was waiting there with an unchanging stance from the time when I left.


    ¡°Sorry for the wait. Let¡¯s go.¡± (Souma)


    However, even when I said this and was going to walk off, this time it was Ringo who didn¡¯t move.


    ¡°Hingo, why ah foo phoing phis <Ringo, why are you doing this>¡­?¡± (Souma)


    Ringo pinched my cheeks and pulled them to both sides.


    It doesn¡¯t really hurt. It actually is ticklish, but I can¡¯t move like this.


    The response of Ringo at my protest was¡­


    ¡°¡­Smile.¡± (Ringo)


    A sudden unreasonable request.


    Moreover, even though she is telling me to smile, the corners of her mouth are not moving an inch.


    ¡°Come on, I¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Smile.¡± (Ringo)


    No questions asked.


    Without much choice, I made something resembling a smile while my cheeks were stretched.


    ¡°Is this fine?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Hm, barely.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo said this and nodded slightly.


    ¡°Phen phuai aren¡¯t you lephing go <Then why aren¡¯t you letting go>?¡± (Souma)


    My cheeks were still being pulled.


    When I threw the obvious question, Ringo said straight.


    ¡°¡­Barely a failing mark.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°So it wasn¡¯t a pass?!¡± (Souma)


    I forgot the situation and ended up retorting in a loud voice.


    When I did¡­


    ¡°¡­Hn, that¡¯s good.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo nodded satisfied this time around and finally let go.


    I don¡¯t really get it, but Ringo seems to be doing perfectly today as well.


    I would like her to share that energy.


    While I was thinking that, Ringo said: ¡°¡­Souma, don¡¯t be impatient.¡±


    She once again told me what she told me at the Underwater City.


    But this time around, that wasn¡¯t the end of it.


    ¡°¡­You have us.¡± (Ringo)


    She looked straight at me with serious eyes.


    ¡°I¡­I¡­¡± (Ringo)


    As if she wanted to tell me something no matter what.


    ¡°¡­Would do anything for your sake, Souma.¡± (Ringo)


    She told me intensely.


    ¡°Ringo¡­¡± (Souma)


    I could feel the most compassion in those words than any before.


    I can clearly feel that I have been supported by all of them until now with just this alone.


    That¡¯s why I nodded deeply.


    ¡°Yeah, I know. It is thanks to the help of you and the others that I managed to get to where I am now.¡± (Souma)


    It is not like I have lost everything.


    Rather, it is the time for me to grit my teeth and do my best.


    ¡°¡­Right. This isn¡¯t the time to be feeling discouraged. It is at times like this when I have to get my act together.¡± (Souma)


    But when Ringo heard this, she wriggled her mouth as if she was troubled by this.


    And then¡­


    ¡°¡­Reconsidering. One more time.¡± (Ringo)


    I grabbed the hands that were moving to my cheeks again.


    ¡°Now, we don¡¯t have time to play around. We have to move already.¡± (Souma)


    I pulled her hand as if saying I won¡¯t be allowing anymore dialogue, and headed to the south gate where the Deus Plain is located.


    Ringo, whose hand was being pulled forcefully, said.


    ¡°¡­Souma, you dummy.¡± (Ringo)


    That low mutter of hers faintly reached my ears.

 CH 119

    Light


    Dark


    When we left off to the South Gate to go to the Deus Plains, we ran all the way to the field in one go.


    We headed to the southwest field without stopping once.


    At that time, Ringo didn¡¯t let go at all, so we were holding hands the whole time, but the level of the enemies in the Deus Plains is 50.


    They are enemies that it would be harder to suffer from when we have updated our equipment.


    It is the same as that time when we were going back to the capital.


    The moment monsters appeared, Ringo would end them with a Lightning Strike as if it were just a passing nuisance. And so, we arrived in front of the big rock without taking much time.


    A part of the big rock was hollowed out, and rubble was piled up in it.


    That is in a way a seal.


    We crushed a Spawn Point there by covering it up with rubble.


    And also eliminated the possibility of a terrifying monster appearing from there.


    ¡°Ringo, can you break the rubble there?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this, Ringo asked back with an ¡®is that okay?¡¯ with her gaze.


    I lightly nodded at it.


    ¡°¡­Got it.¡± (Ringo)


    When Ringo said this, she directed the Wakizashi towards the rubble.


    Lightning came out from its tip soon after and the rubble was destroyed into pieces.


    The power of the weapon and level of Ringo has increased since the time she broke the rock.


    The power of it was on a whole other level.


    ¡°As expected¡­¡± (Souma)


    The rubble was destroyed in an instant and the obstruction in the Spawn Point was rid of.


    With this, monsters will once again appear from it.


    ¡°Now then, let¡¯s move away from here for a bit.¡± (Souma)


    When I proposed this, Ringo followed me obediently.


    Leaving aside the time at the Mass Outbreak, in normal times, new monsters don¡¯t spawn when you are close to the Spawn Point.


    I take distance from the big rock while relying on my feel from the game days.


    ¡°¡­It is here.¡± (Souma)


    But it seems like there was no need to think too much about it.


    When we moved away to a certain degree, Ringo looked back.


    There¡¯s no way she could have seen it, but she seems to have sensed the spawning of the monster behind.


    When I strain my eyes a bit here, I could tell that a new monster had appeared from the hollow big rock.


    But it is unfortunately a miss.


    The monster that finally managed to spawn from the Spawn Point after a long while was defeated instantly by the Lightning Strike of Ringo.


    Well, with this, I now know the necessary distance.


    Now it is waiting time.


    I set chairs a little further away from the place where Ringo looked back from, and prepared myself for the long battle.


    But obviously, I can¡¯t waste this waiting time.


    I take out the Master Torch from my bag along with the spear I had gotten before.


    I have raised the Weapon Proficiency of the sword, otachi, dagger, ninja sword, and the Proficiency of fire, water, and light, but I have barely touched the other ones.


    Of course, weapons have their strengths and weaknesses. As for me, I used the sword mostly for all of my runs, and there were barely any moments when I used stuff like a spear, but it would be best to have as many options as possible.


    As your level increases, the efficiency of increasing your weapon proficiency lowers.


    Before I grind levels, I should increase my weapon proficiency as much as possible with the Master Torch.


    Ringo was watching over me hitting away at the torch with the spear without moving an inch¡­is what I thought.


    ¡°¡­I will do it, too.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo unexpectedly asked to participate.


    ¡°Then, want to come here?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Hn.¡± (Ringo)


    There isn¡¯t much point in Ringo increasing her weapon proficiency since her attacks revolve on Lightning Strike, but there¡¯s no real reason to refuse.


    I lined up shoulders with Ringo and passed our time with one torch.


    And then, that time finally came.


    A while after I was stabbing the torch with Ringo at my side, we defeated the 5th wrong monster, and I was about to change the weapon I am using on the Master Torch¡­


    But I felt as if thorns poked my skin, so I raised my head, and¡­I saw a white giant appear from around the big rock.


    When I looked by my side, Ringo had long since noticed and her expression turned more serious.


    Of course she would.


    That guy not only was on the verge of killing me but also her, so he is an enemy we have a strong connection to.


    ¡ªKing Butcher.


    Because of a mistake of the Nekomimi Neko developers, a high level boss monster appeared in this field where low level monsters appear.


    Even so, this guy appears in a level 150 dungeon, so you could say it is an enemy that¡¯s just at the right level for me and Ringo.


    However, Nekomimi Neko is one narrow asshole for game balance, so level is just one indicator.


    In a high level dungeon, they would set up one dude that looks like a weak low level monster, but they would end up being far and beyond stronger¡­ This is a horrible trap I have experienced before.


    Well, what¡¯s truly horrible is that, despite it being strong, the monsters set around it have 5 times more exp, but most players would have to swallow their tears and do this method to obtain experience because it was the only way.


    Anyways, the King Butcher is a strong boss in that level range, and you could say it is an especially tough opponent for ones that mainly focus on physical attacks.


    It has strong physical resistance, and any physical attack that doesn¡¯t contain any elements barely do any damage.


    (But that¡¯s exactly why¡­!!) (Souma)


    I stopped Ringo who was about to walk on with a serious face and stood in front of her.


    ¡°Please wait here.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­But¡­¡± (Ringo)


    I shook my head at Ringo who was showing displeasure and unease.


    ¡°It is¡­necessary.¡± (Souma)


    When I said this, Ringo replied with: ¡°¡­Don¡¯t be reckless.¡±


    She still saw me off but with worried eyes.


    ¡°¡­Thanks.¡± (Souma)


    I expressed my gratitude and, at the same time as I did¡­


    (¡­And also, I am sorry.) (Souma)


    I apologized internally to her.


    ¡ªMe saying is necessary is half true and half false.


    In theory, there¡¯s no need for me to force myself to fight alone here.


    The two of us fighting together would logically be the safest way to get stronger.


    The reason why I said I wanted to fight alone is purely my selfishness.


    There¡¯s a number of reasons why I want to fight the King Butcher right now.


    The first is plainly for the sake of raising my level.


    My level is currently 156.


    The dungeon of the Butcher is 150, so you might think I won¡¯t be able to get exp because of the level difference, but boss monsters are usually one tier above the monsters of that zone.


    There¡¯s also the massive amount of exp the boss itself gives, so we will probably be able to increase our level all the way up to level 170.


    The second one has to do with this guy¡¯s resistance.


    The Butcher has plain strong physical resistance.


    Normal physical attacks won¡¯t register against the Butcher.


    But that¡¯s exactly why I don¡¯t plan on using elemental attacks here.


    (¡­It noticed me, huh.) (Souma)


    After approaching a certain distance, it also detected me.


    I falter for an instant in front of the white giant that faces me.


    (¡­Should I use that from the very beginning?) (Souma)


    Thinking that, I glanced at Shiranui for an instant, but I soon shook my head.


    That technique has a lot of risks.


    I shouldn¡¯t rely on something that I don¡¯t even know if I would be able to use in the Demon Lord battle right from the get-go.


    Having reached that decision, I chant magic like usual.


    While at it, I do an eye-measure of the distance between us.


    Decide on my actions inside my head and repeatedly set Time Activations.


    ¡°[Step]!¡± (Souma)


    I immediately switch to movement.


    (I will close the distance first!) (Souma)


    If I am going to be defeating the King Butcher for sure, the easiest way would be to do the same as before: activate Absolute Katana Reversal when it uses its charge to hit it with an elemental attack.


    The power of one hit from the counter skill, Absolute Katana Reversal, is outstanding and it can deal elemental attacks readily.


    If I take distance, I should be able to invite its charge.


    However, I won¡¯t be taking that strategy this time around.


    That¡¯s because the Demon Lord also uses long range attacks.


    That¡¯s right, this is the one other reason I am fighting the King Butcher.


    I am going to simulate as if this King Butcher is the Demon Lord and test out my current ability.


    On top of fighting this King Butcher as a pseudo Demon Lord, I placed 2 restrictions on me.


    First: don¡¯t use elemental attacks.


    The Butcher has high physical resistance and high defense, but the defense of the Demon Lord that hasn¡¯t been weakened is far above that.


    I have to be able to defeat the King Butcher with just physical attacks at the very least or I won¡¯t be able to match the Demon Lord at all.


    And the other one is: stay at a 3 meter distance from him.


    This is because of the trait that the Demon Lord has.


    The Isolated Demon Lord, also called the Super Loner Killer (SLK), or Super Loner King (SLK) is an enemy that isn¡¯t suitable to fight solo.


    Normally, when you face a boss with a large number of people, their HP will scale depending on the numbers on your side, but the Demon Lord is the opposite.


    The Demon Lord blatantly power ups in a 1 on 1 battle.


    ¡°You can¡¯t save the world alone! This is the power of the bonds created in your journey!¡±


    As this catchphrase states -or maybe not, who knows- the Demon Lord is the weakest when you fight it with more than 6 people, and as you decrease by one, it gets a 40% power up for each one missing. If you fight it completely alone, its battle power increases by 3 times that of when you face it with 6 people.


    Honestly speaking, there¡¯s no way you can win.


    Actually, the Demon Lord was originally a human, and because they were betrayed horribly, they touched upon taboo experiments and turned into a monster¡­is basically the lore, but they are apparently weak to humans that get along with each other.


    ¡®Is that why they get in the way of your wedding?¡¯, ¡®so small-minded¡­¡¯, ¡®could it be that they are trying to revive the Great Demon Lord because they want someone to talk to?¡¯ -are some of the many comments that came out of this, so this trait can¡¯t be undermined.


    So basically, you ¡®have to bring 5 companions¡¯ when fighting the Demon Lord.


    This is also one of the reasons why I decided to bring Sazan despite not being sure if he would be of use.


    However, bringing companions also means exposing them to danger.


    Moreover, the attacks of a Demon Lord that hasn¡¯t been weakened enough are all powerful, to the point that if Sazan were to be targeted, he would die in an instant.


    In order to prevent that, I have to use the pattern of the Demon Lord where: ¡®they prioritize attacking the enemy that¡¯s within 3 meters in range¡¯. That way, I will always be targeted.


    This also means I can¡¯t take distance and heal or withdraw, so the difficulty of the battle increases greatly.


    It is not impossible, but it is by no means something you can do in one shot against a Demon Lord that¡¯s not weakened enough.


    That¡¯s why this battle against the King Butcher is a practice battle for the sake of that.


    As if reacting to me approaching, the white giant moved and readied for an attack as a greeting.


    I add an Oboro Zangetsu in the middle of my movement, and close the distance with High Step.


    Cancel the High Step with Jump, and¡­


    ¡°[Oboro Cross]!!¡± (Souma)


    I overlap the activation of Power Up matching the Side Slash.


    This combo that can slay even level 170 enemies¡­


    ¡°Guooooooooh!!¡±


    Wasn¡¯t enough to defeat the King Butcher.


    It staggered him a bit, but he soon regained himself and attacked me again.


    ¡°You monster¡­!¡± (Souma)


    I escaped to the side with the Air Hammer that I had set for Time Activation beforehand and spit out those words.


    The physical resistance of the King Butcher really is insane.


    However, it is not like it didn¡¯t work at all.


    If I repeat this over and over, I should be able to defeat him eventually.


    Believing this, I set a Power Up to Time Activate after another Air Hammer, and¡­


    ¡°?!¡± (Souma)


    The second attack of the Butcher came.


    ¡°[Step]!!¡± (Souma)


    The knockback of the Air Hammer just ended, and I barely managed to avoid that attack.


    But¡­


    (The next one¡­would be bad¡­) (Souma)


    The limitation of a 3 meter distance is really tying me up here.


    If I can¡¯t escape to the back, I can¡¯t retreat from the attack range of the Butcher.


    In that case, the knockback of Air Hammer that has difficulties in the movement speed and the time it takes would be dangerous.


    If I use the Air Hammer once more while I am in front of the Butcher, I will get hit for sure.


    That¡¯s what I felt.


    (Then, I just have to go around to his back!) (Souma)


    I chain Step and High Step as if going in a circle around the Butcher, and activate Ground Compression¡­


    ¡°Crap!¡± (Souma)


    And noticed that I left the 3 meter radius of the Butcher.


    I managed to get to his back, but there¡¯s no point if this is the result.


    I purposely didn¡¯t attack and got blown back by the Air Hammer while biting my lips.


    The strength of Ground Compression bit me back instead.


    If I consider the 3 meter limitation, I can¡¯t use the Ground Compression that has a long movement distance.


    Meaning that my fastest movement skill has been sealed.


    ¡°Damn it! Then¡­!¡± (Souma)


    I return to the side of the Butcher with Step, and this time around, I used Godstep Cancel to go around him.


    But the white giant showed that he can follow that speed.


    It twisted his body and swung down his cleaver.


    ¡°! [High Step]!¡± (Souma)


    The super heavy cleaver raised a roaring sound as it approached me, but I somehow managed to avoid it with High Step.


    With this, I have completely destroyed its attack rhythm.


    But once I use High Step, I can¡¯t connect it to Godstep Cancel anymore.


    Now that I have come this far, I have no choice but to do it.


    (This is¡­[Jump][Side Slash]!) (Souma)


    I Jump cancel the landing and do a Side Slash.


    But that was¡­


    ¡°Wa?!¡± (Souma)


    Stopped by the left leg of the King Butcher¡­


    Not only did I miss the timing of the Power Up, I couldn¡¯t aim at the head which is the weak point.


    The damage I dealt was so low that the skill was judged to have failed.


    And then, having my skill stopped, I was stunned and¡­


    ¡°Shi¡ª¡± (Souma)


    The giant right leg of the Butcher approached me.


    I could only watch as it closed in on my stunned body while it was raising a roar.


    ¡°Guh¡­!¡± (Souma)


    The next instant, I was kicked away like a soccer ball.


    I was sent flying without being able to do anything and rolled on the ground.


    I have been sent flying by him just like this before.


    It is a sensation that feels nostalgic even.


    ¡°Souma!!¡± (Ringo)


    I could hear the scream of Ringo from far away.


    ¡°Don¡¯t come!!¡± (Souma)


    But I stopped Ringo who was about to run my way, and I stood up.


    At that time, I got hit by him and was on the verge of death, and I couldn¡¯t even move properly until I healed myself.


    But now I am different from that time.


    My level has increased and I have excellent armor and tools.


    I won¡¯t be killed in one hit.


    But¡­


    (Of course that would happen.) (Souma)


    I nodded as I watched the white giant that had an air of composure.


    The distance between me and the Butcher is obviously more than 3 meters.


    At this rate, there¡¯s no way I would be able to protect my companions from the Demon Lord at all.


    Even in my grown current self, I don¡¯t have enough strength and speed.


    I may be placing limitations on me, but I am in this predicament against an enemy like the Butcher who is several times weaker than the real Demon Lord.


    This is my present ability.


    ¡°I really can¡¯t stay in the present like this.¡± (Souma)


    Then, I must become stronger.


    Even if I have to risk losing all of my hard work and power until now, I must become stronger.


    I have already obtained the means for the sake of that.


    I glare at the approaching Butcher -and at the shadow of the Demon Lord- as I slowly open my mouth.


    ¡°I will now be showing you the me from here on.¡± (Souma)


    Now, it is time to shout.


    The name of the technique that had outstanding effects in the game days, enough to even call it a balance breaker.


    Despite having used almost all the skills that exist in Nekomimi Neko, this is a skill I have never used before.


    ¡°[Incarnation of Fury]!!¡± (Souma)

 CH 120

    Light


    Dark


    ¡°[Incarnation of Fury]!¡± (Souma)


    The King Butcher approached with its meaty body shaking as if he saw the opportunity with my shout.


    The movements of the Butcher couldn¡¯t be described as nimble.


    But that¡¯s when you think of it in human standards.


    If someone several times the size of a human does the same actions, the speed will be several times that too.


    That white giant swung down with everything it had.


    The cleaver was coming down at me with fearsome speed, and I¡­


    (¡­I can see it!) (Souma)


    However, I shifted my body to the side and avoided it with a paper-thin difference.


    The cleaver passed right by me, and I was on the verge of faltering from the sound of cutting wind, but I still maintained calm.


    I don¡¯t know if it is an optical illusion from the adrenaline, but I feel like my vision has been amplified.


    The movements of the Butcher were slower than usual.


    This almighty feeling enveloping my body fueled my adrenaline even more.


    (I can do this!) (Souma)


    What aimed at me next was the kick of the Butcher that had sent me flying before.


    The leg of the giant that has the strength of mass was like a wall approaching me.


    (I will¡­slip through here!) (Souma)


    But that attack won¡¯t be catching my current self.


    I jumped forward, slipping through the gap between the cleaver and the right leg¡­


    ¡°Woah there.¡± (Souma)


    I couldn¡¯t control the speed completely and pitched forward at the end, but by the time I somehow managed to fix my posture, I was already at the back of the Butcher.


    The thing that was impossible to do no matter how many movement skills I used¡­I managed to do it without using skills.


    Even when I am aware I am in the middle of a battle, I couldn¡¯t hold back the surge of emotions in me.


    (This is the power Ina gave me! So this is the world with 3 times the speed!!) (Souma)


    The Incarnation of Fury that¡¯s purported as a balance breaker.


    This is a special skill that only a player can obtain, and there¡¯s only one way to obtain it¡­


    Trigger the Proposal Event, and activate the Curse of the Demon Lord.


    Even when you get the downside of there being a high change your playthrough will be done for, this skill is still popular.


    The effects are actually outstanding after all.


    It is understandable how this is the star of hope for the 7743 Reports.


    First, if we look at just the positives of it, the Incarnation of Fury is the best stat buff skill without question.


    It has a lot of limitations like not working when there¡¯s allies closeby, but it increases all of your base stats by 3 times for 30 seconds.


    The Power Up I currently have is different due to the customization, but the original effect of this spell that is a buff just like Incarnation of Fury only increases your strength by 1.3 times for 30 seconds, so you should be able to tell how incredible it is.


    Just this alone already makes it crazy, but there¡¯s actually even more to this.


    ¡®All base stats¡¯ doesn¡¯t only include stuff like strength, magic power, endurance, and resistances that have to do with attack and defense.


    It also includes things like HP, MP, and even stamina and agility which are stats that don¡¯t increase by leveling up. They all increase by 3 times.


    What¡¯s especially frightening are the effects of the increase in agility.


    3 times higher means that the agility of the player increases to 300 temporarily.


    That¡¯s even higher than the 250 from the fastest character, Mitsuki.


    Of course, her deftness and masterful techniques are solely because of Mitsuki herself, so even if my agility has surpassed hers, it is not like I can act as fast as Mitsuki.


    Even with that taken into account, moving 3 times as fast is fearsome, and if I go 3 times as fast, I can act 3 times more.


    This can become an overwhelming advantage against enemies.


    That¡¯s why¡­


    (Gotcha!!) (Souma)


    After having moved to the back of the Butcher without any difficulties, I was sure of my own victory.


    I swing down Shiranui on the right leg of the giant that still hasn¡¯t detected me.


    ¡°Guh!¡± (Souma)


    But the one who groaned from that attack was me.


    My attack was stopped by the thick meat armor of the Butcher. I couldn¡¯t deal enough damage.


    (It is not enough even with this?!) (Souma)


    I was shocked by this unbelievable reality.


    I didn¡¯t use Power Up, but I still have a 3 times buff on strength.


    I didn¡¯t expect that it wouldn¡¯t work.


    I unconsciously stopped moving from the shock.


    The giant white body in front of me moved in that brief instant.


    An attack while turning around.


    I jumped back to try and avoid this attack that took advantage of the centrifugal force, but¡­


    ¡°No way!!¡± (Souma)


    I made far more distance than I expected.


    I jumped out from the 3 meter distance I had set from the very beginning.


    I hurriedly try to pull the brake on it, but my feet touch the ground at a speed faster than I imagined.


    (The reactions of my body are way too sharp!) (Souma)


    That resulted in my body losing balance.


    I fumble around where there¡¯s nothing and fall on my butt.


    (Calm down!) (Souma)


    I reprimanded myself.


    Fortunately, I took way too much distance, so I have somehow escaped the attack range of the Butcher.


    I stand up in a way that I save as much of my strength as possible, and regain my posture.


    With agility being 3 times higher, you get an equal amount of difficulty in control.


    That¡¯s something the other players have said when using Incarnation of Fury, and I should have been prepared for it.


    Also, the attack just now not getting through is in a sense obvious.


    My attack had the customized attack power of Shiranui, with my strength buffed by around 10 times with Power Up, along with the Side Slash that has a high multiplier; all those 3 components are what made it possible to deal damage.


    My Side Slash didn¡¯t work, and yet, I tried to do a normal attack with only 3 times the strength and no multiplier from Side Slash.


    My thoughts were just running solely on the strength amplification part, and completely forgot about the skill multiplier of Side Slash.


    Thinking about it with a calm mind, I can tell there¡¯s no way an attack like that could have gone through.


    (It is okay. It¡¯s still okay.) (Souma)


    I tell myself this.


    I still can do something.


    This time I should use Side Slash, and if that doesn¡¯t work either, I just have to use it together with Power Up.


    The issue here is that using Power UP while in the middle of Incarnation of Fury isn¡¯t that efficient.


    If you use Power Up while you have 3 times the strength, the 10 times doesn¡¯t become 30 times¡­ Not only that, the buffs overlap and don¡¯t even reach 12 times the power.


    Rather than calling this how buff skills and spells work, it is more like the trait of all buff states.


    I talk about Power Up and Incarnation of Fury increasing the base stats, but it is not like they are directly tinkering with the parameters of the character.


    Buff State is technically like a positive abnormal status effect.


    The relationship here can be easily settled with the calculation of: Character¡¯s Base Stats x Modifier of the Buff State + Stats of the Equipment = Actual Stat.


    What Power Up does is fiddle with the Buff State modifier, so it is not like it is tinkering directly. For example; even if it looks like the customized Power Up has increased your strength by 10 times when you level up in the middle of it, the reality is that it has only increased the usual number.


    Moreover, the only thing that¡¯s applied in the Buff State modifier is the current highest number on you.


    In the case when both the customized Power Up and Incarnation of Fury are activated at the same time, only the customized Power Up will be taking effect.


    Well, rather than wishing for something that¡¯s not there, I should be grateful that I can at least use Power Up in the middle of Incarnation of Fury.


    Anyways, I have just recently begun using Incarnation of Fury.


    There¡¯s still time¡ª


    (¡­Time?) (Souma)


    At that moment, I noticed that I have lost track of the time I have been using Incarnation of Fury.


    You normally would keep tabs of the skill effects while fighting, but the excitement of the battle and the unexpected agitation, on top of the agility messing with your sense of time, had changed what should have been a natural thing into an impossible task.


    (How long until the effect runs out? How long until I¡­) (Souma)


    That reality made me grow even more impatient.


    This Incarnation of Fury has a big backlash.


    If I don¡¯t defeat this guy within 30 seconds of the activation, I will definitely¡­


    ¡°[Step]!!¡± (Souma)


    This uneasiness pushed me into action.


    What I chose by instinct was to move with a skill.


    This skill that I should be greatly familiar with created an acceleration that I have never experienced before due to the Incarnation of Fury.


    However, this caught the enemy off-guard.


    I entered the still defenseless bosom of the King Butcher, cancel the Step, and the Side Slash¡ª


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡± (Souma)


    I couldn¡¯t chain it.


    The Step cancel to Side Slash; this technique that I have repeated thousands to millions of times¡­ended in my first failure in several months.


    Cancel Miss.


    That term surfaced in my mind.


    Because of the skill stun, I am made to stand upright without being able to do anything. And the monster in front of me raised his giant weapon.


    ¡°¡­Ah.¡± (Souma)


    A dumbfounded voice leaked out from me.


    The reddish-brown colored cleaver was covering my vision with its thickness that doesn¡¯t even look like a bladed weapon anymore.


    ¡ªI have no way of avoiding it.


    *Crack!*


    A nasty sound rang from my cranium, and my consciousness flew away.


    I probably only lost consciousness for a mere instant.


    ¡°Ouch¡­¡± (Souma)


    I woke up from the intense pain.


    I lift up my body while feeling dizzy and¡­


    ¡°¡ª?!¡± (Souma)


    I immediately moved to evade the gigantic white leg that was coming right at me.


    ([Step]!!) (Souma)


    The habit that has seeped into my body made me choose to avoid it by using Step before I could come to my senses.


    The skill barely activated even when my posture was a mess, and my body jumped to the side.


    It really is an acceleration I can¡¯t get used to.


    But I managed to escape from the trample of the Butcher with that.


    I was bewildered by the speed that I haven¡¯t felt much of before as I landed, and tried to cancel the Step with a Side Slash¡­


    (Again?!) (Souma)


    I am not getting the timing right.


    It failed.


    I was stunned again.


    The cleaver was coming at me from the side.


    ¡°Guuuh!¡± (Souma)


    It hits my body.


    My lungs were emptied.


    I was shot off.


    (This is¡­) (Souma)


    However, I didn¡¯t lose consciousness there.


    I was thinking even while in midair.


    (This is the wall of acceleration, huh.) (Souma)


    The Incarnation of Fury greatly increases the user¡¯s agility.


    This is a big plus, and at the same time, a big minus that makes seasoned Nekomimi Neko players suffer.


    That¡¯s because the way too high agility creates a big barrier along with its benefits.


    This phenomenon is called the wall of acceleration by a number of people.


    Agility accelerates almost all actions and shortens them.


    This shortening also leads to the Cancel Points being heavily shifted.


    If your agility is 3 times more, your skills are 3 times faster, and as a result, the Cancel Point arrives 3 times faster. The cancel window is also shortened to a third of its length.


    Even the Nekomimi Neko players that have learned the cancel timing with their every pore and have seeped it into their body¡­no, it is exactly because of this that those types of players can¡¯t keep up with the change.


    On the other hand, there¡¯s something that can¡¯t be shortened no matter what even with the acceleration of the agility.


    The increase of agility accelerates almost all actions, but active actions of yours like stuns or knockbacks and the skill stuns are not included in this.


    If you fail in canceling the skill, you will still be hit with the same stun time even when your agility has increased.


    That¡¯s why it is even said that the better the Nekomimi Neko player, the more they hate the change in speed.


    If you can manage to chain your skills properly, you can bring out close to 3 times the movement speed.


    It is definitely the correct choice to take skill canceling properly over 3 times the speed.


    There¡¯s also the fighting style of Mitsuki.


    Rather than killing your speed after using a skill that stuns you, it would be better to hold back on the use of skills when you have high agility.


    That choice is most likely also correct.


    (Even so¡­!) (Souma)


    I think something like that is not enough, so I have chosen this path.


    It is because I think I would be far from achieving what I want if I don¡¯t use this skill.


    The skill cancel technique that I have polished to the extreme has taken root in my body to the point that it is already muscle memory.


    However, with the change of speed, all of that is pointless. No, it might even turn into shackles.


    The time I spent on the game, my hard work in it will have no point at all.


    (Even with that¡­!!) (Souma)


    The agility is decreased with the weight of your equipment.


    For example; if I were to hold something heavy like the cleaver, I would be able to adjust my agility artificially to get to 100 again.


    But I won¡¯t take that route.


    In order to get used to that speed as fast as possible, I have already pledged in my heart that I won¡¯t use skills in any other time aside from the 3x state until I defeat the Demon Lord.


    I of course am aware that the risk is big when I fail.


    I can¡¯t escape the big decrease in power at that time, and if I get used to the 3x speed in a half-assed way, I might end up unable to properly use the skills in my normal state.


    But no matter how difficult of a choice this is, this speed is absolutely necessary for my objective.


    Everything is for the sake of defeating the Demon Lord.


    For the sake of not letting my companions die¡­no, so that I don¡¯t have to sacrifice anyone!


    In order to not cloud the smile of Ina!!


    (I have already decided to make this speed mine!!) (Souma)


    My head was throbbing in pain and my hit chest was also burning up, screaming in pain.


    My body is also in tatters, and there¡¯s probably only a little bit left before the effect runs out.


    Even with that, my two legs were planted on the ground, with Shiranui ready against the oncoming white giant.

 CH 121

    Light


    Dark


    I have to do it.


    I watch as the giant approaches sadistically towards me and say this inside my mind.


    I have taken the attacks of the Butcher countless times now, but thanks to my new armor and my 3x stats, I have somehow managed to survive.


    However, it doesn¡¯t matter how much HP I currently have remaining.


    At this rate, if I don¡¯t defeat him, I will definitely be killed.


    That¡¯s already a certainty.


    The biggest obstacle in using Incarnation of Fury in actual battle, as expected, is the 30 second duration.


    Once the buff of 30 seconds ends, that effect immediately does a reversal.


    The base stats that have been buffed by the skill will then be decreased all the way to 1/100th of what they originally were.


    It doesn¡¯t affect the weapon and armor, so it is not like the defense and attack will straight up be 1/100th of what you were before, but that doesn¡¯t even serve as consolation.


    There¡¯s no way you can receive an attack from an enemy with 1/100th of your HP, and with agility at 1/100th, you can¡¯t even expect to escape or avoid.


    Being exposed to monsters after those 30 seconds means death.


    (That¡¯s why I will defeat this guy before that.) (Souma)


    The way to get through that is of course skill canceling.


    I should have a chance here if I can at least do a Godstep Cancel.


    Step is the first movement skill and Side Slash is a basic skill, so you could say they are both beginner skills.


    That said, it is not like canceling them is easy.


    You could even say they enter the difficult category.


    We are talking about Nekomimi Neko here, so it is not absolutely the case for everything, but the length of most cancel timeframes depend on how long the skill itself is.


    A skill that continues for a while normally has a proportionally long cancel frame, and the skills that end quickly have a tendency to have their cancel timing end in an instant.


    For example; in my knowledge, the one with a long cancel timeframe is Midare Sakura.


    Midare Sakura has a visual animation that¡¯s close to 20 seconds, so the time you have to input the cancel is long, and for players you have reached the point of obtaining this skill, failing to cancel Midare Sakura would be harder instead.


    In contrast, there¡¯s the Ground Compression that has fast movement speed and activation, and not only does it have one cancel point, the time you have to get it right is outrageously short.


    That and coupled with the fact that there¡¯s only jump type skills that can cancel it are the reasons why Ground Compression is called a skill for highly skilled players.


    Step and Side Slash are at the midpoint of this. They are slightly better than Ground Compression, but if you have to do it consecutively and without messing it up, the difficulty shoots up drastically.


    Of course, it is not only Godstep Cancel that is difficult.


    The movement skill combo with Air Hammer added into it, and the Oboro Cross and the cancel after activating Midare Sakura.


    Now that I think about it, all of my special techniques have canceling as their core.


    But I currently feel as if all of those are impossible for me to do right now.


    (Can I do it¡­as I currently am?) (Souma)


    I ended up questioning myself.


    But I shake my head.


    (It is not about whether I can. I have to!) (Souma)


    I resolve myself and look at the Butcher.


    I felt like I saw the shadow of the Demon Lord for a moment there.


    (I will definitely win!) (Souma)


    I psyche myself up like this and concentrate on the giant body that is slowly getting closer as if measuring the distance.


    I can¡¯t use my skills with the same sensation.


    I might as well just think of them as new skills with 3 times more rougher timings.


    No, I know that my base skills are all running at 3 times the speed, so the conditions are even looser than that.


    I tell myself in that fashion and draw myself moving at 3 times faster than normal in my head.


    And then, at the breaks of those skills, I draw a detailed picture of the next skill I will be activating there.


    I search for a skill with a similar timing, and imagine that timing.


    I sharpen my senses.


    I rid myself of all noise, and everything aside from my target fades out.


    A second is diluted several times, and the movements of Butcher¡¯s arm that is raised towards me looked like it was in slow motion.


    (I can do this!) (Souma)


    I was pushed by a strong confidence that had no basis, and I¡­


    ¡°Souma, no!!¡±


    My concentration was shaken by the sudden voice and I missed that opportunity.


    Time returns to normal.


    The arm of the giant holding a humongous cleaver was about to be swung down.


    (Shit!) (Souma)


    However, that was stopped by the silver light that came flying from outside my field of awareness.


    That silver something hit the arm of the Butcher, and its movement stopped for an instant.


    (That¡¯s the Wakizashi?! Gouging Vajra!) (Souma)


    I thought that in an instant, but the speed was slow to be that and it seemed to lack power.


    The Wakizashi actually only stopped the movement of the Butcher for a brief moment.


    That blade easily bounced off from the meat armor of the Butcher.


    (Not a skill but merely throwing? Why¡­?) (Souma)


    I hurriedly jumped out from there and searched for the person who threw the Wakizashi.


    I saw Ringo, who had swung her hand widely, in my vision.


    But she is still far away.


    Lightning Strike isn¡¯t suitable for accurate attacks due to its trait.


    I don¡¯t know why she didn¡¯t use Gouging Vajra, but Ringo must have noticed I was in trouble here and provided assistance from over there by throwing the Wakizashi.


    ¡°Souma!!¡± (Ringo)


    Despite her having thrown her only weapon, Ringo was trying to run my way.


    Even when her balance was unsteady after throwing the weapon, she was still desperately trying to come here.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± (Souma)


    She tripped.


    Moreover, head first.


    ¡°¡­Pft!¡± (Souma)


    That comical sight made me laugh even at a situation like this.


    It is the result of her desperately doing her best for my sake, so I shouldn¡¯t be laughing.


    But seeing that, I felt like strength left me.


    And¡­


    (Good grief, what am I doing?) (Souma)


    That¡¯s what I muttered¡­to myself.


    It is as if I had gotten rid of something that had been haunting me -as if I had woken up from a dream.


    With that unnecessary strength leaving me, I finally understood how stupid I am being here.


    (I am being way too impatient.) (Souma)


    I think this as I jump to the side and avoid the cleaver that was swung down along with a roar.


    If I just calm down¡­no, if I just don¡¯t purposely close my eyes to it, I could soon tell that this battle is stupid.


    It is true that there¡¯s only 9 days until the time limit for subjugating the Demon Lord.


    But I still have 9 days.


    Even if this is for the sake of testing the 3x speed of Incarnation of Fury, even if it is to defeat the Butcher and strengthen myself, there¡¯s no need for me to fight all alone with all these reckless conditions.


    I wouldn¡¯t have suffered such a hard battle with the Butcher simply by bringing Mitsuki and Maki, and if I had at least not placed a restriction prohibiting elemental attacks on top of the 3 meter distance, I wouldn¡¯t have had as much trouble as I am having now.


    (Seriously, what am I even doing?) (Souma)


    If I had to put logic in these unreasonable actions, it would go like this.


    ¡ªI must have been seeking danger unconsciously.


    My impatience of wanting to defeat the Demon Lord quickly, my debt for pushing Ina to that situation, being the reason for so many people being cursed, and the guilt of living my days without being blamed turned out in me cornering myself.


    To the point that I even pointlessly fabricated a crysis with the excuse that it is a countermeasure against the Demon Lord.


    ¡°¡­Haah¡­¡± (Souma)


    I duck the cleaver that was being swung while roaring and sighed at myself.


    No wonder Mitsuki and Ringo didn¡¯t want me to go alone.


    I didn¡¯t expect blood to have rushed my head to this extent.


    In the first place, no matter how you think about it, awakening a new power when in trouble isn¡¯t my fighting style.


    You can just leave that stuff to the heroes on manga and TV.


    My fighting style is more¡­


    ¡°Woah.¡± (Souma)


    I avoided the kick of the Butcher while I was in the middle of thinking, and I once again looked at that white giant.


    Well, how to say it, it obviously doesn¡¯t look like the Demon Lord.


    He is just a bit of a big and gross normal monster.


    ¡°Now then¡­¡± (Souma)


    My head has cooled down.


    Then, there¡¯s only one thing I need to do here.


    ¡°There doesn¡¯t seem to be much time, so let¡¯s defeat it quickly.¡± (Souma)


    When I muttered this, I first jumped to the back.


    I won¡¯t care about the 3 meter distance anymore.


    That¡¯s the final objective and there¡¯s no need to achieve that right now.


    I shove my left hand in the bag while in midair.


    It doesn¡¯t matter whatever it is, so I take out whatever weapon I find. A Heat Knife.


    ¡°So unlucky.¡± (Souma)


    The weakest weapon within the ones I expected.


    But there¡¯s no problem with that.


    I began chanting at the same time as I landed.


    The chant finished pretty quickly with 3x speed, and I raised the Heat Knife with my left hand.


    And then¡­


    ¡°[Catapult Wind]!¡± (Souma)


    I cast the spell with a loud voice.


    This is a bit of a quirky spell.


    It is an enchantment wind element spell, and if you use a spell while extending your hand, the weapon will be enchanted with the wind element, gain the throwing trait, and fly off.


    This moment is of course not an exception. The Heat Knife in my left hand flew off in a straight line as the spell activated.


    Towards the approaching Butcher¡­far above his head, onto the sky where there¡¯s nothing.


    (Alright!) (Souma)


    But after seeing it off, I quickly enter the bosom of the Butcher.


    If it is just 3x movement speed without using skills, the Butcher can still manage to react.


    The Butcher roared in anger and tried to crush me with his left hand that held nothing.


    ¡°Good work!¡± (Souma)


    But I slipped past that arm while getting close to him, and swung Shiranui onto the arm.


    This slash that utilized the momentum of the enemy advanced onto the arm of the King Butcher, and easily cut that arm¡­


    (Well, that¡¯s pretty much what you would expect without the physical resistance.) (Souma)


    I confirmed that with cold eyes, made full use of the 3x speed, and cut off the body of the Butcher one by one.


    This sharpness, which surpasses even the times when in Power Up, were slicing the Butcher, and he couldn¡¯t deal with it.


    Why did my attacks suddenly begin working on him?


    The trick is simple.


    It is the spell I used just now: Catapult Wind.


    This is a simple spell that ¡®enchants your weapon with the wind element, gives it the throwing trait, and shoots it off¡¯¡­or at least that¡¯s its description.


    But the actual effect displayed is: ¡®You eject the weapon you were holding, and in the time while it is still in flight, the weapon attacks you do will have the wind element¡¯.


    Basically, in the case when you are holding a weapon on each hand, if you attack with the weapon that wasn¡¯t ejected, there¡¯s for some reason the wind element and throwing trait added to it.


    If you use this spell like normal, the effect will end the moment it hits the enemy, but not only did I throw the weapon at the sky where there¡¯s nothing, I have increased the throwing range of Catapult Wind with customization.


    With this, it should be effective for 10 seconds or more.


    This technique that¡¯s called [Magic Sword: Catapult Wind] is actually plain and isn¡¯t really that convenient, but it can become a trump card in this situation.


    Maybe because the damage is on a whole different level now, the Stagger that happens after consecutive slashes was suppressing the Butcher completely.


    I thought that I would be able to push it to the end at this rate, but¡­


    (Well, of course it wouldn¡¯t go that smoothly.) (Souma)


    The Butcher suddenly ignored my attacks and changed stances.


    I remember this sight.


    The preliminary motions for the charge.


    The Butcher is in Super Armor state, so he won¡¯t be staggered, and the charge attack will come soon after.


    It is easy to avoid the charge.


    But it is a bit of a pain to defeat the Butcher in the middle of its charge.


    There¡¯s the chance the Catapult Wind or the Incarnation of Fury will wear out in that time.


    That¡¯s bad.


    That¡¯s why¡­


    ¡°An enemy in the middle of an animation is a good footstool!!¡± (Souma)


    I placed a leg on the body of the Butcher that is busy with the preliminary motions, and got on that big body.


    Normally, an enemy would stagger, but there¡¯s no issues with that when the enemy is in Super Armor state.


    I reach the shoulder of the Butcher in the blink of an eye and¡­


    ¡°[Power Up]!¡± (Souma)


    I chant the spell as I kick the body of the Butcher and launch into the sky.


    Right now I can¡¯t do something as skillful as calculating the time of the combo to set a Time Activation for it.


    But this isn¡¯t a combo but a single move.


    If it is predicting just one thing, even I can do it regardless if it is at 3 times the speed.


    I soared in the sky and pulled back my arm in order to match the activation of the Power Up and¡­


    ¡°[Side Slash]!!¡± (Souma)


    I release a powerful slash towards the weak point of the King Butcher; its ugly face.


    I bring retribution towards the giant that¡¯s ridden in wounds.


    ¡°Gugyaaaaaaaah!!¡±


    I lost control of my body because of the skill stun, and I fell to the ground pulled by gravity.


    The deathcry of the Butcher reached my ears at the same time, and I saw his body disappear into light particles.


    Having finished this battle that had a lot of twists and turns, what was taking over my chest was not the relief of having defeated the enemy within the time limit or my regret from this time¡¯s rash actions¡­


    (I am definitely going to be scolded real hard by Ringo after this¡­) (Souma)


    Such a first-world problem.

 CH 122

    Light


    Dark


    Once I fell to the ground and the stun wore off, I immediately stood up.


    ¡°Oops, I almost forgot.¡± (Souma)


    I am worried about the reaction of Ringo, but that¡¯s why there¡¯s something I must do beforehand.


    The effect of Incarnation of Fury still hasn¡¯t ended.


    I control my 3x speed as I head to the place where the Butcher was -where the drop items have fallen.


    The King Butcher dropped two items again.


    The Greatsword [Cleaver] and the doping item [Power Seed].


    This small Power Seed is the last reason why I challenged the King Butcher.


    In this game where the stats can go over 1,000, there isn¡¯t much point in increasing your strength by 1 or 2.


    That¡¯s practically trash and it is impossible to affect the game balance from that.


    But what if you steadily stack them to 100-200?


    ¡ªTrash can turn into a mountain if stacked.


    As such, the increase in strength from the Power Seed should become a big big weapon for me.


    Normally, you only obtain seed items from boss drops, so there¡¯s a limit to how many you obtain.


    But the one that destroys this logic is this King Butcher.


    This guy that¡¯s originally a unique dungeon boss will 100% drop a Power Seed that has a limit in how many you obtain.


    And what¡¯s most important here is that there¡¯s no restriction in the amount of times this guy appears because of the bug.


    As long as I continue defeating the Butcher, in theory, I should be able to get an infinite amount of Power Seeds.


    (This is the first step to that.) (Souma)


    I take out the seed items that were in my bag until now and respectfully pick up the seed that the Butcher dropped.


    I plan to have this serve as a trump card in defeating the Demon Lord.


    I have given up on obtaining the 3 times skill speed in this time¡¯s fight, but I don¡¯t plan on breaking my word about not using skills outside my 3x speed time.


    I will make sure to definitely master the use of skill canceling in 3x speed by the time limit.


    But even if I manage to master the 3 times speed, it would be difficult to defeat the Demon Lord at this rate.


    In order to defeat the Demon Lord, you not only need outstanding speed, but also outstanding attack power.


    But I already have an aim to achieve that.


    If I combine both the Incarnation of Fury and a whole ton of Power Seeds, I am sure¡­


    (¡­Eh?) (Souma)


    The moment I picked up the seed and was about to bring it into my mouth¡­I suddenly lost freedom in my body.


    (What¡¯s¡­this¡­?) (Souma)


    No, it is not like I can¡¯t move my body at all.


    It is just that my movements are shockingly slow, and my body feels heavy like lead.


    The clothes and armor I am wearing felt as if they had suddenly increased in weight.


    All the sensations in my body dulled as if it was not my body.


    (Why¡­? ) (Souma)


    The hand that I tried to raise was not moving satisfactorily.


    Even though I am trying to put as much strength as possible to bring it up, I am losing in strength.


    I can¡¯t properly move a single finger.


    This is clearly abnormal.


    I was on the verge of panicking here, and then I finally noticed.


    (Could this be the backlash of Incarnation of Fury?) (Souma)


    Incarnation of Fury buffs the base stats of the player by 3x for 30 seconds, but the next 30 seconds will instead lower all your base stats to 1/100th.


    If your agility changes to 1/100, there¡¯s no way you would be able to move your body properly, and with 1/100 of your strength, the equipment you have had until now would be 100 times heavier.


    I honestly underestimated it.


    This already far surpasses the realm of parameters.


    There¡¯s strict inspections when it comes to the functions in a VR games that involve the senses of the player. Especially the ones that accelerate the thought process. Not only is it untrodden land, it is prohibited by the law.


    That¡¯s why the only thing that pertains to agility is the speed at which your body moves.


    Agility doesn¡¯t affect things that support communication like the brain, eyes, and mouth.


    However, that just makes this strange sensation stand out even more.


    (It is as if I had sleep paralysis¡­) (Souma)


    1/100 of the speed you have means that actions that you would normally finish in 1 second will take you 100 seconds now. Basically, it takes you 1 minute 40 seconds.


    Because my brain is functioning close to normal here, the fear of my body not moving as it should is being amplified.


    I at the very least don¡¯t think I would be able to fight enemies in this state.


    Using Incarnation of Fury in any scenario aside from ones where I can definitely defeat the enemy within 30 seconds would practically be suicide.


    I once again shudder at my recklessness.


    And then¡­


    (Crap¡­!) (Souma)


    Having pinpointed the reason, tension left my body.


    Strength escaped from my raised hand and the seed was on the verge of falling from there.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± (Souma)


    That hand was gently supported from below.


    A small cold hand.


    ¡°Rin¡­go¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I moved my tongue that wasn¡¯t responding well and called her name.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    However, the girl that normally said ¡®¡­Souma¡¯ in a subdued manner was staying silent.


    I am stiff in place, slightly bent over, so Ringo¡¯s face is a bit higher than mine.


    I can¡¯t raise my head, but I do my best by looking up with my eyes that can still move, checking the expression of Ringo.


    Even at a time like this, the Ringo¡¯s face looked expressionless at a glance and didn¡¯t show any signs of being disturbed¡­


    However, her eyebrows were closer together by a few millimeters, and her lips were tighter than usual. Also, I think the corner of her eyes are more wet than normal¡­


    No, could this be¡­


    ¡°Ringo, could it be that you are cry¡ªhmgh?!¡± (Souma)


    She suddenly shoved all the seeds I had in my hand into my mouth.


    I was surprised by this, but I can¡¯t spit them out.


    I moved my mouth and crunched the seeds.


    If it were exactly like the game, the movements of my mouth shouldn¡¯t be limited, but now that it has become reality, some elements of it must have seeped into the backlash. My movements were dull.


    Even with that, I tried to look up at the face of Ringo again as the bare minimum show of resistance, but¡­


    ¡°Bofuh.¡± (Souma)


    This time around, my vision was covered by something soft.


    It took me a second to realize that it was Ringo hugging me into her chest.


    (T-This is¡­!) (Souma)


    The soft sensation and her warmth was making me flustered and¡­


    ¡°¡­I was really worried.¡± (Ringo)


    That small voice came down from above.


    Even if I am sorry here, I couldn¡¯t say anything with my mouth covered.


    I increase the chewing speed as if scolding my dulled mouth.


    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t hurry¡­is what I told you¡­¡± (Ringo)


    Even without my mouth covered, I wouldn¡¯t be able to say anything back to her about that.


    I do think I have worried her greatly here.


    Now that I think about it, Ringo would always pull my cheeks to bring me back to gear, tell jokes she is not used to saying, and would do a lot of other things for my sake.


    And yet, I still grew impatient against the Butcher, got reckless, and I might have died if not for Ringo¡¯s intervention.


    There¡¯s no way I could say anything to her here.


    ¡°¡­I told you¡­we are here¡­¡± (Ringo)


    Those words too¡­I heard them but didn¡¯t listen.


    It is only now that I understand the meaning of those words.


    At that time, I thought Ringo¡¯s encouragement here meant ¡®you have to pull yourself together now that things are like this¡¯ or ¡®we are still here, so you have to do your best¡¯.


    But what Ringo wanted to transmit here was something simpler than that.


    ¡®If you find it hard, please rely more on us¡¯, is what Ringo said.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s when I finally finished chewing the seeds that were in my mouth and apologized honestly.


    My raspy voice must have reached the ears of Ringo, but¡­


    ¡°¡­No, I won¡¯t forgive you.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo shot down my heartfelt apology.


    The arms of Ringo that had been wrapped around my head increased in strength as if they were admonishing me.


    I couldn¡¯t do anything with my movements sealed, and I was on the verge of suffocating in Ringo¡¯s chest.


    ¡°¡­Why?¡± (Souma)


    I asked her in a low volume.


    ¡°¡­Why are you hurrying so much?¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± (Souma)


    I found it hard to say.


    That¡¯s because it is a really selfish reason, and I had decided not to tell anyone.


    But I also couldn¡¯t stay silent towards Ringo who is breaking her heart this much for me.


    ¡°About Ina¡­¡± (Souma)


    The moment I said that, Ringo¡¯s body twitched as if scared.


    I don¡¯t know if she reacted to the name of Ina, however, I continued even when not knowing.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want Ina to think it was her fault that people died when she recovers.¡± (Souma)


    Ina hasn¡¯t noticed anything right now, but that¡¯s not something you can hide forever.


    Even if we defeat the Demon Lord without issues, if Ina were to learn that someone died because of her, she would feel responsible for it.


    You can clearly tell that¡¯s the case from seeing her reaction when the player dies from her train mode.


    ¡°She has also had it pretty hard until now. There¡¯s no need to place any more burdens on her. That¡¯s all there is to it¡­¡± (Souma)


    It is selfish of me, but these are my honest feelings.


    In the end, it seems my sense of justice isn¡¯t so strong that I would risk my life for people I can¡¯t see.


    I caused the Demon Lord¡¯s curse for the sake of Ina, and I am going to defeat the Demon Lord without anyone dying for the sake of Ina.


    That¡¯s what I have decided.


    ¡°¡­Ringo?¡± (Souma)


    I tried to open up as much as possible here.


    But Ringo didn¡¯t answer at all to my words.


    But even with that, even without saying anything, I could tell from the breathing of Ringo¡­


    She is breathing heavily, and I could tell that she is trying to swallow some big emotions here.


    ¡°Oh!¡± (Souma)


    The Incarnation of Fury¡¯s effect completely wore off at that moment.


    Freedom came back to my body and I slipped away from the chest of Ringo.


    ¡°¡­Ah.¡± (Ringo)


    Once I separated from her, Ringo¡¯s hand moved for a moment as if chasing after me, but she soon said¡­


    ¡°¡­N-No!¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo moved away from me and hurriedly faced back.


    I don¡¯t really get it, but she probably doesn¡¯t want me to see her current face.


    I fanned my face at that time and cooled down my flushed face.


    Thinking about it again, the difference of having 1/100th of your original agility is massive.


    It feels as if my body is moving crazy fast here.


    No, my state until now is what was strange, but it really does feel like that.


    ¡°¡­This.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo wasn¡¯t facing away for too long.


    By the time I turned back, she was holding a potion.


    ¡°Aah, right.¡± (Souma)


    Now that I think about it, I completely forgot about recovering my HP after defeating the Butcher.


    I still am wearing a number of light element rings, so I could recover if I use Bloody Stab, but since I have the chance here, I will take it.


    I make sure to cleanse the bitter taste of the seed deep in my throat with the healing potion.


    ¡°Thanks, Ringo. I really am no good without you.¡± (Souma)


    I tell her my feelings while disguising it as a joke.


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s not true.¡± (Ringo)


    But Ringo muttered this while facing down.


    Her face hanging down looked as if it were apologetic and showed regret.


    I can¡¯t really tell what this reaction is.


    But¡­


    (Ringo is rich in emotions and talkative today.) (Souma)


    Seeing this really made me think.


    Ringo has begun to show a variety of expressions compared to the first time I met her.


    That change of hers should probably be called ¡®growth¡¯.


    ¡°¡­Souma.¡± (Ringo)


    As if backing that analysis of mine, Ringo raised her head with a decisive look.


    ¡°¡­There¡¯s something¡­I want to ask of you.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°A request?¡± (Souma)


    I should have known about the growth of Ringo, but I was a bit surprised by this.


    Ringo would normally take a passive attitude towards me, so this is rare¡­no, it might be a first.


    But my surprise was premature.


    ¡°¡­Please¡­¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo, for the first time¡­


    ¡°¡­Please teach me¡­about skills¡­¡± (Ringo)


    Lowered her head at me.


    I was stupefied for a while there, and then I finally noticed that Ringo was looking at me uneasy.


    I must answer here.


    I finally managed to realize the reality of this, but I don¡¯t know how to react to this.


    Ringo may not be able to use skills but she can use a long range attack in the form of Lightning Strike.


    Because of how useful it is, I don¡¯t think there will be many scenarios where other skills would work better.


    Of course, there¡¯s nothing to lose with learning it, but there¡¯s no urgency in learning skills and spells.


    Moreover, skills -especially when used without chaining- create big openings even if they are convenient.


    That¡¯s something I experienced personally just a few seconds ago.


    I personally would prefer if Ringo stays supporting me from the back as always.


    I feel bad about refusing the first request of Ringo, but for now, I will try to persuade her about this.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to go through such hassle. You are plenty good as you a¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°No¡­! It is not enough¡­as I am now.¡± (Ringo)


    I was pushed back by the unexpected strong tone of Ringo.


    ¡°¡­Even today¡­I didn¡¯t make it in time.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± (Souma)


    I now understand why she suddenly began saying all this.


    When I was fighting the Butcher just now, Ringo was bothered by the fact that she couldn¡¯t run to where I was¡­that she couldn¡¯t save me.


    (No, that¡¯s not all¡­) (Souma)


    At the time when she discovered that she was losing in speed to Maki at the Underwater City, she was acting a bit strange.


    Could it be that Ringo has been bothered by this the whole time since then?


    Just like how I feel I am lacking in power before the battle against the Demon Lord¡­


    (Speaking of which¡­) (Souma)


    Ringo threw the Wakizashi when I was about to be killed by the Butcher.


    I was wondering there why she didn¡¯t use the Gouging Vajra that is both faster and more powerful, but that thought might have been wrong to begin with.


    Gouging Vajra is an equipment skill.


    A skill that anyone can use as long as you have the equipment with the ability.


    However, that¡¯s only if you know how to use skills.


    Ringo didn¡¯t know about skills and magic until she met me.


    Ringo doesn¡¯t know about the normal way of using skills that everyone in this world knows about.


    (It is not that she didn¡¯t use it, but that she couldn¡¯t, huh.) (Souma)


    Now that I think about it, the one who used Gouging Vajra wasn¡¯t Ringo but the Bear.


    I unconsciously assumed everyone in this world could use skills, so I didn¡¯t think about it.


    (Wait¡­) (Souma)


    That¡¯s when I realized one other thing.


    Ringo doesn¡¯t know how to use skills.


    Because of Maki having come to this world and the bug that was created from this, she doesn¡¯t have the knowledge and experience regarding skills that people should naturally have in this world.


    However, turning that around, she can learn the way of using skills without any unnecessary knowledge hampering her.


    (Ina couldn¡¯t do it because her way of using skills until now had seeped too much into her already. But maybe¡­if it is Ringo¡­) (Souma)


    Ringo might be able to learn it.


    There¡¯s the chance that, aside from me and Maki who have come from that world, Ringo might be the only other person who can use skills with Order.


    ¡°¡­Souma.¡± (Ringo)


    Maybe she noticed that I was troubled by this, Ringo took a step towards me.


    And then¡­


    ¡°¡­I will do anything¡­if it is for your sake, Souma.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo spoke the exact same words as before, but with weight that cannot even be compared from then, and¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s why¡­for that¡­¡± (Ringo)


    With a faintly trembling voice, she closed both of her eyes as if enduring surging fear, Ringo spoke¡­


    ¡°¡­I-I will also throw away my humanity!¡± (Ringo)


    I couldn¡¯t say anything at that resolve of hers for a while.


    However, as those words seeped into my chest, I just couldn¡¯t stay silent.


    I slowly open my mouth as if carefully choosing my words.


    ¡°Thanks. But please let me say one thing.¡± (Souma)


    I am happy for Ringo¡¯s resolve.


    But that¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t let her just say that without saying anything back.


    Hey, Ringo¡­


    Skill canceling isn¡¯t a technique that you have to throw away your humanity to learn, you know?

 CH 123

    Light


    Dark


    -First day of the training.


    ¡°Today, I will have you use this to train on Order.¡± (Souma)


    Saying this, I hand Ringo the perfect item to do mappings or leave adventure notes: the beloved Notepad.


    I tried using it in front of Ringo who was tilting her head in silence.


    I opened a random page from the notepad and Order the sentence.


    Letters appeared from the opened notepad page.


    [Today, try using this to practice Order.]


    Ringo was taken aback by those letters that were written.


    Aside from writing with a pen directly, you can also write in this notepad by using Order while holding it.


    Looks like she finally understood that this is used to train in using skills.


    I have already explained to her that Order is a required technique to use skills.


    I am the only one in this world using Order for skills, but I purposely hid that fact.


    There¡¯s no need to give her unnecessary information that would just confuse her.


    Ringo received the notepad fearfully, poked it nervously for some reason, and I taught her how to use it.


    That said, you just have to Order the notepad, so there¡¯s nothing grandiose about it though.


    The issue is that the ¡®just have to Order¡¯ part is what¡¯s difficult.


    As explained before, Order is a command you give to the computer in a VR space, and refers to the operation of sending the image and letters in your head for the VR machine to read.


    This is a technique that anyone can learn, and more than half of modern Japanese people can use it without any issues. However, it is said that elderly people or people without any connection to VR find it difficult to learn this.


    There¡¯s even books at bookstores with titles like ¡®Entering VR after your 50s¡¯ or ¡®VR command training you can do in 5 minutes¡¯.


    I am one of the children that was raised while interacting with VR machines, which is basically called the New VR Era. Of course, Order is as natural as breathing for me, but¡­


    ¡°U-Uhm, there¡¯s a trick to Order. Ah, right! You would first picture the letters in your head vividly, and then send that image to the VR machine¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Beearu?¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Ah, sorry. Not VR machine, u-uhm¡­¡± (Souma)


    It instead makes it difficult to explain to others how to Order.


    It is something that I could do since the moment I was aware, so I don¡¯t have any experience about working hard to learn it.


    However, I continued explaining while trying to sustain it.


    ¡°¡­And so, it is apparently better to use a short term that you are familiar with for your first try.¡± (Souma)


    Anyways, I tried telling Ringo all the information I know.


    ¡°¡­Okay, I will try.¡± (Ringo)


    I was relieved by Ringo nodding obediently and¡­


    ¡°Then, I will go over there.¡± (Souma)


    I said that and left the place.


    I do want to look after her the whole time, but I think Ringo won¡¯t be able to concentrate if I am nearby, and I also have a lot of things I have to do.


    It is not only about mastering the 3x speed skills.


    Proficiency increase, level increase; I have to increase all of those even more in order to perform the Demon Lord weakening plan, so I can¡¯t waste a second.


    But after a few hours, I ended up regretting that choice.


    (Uhm¡­is this really okay¡­?) (Souma)


    I was wondering whether to speak to Ringo or not.


    To my surprise, Ringo has barely moved an inch since then. She has been holding the notepad and standing there.


    It is only at the times when the Butcher showed up that she would assist me as if nothing happened. She does blink, so it is certain that she is alive, but this is clearly not a normal situation.


    Just that, if this is her seriously training her Order, I feel like I shouldn¡¯t get in the way.


    What¡¯s problematic here is that I can¡¯t tell the situation of Ringo at all just from what I can see.


    She looks as if she is really serious here, but it also looks as if she isn¡¯t thinking about anything at all. It could even look as if she is sleeping while standing. She might even be standing there, expressionless.


    I was troubled about what to do, and after watching Ringo for close to a few minutes¡­


    ¡°¡­Ah.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo¡¯s mouth moved without previous notice.


    ¡°W-What¡¯s the matter?!¡± (Souma)


    I hurriedly run towards Ringo, and she thrusted the notepad at me.


    There was only one word written at the top left of the completely blank notepad.


    {Souma.}


    ¡ª2nd day of the training.


    Ringo repeated that countless times after that, and once she grasped the trick to it, she managed to properly do Order in various angles.


    It is just that Ringo is still not familiar with Order, so she takes a few seconds to just output the word Souma.


    If Order is required to activate skills, it would be best for it to be as fast as possible, and you must learn to use it at the timings you wish.


    No choice but to get better by repetition here.


    When I told her that, Ringo began to do put her all in her statue-like state as usual.


    The difference being that her progress is clearly being shown in the notepad.


    I checked her state several times, but it really is hard to tell what¡¯s going on inside her head by looking at her.


    It seems like she is concentrating far more than it looks, and even when I got close to her, she wasn¡¯t reacting at all.


    ¡®In that case, I will peek at her notepad¡¯ -is what I thought with half of the intention being to tease her, but¡­


    {Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma Souma So}


    I silently stretched my hand and closed the notepad.


    ¡°¡­Souma?¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo finally noticed me when I did this, and I said this with a stiff smile.


    ¡°Y-You are really working hard there. But it wouldn¡¯t be good training to just use a word that you are familiar with, so try mixing other words in too.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Okay, got it.¡± (Ringo)


    I don¡¯t know why, but when I see Ringo obediently nodding like that, I couldn¡¯t help but sweat despite there being nothing to be afraid of.


    ¡ª3rd day of training.


    Ringo was again standing there with notepad in hand.


    Considering the last instance, she must be working hard despite how it looks, but I really can¡¯t tell the progress of her training from her appearance.


    And so, I once again moved to the back of the concentrating Ringo and peeked at the notepad¡­and then got shocked by it.


    The first ones were really cute stuff like food or things associated with it, but¡­


    {Apple Bright Red Tasty Fruit Banana Sweet Yellow Orange I want to eat Delicious Split Hair Like Black Strawberry Red One Bite Cookie Hard Chew Well Pudin Bouncy Trembling Demon Lord Marriage Enemy Butcher Cleaver Minced Meat Tasty Souma Tasty Souma One Bite I want to eat Trembling Souma Chew Well Minced Meat Bright Red Strawberry Fruits Orange Banana Apple Souma Like Marri¡ª}


    I am being eaten in the middle!!


    I move my gaze away from the notepad at the unexpected dial up of the bizarre. Even with that, I tried to read what was next and leaned forward but¡­


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± (Souma)


    Ringo hid the notepad.


    ¡°¡­You can¡¯t.¡± (Ringo)


    Looking closely, I could tell her face was a bit red.


    It seems like, in Ringo¡¯s eyes, seeing that is not good. Most likely because she is simply spilling out her thoughts here.


    I will just have to pray that what she is trying to hide from me isn¡¯t her desire to eat me. And so, I return to my own work.


    ¡ª4th day of training.


    Maki contacted us that day, and we left the Deus Plains after a long while.


    I have met my other companions at times to guide them in how to clear the quests, but there¡¯s some that I have to go directly or they can¡¯t be cleared.


    I would like to not move too much until Ringo has finished her training, but there are important quests that won¡¯t show the next quest unless you clear the preceding one, so we can¡¯t leave them for later the whole time.


    I decided to clear them all in one go today.


    However, as I have said before, I have prohibited myself from using skills in order to master skill canceling at 3x speed.


    I still can¡¯t properly use the 3x speed skills, so I have to solve the upcoming quests without skill canceling.


    I was expecting a hard fought battle, but that was unnecessary worry.


    My stats have increased with the seed and the level ups, so I am already at a level where I can overpower all dungeon monsters, and thanks to Ringo stepping forward to defeat the enemies, I didn¡¯t have any troubles defeating monsters.


    We returned to the city faster than scheduled, and we used that extra time to train in the Deus Plains.


    ¡ª5th day of training.


    Ringo is standing there again today, but I already know that she is doing her best here.


    I watched over Ringo without any worries.


    When I put it like that, it sounds as if Ringo is the only one working hard, but I have been doing a variety of things in that time too.


    Hitting the Master Torch is a given, but I also defeat the Butcher that comes every now and then together with Ringo, and we are earning levels and Power Seeds with that. My other companions are also doing well while following my instructions.


    And the biggest factor to me becoming stronger, the Incarnation of Fury.


    I have been plainly shown how dangerous this skill is with the battle I had against the Butcher, and it made me feel uneasy, but I can¡¯t avoid it the whole time, so I tried using it after confirming there¡¯s no enemies around.


    3 times the speed really is close to the limit of the processing power of a human¡­or at least mine.


    Maybe because there was the lack of tension from not having any enemies around, I was flustered by such speed, but it only happened the second time I used it.


    Right now I don¡¯t get flustered simply because I used Incarnation of Fury.


    I am getting slightly used to the 3x speed skills, and I first tried acclimating myself by practicing with the relatively easier Long Cancel of Midare Sakura. I now can succeed in canceling relatively low difficulty skills at a decent frequency.


    This day, confidence budded in me that training really did equate to growth.


    ¡ª6th day of training.


    Today I will finally be teaching Ringo skills.


    If we are going to be using Order, then the activation of the skill itself will be simple.


    Ringo easily utilized a skill to the point that it was baffling for a spectator.


    But that¡¯s when the real deal begins.


    I lend Ringo the Master Torch, and instructed her to use Step as much as possible and hit Master Torch when she is free.


    It is the route of raising movement skills and weapon skills to increase the skills you can use.


    Ringo chose the Wakizashi as her main weapon, so she raised her Dagger and Ninja Sword proficiency.


    It is not like I didn¡¯t think it overlapped a bit with Ina, but it would be best to train what is easier for her.


    She didn¡¯t use the Look-Mari Dojo, so she couldn¡¯t go all the way to learning Ground Compression, but Ringo learned Jump and High Step that day, and managed to obtain most of the Dagger and Ninja Sword skills.


    ¡ª7th day of training.


    I judged that she has obtained the necessary skills to a certain degree, so we enter the skill cancel training.


    I properly explained how to do the canceling, but Ringo had a hard time with this.


    It is understandably difficult to do consecutive Orders, moreover, while timing them.


    Because of stamina issues, it is not possible to train much in this consecutively.


    I decided to utilize that open time to have her train with elemental weapons to increase her proficiency in the 4 elements, so she can use magic too.


    In the end, Ringo barely succeeded in canceling that day, and the few times she did succeed were mostly by coincidence, but I didn¡¯t worry about that.


    She has managed to reach the foundation that is activating things with Order.


    Everything else is just a matter of time.


    I am also increasing my success rate in the 3x speed skill canceling.


    The completion of the training is close at hand.


    ¡ª8th day of the training.


    Something shocking happened.


    To my surprise, Ringo showed me the cancel of Step to High Step which is a basic of canceling.


    ¡°W-Wait a moment! Please do it once more! Once more!!¡± (Souma)


    But I couldn¡¯t believe what I saw before me.


    Ringo abided and showed herself succeeding in canceling Step to High Step again.


    However, I still couldn¡¯t believe what I was witnessing here.


    Cause you know¡­skill canceling is an advanced technique in Nekomimi Neko.


    Even as someone who can use Order, it still took me quite a lot of time to learn it.


    And yet¡­and yet¡­


    ¡°¡­S-So disgusting.¡± (Souma)


    It looks disgusting! Like really disgusting!!


    No, calling it disgusting isn¡¯t accurate.


    It is not like it makes me want to puke or am disgusted by it on a physiological level.


    But it is like ¡®Eh? The body doesn¡¯t normally move like that¡¯ or ¡®That¡¯s physically impossible!¡¯. I couldn¡¯t help but think that.


    NPCs don¡¯t use skill canceling, and videos are in 1st person, so I have never seen the movements of skill canceling so clearly before, but this is unbelievable.


    It really is unbelievable.


    That¡¯s when I noticed the change in Ringo.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± (Souma)


    I voiced out my thoughts without thinking just now, but is that really okay?


    There¡¯s no questioning about it. Calling a girl disgusting must not be done¡­


    ¡°Ringo?!¡± (Souma)


    After reaching that conclusion, Ringo¡¯s body tilted forward.


    I hurriedly run towards her and catch her body gently.


    ¡°A-Are you okay? Sorry about what I said just now¡­¡± (Souma)


    It must have been really shocking. She is looking pale here.


    But Ringo squeezed out her remaining strength and told me this with a subdued voice.


    ¡°¡­Souma¡¯s movements¡­are not even close to this¡­you know?¡± (Ringo)


    Those were the last words of Ringo that day.


    Ringo lost all strength in my arms.


    Her eyes closed naturally.


    ¡°Ringo? Oi, Ringo.¡± (Souma)


    I was flustered by this unnatural sign.


    I desperately shake her body.


    Even with that, Ringo didn¡¯t react.


    ¡°Don¡¯t joke around like this.¡± (Souma)


    No matter how much I pleaded, she didn¡¯t answer.


    Seeing her like this, I understood what was going on.


    ¡°Say something. Please¡­¡± (Souma)


    The face of Ringo looks the same as usual.


    Even so, those lovely lips won¡¯t be stringing any words, and her beautiful blue eyes won¡¯t be shining anymore when looking at me.


    ¡°Hey, please¡­ I implore¡­¡± (Souma)


    I couldn¡¯t give up no matter what and continued calling her over and over, but they all ended up being fruitless.


    ¡°Ringo. Hey, Rin¡­go¡­¡± (Souma)


    In the end, Ringo didn¡¯t open her mouth again¡­


    ¡­Ringo was completely pissed and ignored me the whole day.


    ¡ª9th day of training.


    The destined morning came.


    ¡°¡­Souma.¡± (Ringo)


    I shook my head at Ringo who was looking at me in worry.


    ¡°I want to do this on my own at the end. I won¡¯t push myself like the first time, so please watch over me from afar.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­¡­¡­Okay, got it.¡± (Ringo)


    After a slightly long silence, I saw Ringo leaving, and I faced forward.


    What stood in front of me was the already familiar white giant.


    (Now that I think about it, you have been looking after me for a good time now.) (Souma)


    How long has it been since the first time I encountered him because of the bug?


    This King Butcher might actually be the monster I have fought the most since coming to this world.


    ¡°But that ends today.¡± (Souma)


    It is time to show the results of my training and the amalgamation of it all.


    I slowly take a battle stance with Shiranui in order to hold back my surging emotions.


    ¡°¡­Now then, let¡¯s have the graduation exam.¡± (Souma)


    The King Butcher raised a loud roar as if answering my words.

 CH 124

    Light


    Dark


    ¡°Gwoooooooooh!!¡±


    The roar of the giant echoed in the Deus Plains.


    In the shadow of the rock in the distance, a white giant body shook, and a roar that I was already used to hearing in these few days rang in my ears.


    ¡°¡ª!¡±


    The air trembled at the powerful roar, and pricked my skin from the shockwave.


    But I didn¡¯t falter against this and began acting at the exact moment it rang.


    There¡¯s a limit to how long I can move at full speed.


    That¡¯s why I plan on crushing it before I hit that time limit.


    ([Step]!) (Souma)


    The 3x speed skill that was activated with Order made the scenery around me blur out.


    If it had been me 1 week ago, this speed would have definitely flustered me.


    But there¡¯s none of that here.


    ([Side Slash]!) (Souma)


    I simply synchronize my thoughts with my accelerating body.


    I draw the orders in my mind with 3 times the speed as if trying to match my accelerating body.


    My body suddenly stopped from the overwritten order, and just when it was going to switch into a sweeping motion¡­


    ([Step]!) (Souma)


    I threw in a new Order.


    The one called the quickest Cancel; the Short Cancel of the basic attack skill.


    To the point that this technique done in 3x speed makes its name Godstep Cancel not an exaggeration.


    But I did it.


    The giant body of the King Butcher enters my line of sight, and I switch into attack mode in one go.


    What I will be using is of course¡­


    ([Oboro Zangetsu]!) (Souma)


    The first step into my ultimate combo.


    The difficulty of a Long Cancel from a normal attack skill is lower than that of a Short Cancel.


    But I won¡¯t lower my guard.


    ([High Step]!) (Souma)


    Relaxing even just a little bit in this 3x speed world can be synonymous to failure.


    It is not a speed that I can just take my sweet time in measuring the timing of.


    I concentrate on recreating the rhythm I mastered as if doing the keystrokes to a set score.


    ([Jump]!) (Souma)


    By the time I noticed, the giant body of the Butcher was already right before me.


    A radius of 3 meters.


    I keep in mind that I have entered that circle.


    But that reality was kicked out from my mind the next instant.


    Who cares about that if I finish this in one hit?


    I am sure I will be able to do this with my current strength¡­!


    ([Side Slash]!) (Souma)


    The slash unleashed at 3x the speed as if crossing the body of the Butcher, and as if matching their breaths, a vertical slash from Oboro Zangetsu sliced onto the body of the Butcher at the same time.


    ¡°[Oboro Cross]!!¡± (Souma)


    A cross slash drawn in the air.


    The King Butcher stood there for a while as if it didn¡¯t even know what had happened to himself.


    ¡°Thanks for your help until now.¡± (Souma)


    It disappeared into small light particles with its time lagged death.


    The attack of the enemy didn¡¯t even scratch me, and I defeated the Butcher with just one attack.


    A complete victory that only took a few seconds.


    After confirming that the body of the Butcher had perished completely¡­


    ¡°¡­Fuuh.¡± (Souma)


    I let out a short sigh.


    My concentration that was hardened sharply had dispersed, and I finally returned to my usual self.


    (For now, you could say I am done.) (Souma)


    I confirm the drop items of the Butcher that are on the ground while tightening my fist.


    I am still not in the realm where I can use Godstep Cancel while thinking of other things, or being able to use Godstep Cancel to move normally in the city.


    Rather, I have to concentrate and contrate, thinking only of chaining skills, barely managing to somehow make it take form.


    It should be impossible in gaming system terms, but when I concentrate in the state of agility x3, I somewhat feel like I have extended time.


    I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s the effect of the skill or if it is just an optical illusion, but that¡¯s one of the reasons why my 3x speed combo succeeded.


    However, concentrating deeply is equally exhausting.


    Even if there¡¯s no other limitation, it would be better to keep in mind that I can only use Skill Cancel at full power for 30 seconds.


    With the speed increasing, the stamina consumption is also intense. The 3x speed skill canceling from Incarnation of Fury really should be used as a hidden trump card.


    If I put it like this, it sounds as if I would be able to easily use the skills masterfully if I concentrate, but the reality is that I had to pass plain but painful days in order to utilize the 3x speed skills.


    I was teaching myself with trial and error while teaching Ringo.


    All the Cancel timings are different from the time when they are at normal speed. Also, Hide has become really bad to use thanks to the invincibility frame being 1/3rd of its duration, and the Air Hammer spell has also decreased in speed as a whole because it doesn¡¯t get the benefits of agility, so the uses of some techniques have changed completely.


    I confirmed them one by one, remembered the Cancel Points from before, and searched for the Cancel timings in my 3x state.


    On top of that, even if I know when to Cancel, it was difficult to chain the skills as I wanted in a limited time frame of 1/3rd the length.


    Even with that, I accustomed myself little by little with the Long Cancel of Midare Sakura, and finally adapted to the point of being able to use Godstep Cancel.


    Despite all that, I probably can only cancel 20% of the skills I would be able to in my prime.


    However, the skill combos used in high frequency like: the movement skill combo of Step, High Step, to Ground Compression; the Oboro Cross where you use Oboro Zangetsu and close in for a Side Slash; and the Godstep Cancel where you chain Step and Short Cancel a basic attack skill; I can somehow manage to use them, so I should be satisfied with that.


    That¡¯s because¡­


    (The preparations are done with this! My preparations to defeat the Demon Lord!) (Souma)


    That was one of the minimum requirements I had in my preparations for the Demon Lord battle.


    Overwhelming attack power and speed.


    Those two are the minimum requirements in order to defeat the Demon Lord without any sacrifices.


    ¡ªSpeed that cannot be registered, slipping past all attacks, closing in on the Demon Lord, and ending it with firepower that breaks all common sense.


    This way too reckless tactic is my basic strategy against the Demon Lord.


    Putting it in an extreme way, the other plans are all just minor groundwork in order to increase the chances of this plan succeeding.


    What I have been doing in these 9 days hasn¡¯t only been to master the 3x speed Skill Cancel.


    I have been camping this plain practically 24/7 for the sake of leveling up and Power Seeds, killing Butchers the whole time.


    In order to quicken the respawn time of the Butcher as much as possible, I left the chickens I borrowed from the Hisame Dojo in the plains, and increased the Monster Invasion Progress of this area.


    The results of all this were shown in the battle of just now.


    Now that I can use movement skill combos within 3x the speed, there¡¯s no issues with my mobility.


    Also, thanks to the increase in my strength through levels and the seeds, I managed to prove that my attack power can get through even the physical resistance of the Butcher.


    (With this¡­with this much power, I will defeat the Demon Lord with my own hands¡­!!) (Souma)


    I tightened my fist even stronger¡­to the point that blood came out.


    But that fire that could be considered as running wild¡­


    ¡°Souma!¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Rin¡ªbuha!¡± (Souma)


    Was blown away in an instant by Ringo who approached me while calling my name.


    *Hyun Hyun Suuh~!*


    Using the basic movement skill combo of Step, High Step, and Air Hammer.


    This sight of Ringo is the one other fruit of our effort in these 9 days.


    Last night, when I returned to the mansion with Ringo, I had Ringo customize her magic, and explained to her how to do Time Activation magic.


    Ringo managed to learn how to cancel Step in the training yesterday, but it seems like obtaining Godstep Cancel from there was way too difficult.


    I thought it would be better to have her utilize the most out of the Step-High Step combo  that she can use freely to a certain degree.


    Also, rather than using skill cancel that can prove fatal if you mess it up once, it would be easier to just utilize KB Cancel.


    That¡¯s why I only taught Ringo how to use the movement method of Step, High Step, and Air Hammer, and had her concentrate on training that.


    Adding Ground Compression to this would increase the movement distance and speed by a lot, but not only has Ringo not learned that skill yet, the stamina cost is intense, and it is hard to utilize, so it would be better to not use it at first.


    Also, Ringo¡¯s affinity with this movement method was far better than I imagined.


    With just a few hours of training from early morning, Ringo managed to master this movement method almost perfectly.


    Her Air Hammer activation is still a bit iffy, but it is on a decent enough level.


    The basic movement speed of Ringo is fast, so her speed when using Step is quite the sight.


    Despite not being able to use Ground Compression, her movement is fast. She easily showed speed that I wouldn¡¯t be able to match with Godstep Cancel in normal speed.


    I don¡¯t really want her to do close combat much, but it seems like Ringo is happy that she obtained a technique that allows her to run quickly into the battlefield.


    Or more like, there was actual change in her mental state.


    The first few times when she began the training¡­


    ¡°¡­Souma¡­don¡¯t look at me too much.¡± (Ringo)


    She didn¡¯t seem too into it, but after a few rounds of training, she managed to do the Air Hammer combo well, and visibly began to relax more.


    According to the person herself¡­


    ¡°¡­Yeah, it has gotten a bit fun¡­ Only a little bit.¡± (Ringo)


    Looks like she isn¡¯t aware of it.


    (Ah, this girl¡­she has gotten addicted to it.) (Souma)


    This is clearly a sign of her getting into it.


    Being caught into the charm of cancel movement, I was internally grinning at a new comrade of mine with similar tastes, but I didn¡¯t break my serious face and said:


    ¡°Don¡¯t rely too much on it.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Yeah, thanks.¡± (Ringo)


    I instead gave her a light warning and decided to watch over Ringo.


    At times like this, it is better to not get involved unless necessary.


    Once you taste the refreshing feeling of movement cancel, you can¡¯t escape from it anymore.


    Once she learns this movement method, I am sure she will ask me to teach her a new movement skill.


    You could say I have gotten used to the state of Ringo.


    At first, when I saw Ringo sliding to the side as if she had been suddenly blown by a gust of wind, I was a bit¡­no, quite taken aback, but¡­


    (She really seems to be having fun¡­) (Souma)


    After energetically doing the Steps, she was blown away peculiarly, which you could say is humorous and cute in a way.


    The first time I saw the movement cancel of Ringo, I thought ¡®maybe the movement cancel is creepy¡¯ and got a bit depressed from it, but it seems like it has the power to move the hearts of people regardless of its form.


    Seeing her like this, my motivation got fanned as if saying ¡®I won¡¯t be losing either¡¯.


    By the way, after that, I showed her my movement cancel at 3x speed to compete with her, and the comment of Ringo at that time was: ¡°¡­C-Cockroach!¡±


    I don¡¯t really get what she meant, but judging from her expression, she must have been really surprised.


    I would like Ringo to work extra hard with this as her objective.


    ¡°¡­Souma!¡± (Ringo)


    While I was thinking that, Ringo ran to my place.


    Not only that. Because she isn¡¯t that good at calculating the distance yet, she couldn¡¯t stop properly, and lunged onto me with the shockwave of the Air Hammer.


    ¡°Ringo¡ªwoah!¡± (Souma)


    I catch that small body of hers.


    However, Ringo, who had stopped onto my chest, didn¡¯t seem to have registered that reality into her mind at all, and was looking at me with teary eyes.


    ¡°¡­Souma¡­are you injured?¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°I am okay. You saw me winning in one blow without getting hit, right?¡± (Souma)


    Even when I answered with a smile, Ringo was touching my body as if unconvinced.


    This is also a small change born in Ringo.


    Since the time I was on the verge of being killed by the Butcher, Ringo became even more of a worrywart.


    I feel like she is going a bit too far here, or like, it seems like nothing else enters her vision once she feels danger approaching me, so it is instead a bit dangerous.


    ¡°¡­I was watching, but¡­ah!¡± (Ringo)


    This time around as well, she seems to have come back to her senses and suddenly moved away from me and covered her face.


    She probably remembered that she was fighting me until yesterday.


    That side of hers is also endearing, but¡­


    ¡°More importantly, let¡¯s return for today. It is probably about time everyone comes back.¡± (Souma)


    Unfortunately, there¡¯s not much time to take it easy.


    ¡°¡­Hn, I know.¡± (Ringo)


    Hearing this, Ringo¡¯s slightly red face showed a light of seriousness.


    ¡ª10th day since the curse of the Demon Lord was activated.


    I adjusted the schedule so that everyone would be finished by noon.


    ¡°It is finally the day, Ringo¡­ I won¡¯t do something reckless like rushing ahead on my own. That¡¯s why, can you please lend me your strength until we defeat the Demon Lord?¡± (Souma)


    However, Ringo shook her head to the sides.


    ¡°¡­No.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo added while I was surprised.


    ¡°Not only until we defeat the Demon Lord¡­ I will always¡­be by your side, Souma.¡± (Ringo)


    I was at a loss for words for a moment there at the strong words of Ringo, and then¡­


    ¡°¡­Yeah!¡± (Souma)


    I answered with strong words of my own in order to transmit my motivation as much as possible.


    I felt as if infinite energy was gushing out from deep in my chest, and felt as if I could do anything.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s return for now! With 3x speed Godstep Cancel!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Y-You must not! You are going to be apprehended!¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Why?!¡± (Souma)


    Strong resolve in our chest, yet lively as we usually are.


    Having finished our training, we returned to our home.

 CH 125

    Light


    Dark


    ¡°Ah, you are finally here!! Souma, you are late!¡±


    The moment we entered the mansion, the shout of my cousin entered my ears.


    When I looked there, Sazan, the Bear, and Mitsuki were by her side.


    I had returned slightly sooner than planned, but it looks like we are the last ones here.


    When I checked the time, it was 11:56.


    After that, I picked up the last drop items of the Butcher, cleaned up the chairs and other stuff, covered the spawn point of the rock again, and after taking more time than expected in cleaning up, we returned later than planned.


    While we were taking it easy here¡­


    ¡°Kukukukuku¡­!!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan suddenly began laughing like a villain.


    ¡°Kuku! Since that catastrophe, days of servitude and submission passed. Yeah, just how long have I waited for this day¡­for this moment!¡± (Sazan)


    When I thought he had suddenly begun talking about something weird here¡­


    ¡°Soumaaaaaaa!!¡± (Sazan)


    He rushed onto me as if he had met the killer of his parents.


    But well, it is Sazan, so there¡¯s no issues.


    I calmly dealt with it by kicking him.


    ¡°Wa?!¡± (Souma)


    But Sazan showed sharp movements that I didn¡¯t expect.


    He avoided my kick by a paper-thin difference, and grabbed my leg as if his arms were a snake that wrapped around it.


    ¡°P-Please! That¡¯s your plushie, right?! Tear that demon away from me already!!¡± (Sazan)


    He clung onto my leg just like that and pleaded.


    ¡°Uhm¡­by demon¡­do you mean that?¡± (Souma)


    I pointed at the Bear who is dumbfounded and tilting its head cutely, and Sazan nodded his head profusely.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Do you see any other demons around?!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°No, but¡­¡± (Souma)


    Sazan is excessively scared of the Bear, but the Bear simply has a bit of a scary smile and its raison d¡¯etre is to scare people, but I think it is just a nice plushie though¡­


    No well, being able to move on its own already removes it from being just a plushie, but even with that¡­


    I spun the gears in my head, but it looks like my opinion is completely different from that of Sazan.


    ¡°You have only seen its shell! That¡¯s why you can say that! Y-You still don¡¯t know that bastards t-true form.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°What¡¯s with that? Are you telling me an alien is going to come out from inside?¡± (Souma)


    I said that, finding all this a pain, but Sazan moved his masked face violently to deny it.


    He glanced at the Bear at the back and continued speaking with a lowered volume.


    ¡°¡­A few days ago, when I stayed at the house of Alex -which is always unlocked- without permission in order to skimp on paying lodging¡­¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°What¡¯s with that self-report as if it is nothing.¡± (Souma)


    Or more like, you are really careless, Alex.


    Does he think no one aside from heroes rummage around houses?


    Well, he does give the vibe that he doesn¡¯t lock his house though.


    ¡°That day, I had a grieving economic war against the clerk in the shop that deals with items tainted in heresy, so I was tired and fell asleep really quickly¡­ The problem is the next morning. When I woke up the next day, near my pillow, there it was¡­the Bear¡­-sama standing there with knife in hand!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°That¡¯s scary!¡± (Souma)


    I feel like that¡¯s a prank that can¡¯t be wrapped up as a joke.


    Sazan shook his head again and continued.


    ¡°That¡¯s not all! If it had ended with that, I wouldn¡¯t be making this much of a ruckus! I was scared of the Bear-sama that had knife in hand, and reflexively decided to play dead, but¡­I noticed¡­¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°W-What did you notice?¡± (Souma)


    Is there something scarier than a plushie holding a knife near your pillow?


    Sazan said this while I was gulping.


    ¡°¡­That breakfast was already prepared on the table!!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Ain¡¯t that a moving tale?!¡± (Souma)


    I would even say that¡¯s so dedicated, like a wife.


    ¡°Y-You idiot! A plushie is making food! Moreover, better than me!! I even asked for seconds, so there¡¯s no doubt about it!!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°You were eating your damn fill there!!¡± (Souma)


    What a baffling guy.


    ¡°W-Wait! The supernatural phenomena didn¡¯t end there! Even the clothes that I took off and just scattered around had been folded nicely!!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°As I said, isn¡¯t that good?!!¡± (Souma)


    When I said this, exasperated, Sazan writhed as if saying I don¡¯t get it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk as if it is nothing! I-I even had underwear! I-Isn¡¯t that embarrassing?!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the root of the problem here that you took off that embarrassing underwear and just threw it wherever?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°M-My underwear is not embarrassing!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan shouted this with his face beet red, but I can¡¯t go wasting more time with him.


    ¡°¡­Bear.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Hiih!¡± (Sazan)


    I called the Bear and it made a nihilistic smile which scared Sazan.


    I wasted precious time indulging an idiot.


    I looked at the others, and Ringo had gone to where Maki was while I was talking with Sazan.


    ¡°¡­Maki.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Ah, Ringo-chan, it has been a while~.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°¡­Hn, it has been a while.¡± (Ringo)


    But Ringo didn¡¯t break her stiff expression at the greeting of Maki.


    She seemed nervous as if she were a child on her first day of class. She took distance awkwardly from Maki and said:


    ¡°¡­Watch.¡± (Ringo)


    What Ringo did shortly after saying this was¡­


    *Hyun Hyun Suuu~!*


    The flowing movement skill of Step, High Step, and Air Hammer!


    And¡­


    ¡°¡­Something like that.¡± (Ringo)


    Despite being almost completely expressionless, she seemed somewhat proud and smug!


    Maki looked at me as if saying ¡®w-what should I do about this?¡¯, but I acted as if I didn¡¯t see anything.


    ¡°¡­Good grief, they are always lively.¡±


    However, there was one person who didn¡¯t break its iron face.


    ¡°I am impressed that everyone can make such a ruckus just from not seeing each other for a few days. Is this a sign of how happy your comrades are to see you?¡±


    ¡­It is Mitsuki.


    She came to my side with a cold face as if she had no interest in all this stupid ruckus.


    ¡°Eh, y-yeah¡­ Well, we might be a bit feisty here.¡± (Souma)


    I directed my gaze up while answering as if feigning ignorance here.


    Honestly speaking, I find it hard to react when Mitsuki says that.


    Mitsuki noticed I was flustered here, and loosened her serious expression a bit.


    She said this as if chuckling.


    ¡°No need to worry. It is not like I am criticizing them. Despite appearances, I myself am also happy about this reunion.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki was saying all this with warmth and a bit of self-derision.


    ¡°No, it is okay! I am not doubting that at all.¡± (Souma)


    I denied that with all I had.


    ¡°¡­Really?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Yeah, totally! Not a single shred of doubt!!¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki seemed to be doubtful, so I strengthened my tone.


    Cause you know¡­at the top of Mitsuki¡¯s head, the familiar cat ears-chan were flapping feistily as if saying ¡®I am so happy!¡¯ so there¡¯s no way I would have that opinion.


    ¡°Fufu, I am happy that you say that with such confidence¡­ Right, if I were a bit better at showing my emotions, I might have unexpectedly been feisty even if not on their level.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki smiled lightly and said that.


    As if matching those words, the cat ears on top of her head switched from ¡®I am so happy!¡¯ to ¡®dance of wild joy!!¡¯.


    Seeing those cat ears that were flailing even harder than the tail of a dog¡­


    ¡°No, you know, your head¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°My head?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­Nothing.¡± (Souma)


    I somehow managed to swallow those words that were right at the tip of my tongue.


    That¡¯s probably some sort of involuntary reaction from her muscles?


    The person herself doesn¡¯t notice, so let¡¯s just leave it be.


    ¡°More importantly, we can¡¯t take too much of our time here. Everyone, it¡¯s about time we end our chatting. Please gather in the living room! Let¡¯s begin our last meeting.¡± (Souma)


    The strategy meeting began, but there were more bad reports than I expected.


    What was especially unexpected was the state of the city.


    According to Maki and Sazan¡¯s report, the situation of the areas has become worse than I assumed.


    10 days may be just barely in the time limit, but Sazan used the Yellow Slimes to lower the Monster Invasion Progress, so I thought that it wouldn¡¯t get into that bad of a situation compared to normal, but¡­I was too naive.


    Different from game NPCs, real people get stressed and uneasy in a situation where they feel isolated.


    That has worsened the public order of the cities.


    According to Maki, the Knight Order has tried to quell it, but a revolt was on the verge of happening yesterday in the capital.


    Meaning that there really is no time to waste anymore.


    However, there¡¯s also a piece of information that makes me hesitant to act at once.


    It seems like the weakening of the Demon Lord is a bit further behind than expected.


    Within those, the one that hurts the most is that we haven¡¯t been able to seal what¡¯s called the Serious Mode that the Demon Lord shows when in a critical state.


    If you don¡¯t do a special quest and seal that, the Demon Lord will have its attack and defense increase dramatically when its HP hits 10%, and its attack pattern will change.


    I have been killed once by that in the game, so I remember it clearly.


    The plan I had made beforehand went well, and the moment I thought that I was really close to defeating the Demon Lord, I felt a shockwave resembling that of killing intent.


    I don¡¯t know if that was produced by the system for dramatic effect, or my instinct itself, but the way the Demon Lord fought after that moment was on a whole other level from before.


    My attacks at full power were easily blocked, and attacks that were unbelievably heavy came back at me.


    And that¡¯s not all.


    The Demon Lord began doing the long range attacks against the backline at the same time even though it shouldn¡¯t do it when you are within 3 meters of distance.


    I myself may have somehow endured the fierce barrage of the Demon Lord, but that wasn¡¯t the same for the other members I brought with me.


    Most of the reason why being that those members were all just riff-raff that I gathered in order to not have the Demon Lord get buffed.


    There¡¯s no way companions like that would be able to endure the attacks of the Demon Lord, and they easily crumbled on all fronts.


    (I definitely cannot let the Demon Lord hit the critical state!) (Souma)


    That¡¯s an absolute condition in order to not let a single death happen within my companions.


    Fortunately, I have an ¡®ultimate technique¡¯ that I didn¡¯t have in my game days.


    It shouldn¡¯t be impossible to defeat the Demon Lord in one go without having it hit the 10% HP mark.


    But¡­


    (In that case, there¡¯s no choice of not using the Incarnation of Fury.) (Souma)


    Thinking this, I glanced at Ringo.


    ¡°¡­?¡± (Ringo)


    Seeing Ringo tilt her head at suddenly being looked at, I felt a little bad.


    I might make her worry again, but it can¡¯t be helped.


    Also¡­


    (With that reason in mind, I have to definitely¡­with my own hands¡­finish the Demon Lord!!) (Souma)


    There really is that desire of wanting to put an end to everything with my own hands.


    I know that this is stupid and nothing good comes out from this selfishness.


    But I am the one who turned Ina into that, so I also want to be the one who cures her.


    ¡°¡­Want to¡­postpone it?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki must have taken my conundrum as hesitation, she asked me that.


    The cat ears on her head were shaking uneasily as if asking ¡®are you going to quit?¡¯.


    It is true that I want to postpone it a bit in order to secure safer preparations.


    However, I declare this as if shaking off my lingering emotions.


    ¡°¡­No, we will do this today. At once.¡± (Souma)


    I state this clearly.


    I won¡¯t say there¡¯s no hesitation.


    If this lack of preparation leads to us being defeated by the Demon Lord, I can¡¯t say I won¡¯t regret this decision at that time.


    However, I also don¡¯t think we can¡¯t defeat the Demon Lord in our current state.


    After all the preparations, playing the cards we could in the limited time we had, we are now moving into action.


    I believe that our chances of winning are not low.


    And having decided that, there¡¯s a lot of things that must be discussed, and a lot of things that must be done.


    First, the routes and plans will change depending on how much the Demon Lord and the Demon Lord Castle have been weakened, so I still haven¡¯t told everyone the plan on how we are going to subjugate the Demon Lord.


    I haven¡¯t made that complicated of a plan, but we can¡¯t really go without explaining beforehand, and I want to practice our coordination for the Demon Lord battle.


    Also, I have decided not to do the castle gate opening until the last moment so it doesn¡¯t end up in a situation where they go ¡®the monsters from the Demon Lord Castle have suddenly begun rushing out from the opened door!¡¯.


    In the end, I can¡¯t open the last door with the normal method anyways, so I have to open all the doors from the Demon Lord Castle by inputting ¡®There is a Fire¡¯.


    ¡°I will be explaining the details of the Demon Lord subjugation! After that, we will all go undo the seal of the castle gate from the Demon Lord Castle, and then¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Please wait.¡± (Mitsuki)


    But Mitsuki cut me off in the middle of my explanation.


    ¡°Time is precious. I will go open the castle gate. Let¡¯s regroup at the site.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°No, but¡­¡± (Souma)


    I was going to speak out against this, but Mitsuki shook her head to the sides, slightly sad.


    ¡°Unfortunately, from what I have heard of the plan, I don¡¯t know if I will be able to fight to a satisfactory extent at the Demon Lord Castle. That¡¯s why I want to do my all in what I can.¡± (Mitsuki)


    In the game, Mitsuki would withdraw from the party when you go close to the Demon Lord Castle.


    She said the reason was because she didn¡¯t want to subjugate the Demon Lord for the sake of her father which isn¡¯t that big of a deal, but it seems like -regardless of the reason- there¡¯s a strong feeling of not wanting to be there when approaching the Demon Lord Castle.


    The reality is that it is questionable whether Mitsuki can overcome that limitation once we go into the Demon Lord Castle.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± (Souma)


    I had a hard time finding the words, and Mitsuki came by my side and smiled faintly and feebly.


    ¡°¡­Please don¡¯t make that face. Even with that, I will definitely fight by your side. Also, if danger comes to you, I will definitely¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Mitsuki?¡± (Souma)


    I was flustered by the sudden change in the atmosphere of Mitsuki, and she immediately came back to her usual cool expression.


    ¡°¡­It is nothing. More importantly, please don¡¯t forget the promise.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Saying this, she gallantly began walking to the outside.


    ¡°H-Hey, Souma, what¡¯s this about a promise?!¡± (Maki)


    Maki got bothered by a strange point which I lightly brushed off.


    I slammed the table with force.


    There¡¯s no way we can waste the time Mitsuki is trying to get us here.


    ¡°I will now be explaining the strategy to defeat the Demon Lord!¡± (Souma)

 CH 126

    Light


    Dark


    The weakened Demon Lord is an invincible monster.


    Due to the special characteristic that¡¯s called perfect resistance which provides resistance to a wide array of elements, all status ailments are ineffective, and no debuffs work.


    It simply mitigates damage from physical and magic attacks, so it is not impossible to defeat, but I can tell just how difficult that is as someone who defeated the Butcher that has the same physical resistance.


    Also, the Demon Lord has perfect resistance against status ailments and debuffs by default, so those 100% don¡¯t work on it.


    You could say choosing where to shave off from this perfect resistance using the weakening quests is part of the basics to fight the Demon Lord.


    We did 3 things when it came to the weakening of the Demon Lord¡¯s stats.


    Attack power, magic power, and agility.


    I actually wanted to lower its physical resistance too, but it was impossible due to the difficulty of the quest.


    Well, my attack power has reached a decent degree in terms of number of moves and raw power.


    I will be able to manage somehow even if its defense hasn¡¯t been lowered.


    What was more important was to reduce its attack in order to lower the chances of casualties.


    I can say with confidence that I didn¡¯t make the wrong choices regarding this.


    The only thing that we weakened for the resistances was the physical and paralysis.


    I had no intention of dealing damage with magic elemental attacks from the very beginning.


    Just that alone makes Sazan useless, but I am planning on having him use his magic a whole ton before reaching the last boss, so it doesn¡¯t matter.


    Regarding the attacks that do status ailments and debuffs, even if we take away the resistance, it will just go from ¡®it doesn¡¯t work at all¡¯ to ¡®works rarely sometimes¡¯, so it is not something to rely on.


    We did take away the paralysis resistance since it would be advantageous if it were to land, but that simply lowered the resistance of the Demon Lord to 95%.


    Even if you hit an attack that would normally land the paralysis with a 100% chance, you will only have a 1/20th chance of landing.


    While at it, the Demon Lord also has resistance to stuns and knockbacks. I don¡¯t know if it is intended or overlooked, but there¡¯s no event where you can take that away.


    In other words, the Demon Lord is always in a Super Armor state where you can¡¯t stagger or knock them back. That¡¯s quite the troublesome trait.


    How can you hit your big skills against a Super Armor Demon Lord? That will be the last worrying point for the Demon Lord battle.


    Aside from basic stats and resistances, there¡¯s also the self-regeneration and the counters that might cause sudden deaths which we have also sealed.


    There¡¯s attacks that would even be beneficial not to seal depending on your fighting style


    This time around, we left the skills at close distance that have big openings, and mainly sealed the long and mid-range attacks.


    The only worrying point here would be that we couldn¡¯t seal the troublesome skill called Homing Flare.


    This Homing Flare is a skill that shoots several homing fireballs, but what¡¯s troublesome about this skill is that it is a special kind called random homing.


    When the chance comes, I will explain this random homing in more detail, but this type of attack makes it hard for all the shots to hit, but no matter how fast you are, it is difficult to avoid completely.


    Of course, since it is a long range attack, there¡¯s no issues as long as I am within 3 meters of the Demon Lord, but it makes me a bit uneasy about the off-chance something happens.


    What¡¯s dangerous about this skill is not only the difficulty of avoiding it.


    Most attacks of the Demon Lord are -as expected- dark element.


    Because of that, I asked Maki and Sazan to gather as much dark resistance equipment, but this Homing Flare is a rare fire element attack from the Demon Lord.


    Moreover, because it has high attack power, it might be dangerous if this were to hit Sazan who has a worrying defense.


    The only one who would be okay even if hit by this would be Mitsuki who has strong resistance against the 4 main elements.


    Mitsuki can endure fire element damage even if not perfectly, and it is impossible for all shots to hit with her speed.


    But thinking about what would happen if anyone aside from her were to get hit by that¡­no, even if it has high power, the magic attack of the Demon Lord has been lowered, so I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any need to worry though.


    It is not like there¡¯s only worrying points.


    We have weakened the Demon Lord, but we also have strengthened ourselves.


    First, we had Sazan move around the item shops of several regions, and we have plentiful healing items now.


    What was especially big was that we managed to get a good amount of MP potions which are rare items.


    Thanks to this, we don¡¯t have to think about the worst case scenario of running out of MP.


    Regarding other consumable items, I still have the ones I bought out before. I made a list of important pick-up items, and had Sazan buy them if he found them.


    After Sazan crosses over the blood pond area, I also had him prepare tools like ladders to raid the castle gate.


    At the very least, lacking items won¡¯t be a worry for us in this battle.


    Our personal strength has obviously also increased.


    Ringo and I obtained new techniques, and thanks to the Butcher, our levels have increased decently.


    We are both level 178.


    It is not that reassuring against the level 250 Demon Lord, but it is a decent result within the time limit.


    As for my other comrades, Mitsuki said she had increased her level after doing the many events.


    I have not heard her level yet, but she must have gotten stronger than 10 days ago.


    About Sazan and the Bear¡­well, you know¡­Maki has gotten stronger.


    In the case of Maki, her level was high to begin with, so she couldn¡¯t level up, but she got a revamp in her equipment.


    Thanks to having obtained a large amount of Meat Cleavers, the weapons of everyone has been amplified, but Maki has a special trait that others don¡¯t have.


    She doesn¡¯t have an accessory limitation like me.


    You could say being able to equip 10 rings is big.


    I had her gather equipment with resistance being the main focus, so she is now an impregnable fortress.


    This is to match the role of Maki in the Demon Lord battle.


    In that fight, I will stick to the Demon Lord as the frontline and attack.


    As for Maki, she will be a bit further away together with Mitsuki, and if they find an opening, they will attack too.


    At the backline there¡¯s Ringo, Sazan, and the Bear. If anything happens, Ringo will use the Hide from the Ninja Sword skills to protect those two.


    In the case I leave the side of the Demon Lord, the long range attacks of the Demon Lord will begin.


    I am planning on having Maki fill that hole.


    If I get knocked back outside the 3 meters, Maki will approach the Demon Lord in my stead as someone with high defense and reflex. She will draw the attention of the Demon Lord until I return.


    I am a bit uneasy about that, but if she concentrates on defending, Maki should be able to manage somehow.


    What¡¯s next would be the timing for when to use Incarnation of Fury.


    This skill can¡¯t be used when comrades are close to me, but the limitation isn¡¯t that strict.


    It is fine as long as there¡¯s no comrades around you at the time you activate the skill, and the range for that isn¡¯t that big.


    The space where the Demon Lord is waiting is pretty vast, so as long as we get away from each other, it is possible to use it even in the middle of battle.


    Anyways, I gave a detailed explanation of the signal when I will use Incarnation of Fury, and the distance necessary for this.


    I was especially uneasy in the case of Sazan, so I told him the same thing 3 times.


    Even after explaining it this much, I feel like blood will rush to his head at an important moment and he will forget about it, but I will just have to hope for the assistance of the others.


    Quite a good amount of time passed with me explaining all this.


    After I finished explaining to everyone, I gave my last greetings to Ina in that frozen state, and we left the mansion.


    ¡ªOur objective is north.


    The Belion Volcano where the Demon Lord Castle rises.


    We tested out our team coordination against the monsters on our way.


    At first, only monsters below level 100 showed up, but as we approached the Belion Volcano, the level of the monsters increased.


    The enemies went up as high as level 175, but¡­


    ¡°Easy peasy!¡± (Maki)


    ¡°¡­Hn.¡± (Ringo)


    They are no enemies of ours now that we have become strong.


    I didn¡¯t even need to fight. Maki and Ringo were mowing them down.


    Even my biggest worry, Sazan, is being properly kept in control by showing a peek of the Bear on my shoulder holding a kitchen knife (which has the same attack power as a Meat Cleaver thanks to the weapon customization).


    ¡­But I would like the Bear to stop swinging around a kitchen knife on top of my shoulder. It is scary.


    And then, we finally arrived at the base of the Belion Volcano.


    The Demon Lord Castle is inside the crater of the volcano.


    We obviously can¡¯t see it from here.


    However, I can feel an ominous presence from deep in the volcano.


    Maybe that¡¯s the fault of the black clouds floating on top of the crater that don¡¯t clear up and are raining down dark lightning.


    Those dark clouds that are the symbol of the Demon Lord¡¯s power made me feel primeval awe, and I could also feel fighting spirit welling up from me.


    (¡­I can still do it, right?) (Souma)


    Mitsuki has the Explorer Ring, so there¡¯s no need to worry about where to reunite, and it would be more efficient to advance as much as possible.


    I confirm that everyone isn¡¯t exhausted yet, and decide to advance.


    The enemies in the Belion Volcano are strong and the mountain is steep, but there¡¯s no companion of mine that would complain from just this much at this point in ti¡ª


    ¡°Y-You bunch¡­wait a m¡ªaguh!¡±


    ¡­Well, uhm¡­there¡¯s one.


    I thought the equipment was perfect, but I forgot to tell Sazan to equip himself with attire that is suitable for mountain climbing.


    The monsters were no issue at all, but maybe because he is wearing thick boot soles, he tripped countless times, and our progress stopped every time it happened.


    I think he is reaping what he sows, but him falling that many times does worry me.


    ¡°Aah, Sazan? If you are finding this rough, we can take a bit of a break here¡­¡± (Souma)


    I tried to be considerate here and suggested this, but Sazan shook his head to the sides while letting out ragged breaths.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be¡­stupid. We don¡¯t have the time¡­to be stopping here. You are¡­the one that knows this the most¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Even when out of breath, he still said this boldly.


    That sight of his made me reconsider my evaluation of him.


    ¡°Sazan, you¡­¡± (Souma)


    Sazan gets misunderstood often because of his attire and his way of speaking.


    But the growth of people shine when your limits are tested.


    The real him is¡­


    ¡°Now, Souma! I give you the honor of carrying me!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡­Is the worst piece of garbage.


    This is really vexing, but once I piggybacked Sazan, our progress speed was outstandingly faster, and it didn¡¯t take long for us to reach close to the crater of the volcano.


    Once we arrived at the crater, lightning rained down on us from the black clouds above.


    Fortunately, it doesn¡¯t seem like monsters are coming out from the Demon Lord Castle, so it would be a good idea to stop here and wait for Mitsuki.


    I lowered Sazan and told everyone to take a break, and they all began passing their time in their own way.


    Ringo immediately began training her skill cancel, and Sazan was slapping the dust off his cloak while mumbling complaints.


    As for Maki¡­


    ¡°¡­Souma, do you have some time? It is about after we defeat the Demon Lord.¡± (Maki)


    For some reason, she was slightly eyeing Ringo and the others from a separated spot, and whispered this to me.


    Sensing that this is a secret talk, the Bear read the atmosphere and got down from my shoulder.


    And then, it looked back at me and did a thumbs up¡­or it at least looks like one.


    I was thinking ¡®dude, you don¡¯t have fingers¡¯ while I faced Maki again and nodded.


    Maki was also a bit surprised by the Bear, but she began speaking in a meek manner that doesn¡¯t suit her character.


    ¡°You see¡­when we defeat the Demon Lord, it would mean we have cleared the game, right? Wouldn¡¯t we¡­return to our world with that?¡± (Maki)


    Maki asked me this with 80% uneasiness and 20% expectation.


    ¡°Aah, now that you mention it, I haven¡¯t explained that yet. Sorry to say this, but that¡¯s probably not gonna happen.¡± (Souma)


    If there was any guarantee that I could return to reality after clearing the game, I would have done so from the very beginning.


    Nekomimi Neko is a grindfest game so, in a way, there¡¯s no end to it.


    You may have cleared the game in a sense when you defeat the Demon Lord, but the ending scene production is pretty lame.


    After blood curling effort, you finally defeat the Demon Lord, and the first thing that happens is that you will be hit by super flashy visual effects so intense you can¡¯t even look at it directly.


    You will hear the throwaway line of the Demon Lord in that time, and once the light recedes, you will then suddenly have your whole vision covered by the credits.


    You can¡¯t skip or fast forward this super 5 minute long credits that have quite the grandiose music playing in the background. You can log out with the general menu, but if you do, your data will be the one before you defeated the Demon Lord.


    After finishing the 5 minutes that are like torture, the last part will say: ¡°Thank you for your praying¡±. After that, there¡¯s no real event included in it. You won¡¯t even be returned to the title screen and just go back to the normal point of view without the Demon Lord around.


    The player will have to return to the city with the Demon Lord Castle filled with monsters, so there¡¯s no feeling of having cleared the game.


    Or more like, the game doesn¡¯t even save after you clear it, so if you die on your way back, you will have to defeat the Demon Lord again which sucks.


    There¡¯s no log-out element until here, and us being sent to this world doesn¡¯t really have to do with clearing the game.


    It should be safe to assume that the chances of us returning to our world after defeating the Demon Lord are really low.


    ¡°¡­I see.¡± (Maki)


    When I explained that to Maki, she seemed to be disappointed about it, but more than that, she seemed to have shaken a weight off of her as she nodded.


    Seeing that expression of hers, I got uneasy, wondering if I deceived Maki.


    ¡°Sorry about that. Uhm¡­about not telling you properly.¡± (Souma)


    If Maki had been cooperating here for the sake of returning to our world, I did something bad here.


    I lowered my head apologetically to her.


    ¡°Ah, it is rare to see you apologizing to me.¡± (Maki)


    But Maki simply laughed.


    She didn¡¯t even take it seriously.


    ¡°Hey, you, this is something really important. Cause, you know¡­we might even die here.¡± (Souma)


    When I voiced out the word ¡®die¡¯ I felt uneasiness and a sense of foreboding pushing onto me.


    ¡­That¡¯s right.


    The upcoming battle is completely different from the ones until now.


    In this one, I can¡¯t go doing everything.


    At the very least, we won¡¯t be able to win unless we challenge the Demon Lord with everyone, and there¡¯s no assurance that everything will go as planned.


    And if a mistake happens¡­


    ¡ªThere¡¯s the chance that someone in our group won¡¯t be here with us anymore.


    This thought made my body go cold.


    Until now, for good or for bad, I have not faced that reality seriously because of how concentrated I have been.


    I definitely must defeat the Demon Lord for the sake of Ina.


    I have formed my plans around the idea of not bringing any casualties with the civilians and my comrades.


    However, even with that, if one of my companions ended up dying in order to defeat the Demon Lord¡­


    Despite seeing me like that, Maki still laughed.


    ¡°Good grief, at this point in time? I myself also want to help out the people from the Knight Order, and I think such dangers can¡¯t be helped.


    ¡­Or more like, at the very least, everyone here has come with that resolve.¡± (Maki)


    I noticed after she told me.


    At some point in time, my companions had gathered around me.


    The first one to step to the front was the masked mage.


    ¡°I have my own objectives. I would like you to stop such conceited thoughts like me coming with you for your sake.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Sazan¡­¡± (Souma)


    Sazan said this with a decisive tone that felt as if his previous pathetic appearance was a lie.


    ¡°It is impossible for me to die as I am immortal, but¡­in the off-chance¡­no, in a chance of a billion something like that were to happen, it would have simply been a tragedy of destiny that cannot be stopped by any mortal.


    That¡¯s why, uhm¡­I-I definitely wouldn¡¯t begrudge you for it.


    T-That¡¯s all!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan hurriedly moved back, and at his side, there¡¯s the Bear who is holding a kitchen knife skillfully with its fingerless hands.


    The Bear raised the hand that¡¯s not holding the kitchen knife and¡­


    *Guh!*


    Did something similar to a thumbs up.


    I retorted internally with a ¡®dude, you don¡¯t have fingers¡¯ but the intention reached my heart.


    ¡°¡­Souma.¡± (Ringo)


    The last one was Ringo.


    Even at a time like this, Ringo didn¡¯t show any expressions, and she looked at me with those clear eyes.


    ¡°¡­I will¡­help Souma. I am here for the sake of that.¡± (Ringo)


    Right.


    Ringo is the one with the least amount of reasons to fight the Demon Lord compared to anyone here.


    Yet I am dragging Ringo into this¡­


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s not it.¡± (Ringo)


    But Ringo looked at my face and shook her head vigorously to the sides.


    ¡°¡­I want to do this. Even if you say not to, I will follow you.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t that high despite saying all that.


    But that voice of hers had strong resolve in it, and it doesn¡¯t feel like she would budge at all.


    ¡°Everyone¡­¡± (Souma)


    Even if you tell me all this, I don¡¯t know what to respond with.


    I feel ashamed of myself for not even paying attention to my surroundings.


    ¡°It is okay, Souma.¡± (Maki)


    Despite that, Maki showed me a smile.


    ¡°In the end, the ones with love and courage on their side are the ones who will win.¡± (Maki)


    There¡¯s no logic to it and it makes no sense.


    ¡°You really like saying nonsense.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh?! Not as much as you, Souma!¡± (Maki)


    But it is strange how that actually calmed my heart.


    And¡­


    ¡°¡­I completely agree with that. You use way too many terms that don¡¯t make sense.¡±


    That voice rang at my back.


    ¡°Mitsuki!¡± (Souma)


    When I called out her name, she easily announced that she had accomplished her objective and said¡­


    ¡°I was listening half-way through.


    Basically, everyone believes in you.


    ¡­Now, have confidence.


    The fate of the world is riding on this. Do you plan on facing such a challenge with such a dispirited look?¡± (Mitsuki)


    She slapped my back, and tried to go up the summit just like that.


    ¡°Mitsuki! Is it really okay? Getting this close to the Demon Lord Castle¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡ªDo I even need to answer that?


    As if saying that, Mitsuki moved her cat ears lightly as if beckoning us over.


    And then, as if pulled by this, we climbed the last stretch of the way, and we eventually stood at the edge of the crater.


    ¡°That is the Demon Lord Castle¡­¡± (Souma)


    Under our eyes, there¡¯s a slope that goes on like a spiral.


    And then, deep inside, I could see the Demon Lord standing magnanimously at the depths of the earth.


    (We have finally come all the way here¡­) (Souma)


    The moment I saw that, the memories I have had until now¡­ The frozen Ina, the training until now, and my companions that have come along with me; they all pushed onto my mind all at once.


    I slowly chewed them for a few seconds.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s defeat the Demon Lord. And then¡­¡± (Souma)


    I looked back at my comrades and declared¡­


    ¡°We will definitely return with everyone!¡± (Souma)


    Seeing the faces of Ringo, Mitsuki, Maki, the Bear, and Sazan, my resolve burns ever stronger.


    I will do my best¡­no, even more than my best.


    And if danger approaches my comrades, I will definitely put my life on the line to protect them!


    I won¡¯t let anyone here die!


    Not for the sake of Ina, but for the sake of my own desire of being together with them from here on.


    I firmly pledged this.


    ¡ª¡ª


    Author: I plan on going full-throttle until the climax of the Demon Lord arc.


    I will do my best to not run out of breath, so please tag along with me.

 CH 127

    Light


    Dark


    Author: After ending that long blissful time¡­


    It is now time for the curtains to rise for the meat of the Demon Lord subjugation!!


    ¡ª¡ª


    (Even though I have seen it in the game, it really gives off pressure on a whole different level here.) (Souma)


    I once again looked at the biggest obstacles standing between us and the Demon Lord Castle. The dark clouds above and the blood pond boiling at the bottom.


    The clouds of darkness floating in the sky moved as if asserting the wicked power in them, and the bright red blood pond below was so lively that its stench was wafting all the way here, bubbling as if waiting with boiling passion at prey.


    However, Mitsuki, who is standing by my side, was completely expressionless even when looking at that hellscape.


    Her cat ears instead were standing upright as if she herself was boiling with fighting spirit, and she looked at me as if urging me on.


    ¡°¡­Your order, please. If you so wish, I can be the first one to charge in.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Those words that had her feelings subdued made my tiptoeing heart calm down.


    ¡­That¡¯s right.


    We should have been preparing this whole time to overcome this.


    This isn¡¯t the time to be getting cold feet here.


    ¡°Let¡¯s confirm before all that.¡± (Souma)


    First of all, I took out the item that mitigates the damage of the lightning from the black clouds, the Mute Needle of Lightning Protection, and looked back at my comrades.


    ¡°Has everyone properly equipped their Water Dragon Ring?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this, everyone extended their hands to the front.


    All of the hands had the Water Dragon Ring that has the special ability: [Negate the negative underwater terrain effects].


    With this, our preparations to get through the blood pond are done.


    ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s go!¡± (Souma)


    I exchanged looks with everyone and took a step forward.


    And then¡­


    ¡°Please wait! I will take the front¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki hurriedly went ahead of me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really like this, but it can¡¯t be helped¡­ I -the great mage and guide in muddied waters- order you, roar of the disastrous flood surging from cursed darkness¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Receiving my signal, Sazan stood in front as if lining up with me and began mumbling something.


    ¡°A chant?! What in the world are you trying to¡­?!¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki, who was left behind, was taken aback by me and him putting our arms to the front as if synchronized and¡­


    ¡°¡°[Tidal Wave]!¡±¡± (Souma+Sazan)


    We both activate the spell at the same time!


    What happened after that was something that would have been impossible to happen in the real world.


    An amount of water that would be impossible to explain unless you were to think the palm of our hands had been connected to the ocean began gushing out as if it were an actual flood.


    A big tsunami that doesn¡¯t bring shame to its name Tidal Wave surged out, and it ran down to the bottom of the crater in one go.


    What laid at the end of it was the sinister castle of the Demon Lord.


    That torrent of water that had decided to plunge to the bottom of the volcano didn¡¯t slow down its momentum at all, and¡­


    ¡°Kuh!¡± (Souma)


    The shockwave of the waves crashing onto the castle was so strong it even reached all the way here.


    ¡°¡­Not a single scratch?¡± (Mitsuki)


    But it is still the castle of the Demon Lord.


    Even if it is now possible to destroy because of the world becoming real, it won¡¯t even budge from just any shockwave.


    But that was within expectations.


    My objective wasn¡¯t the castle to begin with.


    ¡°No, look closely. There should be a change.¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki strained her eyes at my words and raised her voice in surprise.


    ¡°The volume of water in the blood pond has increased?!¡± (Mitsuki)


    I silently agreed at the gaze of Mitsuki.


    It is the same as the time when I wet her clothes.


    In this world, when you use water spells, the water from the effect of the spell will still remain.


    This terrain is mortar shaped.


    The massive amount of water born from the Tidal Wave will naturally accumulate at the bottom of the volcano and become a part of the blood pond.


    This is my own way to deal with the blood pond.


    Getting rid of it or taking a detour is not the only way to solve this.


    ¡ªFill up the blood pond with a massive amount of water, thin out its effect, and get through it.


    That¡¯s the answer I arrived at.


    Even if the Water Dragon Ring has the special ability of nullifying the negative underwater effects and gives you underwater aptitude, it is not a given that this blood pond will be counted as being underwater, and I don¡¯t know if it will go as far as nullifying the heat too.


    But what if you change the blood pond into red lukewarm water by filling it with a massive amount of water?


    The Water Dragon Ring will most likely show its effect, and even if not, we should be able to lower the threat of the blood pond to the minimum.


    Thinking out of the box.


    At first, I considered opening up a hole and draining the blood from the pond, but I soon reached the conclusion that that would be impossible.


    The blood pond is at the very bottom of the Demon Lord Castle; at the bottom of the mortar shaped crater.


    Thinking about the situation, it would be difficult to make a hole that would achieve the objective of draining it.


    But that¡¯s when I noticed¡­


    ¡ªEven if I can¡¯t drain it, no, it is exactly because we can¡¯t drain it that it would instead be possible to accumulate water there.


    No matter how similar but terrifying a blood pond is from water, it is still liquid.


    That there¡¯s a blood pond existing there means that there¡¯s an environment set for liquid -for water- to accumulate.


    That became the starting point for the countermeasures against the Demon Lord Castle.


    ¡°Not yet!¡± (Souma)


    My plan isn¡¯t complete by just thinning the blood pond once with magic.


    Once the first spell ended, I finished the chant for the next spell soon after and¡­


    ¡°[Tidal Wave]!¡± (Souma)


    I once again summon the Tidal Wave from the palm of my hand.


    My magic really didn¡¯t have enough effect to dent the Demon Lord Castle, but that¡¯s fine.


    The volume of water in the blood pond has clearly increased, and the red color is visibly thinner.


    ¡°Kuh! I -the great mage and guide in muddied waters¡­to hell with it, omit the rest! [Tidal Wave]!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan also casted his second Tidal Wave a bit after.


    The biggest reason why I brought Sazan to this battle was to have him work here.


    It would be troubling if he didn¡¯t do his best at it.


    The spell we are currently using, Tidal Wave, is an attack spell that prides on having the highest Area of Effect within water element spells.


    The power isn¡¯t that big of a deal, but when used on even ground, it has enough AOE to cover the whole field. It is detested by the Nekomimi Neko players as a pulling spell that aggroes all the monsters in that area.


    Especially in the case of Sazan. For some reason, he specializes in water element after fire element magic, so he would often use this spell and pull unnecessary enemies, making this one of the reasons why the trend ¡®Hateful Sazan!¡¯ spread.


    However, there¡¯s no other character I can think of that can use this spell within the characters that haven¡¯t been hit by the Blessing of the Demon Lord other than Sazan.


    I had no choice but to use this spell together with Sazan. Though I may have bought the spell itself at the capital, my magic element proficiency was not enough.


    That¡¯s why, on the first day of the training, I continued stabbing the Master Torch with the water element spear I got at the Stream Cave to get that proficiency.


    Of course, I appraised the level of everyone and, before I went training, I customized the Tidal Wave of Sazan, and I did the same on the last day of my training while also adjusting the spells of Ringo too.


    As I confirmed before when talking about the Stardust Flare, the mana cost of a spell and its power isn¡¯t affected by the visual effect of the spell.


    No matter how much you lower its power, the amount of water will be the same, so I lowered its power to the bottom, and customized it in a way so that the casting time and MP cost is as low as possible.


    Even with that, my MP was about to run out as I don¡¯t have a job that specializes in magic.


    ¡°¡­Want to¡­recover?¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Please!¡± (Souma)


    We have the MP Potions that Sazan bought beforehand.


    Ringo would throw MP potions at me and Maki would at Sazan when our MP is about to run out.


    The blood pond¡­no, the red water¡¯s volume was steadily increasing, and this finally reached the entrance of the castle -to a height where the opened castle gate was at¡­


    ¡°Please stop at once!¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki tried to stop me with her cat ears bouncing.


    ¡°You are overdoing it! At this rate, you are not only going to thin the blood pond, but also the Demon Lord Castle will be¡­could it be¡­?!¡± (Mitsuki)


    I gave an evil grin at Mitsuki whose cat ears were frozen as if noticing something.


    ¡°It could be.¡± (Souma)


    Thinning the blood pond is just the tip of the iceberg.


    The plan that originates from that is the point of this time¡¯s conquest.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to fight the enemy on their own stage, right? That¡¯s why I was thinking about changing that field into one that¡¯s convenient for us.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Could it be that you are¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Yeah, it is probably exactly what you think, Mitsuki.¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki shook her cat ears to the sides as if she didn¡¯t believe it, so I answered confidently.


    ¡°I will be sinking the Demon Lord Castle like this and turn that place into an underwater dungeon!¡± (Souma)


    This is the second stage of the Demon Lord Castle conquest plan.


    The details are as I explained just now.


    The Demon Lord Castle is in a mortar shaped terrain, and there¡¯s a blood pond at the very bottom.


    If blood can be deposited there, there¡¯s nothing stopping the idea of depositing water too.


    And then, with a command that¡¯s technically like a hidden trick, all the doors of the Demon Lord Castle are opened¡­


    If we sink the castle in water, that water will flow into the castle, the Demon Lord Castle will turn into an underwater dungeon.


    The monsters that don¡¯t have underwater aptitude will drown.


    To be more specific, their movements will decrease by a certain percent compared to when they were on land, and they will get hit with HP percent damage.


    It won¡¯t have any effect on the Demon Lord who has perfect resistance, but I doubt all the other monsters in the Demon Lord Castle have underwater aptitude.


    If things go well, it would be possible to heavily weaken the monsters inside the castle.


    When I explained it up to that point¡­


    ¡°¡­I see. So that¡¯s the reason for the Water Dragon Ring.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki said this with a baffled tone for some reason.


    I don¡¯t know why she is baffled by this, but what she said is absolutely right.


    The good part of this plan is that there¡¯s barely any cons for us.


    As long as we have the Water Dragon Rings, we won¡¯t have any penalties from fighting inside the water.


    Weakening the monsters in the castle is good.


    And even if they don¡¯t get weakened, we will simply be fighting on even ground.


    We won¡¯t lose anything no matter where it rolls.


    ¡°But what do you plan on doing if the monsters inside take this as an attack and come out?¡± (Mitsuki)


    I answered with a smile at this question too.


    ¡°When that happens, we of course fight back. It is true that the clouds above are problematic, but fighting in a submerged location will be advantageous for us, and it is easier to fight than inside the castle because there¡¯s more space and there¡¯s no traps.


    ¡­Also, if it is here, you can fight at full power, right?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°You¡­really are¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki bends her cat ears as if she doesn¡¯t know what to say here.


    After that, her cat ears drifted as if searching for words, and she eventually opened her mouth with a gentle expression.


    ¡°How mysterious. If it is you¡­if it is with you, even an outrageous objective like defeating the Demon Lord feels unexpectedly possible.¡± (Mitsuki)


    While still shooting magic without end¡­


    ¡°Of course! We will definitely defeat the Demon Lord! And we will all return with a smile!¡± (Souma)


    I smiled back at Mitsuki.


    ¡°¡­Something like that, I guess.¡± (Souma)


    A few minutes later, the Demon Lord Castle had completely been submerged into the bottom of the reddish water, and it could only be seen faintly.


    Mitsuki worried about monsters coming out, but contrary to expectations, such a thing didn¡¯t happen and the Demon Lord Castle was silent.


    Despite raining tens to hundreds of spells, there was no movement from inside.


    It is going well until now.


    As the one who made the plan, this was going shockingly well.


    But¡­


    (¡­What¡¯s with this feeling as if something¡¯s off?) (Souma)


    Something¡­just doesn¡¯t click here.


    Since the moment I began the plan, no, this strange feeling since the moment I was formulating this plan.


    I feel as if I am overlooking something -as if something is latching onto the back of my neck.


    (No, I am overthinking it.) (Souma)


    I quickly shook my head to the sides.


    We have gotten this far.


    We can¡¯t just trash the plan just because of a bad feeling with no basis.


    ¡°We will be charging onto the Demon Lord Castle after 1 minute! The formation and positions will be as briefed prior!¡± (Souma)


    When I shouted this, the energetic responses of my comrades came back.


    Considering the respawning, we should be charging in at the time when the monsters are in critical state from the underwater damage.


    If the plan is going well, we might be able to reach the room of the Demon Lord without suffering any losses.


    While we were sinking the Demon Lord Castle in water with Tidal Wave, I told Mitsuki about the plan we had all the way to the room of the Demon Lord.


    There¡¯s no reason to worry¡­probably.


    ¡°¡­Souma¡­it is time.¡± (Ringo)


    I raised my head at the words of Ringo.


    And then, I muster strength to give the order to charge.


    ¡°¡ªKahah¡­!¡± (Souma)


    But suddenly, powerful chills pierced my body.


    My legs which were going to take a step forward wobbled, and I cowered in place.


    ¡°Souma!!¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?!¡± (Mitsuki)


    The shouts of Ringo and Mitsuki rang in my ears.


    But I can¡¯t move my body.


    That bad feeling I felt before.


    If I had to classify it, it would be a ¡®bad feeling¡¯, but the strength of this is not on that level.


    It had been amplified to physical levels, and it was foreboding something sinister.


    (Right now¡­something¡­something is happening!!) (Souma)


    I only had that certainty in this situation where I still didn¡¯t understand anything.


    There¡¯s no way this ¡®something¡¯ that¡¯s giving me this feeling will end with anything normal.


    (At this rate, things will become irreversible!) (Souma)


    This strange welling certainty.


    The impatience is burning my chest.


    Aside from the ¡®bad feeling¡¯ I felt just now¡­and the sensation that ¡®I have been overlooking something¡¯ that I have felt the whole time, I have no basis at all for this.


    Is it really okay to stop such an important plan for something like this?


    I just hesitated for a mere second.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Souma?!¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Y-You, what brought this up all of a su¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°¡ªDon¡¯t come!¡± (Souma)


    I shout with my everything at my comrades that were rushing to me one after the other.


    No, I tried to shout.


    ¡°Everyone¡­hurry and get out of¡ª¡± (Souma)


    But I was a bit too late.


    A presence swelled up from the back.


    ¡°Wa?!¡± (Souma)


    What entered my vision when I looked back was a pillar of light.


    A dazzling pillar of light was extending from the bottom of the water, around the place where the Demon Lord Castle is at, going all the way to the sky.


    ¡°What? What¡¯s that¡­?¡± (Souma)


    That light pillar easily reached the sky and crashed onto the pitch black clouds.


    But the surprising thing came after that.


    ¡°No way!¡± (Souma)


    That light pillar¡­those clouds that shouldn¡¯t be possible to move for anyone other than the Demon Lord¡­were blown off in an instant¡­


    ¡°Impossible¡­¡±


    Those words reached my ears.


    I thought it came out of my mouth, but that wasn¡¯t it.


    When I looked at my side, Sazan, who was looking at the light pillar, was holding his body as if restraining the fear taking over his body.


    ¡°Sazan?!¡± (Souma)


    I hurriedly tried to help him out¡­but Sazan¡¯s eyes were not looking at me.


    His eyes were nailed at the light pillar piercing the heavens, his body trembling profusely.


    ¡°Such mana¡­is impossible. With this¡­it is like¡­¡± (Sazan)


    There was no following to his words.


    I once again glared at the light pillar while holding the trembling body of Sazan.


    That light was finally dimming out little by little, and after a long while, it thinned out and disappeared.


    ¡°Is it¡­over¡­?¡± (Maki)


    The low voice of Maki hammered the end of that phenomenon.


    However, even when the light calmed down, our confusion didn¡¯t.


    Me as well¡­no, I am probably the most confused one here out of everyone.


    I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on here.


    Because¡­


    ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t know¡­of such an event¡­¡± (Souma)


    I have not seen that pillar of light even once in the game.


    I am currently facing the first completely unknown phenomenon since coming to this world.


    A sight as imposing as that would have been uploaded on the net at least once.


    No, even if not, there should have at least been witnesses testifying to this.


    Me not knowing that means¡­


    (This is a phenomenon that didn¡¯t happen in the game?) (Souma)


    And if something that didn¡¯t happen in the game happened now¡­it means the reasons for that are limited.


    (Could it be¡­) (Souma)


    *Thump Thump*


    My heart was drumming to a painful extent.


    ¡®Calm down¡¯ I tell myself.


    But no matter what I did, my rampaging heartbeat was not calming down.


    (Could it be¡­could it be¡­) (Souma)


    I want to believe that¡¯s not the case.


    But the ominous guess that surfaced in my mind was clutching onto me and not letting go.


    (You must be kidding, right¡­?) (Souma)


    It is something that wasn¡¯t in the game but only exists in this world¡­


    The black clouds in the sky that can only be affected by the Demon Lord.


    Yet those black clouds were blown off.


    No matter how you think about it, there¡¯s only one person that fits the bill.


    (Could it be that it really is¡­) (Souma)


    That light just now was the Evil God¡¯s¡­


    ¡°Ah!!¡± (Maki)


    But Maki suddenly raised a loud voice as if to cut off my speculation.


    Wondering what Maki, who had an astonished expression on her face, had noticed, I asked as if latching onto her.


    ¡°Maki, do you know something?!¡± (Souma)


    Being approached like that, Maki shook her hands to the front as if flustered.


    ¡°Eh, no, it is not like I know¡­ But when you were talking about the Serious Mode and the Death Effect, I thought about it¡­¡± (Maki)


    She pointed deep at the red water, at the Demon Lord Castle that can be seen faintly there even now as if she had done something bad, and said this.


    ¡°¡­Could it be that the Demon Lord-san¡­drowned and died just now?¡± (Maki)


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­


    ¡­¡­¡­


    ¡­¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­¡­¡­Eh?

 CH 128

    Light


    Dark


    ¡°¡­Could it be that the Demon Lord-san¡­drowned and died just now?¡± (Maki)


    My breath stopped at the way too outrageous words of Maki.


    The Tragedy of Poseidal surfaced in my mind for an instant, but I quickly shook my head to the sides.


    No, no matter how you think about it, there¡¯s no way a Demon Lord would die such a gag manga death.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way something like that can happen. In the first place, if the Demon Lord has died, the curse should have been lifted¡ª¡± (Souma)


    The moment I was about to say that, a familiar voice entered directly into my ears suddenly.


    (I am so happy I could marry Souma in my last moments. I¡ªwait, w-where¡¯s this place?!!)


    ¡°Eh?! Ina?!¡± (Souma)


    The voice of Ina, who should have been frozen in the Nekomimi Mansion, made me shout out loud unconsciously.


    Ina began talking to me as if at her wit¡¯s end at my state.


    (I-Is that you, Souma-san?! Eh, this is weird!! I should have been on top of a tree just now, and yet, I am suddenly in the room of a mansion and¡­


    Also, this weird crawling sound¡­hya!


    There¡¯s red handprints on the wall!! Steadily getting close to me and¡­


    K-Kyaaaaaaaaa!! A woman came out from inside a box!!


    A-Aaah¡­this time around, it is a whole lot of dolls coming from outside!!


    W-What¡¯s this?! What¡¯s going on?!!


    H-Help me! Please save me, Souma-sa¡ª) (Ina)


    That¡¯s when the call of Ina was cut off.


    (¡­Crap. I forgot to warn the ones in the mansion to not scare Ina.) (Souma)


    Cold sweat gushed out from me.


    It is in part because of Ina having a horror experience, but it is mostly the painful gazes of my comrades.


    ¡°U-Uhm¡­¡± (Souma)


    The voice of the Communication Ring doesn¡¯t reach the other people.


    The only one who heard the voice of Ina should be me, and yet, because I said the name of Ina in the middle, my comrades must have discovered that the one I was talking to was her.


    They are all looking at me as if seeking an explanation.


    Unable to endure that pressure, I had no choice but to raise my fist and say¡­


    ¡°¡­Alright, the plan was a success!!¡± (Souma)


    A cold blizzard raged on in the volcano.


    ¡ªThe Tragedy of Poseidal.


    There was an incident that can¡¯t really be called an incident in Nekomimi Neko that had such a name.


    The stage was set at the underwater city where we got the Water Dragon Rings.


    Even though there was certainly a piece of information about a boss monster protecting the treasury room, when the players actually arrived at that place, the place before the treasury room was empty. There were several such reports in the forums related to Nekomimi Neko.


    Not only that. After digging through information about this boss, there wasn¡¯t a single player who had met the boss of the underwater city.


    ¡­A clear bug.


    But if that¡¯s the case, it could be taken as them forgetting to set the boss monster there, or they published the wrong info about the underwater city.


    That said, this became a big talking point because there¡¯s a big open space before the treasury room which serves just right for a boss battle, and there was a Magic Seed dropped there which is a drop item that will always drop from a boss.


    Depending on the type of Unique Boss -which only appears once- they will drop either a Power, Magic, Defense, or Mind Seed.


    Putting it in another way, there¡¯s rarely any other way to obtain seed items.


    Because of this, the Nekomimi Neko players guessed that there was a boss in the underwater city, but it died for some unknown reason before the players arrived.


    Of course, we are talking about the Nekomimi Neko players who have pointlessly high curiosity.


    They of course showed interest in this mystery and moved in order to uncover the reason for this.


    However, no matter how fast they found the underwater city and arrived at the treasury room, they couldn¡¯t encounter the boss.


    Unless there¡¯s concrete confirmation, a rumor will stay a rumor.


    The talk of the underwater city boss weathered out with the passing of time, but after that, the truth was made clear with a new patch.


    After the patch of ver 1.03, the boss Poseidal began to appear, and it was ascertained that that boss drops a Magic Seed.


    The Nekomimi Neko players, who are in a sense more persistent than the Nekomimi Neko developers, moved in order to confirm the reason for this, and found an excerpt in the updated info from the patch.


    -Fixed an issue where some bosses didn¡¯t have the underwater attribute properly applied to them.


    By underwater attribute, they are referring to underwater aptitude, and they are saying it wasn¡¯t applied properly, so basically: ¡®We forgot to add the underwater aptitude to the boss¡¯. The Nekomimi Neko players judged that as a confession.


    Monsters with no underwater aptitude had their speed underwater drop, and will get ticks of HP percent damage.


    This HP percent damage is the biggest deal breaker here. It doesn¡¯t matter if you have the highest max HP or not.


    Even a boss monster like Poseidal that has a massive pool of HP had died from the persistent damage due to having forgotten to set the underwater aptitude.


    And this is the reason for feeling something was off just a moment ago.


    It is a factor that I overlooked after forming my plan, and the cause of death of the Demon Lord this time around.


    The Demon Lord has the Perfect Resistance, so I thought that there¡¯s no way it would die from being sunk in water, but it looks like that was a hasty conclusion.


    It is often misinterpreted, but underwater aptitude is completely different from the elemental resistances and status ailment resistances.


    Poseidal, who died from not having this, had complete resistance to water.


    I somewhat assumed ¡®the Demon Lord has Perfect Resistance, so it must have underwater aptitude too¡¯, but it looks like that wasn¡¯t the case at all.


    In the first place, sinking the Demon Lord Castle in water was possible because the world has become real. The Demon Lord being submerged in water is obviously impossible in the game.


    Thinking about it normally, giving underwater aptitude to a monster that wouldn¡¯t be underwater to begin with would be strange.


    Blaming this as a bug would be way too unreasonable.


    Even when placing all that logic on it, it really is hard to believe that the Demon Lord has drowned to death. Unfortunately, all the hard to believe abnormalities until now would be explained with that conclusion.


    First, the off sensation that I felt before raiding the Demon Lord Castle.


    I imagine that was from the Demon Lord having reached a critical state in its HP and activating the Serious Mode.


    It really took a lot of time to fill this big volcano with water.


    The Demon Lord Castle should have had water go in since before it sunk completely, so the HP of the Demon Lord must have been downed quite a bit since the moment the Demon Lord Castle had sunk completely.


    And then, after 10% HP, the Demon Lord enters Serious Mode and the attack patterns change.


    When that happened, you would feel a powerful bad feeling even in the game, but that wasn¡¯t my instinct noticing something, but mostly a game cutscene.


    If that bad feeling was the Demon Lord entering its Serious Mode, that Demon Lord was already as its last dregs by that time.


    No matter how much attack power and defense power the Demon Lord gets an increase of, it doesn¡¯t have anything to do with the percentage damage from water, so I can imagine the Demon Lord died soon after that.


    In that case, the pillar of light that happened a little after that bad feeling is also explainable.


    When the Demon Lord died in the game, it let out a powerful light as a death animation.


    Because of how close it was at that time, it was so dazzling I couldn¡¯t see it directly, but it was probably the light pillar we witnessed just now.


    You normally don¡¯t see it since you are inside the Demon Lord Castle once you defeat the Demon Lord, but the pillar of light from the death animation pierces the Demon Lord Castle, goes all the way to the sky, and erases the clouds that are the symbol of the Demon Lord¡¯s power.


    ¡­Putting work in even the areas where you can¡¯t see sounds nice and all, but if you have time to do such pointless work, I would rather you put that energy in eliminating at least 1 bug with that time.


    Well, that¡¯s a reason why ¡®Nekomimi Neko quality¡¯ was a popular catchphrase.


    In the end, the credits didn¡¯t roll. We defeated it in such a manner, so it somewhat doesn¡¯t feel right, but there¡¯s no doubt we defeated the Demon Lord with our efforts.


    We have to do things like gather the items from the Demon Lord and the Demon Lord Castle, but we decided to leave that for later and headed back to the city.


    Mitsuki used a Teleportation Stone to report to the King one step faster, and I leisurely go back with the remaining members.


    On our way back, strange strong feelings began welling up in me.


    ¡°Thinking about it now, it feels like things passed in the blink of an eye¡­¡± (Souma)


    I mutter this to no one in particular.


    ¡°Right. We left the mansion proclaiming we would defeat the Demon Lord-san, but it feels like yesterday now.¡± (Maki)


    Maki responded earnestly.


    ¡°¡­I am not going to retort to that, okay?¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan said this with a tired expression for some reason and faced away.


    ¡°¡­Ah, split hair.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo was looking at the back of the Bear and saying something completely unrelated, and the Bear ran away hurriedly.


    The loose exchanges we usually have. It is hard to believe that we were all raring to go and defeat the Demon Lord with our lives on the line not that long ago.


    I am happy from the bottom of my heart that I can pass the time like this.


    (But¡­) (Souma)


    If I had to say something about this¡­


    If Mitsuki and one other person¡­


    ¡°¡­Souma.¡± (Ringo)


    Just when I was going to sink in my thoughts, Ringo gently called me back.


    I raised my head and the northern gate of the capital was already at the far view.


    ¡­No, that¡¯s not all.


    At that northern gate, there¡¯s two¡­people.


    One of them is the cat eared girl I am well acquainted with.


    And the other one is¡­


    ¡°¡­Ina.¡± (Souma)


    The person I was wishing to reunite with the whole time.


    But when I saw that, my legs suddenly halted to a stop.


    Even though she is the person I wanted to meet the most, my emotions were overflowing and I didn¡¯t know what to do.


    But there was someone who pushed my back.


    ¡°¡­Go¡­for her.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo¡¯s small hand was pushing my back earnestly.


    Even when I looked back, I couldn¡¯t see the expression of Ringo who was hanging her head down.


    ¡°¡­Hurry.¡± (Ringo)


    Even so, I once again walk on as if urged on by those words of hers.


    At the same time, I could see the cat eared girl pushing the back of the small girl, and she began to nervously walk her way here.


    I slowly began to clearly see the appearance of Ina¡­her face.


    The distance between us was slowly decreasing¡­slow to an irritating extent.


    As if we couldn¡¯t endure that moment, our legs began to increase their pace, and it soon turned into a run.


    ¡°Souma-san!¡± (Ina)


    I caught Ina who jumped at me.


    I hugged Ina tightly into my chest as she bawled her eyes out, and I spoke out the words I have wanted to tell her this whole time.


    ¡°¡­Welcome back, Ina.¡± (Souma)


    And in this way, my story with the Demon Lord closed its curtains.


    However, this story still has a bit of an after story.


    ¡ªThe Demon Lord has drowned to death!!


    These shocking news that you wouldn¡¯t see in past or present times had spread like wildfire through the whole city¡­no, to the whole world in one night.


    The next day, the King had called us, and what welcomed us was the endless thunderous applause and cheers of the people in the whole capital¡­and their cramped smiles.


    The people were praising us as saviors for having defeated the Demon Lord, especially when we are the ones who saved the city when the monsters attacked, received a medal of honor from the royal family, and I am famous for being on good terms with the princess. This time around, we defeated the Demon Lord by drowning it, so we have become true heroes.


    As such, the people called me like this with deep gratitude and admiration¡­


    ¡ªSavior of the Nation, Sinking Prince Souma.

 CH 129

    Light


    Dark


    TLN: Hey guys, Reigokai here!


    Sorry about not posting yesterday. My electricity was gone the whole damn day. I took that as a sign to take a break.


    Decided to see a movie: Everything, Everywhere, All at Once. It was a marvel of storytelling. SUPER recommended!


    Anyways, enjoy the chapter!


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Having defeated the Demon Lord, Ina was safely freed from the curse.


    Everything should be great and merry now, but¡­since the time I reunited with Ina at the north gate of the city, it was unexpectedly hard to return to the mansion.


    ¡°P-Please don¡¯t get any closer than that! I won¡¯t let you put a s-single finger on Souma-san!!¡± (Ina)


    After Ina had finally separated from me, she held the nostalgic Master Torch and Wakizashi in her hands and was¡­keeping Mitsuki in check.


    Her hands holding the weapons were trembling, and her legs were like those of a newborn fawn, but she was standing in front of me as if protecting me from Mitsuki.


    ¡­Yeah, I don¡¯t get it.


    ¡°No no, calm down, Ina. Also, Mitsuki, what did you tell Ina to bring her all the way here?¡± (Souma)


    Ina made a dumbfounded expression at my words, and Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears were folded down as if she were a kitten that¡¯s being scolded.


    And¡­


    ¡°There¡¯s a limit to a lack of explanation, right?¡± (Souma)


    Hearing the situation, I was on the verge of sitting in place right then and there.


    It seems like Mitsuki kidnapped Ina, who was being chased around by dolls in the mansion, no questions asked, and whispered this to Ina who was struggling around.


    ¡°¡­Please stay put. Do you not want to meet him again?¡± (Mitsuki)


    No matter how you hear that, you would immediately assume she is a bad guy.


    Moreover, I am on the verge of forgetting about it, but Mitsuki showed up in front of us as an enemy first.


    She became an ally after a lot happening, but Ina doesn¡¯t know that Mitsuki is now on good terms with me.


    I looked at Mitsuki with a baffled face, but¡­


    ¡°I also don¡¯t have a grasp of everything that¡¯s unfolded. I simply thought about leaving all the explaining to you.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki said this naturally with a face as if saying everything is as planned.


    If only her cat ears weren¡¯t trembling as if saying ¡®t-this is bad!¡¯, it would have been perfect.


    ¡°¡­Haah, fine.¡± (Souma)


    It is true that Mitsuki showed consideration and brought Ina here.


    Also, it is not like there aren¡¯t things I would like to hide from Ina.


    ¡°W-What¡¯s the meaning of this?!¡± (Ina)


    I looked at Ina who seemed to still be flustered here.


    I thought this was a moving reunion, but for Ina, it might be a situation like being kidnapped and going to the hideout of the criminal, and then discovering that your friend has been taken hostage.


    It can¡¯t be helped that she would be confused here.


    ¡°What should I begin explaining from¡­?¡± (Souma)


    And how much should I explain?


    I looked back at my comrades that had caught up and decided to introduce them first.


    In the middle of those introductions, she said stuff like ¡®Eh?! A princess?!¡± and ¡°W-Why a plushie?!¡± which are normal reactions, but the introductions ended without any issues.


    After that, I actually begin explaining the circumstances revolving around this case.


    At that time when Ina contacted me, the curse of the Demon Lord hit Ina and the others¡­by coincidence¡­and their time was frozen.


    We decided to defeat the Demon Lord in order to fix this.


    And then, after inundating the castle of the Demon Lord, we defeated the Demon Lord¡­just as planned.


    That¡¯s basically what I told her.


    And at the end when I told her that we had splendidly defeated the Demon Lord with my ingenuity, I felt like everyone¡¯s eyes were visibly turning cold, but they at least didn¡¯t interrupt me.


    ¡­W-Well, just think of me wanting to look a bit cool here as cute.


    ¡°T-This story is so grand scale that it is hard to believe it is real, but¡­it must have been rough.¡± (Ina)


    But we are talking about the top of the easy heroines, Ina, here.


    She was easily deceived without a single question asked.


    ¡°Thank you very much! Souma-san¡­no, everyone here has saved my life!¡± (Ina)


    She was looking at me with even sparklier eyes than before.


    Honestly speaking, I am not good at dealing with this gaze.


    I averted my face a little and answered.


    ¡°No, we simply went to the castle and poured water, so we didn¡¯t really have much complications¡­¡± (Souma)


    The thing is it hasn¡¯t even been half a day since we left the mansion.


    I myself have barely fought monsters, and I also have no exhaustion of using magic thanks to the MP potions.


    It was practically a little field exploration.


    I won¡¯t say it out loud, but the preparations for that were 3 times harder.


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s really crazy in and of itself though.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki, who seemed to not be satisfied even now about the Demon Lord drowning, muttered this.


    Of course she wouldn¡¯t accept it immediately when the long desired wish of her family was fulfilled by drowning it.


    ¡°B-But I heard really strong monsters appear close to the Demon Lord¡¯s castle. Just the simple fact that you went to such a place is¡ª¡± (Ina)


    ¡°¡­Excuse me.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki moved when Ina was about to say something.


    ¡°Eh? Eh?¡± (Ina)


    She moved past the side of Ina in an instant without Ina even realizing what happened there, and there were monsters where Mitsuki was heading to.


    This is still a field.


    Monsters show up and they will obviously try to attack us if we are nearby.


    ¡°You are in the way of our talk. Please read the room.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki defeated all those monsters with one swing of her katana, Tsukikage, that was hanging by her waist.


    Since the time I managed to use 3x speed skills in Incarnation of Fury, I feel like I can now see moving objects better.


    Even with that, I am still at the level where I might or might not be able to see the attack of Mitsuki.


    She really is born a cheat.


    ¡°U-Uhm¡­¡± (Ina)


    Ina couldn¡¯t say anything to Mitsuki who was coming back with her unsheathed katana.


    Honestly speaking, with just Mitsuki alone, the trek to the Demon Lord Castle is practically as if going for a hike.


    Ina must have noticed that too.


    She was having trouble with what to say here.


    ¡°¡­Souma.¡±


    The one who threw a lifeboat there was Ringo.


    She pulled my sleeve.


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s talk¡­later.¡± (Ringo)


    She proposed to enter the city first with her gaze alone.


    Of course, I wouldn¡¯t say no.


    ¡°Fumu, then, it can¡¯t be helped, so I will go check the state of Alex and Raiden¡­ I-It is not like I am worried about them. I must make it clear to them who was the one who saved them!¡± (Sazan)


    It seems like Sazan was worried about his comrades one way or another, and began walking to the city.


    And Maki as well¡­


    ¡°Right. I also left without telling the people at home, so I have to go back quickly before they notice.¡± (Maki)


    She said something fearsome as if nothing, and walked energetically to the gate.


    There¡¯s no way she didn¡¯t consult with the king and queen that she would be heading to the Demon Lord Castle today, right?


    The Bear jumped onto my shoulder while I was shuddering, and just when we were in an atmosphere of returning, Ina called me to a stop.


    ¡°U-Uhm, please wait. There¡¯s one last thing I want to c-confirm.¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Confirm? That¡¯s fine with me, but what is it?¡± (Souma)


    I asked this while tilting my head at the strangely nervous sight of Ina who asked this with a red face.


    ¡°U-Uhm, you see, it is about that. About what happened right before hearing the voice of the Demon Lord¡­¡± (Ina)


    Ina was waving her arms pointlessly, stringing words all flustered, and¡­


    ¡°M-Me marrying Souma-san¡­wasn¡¯t a dream, right?¡± (Ina)


    The moment she spoke those words out¡­


    (¡­Hm?) (Souma)


    For some reason, the sounds and movements around stopped, and I felt as if the world itself had frozen.


    But there¡¯s no way that would be possible.


    I felt something was off for a second there, but Ina is looking right at me with a bright red face and an inquisitive look.


    I can¡¯t just keep her waiting.


    ¡°Y-Yeah, it wasn¡¯t a dream.¡± (Souma)


    I said that and nodded.


    And then, a chain of anomalies happened around me as if this served as the trigger.


    The first thing was Ringo who was still holding the edge of my sleeve¡­


    *Squeeze!*


    She grabbed my sleeve with even more strength¡­


    *Kang*


    Mitsuki dropped her unsheathed katana¡­


    *Plop*


    Sazan, who was walking to the city, slipped¡­


    *Pinch*


    Maki went ¡®eh? Is this a dream?¡¯ and pinched her own cheek.


    *Grin*


    The Bear made a grin that could be taken as anything, and jumped inside my bag.


    Or more like, it most likely ran away.


    I looked around, but no one was moving.


    Even Ina herself who created this situation was simply wriggling while saying ¡®married¡­married with Souma-san¡­¡¯ and isn¡¯t moving from her place.


    Each person was in their own respective state and frozen there.


    ¡°U-Uhm¡­everyone?¡± (Souma)


    Now that I think about it, I haven¡¯t told anyone that I proposed to Ina.


    I don¡¯t know how much weight is placed on marriage in this world, but it would be natural for my comrades to be surprised when suddenly hearing about marriage.


    However, Ringo, who was there when it happened, should know about it to a certain degree, yet she was still frozen in place¡­


    I could only think leisurely until there.


    ¡°I demand an explanation!¡± (Maki)


    Maki, who had been escaping reality, suddenly came at me with bloodshot eyes.


    ¡°Eh? Even if you ask me to explain¡­¡± (Souma)


    I can¡¯t just immediately judge how much I should be telling here.


    If I just explain the situation, it would end with me confessing to Ina and her agreeing.


    But if we were to delve deeper into this marriage talk, I would have to explain about the Blessing of the Demon Lord event or maybe even my game knowledge.


    At the moment when I was hesitating¡­


    ¡°Aah, speaking of which¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki, who had completely stopped, resumed operation again.


    She didn¡¯t even spare a glance at her dropped katana and clapped.


    ¡°We did have a promise: that you would tell me your secret when we defeated the Demon Lord.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Aaah¡­¡± (Souma)


    Right.


    It was somewhat one-sided, but I promised Mitsuki to properly tell her about myself.


    The biggest threat in this world, which was the Demon Lord, is no longer here.


    Telling Ringo and Mitsuki the truth might be good when considering the future¡­


    ¡°I will use that right now.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­Huh?¡± (Souma)


    But that speculation of mine was all blown off by Mitsuki¡¯s next words.


    ¡°And so, I want to talk in detail about marriage.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Eh? N-No, but that promise had a more important¡­¡± (Souma)


    I was about to object to this weird development, but Mitsuki approached me aggressively.


    ¡°This is also¡­an important talk.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Eh? But¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°It is an extremely important talk.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­Okay.¡± (Souma)


    She for some reason pushed it all the way through.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! Souma has the responsibility to explain!!¡± (Maki)


    Maki was nodding at the back while chiming in as she pleased.


    As for Ringo¡­


    ¡°Ringo?¡± (Souma)


    Ringo wasn¡¯t moving.


    She looked down and tightened her lips as if enduring something, but didn¡¯t say anything.


    However, her hand holding my sleeve had enough strength put into it to the point her fingers were turning white.


    I obviously hesitated about speaking to Ringo here.


    I had no choice but to direct my attention at the last remaining person.


    I seek help from the masked mage that had finally stood up.


    ¡°H-Hey, Sazan, you should also¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Uhyae?!¡± (Sazan)


    But when I called for Sazan, he let out a weird voice that I don¡¯t know where he dragged it out from, and then, suddenly took a chuunibyou pose by placing a hand on his mask.


    ¡°Fu¡­fufu¡­what was it? A-A bloodstain¡­you say? <marriage and bloodstain (Kekkon) are said in the same way> It is true that blood is a good catalyst for magic, so I also have some in store for my destructive ritual spells.


    It is said that mythril is adequate for the creation of magic circles though¡­¡± (Sazan)


    He suddenly began talking about the intricacies of magic.


    It seems like he is panicking from this word that was too far apart from him.


    He is useless as always.


    At that time, the pressure from Mitsuki and Maki continued.


    The fingers of Ringo latching onto my clothes were not showing any signs of loosening either.


    ¡°G-Got it. I will explain it. I will explain everything.¡± (Souma)


    I raised both hands and showed that I yielded.


    I had no choice but to.


    ¡°But give me a bit of time. It will be a long talk and I also want to arrange the things I have to say.¡± (Souma)


    It will take time before the city and us calm down.


    I thought for a bit and came up with that decision.


    ¡°Right. Tomorrow night, let¡¯s have a talk in the mansion. No talk about this until then¡­okay?¡± (Souma)


    Seeing how they all nodded at what I said, I let go of the strength in my shoulders.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go back for now -to our dear home.¡± (Souma)


    And that¡¯s how we finally managed to cross the city gates.


    My body is not tired at all, but I feel like I am mentally exhausted.


    I am not joking when I say I miss the Nekomimi Mansion.


    I was thinking about going back at once and resting, but¡­


    ¡°Aah! The Sinking Prince Onii-chan is back~!!¡±


    The moment we took one step into the city, we heard a somewhat familiar and innocent voice.


    And then, as if that opened the floodgates¡­


    ¡°Ooh! The one who defeated the Demon Lord¡­?¡±


    ¡°Thank the Lord¡­thank the Lord¡­¡±


    ¡°I see. That person is the Sinking Prince-sama, huh.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, he does have the face of someone who would sink!¡±


    ¡°Yup, the same face as the one I saw on the wanted poster!¡±


    ¡°Everyone, the hero is back!!¡±


    The citizens were looking at us from afar and saying their own stuff.


    Is this the effect of having defeated the Demon Lord?


    In the game, the conversation patterns of the citizens didn¡¯t change at all after defeating the Demon Lord, but it seems like it is a bit different when it becomes reality.


    But why is it that I can¡¯t honestly be happy about this?


    ¡°U-Uhm, people are gathering more and more!¡± (Ina)


    I looked around after what Ina said and there really were more and more curious onlookers, and the street before the northern gate was full of people.


    Moreover, they are all looking over here and smiling.


    Eventually, a certain string of words were being shouted by the crowd.


    It was low at first, but it steadily resonated with the people around, and it eventually became a big wave.


    ¡°¡°¡°Sinking Prince! Sinking Prince! Sinking Prince! Sinking Prince!¡±¡±¡±


    ¡­No, what¡¯s this?


    I want to say I don¡¯t get it, but everyone that¡¯s doing the call is looking at me. Is that a coincidence?


    I am not the one that sunk, and I don¡¯t have a single prince-like attribute on me.


    Thinking about it normally, a nickname like Sinking Prince sounds ill-intentioned¡­


    I was flustered by the fervent but weird call and, within that crowd, I saw a certain someone¡­and I finally understood what was going on.


    (There¡¯s no doubt she is the one who spread that nickname!!) (Souma)


    ¡°Hey hey, Onii-chan, you are a Hero!!¡±


    I glared at the poisonous tongue girl that was standing at the very forefront with a smile on her face.

 CH 130

    Light


    Dark


    (But what should I do about this¡­?) (Souma)


    I responded with a cramped smile to the citizens who continued calling me Sinking Prince while I was at a loss for what to do.


    I am happy that they are welcoming us, but there¡¯s so many people, we can¡¯t return to the mansion.


    Moreover, I feel like the distance between us and the people is decreasing more and more as time passes.


    Thinking about how this number of people will be closing onto us, I can¡¯t just keep smiling.


    That¡¯s when the crowd split and the sight of knights appeared from far in.


    Are they here to bring us to the castle on the orders of the king? They have saved us here, is what I thought, but¡­


    ¡°We have been searching for you, Princess-sama!¡±


    ¡°¡­Uh!¡± (Maki)


    It seems like their objective was Maki.


    Maki herself was clearly showing in her face that she messed up.


    ¡°I have received the report from Mitsuki-sama. What were you thinking slipping out from the castle and doing something like a Demon Lord subjugation?! The King is also terribly angry. Now, let¡¯s return at once!!¡±


    ¡°E-Eh? S-Souma~!!¡± (Maki)


    She was making a pathetic face as she asked for help, but she completely reaped what she sowed there.


    Even with how half-assed and complacent the Nekomimi Neko world is, the princess going out without permission to defeat the Demon Lord must be unheard of.


    ¡°Get scolded real nicely!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°S-Souma, you traitoooor!!¡± (Maki)


    I see off Maki, who is being dragged away, with a smile while I waved my hand.


    And then, another hand of evil came from the back¡­


    ¡°Hey there, Sinking Prince-sama!¡±


    ¡°Raiden! You are back to normal!¡± (Souma)


    The one who spoke to us was Raiden from Alex¡¯s party.


    He should have been hit by the Blessing of the Demon Lord, but it looks like it was safely undone.


    ¡°Yeah, thanks to you. I just came back, so it doesn¡¯t feel real yet, but it looks like you helped us out -along¡­with that guy.¡± (Raiden)


    Raiden scratched his head and said this in the direction of Sazan.


    ¡°I-I wasn¡¯t helped out by him! Rather, I used my great magic to mow down enemies one after the¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Man, Sazan really did help out a lot. We defeated the Demon Lord thanks to the magic of Sazan.¡± (Souma)


    I don¡¯t really want to praise Sazan too much since it will get to his head, but it is true that he was useful.


    ¡°Y-You¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan¡¯s eyes opened up wide at my words and he looked over here.


    I grew more embarrassed at his gaze and¡­


    ¡°W-Well, he did cause a lot of trouble too though.¡± (Souma)


    I hurriedly added that.


    Raiden looked at our state with narrowed eyes.


    ¡°I see¡­ Looks like we were helped out in a lot of ways.¡± (Raiden)


    Raiden grinned, grabbed the back collar of Sazan, and pulled him.


    ¡°I will be retrieving this guy. You don¡¯t mind, right?¡± (Raiden)


    ¡°Nope¡­ Ah, but I want him to do something, so let¡¯s see each other later.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Got it. We are normally at the Fool¡¯s Gold Pavillion. We will be in this city for a while, so go there to ask for us.¡± (Raiden)


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t decide stuff about me without my input!¡± (Sazan)


    Is the ruckus Sazan was making as he disappeared into the crowd.


    And so, the only ones remaining by my side now are Ringo, Mitsuki, and Ina.


    More and more people were gathering, and I don¡¯t think we will even be able to walk the street normally at this point.


    There might be people who say that dealing with the masses is the duty of a Hero too, but I was a loner to begin with, so this is a bit rough.


    I don¡¯t wanna be squashed in these numbers, and if something like that were to happen, Ina might even say ¡®the city is scary¡­¡¯ and get traumatized.


    I direct a smile to the citizens while asking Mitsuki in a whisper.


    ¡°Hey, why are we so widely known? I honestly can¡¯t deal with these many people.¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki only directed her cat ears over here and thought about it a little bit before answering.


    ¡°After my report, the King made an official statement about us having defeated the Demon Lord. Since they were such big news, it must have spread in the city in the blink of an eye.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Even if so, the rumors spread too fast.


    To the point that I think there was an inciter.


    ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s the matter, Sinking Onii-chan~?¡±


    ¡­Blaming Poison-tan for everything isn¡¯t good.


    I desperately ignored the wild ideas in my mind and the voice coming from the front, and Mitsuki approached me and whispered.


    ¡°What do we do? Looks like yours and my face have been remembered though.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki was famous to begin with, and my name and face has been spread because of the wanted poster of the Knight Order.


    On the other hand, Ringo, who was a bugged character and hasn¡¯t been exposed to the public until now, and Ina, who wasn¡¯t one of the members that defeated the Demon Lord to begin with, should be fine even if they were to move alone, but¡­


    ¡°¡­Hn?¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°W-What is it?¡± (Ina)


    ¡°¡­No, it would be impossible.¡± (Souma)


    Ringo looked over here with a face as if she wasn¡¯t thinking anything, and Ina was already trembling here, so I shook my head.


    In the first place, leaving aside Ringo, I am not sure if Ina can reach the mansion on her own, and if I leave her be on her own, she might pull something weird again.


    I faced Mitsuki once more.


    ¡°Can¡¯t be helped. Let¡¯s each take care of one. Mitsuki, you take Ina¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I was about to tell her to take Ina with her, but I remembered the incident before.


    If I leave Ina with Mitsuki, I feel like the traumas of Ina will increase in the end.


    I take it back.


    ¡°I will take Ina, so can I leave Ringo to you?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Who do you think I am?¡± (Mitsuki)


    When I asked this, Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears stood up proudly.


    ¡°That was a silly question to ask.¡± (Souma)


    There¡¯s no way Mitsuki would be unable to lose a crowd of this degree.


    And if it is Ringo, she wouldn¡¯t be flustered even if Mitsuki were to treat her a bit roughly.


    The two have lived together for a long time.


    They have that degree of trust between them.


    I came to a conclusion of my own, approached Ina, and showed her my back.


    ¡°There¡¯s no time. Get on.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°G-Get on, you say¡­?¡± (Ina)


    Ina was flustered by this, but I hurried her further.


    ¡°Come on.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°O-Okay!¡± (Ina)


    I feel the weight of Ina on my back.


    It is not like I am not nervous at all about having a girl on my back, but Ina really is a normal train-chan that grants relief and safety.


    I felt the even mythril armor on my back and nodded on my own.


    ¡°A-Am I not heavy?¡± (Ina)


    ¡°It is fine. Compared to Sazan¡­ah, now that I think about it, Sazan might have been a bit lighter.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I-It is the difference in equipment!¡± (Ina)


    While we were having that silly talk, my brain was already forming a path to escape.


    In my experience with Sazan, when you are carrying someone, your agility will decrease from the weight penalty.


    It is not a decrease in speed that can¡¯t be adjusted to, but I am finally making the 3x speed skill cancel into my own, so I don¡¯t want to use skill cancel in this state.


    In that case, my mobility will decrease quite a lot, but¡­


    (Well, I should be able to do it.) (Souma)


    I immediately begin moving once I reach that decision.


    I ran in the opposite direction of the crowd and finished the chant quickly in that time.


    ¡°[High Jump]!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Kyah!¡± (Ina)


    I soar in the sky with High Jump.


    When I jumped higher than the roofs¡­


    ¡°Guh!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Kyaaaaaaaaah!¡± (Ina)


    The Air Hammer that I had set for Time Activation was casted.


    It carried my body together with Ina who is on my back.


    ¡°There.¡± (Souma)


    Both of my legs landed on top of the roof after making a loud hard sound.


    I messed up the timing of Air Hammer a bit and we flew up way too much, but we somehow managed.


    The people were dumbfounded by how we suddenly moved to a rooftop and were looking up at us.


    There was a little girl who was not letting go of her smile within those people, but I purposely moved my gaze away and spoke to the remaining 2.


    ¡°Mitsuki, counting on you with Ringo!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yeah, leave it to me.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­You too, Souma. Be careful.¡± (Ringo)


    I nodded at the two and, this time around, spoke to Ina.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go. Don¡¯t bite your tongue.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh? NOOOOOOOOO!!¡± (Ina)


    I felt Ina¡¯s arms tightening their hold around my neck and began running on top of the rooftops at full speed.


    ¡°[High Step]!¡± (Souma)


    I run on the rooftops, using Step for openings between rooftops, jumping over with High Step at times, and if that¡¯s not enough, I would add an Air Hammer to soar.


    I already have the arrangement of the buildings in the capital in my head.


    I rush through the rooftops without losing any speed, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, flying through the city.


    At first, Ina was screaming ¡®We are going to fall! Fall! Fall!¡¯, ¡®So fast, too fast, fast and¡ªhiiih!¡¯ or ¡®We are going to die! Die! Please let me dooown!¡¯, but by the time we reached the center of the city, she had already grown used to it.


    The excess strength she put on her arms -most likely from being agitated- decreased, and she simply leaned against my shoulder and I could hear her letting out ¡®haafuuh, hafuuh¡¯ sighs.


    Even her eyes were closed on top of that, so she seems to be pretty relaxed now.


    It is fine for her to be relaxed, but it would be a waste for her to miss this wonderful sight.


    ¡°Ina, can you see that?¡± (Souma)


    I stopped my feet and directed my voice behind me, and Ina slowly opened her eyes.


    ¡°W-What is it? I am not scared of Magic Airships anymo¡ªah, could this be¡­?¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the center of the capital.¡± (Souma)


    What was there were two giant buildings standing tall back to back.


    The first one is the familiar royal castle.


    The other one is the center of this country¡¯s religion, the Great Church.


    These two buildings of around the same size are lined up, and it is apparently called the south royal castle and the north church.


    When I checked the map to confirm, the great church is the one that is in the center of the city, but it would be better to not say such a boorish thing.


    Anyways, those two constructions are no doubt the symbols of this city.


    Witnessing a sight like this, I once again am reminded that I have been thrown into a fantasy world.


    ¡°Ah, I have seen that in the guidebook before! Wow, it really is big¡­!¡± (Ina)


    Ina also shouted in excitement.


    She sounds like a complete country bumpkin here, but there¡¯s no problem since we are on a rooftop.


    We stopped for a moment, and decided to watch over Ina until she was satisfied.


    We silently watched the sky being dyed with the sunset, and the buildings below, but¡­


    ¡°That castle and the great church are certainly impressive, but¡­the one who is impressive is you, Souma-san. You at some point in time made that Hisame-san and a princess your comrades, even defeated the Demon Lord, and had that many people acknowledge you¡­¡± (Ina)


    I asked Ina who had her face hanging down.


    ¡°Ina, do you really plan on staying in the capital?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yes, the disease of my mother has been cured, and I think I have obtained enough strength to manage here as well. You might tell me to go back to Lamurick though, Souma-san¡­¡± (Ina)


    I fall in thought at those words.


    I left Ina in Lamurick and ran away because I thought it would be dangerous.


    I don¡¯t regret that choice.


    That was the most logical choice at that point in time.


    But this world already has no Demon Lord.


    You could say the biggest threat in this world has been overcome.


    Now that the Demon Lord has fallen, I as the player only have to solve 1¡­2¡­3¡­w-well, a few problems that would be bad if I don¡¯t do anything.


    In that case¡­


    ¡°No, I welcome you. I don¡¯t mind you living in that mansion, if you don¡¯t mind either.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°R-Really?¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Of course. That¡¯s only on the condition that you will be staying at home when I judge it is dangerous with your ability.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°O-Okay! Thank you very much!¡± (Ina)


    Ina got exaggeratedly happy about it, so I was taken aback by it.


    I accidentally said something I didn¡¯t have to.


    ¡°N-No, I wouldn¡¯t throw away the person I have married¡­¡± (Souma)


    It is after I said it out loud that I noticed I messed up.


    Even though I decided not that long ago that we wouldn¡¯t be bringing out this topic until tomorrow night, I ended up breaking it myself, and shortly after no less.


    I haven¡¯t even explained to Ina why I did that marriage proposal.


    I wanted to click my tongue at my own carelessness.


    ¡°Y-Yeah¡­¡± (Ina)


    Maybe that was embarrassing, Ina¡¯s face turned bright red and she fell silent.


    The conversation was going smoothly and all¡­ I really messed up.


    Why did I go out of my way to dig out the visible landmine?


    I was worrying all on my own here, and Ina eventually spoke.


    ¡°T-Then, is it okay for me to intrude in your home, Souma-san?¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Y-Yeah, leave it to me!¡± (Souma)


    I purposely responded with a loud voice in order to shake off a variety of things.


    When I did, the bright red face of Ina turned into a cheerful one.


    We have rooms to spare in the mansion.


    Ina really is a nice girl, being happy by something of that degree. I nodded to this and¡­


    ¡°T-Then¡­I may be inexperienced, but¡­I will be under your care!!¡± (Ina)


    ¡­Hm?


    I froze at the words that followed.


    We simply agreed on her stay, and yet, I feel like we have exchanged a different contract here¡­


    ¡°Living together with you is like a dream come true! Ah, right! There¡¯s something I have to give you, Souma-san¡­¡± (Ina)


    It wouldn¡¯t be good to continue this topic.


    Feeling that instinctively, I move to divert this.


    ¡°A-Alright! Then, let¡¯s go there in one go.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°E-Eh?! A-Are we really going to go in the same fashion?!¡± (Ina)


    The questionable atmosphere from before dispersed with that, and Ina let out a scared voice.


    It may be low of me, but I rode with that.


    ¡°There¡¯s no other way. They already know my face, so we would be surrounded again if we go down.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°B-But maybe we could use magic or items to disguise ourselves or something¡­¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Aah, it is not like I don¡¯t have items like that, but only the person that has touched it can disguise themselves¡­¡± (Souma)


    In this game, there¡¯s an item called the Transformation Glasses, and when you use it, the person that touched it can transform.


    They were in the inventory of the Item Store, so the things I bought then should be in my bag.


    But I would say that¡¯s more of a defective product.


    Only your appearance changes, but your physique doesn¡¯t change at all, so if you transform into someone with a different physique, it will turn weird. From what I know, when you used the Transformation Glasses in the game, the events didn¡¯t change much.


    Putting it bluntly, there was no AI in the events to deal with the Transformation Glasses, so they all responded in the same way as they did before your transformation.


    Now that the NPCs have become normal humans, I can¡¯t really say for sure it won¡¯t be effective, but if we fail and we get surrounded, it wouldn¡¯t be nice.


    In the first place, the only one who I think wouldn¡¯t be suspected when I transform would be Ina.


    It would be weird if two of the same person were to walk together, and even if it is through magic, cross-dressing wouldn¡¯t be good for my mental health.


    ¡°Yeah, it really wouldn¡¯t work. And so, let¡¯s hurry up and go.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°U-Uhm, then, then¡­t-the roof! If you move in such a violent manner, the roofs will break! That¡¯s why, be a bit more¡­¡± (Ina)


    I once again get the stubborn Ina on my back, make a light run towards the edge of the roof, and¡­


    ¡°Too bad. Most rooftops of the capital are made from mythril, so they won¡¯t break just from any landing!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Uwaaaaan!! You stupid cityyyy!!!!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Ouch ouch¡­¡± (Souma)


    I held my cheek while landing at the garden of the mansion.


    ¡°A-Are you okay? I-I¡¯m sorry. It is because I was struggling there¡­¡± (Ina)


    Ina got down from my back and moved to my front immediately with a face as if on the verge of tears.


    ¡°No, I got a bit ahead of myself too. This is an accident.¡± (Souma)


    It seems like me thinking Ina had gotten used to it in the middle was a misunderstanding.


    When I resumed moving, Ina screamed and cried, and when I used Ground Compression to hide my embarrassment a little bit, Ina, who had finally reached breaking point, began thrashing around.


    Because of that, my skill was interrupted, and we fell from the roof.


    Fortunately, I was the one below, so Ina wasn¡¯t injured, but I must have scratched myself on the way somewhere, I had a small injury on my cheek.


    I am close to level 200, so something like this shouldn¡¯t be hurting, but defense doesn¡¯t apply to fall damage.


    That factor probably influenced this outcome as well.


    ¡°¡­I really am sorry.¡± (Ina)


    Ina once again lowered her head deeply.


    ¡°As I said, it is okay. It will heal in one go with a potion anyways.¡± (Souma)


    Saying this, I was about to bring out a potion from my bag, but¡­


    ¡°Please wait.¡± (Ina)


    Ina stopped me for a reason.


    ¡°Ina¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I was surprised by her eyes.


    Ina was looking at me with eyes filled with resolve I haven¡¯t seen before.


    ¡°¡­.Souma-san¡­even if I were to say something that would overturn the logic of this world, and would be taken as abnormal no matter how you think about it, would you¡­believe me?¡± (Ina)


    I couldn¡¯t say anything for a while in response.


    But the answer is obvious.


    ¡°Of¡­course.¡± (Souma)


    I nodded deeply.


    The trembling of Ina that seemed as if she was filled with grim resolve and as if she were on the verge of tears lessened a little bit.


    ¡°Since I separated from you, I have explored a variety of fields and dungeons with a person called Thiel-san. The reason it went well was because of how high my level was and the torch that you gave me. But that¡¯s not all.¡± (Ina)


    I gulped at those words.


    Just what is Ina about to say here?


    ¡°If Thiel-san and I were to publicize this, the adventurers of this world¡­no, this secret might even be able to change the world itself. We found something like that.¡± (Ina)


    This world is an unstable world that has reality and game mixed in it.


    I was thrown into this world in the beginning of the game, so the discrepancy with the game has been minimized.


    But the rift between game and reality has been getting bigger as time passes.


    I won¡¯t be surprised no matter how supernatural of a result it creates.


    ¡°But is that okay? Telling me something so important¡­¡± (Souma)


    When I asked her this, Ina slowly shook her head to the sides.


    ¡°It is because it is you that I want to say it. Noticing this was also thanks to Souma-san. I consulted with Thiel-san and reached the conclusion that we should have you decide on what to do with this secret.¡± (Ina)


    After saying this, Ina brought ¡®that¡¯ out from her bag.


    Her favored weapon, the Wakizashi.


    And then, she took a stance with the Wakizashi she brought out.


    ¡°Weapons are used to hurt something, and skills are techniques that hurt the target. That¡¯s the common sense of this world. But what if there¡¯s an exception there¡­?¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Could it be¡­¡± (Souma)


    I unconsciously let those words out once I thought of the possibility, but Ina didn¡¯t stop.


    She raised her Wakizashi and¡­


    ¡°Please believe in me.¡± (Ina)


    She swung in one go.


    ¡°Aah¡­!!¡±


    The red slash coming out from the Wakizashi attacked me.


    But it didn¡¯t hurt me.


    The pain on my cheek dispersed instead the moment it passed by me.


    ¡°Even though it hit you, it doesn¡¯t hurt, right? This skill¡­from the many weapon skills, is the only one that heals the hit target.¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Eh, no, uhm¡­¡± (Souma)


    I didn¡¯t know how to answer that, and Ina desperately clung onto me.


    ¡°I know. Even if you hear something like this, you won¡¯t believe me immediately. But¡­But I am not lying here!! I¡­¡± (Ina)


    I had no choice but to answer Ina who seemed like she would cry at any moment now.


    ¡°Uhm¡­sorry¡­ I already knew that.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Ina)


    The Saving Blade, Assassin Rage.


    It is quite the basic bug technique that any Nekomimi Neko player would know about.

 CH 131

    Light


    Dark


    ¡°¡­Fuuh.¡±


    I was lying upside down on the room¡¯s bed, and let out a deep sigh.


    How am I going to explain to them tomorrow night?


    Just how will my comrades react when I tell them?


    Whenever I try to think too deeply, my stomach squeezes in pain, so I forcefully push those thoughts to the side.


    What I was reminded about was the secret of Ina.


    When I told Ina that I knew about the Assassin Rage, she looked dejected, but Ringo and Mitsuki returned soon after, and the talk was interrupted there.


    We all ate dinner, and Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears were twitching impatiently as if wanting to ask something which was the same for the others, but I said ¡®I will talk about this in detail tomorrow¡¯ and went back to my room pretty early.


    ¡°That said, Assassin Rage, huh¡­¡± (Souma)


    The Assassin Rage -or Saving Blade- is a skill that¡¯s not utilized often despite being well-known.


    The name of this skill being famous is mostly because of the video that was uploaded, and the reality is that, not only users of it, there¡¯s not that many people who have learned this skill.


    Assassin Rage is the 13th Skill of the Ninja Sword.


    It is more difficult to learn than Soaring Blade.


    Even Soaring Blade is a skill that¡¯s questionable whether you have finally learned it after clearing the game, so a player won¡¯t be learning Assassin Rage in a normal playthrough unless they really grind it out a lot with the Ninja Sword as their main weapon.


    Well, that skill that could even be called an ultimate heals the enemy instead, so there was talk because of that, but the ones who used the bug technique of the Assassin Rage were mostly people who cleared the game -players who raised their Ninja Sword proficiency with the Master Torch.


    However, seasoned players like that would only find the bug technique of the Assassin Rage as useful enough to be a small trick.


    I can only think of 3 useful points about this healing method compared to others.


    First: it doesn¡¯t consume MP but Stamina, so you can heal at almost no cost when you are traveling.


    Second point: Its skill modifier is high, and because it relies on the physical attack, warrior job characters can expect decent healing from it.


    Third: as long as you have a Ninja Sword, you can instantly activate it without bringing out items or chanting a spell, so it is useful in emergencies.


    The most important one would be the first one.


    Stamina recovers fast, so you don¡¯t need to worry about stuff like running out of MP, so you technically can recover your HP infinitely.


    Healers are in tears.


    The thing is that the further you go in midgame, the more prepared you are in healing items, and by the time you get the Master Torch, the benefit of healing while traveling isn¡¯t as much.


    Also, you can only heal your HP with this.


    Considering the countermeasures for status ailments, healing magic and healing items really are important.


    On the other hand, the downsides are that you must have a Ninja Sword equipped in one hand, can¡¯t heal your comrades from long range, and can¡¯t heal yourself.


    It obviously has no moments where it can be of use, and even if your companions learn it, they will use it as a normal attack skill.


    You could even say it is the number one skill you have to make your companions learn.


    Because of this, Assassin Rage was considered a ¡®handy skill, but with not many chances to actually use it¡¯ so it was treated as a half-joke skill by the Nekomimi Neko players.


    (But the story changes if you get the Master Torch in the early game.) (Souma)


    If it is when you still don¡¯t have healing magic and items round up, having even one Ninja Sword user with this skill that can heal you infinitely will proportionally increase your survival rate.


    I wouldn¡¯t go as far as saying the world would change, but there¡¯s the chance of changing the weapon configuration and party formation heavily because of it.


    As for what exactly would change, it really would be the healer being in tears.


    But what merits the most attention in this incident here would be that Ina managed to discover this on her own.


    (Ina really impresses me every time.) (Souma)


    Ina herself may have gotten dejected after her revolutionary secret ended up missing, but it really is a big deal.


    In the game, NPCs wouldn¡¯t use bug techniques as bug techniques on their own accord.


    The fact that she came to the capital with her own hard work and formed a party with Thiel, the actions of Ina are really different from that of when it was a game.


    That difference must have been created from her becoming a real person.


    What I will be saying here is just an assumption, but at the beginning of the game, in other words, when I came to this world, this world was in its closest form to the Nekomimi Neko game.


    Ina was solo, Mitsuki was going around the world helping people out, Ringo was still Princess Shermia, all the characters were in the places the game designated, and should have had stats exactly as the game had set.


    Due to many variables including the NPCs becoming real people, the situation has been changing little by little.


    And that trend will most likely be getting stronger and stronger as time goes on.


    Not only Assassin Rage, even simple bug exploits from defensive effects like Hide, or bugged weapons like Shiranui will be discovered more and more by the NPCs¡­no, by the people of this world.


    Of course, equipping an excessive amount of accessories and the cancel which are system level stuff might fall into that category. This talk isn¡¯t limited to just bug techniques.


    In the game, NPCs fought aimlessly, but now that the world is real, they will be creating more efficient hunting methods, thinking up strategies of their own, and will be clearing this world just as if they were players¡­or at least there¡¯s a chance it can happen.


    If that does happen, it might be possible to make a world where humans are more predominant than in the game world.


    Also, I have already dealt with the Demon Lord and the Yellow Slimes which were the biggest threats to the fall of this world.


    In that case¡­


    (There¡¯s probably already no need for me to get all desperate and work hard.) (Souma)


    I felt as if a burden had been lifted from my shoulders, but at the same time felt sad about it. That kind of strange mixed feeling was hitting me here.


    There are still a number of events that are dangerous if they were to happen, but it might be about time we thought about ourselves here.


    Tomorrow, I will tell everything to my comrades, and then I will try to think seriously about returning to our world one more time.


    Just when I reached that decision¡­


    *Knock Knock*


    A reserved knock rang in the room.


    ¡°Come in.¡± (Souma)


    The door opened up a little after I said this.


    What peeked in from there was a clear blue color.


    ¡°Ringo? Is something the matter?¡± (Souma)


    Since the day Mitsuki began living in the mansion, Ringo and I have been sleeping in different rooms.


    Ringo has not come to my room at night until now.


    ¡°¡­Souma.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo walked to my side and looked around the room.


    ¡°¡­Do you know¡­where Bear-san is?¡± (Ringo)


    Looks like she is searching for the Bear.


    It is true that the Bear comes often to my room, so it did come here, but¡­


    ¡°Sorry, I haven¡¯t seen the Bear.¡± (Souma)


    The Bear moves as it pleases the most when it is inside the mansion.


    It seems like it knows all the gimmicks of this mansion. Moreover, all the weird guys in the mansion obey the Bear¡¯s orders.


    You could say finding the Bear in the mansion is almost impossible.


    ¡°Do you have some business with it? If so, I can help out¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I was about to say that, but Ringo shook her head before I could finish.


    ¡°¡­It is okay. I was just¡­curious.¡± (Ringo)


    She probably wants to say it wasn¡¯t anything big.


    But what situation requires her to suddenly need to find the Bear in the middle of the night?


    I stared at her intently, and she slightly averted her gaze.


    ¡°¡­I just¡­couldn¡¯t sleep.¡± (Ringo)


    It is true that Ringo seems to be lacking energy here.


    ¡°Could it be that you are not feeling well?¡± (Souma)


    I got up and peeked at the face of Ringo, but she took a step back.


    ¡°¡­I-I¡¯m okay.¡± (Ringo)


    But contrary to her words, I could see she was flustered.


    She is basically confessing that it is a lie here.


    ¡°I won¡¯t get mad or anything, so please tell me honestly.¡± (Souma)


    I look at Ringo in the eye and plead this.


    Ringo didn¡¯t make eye-contact with me even until the end, but when I continued staring at her without giving up, she eventually gave up and spoke.


    ¡°¡­It is a bit¡­¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Yeah?¡± (Souma)


    She confesses with a low voice.


    ¡°¡­It is a bit¡­hard to breathe.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Breathe¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I furrowed my brows and Ringo chose her words before answering.


    ¡°¡­It feels as if¡­my chest is blocked.¡± (Ringo)


    Is it an issue with her pulmonary system?


    I have no medical knowledge, and I don¡¯t even know if modern medical knowledge would work in this world.


    But I had a bad feeling that it was not a physical wound.


    ¡°Since when?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Hmm¡­Today. Since returning to the city.¡± (Ringo)


    Meaning after defeating the Demon Lord, huh.


    It is not like we had an intense battle, so I can¡¯t think of the reason.


    ¡°Did you drink a healing potion?¡± (Souma)


    Ringo shook her head to the sides at my question.


    ¡°¡­It is not¡­a big deal.¡± (Ringo)


    It sounds like the excuse of a child that doesn¡¯t want to go to the hospital.


    Ringo says that, but this world has the mysterious system of being able to cure lack of sleep, muscle pains, and hangovers with healing potions.


    If you are not feeling well, drinking a potion is the best option.


    ¡°W-Wait a moment.¡± (Souma)


    I hurriedly had Ringo sit on the bed, bring out a potion from my pouch, and tried to give that to Ringo.


    But Ringo shook her head to the sides again to refuse it.


    ¡°¡­No. It would be a waste.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be a waste!¡± (Souma)


    This may sound cheesy, but Ringo¡¯s body is far more important than potions.


    I grabbed the hand of Ringo in a slightly forceful fashion and had her hold the potion.


    ¡°It is okay. Just think it is for my sake and drink it.¡± (Souma)


    When I asked her like this, Ringo reluctantly brought the potion to her mouth.


    She lifted the flask with both hands and drank it little by little.


    I observed how the inside of the flask slowly disappeared, and seeing that Ringo was stealing peeks at me, I felt like doing nothing would be weird.


    ¡°Here, I will rub your back.¡± (Souma)


    After telling her this beforehand, I stretched my hand to the back of Ringo.


    Ringo¡¯s body quivered for a moment when my hand touched her, but she didn¡¯t show discomfort when I rubbed her back.


    I rubbed her back as gently as possible while observing how her white and thin throat was going up and down faintly.


    ¡°¡­How is it?¡± (Souma)


    I asked this as I confirmed that the contents of the flask have been emptied.


    If this had no effect, we will test out with items to heal status ailments, and if even that doesn¡¯t work, we might have to check with a medic.


    No, just in case, we could go get the Nectar from the dungeon¡­


    ¡°¡­Better.¡± (Ringo)


    But my worry was unnecessary.


    Ringo blinked a few times and rubbed her own chest in wonder.


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s a relief¡­¡± (Souma)


    I rubbed my own chest in relief at those words.


    Potion-san really is a wonder drug!


    ¡°What do you want to do? Want to take a break here for a while?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked her this, she shook her head to the sides and stood up.


    ¡°¡­Thanks, Souma.¡± (Ringo)


    She just said this bluntly and was about to leave the room.


    I hurriedly grabbed her arm.


    ¡°¡­Souma?¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo opened her eyes wide, but I have to say this.


    ¡°Listen here, Ringo. If you feel anything off about your body in the future, tell me at once, okay?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Hn.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo nodded lightly in a way that I don¡¯t know if she gets it or not.


    I push it even further.


    ¡°You might think you don¡¯t want to bring unnecessary worry to others, but being silent about something like that is far more worrying.¡± (Souma)


    I said this with serious eyes, and Ringo lowered her head for a while.


    ¡°¡­So¡­rry.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Ah, no, it is fine as long as you get it.¡± (Souma)


    My momentum was completely killed by the unexpected apology, and I let go.


    Ringo immediately moved as if slipping away from my hand and went out to the corridor.


    ¡°¡­Good night.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Yeah, good night.¡± (Souma)


    We exchanged our good nights there, but Ringo didn¡¯t move from there.


    She stood still in front of the door, and she seemed to be pondering something.


    ¡°Ringo?¡± (Souma)


    When I called her, Ringo said this in a feeble voice.


    ¡°¡­S-See you tomorrow.¡± (Ringo)


    She muttered this and waved her hand lightly.


    And then, she closed the door hurriedly before I could even react.


    I watched that door dumbfounded for a while.


    (Ringo really has changed a lot¡­) (Souma)


    I eventually snapped back and thought this.


    The first time I met her, Ringo was the very personification of the nickname Doll Princess, but she has recently been showing emotions often, and it seems like she is more open in a good way.


    I am a little worried about her condition just now, but let¡¯s just keep an eye on her state for a while without having her push herself too much.


    I think I can sleep well thanks to Ringo.


    I was thinking about cleaning up the flask that Ringo left, and¡­


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± (Souma)


    I noticed my misunderstanding.


    ¡°This is an MP potion¡­¡± (Souma)


    I hurriedly took it out from the pouch, so I mistook it for an HP one.


    There shouldn¡¯t be any effect on healing the constitution with MP potions¡­


    ¡°The placebo effect really is something.¡± (Souma)


    I might even be imagining that it is a wonder drug.


    I fell asleep while in wonder of the mysteries of the body¡­


    ¡­Is how the day should have finished nicely.


    *Knock Knock*


    Just when I covered myself with the blanket, knocking rang in my room again.


    Could it be that Ringo came back?


    ¡°Come in.¡± (Souma)


    I spoke, but the door was not showing any signs of opening.


    (Someone playing a prank?) (Souma)


    There¡¯s a lot of those people in this mansion.


    No, can¡¯t really call them people.


    ¡°What a pain.¡± (Souma)


    That leaked out of my mouth, but I can¡¯t not go check.


    I got up from the bed and opened the door violently.


    ¡°Hyah!¡±


    I lowered my gaze at the scream and the one there was¡­


    ¡°¡­What are you doing?¡± (Souma)


    Ina was holding a big cushion and looking up at me with eyes wide open.

 CH 132

    Light


    Dark


    Previous Chapter l Next Chapter


    ¡°Yeah. Are you okay, Ina?¡± (Souma)


    I don¡¯t know why she is this surprised just from opening the door, but I can¡¯t just leave a girl sitting on her butt in the corridor.


    For now, I leave the questioning of the situation for later and extend a hand to Ina.


    ¡°U-Uhm¡­I-I¡¯m sorry.¡± (Ina)


    Ina took my hand in a strangely flustered fashion.


    Ina was holding my hand way too softly no matter how you see it, so I grabbed her hand tightly instead and pulled her up.


    ¡°Ah!¡± (Ina)


    I did try to hold back there, but I pulled her with more strength than I thought, I was about to crash with Ina.


    We stopped just before that happened, but the scent of soap wafted from Ina¡¯s hair at that moment, and it tickled my nose.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­!¡± (Ina)


    But that was only for a moment.


    She soon moved away from me as if she bounced off from me, and lowered her head.


    ¡°Same here¡­¡± (Souma)


    Even while answering like that, I had my attention taken by Ina who has a different atmosphere from usual.


    Maybe because there¡¯s no AI set in Nekomimi Neko to take off your equipment inside the store, it was normal for adventurers to pass their time in the house in full armor.


    Ina had mithril equipment at the dining table just now as well.


    However, Ina is currently wearing house clothes. Something that looks like a thin one piece.


    Ina wearing those clothes that seem familiar from somewhere with her face half sunk into the cushion which made her look more feminine than usual.


    Also¡­


    ¡°U-Uhm¡­¡± (Ina)


    Ina was fidgeting and I could smell the faint scent of soap.


    When I moved my gaze upwards, there was soft bright chestnut color hair that¡¯s as if it were showing her personality, but it is slightly damp.


    ¡°Aah, could it be that you took a shower?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh? Y-Yesh!¡± (Ina)


    The moment I asked this, Ina¡¯s shoulder jumped.


    I also noticed that Ina held the cushion tighter.


    That¡¯s a bigger reaction than I thought.


    (Aah, I see. I messed up there¡­) (Souma)


    Throwing the topic of bathing to a girl must have been a bit tactless -is what I thought, but in the case of our place, the situation changes a little bit.


    Our bath has the risk of drowning to death with the underwater DoT <damage over time>.


    Even if it is awkward, I can¡¯t just not ask.


    By the way, if you equip the underwater ring before you enter, there¡¯s no need to worry about drowning to death, but it also cancels the effects of water, so there would be no point in bathing.


    ¡°Ah, no, I am sorry for asking this all of a sudden, but the bath in our house is dangerous. There¡¯s a chance to drown and die, so uhm¡­¡± (Souma)


    Even when I said it myself, it sounded like such a lie, I could feel my heart breaking.


    But Ina shook her head to the sides.


    ¡°Y-Yeah, I know that. Hisame-san told me and kept watch for me.¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Eh? Ah, I see¡­¡± (Souma)


    Looks like Mitsuki has already told her about the bath.


    Mitsuki may look like a battle junkie, but she is pretty attentive to the small details.


    (Gotta thank Mitsuki.) (Souma)


    There¡¯s a variety of things I had to think of today, and in this world where the game settings are sticking, the body and clothes don¡¯t get that dirty.


    You end up getting further away from the bathing practice, but that won¡¯t go for Ina who is a girl.


    And then, Ina nodded lightly at me as if supporting my thoughts.


    ¡°Y-Yes. Uhm, I wanted to take a bath today no matter what¡­¡± (Ina)


    Speaking of which, thinking about it in Ina¡¯s perspective, she was planning on heading to the capital, but her Magic Airship crashed, she ran around in a high level area, and by the time she noticed, she was in a weird mansion, and ended up living in it; a day full of events.


    Of course she would want to take a breather in the bath.


    ¡°Sorry about that. You didn¡¯t get much time, right?¡± (Souma)


    Knowing Ina, she probably couldn¡¯t relax with Mitsuki being the one on watch.


    I asked this thinking that, but¡­


    ¡°N-No, I properly cleaned every¡­n-nook and cranny¡­on my whole body.¡± (Ina)


    Ina said this in one breath, and once again sunk half of her face in her cushion.


    I asked her because I was wondering if she managed to take her time and relax, but it seems like she took it as me questioning whether she managed to clean herself properly.


    Maybe bathing for the people in this world isn¡¯t a place where you relax in but simply a place where you clean up yourself.


    I looked at Ina while thinking this and noticed that her legs were trembling faintly.


    Of course she would be cold right after getting out of the bath with such thin clothing.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the best place to be having a talk, so how about coming in?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh, u-uhm¡­¡± (Ina)


    Ina seemed to be troubled here, but it would be troubling if she were to catch a cold here.


    ¡°Come on in.¡± (Souma)


    I pulled her arm slightly forcefully here to guide her in. Ina then took a deep breath and¡­


    ¡°¡­Okay.¡± (Ina)


    She answered with her voice trembling slightly and entered the room.


    ¡°This is the room of Souma-san¡­¡± (Ina)


    Ina said this while looking around the room, but it is not like there¡¯s any noteworthy thing in it.


    This room was a Trompe-l¡¯?il to begin with.


    I had the help of the dolls in the mansion and almost all of the drawings on the wall have been repainted, but because most of the furniture was Trompe-l¡¯?il, it is now a pretty tasteless room.


    ¡°I am sorry, but there¡¯s no chairs here, so please take a seat on the bed there.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°At the b-bed¡­?¡± (Ina)


    When I said this, Ina, who was looking around the room, froze.


    She headed to the bed with strangely robotic movements.


    ¡°E-Excuse the intrusion.¡± (Ina)


    She is acting like a scared student entering the teacher¡¯s office as she sat there.


    But it is not like she relaxed after sitting down. She hugged her cushion tightly as if that were her last bastion, moreover, her way of sitting was shockingly shallow.


    It is like she is sitting right at the very tip of the bed.


    That sight of hers is like that of a small critter in a dangerous place, trying its best to not make a sound. It might be basic practice for adventurers in a sense, but it is far from the sight of a person relaxing in a room.


    The moment I was about to speak¡­


    *Knock Knock*


    The door of my room was knocked on for the third time today.


    I¡¯m having a whole lot of visitors today.


    ¡°Hiyah!¡± (Ina)


    Surprised by that sound, Ina jumped like she was actually a little animal scared of sounds.


    I walked over to the door with her at my peripheral.


    ¡°Apologies for the late intrusion. There¡¯s something I would like to enquire about¡­¡±


    The one that was at the other side of the door was Mitsuki speaking to me politely.


    I was somewhat relieved by this.


    ¡°Mitsuki, huh. That¡¯s a relief. Just now¡ª¡± (Souma)


    Just now Ina came -is what I was about to say, but there was Ina shaking her head profusely in the corner of my vision, so I stopped myself.


    ¡°Just now what?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°No¡­just now, I was about to go to sleep. If you have some business, can you leave it for tomorrow?¡± (Souma)


    When I corrected myself there, Ina sighed as if relieved.


    Looks like that was the correct answer.


    ¡°I see. Then, it can¡¯t be helped.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Sorry about that¡­ by the way, what was it?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°It is nothing big. It is just that¡­there¡¯s someone¡­that I can¡¯t see, so I came here to check for any ideas.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Ina once again twitched drastically at Mitsuki¡¯s words and slipped down from the bed.


    (Aah, she totally knows¡­) (Souma)


    She is talking as if she is searching for someone she can¡¯t see, but she has the Explorer Ring and excels at sensing presences.


    There¡¯s no way she hasn¡¯t noticed that Ina is here.


    I don¡¯t know the reason why, but she probably came here to put pressure on me or Ina.


    ¡°Well then, good night.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Yeah, see you tomorrow.¡± (Souma)


    However, she didn¡¯t seem to be too persistent about it and easily left.


    ¡°¡­U-Uhm, has Hisame-san left?¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Eh? Y-Yeah.¡± (Souma)


    I was listening to the footsteps of Mitsuki that were getting further and further away, but Ina¡¯s voice brought me back.


    When I looked back, there was Ina sitting on her knees on the floor.


    ¡°Uuh, I thought my heart would jump out from my mouth there.¡± (Ina)


    That pathetic sight of Ina felt nostalgic and I ended up laughing.


    ¡°Can¡¯t get used to Mitsuki yet?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°It is not about getting used to it. It is just that¡­having other people see me at a place like this is¡­uuuh¡ª!¡± (Ina)


    Ina flapped her legs as if unable to endure something.


    I hope that doesn¡¯t mean it would be so embarrassing to be seen together with me that she would die.


    I want to believe that¡¯s not what it is when it comes to Ina.


    ¡°W-Well, she is already gone, so it should be okay. More importantly, what business do you have, Ina¡­?¡± (Souma)


    *Knock Knock*


    ¡°Hyah!!¡± (Ina)


    Just when I was about to finish saying what I wanted to say, the door was knocked on, and Ina jumped once again.


    ¡°What is it this time¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I open the door while letting out a sigh.


    The one at the other side of the door was a single doll.


    ¡°What. Isn¡¯t that you, Christina? Is something the matter?¡± (Souma)


    Christina is one of the dolls in this mansion, and she is a good girl that proactively helps out in the house chores.


    Aside from her blank eyes which I can¡¯t tell where she is looking at, and how she brings out a kitchen knife with a red stain whenever she gets excited, you could say she is really easy to deal with.


    It seems like she is currently excited. She is waving around a red stained kitchen knife with her blank eyes, seemingly trying to tell me something, but I can¡¯t tell what she is trying to tell me.


    When Christina realized I wasn¡¯t getting it, her eyes turned blank and she left.


    I turn back to Ina while hoping this is not the omen of a big incident.


    Ina was sitting on the ground as usual, her mouth flapping as she pointed at the already closed door.


    ¡°A d-doll¡­a doll holding a kitchen knife¡­¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Aah, that was Christina. Don¡¯t you remember? She was the one that carried the tableware at dinner today.¡± (Souma)


    Well, Christina is a name that I just gave her myself, so I don¡¯t know her real name just like the Bear.


    ¡°A-As if I could tell something like that.¡± (Ina)


    I was about to lecture Ina, who let out a pitiful yelp, on how to tell the dolls apart, but¡­


    *Knock Knock*


    The door was knocked on again.


    Ina jumped as per tradition and directed a scared gaze at the door, but I myself am already getting tired of this.


    Could it be that I am getting so many visitors today because I defeated the Demon Lord?


    I had that harmless thought while I opened the door.


    The one standing at the other side of the door was, as expected, a resident of the mansion.


    ¡°What. Isn¡¯t it Reiko-san? Is something the matter?¡± (Souma)


    Reiko-san is an original resident of this place and the only humanoid.


    Her bangs are always hiding her face, and she has the bad habit of running back inside the TV if something happens.


    Her default stance is to be on four, so our heights don¡¯t match when I talk to her, and she would never make eye-contact with me when talking which you could say is a bad point of hers, but if you can literally close your eyes to all that, you could say she is someone you can hang out with without much worries.


    That Reiko-san seems to want to tell me something. She is desperately disheveling her hair, but unfortunately, I can¡¯t understand what she is saying at all.


    ¡°Ah, right.¡± (Souma)


    Even if she can¡¯t talk, she might be able to write.


    Thinking that, I bring out the notepad and the pen, and give it to Reiko-san.


    It was just a hunch, but Reiko-san grabbed the pen and notepad without hesitation and began writing something in the notepad.


    I probably can look forward to something here.


    I wait for a few seconds.


    And then, Reiko-san put down the pen and gave me the notepad while still on her fours.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± (Souma)


    I took the notepad and checked what was written there¡­


    [ Resentment Curse


    Resentment Resentment Curse Resentment Resentment


    Grudge


    Curse Resentment Resentment Resentment Resentment


    Grudge


    Resentment Resentment Curse Resentment


    Resentment Resentment Resentment The Resentment]


    ¡°Wasted expectation!!¡± (Souma)


    I slammed the notepad on the ground the moment I saw it.


    Most of the pages were filled with curses.


    Moreover, there¡¯s strange blank spaces which annoy me.


    But it seems Reiko-san herself had confidence in that.


    When she saw my reaction, her shoulders drooped and she left in fours.


    But I can finally talk with Ina now.


    I once again look back at Ina.


    ¡°A-A girl came out from the box¡­ah, handprints on the wall¡­crawling¡­making sticky sounds¡­¡± (Ina)


    A traumatic experience must have been stimulated from this, Ina covered her face with the cushion and was trembling.


    It took a few minutes before I managed to calm Ina down.


    On top of that, even when I think she has calmed down, every time she would hear even the faintest sound, she would go ¡®hya!¡¯ or ¡®hih!¡¯ and get scared, so I would have to comfort her at those times.


    ¡°It was probably something that flew with the wind and hit the window. It happens sometimes.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I-Is that so? Sorry.¡± (Ina)


    Actually, the windows in this room are fake, so there¡¯s no way things would hit it, but let¡¯s just leave it at that.


    After calming down¡­no, after I thought it had calmed down, a clunking sound rang from the corridor.


    Ina trembled again and I calmed her down with a smile.


    ¡°It is probably the night parade of one hundred demons. Happens sometimes.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I-I see¡­ Wait, that¡¯s scary!!¡± (Ina)


    And that¡¯s how it went.


    A conversation can¡¯t be established like this.


    Ina was worried about the door the whole time after that, so I decided to erase that worry.


    ¡°[Silence]!¡± (Souma)


    I cast the silence spell on the door.


    It is something that couldn¡¯t be done in the game, so I was a bit worried, but when I tried to hit the door to test it out, it didn¡¯t make a sound.


    It succeeded.


    ¡°Souma-san?¡± (Ina)


    ¡°With this, we won¡¯t be hearing sounds from the outside. The sounds from the inside won¡¯t be heard outside either.¡± (Souma)


    But the spell will run out quickly like this.


    That said, I can¡¯t overlap the same spell effects or overwrite them.


    That¡¯s why I set several time activations for when the spell runs out, so it activates right after.


    If my calculations are not wrong here, it should work for around an hour.


    But Ina still seemed uneasy.


    She is probably thinking about what would happen if someone were to open the door, wondering why there¡¯s no response.


    That¡¯s why, for the next one, I took the key of the room that I left at the desk and headed to the door.


    And when I locked the door without hesitation¡­


    ¡°[Magical Pocket].¡± (Souma)


    I activate the wind spell, Magical Pocket.


    I throw the key into the space pocket that was born from the spell.


    ¡°Ah!¡± (Ina)


    A few seconds after, the space pocket melted and disappeared as if nothing happened.


    Of course, the key is not coming back.


    ¡°S-Souma-san?!¡± (Ina)


    Ina raised her voice in surprise, but I answered calmly.


    ¡°That just now is a spell called Magical Pocket. To put it simply, it is a spell that lets you bring out an item box that can take in items infinitely. With this, only I can take out the key.¡± (Souma)


    Honestly, this is a big lie and the security of Magical Pocket is the worst, but giving peace of mind should be the priority here.


    I am thinking about taking out the key as soon as this matter is wrapped up, but I didn¡¯t show that at all and smiled at Ina.


    ¡°Can¡¯t hear sounds¡­and no one can get out¡­ Isn¡¯t that¡­¡± (Ina)


    Ina muttered this with a red face, but it rang strangely loudly in this closed room that has been isolated from the outside by magic.


    ¡ªThe night of the two has just begun.

 CH 133

    Light


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    Sponsored Chapter!


    TLN: Two chapters today, make sure you didn¡¯t miss the previous one.


    Thanks to the patrons and sponsors for this chapter!


    Enjoy!


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    ¡°Uuhm¡­¡± (Souma)


    I casted magic on the door and the key, and sat facing Ina, but I was instantly troubled in what to say.


    Ina is also visibly nervous.


    Thinking I should bring out something to talk about instead, I looked at Ina, and then I finally remembered what those clothes are.


    ¡°Could that be the Angel¡¯s Robe?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Y-Yes! Thiel-san gave it to me saying that it would be better to have something like this.¡± (Ina)


    The Angel¡¯s Robe is a store sold item on the same rank as the mithril equipment, and it is armor for mages.


    It doesn¡¯t come close to the mithril equipment in terms of defense, but it has top notch magic defense.


    It shows better performance than mithril equipment when it is against monsters that mainly use magic, so it is true that it would be best to have both of them.


    Also, it definitely would be easier to move in the house with those rather than weighty armor.


    ¡°But I am surprised you know of mage equipment like this.¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Y-You could say that.¡± (Souma)


    The popularity of the Angel¡¯s Robe comes not from its performance but its design.


    When you are not wearing anything in Nekomimi Neko, something called Innerwear appears, so in order to increase the amount of exposed skin, you need to put on equipment that doesn¡¯t have much cloth.


    A certain group of gentlemen in Nekomimi Neko tried to search with bloodshot eyes for lewd equipment with dangerous levels of cloth like swimsuits, and the results of this were compiled in the Nekomimi Neko Wiki.


    And the Angel¡¯s Robe Ina is wearing right now is within that list.


    It is not blatantly lewd, but despite giving off that innocent image, its cloth is thin and the sleeves are short, so it is pretty famous within that line of people.


    ¡­As for me, I had Thiel equip it in my first run.


    No, it is not like I had any ulterior motives. It was the best store equipment for mages in Lamurick, so I simply had her use it.


    But I did think it was a bit lewd, like the chest area for example.


    (In that sense, Ina is the safest one.) (Souma)


    If Thiel were to wear the Angel¡¯s Robe in this world, I have the confidence to say that I wouldn¡¯t be able to see her directly, but it will be easy with Ina.


    The lack of chest and seductiveness from Ina is something that I know the most of, having lived together with her in Lamurick.


    (Aah, I knew it¡­) (Souma)


    And after looking at the actual thing, it was just as I thought.


    Even though the robe should be matched to the size of the body, only the chest area is baggy.


    Her title as a normal train is not just for show.


    Maybe because there¡¯s excess cloth in that part, the neck area is turned over heavily.


    Her skin faintly releasing steam was being exposed defenselessly, and I could tell that it was going up and down matching her breathing. I unconsciously gulped there¡­ Wait, eh?


    I was losing myself in Ina at an unknown point in time.


    N-No, that¡¯s impossible. Thinking there¡¯s some sort of mistake here, I squeeze out my strength of will here and move my gaze a bit upwards.


    ¡°Awuuu¡­¡± (Ina)


    My eyes met with Ina who is even redder than before.


    It has been completely exposed where I was looking just now.


    ¡°Ah, you see, that just now was¡­!¡± (Souma)


    I was thinking about making some sort of excuse, but there¡¯s no way to wriggle myself out of this one.


    ¡°¡ª!!¡±


    The voiceless scream of Ina was raised. She hid her face by sinking her face into the cushion she was hugging.


    As if saying even that¡¯s not enough, she would shake her head and flail her legs, but every time she did that, the ends of her clothes would flutter, and white skin would get exposed at those moments, and I feel like I would end up in a weird mood.


    I can¡¯t let this go on.


    I put every fiber of my being into work and raised my gaze.


    I fixed my gaze to the only harmless part of Ina: the flower pattern cushion.


    It is a slightly big square cushion that looks pretty soft.


    I thought ¡®damn, that¡¯s a nice cushion¡¯ and diverted my attention from Ina.


    I looked only at the cushion for a long while and both my heart and Ina¡¯s calmed down little by little.


    Ina was peeking at me from the shadow of the cushion.


    ¡­Is it okay now?


    I spoke to Ina the moment my figure completely entered her vision.


    I throw her a completely harmless topic purely as a gentleman.


    ¡°Hey, Ina, can I touch it for a bit?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Hm?¡± (Ina)


    Was it an unexpected thing to say?


    The gaze of Ina was doing round trips towards me and the cushion she is hugging.


    ¡°I have been interested in it since the first time I saw it. I will only be touching it for a bit, and I won¡¯t be doing anything too excessive.¡± (Souma)


    I ask again.


    Ina hugs the cushion even tighter, warping its shape, probably due to the surprise.


    Seeing that, my hunch grew stronger.


    (I knew it!) (Souma)


    The cushion Ina is holding is probably made from memory foam.


    Nekomimi Neko is a world that gives off the medieval vibe, but they have currency that can only be thought of as electronic money, and there¡¯s the equipment in the buildings; there¡¯s a lot of techniques from the modern era that are used here.


    The cushion of Ina must be on that same vein.


    Cushions made from memory foam are common in the modern era, but I unfortunately never used it once.


    If Ina¡¯s cushion is that, I would like to know how it feels. It should also serve to break the ice in this strange atmosphere.


    Ina took my gaze of expectation, and then nodded as if she had resolved herself.


    And then, after taking deep breaths a few times to calm herself¡­


    ¡°U-Uhm¡­be g-gentle¡­okay?¡± (Ina)


    The cushion she had pushed on her chest as if to hide it, she slowly¡­very slowly moved it my way.


    And when the cushion moved away completely from her chest¡­


    ¡°¡­Go¡­ahead¡­¡± (Ina)


    She said as if squeezing out those words.


    Her strangely serious attitude bothered me, but there¡¯s no point in hesitating here.


    I lean over towards Ina and¡­


    ¡°I will be touching it then.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Hn.¡± (Ina)


    I asked again just in case and stretched my hand towards the cushion.


    Could it be that this cushion is an important possession of Ina?


    Ina was not lowering her hand holding the cushion, but her whole body was trembling and she had her eyes closed tightly.


    I thrust my hand there without reservation.


    ¡°S-Soft¡­!¡± (Souma)


    I reflexively let my voice out in surprise at the sensation of my hand when touching the cushion.


    So this is memory foam!


    This certainly is different from everything else.


    Even though my hand sinks in easily without much resistance when I push it, the moment I move it away, it returns to its original shape.


    It is hard to explain, but I can understand why it is popular.


    ¡°Ina, this is incredible! Even though it is squishy when holding it and soft enough as if it melts in my hand, just a moment of leniency and it will return to being hard. This certainly is addicti¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°P-Please stop it!!¡± (Ina)


    I was entering a trance there, and Ina pulled back the cushion with an even redder face than before.


    She held back the cushion, retreated all the way to the wall, and took even more distance from me.


    And then, she glared at me with teary eyes.


    ¡­Eh?


    Did I mess up somewhere here?


    Ina puckered her lips and criticized me while I couldn¡¯t keep up with what was happening.


    ¡°You really are a horrible person, Souma-san. You must have been trying to say this is softer than me anyways, right?¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Eh? No, I wasn¡¯t really¡­¡± (Souma)


    I don¡¯t understand why Ina is trying to compete in softness with a cushion.


    I don¡¯t, but Ina seems to be sulking here, but at the same time, fawning over me, which confuses me.


    And¡­


    ¡°There¡¯s something I want to give you, Souma-san.¡± (Ina)


    It is certain that this flipped a switch in Ina.


    She placed the cushion she was using until now like a shield to the side, and gave me a shining something.


    ¡°This is¡­¡± (Souma)


    Two rings with the exact same design.


    A silver ring with no patterns or jewels, no gaudiness or ornaments, you could even call it rustic.


    However, this is an item that I have never seen before despite knowing almost all of the accessories in Nekomimi Neko.


    (Could this be an item you obtain from the marriage event?) (Souma)


    I heard that, when you marry an NPC in Nekomimi Neko, you can get special skills or items.


    I thought such items would be placed inside my bag all on their own, but it seems like that¡¯s not the case.


    If there¡¯s any holes in me as a Nekomimi Neko player, it would be in the character related events.


    Because I have been solo for years, I have barely done any special companion NPC events, and I tried to not look at the information regarding companions on the Wiki so that I could enjoy it later.


    If this is a character event exclusive equipment, it would make sense that I haven¡¯t seen it before.


    ¡°These rings are the marriage rings of my parents. The night before leaving for the capital, Mother told me to give this to the person I truly love if I see him.¡± (Ina)


    And then, Ina gave me one of them.


    ¡°Souma-san, please take this.¡± (Ina)


    But I hesitated at that silver shine.


    Do I have the right to take this?


    The reason I married Ina was not purely from love.


    I feel like it is not fair to accept this ring without telling her this.


    ¡°Ina, please hear me out. I¡­¡± (Souma)


    However, just when I was going to tell her the truth of the marriage, a cold finger sealed my mouth.


    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t.¡± (Ina)


    The hand that should have been holding the rings was touching my mouth.


    That cold finger was trembling faintly.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we decide to talk about that tomorrow night? That¡¯s why¡­That¡¯s why, until then¡­¡± (Ina)


    Ina blocked my mouth with her slender finger, but even with that, she properly raised her head and¡­


    ¡°¡­Until then, I am your wife.¡± (Ina)


    She said this with a face as if she were smiling and crying.


    I felt as if my brain had been smacked directly.


    It finally sunk in that Ina was thinking more seriously about her marriage with me than I thought.


    Things regarding Ina, regarding the future, about my original world, about the future of this world; a whole lot of things swirled in my head at once.


    But I left all of those behind and moved my body.


    ¡°¡­Lend it to me.¡± (Souma)


    I forcefully steal away the two rings in the hand of Ina.


    I took out the light element specialization ring from my left ring finger, and put on the silver ring that Ina had.


    But that¡¯s not all.


    ¡°Eh? Souma-sa¡ª¡± (Ina)


    I grab the hand of the flustered Ina and¡­


    ¡°¡­Ah.¡± (Ina)


    I slide in the silver ring onto her finger with my own hands.


    I told Ina who looked up at me with wide open eyes.


    ¡°Sorry, this is the most I can do right now.¡± (Souma)


    The moment I said this, a drop of light slid down from the eyes of Ina.


    I don¡¯t know if this is from sadness or happiness.


    However, we both looked at each other all too naturally¡­


    (Hm? This situation¡­) (Souma)


    I suddenly noticed that Ina is close¡­like really close to me.


    Those eyes looking at me were damp from tears, and the breaths coming out from her were hot.


    The white robe is thin, as if telling me about the sensation of Ina¡¯s skin through the cloth, and even when the chest area was opened widely because she is leaning over, she wasn¡¯t trying to fix it at all.


    ¡°Souma-san¡­¡± (Ina)


    Ina called my name as if she were enthralled in this heat.


    Every time her body swayed, the faint scent of soap coming from her moist hair was wrapping itself around me.


    An atmosphere I have never experienced before was being created between us two.


    The moment it reached critical point and was about to explode¡­


    ¡ª*Gata!*


    A sound came from the back.


    That mushy atmosphere ruling the inside of my head was dispersed in an instant with that.


    My stiffened body that was swallowed by this strange air regained its faculties right after.


    ¡°Ina!¡± (Souma)


    I shouted loudly and pulled Ina¡¯s body to me.


    I was relieved by the definite sensation within my arms and heightened my guard.


    (What happened?) (Souma)


    You might think this is overreacting, but the very fact that we heard a sound in this room is strange.


    I look around the room, but I can¡¯t see anything out of place.


    The only things in this room are the adventurer bags and cooler boxes gathered at the walls, a closet I brought from a different room and a dresser, and Shiranui which is leaning over there.


    It is not like I placed it at a high location, and none of those articles would just make a sound on their own.


    (Then, what¡¯s going on¡­?) (Souma)


    There¡¯s no windows in this room and the door is closed.


    There¡¯s silence cast on the door, and the sounds on it have been cut off.


    This place has been completely isolated from the outside including the sounds. It is a completely closed room.


    ¡­It should be.


    But my ears clearly caught the sound of something a few seconds ago.


    There¡¯s no articles in my room that would make sound on its own.


    Hearing a sound would be¡­


    (Is someone here¡­in this room? Someone other than us!) (Souma)


    I search for monsters that can disguise as items or invisible enemies.


    But there¡¯s no monsters or NPCs that fit the bill in Nekomimi Neko.


    And most of all, I could see through an enemy like that.


    However, there¡¯s the possibility that this is an exclusive event from Ina, a phenomenon that wasn¡¯t present in the game, or an unknown enemy.


    If that were the case, would I be able to defend Ina without any prior knowledge or comrades?


    Ina asked me in a flustered tone, seeing me tense in a different sense right now.


    ¡°S-Souma-san, just what is going on¡­?¡± (Ina)


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But don¡¯t move away from me.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°O-Okay¡­!¡± (Ina)


    I told this to Ina and desperately tried to endure my nervous emotions.


    Now that I think about it, there were signs of an anomaly.


    Leaving aside Ringo, there was Mitsuki, Christina, and Reiko-san. No matter what you think about it, there were too many visitors.


    Even the clattering sound when passing in front of the door. I am sure the people of the mansion are doing something and it made that noise.


    I don¡¯t know what is happening, but this incident had already begun at that time.


    I was completely accustomed to peace here.


    Having defeated the Demon Lord or this being my home won¡¯t serve as excuses.


    Such naivety doesn¡¯t work in Nekomimi Neko.


    Even though I understood that¡­


    (But what happened?) (Souma)


    It is now that the words of Mitsuki bother me.


    Was Mitsuki really searching for Ina?


    Judging from the personality of Mitsuki, it would have been more natural for her to honestly say Ina¡¯s name there.


    At that time, Mitsuki said ¡®there¡¯s someone I can¡¯t see, so I came here to check for any ideas¡¯.


    But thinking about it calmly, I don¡¯t think Mitsuki would search for someone in that fashion when she has a grasp of their location with the Explorer Ring.


    Meaning that she was searching for someone she couldn¡¯t do that with?


    ¡ª*Gata!*


    That sound hit my ears once again as if mocking me for desperately trying to get a grasp of the situation.


    It really isn¡¯t my imagination.


    I couldn¡¯t tell where exactly the origin of the sound was, but there¡¯s no doubt it came from inside the room.


    (This is bad¡­) (Souma)


    Using magic on the key and the door came back to bite me.


    We can¡¯t shout and call for help, and in order to take out the key, I first need to call the Magical Pocket and take the key out from there, and then use it on the door to open it.


    But in this situation where I can¡¯t see the other party, I feel like such an opening would be fatal.


    Ina¡¯s level is most likely not that high.


    If the one hiding here is a dangerous enemy, I have to protect Ina at all costs.


    I don¡¯t have Shiranui at hand, which is rough, but I have to protect Ina. When I directed my gaze at Ina¡­


    ¡°Souma-san, that!!¡± (Ina)


    The sound happened again, and Ina¡­pointed at that something slightly later.


    ¡°Could it be that?!¡± (Souma)


    The source of the sound was from the adventurer bag at the corner of the room.


    That adventurer bag was moving in our line of sight as if it were being moved by something. It fell to the side with unnatural movements, and then¡­


    ¡°Wa?!¡± (Souma)


    The bag opened up from the inside.


    And from inside of it, what rolled out of it was¡­


    ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t that Bear?¡± (Souma)


    Everyone¡¯s idol, Bear-kun.


    The Bear rolled out from the bag without even flinching at our gazes, and after stretching as if it had a good nap, it rubbed its eyes slyly.


    ¡°Aah, speaking of which¡­¡± (Souma)


    I thought I hadn¡¯t seen the Bear lately, but I finally remember when was the last time I saw the Bear.


    It was at the time when everyone was gathered at dinner¡­no, when we arrived at the mansion¡­not that either. When I was being called the Sinking Prince¡­ Not even that. It was a bit before that.


    After reuniting with Ina, the atmosphere froze from the bombshell that Ina dropped, and the Bear, who felt the dangerous atmosphere, took refuge in my bag¡­that was the very last time.


    In other words¡­


    ¡°Bear, could it be that you¡­were having a nap for the whole half of the day in my bag?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked that, the Bear grinned in affirmation.


    ¡°¡­How¡­dull.¡± (Souma)


    I drop my head at the response.


    It is embarrassing thinking back at me fearing an invisible enemy.


    ¡­Yeah.


    Now that I think about it, the residents of the mansion coming one after the other must have been because they were searching for the Bear.


    If the Bear was inside my bag, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for the Explorer Ring to not be able to find him, and maybe Mitsuki or Ringo heard about the Bear being missing, and they came to check my bag.


    Feeling bad about Ina tagging along in this weird situation, I returned my gaze to her who was within my arms and¡­


    ¡°¡­Ah.¡± (Souma)


    It is only until now that I noticed I am sticking close to Ina to a degree that can¡¯t be compared to the time when we were exchanging rings.


    Just from looks alone, we are totally hugging here, moreover, there were parts here and there that were disheveled to the point that a lot of skin was exposed to dangerous degrees, most likely because I pulled her close to me in a pretty forceful way.


    ¡°Uaaah¡­¡± (Ina)


    There¡¯s no mysterious atmosphere in Ina like that time with the ring exchange.


    Ina had completely returned to normal and noticed her own state, her face slowly dyed red.


    And then, as if getting a surprise attack on me¡­


    *Pon*


    The Bear, who was watching us, clapped its hands as if saying ¡®I have not seen anything, so continue what you were doing¡¯, covering its eyes with both hands and facing back.


    ¡°Hiyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!¡± (Ina)


    The result was wasted effort.


    Ina¡¯s embarrassment reached its limit, and depending on the listener, you could say she let out a rousing scream as she stood up and dashed away.


    She headed to the door with astounding speed¡­fumbled and fell down, but stood up really quickly, and jumped to the door, pulling the doorknob with outstanding strength, and ran off outside with as impressive of a speed as before.


    ¡°Wait, the door¡­¡± (Souma)


    I returned to my senses after a while and went to the door¡­that had been broken with brute strength.


    You really can¡¯t underestimate the strength of someone in emergencies.


    In the end, what was left in my room was a broken door, the Bear who is still covering its eyes with both hands, and the memory foam cushion that had been left behind.


    I first closed the door, troubled.


    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s go to sleep for now.¡± (Souma)


    I picked up the Bear that seemed to still be sleepy, and we slept together, which is something we haven¡¯t done in a while.


    This is an aside, but the next morning, I was completely awake probably thanks to the Bear hug-pillow. I then headed to the living room, and there was Ina with her eyes bright red.


    Ina said she didn¡¯t sleep a wink yesterday.


    ¡°I can¡¯t sleep when my pillow changes.¡± (Ina)


    She said.


    ¡°Then, you should have taken back your pillow.¡± (Souma)


    I responded to her with that, and she glared at me real good.


    ¡ªIt is an event that made me think women are unreasonable.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Author: It has been explained in the comments already, but I will be giving a chuunibyou type hint for the ones that didn¡¯t understand the meaning of Reiko-san¡¯s memo.


    ¡°A curse at first, then crosses to resentment. Once grudge is mixed, it reaches death.¡±


    ¡º¡¡¡¡Ô¹…â


    Ô¹Ô¹ËÀÔ¹Ô¹


    …âÔ¹


    ËÀÔ¹Ô¹Ô¹Ô¹


    …âÔ¹


    Ô¹Ô¹ËÀÔ¹


    Ô¹Ô¹Ô¹…âÔ¹¡»


    (Original excerpt)


    Translator: If someone gets it, please do write it in the comments (yeah, I am dum dum). I tried searching for the comment the author mentioned, but couldn¡¯t find it.

 CH 134

    Light


    Dark


    Warning: Not recommended to read while eating.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Ina¡¯s mood mellowed out after a while, and she suddenly said she wanted to cook.


    I have barely done cooking in the game or reality, and Mitsuki¡¯s cooking sense is catastrophic. It is not even clear whether Ringo understands the concept of cooking.


    Until now, we have been eating all the food already there -for some mysterious reason- in the refrigerator of the mansion, but Ina volunteered herself here.


    ¡°You have helped me out so much, Souma-san, so I want to pay you back in some way with what I can do!!¡± (Ina)


    Is the outstanding statement she gave me, but thinking about the history of Train-chan who has pulled a whole lot of problems for me, I can¡¯t just straight up be happy here.


    But Ina seems to be full of confidence here.


    She said she has confidence in her cooking skill since she is always making food for her mom.


    ¡°Listen here, Souma-san. Cooking is magic. No matter the ingredients, it can turn into poison or medicine depending on how you prepare it.¡± (Ina)


    ¡°No, it would be bad if it were to transform into poison.¡± (Souma)


    This is one of the reasons why I can¡¯t trust Ina.


    It seems the Bear also felt a bad omen from those words, it slowly got down from my head and walked off somewhere.


    You can¡¯t eat to begin with. Such a coldhearted one.


    ¡°A-Anyways, leave it to me!¡± (Ina)


    Ina said this and headed to the refrigerator that is at the corner of the kitchen.


    I may say refrigerator, but it is technically a big cooler box, and on top of the contents not rotting, a lot more can be stored inside than its appearance suggests.


    And the reality is that there should be a lot of ingredients inside that have no use.


    When Ina opened the refrigerator¡­


    ¡°T-There¡¯s a lot of ingredients I have never seen before¡­! Could this possibly be the high class ingredient: Parara Squid?! And this one the illusory Confu Chicken?! Ah! This is the legendary Terror Tomato?! ¡­I might be able to do this with these ingredients¡­ That dish that was sealed by my mother in the past!!¡± (Ina)


    She was saying something weird here.


    Or more like, can she even make anything decent with squid, chicken, and tomatoes?


    Leaving aside myself who was worried about a variety of things, Mitsuki was showing slight admiration in her usual expressionless face and said.


    ¡°Fumu, you have quite the spirit. Sword and cooking; our paths may differ, but I can sympathize with entering a new realm. It has been a while since my blood has boiled. I will go outside and move my body a bit.¡± (Mitsuki)


    She stood up with strength and left the room with flowing moves.


    I saw her off dumbfounded¡­


    (¡­Wait, crap!!) (Souma)


    It was such a smooth flow of events that it took me a few seconds to notice that Mitsuki had seen a chance to scurry away.


    What a pointlessly skillful way to use her warrior spirit!


    Damn!!


    Now there¡¯s only me and Ringo in the dining room.


    But, as if seeing through my unease¡­.


    ¡°¡­It is okay. I will protect you¡­Souma.¡± (Ringo)


    She held both of my hands and said this confidently.


    ¡°Ringo¡­!¡± (Souma)


    I don¡¯t think it is that big of a deal, but I was a bit moved.


    Ringo really is my angel and my last bastion.


    I can overcome anything together with Ringo no matter how difficult it is!


    That confidence that doesn¡¯t really have much foundation to it welled up in me.


    On the other hand, Ina was in a good mood, unbeknownst to this conversation at the back.


    She must have decided on what ingredients to use, she was standing in the kitchen at some point in time, and was holding a sparkly kitchen knife.


    ¡°Watch me, Souma-san! My beautiful mincing technique!!¡± (Ina)


    And then, she lifted up the kitchen knife, looking unexpectedly decent and¡­


    *Kan!*


    The kitchen knife was swung down, making a nice sound.


    That posture of hers is also fitting the position.


    There might be some hope here.


    That¡¯s what I thought at that moment, but Ina was not moving no matter how long it passed.


    While I was wondering what was going on, Ina looked back at me and¡­


    ¡°U-Uhm¡­Souma-san¡­¡± (Ina)


    ¡°W-What is it?¡± (Souma)


    And then, what was in the hand of the apologetic Ina was¡­


    ¡°¡­I sliced it.¡± (Ina)


    A chopping board sliced in two¡­


    *Clack!*


    I was speechless at this sight, and Ringo stood up with a resolute face by my side.


    She stood in front of me as if protecting me from Ina and¡­


    ¡°¡­Souma. I will protect¡­Souma.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Eh? O-Okay.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s why, I will go get medicine for the stomach.¡± (Ringo)


    And just like that, she left the dining room all too naturally.


    Those were strides that held no hesitation.


    ¡°¡­Wa?¡± (Souma)


    By the time I noticed, I was alone in the dining room.


    Well, how to say this¡­


    ¡°E-Even Ringo ran away¡­!!¡± (Souma)


    My last bastion easily crumbled.


    Ina said with a big smile while I was dumbfounded.


    ¡°Wait for a bit, okay? I will make something incredible that you have never seen before!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°O-Okay¡­¡± (Souma)


    Ina must have thought I was bothered about something due to how I answered, she threw in some extra words.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry. I won¡¯t be putting anything strange¡­like a l-love potion or anything like that. In exchange, I will be putting in a whole lot of l-love though.¡± (Ina)


    Her telling me that all shyly made me remember the appearance of Ina last night at close distance, and it made me embarrassed too.


    Even a thought like ¡®the sight of Ina wearing an apron on top of her usual armor is cute in its own way¡¯ surfaced in my mind.


    (Anyways, I can¡¯t escape now.) (Souma)


    I resolved myself and answered the energetic Ina with a dry smile.


    And then, after an hour.


    ¡°¡­Souma, are you okay?¡±


    I was still at the table in the dining room.


    I answered Ringo, who was patting my back from behind, while slouched on the table.


    ¡°Yeah, I am feeling a lot better now.¡± (Souma)


    It seems like it wasn¡¯t a lie that she was good at cooking. Her food was the normal kind of tasty.


    It seems like she at least adjusted the amount made, and there was only mine and Ina¡¯s share.


    However, I was reeled in by the passion of Ina, and at some point in time, I ended up eating it all.


    That said, eating the share of two people must have been too much, the result is as you can see now.


    ¡°I-I am sorry, Souma-san.¡± (Ina)


    Ina apologized to me, most likely because she felt bad about it.


    Her teary eyes were looking straight at me.


    For some reason, my chest grew hot and my heart jumped.


    I hurriedly deny it in order to hide my unrest.


    ¡°N-No, there¡¯s no need to worry.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Uhm, even if you tell me that¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    But the one I apologized to was Mitsuki.


    Crap.


    I was trying not to show how flustered I am here, but I instead made it more obvious.


    ¡°¡­Souma?¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo was also looking at me in wonder from the side.


    I hurriedly tried to deny it, but¡­


    ¡°Hihiawh!¡± (Souma)


    This time around, my tongue got tangled up and I said something weird.


    Even stronger gazes of doubt were directed at me.


    ¡°N-No, I am not flustered at all, okay?!¡± (Souma)


    I acted tough and tried to return my gaze towards Ina, but I couldn¡¯t look at her directly for some reason.


    Also, when I look at Ina¡¯s face, my heart begins racing.


    My pulse gets disarrayed and my breathing gets painful.


    (What¡¯s this¡­? It is as if¡­as if¡­) (Souma)


    As if I am scared of Ina!!


    Why did it turn out like this?


    I was confused, unable to understand the reason for it.


    ¡°Hmph. How pathetic of you to be defeated by mere food! And you call yourself my rival?!¡±


    The one who saved me from this panic was an unexpected person.


    Everyone¡¯s attention gathered at the person that was sitting at the dining table.


    But I reflexively responded bitterly at that hateful voice.


    ¡°I am not your rival to begin with. In the first place, why are you here, Sazan?¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s right. Sazan, who should have left yesterday, had come back, and was in our mansion at his own convenience.


    ¡°There¡¯s a conferral of honors at noon, right? I will tag along as well. Also, you are talking to a flower vase.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°¡­Hm?¡± (Souma)


    But Sazan shrugged off my complaint with a snort of his nose¡­no, with the flower. <A pun. Nose and flower are said in the same way (hana).>


    I really can¡¯t get back in gear.


    ¡°E-Excuse me!!¡±


    Noticing the dangerous mood around, the one who intruded here was Ina.


    ¡°You also defeated the Demon Lord together with Souma-san, right, Sazan-san?! Thanks to that, I have been saved. Thank you very much!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Eh, y-yeah. Uuh¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Is he not used to sincere words of appreciation? Sazan was confused for a moment there, but he soon turned back to his usual self.


    ¡°Fufufu¡­ Looks like you have pretty good eyes! I shall tell you then! The sacred duel that occurred for 3 days and 3 nights between me and the Demon Lord!¡± (Sazan)


    No, you didn¡¯t even encounter the Demon Lord¡­making that retort would be a pain, so I decided against it.


    I don¡¯t want to deal with Sazan right now.


    I am sorry for Ina, but Sazan should be satisfied after spilling it all out.


    I decided to have Ina deal with Sazan.


    ¡°I-I see? Eehm¡­ Ah! If it is okay with you, I will make food for you next time too!¡± (Ina)


    But I wonder why, when I heard Ina say that, displeasure welled up in me.


    A hazy feeling.


    ¡°¡­Are you¡­not feeling well?¡± (Ringo)


    The hand of Ringo rubbing my back felt good.


    And yet, when I saw Ina and Sazan talk as if they were having fun, the prickling in my chest grew stronger.


    Then, I should just not look, but my eyes couldn¡¯t look away from the two of them as if my body was refusing to.


    ¡°Listen well. I am the descendant of a great mage and a chosen one. I have polished the wicked purposefully in order to smite the evil of this world. The successor of a sublime family!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°T-That¡¯s incredible¡­?¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Fufu. Well, you could say that. Fufufufu¡­¡± (Sazan)


    It should be the usual harmless talk.


    And yet, my chest hurts when I see Ina talk to Sazan, and my heart beats faster.


    This bittersweet sensation¡­I just can¡¯t take it.


    (What¡¯s this¡­?) (Souma)


    So vexing.


    It is really vexing.


    It is right in my throat, yet I can¡¯t tell what it is.


    But Ina suddenly looked at me.


    ¡°¡ª?!¡±


    And I stood up all of a sudden.


    I still don¡¯t understand what¡¯s going on with me.


    However, I could feel a fire burning deep in me, and I reflexively stood up.


    ¡°Souma-san?¡± (Ina)


    My chest stirred at the voice of Ina.


    *Thump Thump*


    My heart was pulsing to a painful degree.


    The hairs on my whole body stood and sweat came out.


    I take one¡­two¡­three steps away from Ina as if running away from her and¡­


    ¡ªAah, I see.


    I suddenly noticed.


    This burning and irritating feeling welling up from my chest.


    I have had a similar experience when I was in Japan.


    Once you understand it, it is simple.


    Why didn¡¯t I notice?


    And once I noticed, I couldn¡¯t endure it.


    It doesn¡¯t matter where I am or if there¡¯s the eyes of others.


    My last brake was broken.


    It was released without a care for my will.


    ¡°¡­Souma-san?¡± (Ina)


    Ina once again calls my name.


    And then, she approached me, worried.


    Unaware of what¡¯s happening inside me.


    ¡°I-Ina! I¡­I¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yes?¡± (Ina)


    I have to tell her. With all my hurry of wanting to tell her, my tongue wasn¡¯t moving well.


    But I have to tell her.


    Because¡­


    This sweet, sour, and a bit bitter feeling I have is without doubt¡­


    ¡°Ooooeeeeehhhh!!¡± (Souma)


    ¡ªThe churning of gastric juices.


    But it was all too late.


    ¡°Kyaaaaaaahh!!¡±


    Someone screamed.


    The food I ate this morning flashed in my eyes like a revolving lantern.


    And what came next was a messy waterfall coming out from my mouth.


    ¡°S-Souma-san?!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Uwaaah! A repulsive mass of chaos fell onto my clothes!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Showing quite a grandiose sight again.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Souma! Souma! Get a grip!¡± (Ringo)


    And then, a hellish sight was born.


    Even though I think I should do something, my body is paralyzed, my sense of direction is a mess, and I can¡¯t even stand up properly.


    (No good¡­) (Souma)


    My consciousness was fading.


    My body is falling.


    The floor approaching right in front of my eyes was a sea of repulsive chaos.


    Within that horrible situation¡­


    (I will never eat Ina¡¯s cooking again¡­) (Souma)


    I firmly vowed this in my heart.


    ¡­After that, Mitsuki, who was the only calm one here, caught me just before I fell. I was made to drink the healing potion Ringo brought, and I recovered soon after.


    You really gotta have reliable comrades.


    It seems like, not only did I eat too much, but I was also hit with Paralyzed which doesn¡¯t allow you to move your body sometimes, Confusion which makes it hard to tell what direction it is, and Fear which amplifies fear.


    A whole feast of status ailments.


    These status ailments that would make your skills and spells not work or have the aim messed up when it was a game, have now become things that truly affect you negatively mentally now that it has become reality.


    I had prepared a number of countermeasures for those status ailments when it was a game, but now that they are like this, barely any are usable.


    However, no matter how you think about it, the fault lies on the Parara Squid, Confu Chicken, and the Terror Tomato.


    Having them in the refrigerator of the mansion is suspicious in the first place, and just the names alone should be enough to label them as trouble.


    I myself am at fault for not stopping the situation because I got dragged by the flow, but this is what happens when you use ingredients you are not used to just because you felt like it.


    Fortunately, I didn¡¯t feel anything weird even when looking at Ina after that.


    Ina was apologizing earnestly, but I gave her a merciless verdict.


    ¡°Cooking is prohibited!!¡± (Souma)

 CH 135

    Light


    Dark


    The conferral of honors is at noon, but we decided to show Ina the city.


    But if I were to go outside just like that, it would be a Sinking Prince festival again.


    The people of the city know mine and Mitsuki¡¯s faces, so we decided to use a stealth skill like the time when we were wanted.


    There were also suggestions of using disguise items, but transforming into someone here would definitely make it so there¡¯s two of the same people and that would definitely stand out.


    If we were to use the transformation item on each other, we could interchange our looks, but that would be completely pointless.


    Also, there¡¯s the issue that you can¡¯t undo the transformation for 24 hours, so it was scrapped.


    And so, I am using the Invisibility skill just like last time.


    I was worried that even my comrades wouldn¡¯t be able to see me with this, but it was unnecessary worry.


    I was always solo in the game, so I didn¡¯t notice, but it seems like it works the same as Hide in that it doesn¡¯t affect the people who were looking at you right before using the skill.


    Having wrapped up our biggest worry, we waved our hands at the dolls that were seeing us off and left the mansion.


    ¡°This will become my first step into a new path in my adventurer career, right?!!¡± (Ina)


    The one being awfully energetic is the rising Ina.


    She seems to be pointlessly moved, and after taking that ¡®first step into her new path¡¯¡­


    ¡°Hyah?!¡± (Ina)


    She tripped splendidly.


    It seems there was no damage, so she got up soon after.


    ¡°A-Ahahaha, looks like I stepped a bit too hard there.¡± (Ina)


    She tried to laugh it off, but I felt like this was foreshadowing the future of Ina, and it made me incredibly uneasy.


    I watched as the considerate Ringo cleaned off the dirt on the clothes of Ina while whispering to Mitsuki at my side.


    ¡°Good grief. Her carelessness is troubling. I am sorry, but can you take care of her without letting her know¡­ Mitsuki?¡± (Souma)


    But there was no response from Mitsuki.


    Mitsuki¡¯s eyes were directed at Ina.


    There¡¯s no change in the face of Mitsuki at a glance, but the cat ears-chan on top of her head were making a complicated look.


    It tilted to the back and she seemed to be bothered by something.


    ¡°Did you do something to her last night?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Eh? ¡­Not really.¡± (Souma)


    The expressionless eyes of Mitsuki were staring straight at me.


    It is kind of scary.


    These are eyes of suspicion.


    ¡°Her movements have been unnatural since this morning. Her way of walking is as if¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°As if¡­?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked her back, Mitsuki went ¡®nothing¡¯ and diverted her gaze.


    So vague.


    In the first place, what would I have to do to make the walking of Ina unnatural?


    ¡°Isn¡¯t she just nervous being in the capital for the first time?¡± (Souma)


    I instead bring out a more realistic guess.


    She even went as far as buying a guidebook.


    I wouldn¡¯t put it past her that she would get all excited and mess up.


    We were talking about that in whispers, but¡­


    ¡°Good grief. You guys really like to drag your feet. Follow me already! We sally forth to the city!!¡± (Sazan)


    We were hurried by Sazan who is all excited for some reason.


    And so, we ended up heading out to the city.


    Maybe there¡¯s still the lingering effects of yesterday, we were slipping through the people in this still noisy capital.


    Ina¡¯s walking was abnormally fast and it was hard to follow after her.


    Sazan was on the verge of getting lost too, but I left the Bear to keep an eye on him, so it should be okay.


    After confirming that Sazan was being dragged by the Bear from quite a few ways behind, I spoke to Ina who was walking by my side.


    ¡°Ina, your level is 74, right?¡± (Souma)


    I don¡¯t remember it that well, but the level she told me at the time we separated was around there.


    She can¡¯t level up in the Cave of Trials alone, and there¡¯s no enemies higher than level 70 around Lamurick.


    I asked this because I thought her level hasn¡¯t changed, but Ina made a bold smile at that question of mine.


    ¡°Want to see?¡± (Ina)


    What Ina took out was a level appraiser.


    She pushed it onto her own arm and showed me what appeared there.


    [Ina Trail: Lv78]


    She unexpectedly had leveled up 4 times.


    Ina must have noticed my surprise, she puffed her chest out proudly.


    ¡°Of course, it doesn¡¯t compare to the level raising of yours that¡¯s like magic, but Thiel-san and I did our best, and we managed to raise it all the way there!¡± (Ina)


    She looked at me with sparkling eyes and gave off the aura of ¡®praise me, praise me¡¯.


    It is not like I yielded to that pressure, but I honestly gave her words of praise for this.


    ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect you to increase your level this much. So you were doing your best even when I was not there.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Ehehehe.¡± (Ina)


    The face of Ina melted into a goofy smile.


    But how did she level up around Lamurick?


    I was curious about this as a player of Nekomimi Neko.


    ¡°So, how did you get up to that level before coming to the capital?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Ah, about that¡­¡± (Ina)


    According to Ina, there¡¯s apparently an old book that said people on the level of Ina would level up by defeating a certain rare monster that¡¯s around Lamurick, and she managed to put that to practice.


    ¡°But why did you have a book like that¡­?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°It was in order to learn more about Souma-san!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°About me¡­?¡± (Souma)


    It hasn¡¯t even been a few months since I came to this world.


    I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much point in researching about me in old books.


    I obviously reached that conclusion, but it seems like Ina actually finds it strange that I can¡¯t think of the reason.


    She tilted her head and confirmed with me.


    ¡°Cause you know, you are the Guardian of the Seal, right?¡± (Ina)


    ¡°¡ª!!¡± (Souma)


    I completely forgot about that title (dark history) and I choked reflexively.


    She still believed that half-assed excuse?!!


    ¡°¡­Guardian¡­of the Seal¡­?¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo, who was walking behind us, tilted her head as if reeled in by this.


    This is bad!


    I would die if even Ringo were to hear about this.


    ¡°I-I see! Yeah, let¡¯s have that talk at another time, okay?!!¡± (Souma)


    I forcefully changed the topic.


    Ina made a questioning look, but she once again asked with a bright face.


    ¡°Speaking of which, what level are you and the others at?¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Souma)


    That question immediately froze the atmosphere that had returned to normal.


    ¡°If I remember correctly, your level was lower than mine before coming to the capital. But we are talking about Souma-san here, so I feel like you would level up doing something amazing again, so¡­maybe you already are¡­no, you have already passed level 100?¡± (Ina)


    Even without saying anything, I could tell her eyes were saying ¡®it would be nice if there¡¯s not that much of a gap¡¯.


    I (level 178) made eye-contact with Ringo (level 178 too) and¡­


    ¡°Ooh, there¡¯s an armor store there!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Armor is¡­important.¡± (Ringo)


    We conspired together to change the topic.


    You know, throwing too much at once would be bad for the heart.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s the armor store of the capital! I wanted to check it out at least once!¡± (Ina)


    And Ina easily bit. She really is one easy heroine.


    ¡°Ah, please wait.¡± (Ina)


    Ina was about to charge into the armor store, but she suddenly stopped in place.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked, she began rummaging through her bag with a slightly flushed face.


    ¡°Uhm, I used all my money in the Magic Airship fee, so¡­¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Aah, I see¡­¡± (Souma)


    Now that I think about it, Ina came all the way here alone because Thiel didn¡¯t have enough for her share.


    There¡¯s no way she would have money to buy equipment at the capital.


    ¡°Ah, but I actually have one big treasure.¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Treasure?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked back, Ina suddenly began to take peeks at the surroundings.


    ¡°Can you come closer?¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Okay¡­¡± (Souma)


    I got my face closer and Ina began talking with a lower volume.


    ¡°What I am going to show you now is an item that we coincidentally found. It is a really rare item and it is also a really expensive one, so even you might not have seen it before, Souma-san.¡± (Ina)


    ¡°That much?¡± (Souma)


    Ina nodded without hesitation at my question, and took out her hand that was in the bag the whole time.


    And then, she slowly opened her hand while being cautious of our surroundings, and showed me the item.


    ¡°¡­It is this.¡± (Ina)


    The moment I saw that, I was on the verge of letting out my voice from the surprise.


    ¡°Could this possibly be¡­¡± (Souma)


    A shock I have felt before ran through me.


    What was in the hand of Ina was a single coin releasing golden luster.


    ¡°Yes. A super rare item that the rare monster, Golden Stray Slime, drops. The Stray Slime Gold Coin.¡± (Ina)


    This development bleached my mind blank, and Ina explained cheerfully while putting the gold coin back.


    ¡°Actually, this item is apparently expensive even if you were to sell it normally, but by bringing it to a place called the Bounty Hunting Guild, you can sell it for¡­100,000E!¡± (Ina)


    Ina said this excited even when keeping the volume this low.


    ¡°Of course, it is apparently no good unless there¡¯s a request for the item, so it is not like there¡¯s no conditions to it, but it is still 100,000E. 100,000E!!


    The night I learned about this,  I couldn¡¯t sleep¡­


    Ah, but it seems like you know what this is, Souma-san.


    Have you seen this before?¡± (Ina)


    ¡°¡­Yeah, a bit.¡± (Souma)


    Well, a bit like in 74 of them.


    I decided to swallow those words deep in my chest.


    But now I understand how Ina got to level 78.


    If she got a golden coin, it means that the rare monster that Ina used to level up was the Golden Stray Slime.


    If I remember correctly, the goldens spawn in fields of around level 50-100 at a low rate.


    There should be around 1 or 2 points where those guys spawn in the area close to Lamurick.


    The golden itself is a monster around level 100, so Ina should be able to level up if she managed to defeat it properly.


    We raised our level close to level 100 in the subjugation contest using the goldens, so there¡¯s no doubt about that.


    ¡°I see. As expected of Souma-san!!¡± (Ina)


    Ina said in innocent admiration, and we looked at each other.


    Let¡¯s keep silent about the subjugation contest for now.


    There was a silent agreement in an instant from me, Ringo, and Mitsuki.


    Of course, Ina didn¡¯t notice that eye-contact at all and suggested in a cheerful manner.


    ¡°That¡¯s why, let¡¯s go to the Hunter Guild before heading to the armor sto¡ª¡± (Ina)


    ¡°You must not!¡± (Souma)


    I cut off the words of Ina.


    The Bounty Hunting Guild was on the verge of bankruptcy because of the gold coins.


    I doubt there will be any gold coin requests there, and if we were to bring one there, they might think we are picking a fight.


    ¡°Eh? No? Why?¡± (Ina)


    Ina didn¡¯t know this, so she was a bit scared of my threatening attitude.


    That¡¯s when Ringo and Mitsuki entered to assist me.


    ¡°¡­Today¡­is a bad day.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°They most likely won¡¯t take you seriously with just one. The item requests normally ask for several of them.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°I-I see.¡± (Ina)


    Leaving aside what Ringo said, Mitsuki¡¯s logic was convincing.


    Ina was persuaded by this.


    ¡°But in that case, I can¡¯t buy equipment at all¡­ Let¡¯s go to a different place.¡± (Ina)


    She probably thinks she is hiding it here, but it is easy to tell that she is really hung up on the armor store.


    Just when I was thinking about what to do, Mitsuki made an unexpected suggestion.


    ¡°Then, I shall buy it.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Eh? B-But¡­¡± (Ina)


    Mitsuki pushed on while Ina was confused.


    ¡°In exchange, make the price 90,000E. You will get money at once, and I will get a 10,000E profit later. I don¡¯t think it is a bad deal.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°U-Uhm¡­¡± (Ina)


    Ina looked at me as if asking me for my opinion.


    I pushed Ina¡¯s back and nodded at her.


    ¡°T-Then, please do, Hisame-san.¡± (Ina)


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind you calling me just Mitsuki, Ina-san.¡± (Mitsuki)


    I rubbed my chest in relief at the heartwarming conversation of the two.


    Mitsuki, who I thought was the representative of the muscle brains, is now able to show this much consideration. It is truly surprising.


    Of course, the trade was done without any issues. Ina got 90,000E and went to the armor store all happily.


    Ina was looking around and going heeeh and hoooh inside the store, but the armor store owner got an eye on us at that moment.


    ¡°Customer-san, could it be that what you are wearing is mithril armor?!¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, that¡¯s right¡­¡± (Ina)


    Ina nodded hesitantly at the way too intense tone, and the owner old man showed a broad smile.


    ¡°I knew it! Can you let us buy that?¡±


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡±


    According to the store owner, there¡¯s been a lack of mithril in this city, so there has been a price jump in mithril.


    Thanks to that, mithril armor is being sold at even higher prices than other better materials.


    ¡°Also, if you buy your armor here, I will also give you a discount!¡±


    The store owner pushes his sale as if saying this is his chance.


    I can only call it impressive maketing spirit, but this must be perfect for Ina.


    ¡°T-Then, please do!¡± (Ina)


    Mitsuki stopped hiding her presence and followed Ina who jumped onto the offer without hesitation.


    With Mitsuki, whose face is well-known even in the capital, there should be no worries of Ina being deceived.


    That¡¯s fine and all, but¡­


    (¡­Lack of mithril, huh.) (Souma)


    As someone who knows the events of the game, this is a situation that makes me uneasy.


    There¡¯s the chance that the Mithril Gathering Event, which only activates when the player participates, is progressing on its own.


    I don¡¯t like this, but I should try to check out that place next time. When I decided on that¡­


    ¡°Then, this please!¡± (Ina)


    Looks like Ina has already decided on what to buy.


    I raised my head at the cheerful voice of Ina.


    At the place where Ina pointed at¡­


    ¡°Yay! I have done it, Souma-san!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Y-Yeah, you¡¯ve done it.¡± (Souma)


    I responded to Ina who was hopping around from happiness.


    ¡°Is it okay for something as incredible as this to happen?! Even though it is only my second day in the capital, I managed to obtain the orichalcum armor that I sought for!!¡± (Ina)


    The body of Ina had a familiar magic metal on while she was walking through the congested city with happy steps.


    That¡¯s right. The armor that Ina chose from the armor store was the orichalcum armor.


    ¡°To think I would be able to sell my mithril armor at such a high price. I might be the luckiest person in the world!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­great.¡± (Souma)


    I look away from Ina with awkward emotions and exchange looks with Ringo.


    We couldn¡¯t say anything to Ina who was gleefully ordering at the armor store.


    It is not an atmosphere where we could say ¡®We have 2 sets of orichalcum armor we are not using anymore. Want to borrow one?¡¯.


    W-Well, it wouldn¡¯t be good to help out too much.


    I rethought this and walked to Ina to catch up to her, and then I noticed that Ina was about to ignore the weapon store.


    ¡°Hm? No need to go to the weapon store?¡± (Souma)


    Ina nodded when I asked.


    ¡°I personally have interest in it, but it is better to use weapons you are used to, and this Wakizashi is plenty powerful.¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Aah, now that you mention it, that¡¯s the only drop item you have.¡± (Souma)


    In most cases, a monster drop is better than the store ones even if it is an item of the same level.


    It is a rare weapon type like a Ninja Sword and it dropped from a level 70 Armor Knight, so it should have more power than the weapons in the capital.


    ¡°Also, it seems like you haven¡¯t changed your weapon either, so that was a bit relieving. The one you have is the same katana as before, and the one Ringo-san has is the same as my Wakizashi, right?¡± (Ina)


    ¡°¡­Ah.¡± (Souma)


    Being told this, I look down at our weapons.


    It is true that they are the Shiranui and Wakizashi from before in looks alone.


    However, the reality is that there¡¯s a heaven and earth difference.


    What I have is a synthesized weapon with the appearance of Shiranui and the powerful boss drop item Meat Cleaver. As for the Wakizashi of Ringo, it has inherited the power of the strongest spear: the Gouging Vajra.


    It is on a quality of its own compared to a mere level 70 monster drop.


    ¡°Ah, no, you see¡­¡± (Souma)


    I didn¡¯t know how to explain this, but Ina brought out a different topic before that.


    ¡°Uuh, there¡¯s still time, right? There¡¯s a place I want to check out for last.¡± (Ina)


    The place Ina wanted to go to was the Deus Plains.


    ¡°I am sorry. Even though you offered to guide me through the city¡­ But I wanted to confirm whether my strength is effective here as well!¡± (Ina)


    Ina¡¯s eyes were burning with determination as she said this.


    There¡¯s no place easier to clear around the capital than the Deus Plains.


    Turning that around, it also means that if you can at least defeat the enemies that show up here, you can level at any time.


    It is true that if you have the ability to clear this place, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible to manage in the capital.


    As if pushing aside that motivation of Ina¡­


    ¡°T-There! Could that possibly be a Golden Stray Slime?!¡± (Ina)


    As soon as we left the gates, a Golden Stray Slime showed up.


    Moreover, there¡¯s no other adventurers around.


    We should be able to hunt it with just us.


    ¡°Wow! Today really is an incredible day! I-I will corner it from the back, so I will count on you to stop it from escaping!¡± (Ina)


    Ina circles around the golden with wild joy.


    Those movements of hers were filled with live including the moment when she tripped in the middle.


    But contrary to Ina who is overflowing with motivation, I was feeling conflicted here.


    (What should I do¡­?) (Souma)


    What I was made to realize here in this half a day was the difference in views between us and the normal adventurers.


    Ina has most likely grown at an abnormal rate compared to the adventurers of this world.


    If she continues to defeat monsters of her same level or higher, she should be able to grow at a decent rate.


    You might think 4 levels in 2 weeks is slow, but that¡¯s not the case.


    To put it bluntly here, the difficulty of this game is so high that you would have no chance of defeating an enemy of your same level.


    That¡¯s where Nekomimi Neko players use their wits, patience, and information gathering, but there¡¯s no way an NPC, who can¡¯t reset once they die or can¡¯t exploit bugs and skill cancels, can achieve the same thing.


    Fighting against an enemy of the same level is suicidal, and fighting solo is out of the question.


    If you want to fight safely, you would end up making a party of several people, and fight enemies 10 or 20 levels lower than yours.


    But if you want to level up like that, you will be taking dizzying amounts of time.


    Compared to that, we have been fighting and defeating enemies of higher level than us all the time and raising our levels like that, so we are the abnormal ones in this world.


    Ina should know that we have defeated the Demon Lord, but due to the subjugation method of the Demon Lord and her knowing how strong Mitsuki is makes it so that she can¡¯t imagine how strong I actually am.


    Well, I have raised 150 levels in less than a month, got cheat-like equipment, and even doped up, and have become strong enough to defeat the Demon Lord. Normal people wouldn¡¯t believe something like that, or more like, you wouldn¡¯t even imagine it unless told.


    Today, we evaded the topic of our strength whenever it seemed like it would be discovered.


    But it is something we have to tell her someday.


    Ina has the special trait of the Train Mode in the early game, but different from Mitsuki, Ringo, Maki, and Sazan, I guess, Ina is a normal character that doesn¡¯t have high stat modifiers like them.


    Things like her actually becoming super strong once she is high level, or her exclusive item being the strongest¡­probably won¡¯t be happening.


    I don¡¯t know much about the information of the characters here, but I have at least seen the page that compares the abilities of the companion characters, and a specially outstanding character would definitely be a talk topic.


    There are people who have had Train-chan in their party until the end, but I have never heard of her being a strong character.


    When speaking of stats, I -in other words, the player- don¡¯t really have any special modifiers.


    Even so, depending on how you play it, you can become stronger than anyone else, so it is not like you have to be a strong character at base, but she is not someone who we can bring around in a state where the level differences are big.


    If we forced something like that, Ina would end up dying soon after.


    (Once this is over, let¡¯s tell her our strength honestly.) (Souma)


    Different from the first time I met Ina, we now have leeway in a variety of meanings.


    If Ina so wishes, we could concentrate on training her until she is battle-ready, and even if we act separately, we are obviously not going to drive her away from the mansion.


    Anyways, it all depends on Ina.


    Deciding this, I returned my gaze to Ina and¡­


    Ina, who had moved to the opposite side of us, approached the golden with unexpected deftness.


    ¡°Hm? She is faster than I expected.¡± (Souma)


    She would trip at times from hurrying too much, but she is outputting quite the speed.


    Thanks to that, she managed to approach the golden until it only took one more step, but she was noticed then.


    However, this is exactly as planned.


    The Golden hurriedly tried to run away, but at the place where it is running, there¡¯s Mitsuki, Ringo, and¡­Sazan, I guess.


    Normal adventurers would only be able to deal 1 damage to Stray Slimes, but Mitsuki can pierce the defense of the Goldens and defeat them in one hit, and as for Ringo, even if she can¡¯t get through the defense of the Golden, the Lightning Strike is a multi-hit attack, so she can lower the HP of the Golden in one go.


    And Sazan¡­uhm¡­Sazan can use large AOE spells on the magic nullifying Golden, and turn the surroundings into a sea of fire.


    An invincible unit that any member aside from Sazan can definitely defeat a Golden.


    And within that, as if adding an extra in order to corner it even more¡­


    ¡°[Plunge Slash]!¡± (Ina)


    Ina activated a dagger skill and¡­


    ¡°¡­Huh?¡± (Souma)


    ¡ªThe next instant, the Golden Stray Slime was sliced in two.


    ¡­I don¡¯t know what happened here.


    No, I do understand what happened.


    Ina had caught up to the Golden with speed that far surpassed it, and slashed it.


    And so, the Golden that got hit by this was sliced in two without any resistance.


    I saw that clearly.


    But I don¡¯t understand how that happened.


    Everyone¡¯s gazes gathered at Ina as if seeking an explanation.


    Ina looked at us, then at the Golden sliced in two, and then at us again.


    ¡°¡­I sliced it.¡± (Ina)


    She said familiar words with teary eyes.

 CH 136

    Light


    Dark


    The Golden that was sliced in two was disappearing.


    Me, Sazan, and even the usually expressionless Ringo had our eyes wide open, staring at the place where the Golden Slime was. And most of all, Ina, who was the one that did it, was the most flustered out of us all.


    We were frozen in place at the unexpected sight, but Mitsuki was the fastest to get back on track. She spoke in an austere manner.


    ¡°¡­It did feel strange. Her movements have clearly been different compared to yesterday.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°You noticed that?¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki nodded at my question as if saying ¡®what, just noticed?¡¯.


    ¡°I felt something was off since morning, but I was certain of it when she left the mansion and tripped. The way she fell was unnatural and she has been walking fast the whole day today, right?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Aah, now that you mention it¡­¡± (Souma)


    So that¡¯s what bothered Mitsuki when Ina tripped, huh.


    I nodded in understanding, and Mitsuki glared at me with sharp eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®now that you mention it¡¯. I won¡¯t get angry, so spill it out honestly. What did you do this time?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Eh? ¡­Me?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Of course. Something that would normally be impossible happened, so the reason is obviously you.¡± (Mitsuki)


    She threw me quite the astounding logic there.


    As expected from Mitsuki, the topmost in the ¡®ranking of people that have been thrown about by me¡¯.


    Her persuasiveness is different.


    That attitude of hers is already in a way an absolute level of trust.


    But I wonder why it doesn¡¯t make me happy at all.


    ¡°No, I really don¡¯t have an idea why¡­¡± (Souma)


    Is what I defend myself with, but Mitsuki wasn¡¯t faltering at all.


    The cat ears-chan on top of her head were twitching, going ¡®geez, just spill it out honestly!¡¯.


    But Ina jumped in there and covered for me.


    ¡°P-Please wait! Even if Souma-san were to do something to me without my input, I am sure it would have been for my sake! Please don¡¯t blame Souma-san!!¡± (Ina)


    ¡­Yeah, she is acting like she is covering for me, but she is not denying what Mitsuki said at all.


    Just when I was thinking about entering this prickly atmosphere one more time *tug tug* my sleeve was pulled.


    And then¡­


    ¡°¡­Coin.¡± (Ringo)


    Seeing how Ringo was happily showing me the golden coin, I once again grieved the lack of order in this party.


    After that, we confirmed a number of increases in power on Ina.


    We first tried to confirm just how strong Ina had become by using the duel system and have her do a mock battle with Mitsuki, but just speaking of the result, it was an instant defeat.


    Ina proved that the skill she used just now on the golden was faster than the speed of Mitsuki and had high attack power, but Mitsuki easily dealt with it.


    And then, after she was skill stunned, she got slashed by the following strike of Mitsuki.


    The first thing Mitsuki said to the dumbfounded Ina was¡­


    ¡°This feeling¡­if I had to put it in level, it would be around 130. She really has been strengthened.¡± (Mitsuki)


    A master truly is fearsome.


    I don¡¯t ever want to ask why she knows how it feels to be hit by a level 130 character.


    There wasn¡¯t enough time, so we couldn¡¯t confirm everything, but her attack power, speed, and defense were definitely higher, and her stamina and magic related capability had also increased.


    ¡°Now what¡¯s left is to find the reason.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Saying this, Mitsuki glanced at me.


    It seems like she at least trusts my word here and has understood that I didn¡¯t do this intentionally, but it looks like she still suspects that I am involved in this indirectly.


    It is not like I am borrowing the words of Mitsuki here, but you could say this is an abnormal situation even within this world of Nekomimi Neko where everything is half-assed.


    Even if it is a fantasy world, there¡¯s no way one would suddenly get a drastic boost in power without any apparent reason. At the very least, the person herself wasn¡¯t aware of it.


    Also, even when I look back on my memories, there wasn¡¯t anything that would create a situation like this.


    Meaning that there¡¯s no mistake that what is happening here is outside my game knowledge.


    There¡¯s a number of things that can serve as a hint.


    First of all, the timing of Ina¡¯s power increase can be narrowed down quite a bit.


    Mitsuki is also a witness of this, but yesterday I saw Ina use the Assassin Rage skill.


    The Assassin Rage at that time was the normal speed.


    In other words, Ina wasn¡¯t in this state yesterday noon.


    ¡°Ina, do you remember when your body became weird?¡± (Souma)


    Ina thought about my question for a bit before answering.


    ¡°¡­Not really sure. It is probably as Mitsuki-san says. I think it was already like this by the time I woke up this morning.¡± (Ina)


    ¡°I see.¡± (Souma)


    Now that I think about it, Ina tripping constantly and slicing up a chopping board must have been because her stats were boosted up.


    Thinking about it like that, there were no such incidents at dinner yesterday, so it should be safe to assume that there was no such strengthening then.


    In that case, what¡¯s suspicious would be¡­


    ¡°Ina, please try using the Plunging Slash there.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh? O-Okay.¡± (Ina)


    Ina takes a battle stance with the Wakizashi again while confused.


    And then, just before she activated the Plunging Slash, I took off the ring that was at my left ring finger.


    ¡°W-Wa?!¡± (Ina)


    Ina let out a dumbfounded voice.


    The activated skill didn¡¯t have the speed of before, and simply cut the air all clumsily probably by mistake.


    ¡°Hm? Eh? What¡¯s going on?¡± (Ina)


    Ina looked back in surprise and I showed her the ring that I took off, and then I said this with confidence as if to drive away the suspicions on me.


    ¡°Knew it. What happened this time wasn¡¯t my fault. The culprit is the ring that Ina brought!¡± (Souma)


    After that, before talking about the increase in the power of Ina, we talked about why we had matching rings, and I was under heavy questioning by the girls, but anyways¡­


    If the strange actions of Ina are because of the power strengthening, it first happened yesterday night just as Mitsuki said.


    Right after wearing the ring, Ina got all flustered when the Bear appeared, and then escaped from my room at incredible speed¡­tripping on the way¡­and breaking the locked door¡­


    Judging from the timing, no matter how you think about it, this ring that I don¡¯t know the effects of is suspicious.


    Ina¡¯s movements returned to normal once I took off the ring, so there¡¯s no doubt this ring is the reason for this incident.


    Also, considering the fact that me taking off the ring had an effect on Ina too, it means that it only shows its effect when worn as a set.


    In that case, what¡¯s mysterious is the fact that Ina was surprised by her own increase in power.


    Did she not know the effect of this ring? Or did she not know that it had such a big effect?


    Also, if this ring had such a big effect, it would be something that should have increased the evaluation of Ina more when it was still a game.


    When I asked Ina about this, she responded with this.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know these rings had this much power, and it was more important for me that we were wearing the same rings, so I didn¡¯t really care much about the effect. However, I did hear about the effect of these rings from my mother.¡± (Ina)


    Ina then brushed the ring on her ring finger as if treasuring it deeply, and said this loudly.


    ¡°The name of this ring is: the Ring of Mutual Love! It changes the love towards the other party into power! Incredible rings which only have a pair exist in the whole world!!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°¡­I see.¡± (Souma)


    Ina went ¡®Hm?¡¯ at my lack of a reaction, but I just feel it is sketchy when you talk to me about stuff like love, or is it just me being messed up that I feel some sort of landmine when I hear the words mutual love?


    Ina was making a face as if she had been suplexed, but she soon recovered and began talking energetically.


    ¡°Uhm, I was flustered for a bit from the sudden incredible change, but if I think of all this as the power of these rings, I don¡¯t think it is that strange.¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Hm? Why?¡± (Souma)


    I ignored the passionate talk of Ina as I swung Shiranui around.


    ¡°As I said before, these rings are equipment that change the love to the other party in strength. M-Meaning that¡­I l-love Souma-san a w-whole lot, so¡­uuh¡­¡± (Ina)


    I then used a Side Slash¡­


    ¡°In other words, this power of mine is due to my overflowing¡­¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Ina.¡± (Souma)


    I cut off Ina who was wriggling shyly.


    And¡­


    ¡°These rings change your love for the other party into power, right?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Y-Yes. Geez, I have been saying that for a while now¡­¡± (Ina)


    I told this to Ina, who was smiling, while internally feeling bad about this.


    ¡°¡­Even when I wear this, I am not getting one bit stronger though.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh? ¡­¡­Eh?¡± (Ina)


    And then, a few minutes later.


    We left the soulless husk of Ina at a bench of the city and headed to the Great Church in order to receive our medals.

 CH 137

    Light


    Dark


    TLN: Sorry about the delay!


    Had something to do that dropped me exhausted and had a nap. Woke up to notice I was far from schedule. >-<!


    Anyways, enjoy!


    ¡ª¡ª-


    (Hmm, I should have been more careful about my choice in words¡­) (Souma)


    This is obvious, but the plan was for only the members that defeated the Demon Lord to go to the conferral of honors, so it was the natural course that Ina would have to wait for us somewhere.


    However, when I think back on Ina, who had a face as if her soul escaped from her, sitting on that bench staring at space, I obviously felt bad.


    It seems Ina believes completely that this ring is something that changes love into power, but in this Nekomimi Neko, there¡¯s not a convenient equipment that increases your stats drastically by having a lot of love¡­in other words, affection meter.


    No, there might be, but if that were the case, it would have fallen into the eyes of other Nekomimi Neko players, so I doubt that¡¯s the case here.


    Rather, in Nekomimi Neko, the stronger an equipment looks, the higher the chances that it has a hidden downside.


    I did try to put that into perspective, but I might have been a bit too harsh in my words there. Ina seems to be awfully down here.


    The time for the conferral of honors eventually came and we ended up moving without me having the chance to follow up, but I might have done something a bit bad to Ina.


    By the way, regarding the real effect of the ring, judging from the fact that my strength didn¡¯t change at all, I have somewhat of an idea about what this is.


    The first one would be that it is actually as Ina says and this equipment really does change ¡®love into power¡¯ with the affection meter as base.


    In the first place, there may be an affection meter for the NPCs, but there¡¯s no system for the player¡¯s affection meter towards the NPCs.


    That¡¯s why the system judged that my affection towards Ina is 0, and I wasn¡¯t strengthened.


    If that¡¯s the case, the Ring of Mutual Love would use both the ring slot for the player and Ina¡¯s, and it would be an item that only increases the stats of Ina.


    Leaving aside this situation where I can equip 10 rings, in the game where you can only equip 2 rings, this couldn¡¯t be said to be that useful.


    However, even if it is Nekomimi Neko¡¯s staff, would they really take into account a parameter that doesn¡¯t exist?


    Even so, the scary part of Nekomimi Neko is that you can¡¯t rule that out. But, normally, if they are going to take into account the affection meter of Ina, it should have the same effect on me.


    Taking that into account when strengthening might mean that this might have been a ring to assist low level characters.


    In other words, the reason why Ina had a drastic power-up was because her parameters were low. If Ina were to become as strong as me, it is possible that the ability of the ring wouldn¡¯t have happened.


    If we go by that line of logic, Ina¡¯s exclusive equipment makes it easier to raise her, but in the end, she would still be the same strength as others. I feel like that would make sense considering the evaluation she gets in the Wiki.


    I feel like things will be made clear in those areas once I investigate in more detail, but¡­


    (Well, there¡¯s no point in thinking about it here.) (Souma)


    This being something that can be made clear when investigated also means that this is something that can¡¯t be made clear without Ina, so in order to do a follow-up on Ina, the most I can do is to finish this conferral of honors as soon as possible, and hurry back.


    The medal we will be getting today is the Sealing Neko Swordmaster Medal. It is apparently the highest ranked medal you can get in this country.


    The Hero Alex sealed the Evil God and became the founding king of this country.


    Only the ones who have obtained an achievement that match him can obtain this medal, and Alex is also the Saint of the only religion in this country, the Redis Church, so it is tradition to do that conferral of honors in the Great Church that is the main base of the Redis Church.


    That medal with the awfully long name is actually one of the crests necessary to undo the Seal Dungeon.


    On top of that, considering the last ¡®reward¡¯ at the end of the conferral of honors, I can¡¯t just not do the ceremony.


    Fortunately, there doesn¡¯t seem to be as many people compared to the morning, so we managed to get to the Great Church comparatively faster, but the area around here is a bit dangerous, so I would like to avoid staying here for too long.


    Thinking I should enter at once, just when I was only a few steps left to get to the Great Church¡­


    ¡°W-Wait! That¡¯s too soon!¡±


    There¡¯s one person who shouted such nonsense and didn¡¯t follow.


    ¡°My dark karma is exclaiming that we shouldn¡¯t advance any further!¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡± (Souma)


    ¡­It is Sazan.


    Sazan had completely stopped his feet and was hesitating to enter the Great Church.


    Even when the Bear he is so afraid of was hurrying him, he wasn¡¯t moving forward at all.


    ¡°What am I saying, you ask?¡± (Sazan)


    He was instead baffled by my words, waving his cloak and crouching in place.


    ¡°¡­My stomach hurts. I am going back to the mansion.¡± (Sazan)


    Dude, that mansion isn¡¯t your home, you know.


    Seeing an adult man whining is unsightly.


    But, in the end, Sazan didn¡¯t try to move a step from there, and I had no choice but to hear what he says.


    I personally was thinking about giving him a good punch and forcefully dragging him in, but¡­


    ¡°I am a high dark corruption mage that had purposely fallen into the blood road in order to smite the greatest evil! Thus, I can¡¯t allow the artifact of the holy foreign that releases the lowly crescent aura to violate this vessel!!¡± (Sazan)


    First of all, I don¡¯t understand what he is saying at all.


    I at least understand that he doesn¡¯t want to go to the Great Church, but the reason eludes me.


    ¡°Can you please talk in an understandable language?¡± (Souma)


    When I said this irritated, Sazan puckered his lips and rephrased it.


    ¡°¡­The atmosphere there reminds me of my home, so I don¡¯t want to go.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°That was so damn easy to understand, oi!¡± (Souma)


    I retort with this while looking back at the giant construction behind.


    The Great Church of this city is basically a giant version of a church.


    Maybe because it is behind the castle, you end up thinking ¡®shouldn¡¯t it be okay to call this a castle too?¡¯. That¡¯s how big of a church it is.


    As someone with no experience of this, I can¡¯t really say for sure, but it is quite the splendorous design.


    If Sazan says his home resembles this atmosphere, his house must have been so splendid to the point of mistaking it for a castle, or it was a church.


    Thinking about it with my gamer brain, if it is the former, there¡¯s a high chance that Sazan is the child of a noble; if it is the latter, the chances of him being an orphan abandoned at a church are higher.


    ¡°I see. You must have it rough as well.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Hm¡­? Y-Yeah. T-Thanks.¡± (Sazan)


    Even if it is game lore, there¡¯s no way Sazan would be someone born from a high class family.


    It would be safer to assume Sazan was an orphan.


    No doubt about it.


    ¡°Can¡¯t be helped¡­¡± (Souma)


    I normally would have no obligation to tag along with the selfishness of Sazan, but this is a special case.


    I actually noticed that I have the perfect item for him.


    ¡°Here. I will let you borrow this, so cheer up.¡± (Souma)


    I bring out a certain weapon from my bag, and give it to the crouched Sazan.


    ¡°¡­What¡¯s this dirty glove?¡± (Sazan)


    I was a bit pissed by that way too blunt of a way he was putting it, but I tried to endure it and pushed ¡®that¡¯ onto him once more.


    ¡°Just try putting it on.¡± (Souma)


    I suggested in a pushy manner, and he took the glove while complaining ¡®why do I have to?¡¯.


    And then¡­


    ¡°I-I will be putting it on now, so don¡¯t look!¡± (Sazan)


    Saying this, he for some reason turned his back to me and began doing something.


    ¡°Okay okay.¡± (Souma)


    I don¡¯t know why he turned around, but I answered him with a face as if it meant nothing to me.


    There¡¯s no need to hurry.


    That¡¯s because I am sure that Sazan will like the glove I gave him.


    That¡¯s not a normal glove after all.


    That¡¯s a special weapon that I bought soon after arriving at the capital.


    The rare item, Fingerless Gloves, that any chuunibyou would have their mouths water!


    ¡°Wa?! I-Impossible! T-This¡­!¡± (Sazan)


    I hear a voice of surprise from Sazan who finished wearing it.


    Sazan turned around and crossed his hands naturally as if moved by some sort of impulse deep within his body.


    ¡°It is as if this was tailor-made for me! This omnipotent feeling the moment I put it on! And most of all, the violent levels of coolness born from the bold and avant-garde design of not protecting your finger despite being a glove! This is¡­this in itself is a piece of equipment that is fitting for someone as great as me to possess!!¡± (Sazan)


    Well, the size is adjusted with magic, so it of course would feel as if it was tailor-made, and since the Fingerless Gloves don¡¯t have any attack power, he is actually weaker now. In the first place, that¡¯s not yours, but I will at least agree in the part that it looks cool.


    While I was internally nodding, Sazan suddenly passed me and entered the Great Church.


    ¡°Fuuh! What are you spacing out for, you fools! No matter how fearsome of an enemy, they would be no match for my Dark Killing Palm. Now, let¡¯s trek into the castle of the wicked!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°What¡¯s with that naming? ¡­Wait no, that¡¯s mine, you know?! Properly wash it and give it back to me later, okay?!¡± (Souma)


    In this way, we chased after Sazan who had recovered, and stepped into the Great Church.


    ¡­Knew it. I really should have punched him once.


    When we entered the Great Church, the first thing that spread before our eyes was a round floor.


    There¡¯s a hole at the center that looks like a funnel, and the light coming from the stained glass was going straight towards it.


    What a mysterious light.


    Even though it is by no means dark, I could clearly see the particles dancing in the gentle light that is going into the hole.


    It is a scenery that I can honestly say is an ephemeral sight.


    Even as someone from the modern era that knows that this is simply a scene created for a game, moreover, me being someone that barely believes in God, it still managed to make me feel something.


    ¡°A miracle, huh¡­¡± (Souma)


    Sazan picked up what I unconsciously leaked out and snorted as if finding that unpleasant.


    ¡°Hmph, that¡¯s no miracle. It is just magic.¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan pointed at the ceiling with both hands still wearing the Fingerless Gloves.


    I also look up.


    The ceiling had stained glass too, and there¡¯s a detailed pattern like that of a gammadion.


    Moreover, I feel like I have seen it a number of times in the game¡­


    ¡°That pattern gathers the mana around and sends it to the center. On top of that, what¡¯s being used to draw this is mithril, which is a metal suitable for magic.


    Even if so, it is an abnormal amount of mana, but it is without doubt artificial.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡®This is why religions are¡­¡¯ -is what Sazan said as if spitting it out.


    ¡°You seem to not like that quite a lot.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Not really. If it were the people at my place, they might get angry, saying that they are using a holy technique as a show, but this has nothing to do with me.¡± (Sazan)


    Even when Sazan said that, he was glaring at the ceiling.


    ¡­What¡¯s with this development?


    This is as if I have entered the character event of Sazan, and it also makes me think that Sazan is actually the son of a prominent family that is knowledgeable of magic.


    I was flustered by the unexpected development, and Sazan suddenly said¡­


    ¡°¡­Two points.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Huh?¡± (Souma)


    Sazan continued speaking without caring about me making a questioning look while still glaring at the stained glass as if it were the killer of his parents or something.


    ¡°If it were me, I could shift the center of the magic circle by just changing two points of it. In a way that this light won¡¯t enter that hole.


    ¡­Fufu, it might be nice to actually do it.¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan was suppressing a laugh below that masked face, and the atmosphere around him was different from usual.


    I can¡¯t keep on watching this.


    I grabbed the shoulder of Sazan and stopped him.


    ¡°¡ªJust stop it already, Sazan.¡± (Souma)


    Sazan looked at me as if finding this unexpected.


    I looked straight at the eyes of Sazan as if looking through the mask and said this clearly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind anyone else saying that. But you of all people shouldn¡¯t be saying that ever. Because it would sound as if¡­as if you are an intelligent character.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t say that as if I am an idiot!!¡± (Sazan)


    While we were messing around with each other, the time for the conferral of honors approached, and we hurried to the deeper floor.


    The ceremony for the conferral of honors is deep at the first round shaped floor, and it will be taking place at a really big square floor like the ones used for wedding ceremonies.


    I did remember this being a pointless vast floor, but I haven¡¯t come to the Great Church that often, so I don¡¯t know what other events are performed here.


    ¡°Then, I will be opening it.¡± (Souma)


    I placed a hand on the door leading to the next room, and I asked for the last confirmation from my comrades.


    Once we take a step inside here, the ceremony will begin at once.


    Once we open this door, there¡¯s no turning back.


    That said, even if I say it is a conferral of honors, it is in the end still just one event in the game.


    The player would just get bored if it were too orthodox of a ceremony, and there¡¯s no way the Nekomimi Neko staff would create such a detailed event.


    Even when we are going to be appearing in front of the king, Mitsuki and I still have our swords, and Sazan still has his weird mask on, so you can tell how half-baked it is in those areas.


    At the very least, it was a simple event that ended in 2 minutes in the game.


    There¡¯s no need to be more nervous than necessary.


    After confirming that everyone nodded, I opened up the door without much energy.


    And then¡­


    ¡°Waaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!¡±


    The moment I opened the door, cheers so strong it had pressure in them attacked me, and I was on the verge of staggering to the back.


    ¡°W-What¡¯s this¡­?¡± (Souma)


    There are a whole lot of people in the room to the point that it made me wonder if there were these many people in the city.


    I was standing there, spaced out, and Mitsuki approached me and whispered into my ear.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you think that there were strangely few people around compared to this morning when we were coming here? Everyone gathered like this to see the hero that defeated the Demon Lord.¡± (Mitsuki)


    No way, is what I thought, but they were all praising our achievement of defeating the Demon Lord.


    Maybe because of the method, there were some people who were making wry smiles, but even with that, their cheers must be coming from the heart.


    (This is kinda impressive¡­) (Souma)


    Even in all 20 years of life in my original world, I have never had this much appreciation directed at me by others.


    I could feel my body trembling from the emotion.


    ¡°Now, puff out your chest proudly. Let everyone burn the sight of a hero in their eyes.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki gently pushed my back.


    Both sides of the floor were filled up with people, but only the path at the middle with the red carpet was open, and there were no obstructions there at all.


    I resolve myself and walk through the red carpet leading to the stage at the front of my comrades.


    ¡°Souma!¡±


    Maki jumped out from the side in the middle of it and joined our line.


    Maybe because she has been in the castle until now, Maki was wearing a princess-like dress.


    ¡°You are late, Maki.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°You are the one who is late, Souma! I thought you would save me from inside the castle this time around!!¡± (Maki)


    ¡®Even though I finally became a princess, what¡¯s the point now¡­¡¯ -is what Maki complained about.


    With her added to the group, our party is now complete, and we stopped a few meters before the king.


    After waiting for the noise of the audience to calm down, the King spoke.


    ¡°Nice to see you have come, heroes that slayed the Demon Lord: Mitsuki, Sazan, Ringo, Bear, Maki, and¡­¡±


    There, the eyes of the king stopped on Maki briefly for some reason, and then to me.


    I had a bad feeling about that action of his. The King warped his lips into a teasing smile and said this loudly.


    ¡°The ultimate hero, the Sinking Prince Souma!!¡±


    Once he said this, cheers bursted from both sides, and¡­


    (This name won¡¯t be haunting me for the rest of my life, right¡­?) (Souma)


    I was internally concerned about this.

 CH 138

    Light


    Dark


    Leaving aside the Sinking Prince matter, the conferral of honors ended pretty quickly to an anti-climatic degree.


    The only thing I didn¡¯t expect was the number of people. Aside from that, it was the same as the game.


    I received the Seal Neko Swordmaster Medal, and then¡­


    ¡°You really did well. You and your comrades are the pride of our country. Once the ceremony is over, we will celebrate your comrades¡­and you can do so as well.¡±


    The king whispered to me in a volume that only I could hear.


    (¡­Here it is!) (Souma)


    Contrary to the king who had stood up satisfied and left, my body was frozen over.


    The reality is that the biggest ¡®reward¡¯ of this conferral of honors event is not the medal item or the honor, but the words of the king just now.


    Actually, this was thought of as a bug at first, and it was written in the Nekomimi Neko Wiki¡¯s bug page as ¡®one of your comrades will have a sudden increase in affection (under investigation).


    After that, there were some who connected the dots of this unnatural increase in affection with the last words of the king, and it seems it was intended.


    Of course, research after research to verify this continued on, and this phenomenon was also completely clarified.


    It is now called the affection meter bonus after clearing the game, or heroine selection after clearing the game, but after you hear those words of the king, it has been verified that the first companion you speak to will have their affection increase drastically.


    The increase is 30 no matter the character.


    In a normal character event, you get 5 at most, so this is an outstanding increase.


    The way to use this varies between people, but most people would leave the companion they want to marry at 70 or more before clearing the game, and would increase it all the way to 100 with this bonus.


    (But what to do¡­) (Souma)


    The ceremony for the conferral of honors is done, and I think about this while leaving the Great Church together with my comrades.


    It is clear that the affection meter of this world works differently from the game.


    The affection prioritizes the feelings of the person themself rather than how the game works.


    That¡¯s why there¡¯s a part of me that¡¯s telling me¡­it is okay to ignore this bonus.


    This world tries to replicate the game¡¯s events and system as much as possible.


    Even this affection bonus, it may not directly become an increase in the affection of my comrade when talking to them, but they may take the words I say right now extremely positively.


    ¡­In that case, who should I talk to?


    In the sense of celebrating with my comrades, it is easy to make a choice who it should be. A person that I have passed thick and thin with.


    And the person who I have spent the longest time with¡­


    ¡°¡­Souma?¡±


    Is without doubt Ringo.


    I met her after Ina, but when it comes to time spent, it would be far and above Ringo.


    I have been saved countless times by her, and her existence has been cheering me up.


    The thing is Ringo is a bugged character and the princess that originally wouldn¡¯t have become your companion.


    She is probably outside the sphere of this affection bonus.


    Maki, who came together with me after the ceremony was over, and the Bear she is carrying are also outside of this for the same reason.


    In that case, the next candidate would be¡­


    ¡°You have been silent for a while now. Did something happen?¡±


    Holding outstanding potential and cuteness in her cat ears, as well as always contributing to the party: Mitsuki.


    She was an enemy at first, but even then, Mitsuki was dutiful, and the cat ears were cute.


    Since becoming a party member, she has worked as a fighting force, scout, in searching people, and as the first spear in battle. She has recently learned to be considerate with others, and her cat ears are cute.


    The option of giving words of appreciation to Mitsuki and the cat ears-chan is definitely there.


    But on the other hand, there¡¯s also the choice of going for the person that I normally wouldn¡¯t be able to get along with.


    ¡°Fufu, I am a hero. Fufufu¡­¡±


    I don¡¯t want to get along well with a pervert that¡¯s making a creepy smile under the mask, but obtaining the Stardust Flare that can only be obtained from the character event is necessary.


    It is an enticing idea to just accept this as just an increase in affection and speak to Sazan, so I can mitigate the pains in the future.


    On top of that, I don¡¯t know if this is intended or not, but the possible targets for this bonus are wide, and¡­as long as it is a character that you can make into a party member, it doesn¡¯t matter even if they are not currently in your party.


    Putting it in an extreme way, this affection bonus applies to people who I have not made into party members once, or even people I have met for the first time.


    This bonus could serve to increase my connections.


    ¡°¡­Ah.¡± (Souma)


    Just when I thought that, a single girl entered my vision.


    ¡°¡­Ina.¡± (Souma)


    She was still sitting on a bench close to the Great Church with her shoulders drooped.


    Seeing her like that, I felt embarrassed for being so calculative about everything.


    I don¡¯t even know whether this affection bonus really has an effect in this world.


    But whichever the case, I thought I should stop using something that¡¯s like controlling the heart of someone.


    (Let¡¯s use this bonus to cheer up Ina.) (Souma)


    There may be the matter with the ring, but the affection has already reached 100, and we have already married, so there¡¯s probably barely any meaning in using the affection bonus on her.


    My hesitation was gone.


    I ran to Ina in order to cheer her up as soon as possible.


    ¡°AH!¡± (Souma)


    That wasn¡¯t good.


    I lacked attention to my surroundings and ended up crashing onto someone who came out from the alley.


    ¡°I am sorry! Are you okay?¡± (Souma)


    I hurriedly extended a hand towards the person that was on their butt, and I then noticed I let out my voice.


    I cursed and covered my mouth, but it was already too late.


    No, it can¡¯t be helped.


    It is not like I can¡¯t apologize to the person I crashed onto, and there should be no problems as long as this person isn¡¯t someone I can turn into a companion.


    Thinking this, I look at the person I crashed onto and¡­


    ¡°¡­¡­Eh?¡± (Souma)


    That moment, I felt as if my heart stopped.


    The face of the person was covered by a shabby light matcha color hood.


    But what I could feel was an overwhelming sense of foreboding.


    The most recent memory in my gaming days was stimulated.


    I could hear clattering sounds from somewhere.


    I thought it was quite the annoying sound, but it was actually my teeth clattering.


    (You are kidding, right¡­? Such a coincidence¡­) (Souma)


    But my wish was mercilessly crushed.


    The hood fell off to the back.


    What peeked out from underneath was dull blond hair and a face dirtied with soot.


    ¡°A-Aah¡­¡± (Souma)


    An unintelligible groan leaked out from my mouth.


    And then, from her unclean -but beautiful at close inspection- lips¡­


    ¡°¡­Dad?¡±


    That dreadful sound came out.


    (¡ª[Step]!!) (Souma)


    It was practically by reflex.


    I unsheathe Shiranui and the Golden Sakura and¡­


    ([High Step][Ground Compression][High Jump], [Instant Charge], [Step][High Step][Ground Compression]!) (Souma)


    I left that place at full speed.


    Stuff like ¡®I shouldn¡¯t use weapons in the city¡¯ or ¡®I am leaving my comrades behind¡¯ had completely gone out of my head.


    (This is bad this is bad this is bad this is bad!!) (Souma)


    The only thing inside my head was the desire to escape from this place at once.


    I took distance with movement skills, got up the roof with High Jump and Instant Charge, and once again ran through the roof with movement skills, crashing on a chimney to stop.


    This is my utmost attempt to escape right now.


    Normal people wouldn¡¯t have even been able to tell what happened.


    I regained a bit of my calm after buying some distance, and looked back at where the blonde girl was at¡­


    ¡ªAnd I made eye-contact with the girl who was looking straight at me.


    ¡°Aaaaaaah¡­ Uwaaaah!!¡± (Souma)


    ¡­I don¡¯t remember clearly what happened after that.


    ¡°Hnnn¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I opened my eyes at the poking I could feel at my cheek.


    ¡°Hiih?!¡± (Souma)


    I was surprised by the bloodstained kitchen knife that was suddenly right in front of me, but I was relieved when I saw who was holding it.


    ¡°Chris¡­tina? Did you come to wake me up?¡± (Souma)


    How did I get back?


    I was lying on the floor of the mansion by the time I noticed.


    The dolls of the mansion were surrounding me probably because they were worried about me.


    That in itself makes me happy, but I unfortunately am not in a mental state that can allow me to mind them.


    I pulled out Rachel who was trying to enter my clothes, and after moving away Daniel who was all feisty on my back, I got up and sat.


    ¡°Why¡­ Why have things turned out like this¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I held my head.


    My body is still trembling.


    It is true that ¡®her¡¯ action sphere is close to the Great Church.


    That¡¯s why I tried to not get close to that place as much as possible, and me lacking caution was my own fault.


    Even if so, isn¡¯t it fine to not show up at such pinpoint timing?


    ¡°Shadow¡­Assassin¡­¡± (Souma)


    The nickname of that girl leaked out from my mouth.


    But that¡¯s not the only one.


    Shadow Assassin, Walking Dead End, Night Stalker, Spirit of Jealousy, Poison Butterfly, Soul Eye, Eternal Chaser, the Lover on your Back, Immortal Love Flag, Backside Grim Reaper, Yandere Queen, and Player Killer.


    Within all the characters in Nekomimi Neko, she has the most nicknames, and is the forbidden party member candidate that you definitely must not increase the affection meter of if you treasure your life.


    And within the unofficial ranking of the most dangerous NPCs in the capital, there¡¯s Sazan in 2nd place, Poison-tan in 3rd, and her as the immoveable top.


    ¡°¡­Leila. Leila Milton.¡± (Souma)


    She is the one who uses the instant death ability, Death to the Infidel!!

 CH 139

    Light


    Dark


    ¡°¡­Actually,  I am not someone from this world.¡± (Souma)


    When everyone had returned to the mansion, I suddenly opened up with this.


    ¡°¡­Huh?¡± (Mitsuki)


    My sudden confession made even the iron mask of Mitsuki crumble.


    Her cat ears stood up frozen, and her eyes that are normally unshakeable were opened wide here.


    Sazan was looking over here as if saying ¡®what¡¯s with this guy? A chuunibyou?¡¯.


    ¡°Eh? ¡­¡­Eh?¡± (Ina)


    Ina, who was close to recovering, was pushed off to a panic from this drastic shock.


    Maki was also looking over here truly shocked by this while still in her princess attire¡­wait, why is it that even you are getting surprised by this?


    The only one who doesn¡¯t seem to be that shocked is the unchanging Ringo, and maybe the Bear who is placing a hand on its mouth as if just doing it for the show.


    Ringo seemed to be half-expecting this, she was calm, and you could say she is comparatively calmer than the time when I had suddenly ran away and she was worried about me.


    ¡°¡­So that¡¯s your secret?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Yeah.¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki, who still hasn¡¯t recovered from the shock, asked me this, and I nodded without mudding it out.


    But even Mitsuki is like this.


    I might have been a bit too impatient here, but it can¡¯t be helped.


    This is an emergency. Every second counts.


    There¡¯s no time to wait for the night.


    ¡°It might end up being a bit too long, but please listen. The chances of this world having been made based on a game that existed there is high. Uhm, as for what a game is in terms of this world¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡­After that, I took a lot of time to explain to Ringo and the others.


    About our world.


    About the game that I got hooked on: New Communicate Online.


    After that, also the bare minimum knowledge about the game.


    I began by explaining about TVs and computers; about the origin of computer games; about the genre called RPGs, and how it goes all the way back to TRPGs; about the history of fantasy games; about the fierce game competition that dragged all the game industry; about computers and the game¡¯s machine power, interface, and the evolution of it; about the variety of game genres, the birth of them, and their prosperity; about the appearance of VR games, the chaos that came with it, and their regulations; a muddy dispute about games between the natural voice faction (conservative faction + 3 dimensional voice actor principle) and the synthesized voice faction (artificial voice acceptance faction + old vocaloid support faction)¡­and by the time we entered that part, Maki scolded me for some reason about me doing pointless talk.


    ¡­.Even though this is an important talk¡­


    It can¡¯t be helped, so I reluctantly omitted that part, and told them the details of the incident where Maki found a mysterious tool at the warehouse, and how Maki and I came to this world¡­and also about how this world resembles the game I played¡­no, about the high chance of this world being made with that game as the base.


    ¡°¡­Something like that¡­I find it hard to believe.¡± (Mitsuki)


    The first one to react was of course Mitsuki.


    She muttered this with an even colder expression than her usual one.


    The cat ears on top of her head were fluttering as if finding this unpleasant.


    ¡°Saying this world was born for such a reason is a bad joke. Also, I don¡¯t understand well what¡¯s this about being a game, but if that¡¯s true, it means that you are aware of everything about this world, right? Even if it isn¡¯t impossible to, I can¡¯t bring myself to accept that.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Mitsuki¡­¡± (Souma)


    Now that I think about it, within this group of people, Mitsuki is actually unexpectedly the one with the most common sense.


    It is a pretty out of the world topic to begin with, so it can¡¯t be helped that they wouldn¡¯t accept it immediately.


    ¡°¡­I-I think it is okay to believe it.¡± (Ina)


    Within that, the one who said this contrasting opinion in a low but clear manner was Ina.


    ¡°Uhm, the scale is so overwhelming that it really doesn¡¯t click with me, but I have seen from up-close how Souma-san would do things that you normally wouldn¡¯t think of.


    That¡¯s why, after hearing this, I feel as if the mystery has been completely cleared up.¡± (Ina)


    Saying this, Ina directed a slightly awkward smile at me.


    ¡°See, for example, when the Magic Airship I was riding crashed, Souma-san, who said he would never marry, declared to me in such a manner. I found that strange the whole time.


    I thought it was out of pity, but it was because you wanted to save me using that game knowledge, right?¡± (Ina)


    Ina smiled as if saying ¡®it makes sense now¡¯, and then, she rubbed her eyes countless times in an inconspicuous way.


    ¡°Ina, I¡­¡± (Souma)


    The guilt stabbed at my heart.


    Words couldn¡¯t come out immediately.


    However, I had to say something and was about to open my mouth, but¡­


    ¡°Y-You pervert!!¡±


    Something suddenly came flying at me, and the solemn atmosphere was destroyed.


    I reflexively caught what came flying at me, and it was a familiar doll.


    The person itself that was thrown had both of its arms raised in glee here, but this is not good.


    I directed strict eyes at the culprit and¡­


    ¡°Oi, Sazan! No matter the situation, throwing Rachel is¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Shut up, you pervert!¡± (Sazan)


    He continued throwing dolls at me, no questions asked.


    After that, Daniel, Jennifer, Liliana, the Bear, Franziska; familiar dolls were being thrown at me.


    ¡°Wait! Ah, not Christina! She has a kitchen knife! It would be no joke if that hit me!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°S-Shut up! You¡­You bastard¡­u-ugaaah!!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan was not stopping.


    He continued throwing every doll at arm¡¯s length while trembling.


    No matter how long I waited, the dolls were not running out, but when I looked, it was actually that the dolls were voluntarily going back to Sazan and creating a loop.


    Looks like even being thrown is like an attraction for them.


    No wonder it never ended.


    ¡°D-Damn it! You knew it the whole time, didn¡¯t you?! About this abominable mask of darkness, and about the fate of my bloodstained blood heritage¡­¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°C-Calm down! You are overlapping blood with blood there, and I don¡¯t know anything about your bare face or your family circumstances!¡± (Souma)


    I say this with a pale face while looking at him raising Christina and¡­


    ¡°¡­What¡­?¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan finally stopped.


    I desperately try to persuade him in this opening.


    ¡°I was adventuring solo in the game, so I don¡¯t know much about the other characters! I didn¡¯t have much interest in you, so I haven¡¯t gotten involved with you at all after obtaining the convenient spell, and I have not heard at all about what your circumstances are!¡± (Souma)


    In the first place, the game didn¡¯t make it clear how Sazan looked below that mask or his family circumstances.


    He was actually pretty popular among a number of shota enjoyers and chuunibyous.


    I have heard of players that were desperately searching for the marriage events of Sazan, and I also know about how people have tried a variety of things to see the face of Sazan.


    But I have not heard of any of those actually achieving anything.


    According to opinions on the net, there is indeed lore of Sazan set in the game, but maybe because there was no time in production, or because they were saving it for the next game, there were many who speculated that it might not have been implemented in the game.


    ¡°I-I see¡­ I see.¡± (Sazan)


    It seems like Sazan believed me for now and looked relieved but, at the same time, he seemed somewhat displeased by it as he fell silent.


    It is not like I am not interested in a secret that would warrant him to call me a pervert, but I honestly don¡¯t want to get too deeply involved with him.


    Anyways, I thought things would be wrapped up with this, but¡­


    ¡°¡­Is that true?!¡±


    ¡°Uwa!¡± (Souma)


    This time around, someone latched on from an unexpected place.


    Mitsuki had approached from behind at an unknown point in time, and was looking at me with a serious face.


    ¡°W-What do you mean by ¡®is that true¡¯?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°About the part where you don¡¯t know the background of each person in detail.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki asked with her usual cold beauty and her cat ears flapping busily on top of her head while I was completely overwhelmed by her.


    ¡°This is just a harmless example, but you don¡¯t know what exact meaning it holds to head to a certain dungeon with a certain someone, right?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°That¡­¡± (Souma)


    I remember now.


    I have been invited by Mitsuki to go together with her to the Mirage Dungeon.


    And the meaning it held in the game.


    I once again observe the face of Mitsuki.


    That cold and freezing face of hers, now that I look closely, seems as if she is simply tense from unease and nervousness.


    The cat ears that I thought were flapping out of displeasure could be taken as her being flustered here.


    ¡°How is it?¡± (Mitsuki)


    I was hurried, so I answered quickly.


    ¡°N-No, I didn¡¯t know about uhm¡­that, and I have not done the event where I go alone with you to the dungeon in the game.¡± (Souma)


    When I talk about that, I of course mean her tail, and while at it, I gave her an answer that¡¯s pretty close to not being a lie regarding the Mirage Cave.


    I think she is the one in the wrong for trying to deceive me, but if I were to admit that here, I feel like things would get even worse.


    Hearing what I said, strength left Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears and they went ¡®funya~¡¯.


    ¡°¡­I see. I was talking about all the people in general, so there was no need to mention me in specific, but I understand.¡± (Mitsuki)


    The cat ears were still lacking all strength as if saying ¡®that was close~¡¯, and Mitsuki¡¯s sharp expression had returned.


    ¡°¡­Then, I will also believe in what you said.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Eh?!¡± (Souma)


    I was surprised by the sudden change in stance, but Mitsuki said with a gentle tone.


    ¡°Considering the way this world came about and the origins of your special techniques, it does create complicated emotions in me, but just as Ina-san said, it is true that a lot of things do click with that explanation.


    Also, no matter the reason, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that you saved the people of this city and this world. I think it should be fine for you to be proud of yourself.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°R-Right. Thanks, Mitsuki.¡± (Souma)


    I-I wonder why, even though that sounds really nice, I can¡¯t really take it to heart when considering what she said before.


    I think she is saying this from the bottom of her heart, but that feeling of this speech being added later is really strong.


    But with Mitsuki, who was the most against what I said, giving in here, the atmosphere around turned softer at a rapid pace.


    Even though I broke out such an outrageous topic, it seems like my comrades will be accepting it.


    Just when I was internally sighing in relief¡­


    ¡°¡­Souma.¡±


    The girl that didn¡¯t say a word until now walked to the front.


    ¡°Ringo¡­?¡± (Souma)


    That expression of hers that is stiffer than even Mitsuki or Ina made me gulp.


    Even if unintentional, everyone¡¯s gazes gathered here, and Ringo asked with a keen and strained expression¡­


    ¡°¡­Are you¡­going back to your world?¡± (Ringo)


    No one could say anything immediately.


    Going back to my original world or not; it is a topic that can¡¯t be avoided if we talk about this.


    My response to that unavoidable question is¡­


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s my intention.¡± (Souma)


    I answered clearly.


    Those words made Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears cower, made Sazan look away, made Maki cover her face apologetically, and Ina opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something.


    As for Ringo¡­


    ¡°¡­Hn. Then I will assist you.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo smiled faintly.


    This might be the first smile I see from Ringo, but for some reason, that smile of hers hit me harder in the chest than any other smile.


    I hurriedly added to that as if I was chased after.


    ¡°O-Of course, I do plan on returning, but I am still in the middle of considering if to or not. There¡¯s no preparations and a lot is still missing anyways. I have thought of a method, but that¡¯s¡­ah!!¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s when I finally remembered why I was telling this to everyone.


    Returning or not is a big problem, but there¡¯s an emergency right now.


    ¡°Maki!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh?! Ah, what?¡± (Maki)


    Maki must have been caught completely off-guard, she jumped at her name being called.


    ¡°The item gathering in order to return! I told you before to have a knight on Leila and obtain the item, right? What happened to that?!¡± (Souma)


    Right after reuniting with Maki, I had Maki move the Knight Order, and asked her to obtain the event item from Leila.


    If that went well, things will be a lot simpler.


    I looked at Maki with expectation, but¡­


    ¡°Aah, about that. Yeah, it didn¡¯t work at all.¡± (Maki)


    Maki easily destroyed my hopes.


    ¡°Not at all?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yup, not at all.¡± (Maki)


    I parroted Maki¡¯s words and she reaffirmed it.


    According to Maki, she grew wary just from knights approaching her, and it wasn¡¯t even possible to have a decent talk with her.


    ¡°Seriously¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I felt as if my vision was growing pitch dark.


    My plan to return requires the item you get from Leila¡¯s event¡­no, the spell.


    But the knights that don¡¯t have the player attribute and have no knowledge of the game would find it hard to get close to Leila.


    (So I can¡¯t just run away, huh.) (Souma)


    I didn¡¯t want to do this if possible, but it can¡¯t be helped.


    I steel myself.


    ¡°Is something the matter with this Leila girl?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­The one from before?¡± (Ringo)


    Mitsuki asked in wonder and Ringo was unexpectedly sharp.


    ¡°If it is exactly as in the game, the chances of me being killed by Leila are high at this rate.¡± (Souma)


    The moment I said this, a commotion was raised between my comrades.


    I stopped that and¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s why I will incapacitate her before that happens. I think it will be rougher than anything before, but I would like to borrow the strength of everyone.¡± (Souma)


    I lowered my head at everyone with every fiber of sincerity I had.


    ¡°¡­Hn.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°You don¡¯t even need to ask.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Of course!¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Hmph! Can¡¯t be helped.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°I-I will of course help out too!!¡± (Ina)


    Ringo, Mitsuki, Maki, Sazan, and Ina answered favorably.


    And then, Mitsuki asked as if representing everyone.


    ¡°Cooperating is fine and all, but what exactly are we going to do?¡± (Mitsuki)


    That¡¯s why I tell everyone energetically as if to answer their passion.


    ¡°Putting it simply, we are going to bring a handsome guy from deep in the mountains, have Leila fall in love with him, and snatch the event item! The name of the plan will be ¡®Fake Prince Charming¡¯!!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡ªThat¡¯s how history¡¯s worst and most terrible plan began.

 CH 140

    Light


    Dark


    ¡ªName of the plan: Fake Prince Charming.


    The air around died the moment I said this, so I spoke the details of the plan as if to smooth it over.


    When I did, my comrades that were speechless at first had their life return to their faces as the talk progressed, and by the time I finished talking about it, everyone was reproaching me energetically.


    ¡­Hm?


    ¡°Souma, you are the worst!¡± (Maki)


    Maki saying this opened the floodgates and¡­


    ¡°Y-You really are one unapologetical pervert.¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan was flabbergasted.


    ¡°Souma-san¡­¡± (Ina)


    Even Ina who was comparatively sympathetic about me was looking at me sadly.


    And most of all¡­


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    The look Mitsuki was giving me in silence was painful.


    It is as if she is looking at a pebble on the road¡­at the corpse of a fly on that pebble. I probably won¡¯t be able to forget this cold gaze of hers for the rest of my life.


    This is the first time I have been directed such eyes of scorn from Mitsuki¡­no, it might actually be the second time.


    Anyways, my heart is not so stout as to endure gazes like these.


    ¡°W-Wait! Listen properly to what I have to say! Leila is really that dangerous!¡± (Souma)


    I raise my voice in order to escape from those gazes.


    No, it is true that this time¡¯s plan is no joke horrible, but lives are at stake here, so we have to do this much.


    In the past, a Nekomimi Neko player compared Leila to a bomb.


    I personally think that to be a good comparison.


    I don¡¯t know much about the event of Leila, but due to the necessity of avoiding danger, I have the minimum amount of knowledge about her.


    ¡ªAnd if that knowledge is correct, the fuse of the bomb called Leila has already been ignited.


    It still remains fresh in my mind that Train-chan (Ina) ended up alone due to system convenience, and she chased me around with tenacity like that of a stalker.


    However, that¡¯s more of a consequence of it, or like, an accident that happened because the real world was adopting the game setting. It is not like Ina herself has the personality of a stalker or is a loner.


    What that basically means is that the Ina of the game and reality created a discrepancy. She is an artificial loner character.


    But not Leila.


    After her only family, her father, died an early death, she didn¡¯t open up her heart to anyone, and has been living alone the whole time. That¡¯s her official background story.


    She is a loner from the root.


    And at the same time, it is also an official trait of hers that she would show abnormal levels of affection towards people she has gotten close to.


    That Leila, who is said to love troubling the player more than eating her 3 meals a day, is the strongest yandere stalker character that the Nekomimi Neko staff has molded.


    She is a character that¡¯s casually on the official introduction page, and what¡¯s written there is:


    [Leila Milton: Woman


    19 years old.


    She is skilled, but she closed off her heart when she lost her parents a few years ago.


    She is brusque when you meet her at first, but when you get close to her¡­she also has a passionate side to her, and she will only fall in love with one man for her whole life.]


    An introduction that you could only think of it as bait to lure in the player.


    And the reality is that many players were baited by this introduction page at the early stages of Nekomimi Neko, and tried to get close to Leila.


    ¡­Without knowing that what waited ahead of them was despair.


    The troubling and ingenious part of Leila¡¯s event is that you can¡¯t predict such a disaster at the beginning.


    Leila at the beginning can¡¯t be called a sociable character at all just like the introduction page said.


    She is a character that¡¯s said to have 3 phases of evolution, and she changes drastically depending on her affection towards the player.


    Beginning with the lowest, it goes: Tsuntsun, tsundere, deretsun, death stalker. <TLN: Tsun means cold, dere means affectionate.>


    It is a name that makes you wonder what happened between the 3rd and the 4th, but it is not like I was the one who decided that, so don¡¯t mind it.


    First, in her tsuntsun phase, Leila is abnormally cold. Or more like, there¡¯s barely any chance to communicate.


    Her appearance was already the kind where she rejected human interaction. Wearing a tattered cloak big enough to cover her whole body, with hood on, and even when you talk to her, she won¡¯t react.


    If you try to talk to her despite all that, she would run away.


    It is terribly difficult to increase her affection in a short period of time from here, and this is actually the phase that¡¯s the most difficult to trigger the events of Leila.


    Even so, her affection will increase when you encounter her. There¡¯s no changes in her appearance, but even when she looks as if she is annoyed by you, the affection will increase exponentially the more you talk to her.


    And now, this is the important part. Because of her special trait called Little Sister Love Flag, her affection will never lower¡­


    You can make contact with her, ignoring even the influence affection. No matter what terrible attitude you take, you will always be able to get along with her as long as you take your time.


    Once you get out of the rough tsuntsun phase, what awaits you is the tsundere domain.


    It is said that this is the most interesting part of her events.


    She never tried to get involved with other people, but she will begin to try and talk to you despite being a bit clumsy about it. There may not be any big events or quests, but a number of small events regarding her will happen.


    In her tsuntsun phase, the affection meter only increased by a little bit once a day, but now it would increase by leaps and bounds depending on how you do it.


    That¡¯s why players would increase her affection in one go and step too deep.


    And then, when the affection meter goes up to 50 in her 2nd phase, she will go¡­


    ¡°I¡­might not hate you¡­¡±


    She will leak this and you will enter the 3rd phase, the deretsun.


    That¡¯s where we finally enter her main event. An exploration quest to historic ruins (obtaining the item we need starts from there) and, at the same time, it is also where the hell of the player begins.


    When you reach the 3rd phase, Leila will evolve into a splendid maiden.


    Her faded blond hair will be properly taken care of, and she would show cheerfulness and gloss that would make the girls in the world envy her. Her skin that was dirtied with soot and mud would now be all glossy and sparkly, and even the clothes she wears will grow fancy in one go. Her defense will also go up.


    Her love towards the player will be shown clearly in between all her shyness, and there were many who would be charmed by that contrast in her beginning days and now.


    But you can only enjoy that state of hers for only a few minutes¡­no, depending on the person, it could only take a few seconds.


    At this stage, her yandere traits will bloom.


    Nekomimi Neko doesn¡¯t have a dating system of boyfriend and girlfriend. Yet, despite not going out with Leila or anything, whenever the player interacts with a girl in front of Leila, her hidden parameter, the jealousy gauge, will increase.


    And when this reaches max, she will do a literal instant kill attack: Death to the Infidel!!


    Putting it simply, Death to the Infidel!! Is a stabbing attack with a knife, but it has the instant death effect on the player. If it hits the player, no matter what stats the player may have, they will definitely die.


    Or more like, even a scratch will lead to instant death.


    No matter how good your equipment is, it goes through it, and even if you use another character to shield yourself, don¡¯t know the logic, but it also goes through that person too.


    Moreover, Leila also gets agility up, infinite stamina, and even super armor and status immunity, so you can¡¯t even keep her at bay.


    Your only means of escape is to avoid or run away which is the worst way to tackle it for a player.


    By the way, the reason why that phase is called deretsun is not because ¡®she is normally all affectionate, but gets all cold when the two are alone¡¯, it is because ¡®she is normally affectionate, but when you cheat on her, she will leave you cold (with a knife)¡¯.


    I really want to say that¡¯s not tsun in a lot of meanings.


    Moreover, her boiling point for jealousy is terribly low.


    If you try to make a female character into a party member, stab with a knife!


    If you have a chat with a female character, stab!


    Even if a female character is the one that comes to talk to you, stab!


    Even if you do some shopping at the item store where the female clerk is at, stab!


    I experienced this myself, so there¡¯s no doubt about it.


    It isn¡¯t impossible, but you won¡¯t be able to play the game properly like that.


    This is when the player will finally notice¡­


    ¡ªCrap, this woman is a landmine.


    The next thing that players will do after noticing this is to harass Leila.


    They would do friendly fire, throw away equipment, and give affection down items.


    They would try to lower the affection of Leila with any means thinkable.


    But there¡¯s absolutely no chance this will lead to anything.


    Little Sister Love Flag is not for show.


    That harassment serves of no effect on Leila.


    No, at this point, anything the player does to Leila increases her affection, so it instead does the complete opposite.


    As a result, either the affection of Leila will go over 75, or if you clear her main quest, the historic ruins exploration, she will evolve into her final form the next day.


    ¡ªLeila¡¯s 4th phase: Death Stalker.


    I have only heard about it, but the beauty of Leila will be polished even more here. A halo would appear every time she spoke, and light particles would dance around her when she moved, so they call that figure of hers a poison butterfly shedding scales of light.


    Her stalker level will obviously level up.


    She would give the player the heirloom, Eye of the Heavens.


    This item that the father of Leila had found at some ruins somewhere has an effect similar to the Explorer Ring of Mitsuki.


    But the difference between the Explorer Ring is that it is not to learn about the location of the target, but the opposite. It is an item that lets the other party know of your location.


    If you are given this, it is your end. Leila will always know your location, and the very moment you separate from her, she will chase after you regardless of day or night by relying on its reaction.


    There¡¯s apparently a player who ended up going too far and killing her, but on that occasion, you will be labeled as the killer of your lover, and you will be hated by the NPCs, and go straight down the outlaw playthrough.


    Not only that, no matter the reason, when the high affection Leila dies, the affection from all the influences will drop to the ground. This happens regardless if you do MPK <monster player kill> or do so from terrain damage.


    ¡®Then, just throw away the Eye of the Heavens¡¯ -is what people would say, but that¡¯s also difficult.


    The Eye of the Heavens has the indestructible attribute, and if it is away from the player for more than 24 hours, it returns to your hand on its own. How kind of them.


    There was a simple exploit that allowed you to destroy indestructible items, but it has already been fixed, so you are technically checkmated the moment the Eye of the Heavens is given to you.


    When I finished my long explanation, Mitsuki asked me in wonder with her cat ears twitching.


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t really get it. I now understand how dangerous this Leila person is, but doesn¡¯t this just mean that you just have to make sure not to get involved with her from now on?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Yeah, that¡¯s what you would normally think.


    But that¡¯s not it.


    If it could be solved with that, I wouldn¡¯t be panicking this much.


    ¡°No, the item that we will be needing from the ruins can¡¯t be cleared without Leila. Also, I have never done that quest even once. I don¡¯t know how to clear the ruins and don¡¯t know its location either.¡± (Souma)


    It would be more accurate to say that I was in the middle of doing the quest.


    I had raised the affection of Leila to the point of deretsun before coming to this world, and we were about to head to the ruins together as an escort NPC.


    There wasn¡¯t any item I needed at that time, but I wanted to try doing the infamous event of Leila and obtaining the famous spell that you can get in the ruins.


    However, I saved right before when Leila¡¯s affection was at 24, so that I could turn back at any time.


    I saved it at a spot where it is barely at the point of tsuntsun.


    The reason for that is¡­


    ¡°Also, if you raise the affection of Leila to the 2nd phase, tsundere, you can¡¯t turn back anymore.¡± (Souma)


    This is the biggest trap set by the Nekomimi Neko staff.


    Anyone can tell how dangerous it is when Leila enters the 3rd phase, deretsun.


    That¡¯s why, there were many who would save before Leila¡¯s affection reached 50, where she enters deretsun, or simply before getting stabbed.


    But that¡¯s already too late.


    Way too late.


    Leila, who falls in love with love, can have her feelings exacerbated by not being able to meet you.


    That¡¯s right. The special trait that competes with Little Sister Love Flag, the automatic affection up: Up Count of Death!


    ¡°C-Caunt of Des¡­?¡±


    Maki, who is bad with this engrish stuff, had her eyes wide open, so I explained it in a simple way.


    ¡°When Leila goes over 25 affection and enters the 2nd phase, even without meeting the other party, her feelings will still increase. Putting it in game terms, it means that her affection meter increases automatically. In an extreme way, even if you didn¡¯t meet her once after she turned tsundere, there¡¯s still a chance you will get stabbed the next time you meet.¡± (Souma)


    This is why she is compared with a bomb, and one of the reasons why her danger level is ranked number one among the NPCs of the capital.


    Even if the Nekomimi Neko players knew about the visible danger, they understandably couldn¡¯t notice the invisible danger that was slowly creeping its way.


    And so, the players that increased the affection of Leila all the way up to 25 had entered a debt they couldn¡¯t pay back.


    ¡°U-Uhm, but there¡¯s the chance that Leila-san hasn¡¯t entered the tsundere phase yet¡­¡± (Ina)


    Maki had fallen silent, so Ina took her place and said this as if trying to comfort me, but there¡¯s no such hope.


    ¡°No, actually, when Leila goes from tsuntsun to tsundere, she would always say a certain line. A line when seeing her most beloved deceased father on the player. She would look at the player and say¡­¡®Dad?¡¯.¡± (Souma)


    From how I am saying this, everyone must have already noticed that she has already said this.


    ¡°T-Then, could it be that it is already¡­¡± (Maki)


    Maki asked nervously, and I answered with a smile as if I had reached enlightenment.


    ¡°Yeah, I am already done for.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­I-I see.¡± (Maki)


    Maki looked daunted at what I said, but she still asked without giving up.


    ¡°B-But even if so, she is still a human, right? Can¡¯t we just do something and get along with everyone?¡± (Maki)


    I snorted at the way too naive¡­no, at the words of someone not used to Nekomimi Neko.


    ¡°You can say that because you haven¡¯t been stabbed by Leila in the game, Maki. Even if it is the same slime, if you put a Yellow Slime by the side of a Stray Slime, what do you think will happen? This is technically that.¡± (Souma)


    Maki frowned, probably imagining it.


    ¡°¡­Is Souma going to be¡­eaten?¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo looked up at me with eyes of worry.


    Maki hurriedly followed up.


    ¡°I-It is going to be okay, it is going to be okay. This Leila person may stab, but I don¡¯t think she would eat people¡­ah.¡± (Maki)


    But it seems like she noticed something in the middle and fell silent with her face flushed.


    ¡­You¡­what did you imagine just now?


    But considering the source of her nickname Night Stalker, it might not be that far¡­


    ¡°Anyways! The way to somehow get out of this is to use her yandere trait and have her fall in love with someone else!!¡± (Souma)


    I shouted this in order to shake away my hesitation.


    No, there¡¯s actually methods to incapacitate really obstructive NPCs like ¡®the Infinite Corridor Suppression¡¯ or ¡®the Eternal Stone Statue¡¯, but doing this to an actual person has way too many ethical issues.


    This plan that I couldn¡¯t perform in the game and has a lot of unknown factors, the Fake Prince Charming, is still within the peaceful spectrum.


    Looks like my comrades agreed reluctantly after seeing my energy.


    But only Ringo, who hadn¡¯t shown any reaction until now¡­


    ¡°¡­If it were me¡­¡± (Ringo)


    Was about to say something, but when our eyes met, she shook her head and fell silent.


    It seems like there really are parts she finds it hard to accept, but it can¡¯t be helped.


    Striking first is crucial. I decided to carry out this plan before they change their mind.


    ¡°That¡¯s why, I will be bringing the partner of Leila now. Let¡¯s go, Sazan!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Eh? Me?¡± (Sazan)


    I grabbed Sazan, who was spacing out, unable to keep up with the situation, and we rushed out of the mansion.

 CH 141

    Light


    Dark


    After leaving the mansion, we immediately rushed through the city, and went straight east.


    Leila is a character that has written on the official page ¡®will fall in love with only one man in her whole life¡¯.


    I don¡¯t know the exact definition of love, but if the affection of Leila reaches the deretsun stage, it would be certain that she is in love.


    If it ends up like that before the plan, there¡¯s the chance that my plan will evaporate to foam.


    With the Up Count of Death activated, the more time you leave it be, the more dangerous it gets.


    Also, that¡¯s not the only risk of the passing of time.


    Leila is a complete loner, so she doesn¡¯t know much about the information around the world.


    She probably still doesn¡¯t know that I am a famous person and called the Sinking Prince.


    However, as the phases go up, her social ability will increase.


    If she were to discover my identity through news somewhere, she would be able to find me even without the Eye of the Heavens.


    She would at the very least be able to know where I live by just asking a few people.


    And if she were to learn that my party has a lot of women, my death flag would stand immediately.


    There¡¯s already no time to waste.


    My only way of salvation is to make a countermeasure quickly.


    Fortunately, I have the necessary items thanks to the shopping spree of before and buying the required items for our countermeasures against the Demon Lord.


    Next would be to secure our helper as quickly as possible to perform the plan.


    Thinking this, I hurried Sazan, but¡­


    ¡°W-Wait! Haste makes waste! We should stack care with care, and take one step at a time with certainty¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°You are already wasted¡­?¡± (Souma)


    Sazan complained at once.


    But this time around, I am the one being selfish, so¡­


    ¡°¡­It can¡¯t be helped. Here.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh¡­?¡± (Sazan)


    When I offered him my back, Sazan let out a voice of confusion.


    ¡°What¡¯s up? Get on already.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°O-Okay. Ah, no, but¡­you know¡­¡± (Sazan)


    He demanded to get piggybacked just before, and yet, he is acting like this. He is so weird.


    Sazan was hesitating an awful lot here, but he must have eventually resolved himself.


    ¡°B-Be honored to be able to have me on your back!¡± (Sazan)


    He rode on my back with strange awkward movements that couldn¡¯t be hidden by his energetic words.


    I don¡¯t know what brought this change in attitude, but he is not like himself.


    Well, not like I understand the thoughts of Sazan, and I am fine not understanding them.


    I am sure I won¡¯t care about that stuff once I run at full speed.


    ¡°Now then, I will be running.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°W-Wait, my heart isn¡¯t rea¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    I fixed the position of Sazan while he was about to say something and began to run at full speed.


    ¡°¡ªWa, wait, you bastard, that¡¯s too fa¡ªgyaaaaaaaaah!!¡± (Sazan)


    And then, a few minutes later¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry. It is my fault.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I-I am not crying! I was just about to pee myself a little bit¡­ Wait, what are you making me say, you pervert!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Stop that, it makes me not want to carry you.¡± (Souma)


    Sazan was downed because I got a bit too into it and ran too fast.


    I don¡¯t know if I should mock Sazan as being weak, or if I should admonish myself for running way too fast without caring about Sazan.


    ¡°Well, leaving aside the fact that you peed yourself¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I haven¡¯t!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°¡­Anyways, rest for a bit. If you want to, you can even go to sleep.¡± (Souma)


    I told Sazan this out of consideration, but the reaction of Sazan was a bit different.


    ¡°W-Wait! Are we really resting here?! We are surrounded by an astounding amount of enemies, and magic flies at us sometimes!!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan whines and waves his arm as if showing our current situation of being surrounded by monsters.


    ¡°You idiot, don¡¯t raise your head! Magic is going to hit you!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Uuuh¡­!¡± (Sazan)


    Magic passed overhead just at that moment and Sazan let out a strange sound.


    ¡­He might have peed himself there this time around.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry. This is the¡­safe zone of this area. It was so in the game at least.¡± (Souma)


    The place we are at is at the top of a rock that is at the very center of the field.


    There¡¯s no monster that can climb rocks, and the long range attacks of the monsters here are only projectile spells. The shooting range is short and flies straight, so they can¡¯t hit us at all because of the angle¡­probably.


    The reality is that Ina almost died at the top of a tree that was also supposed to be a safe zone.


    It was a safe zone in the game, but I can¡¯t say for sure it will be absolutely safe in this world.


    But, different from a tree, I doubt this will be that easy to break, and there¡¯s no signs of trouble until now, so it is probably going to be okay.


    ¡°E-Even if you tell me it is safe, are you really telling me to sleep in the midst of monster cries and spells?!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°What can I even do then¡­¡± (Souma)


    We have gone pretty deep in, and there¡¯s no other place to rest.


    Enemies won¡¯t be able to get all the way here, and magic won¡¯t hit, so there¡¯s no choice but to just think of it as BGM.


    ¡°Well, for now, just accept it and lie down¡­ If you roll in your sleep and fall, you will probably die though.¡± (Souma)


    When I told Sazan the truth while veiling it as a joke, Sazan suddenly clung onto me.


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t let go! Definitely don¡¯t let go of me!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Stop it, that¡¯s sweltering!¡± (Souma)


    I don¡¯t have a liking of being hugged by a man.


    If it is Sazan, even a woman would be a no.


    I tear Sazan away from me.


    ¡°I will be awake, thinking about future plans, so it will be okay! If you fall, it can¡¯t be helped, so I will save you!¡± (Souma)


    Saying this, I practically forced Sazan to lie down there.


    Sazan laid down there obediently for a while, but the moment I took out the notepad and began writing with Order, he raised his head.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Ah, I am writing on the notepad. It is a technique of my world. I can write on this notepad just by thinking about it.¡± (Souma)


    I did it in front of Sazan¡¯s eyes, and his eyes below the mask opened wide.


    ¡°¡­You¡­really are from a different world, huh.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°What, you didn¡¯t believe me?¡± (Souma)


    I asked this, passing it off as a joke, and Sazan nodded honestly.


    ¡°Yeah, I thought you were some sort of mentally ill person.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Oi¡­¡± (Souma)


    You are the last person I want to hear that from.


    ¡°¡­What¡¯s this about future plans?¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan asked in a bit more meek manner than before. I also strangely answered in a more gentle manner too.


    ¡°Putting it simply, it would be the plan on how to get along with Leila.¡± (Souma)


    I haven¡¯t checked the details of Leila¡¯s data and events on the wiki, but I have my game experience.


    This is not something to be proud of, but I have been stabbed countless times by Leila in order to do the ruin exploration event.


    Meaning that I have repeated countless times the iteration of 24 affection to the 50 affection that allows you to explore the ruins.


    In the tsuntsun phase, conversations and presents were barely effective on Leila, and it felt as if the only way to increase her affection was to meet her once a day and speak to her.


    But it is a different story once you get to the tsundere phase.


    You can increase her affection several times in one day, and the amount you get changes depending on what you say.


    It means that I have already practiced in the game what items she likes and what words make her happy.


    On top of that, I know that the affection system in the game days won¡¯t serve much reference here.


    There might be issues on the choice of words when in the tsuntsun phase, and there might be an effect on the presents too.


    However, even if the way the affection increases or decreases is not the same, the thoughts of the character itself probably haven¡¯t changed.


    That¡¯s why I will think up a plan that can easily increase the affection using the data of the game.


    It shouldn¡¯t be pointless to think about what actions to take and the words to use in the Fake Prince Charming.


    Also, there will be the need of someone to be in charge of blocking any female characters from getting close in that time.


    I was thinking about planning this part as much as possible.


    When I explained this politely to Sazan, he said earnestly.


    ¡°You really are rotten to the core.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Guh!¡± (Souma)


    I am aware that I am doing something horrible here, so it is hard for me to deny that.


    Even so, I tried spinning the gears in my brain to refute that, but Sazan nodded on his own while I was doing that.


    ¡°I¡¯ve decided! I will stay awake too.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°O-Oi, there¡¯s no need for you to tag along¡­¡± (Souma)


    I hurriedly stopped him, but Sazan wasn¡¯t bending here.


    His strangely clear eyes deep inside his mask made contact with mine.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really like it, but even you are something like a c-comrade of mine. There¡¯s no way I can just carefreely sleep here when that comrade of mine is doing his best at my side.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Sazan¡­¡± (Souma)


    The moment I heard those words, I could feel my chest being squeezed for a moment there.


    I might have been a bit too harsh on this mage until now.


    It is true that he is one hopeless guy, but he is not a bad guy.


    Despite everything said, he is prioritizing us over his original party and lending me a hand here.


    ¡°¡­Sazan.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°What?¡± (Sazan)


    There¡¯s still some reserve inside me.


    I offered my hand to Sazan as if trying to shake away a variety of things inside of me.


    ¡°Counting on you from here on too.¡± (Souma)


    Sazan looked at my hand absent-mindedly for a while, but he eventually made a grin below his mask.


    ¡°H-Hmph! If you go that far, it can¡¯t be helped! I will lend you my gray matter for that plan of yours! Being able to become the f-friend of the great mage Sazan¡­you are the luckiest guy in the world!!¡± (Sazan)


    I didn¡¯t even have the chance to say ¡®no, friend is a bit¡­¡¯ and my hand was grabbed tightly.


    That grandiose tone contrasted the small and delicate hand of the mage Sazan.


    ¡­By the way, after that, Sazan began to sleep carefreely around 2 minutes later, and I formed the plan for the future on my own.


    After that long break in between, I once again carried Sazan and resumed advancing.


    ¡°And so, what kind of person is the one we are searching for here?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Name is Loic Falaz. Apparently the son of the hero, Guile Falaz.¡± (Souma)


    There¡¯s little information about this Guile Falaz that¡¯s called a hero in the game.


    The only thing they say obscurely is ¡®he is an amazing adventurer and is called a hero¡¯.


    I am assuming on my own that he might be an unexpectedly fancy guy contrary to his Guile name.


    ¡°Hmph! A true hero is someone that isn¡¯t interested in a world filled of the common!¡± (Sazan)


    It was a waste of time.


    He doesn¡¯t seem to know much about the rumors of the outside world, so it can¡¯t be helped.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about this son of a hero or whatever, but couldn¡¯t you make-do with a person that¡¯s more close at hand?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°You¡­¡± (Souma)


    I was speechless at this point that Sazan brought out so late in time.


    I touched on this point a whole ton at the mansion, but it seems like he wasn¡¯t listening to me properly.


    It can¡¯t be helped, so I explained to him one more time.


    ¡°Loic is training the whole time deep in the mountains to inherit the technique of his deceased father. The important part of our plan lies in ¡®living alone deep in the mountains¡¯.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I-I see?¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan lets out a voice as if he knows and doesn¡¯t.


    But I can tell that he doesn¡¯t get it, so I continue on without minding it.


    ¡°The chances of a female acquaintance intruding in the middle of the plan would lower. Even if Leila were to go to his house after the plan is done, there won¡¯t be problems as long as there¡¯s no women around.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Aah, I see.¡± (Sazan)


    From what I know, Loic is the only male character who won¡¯t end up in a bloodshed even if he were to be followed around by Leila.


    Also, Loic doesn¡¯t have the player attribute, so even if Leila were to stab him, he should be fine¡­probably.


    I don¡¯t know how this world works on that front, so I can¡¯t say for sure.


    ¡°His personality and way of speaking is a bit on the rough side, but he is not a bad guy, so even if he were to go out with Leila, I think he would do well, and also¡­the special trait of his body, or how to say it¡­¡± (Souma)


    I found it hard to say that part.


    The reason why I chose him is mostly because of his appearance.


    But I find it a bit displeasing to say that.


    ¡°Don¡¯t beat around the bush and just say it. What do you find so fun about teasing me, you pervert!¡± (Sazan)


    But Sazan provoked me in an even more displeasing manner, and the choice of staying silent was gone.


    With no choice, I decided to tell him the last and biggest reason.


    ¡°Despite him not being that different in height and appearance, he is far more uhm¡­more cool looking!!¡± (Souma)


    I shouted this and Sazan shouted back.


    ¡°And cooler than me?!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Obviously! You thought you were cool?¡± (Souma)


    After avoiding that and shooting down Sazan, I imagine Loic Falaz.


    He isn¡¯t that tall and not that short, and if I had to choose between one or the other, I would say he is thin. This 18 year old young man, Loic, isn¡¯t that much different from me in that aspect.


    But putting it in another way, it also means that¡¯s all that resembles me.


    It is not like I have a complex in my appearance, but if we are to talk about specs in outward appearance, I don¡¯t even reach the tip of his toes.


    Loic has red burning hair and eyes that have strong will reside in them. An appearance like that of a hot-blooded protagonist.


    His thin body is properly trained, toned, and he is decently dependable.


    His way of speaking may be rough, but it is not like he can¡¯t be considerate, and the childish smile he sometimes shows is apparently really popular with the female players.


    Honestly, I want to say ¡®explode, handsome man¡¯.


    And so, Loic is a character you could say ¡®isn¡¯t it fine for this guy to be the protagonist?¡¯ in a different meaning from Alex.


    It is not like I don¡¯t hold complicated emotions as a man, but I will be using that this time around.


    ¡°For the sake of that, we will be going to the cave that¡¯s close to the house of Loic.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh? With only the t-two of us?¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan showed a surprised expression and I responded with a baffled one.


    ¡°Why do you think I am going through the trouble of bringing you with me in the first place?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Uhm¡­because my overflowing darkness is like a lighthouse that¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Wrong! Because there¡¯s a dungeon mechanism that only you can solve.¡± (Souma)


    The reason why I chose Sazan within those members is obviously because Sazan is a man, but that¡¯s the reason why I need a companion.


    ¡°D-Does that mean¡­¡± (Sazan)


    He must have noticed something from my tone, Sazan¡¯s voice suddenly trembled, and I told him with a refreshing voice I have never done before.


    ¡°The dungeon we are heading to has a recommended level of 90, but while one person is pulling the lever, the other one has to solve the puzzle. While the lever is pulled, the walls will slowly be closing in and spears will be flying from everywhere, but well, do your best!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°N-Noo! As if I can go to a place like that! I am going back to the mansion!!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°As I said before, that place isn¡¯t your house!¡± (Souma)


    We were shouting at each other like that. I held Sazan (the sacrifice), who was rampaging at my back, tightly and headed to the cave where the thing we are seeking is slumbering at.


    And then, after a whole lot of suffering, we finally arrived in front of Loic¡¯s house.


    That¡¯s where I finally put Sazan back down.


    ¡°Fuuh! Good grief. I have faced such a horrific experience just for one piece of paper¡­¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°No, you didn¡¯t do anything.¡± (Souma)


    The threat must have worked a bit too well, Sazan was trembling all over and clung onto me the whole time even in front of the puzzle of the dungeon, and I was troubled all over by this. At that moment, the Bear jumped out from within the bag and took the role of pulling the lever.


    The dependable Bear-san is so cool, and Sazan was pointless.


    ¡°Just pull yourself together already. It is about time.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I-I know!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan straightened himself at my warning.


    Coming all the way to the ends of the east, and going to that cave was all for the sake of this moment.


    Close to the wooden house that¡¯s dyed by the sunset, there¡¯s one young man that has a burning red hair that doesn¡¯t lose to the evening sun.


    ¡°Who are you people? Do you have¡­some business with me?¡±


    As expected of the son of a hero.


    He looked back with a sharp gaze even before we talked to him.


    I was going to falter for a second there, but we can¡¯t withdraw here.


    ¡°I am Souma. An adventurer of the capital. There¡¯s something I want you to help us out with. Can you please come to the capital with us?¡± (Souma)


    He didn¡¯t listen to what I said until the end, and immediately shook his head to the sides.


    ¡°I am sorry, but I am not interested in that. I have no intention of leaving this place until I completely succeed the technique of my fath¡ª¡± (Loic)


    ¡°Can you say the same after seeing this?¡± (Souma)


    But I already knew this.


    I bring out my trump card at once.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± (Loic)


    A reaction.


    Knew it. It really was worth going ahead and obtaining the item for Loic¡¯s event beforehand.


    I take this opportunity where Loic is flustered to push further.


    ¡°The secret technique scroll that your father wrote. If you cooperate, I will reward you with this regardless of whether the request succeeds or fails¡­ So, how about it?¡± (Souma)


    Of course, it didn¡¯t take long for the small red haired hero to nod.


    A few days later in the capital of Rihitel.


    ¡°Leila-san, right? I have been waiting for you this whole time.¡±


    There was a red haired young man offering a bouquet of flowers to a blonde girl in front of the Great Church.


    ¡ªFake Prince Charming.


    The life or death romance is finally beginning.

 CH 141.5

    13-17 minutes 23.07.2022


    Author: This is actually the main story in a way, so I hesitated on this one, but it is more like Loic-kun is the protagonist here than Souma, so I decided to treat it as a Side Story.


    There¡¯s no gore warning or vomit warning, so read it without any worries.


    TLN: Important. This is not a Side Story. It is actually tied to the main story and shouldn¡¯t be skipped.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    ¡°¡­Souma?¡±


    ¡°¡ª!¡±


    That clear voice that called out to me in a subdued manner brought me back to my senses.


    When I looked at my side, there were clear blue eyes closer than I thought.


    ¡°¡­Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°N-No, there¡¯s no issues¡­R-Ringo.¡±


    I hurriedly shook my head to the sides at the questioning tone.


    It seems like my consciousness flew away from the way too shocking sight.


    Understanding it in your head and seeing it in the flesh is different.


    I was once again reminded of such an obvious fact.


    That guy, who called himself ¡®Prince Charming Loic¡¯, suddenly went in front of the target, Leila, the moment he saw her at the plaza.


    ¡°You are Leila-san, right? I have been waiting for you the whole time.¡±


    And then, with such a cheesy line that I definitely wouldn¡¯t ever be able to say, he offered her a bouquet of flowers with motions that even I as a man can tell were perfect.


    It is exactly as we discussed, so I should have been prepared for it, but this being done with that face gave me more of a shock than I imagined.


    Moreover, he grabbed the hand of the confused girl and kissed it!


    Before the plan began, he said ¡®I am not that good at talking with women¡¯, and yet, he is completely into the role.


    Or more like, he is overdoing it no matter how you think about it.


    There¡¯s no doubt he hasn¡¯t considered at all who is the one that¡¯s going to be suffering after this is over.


    It is only now that I began to regret it, thinking ¡®I really shouldn¡¯t have trusted in him¡¯.


    Now that I think about it, he has been acting weird since the phase of choosing the outfit and the meeting.


    Why did he have something like that?


    ¡°I think these are the clothes that fit a prince charming the most.¡±


    He exaggerated as he wore knight-like clothes and¡­


    ¡°Right, in the middle of this operation, call me Prince Charming Loic.¡±


    He said this with a straight face.


    Honestly speaking, the only thing I could think of is that he is a nutcase.


    Moreover, from what I heard, that¡¯s not proper armor but a fashion item sold in the item shop and has papier mache defense.


    According to the information I have, they will be heading to a level 130 dungeon now.


    I don¡¯t know how strong a great hero-sama is, but it is by no means a place you could lower your guard in.


    Me, Ringo, and the others all said that this is dangerous, but the person himself said with a nonchalant face: ¡°It is okay, it is okay. If anything happens, we can have that cat-eared swordsman-sama protect us.¡±


    ¡°¡­I will try, but it is not my fault if you get stabbed after I save you.¡± (Mitsuki)


    And so, the aforementioned cat-eared swordsman, Mitsuki, said with a displeased look.


    I am disappointed in myself for thinking even for an instant that he might be a decent guy the first time I met him.


    Even while I was lost in reflection, the offensive of the Prince Charming was not stopping.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I want you to watch me and judge whether I am worthy of trust.¡±


    He was still approaching Leila with a serious face.


    From the conclusion of the strategy meeting that took almost the whole night, we decided to divulge our plan to Leila from the beginning to a certain degree.


    And so, he said to Leila¡­


    -He needs an item from the ruins.


    -He wants the cooperation of Leila who knows in detail about those ruins.


    -About how he will need to return to his homeland once the ruin exploration is done.


    -The fact that he will have to separate from Leila once it is over.


    He clearly told her that, and requested for her help.


    It doesn¡¯t change the fact that we are deceiving her here, but you could say it is fair to an extent¡­I think.


    More importantly, I was more interested in whether these conditions could convince Leila, but it seems like that was unnecessary worry.


    ¡°¡­I-I also wanted help¡­in exploring the ruins, so¡­I am fine¡­with that much.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Leila!¡±


    ¡°I-It is not like¡­I have already decided¡­to bring you.¡±


    I could see even from the side that Leila was being overwhelmed by his one-sided push.


    The fearsome thing here is that they have grown pretty close to each other in the short time they have met.


    Physical distance goes without saying, but his formal way of speech at first had changed into the same one that he had in yesterday¡¯s strategy meeting.


    In other words, this guy is beginning to get along with her almost in his natural state.


    He really is an unbelievable playboy -is the new evaluation I had of him.


    ¡°¡­Souma.¡±


    Ringo spoke to me once again.


    ¡°W-What is it, Ringo? Did something happen?¡±


    Unease was reflected in my voice.


    You could say this blue haired girl is the person that I have been together with the longest since coming here, but having these clear eyes stare straight at me still makes me nervous.


    ¡°¡­Standing out too much.¡±


    ¡°R-Right. Sorry.¡±


    I got so absorbed in observing their situation that I got a bit too at the front.


    I hurriedly moved back.


    My role in the first phase of the plan is mostly to make sure no girls get close to him, and to hinder any dangerous looking person.


    I am currently the Ultimate Hero, the Sinking Prince Souma.


    Thinking about the core of the situation, it feels like I am deceiving them, but I decide to concentrate on the people, taking it as work.


    I feel bad for the elderly men and women that seriously come to me with admiration and gratitude. Seeing the boys and girls that were looking at me with pure eyes like that of seeing a hero, it feels as if I am looking at myself in my younger days, and it made me feel good.


    While I was thinking that, a small girl came running with all she could from deep in the road. And then, with a big smile on her face, she held out a colored paper.


    ¡°Hero Onii-chan! Sign, please give me your sign!¡±


    My heart shook at her way too pure request, but I haven¡¯t practiced a sign.


    Or more like, a guy like me doing signs is not good.


    ¡°I am sorry. Signing is a bit impossible for me.¡±


    I felt bad for refusing the request of a young child, but I refused as politely and gently as possible.


    ¡°¡­¡­I see. Is that so.¡±


    But those feelings of mine didn¡¯t reach the young girl.


    Her eyes scrutinized me for a moment there, and she averted her gaze to the side.


    I cursed my own inability with words and hurriedly continued speaking.


    ¡°N-No, it is not like I don¡¯t want to give you a sign or anything¡­¡±


    But the girl grinned before that and¡­


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t need to worry about it at all, Onii-san! I actually think Onii-chan¡¯s sign is worth less than trash anyways!¡±


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡±


    ¡°See ya, Onii-san. Do your best from here on too, okay?!¡±


    She ran off with her short legs.


    I really am terrible at dealing with women regardless of age.


    I groaned.


    And from the other side¡­


    ¡°I see! What you say is really educational, Leila!¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°No, honestly speaking, I had absolutely no interest in talking about ruins until now, but hearing about age and the types of traps from you, I went ¡®I see!¡¯.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­great, I guess.¡±


    And contrary to myself, our Prince Charming-sama was smoothly getting along with the princess.


    I have only spoken with him for a few couple hours, but it feels as if a certain something had been unleashed in him after obtaining the mask of Prince Charming.


    I can tell he is really lively even when looking from the side.


    ¡°¡­But is it really¡­fun to be together with someone¡­like me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I have been fighting the whole time lately, so I have had no experience of going out shopping and having fun.¡±


    ¡°Really¡­?¡±


    ¡°Also, it is probably the first time in my life that I have gone out shopping alone with a beauty like you, Leila.¡±


    ¡°I am not¡­a beauty though¡­¡±


    I could hear a conversation that made my back feel itchy just from standing slightly further away from them.


    Right after I was assailed with the desire to shout mindlessly¡­


    *Dwon!*


    A sound like that of a blunt weapon hitting the ground with massive force rang somewhere.


    A support aside from me might have not been able to take it anymore just like me and vented just now.


    There¡¯s no way Maki would do something like that in public since she is a princess, so it must have been Mitsuki who is also acting as support.


    ¡°Oi, is something the matter?¡±


    And there¡¯s someone here in a weird state too.


    Ringo, who is by my side, was holding her chest tightly and her usual expressionless face was warped slightly.


    ¡°¡­I am¡­okay¡­ Don¡¯t worry, Souma.¡±


    Seeing that state of hers, I thought ¡®as expected¡¯.


    I knew clearly just how much influence he had on women¡­no, putting it bluntly, I could tell just how popular that guy was with women even before the operation began.


    I barely interacted with people since coming here, but it is not like I am completely dense when it comes to matters with men and women.


    I don¡¯t want to admit it, but the blue haired blue eyed mysterious girl by my side, Ringo, in my eyes, is most likely in love with that guy.


    Ringo would go to that guy¡¯s side and would take care of him despite not being instructed to, and she would look happy simply from being spoken to.


    I would instead be surprised if she were to not be in love with him.


    No, it is not only Ringo.


    It has only been half a day since coming from that cabin in the mountains to the capital, but in just that time alone, I could tell clearly that they liked this guy.


    Mitsuki, Maki, and Ina, who is looking after the mansion now, were directing passionate gazes at him by the time I noticed.


    Not only that, even the man with a weird mask, Sazan, also looked at him weird¡­but just imagining it is scary, so I will stop that. Anyways, it seems like everyone has fallen in love with him despite how hard to believe it is.


    Being shown this much, it goes above jealousy and it even impresses me.


    Looks like there¡¯s popular guys that surpass my furthest imagination.


    ¡°Souma!!¡±


    That short call hit my eardrums for the 3rd time.


    (Crap!!)


    I was so in my thoughts that I once again went too forward.


    Moreover, the two of them are moving our way.


    He saw me and made a face as if saying ¡®I messed up¡¯, but he must have thought it would be weird to change directions at this point in time, so he tried to pass by my side as if nothing happened.


    (Sorry!)


    I apologize to him with my eyes.


    Receiving this, he responded with: (Don¡¯t worry about it).


    The problem is not that though.


    Leila seeing me at this stage might hinder our operation.


    I prayed she didn¡¯t notice me, but Leila, who was walking a bit further apart, made complete eye-contact with me¡­


    (¡­Hm?)


    And she looked away soon after as if nothing happened.


    She certainly looked for a moment at me as if she saw something weird, but that¡¯s all.


    She didn¡¯t show any signs of unrest or even surprise.


    And then, the moment I sighed internally in relief and she passed by my side¡­


    ¡°Aah, Loic¡­¡±


    That low whisper of hers reached my ears and shivers ran through my back.


    Just hearing about a girl loving someone so much she would kill her partner would be hard to believe, but hearing that whisper of hers that felt as if it melted even the depths of your bones, I understood.


    ¡­She would do it.


    That woman would do it.


    Moreover, her feelings aren¡¯t that completely up there yet.


    Knowing of the possibility that such feelings could be directed at me, I once again shuddered.


    Or more like¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t hurry too much and trip over, okay?¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­u-uhm¡­¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°I would like you to support me at that time.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I will save you whenever I am by your side, Leila. But I won¡¯t be able to do it if you were to trip over when I am not there.¡±


    Being able to do such a conversation filled with landmines as if it is nothing, I hate to admit it, but he is the real deal.


    I doubt he doesn¡¯t notice how dangerous this conversation is. The nature of a hero might unexpectedly show up in situations like this.


    (¡­I really am far from being a real hero.)


    Leaving aside the type, his courage is the real deal.


    I felt as if I was shown something that plain strength and power can¡¯t attain, and ended up biting my lips.


    But while I was being hit by a strange sense of defeat, I for some reason didn¡¯t feel bad about it.


    I instead realized that there¡¯s even higher heights and was happy about it.


    (But right now¡­)


    Let¡¯s just think about the success of this operation.


    I psych myself up so as not to fail ever again, and returned to protecting the Prince-sama.


    He didn¡¯t stop even after that.


    He took out dozens of presents from the bag and gave them to Leila, protected Leila from a carriage that had suddenly gone out of control in the middle of the city for some reason, got in trouble with a group of 3 hoodlums (who are adventurers and the leader is someone by the name of Abel or something like that) and he said firmly in front of Leila ¡®she is my girlfriend!¡¯.


    Everything was planned beforehand in the strategy meeting, but I could only be impressed at how smoothly he performed them all.


    Within those, their exchange at the library was a sight to behold.


    ¡°There¡¯s a book I want to read, so let¡¯s move separately from here.¡±


    He said that and, inside the library, he would ¡®coincidentally touch fingers trying to pick the same book¡¯. Even if it is within the plan, your average person wouldn¡¯t be able to do that.


    Also, no matter how you think about it, it is strange that your fingers would touch when going for a book with the title ¡®Cave Dungeon Transitions: the Present and Past¡¯, but she was completely beside herself already, so it didn¡¯t matter.


    Leaving aside whether to admire that way of doing things, I had to admit that he did outstanding here.


    And then, after less than 1 hour of the operation¡­


    ¡°A-Actually, I have been interested in you since the first time I met you.¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­?¡±


    I was watching the two with a baffled look and¡­


    ¡°I might not hate you¡­¡±


    This crappy plan had already entered the second phase.


    Light


    Dark


    Previous Chapter l Next Chapter


    ¡°¡­And with this¡­¡±


    When Leila said this, the mechanism moved, and a rumbling sound rang, showing stairs going underground.


    It seems like the condition to activate is to move a number of rocks -that at a glance don¡¯t seem to be for anything- to set locations.


    With this, it would be impossible for people who don¡¯t have the knowledge of it.


    I peeked inside the stairs, and a cold wind came up from the darkness.


    And then, the bronze color walls that were clearly not part of a natural cave entered my sight.


    Looks like these are the ruins we will be diving into, the Shickdi Ruins.


    ¡°Then, I am counting on your protection!¡±


    The Prince Charming-sama took a step into those stairs first and, with a shining smile, he spoke¡­to us.


    Our operation entering the 2nd phase was far faster than planned, but aside from that, it is still going as planned.


    After that, he soon made arrangements with Leila to explore the dungeon, and had her accept us being bodyguards that will accompany them in their exploration.


    He will most likely be stabbed if he were to talk with a female member, so it was actually going to be formed of male members, but because Sazan ran away, the members ended up being Mitsuki, Ringo, and I.


    By the way, the reason why Maki alone wasn¡¯t coming¡­


    ¡°¡­Eh? I am totally fine with not going. Cause you know, it is not like we have not gone out several dozen times together despite being childhood friends, and I am not so conceited as to think I am cute¡­ Ah, my hand slipped.¡±


    She said that while hitting the ground with a mace as if she were trying to intimidate here. She didn¡¯t seem fine at all, so she ended up staying.


    I was worried about the reaction of Leila, but she simply furrowed her brows at the female members, and she didn¡¯t show much of a reaction even when seeing me.


    She probably is already so into him that other men don¡¯t enter her sight.


    As for me, what worried me more was if we would be okay exploring a dungeon for level 130 with only 5 people, but that was needless worry.


    ¡°Leila, at my back!¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes!¡±


    He jumped out against the Ogres that suddenly showed up while fluttering his knight clothes.


    3 Ogres in total.


    Jumping into a 3v1 is insane.


    But he didn¡¯t hesitate.


    He ran to where the 3 enemies were without dropping his speed once and¡­


    ¡°Hm!¡±


    He cut the leg of the Ogre at the front with a light slash.


    No, saying ¡®light¡¯ isn¡¯t exactly right.


    It was a slash that overflowed with half-heartedness that was hard to believe was the swordsmanship of a hero, and there¡¯s nothing to be called a style there.


    I couldn¡¯t call it elegant even in my eyes.


    But maybe because of how haphazard it is, it was fast.


    The moment the enemies had taken battle stances, he had already cut down the second Ogre.


    ¡°Gaaaaah!!¡±


    The remaining Ogre swung down the club in its hand while raising a roar.


    He avoided that as if he had read the trajectory of it beforehand.


    The club passed by a whole breath after as if tracing the line where he was before.


    Even if it missed, it was a powerful hit that even I felt shivers from just looking at it.


    However, a big swing also creates a big opening.


    Of course he would deal one big hit on the Ogre that had its posture broken¡­or not.


    He did it so naturally as if saying ¡®there was a really nice spot, so I cut it¡¯. He easily cut off the arm of the Ogre that was holding the club.


    It is an attack that, no matter how you see it, would be impossible to be a fatal hit.


    But the Ogre that got hit by this eventually stopped moving and disappeared into light particles.


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of uses to gra¡­¡±


    He muttered something I didn¡¯t really get while coming back as if nothing happened. I don¡¯t know how many times I have gulped my breath today while looking at him.


    ¡ªHe is strong¡­overwhelmingly strong.


    It goes without saying that his basic stats are high, but that¡¯s not all.


    His fighting style has been polished to a degree where it doesn¡¯t feel human.


    I could tell after seeing his swordsmanship.


    He doesn¡¯t take into account things like hitting your attack cleanly or creating as much momentum as possible, which a normal swordsman would consider.


    It is true that you can deal damage as long as the attack hits, and you can defeat them if the damage is high.


    If you have enough attack power, you don¡¯t have to go out of your way to hit the middle of the enemy¡¯s body. It is enough to just cut the tip of the fingers or the toes.


    But that¡¯s just in theory.


    When you actually fight, you end up instinctively going for the chest or the face, and even if there¡¯s no need to go that far, you would end up swinging till the end.


    Just how many battles do you have to go through in order to reach that domain of his? I can¡¯t even begin to imagine.


    Moreover, according to him, this is the first time he has seen this monster.


    Even so, he read through the attack of the enemy as if he had seen them dozens of times, and counterattacked with precision.


    (So this is the ¡®real deal¡¯, huh¡­)


    I have shut myself in and continued fighting and have already obtained enough power to be worthy of the title of hero when it comes to the sword, or at least that¡¯s what I assumed by myself.


    However, it seems like my training was in the end just child¡¯s play.


    I have been clearly shown my own conceitedness in my narrow world view.


    (But that means I can become even stronger!!)


    There¡¯s no time to be getting all dejected.


    I will take this as a chance and steal away at least a technique of his in this exploration.


    ¡°Loic, thanks for protecting me!¡±


    ¡°You are doing the puzzle solving here, so we are helping each other out.¡±


    ¡°T-Then, we are a really good pair!¡±


    I resolved myself to do so while glaring at the two who were flirting at the front.


    ¡­But, unfortunately, there was no chance for me no matter how much time passed.


    He would cut down the monsters that come from the front, and I couldn¡¯t even find the monsters that came from the back.


    When I think Mitsuki, who is by my side, disappears every now and then¡­


    ¡°Excuse me. There were 2 Ogres following, so I cut them down.¡±


    She would return a few seconds later and report this nonchalantly.


    She is also an anomaly in her own way.


    The mechanisms of the ruins that would show from time to time seemed complicated, but they would all be solved by Leila, and I didn¡¯t have anything to do even on the exploration side¡­


    ¡°This is the deepest area of the Shickdi Ruins. The throne room¡­¡±


    The final part of the ruin exploration was about to enter its last stage.


    ¡°The throne room, huh¡­¡±


    This room is gigantic to a point where other rooms can¡¯t even compare.


    There¡¯s several dozens of bronze colored pillars as if protecting the outer circumference of the room, and the central part of the room towers up like a small mountain as if to oversee this.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    What we should pay attention to is the color of the material.


    Within the ruins that are a dull bronze color, only that place was shining gold.


    And then, at the peak of that golden mountain, at the center of the room, there¡¯s a big treasure chest that¡¯s decorated all over with jewels.


    It is true that it wouldn¡¯t be strange for this to be called the throne room with how fancy this place is.


    I nodded as I looked at the shining golden mountain.


    If even I am this moved by such a view, Leila, who has been searching for this place the whole time, must be quite elated.


    Thinking this, I looked at her and, contrary to my thoughts, Leila was showing a sad look.


    ¡°It is finally time.¡±


    It seems that wasn¡¯t my imagination.


    She hung her head down even more at the happy words of Loic.


    (I see. Once the ruin exploration is over, he is supposed to be leaving¡­)


    What that means is that, rather than her interest in the ruins that she has been pursuing her whole life, her attachment to him is more important.


    The moment I thought of this, Leila asked him.


    ¡°¡­Loic, is your hometown that far of a place?¡±


    It seems like he was flustered by the sudden question, but he eventually made distant eyes.


    ¡°¡­Yeah, my hometown is far. Far far far away. It is in a place that¡¯s not easy to get to.¡±


    ¡­Wait, oi!


    Don¡¯t just add more elements to the story!!


    Don¡¯t just suddenly say thoughtless stuff like ¡®far far far away¡¯!


    It is just deep in the mountains that can be easily reached by foot!


    ¡°I-I see¡­¡± (Leila)


    It seems like that wasn¡¯t the response Leila wanted.


    But Leila is not the kind of woman that would withdraw here.


    She soon raised her head and asked again.


    ¡°T-Then¡­if I were to say I wanted to follow you, w-would it trouble you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    The Prince-sama understandably hesitated there and¡­


    ¡°¡­Ah.¡±


    We made eye-contact.


    His face warped into a teasing grin.


    Shivers ran down my spine, having a bad feeling about this.


    Oi, stop it!


    Stop getting ahead of yourself.


    I directed that gaze at him desperately.


    But his grin stayed plastered on his face.


    Don¡¯t tell me he is about to say something horrible here since it is someone else¡¯s business, right?!


    I won¡¯t forgive you if you do something like that!! Ever!!


    ¡°¡­Right¡­¡±


    I don¡¯t know if my message reached him or not, but he created a blatant pause there and said¡­


    ¡°If you pledge absolute loyalty, will always prioritize me no matter the time, and never hurt me no matter what, I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    No, just how impertinent can you get? -is what I thought, but I at the same time sighed in relief.


    You normally would refuse those unreasonable conditions.


    It seems like even she didn¡¯t want to accept so easily here.


    I was about to put a hand on my chest in relief, but¡­


    ¡°Got it!! I-I will do my best!¡±


    O-Oi!


    Leila was smiling and nodding as if saying ¡®I am glad he didn¡¯t refuse~¡¯!!


    That guy¡¯s face was also visibly stiffened at this.


    ¡°M-More importantly, this is the throne room, right?!¡±


    He quickly diverted the topic.


    He really is good when it comes to this.


    ¡°¡­Yeah. Let¡¯s take our time later, right?¡±


    Leila added her own interpretation of it and agreed.


    I am kinda scared of them.


    But leaving aside the circumstances, we are finally in the climax of the ruin exploration.


    ¡°We will wait here.¡±


    Following the advice of Mitsuki, we observe as the two go up the gold stairs.


    ¡°If the research of my father is correct, this is an ancient civilization that was brought to ruin by the Evil God¡­¡±


    There¡¯s happiness and excitement in the voice of Leila.


    The long years of pain from father and child will finally be rewarded.


    A smile showed up in Leila¡¯s face and¡­


    ¡°Watch out!¡±


    Right after that shout rang¡­


    ¡ªThe golden mountain exploded.


    The golden that formed the former mountain flew about in the air as a thunderous sound rang, crashing onto the ceiling and making sounds that resonated on the pit of my stomach.


    The fragments reached all the way here, and I reflexively covered my face.


    I was on the verge of panicking from the sudden development and¡­


    ¡°¡ªSouma!!!¡±


    A sharp scream that I hadn¡¯t heard once from Ringo before pierced my eardrums.


    (Right! They are¡­)


    There¡¯s fortunately no harm on this side.


    I moved aside the hand that was covering my face and desperately searched for the two.


    But the center of the room had been completely blown from the inside, and not only was there no one moving, there¡¯s nothing standing at all.


    ¡°No way¡­¡±


    I was dumbfounded by all this, and Mitsuki stood by my side.


    ¡°No, the two seem to be unwounded.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    When I look at the right wall of the room where Mitsuki was pointing at, there¡¯s certainly that guy holding Leila and waving over here.


    ¡°¡­Whew.¡±


    I rub my chest in relief, and he walks over to our side, carrying Leila who still has her eyes wide open from the shocking experience.


    ¡°That was my first time about to let someone die. I got cold sweat there.¡±


    It seems like he noticed the mountain was going to explode a second before it happened, and jumped to the side while carrying Leila.


    When I asked him how he found the trap¡­


    ¡°When I looked at the side, I felt as if there was some small processing¡­a warp in the world.¡±


    When I asked him in more detail, he said: ¡®It is said to be impossible in theory, but when you move your focal point when there¡¯s a big trap or monster, a very small gap or delay happens in the world¡¯.


    The words of a master really are on a plane of its own.


    ¡°There was obviously a trap there, so I am glad I was careful. More importantly, see, treasure really did show up.¡±


    Being told this, I directed my gaze at the center of the room where there was once a mountain of gold.


    There was a big hole there, too big to have been made from the explosion, and a bronze colored treasure chest rested at that location.


    Inside the treasure chest, there were important documents that Leila and her father apparently were searching for the whole time, gold and silver, and also the magic book that we were looking for.


    He only took the magic book as agreed, and after promising to meet Leila again tomorrow, we dispersed once.


    ¡°Just in time, right?¡±


    He spoke to me with a magic book in hand once we returned to the mansion.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I am glad I can finally say bye to this appearance.¡±


    I spit that out and he showed a bitter smile.


    ¡°I was a bit happy to have become this handsome of a guy though.¡±


    ¡°Yeah right!!¡±


    The moment I shouted this, the effect of the item ran out¡­just in time.


    ¡°Oh¡­!¡±


    The appearance of the man in front of me changed while raising his voice.


    The red hair and red eyes were dyeing black, and the contours of the body and face, and even the small details of the skin were returning to their original appearance.


    I can¡¯t see it directly, but the same change must have happened to me.


    The moment that change reached its end¡­


    ¡°¡­You really saved me there, Loic. I am sorry for making you disguise yourself and do something as troublesome as creating an alibi.¡±


    The one in front of me was a black haired and black eyed man; a true hero, the Sinking Prince Souma.


    Yesterday, what this hero-sama called the Sinking Prince Souma had requested of me with the secret technique scroll as reward was¡­to exchange appearances and create alibis.


    When you use an item called Transformation Glasses, you can have the same appearance as the person that used it.


    But because the height doesn¡¯t change, the disguise won¡¯t work well unless it is someone with a similar appearance to yourself.


    And so, the arrow flew onto me, who is of similar height and age to him.


    I did have my own thoughts about deceiving a girl, but I want the secret technique scroll of my pops.


    Also, I felt a bit of pity towards him to a certain degree, so I accepted this request.


    That¡¯s why he got along with Leila as Loic today, and by staying at the side of ¡®Loic¡¯ as ¡®Souma¡¯, we gave the impression that Souma and Loic are two different people.


    Honestly speaking, it was a whole lot rougher than I imagined.


    ¡°But well, that will end tomorrow morning.¡±


    The next day, we will meet Leila in our original forms, and once Leila gives me the item called Eye of the Heavens, our operation will be a success.


    According to Souma, once you give the Eye of the Heavens to someone, you can¡¯t give it to someone else.


    And so, as long as Leila gives me the Eye of the Heavens, he told me that it would be okay to tell her this time¡¯s plan if it comes to it.


    He also said that it would make him happier if it is possible to hide it until the very end though.


    I have only been watching for a day but, to put it bluntly, the love of this girl called Leila is too heavy for me.


    I feel bad for him, but it would be impossible for me to act like the Prince Charming Loic in front of her.


    As my last duty to Souma, I returned to my house without saying anything to Leila. If she really does come asking for me at my house, I am thinking of telling her about what we did.


    I¡­don¡¯t really want to think about what kind of reaction she will have after hearing that.


    I was seriously wishing for tomorrow to not come while I fell asleep.


    And then, the next day.


    Morning came mercilessly, and the 3rd stage of the plan, the last scenario, began.


    ¡°Ah, Loic!¡± (Leila)


    The promised location with Leila.


    Souma, who had returned to his original appearance, was watching over this from behind, and I welcomed Leila awkwardly with my hand.


    ¡°Y-Yeah, Leila, good m¡ª¡± (Loic)


    ¡°Loic!!¡± (Leila)


    Maybe because the so-called ¡®phases¡¯ have advanced, Leila looked like a completely different person from the first time I met her.


    There was a bright smile in her usually covered face, the luster of stars resided in her eyes, and it felt as if a trail of light was left behind at the place she passed through.


    The people in the city let out sighs of admiration after seeing Leila.


    But her eyes didn¡¯t reflect the people around.


    Once the distance between us allowed us to see each other clearly, Leila accelerated.


    Leila ran over here as if she couldn¡¯t endure a single moment more.


    I made an awkward smile and was about to receive Leila¡­and she passed by my side¡­


    ¡°Loic, I wanted to see you!!¡±


    She jumped onto Souma who was behind me.


    ¡°Eh? ¡­Eh?¡± (Souma)


    This is the first time I see that guy panicking.


    I froze there, unable to understand what happened.


    But, within all this, Leila was the only one maintaining a big smile.


    ¡°Your appearance right now is the same as the time I first met you! Yup! I like this appearance more!!¡± (Leila)


    She went full force on Souma and¡­


    ¡°Ah, right! This is my family heirloom, the Eye of the Heavens! It is something really important, but¡­no, it is because it is super important that I will give it to you! Think of this as me and keep it at your side forever, until death do us apart, eternally, for the future and beyond!!¡± (Leila)


    She pushed a sparkling jewel onto him as if it were the finishing blow.


    ¡°¡­Haha¡­Hahahaha.¡± (Loic)


    Seeing this from the front row seats, I thought two things.


    First, people really can¡¯t do bad things.


    And the other is¡­


    You damn womanizer! Serves you right!!!!


    ¡­And this concludes my unbelievable two day grand adventure.


    Looks like Leila had seen through the disguise of Souma from the very beginning, or more like, she only thought of that disguise as fashion.


    Of course, the plan ended in complete failure.


    And so, my role is now over.


    The plan failed, but Souma faithfully gave me the secret technique scroll.


    Not only that, he felt bad only giving me the secret technique scroll, so he told me he would be giving me something extra.


    I obviously refused, but he might be an unexpectedly good guy to say that even when he is feeling down.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Now that I think back on it once I safely returned home, I feel a bit bad for laughing out loud at his misfortune.


    I think I have seen a realm above my own thanks to him, and I obtained the special technique scroll that I have always wanted¡­


    ¡°Right! The scroll!!¡± (Loic)


    I jumped up as if sprung forward, and took out the important scroll that was inside my bag -the special technique scroll that my old man left.


    ¡°Hehe, are you watching, Pops? I have reached this far!¡± (Loic)


    All of my hardships have been for the sake of this.


    I opened the scroll with heart racing and¡­


    ¡­It began with this written in it:


    {To Loic:


    Unfortunately, there¡¯s no easy to understand battle technique or special attack that you are seeking for written in here.


    But as your father and as a warrior, I am thinking about leaving behind something even more important to you.}


    ¡°Pops¡­¡± (Loic)


    Those nostalgic expressions of his made my chest tighten.


    This is certainly something that was written by my pops.


    And I could honestly accept what he said about something more important than battle techniques as someone who has seen that guy.


    I don¡¯t really feel good about admitting this, but that Souma guy taught me a lot of things as a role model and a teacher.


    He made me grow a bit in those 2 days.


    Ready to accept the teachings of my pops without letting even a single word escape, I corrected my posture and continued reading.


    {You have been overflowing with talent in martial arts since long before, and you have put your everything in trying to obtain my techniques. You are my pride and joy.


    But you were alone in everything you did, so you can¡¯t become a true strong one.


    That¡¯s why I left this secret technique scroll in this cave that¡­can¡¯t be cleared alone no matter what¡­


    That¡¯s right, it means that coming together with your comrade to obtain this secret technique scroll is proof of the Power of Bonds. This is the true special technique¡ª}


    ¡°Ugaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!¡±


    Unable to endure it, I slam the scroll onto the ground.


    That guy¡­that guy¡­


    ¡ªSouma really is the worst piece of crap!!

 CH 142

    Light


    Dark


    Previous Chapter l Next Chapter


    TLN: Important. For anyone that has not read the previous Side Chapters, don¡¯t skip them. You will be lost in future chapters if you do.


    ¡ª¨C


    By switching appearances with Loic, I would avoid the hounding of Leila; the groundbreaking plan, the Fake Prince Charming plan¡­had failed.


    Also, not only did it fail, it resulted in advancing the phases of Laila, and receiving the Eye of the Heavens.


    I snapped back and tried to return the Eye of the Heavens to her, telling her that I can¡¯t accept such an important thing, but¡­


    ¡°Ah, s-sorry. Did you not like it?¡± (Leila)


    After Leila apologized as if truly feeling bad about it¡­


    ¡°B-But I am really sorry. This has a special spell on it, so I can¡¯t do anything after I have given it.¡± (Leila)


    She made a shocking revelation.


    No, I did expect it.


    It is exactly because I expected it to be an item that can¡¯t be returned that I tried to make Loic my scapegoat, and tried to have him take this Eye of the Heavens.


    But actually getting hit with that reality is pretty shocking.


    I was freed from Leila thanks to her getting worried about my complexion that had turned sour from the shock, but my heart had already been completely destroyed by that point.


    This isn¡¯t something I should be saying myself, but I was so out of it that even when I saw Sazan drinking tea without a care in the world despite having escaped, I forgave him with just a few seconds of an iron claw.


    The plan failing was purely because I was too naive, and Loic is not at fault at all.


    I wrung out the last piece of energy I had to thank him and see him off. After that, I explained the situation to Ringo and the others who gathered around me, worried.


    ¡°¡­I see. But I am a bit relieved.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Mitsuki¡­¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki gently placed a hand on my shoulder while I was sitting there all dejected.


    ¡°That kind of plan that plays with the hearts of people doesn¡¯t suit you. What fits you are plans that are more fair and square¡­ Plans that tease the other party fair and square.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­No, I don¡¯t think that can be fair and square though.¡± (Souma)


    But being told this by the honest Mitsuki comforted me a bit.


    When I raised my head, I saw Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears silently saying ¡®It is okay. That¡¯s how it should be¡¯.


    The one to speak after I got slightly back in form here was Ringo.


    ¡°¡­If it were me¡­¡± (Ringo)


    She said this slightly apologetically even when expressionless.


    ¡°¡­I would probably be able to tell even if Souma were to be disguised.¡± (Ringo)


    That¡¯s what you were about to say when we were discussing the plan?!


    Ringo must have not believed in the success of this mission because the disguise would have been seen through if it were her.


    (¡­Speaking of which¡­) (Souma)


    Leila also had the nickname Soul Eye.


    I don¡¯t know the reason why she was called that, but there might have been a guy who had the same plan as me and failed.


    The Transformation Glasses that didn¡¯t work on normal people in the game could be deceived here, so I might have taken that for granted which led to this result.


    ¡°Yeah, I can see through it too. There¡¯s way too many tells in your motions after all.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki added onto this as if comboing me while I was reflecting.


    ¡°Eh?! I can¡¯t tell at all though.¡± (Maki)


    Maki made a shocked face at what the two said.


    Even though you are supposed to be the one who has known me the longest¡­


    I thought this and looked at Maki slightly in disbelief, and she faced away with a sullen expression.


    ¡°Hmph! I am not a beauty anyways, and even if we have gone shopping together, I am so unimportant that I can¡¯t even be the first time in your life!¡± (Maki)


    Why did it suddenly go there?


    I can¡¯t tell the points she gets pissed off at.


    But it seems like Maki was terribly angered here, and I could tell even from the side that she is peeved.


    My long years knowing her tell me that she is disguising it as a joke, but she is actually angry here.


    ¡­This is a pain, but it can¡¯t be helped.


    She did help me out here, so let¡¯s just indulge her.


    ¡°But Maki, rather than being a beauty, you are more on the c-cute side¡­and you are the first one I went out shopping with aside from my family.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°R-Really?!¡± (Maki)


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t lie to you about this at this point in time.¡± (Souma)


    When I responded to her, Maki¡¯s breathing grew rough and¡­


    ¡°H-Hmph, then, I guess I shall forgive you.¡± (Maki)


    She said this from a pretty high horse.


    It is because she ends up like this that I don¡¯t really like praising her too much.


    In the first place, I don¡¯t get why it ended up with this talk about being a beauty or not, and forgiving or not forgiving.


    ¡°Moreover¡­


    ¡°Uhm, Souma-san!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Eh, Ina¡­?¡± (Souma)


    One trouble gone, another in.


    I turned at the voice that came from my side this time, and Ina was looking up at me as if she were a chick waiting to be fed.


    What are you expecting from me here?


    ¡°W-Wait! We have deviated from the main topic! This isn¡¯t the time to be doing this!¡± (Souma)


    I raised my voice in order to reset this chaos.


    This is mostly just an excuse to slip away from this topic, but it is true that we can¡¯t be lenient here.


    (Or more like, why was I keeping up with this charade until now?!) (Souma)


    I reprimanded myself.


    Even though I should be dealing with things quickly at a time like this, I have been delayed greatly here.


    My brain that had stopped working from the shock of the plan failing has finally begun spinning again.


    ¡°Mitsuki! Can you tell where Leila is right now?¡± (Souma)


    Just like how Leila has the Eye of the Heavens, we also have the Explorer Ring of Mitsuki.


    Moreover, the Explorer Ring is several steps more convenient than the Eye of the Heavens.


    We still have a means of victory here.


    ¡°¡­At the center of the capital¡­slightly north. It doesn¡¯t seem like she is moving.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°North? Her house?¡± (Souma)


    Learning that my last hope had been linked with the response of Mitsuki, I sighed in relief.


    ¡°We are leaving this house immediately for now!¡± (Souma)


    I don¡¯t know how it works, but it seems like search items can tell you the distance and direction of the other party.


    On top of that, Mitsuki has cheat levels of space awareness and the ability to tell the distance between others, so she can tell the location of the other party by calculating the buildings, but I doubt Leila can pull off something like that.


    Even if she were to know that I am staying somewhere south of the capital, she shouldn¡¯t know yet which building it is.


    She would be able to tell in no time that we live here if she were to ask others, but I don¡¯t want to risk it if there¡¯s the chance that it hasn¡¯t been discovered yet.


    I hurriedly left the mansion and carefully think of a plan.


    (I have to do something about this Eye of the Heavens¡­) (Souma)


    But getting rid of this thing that has the indestructible trait and also returns to you after a set period of time once you throw it away is close to impossible.


    I tried slashing it with Shiranui, clinging to that little hope there was, but it didn¡¯t even scratch it.


    If it had been before the patch, things would have been more simple.


    When there¡¯s too many items left on the field, the items will disappear beginning from the first one that was placed there.


    If you take advantage of this, you could get rid of as many indestructible items, so I could have gotten rid of the Eye of the Heavens just by readying a lot of trash items.


    But that was fixed with a patch, and it is now not possible to dispose of the items that have the indestructible trait.


    It might have been because there were a lot of complaints about event items disappearing especially with the Mysterious Scrap of Paper. And so, they had to deal with it seriously despite being Nekomimi Neko.


    That in itself is great, but I couldn¡¯t help cursing at the diligent response of the staff here.


    ¡°Sazan!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°W-What?! J-Just saying, but I actually did this for your sake and¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    I cut off Sazan, who was running his mouth with excuses again while scared, and I gave him the Eye of the Heavens.


    ¡°You can use teleport magic, right? For now, can you please teleport to the furthest location you can and leave it there?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s fine with me, but can you write off what happened with this?¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan peeked at me from within his mask as he asked this.


    Looks like he is feeling bad in his own way about not helping me.


    ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s do that.¡± (Souma)


    When I said this, Sazan¡¯s voice turned cheerful in one go.


    ¡°T-Then, it is okay for me to live in this cursed mansion where the bizarre live in, right?!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°You¡­do you want to live here or not?¡± (Souma)


    Sazan is from the party of Alex, but I do think of him as an honorary member at least.


    I don¡¯t have any issues with him using the mansion.


    ¡°Also, I can have free mea¡ªI mean, I can participate in the dark feasting of sacrifices?!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it as if we are doing weird rituals every night! Well, I don¡¯t really mind doing that much.¡± (Souma)


    It is super obvious here that he is trying to freeload in the house, but that was pretty much the case already anyways, and I don¡¯t have any intention of throwing him away.


    This is an emergency, so I don¡¯t mind accepting this mu¡ª


    ¡°Then, while at it, can you give me the gloves that are darker than the darkest night and blessed by the shadows which I borrowed from you bef¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°That¡¯s a no! Or more like, give those gloves back to me already!¡± (Souma)


    When I shouted, Sazan jumped and hurriedly snatched away the Eye of the Heavens and began to teleport.


    Once the chant ended, Sazan disappeared.


    ¡°We can buy some time with this.¡± (Souma)


    He didn¡¯t give me back the Fingerless Gloves again, but this is not a situation where I can be bothered by that.


    The Eye of the Heavens will return to me in 6 hours.


    This is simply delaying the inevitable.


    We can notice her approach with Mitsuki, but when Leila enters the Death Stalker phase, she apparently can pursue the player 24/7.


    I would like to sleep at night and I don¡¯t want to live a life where I have to be on edge the whole time.


    Of course, I could just steer clear from women, but my party is composed of women, so that¡¯s impossible.


    Even if so, parting from my comrades and living alone with Leila is out of the question.


    (¡­Then, what do I do?) (Souma)


    It really goes back to destroying the Eye of the Heavens somehow, or moving to a remote island at a distant sea where she wouldn¡¯t be able to get to even if she were to know about my location with the Eye of the Heavens.


    But a place like that¡­


    ¡°¡­No, there¡¯s one!!¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s when a certain event showed up in my head.


    (If it is that¡­it should be possible?) (Souma)


    I checked several times in my head to see if there¡¯s anything I am missing here, and then nodded internally, feeling confident about this one.


    I tighten my fist and look at Mitsuki who is shaking her cat ears in worry.


    ¡°Mitsuki, I want to reach the castle without meeting Leila. Can I count on you to guide me?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Looks like you have thought of something.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki said this happily.


    I nodded confidently as if to answer this.


    ¡°Yeah, I remembered a good place to take shelter in. Going to the castle is just a preparation for this, and we will head there after that. We won¡¯t be able to return for a while, so the decision is yours whether you want to follow me or not.¡± (Souma)


    The forgetful knight captain that¡¯s at the castle, Spark Hawk.


    I remembered that there¡¯s a quest that¡¯s triggered from a few words of his.


    ¡°A shelter that we won¡¯t be able to return from for a while and an uninhabited island, huh. If we are to move away from human civilization, we will need to take the proper preparations¡ª¡± (Mitsuki)


    I cut off the words of Mitsuki and answered.


    ¡°No, the place we are going to be heading to can be reached in just a few minutes on foot from the capital. The Aken Residence. A normal house that we will be heading to after notifying in advance about a ring theft!¡± (Souma)


    The mystery quest that is triggered from the words of the knight captain: Ring of the Aken Family.


    I will bet my chips on this!!

 CH 143

    Light


    Dark


    ¡°Spark Hawk-san!¡±


    Finding a person inside the castle is no trouble with the ring of Mitsuki.


    I once again felt how fearsome search items are as I found the knight captain Spark Hawk-san and spoke to him.


    Spark Hawk turned back with elegant movements and long hair fluttering which stands out even from afar.


    ¡°Oh? And here I was wondering who it was. If it isn¡¯t the Hero-dono¡ª¡± (Hawk)


    ¡°I am sorry! There¡¯s something I would like to ask. Is that okay?¡± (Souma)


    I felt bad doing this in our first meeting, but I went for the meat of the matter immediately.


    ¡°O-Okay, I don¡¯t really mind. But if it is something too complicated¡­¡± (Hawk)


    ¡°It is a simple question that can be answered with a yes or no.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°That¡¯s great then. What is it?¡± (Hawk)


    It seems like he was surprised by the sudden situation, but as expected of the knight captain-sama, he agreed with a refreshing answer.


    I don¡¯t want to be close to Leila for long, and I would feel bad for taking too much time away from this person.


    I took out the Seal Neko Master Swordsman Medal out and a feather pen, and said this in one breath.


    ¡°Spark Hawk-san, you have seen a crest with a similar form before, moreover, you have been requested assistance by the owner of this crest, but you are so busy you can¡¯t go, so you thought that it would be fine to pass the letter onto the knight you trust who you have told the password ¡®wild rose¡¯ to, and sent that person to the proprietor, but the high quality feather pen you always use has broken, so you wanted to buy a new one at the item shop, right?¡± (Souma)


    The answer of Spark Hawk-san was obviously yes.


    He went ¡®so this is the Hero-dono that defeated even the Demon Lord, huh¡¯ as he properly wrote the letter while drawing cold sweat.


    ¡°Good grief. Why is it that you can¡¯t act normal?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki was baffled at the back, but I would like you to spare me on this one.


    I myself am aware that I am doing a pretty forceful shortcut here.


    But this current situation where I am bringing along 4 girls would lead me straight to death if it were to be found out by Leila.


    Just thinking about when Leila will notice this puts me on edge.


    After receiving the letter, we gave our thanks to a decent degree, and left the castle quickly.


    We head to the outside of the city just like that and explain the situation to our comrades.


    ¡°The quest we are about to do is a quest to obtain a required item for the Sealed Dungeon where the fragment of the Evil God is sealed at.¡± (Souma)


    It is not like all games end once you defeat the last boss.


    You could even say that, in RPGs, it is more often than not that there will be extra content that¡¯s harder than the last dungeon. Basically a hidden dungeon for the avid gamers.


    This obviously also exists in Nekomimi Neko which is one of the recent RPGs.


    The Hidden Dungeon: the Sealed Magic Dungeon.


    It is a dungeon that is underground of the Sealed Lands that are close to Lamurick, and it is an extra dungeon for after you clear Nekomimi Neko.


    But this created a new legend in Nekomimi Neko.


    Even after several months, there wasn¡¯t a single person from the group that cleared the game the fastest who had entered this secret dungeon.


    The first obstacle was the severe lack of information.


    Not even the entrance of the Sealed Magic Dungeon had been found after around 3 days since people who cleared the game began appearing.


    It was only after the very few testimonies from NPCs that players learned you have to interact with the relief of the Evil God at the Sealed Lands after clearing the game in order to open the path. But you can¡¯t reach the Sealed Magic Dungeon with just that alone.


    There¡¯s a big door with 10 openings underground (by the way, there¡¯s the Master Torches at both sides of that door), and it wouldn¡¯t open unless you place the correct items in them.


    It is a warp door, so you can¡¯t use Infinite Mirage Prison to jump it, so you could only go through it the normal way.


    Fortunately, one of the items necessary to open that door had been discovered soon after.


    The Sunshine Pyroxene, which is the drop item of the Demon Lord, fits right into the circular hole at the center of the door.


    The problem is the 9 holes in the surroundings.


    Judging from the size of the holes, it was discovered that the Sealed Neko Master Swordsman Medal you get in the conferral of honors event was one of them, so it was now clear that you have to use crest type items, but there wasn¡¯t any player who had gathered 9 crests at that point in time.


    Nekomimi Neko has a massive repertoire of items, and there¡¯s also a lot of them that are completely useless, so the items that you don¡¯t know its use of are naturally going to be lower in the priority list.


    Even if you wanted to begin gathering things now, at that time, if you were to leave items on the field -even if they were valuable- they would easily disappear, and there was even an event where you had to choose between the crest or a different item, so there were many cases where it would be impossible to collect all the crests once you cleared the game.


    However, there¡¯s no way the guys that stayed with Nekomimi Neko for so long would falter at just this degree of adversity.


    The fastest players had gathered 9 crests by 4 days of having found the entrance of the dungeon.


    ¡ªBut even when they set all of them up, the door didn¡¯t open.


    They thought at first that that was fake, but players who gathered the same crests began uploading videos of them setting the items in the holes and the suspicions were cleared.


    And then, someone on the net said: ¡°Could it be that the position of the crests is wrong?¡±


    That was a shocking statement.


    It is not because it was wrong.


    It is because it sounded right that everyone was speechless.


    You might think it is simple to place only 9 crests in the correct place, but they are all shaped the same way, and they are 9 in total.


    The amount of combinations is the factorial of 9.


    In other words, 362,880 combinations.


    It goes over the amount of combinations that you can just place randomly and get the right answer.


    Learning about this, the Nekomimi Neko players desperately searched for hints.


    The places where the crests were obtained at, places where there might be a connection with the Evil God, knowledgeable people, books that might have a connection; every single thing that might lead to something.


    ¡­However, there was no information regarding the order of the crests.


    There was someone who even went directly to the company as a last resort to ask about this.


    But, at that time, the reception window was on the verge of bursting due to the bug reports and complaints that were pushing hard.


    A trivial matter like not being able to enter a hidden dungeon which couldn¡¯t be called a bug¡­there¡¯s no way the company would pay any mind to it.


    And then, 1 week passed without any progress and¡­


    They finally steeled themselves for a despairing fight.


    ¡ªA round-robin of switching crests.


    A total of 360,000 combinations with only a little over 10 who had completed the game at that time.


    They didn¡¯t falter even in the face of a difference of more than the tens of thousands.


    They first arranged their personal numbers, and made it so that their combinations would be 9 numbers.


    They then made a thread in the bulletin board for the sole sake of exchanging info, and would do extremely thorough division of work.


    On top of that, volunteers would then update the progress on an exclusive page in the Wiki using that info to make sure there¡¯s no duplicates.


    Many Nekomimi Neko players would watch these guys changing the crests single-mindedly over and over, and called them Lockpickers with respect and admiration.


    In the frontlines of the bulletin board, the Lockpickers would go: ¡®341256789-341598762 were misses. Take over¡¯, ¡®Taking over. Leave the 3416 deviations to me¡¯, and ¡®From what I see in the Wiki, the 791 series, 7913 to 7915 have holes, so can someone do those?¡¯, ¡®Reserving until 791386542¡¯, ¡®Can¡¯t be helped. I will do 7914 to 7915¡¯, and ¡®563 derivations are all done!!¡¯, ¡®W-What?! You conquered the 3 digit numbers on your own?!!¡¯, ¡®That¡¯s my way of life!! Praise me!! Worship me!!¡¯, ¡®Thanks! With this, we can fight for 1 more yea¡ªno, I wouldn¡¯t want to do this for one more year¡¯. And so, it was lively with a whole lot of conversations that your average person wouldn¡¯t understand at all.


    By the way, I wasn¡¯t in the team of the fastest, but I caught up in the middle, and joined in as one of the Lockpickers.


    I took around 2 weeks and crushed 8491 to 8496 alone which I am a bit proud of.


    And then, after around 4 weeks since this all began¡­there was this post in the bulletin board.


    ¡°I did it! It opened! It opened! It opened! 796285341! It is 796285341!¡±


    It was the historical moment where the tenacity of the Lockpickers had broken through the unreasonableness of Nekomimi Neko.


    All the players that participated in this lockpicking were elated by this, and smiles showed in the faces of all Nekomimi Neko players as if that happiness spread.


    Even the controversial heroine debate between the Shermia Faction and the Mitsuki Faction, that are said to never see each other in the eye even if racism were to disappear from the world, had forgotten about their differences at this happy news, and we were all in a festive mood.


    ¡­That¡¯s right!


    This grand discovery united the hearts of all Nekomimi Neko players around the world into one!!


    ¡°And in this way, they entered the hidden dungeon with great delight and¡­were massacred by the Hidden Slime that looks completely the same as a Stray Slime. Even that is a good memory now¡­¡­Hm? What were we talking about again?¡± (Souma)


    I tilted my head and the cold gazes of my comrades stabbed me.


    ¡°R-Right, that! The quest we are about to be undertaking! Yeah, I remember, I remember! It is okay!¡± (Souma)


    I hurriedly tried to play it off.


    ¡°¡­Souma-san.¡± (Ina)


    Ina passed the point of being baffled and let out a sad voice, and this flustered me more.


    The tendency was there since long before, but after the Fake Prince Charming operation, I feel like the gazes of Mitsuki and the others have been getting more painful lately.


    It is as if they are looking at a hopeless guy from the bottom of their hearts, or as if they were looking at the weirdest guy in the world.


    In order for my comrades to also learn about my self-evaluation of  being the most sane of all Nekomimi Neko players, I feel like I should show them my normal side here, or things might turn bad.


    ¡°A-Anyways, the quest we are about to do will get us 1 of the 9 crests.¡± (Souma)


    You only get the Sunshine Pyroxene and Sealed Neko Master Swordsman Medal after clearing the game, but most of the other crests can be obtained from mid game and onwards.


    This Aken Family Ring is also one of those crests. Because this quest begins once you show 1 of the 9 crests to Spark Hawk, it isn¡¯t impossible to begin the quest right after arriving at the capital at the earliest.


    ¡°That¡¯s why this quest is made in a way that even low level characters can clear it, and there¡¯s no battle in the first place. But once we arrive at the residence, it is safe to assume an event will begin immediately¡­in other words, an incident.


    Because of this, please be prepared to not be able to leave the Aken residence for a while.¡± (Souma)


    I looked at everyone for confirmation, and there wasn¡¯t anyone who said they wanted to go back.


    I am thankful for that.


    Maki asked me while I was sinking within those thoughts.


    ¡°Speaking of which, you were talking about mystery novels and stuff like that before, right? Then, putting it in a smart guy way, it would be a closed circle**?!¡± (Maki) <TLN: It refers to a situation in which for a given crime (usually a murder), there is a quickly established, limited number of suspects, each with credible means, motive, and opportunity.>


    Leaving aside whether it sounds intelligent, I listened to the words of Maki and¡­


    ¡°¡­Well, yeah.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Fumu, a closed circle¡­huh.¡± (Sazan)


    Me and, for some reason, Sazan reacted and nodded.


    I don¡¯t know what Maki imagined from there, but she began talking rapidly which is uncharacteristic of her.


    ¡°T-Then, it is that! A suspicious western-style house covered in ivy. A bridge that collapsed from a clearly suspicious accident. The dodgy bespectacled mistress laughing bewitchingly. Twins that you can¡¯t tell the difference aside from their hair. A butler whose tone is so gentle that it instead makes their japanese weird. A maid so beautiful it instead makes you suspect her relationship with the lord of the residence. And then, the lord of the household who is wearing a suspicious mask!!¡± (Maki)


    Maki let her imagination run wild.


    ¡°There¡¯s way too many suspicious people!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Y-You idiot! I already filled the role of the masked one!!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan and I retorted once again.


    ¡°I see. Sorry, Sazan-chan.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Don¡¯t add -chan to me!¡± (Sazan)


    Maki only apologized to Sazan for some reason, and Sazan got even more enraged.


    Leaving that aside, let¡¯s continue explaining.


    ¡°It is true that we would be isolated, but it is not because of a blizzard or a bridge, but because of magic.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Speaking of which, the Aken family¡­ It is barrier magic, right?¡± (Mitsuki)


    I nod my head at the conclusion of Mitsuki, who is knowledgeable of the families.


    ¡°Yeah. The people of the Aken family have the setting¡­no, a history of them specializing in barrier magic for generations.


    Not only you won¡¯t be able to go in or out from the mansion. There¡¯s a ring there protected by barrier magic.


    The quest this time is to please protect that ring since there was an advance notice that there will be a theft.¡± (Souma)


    The moment I said that, Maki tilted forward.


    ¡°I actually read quite a lot of mystery novels! It means we are going to be the detectives here, right?! Uuh! My hands are itching!¡± (Maki)


    Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears also flap and show fighting spirit as if stirred by the excited Maki.


    ¡°If we are going to be searching for the culprit, it would be the turn for my Explorer Ring to shine. If we have a grasp of everyone¡¯s location, it would be impossible to escape without me noticing. I personally pity the culprit.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Ina and Sazan also speak as if chiming in.


    ¡°I-I also was good at finding the hidden sweets of mom!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Hmph. No one can escape from my Evil Eye!¡± (Sazan)


    It seems like even the Bear showed its hand out from inside the bag probably because it didn¡¯t want to be left out.


    Everyone is pretty hyped up here.


    ¡­Yeah.


    There¡¯s little in terms of a reward if the culprit is caught beforehand, so I planned on intentionally having them succeed in stealing it, and then cheat them out from the event item while getting the favor of the lord of the mansion, but I will read the room here and not say it.


    Leaving aside the fact that I know the truth of this, it would be better for everyone else to challenge this without knowing about it. That way, there won¡¯t be unnecessary suspicions on us.


    ¡°¡­Souma¡­are you okay?¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo rubbed my back, worried about me breaking out in a cold sweat on my own here, but her kindness is a bit painful right now.


    And then, after 20 minutes of high tension marchwe safely arrived at the Aken residence, and we were safely trapped in it.

 CH 144

    Light


    Dark


    ¡°I have heard about it before, but actually seeing it is quite the sight.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Uhm, Souma, I think it is a bit of a stretch to say this is a normal¡­manor.¡± (Ina)


    ¡°I get it now. This is why it is called the solitary island on land, right?!¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Solitary island on land¡­ Alone in the Land. No, World would be better¡­¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°¡­Ah, cow-san.¡± (Ringo)


    My comrades arrived at the Aken residence and all of them said their own piece about it.


    Well, it would be shocking if you were to see it the first time.


    The entrance of the Aken residence I guided them to is a wasteland with nothing around.


    No, a wasteland with nothing but a stone circle standing right in the middle of it.


    There¡¯s obviously not only no sight of the residence around, but no houses either.


    There¡¯s simply a circle of stone pillars of around 30 centimeters tall and around 3 meters in radius.


    But I led my comrades, who were tilting their heads, into the stone formation, and had them touch the stone pedestal at its center.


    The moment they did, the scenery around them warped, and a big estate that doesn¡¯t lose in size to the Nekomimi Mansion appeared.


    ¡°We are here. This is the Aken Estate.¡± (Souma)


    ¡­That¡¯s right.


    The Aken estate is a residence that was built in a pocket dimension with the assistance of magic.


    A place that you can only come to when using the teleportation device that utilizes the stone circle. A solitary island on land in the style of a fantasy world.


    The first thing that I confirmed after arriving in front of the Aken Estate was the teleportation device.


    The way to use this device is simple.


    You just have to touch the pedestal in the middle of the stone circle.


    With just that alone, you can come and go from the Aken Estate that is in a pocket dimension.


    But¡­


    ¡°¡­Nothing¡¯s happening.¡± (Souma)


    Even when I touched the center of the teleport device, it didn¡¯t activate.


    My mouth warped into a grin.


    Looks like the event is properly running its course.


    With this, you could say this place has become a complete solitary island on land.


    No, there¡¯s no other land, so calling it that isn¡¯t that accurate, but it is certain that this is more isolated than a normal solitary island.


    And there¡¯s one more thing I want to confirm.


    ¡°Mitsuki! Can you please search for the location details of any random person with your ring?¡± (Souma)


    The cat ears of Mitsuki twitched for a moment there at my sudden question, and then she nodded.


    ¡°Got it¡­ Oh?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki does an uncharacteristic gesture of furrowing her brows.


    That expression of hers grew grimmer as time passed and, at the end, she seemed to be searching for someone. Her cat ears were circling like an antenna.


    ¡­C-Cute~.


    No matter how skilfully you move cat ears, you can¡¯t spin it 360¡ã, but that passionate attempt to cover for this amplified even more the already criminal cuteness it had.


    I had that arbitrary comment in my mind while I was staring up at her head and¡­


    ¡°W-Where are you looking at?!¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki noticed my gaze and hid her cat ears with both hands all flustered.


    She glared at me with half embarrassment and half criticism, different from her usual 100% unamused eyes.


    I have known Mitsuki since the game days, so I thought I knew quite a lot about her, but I still don¡¯t know what makes Mitsuki embarrassed.


    ¡°¡­Hngh! It seems like I can¡¯t get a grasp of the locations of people outside of this island. The only people I could get a grasp on with the Explorer Ring were the 6 here.¡± (Mitsuki)


    But she soon returned to her expressionless face as if playing it off and answered me, but her cheeks are slightly flushed and both of her hands are still on top of her head.


    Also, as I can see from the tip of her cat ears poking out from her hands, they are twitching in embarrassment every now and then, so I guess she still hasn¡¯t recovered completely.


    ¡°I-I see. That¡¯s good news for me.¡± (Souma)


    I would feel bad teasing her too much, so I take the report of Mitsuki and return to the main topic.


    It is actually great news that Mitsuki can¡¯t search for people on the outside world with her Exploration Ring.


    In that case, even if the Eye of the Heavens with a similar effect were to be used, my location will probably be unknown.


    Now that I think about it, search items are items that show the direction of the thing you are searching, so there¡¯s no way it would be able to show the direction of someone in a different dimension.


    Even if we think about this with a game perspective, this is most likely a completely different map that has no connection to the other world, so it would be pointless to ask which direction.


    With this, as long as we are inside this space, we don¡¯t have to worry about Leila.


    ¡°Well then, now that one worry is gone, let¡¯s move to the mansion. We have to see the abilities of everyone after all.¡± (Souma)


    When I said this, everyone nodded with overflowing determination.


    We have decided we are all going to be moving on our own accord here, and we will try to solve the mystery with the best of our abilities.


    What we have agreed upon before coming here were 2 things.


    The first one is: I know the truth of the crime, but I won¡¯t tell my comrades about it.


    My best interest here would be to stay as long as possible in this space if I want to think about what to do regarding Leila, so there¡¯s little benefit in me solving this quickly.


    Also, it may sound a bit late at this point in time considering what I have done until now, but it would be unnatural for a guy to come here and suddenly know everything about the matter, so I want to avoid solving the mystery out of the blue with my game knowledge.


    That¡¯s why, in exchange for me not doing my best here, everyone aside from me will be investigating on their own, and will try to solve this mystery on their own discretion.


    With this, the people of the mansion won¡¯t suspect us, and this also matches with the wishes of Maki and the others who are burning with motivation.


    Or more like, Maki¡­


    ¡°Souma! You DEFINITELY must not spoil it, okay?!¡± (Maki)


    Even gave me a strict order not to.


    There¡¯s no doubt the one who is having the most fun in this event is Maki.


    It is in the end an event from Nekomimi Neko, so having too high expectations is a bit iffy though.


    Of course, I wouldn¡¯t be that happy if my comrades were to solve the mystery instantly.


    However, even in that case, it will still buy us time, so in exchange for there not being any benefits to it, there¡¯s no demerits either.


    You could say it is within acceptable boundaries.


    On the other hand, no matter how badly their deductions go, this event won¡¯t have people dying, which I already know from the game.


    This is a rare peaceful event in Nekomimi Neko where there¡¯s little demerits for the player, which is a boon in this moment when I have to think about Leila.


    Freed from the pressure of the Death Stalker even if only temporarily, I lightly pass by the cows who are pasturing at the small farm in front of the Aken Estate, and knock on the Aken residence I haven¡¯t been in in a long while.


    ¡°Excuse me! I have come on behalf of the Knight Order, name¡¯s Souma. Is the lord of the residence present?¡± (Souma)


    The residents of the place looked at us dubiously at first for some reason, but the moment I gave them the letter of the knight captain, their attitude changed in one go.


    ¡°I see, so that¡¯s how it is! So Spark Hawk-sama has¡­no, it is nothing. We welcome you.¡±


    The circumstances have been written down to a certain degree in the letter.


    The lord of this residence, the head of the Aken family, Shizun-san, went right into the meat of the conversation.


    ¡°It is true that I do have a similar crest to this one. It is called the Holy Shield Crest, and it has the same shape and size as the medal that you showed me just now. There¡¯s no doubt it is what¡¯s being searched.¡± (Shizu)


    Shizun-san took a breath there, and then opened up after staring into my eyes.


    ¡°If the Hero-sama that defeated the Demon Lord says that he needs it, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible for me to present it to you. However, can you please hear my request first?¡± (Shizun)


    ¡°What should I do?¡± (Souma)


    I nodded and asked a question I already know the answer of.


    Hearing this, Shizun-san made an even more serious expression as he answered.


    ¡°The crystallization of the Aken family¡¯s generations of polishing barrier magic, the ring that is proof of the Aken family¡¯s head, the Immortal Oath. I want you to protect this.¡± (Shizun)


    Saying this, Shizun-san took out a card.


    On top of this white card the size of a trump card, there were fancy holographic letters dancing on it.


    {I will be coming to take the Oath of Immortality in the night when the blue stars shine at the zenith of the evening dusk.


    Phantom Thief, Night Wind.}


    It is an excerpt that I have read countless times, but Maki went ¡®ooh!¡¯ at that showy theft notice, and Sazan went ¡®Night Wind, huh¡­ Fuh!¡¯ as he brushed his hair up in an annoying fashion.


    Shizun-san was holding his head with a heavy mood in contrast.


    ¡°And this ¡®blue stars shining at the zenith of the evening dusk¡¯ is actually tonight.¡± (Shizun)


    By the way, even if I were to come the very same day or the next day, or maybe even 3 years after having received the captain¡¯s letter, the theft notice will definitely be on the day you arrived.


    Because of this, aside from saying ¡®blue stars shining at the zenith of the evening dusk¡¯ there¡¯s also ¡®the night when the moon hides itself¡¯, or ¡®the night where red and blue stars meet¡¯; a total of 10 different patterns. And so, it will always be written as such depending on the day you meet them, but I don¡¯t know how it works in this world.


    It would be one thing in the game, but in this world, the theft notice should have arrived before the letter to the knight captain. In that case, the contents should be set already¡­


    While I was pondering about this, Mitsuki asked in wonder.


    ¡°But, is it okay to allow people like us in a time like that? I think there¡¯s the chance we could be the Night Wind person.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°I was the one who asked for help from my old friend Spark Hawk-san. I have no objections to people who have been chosen by him. Also¡­I don¡¯t want to escalate things too much here, so I couldn¡¯t take the choice of calling the Knight Order.¡± (Shizun)


    Shizun-san leaned forward at what Mitsuki pointed out, and lowered his voice as if implying this is only between us.


    ¡°All the records of the teleport device come to me. That¡¯s why I know who is in this estate. The time I received this notice is no exception of course.¡± (Shizun)


    ¡°Then, that means¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    Taking over from those words, Shizun-san nodded with a heavy expression.


    ¡°Yes. There were 6 people in this estate aside from me. The butler and maid serving this family, and my 4 children.¡± (Shizun)


    He stated firmly as if he were a great detective in a story.


    ¡°The culprit is among us!¡± (Shizun)


    6 suspects.


    In this estate that has been completely cut off from the outside¡­something will be happening tonight!!

 CH 145

    Light


    Dark


    ¡°I will be guiding you to the room where the ring is. Please follow me.¡±


    The place we arrived at after being told this with a serious face by Shizun-san was a room that has a fancier door than all other rooms.


    ¡°Elm-san, good work keeping watch.¡± (Shizun)


    ¡°I am honored by your words.¡± (Elm)


    Shizun-san spoke to the man in front of the door, took out a key from his pocket, opened the exaggerated lock, and went in.


    ¡°Now, go ahead everyone.¡± (Shizun)


    We enter the room.


    When everyone entered, the big door closed with a very loud sound.


    The door is apparently made in a way so that someone has to hold the door or it will automatically close on its own.


    The floor, walls, ceiling; that place, where everything was furnished with pure white tiles, didn¡¯t have a single piece of furniture.


    The only things decorating this room were¡­


    Pillars that stretch at both sides in the middle of the room.


    ¡°Wa!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Hooh, this is¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    Seeing this, Ina raised her voice in admiration and Mitsuki narrowed her eyes.


    At the center of the room, there were thin pillars of the same shape.


    No, the two pillars aren¡¯t exactly the same. I guess it would be easier to describe as one of the pillars being cut right at the center and having an opening of several centimeters in size.


    But what¡¯s different is what comes after that.


    In between the two pillars that normally shouldn¡¯t have anything, there¡¯s a rainbow film.


    And then, there¡¯s 4 colorful crystals floating before it as if protecting that rainbow curtain.


    Also, if you strain your eyes really well¡­those red, blue, yellow, and green crystals have sparkly light particles floating around, and they are gathering into the openings between pillar and pillar, creating the rainbow wall.


    Within this atmosphere where everyone was looking at the pillars in the center and the crystals as if they had their voices taken away, Shizun-san said proudly.


    ¡°These pillars and crystals test the qualifications of the family head: the Oath Barrier. Within that rainbow curtain lies the ring that¡¯s said is going to be stolen, the Immortal Oath.¡± (Shizun)


    ¡ªThe first head of the Aken family and hero, Lord Aken, was also known as the Impenetrable Fortress.


    He mastered the essence of barrier magic and obtained the invincible defense.


    That barrier could take any physical or magical attack without flinching, and he traveled through many battlefields with that absolute defense, and returned unwounded from all of them.


    But this barrier that was thought to be absolute had a single fault.


    ¡ªStatus ailments.


    Even as someone who had an impregnable defense, he didn¡¯t have perfect resistance against status ailments like poison and paralysis.


    There¡¯s rare cases where monsters with high intelligence would show up.


    One of those had noticed this weak point.


    Under the orders of the monster that had intelligence, attacks that caused poison, paralysis, confusion, sleep, and petrification rained down on him.


    But he endured it.


    Even when hit by poison and feeling dizzy; even when hit by paralysis and feeling numb; even when hit by confusion and having his senses fail him; even when he was hit by sleep and fell asleep while standing up; even when he was petrified and couldn¡¯t move his body; that strong will of his to continue enduring the attacks didn¡¯t falter.


    But, at the end, he finally fell on his knees after being hit by a certain status ailment.


    ¡ªInstant Death.


    Even he couldn¡¯t endure this no matter how much of an iron will he had.


    No matter how great of a warrior you are, no matter the hero you are, there¡¯s no path other than falling when your life is ripped out of you.


    It was most regrettable.


    If only he had resistance to death, he wouldn¡¯t have been one-upped by guys like these.


    If only he had resistance to death, he wouldn¡¯t have fallen at a place like that.


    If only he had resistance to death¡­


    That strong desire of his created a miracle.


    A few seconds before that body reached death completely¡­in that brief amount of time, he poured his own mana into a ring of his.


    That ring shone dark, and even after his body collapsed to the ground and disappeared, the ring still remained there without a single scratch.


    That ring was sent to his wife and children, and it is still being protected by his descendants as the living proof of a great hero.


    ¡°That¡¯s the story passed down in our family of the ring that holds absolute resistance to death: the Immortal Oath.¡± (Shizun)


    After finishing his long story, my comrades let out an impressed ¡®hooh¡¯.


    Now that I listen properly to it, I feel like there¡¯s a whole ton of things to retort to, but you could say it works as an epic.


    Also, there¡¯s a descendant right in front of us and the ring spoken of is there, so it amplifies the weight of that story.


    ¡°We understand the ¡®Immortal Oath¡¯ now. However, what¡¯s this about the Oath Barrier that was spoken of before?¡± (Mitsuki)


    When Mitsuki, who was the only one that didn¡¯t lift a single brow at the story of Shizun-san just now, asked this, he nodded deeply.


    ¡°Those crystals and the light curtain are there, but it would be faster to actually test it out.


    I don¡¯t care what method you use, can you please try to destroy that barrier right now and take the ring?¡± (Shizun)


    Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears twitched, and she looked at Shizun-san with cold eyes.


    ¡°¡®I don¡¯t care what method you use¡¯, no taking back those words?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Of course, I won¡¯t.¡± (Shizun)


    Just when that response from Shizun-san was about to finish¡­


    ¡°Hmph!¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki suddenly took out her sword without any preliminary motions.


    There was still a bit of distance between her and the pillars, but that¡¯s nothing for Mitsuki.


    With a glare of her favored weapon, Tsukikage, she rushed to the rainbow protection and¡­


    ¡°¡­I see.¡± (Mitsuki)


    It was easily stopped.


    ¡°E-Eeeeh?!¡± (Ina)


    Ina, who knows the most about how fearsome Mitsuki is, raised her voice in surprise.


    But Mitsuki herself wasn¡¯t shaken at all.


    ¡°Then¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    Understanding that she couldn¡¯t break that defense after just one attack, she changed targets.


    That next target was not the barrier, but the crystals that are most likely creating that barrier.


    Mitsuki¡¯s next slash certainly hit the target, but¡­


    ¡°Hooh¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    It made a hard *kan* sound and stopped in place.


    Even when Mitsuki swung her sword, the crystals floating in the air were unscathed and didn¡¯t flinch.


    She then cut the pillars as if it were a passing thought, and after confirming she dealt no damage, she sheathed her katana.


    ¡°Do you get it now?¡± (Shizun)


    Seeing this, Shizun-san approached Mitsuki with a somewhat proud look.


    Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears trembled for a moment as if displeased by this, but she didn¡¯t show that at all in her face and answered calmly.


    ¡°Yeah, it is quite impressive. Looks like this barrier cannot be broken with normal means.¡± (Mitsuki)


    There¡¯s no mistake in the words of Mitsuki.


    Mitsuki¡¯s attack power is number one within NPCs.


    Depending on how I do it, I could achieve even higher power but, even if I did, that wouldn¡¯t make a difference here.


    The devices here are all Indestructible.


    They can¡¯t be broken.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. You have to use barrier magic in order to undo this barrier.¡± (Shizun)


    Saying this, Shizun-san went to the front as if switching with Mitsuki and held his hand aloft the crystal.


    ¡°Hah!¡± (Shizun)


    He let out a powerful voice. Blue light flew out from his palm and hit the red crystal directly.


    The crystal was basked in the blue light, lost its light, and changed to black.


    ¡°The logic is simple. You just have to bask the respective crystal with the opposite element of barrier magic.¡± (Shizun)


    Shizun-san sent red light to the blue crystal at the side as he said this.


    The moment the light reached the blue crystal, it lost its light again, and at the same time as it did¡­


    ¡°Ah, the barrier¡­!!¡± (Ina)


    The rainbow barrier disappeared.


    ¡°If 2 of the 4 crystals are turned off, the barrier will disappear in this way. With this, it should now be possible to take the ring.¡± (Shizun)


    Hearing this, everyone¡¯s attention was directed at the space between the pillars.


    In between those two pillars, there¡¯s a pedestal that extends from below, and there¡¯s certainly a pitch black ring on top of it.


    ¡°So t-this is that Immortal Oath.¡± (Ina)


    The closest one there, Ina, grabbed the ring.


    Ina was looking at that ring as if in admiration, so I warned her teasingly.


    ¡°Make sure not to drop it. That would apparently go for as much as 3 million E if you were to sell it.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°T-Three m-million!!¡± (Ina)


    The hand of Ina holding the ring was trembling from how nervous she was.


    ¡­Looks like it would be better to not tell her that we got 80 million from the subjugation contest.


    ¡°But this is the proof of the family head, right? Is it really okay for you to not be wearing it?¡± (Sazan)


    On the other hand, Sazan, who doesn¡¯t seem to be that hung up on money, asked this without showing much agitation.


    Shizun answered as if nothing at the decent question you wouldn¡¯t expect came from Sazan.


    ¡°Yeah, it doesn¡¯t matter. Or more like, it must not be worn. Because¡­once you wear it, you won¡¯t be able to take it off.¡± (Shizun)


    The moment Ina heard this, she jumped and went ¡®hiiih!¡¯ and was close to dropping the ring.


    It seems like Sazan couldn¡¯t ignore this.


    ¡°H-Hey, isn¡¯t that cursed?¡± (Sazan)


    He looked in the direction of Ina as if finding this creepy and asked.


    But Shizun-san shook his head, unfazed.


    ¡°No, there¡¯s no way. It is simply the consideration of my ancestors so that the ring doesn¡¯t get lost once it is equipped. Also, you can properly take it off if you pay money to the church.¡± (Shizun)


    ¡°That¡¯s totally cursed!!¡± (Sazan)


    It is a rare instance of Sazan retorting.


    ¡°S-Souma-san, w-what should I do with t-this¡­?!¡± (Ina)


    Ina asked for help with teary eyes.


    What to do, you ask. You can just return it. It seems like she can¡¯t think of it because of how panicked she is.


    Or maybe she thinks she can¡¯t just decide because it is a valuable item.


    Shizun-san said with a laugh at the panicking Ina.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so scared. Let¡¯s say it is cursed. Even if that were the case, it is simply that you can¡¯t take it off once you wear it. There¡¯s no other bad thing it would do.¡± (Shizun)


    Ina reacted as if she had seen the light in hell at the follow-up of Shizun-san and agreed vehemently.


    ¡°R-Right?!! Y-You could even say it is relieving since you would have resistance to instant death!!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ Well, you will be turned powerless to other status ailments aside from instant death though.¡± (Shizun)


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡± (Ina)


    The blood was drained from Ina¡¯s face at the foreboding words that were said casually.


    ¡°You heard the story, right? Lord Aken-sama could endure the other status ailments, so in exchange for gaining complete resistance to instant death, the resistances to other ailments must have been thrown away. What a man of fortitude.¡± (Shizun)


    The face of Ina grew paler in contrast to Shizun-san who was laughing heartily.


    ¡°Speaking of which, there was a record of a family head a long time ago that accidentally touched a poisonous mushroom while wearing that ring. The poison was not that strong, and yet, it easily circulated in his body, and no matter what they tried, he couldn¡¯t recover. It was apparently pretty hectic.¡± (Shizun)


    Shizun-san laughs.


    And Ina trembles profusely.


    ¡°S-So, what happened to that person?¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan asked instead of Ina who couldn¡¯t speak because of how much she was trembling.


    Shizun-san smiled gently at that.


    ¡°Fortunately, the panic of the poison was only for a little while.¡± (Shizun)


    ¡°Meaning that it was cured soon aft¡ª¡± (Ina)


    Seeing hope, Ina turned cheerful, but Shizun-san answered her with a nice smile.


    ¡°No, he apparently went to heaven soon after.¡± (Shizun)


    ¡°Noooooooooooooooooooooo!!!¡± (Ina)


    After that, I somehow soothed Ina who was trembling like a Stray Slime that had 1 HP remaining, and returned to the ring on top of the pedestal.


    When I took the ring from Ina¡¯s hand, Ina looked at me with eyes as if a notification dropped, telling me: ¡®affection drastically increased!!¡¯.


    ¡°Souma-san, you really are my savior!¡± (Ina)


    She shouted this and showed just how easy of a heroine she is, but leaving that aside¡­


    ¡°Now then, I will be closing the barrier.¡± (Shizun)


    After confirming that the ring was returned, Shizun-san approached the crystals.


    ¡°In order to activate the barrier, you do the opposite of what I did before. You pour mana of the same element as the crystal.¡± (Shizun)


    Shizun-san sends red mana to the red crystal and blue mana for the blue crystal.


    When he did, the crystals regained their light.


    ¡°Ah, the barrier¡­¡± (Ina)


    The rainbow curtain unfolded in between the pillars again.


    The pitch black ring couldn¡¯t be seen anymore.


    ¡°I think you understand now with this, but you need to be able to use barrier magic of two elements at the very least to open this Oath Barrier. That¡¯s why, obtaining the ring that¡¯s deep in this barrier is proof that you are a skilled user of barrier magic. In other words, the proof that you are the head of the family.¡± (Shizun)


    Seeing that we nodded at his words, Shizun-san announces austerely.


    ¡°And¡­my four children can¡¯t undo this barrier yet. My oldest son is fire, my oldest daughter is water, my second son is earth, and my second daughter is wind.


    They all have an element they are good at, but it also means they can only use that one element satisfactorily.¡± (Shizun)


    That¡¯s when the face of Shizun-san warped in pain.


    ¡°At this rate, the first one who can use two elements will become the next family head. My children are desperately polishing their skills for the sake of that, but because of that, you can¡¯t really say they get along well. To the point that it wouldn¡¯t be strange even if there¡¯s someone who would think about stealing the ring before any other sibling were to become the family head¡­¡± (Shizun)


    Shaky family circumstances were suddenly revealed.


    Shizun-san made a sudden action while we were listening, dumbfounded at this.


    ¡°This is the second reason why I suspect the culprit is from the inside. You can¡¯t obtain the Immortal Oath unless you use barrier magic. And the only ones who can use barrier magic are me and my 4 children. That¡¯s why, please¡­¡± (Shizun)


    Shizun-san goes down on both hands and knees, and with head on the ground, he shouted.


    ¡°Please protect this ring!! And please save my children from a foul sin!!¡± (Shizun)


    ¡­Hm?


    Was this a serious event?

 CH 146

    Light


    Dark


    We had Shizun-san lift his head, and just before we left the barrier room¡­


    ¡°Ah, wait for a moment.¡± (Souma)


    I suddenly thought of something. I scratched a corner of the floor with my sword to create a mark.


    I took the trouble of moving Shiranui in a careful manner, and succeeded in writing ¡®not yet¡¯ even if it wasn¡¯t the best looking.


    I pumped my fist lightly at the completion of this.


    ¡°¡­Souma?¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo turned around with a questioning look in front of the door. I simply shook my head, telling her it is nothing, and was the last one to leave the room.


    The one waiting for me when I exited the room was Mitsuki with eyes filled with suspicion.


    ¡°¡­What were you doing?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Eh? A-Aah, I was leaving a mark in the corner of the room. Just a bit of an idea. There¡¯s no big meaning behind it, you know.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I see. A mark, huh.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki nodded once as if convinced, but her eyes were still glaring at me coldly.


    That state continued on for a while, and after making me feel uncomfortable for a while, Mitsuki spoke.


    ¡°That Immortal Oath ring apparently has resistance to instant death.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Y-Yeah. So it seems.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°In other words, as long as you have that ring, you wouldn¡¯t have to fear Leila. Don¡¯t tell me¡­you are thinking about stealing it since it is going to be stolen by someone else anyways¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t bring up such accusations!¡± (Souma)


    I hurriedly stopped Mitsuki who was about to say something dangerous.


    Shizun-san looked back in wonder, but I played it off with a smile.


    After confirming that Shizun-san was facing the front again, I protested to Mitsuki.


    ¡°For your information, you can¡¯t block the attack of Leila even with that ring!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Really?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Leila¡¯s Death to the Infidel!! Is not a special attack or a skill, but more of a system kind of thing.


    If you could block it by making your resistance of instant death perfect, it wouldn¡¯t be feared that much.


    ¡°Also, if I were to take the ring from there and make it mine, that¡¯s already normal theft, right? Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t do something that stupid.¡± (Souma)


    To be honest, I want that ring.


    It is not impossible that it can now block the instant death attack of Leila now that the world has become real, and even without that, it would be great to block instant death.


    It is painful that you lose the resistances to other status ailments, but now that I have more leeway in the other accessory slots, it is not impossible to remedy it.


    For example; the most dangerous status ailment to prioritize aside from instant death is petrification.


    Not only can you not move at all, it is hard to recover naturally. But even if you get petrified, you can solve it without issues by just having a single piece of equipment called the Gargoyle¡¯s Circle which allows you to move normally even in a petrified state.


    That¡¯s why I want the ring.


    I do, but¡­


    There¡¯s something more important than that.


    ¡°If I did that, that ring would become a stolen item!!¡± (Souma)


    If you steal something from someone else, that item will get the stolen mark.


    And if it is discovered that you have an item with the stolen mark, you go straight to the criminal route.


    I can¡¯t take such a pointless risk.


    ¡°¡­I am finally convinced.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki nodded with her cat ears flapping as if finding this hard to swallow.


    I sigh in relief after being freed from the asphyxiating gaze.


    Maybe that¡¯s why¡­


    ¡°In other words, even if you had the will to steal the ring, it is impossible because of the restriction of the ¡®game¡¯, right?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Eh? Ah, no. There¡¯s the trick of taking it away from the culprit once it has been stolen by them.¡± (Souma)


    I ended up letting my tongue slip at the confirmation of Mitsuki that followed.


    ¡°I knew it. You¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    She once again directed eyes of suspicion at me.


    ¡°No no no no! I am really prioritizing the completion of the request!¡± (Souma)


    It is true that at the very very beginning, a Nekomimi Neko player would have prioritized the ring rather than a crest that you don¡¯t know what the use is for. They would purposely not solve the crime, then steal the ring away from the culprit, and escape just like that.


    But that¡¯s at the very beginning.


    The moment it was discovered that the crest opens a hidden dungeon, the importance of the two items did a reversal.


    There were no people who chose the cursed ring that is hard to find uses for.


    I don¡¯t have any immediate need to go to the hidden dungeon, but the crest has a lot more importance when speaking of priorities.


    Also, the core of the issue is not in that part.


    I looked straight at the eyes of Mitsuki instead of the top of her head and protested earnestly.


    ¡°Just think about it. Even if it is the root of conflict, I would be stealing an important heirloom for those people. Do I look like a person that would be able to use an item like that with my chest held out while carrying such regrets?¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki is probably misunderstanding who I am as a person.


    I am on the peaceful side even within the Nekomimi Neko players that don¡¯t choose their means for the sake of their objective.


    I am not such a deplorable person that would gleefully perform actions that would hurt others.


    ¡°¡­Right. Truly persuasive words.¡± (Mitsuki)


    But Mitsuki responded with her usual cold voice and slid her gaze to the side.


    ¡°¡­Hm?¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo tilted her head at the gaze directed at her, and at her waist there¡¯s the Wakizashi (which on the inside is the heirloom of the Hisame household, the Gouging Vajra).


    Cold sweat flowed down my forehead.


    ¡°N-No, that time could be considered an exception of sorts, but I normally do my best for the sake of everyone¡¯s happiness, you know? Even at the time when I was at your home, I did my utmost best so that no deaths would happen and¡­¡± (Souma)


    I desperately tried to explain myself, and Mitsuki suddenly laughed with a ¡®fufu!¡¯ and softened her expression.


    ¡°Mitsuki¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I was unable to follow that sudden change of hers, and Mitsuki lowered her head.


    ¡°I am sorry. The situation was just too perfect, so I ended up distrusting you. But I know better than anyone that you are someone that would work hard to get the best results in any situation.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± (Souma)


    Looks like Mitsuki also didn¡¯t think I would do something like that and just tried to confirm it.


    I sighed in relief.


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief. If you were thinking about doing something that deviated you from the right path, I was considering using whatever means to stop you from doing so.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki was brushing the scabbard of her katana for some reason as she said this, and the cold sweat gushed out again.


    ¡°I-I am glad that you are feeling at peace now.¡± (Souma)


    Now that I think about it, even when her father was killed, even when the whole world turned into your enemy, Mitsuki was someone who would stay as an ally of the player.


    I don¡¯t think I will be killed like with Leila if I were to mess up, but it wouldn¡¯t be easy to escape from her.


    Mitsuki has far more searching ability, fighting power, connections, assets, and cat ears than Leila.


    ¡­The strongest hidden yandere might have been close to me.


    ¡°Uhm, what¡¯s the matter, you two? Shizun-san said that he would be going ahead to tell the other people of the house about the situation.¡± (Ina)


    While I was trembling at a fearsome future, Ina and the others who were walking ahead had come back worried.


    ¡°I see. We might have worried Shizun-san there.¡± (Souma)


    He probably left thinking that we have some sort of secret discussion between us.


    If that¡¯s the case, I feel bad about it, but I will be using this opportunity.


    ¡°I plan on not placing any restrictions in your actions this time around. But there¡¯s one thing I want to warn you about at all costs.¡± (Souma)


    My emotions must have transmitted when I began speaking with a serious tone, everyone moved to listen to me seriously.


    Even Maki, who was thinking for a while now and not saying a single word, raised her head.


    I begin speaking after confirming this.


    ¡°Try not to stay for long in that room. Especially if you are trying to wait for the culprit to show up. If you do something like that and you are unlucky¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I-If you are unlucky¡­?¡± (Ina)


    I looked at the eyes of Ina who asked scared, and I declared clearly.


    ¡°¡­You will disappear. From this world.¡± (Souma)


    The moment I said this, Ina went ¡®hiiih!¡¯, Maki frowned, Sazan went ¡®Banishment this World?!¡¯, and the usually expressionless Ringo and Mitsuki made slight surprised looks.


    But this is not a lie.


    This is the¡­danger¡­that was added later in this super easy and safe quest of the Aken Family¡¯s Ring: the sudden death room.


    Actually, this quest has very few cons and the solution is easy.


    A seasoned Nekomimi Neko player wouldn¡¯t search for the culprit in their own arena.


    The flow of the events does make it so that you can¡¯t enter the room at the time of the crime, and the room is locked, but that¡¯s powerless in the face of the wall jump bug.


    You could easily slip into the room with Infinite Mirage Prison, use a random stealth skill, and wait for the culprit until the time of the crime, which most players did to solve this.


    There¡¯s also those who would set recording devices before leaving the room to record the moment of the crime, others who would set traps or monsters to kill the culprit, set skulls so it is impossible to traverse in it; players could do what they pleased.


    It is not like everything bore fruit, but even in the Wiki, this quest was looked down upon to the point that it was written on the quest: this quest is the easiest in this game.


    The developers of Nekomimi Neko raged at this.


    Even when there were still a lot of bugs left to fix, they did a patch where they were ¡®increasing the difficulty of quests¡¯ which you would question their sanity for.


    They prohibited the use of skills inside the residence in order to block the wall jump bug and many other things, but the biggest change was the sudden death room.


    This is a post that had become a topic of conversation for a period of time right after the patch was implemented. A certain player camped the room, and it suddenly got pitch black without any sign of it, and then, he was standing at the Monolith at some point in time.


    This is clearly the animation of when you die, but the reason was unknown.


    There were no monsters or anything around, and no NPC or trap coming to kill the player.


    Then, why did the player in the barrier room die?


    The answer was in the patch history.


    -The subquest [the Aken Family¡¯s Ring] has been adjusted so that abnormal behaviors that hinder the progress of the event will get reset.


    It was hard to pinpoint what this was trying to say, but by using this as a hint to verify, the truth was revealed.


    To everyone¡¯s surprise, just before the culprit acts, all the foreign objects in the barrier room had been adjusted to¡­be eliminated.


    To be more precise, it would be that the map is recreated to its initial state. Because all things in that room that have been changed or were not there to begin with are reset, the things that the Nekomimi Neko players did that were like hidden tricks had been rendered pointless.


    This is especially fatal if the player is personally inside the room.


    The player has no means to fight back against this system process.


    No matter how strong of a character you have, no matter if you have resistance to instant death, you are left with nothing if you are hit by a delete.


    And so, the players that were camping at that room would be met with the bitter experience of instant death.


    ¡°That¡¯s why make sure you definitely don¡¯t do a stakeout in that room.¡± (Souma)


    I finished my detailed explanation and looked at everyone¡¯s faces, and they all nodded obediently.


    I was worried whether they would accept it since that¡¯s game talk here, but this concerns their life, so they all listened properly.


    By the way, this is a bit of an aside, but this change that could be called detrimental obviously angered the Nekomimi Neko players.


    ¡­Or so you would think, but maybe because they tinkered with the quest too much and missed some triggers for the events, after the patch, if you had already cleared the quest, you could take that same quest again which was baptized as the Forgetful Knight Captain Bug. This was met with delight by the players.


    Unfortunately, there were no means to deal with the patch. In the first place, this world that reflects the latest patch can¡¯t take advantage of this bug, but if this quest can be taken two times, we could steal the ring from the culprit in our first run, and then solve it normally in the second run to get the crest.


    The change that was created to make players suffer brought benefits to the players instead. You could say that¡¯s just like Nekomimi Neko.


    ¡°It is okay! There¡¯s no need to worry that much!¡±


    The one who spoke a cheerful statement in this heavy atmosphere after being suddenly told about the threat to their lives was Maki.


    She began to talk a whole ton as if it had been a lie that she was quiet until now.


    ¡°Also, this is a mystery, so I think those players(?) are the ones in the wrong for using such insulting means to solve it! Let¡¯s find the culprit fair and square!!¡± (Maki)


    Saying this, Maki tightened her fists and showed her motivation.


    ¡°R-Right. You must not cheat. No cheating!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Hmph. Even without using such underhanded means, there¡¯s nothing my Demonic Eye can¡¯t see through.¡± (Sazan)


    Ina and Sazan both agreed with this.


    And Mitsuki was the one who gathered up this motivation into a clear objective.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see. About the method to find the culprit, there¡¯s 6 people that might be the culprit, and we also have 6 people. How about we each stick to the one we suspect the most, and keep an eye on them one on one?¡± (Mitsuki)


    This is the first practical opinion that was given since coming here.


    The one who agreed instantly to this was unexpectedly Ringo.


    ¡°¡­Got it. I won¡¯t miss a single instant.¡± (Ringo)


    She said with a stronger tone than usual and¡­


    ¡°Hm¡­?¡± (Souma)


    ¡ªShe grabbed my arm tightly.


    Uhm¡­what¡¯s going on?


    When I directed Ringo this questioning look, Ringo also looked at me.


    ¡°¡­The most suspicious one is Souma.¡± (Ringo)


    She said that all so naturally.


    No, more importantly¡­


    ¡°W-Wait wait wait! No, that¡¯s just weird! This is an actual case and the culprit is¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I was desperately protesting here, but Ringo looked at me with eyes more serious than me and stated this firmly.


    ¡°¡­I will make Souma a decent human being!¡± (Ringo)


    I don¡¯t know if I should be vexed about being called a deadbeat, or be relieved that I am finally being treated as a human being.


    But before I could come up with the answer¡­


    ¡°Nooo!!!¡± (Maki)


    Maki came and tore me away from Ringo.


    ¡°¡­Maki?¡± (Souma)


    I was confused by the sudden outburst of Maki and¡­


    ¡°I-It is not that you can¡¯t stick to Souma right now. That¡¯s not good either, but uhm¡­I can¡¯t agree with the idea of Mitsuki-san!!¡± (Maki)


    Maki said this with her eyes swirling as she pointed at Mitsuki.


    As for Mitsuki herself, she opened her eyes wide as if saying ¡®Eh? Me?¡¯.


    Maki coughed, and after making sure Ringo was separated from me once again, she began to talk like a machine gun.


    ¡°I hesitated for a bit myself, but I think a plan like this is not good. Cause you know, solving the case would be simple. Mitsuki-san can simply grab everyone in the residence, and have them forcefully be removed from the place for today, or bring that ring out of the barrier room and have Mitsuki-san just swallow it to keep it in her stomach or something.


    It goes the same with catching the culprit. Mitsuki-san could discipline them in a bit of a nasty manner, and have them confess at once.


    But that¡¯s not a mystery at all, right?!¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Leaving aside the details, why am I the one doing all the dirty work in those examples?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki was indignant at how she was brought up for reference, and the others were all shocked by this, but Maki, who had her mystery-loving blood boiling here, didn¡¯t stop.


    She began to disclose her personal opinion as if the protest of Mitsuki didn¡¯t happen.


    ¡°You see, Mitsuki-san, there would be times in mystery novels where there would be people who would suggest to hold hands and make a circle around the item that will be stolen as if saying ¡®please pull off a trick¡¯. Why do you think that is?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­it would be hard for me to say.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Looks like even Mitsuki doesn¡¯t know how to deal with people like this.


    Maki nodded as if saying ¡®I got my confirmation there¡¯ at the confusion of Mitsuki.


    And then¡­


    ¡°It is the fair play spirit!!¡± (Maki)


    She said this nonsense with full confidence.


    ¡°Even you, Mitsuki-san, would want the other party to do their everything when you are fighting, right? It is the same as that! It is only after you stand in the arena of the opponent and they do their trick that you then crush them!! That¡¯s the best essence of mysteries which has held on since ancient times!¡± (Maki)


    ¡°I-Is¡­that so?¡± (Mitsuki)


    No, I am sure it is not so.


    There¡¯s no way they could hear my mind, so Maki¡¯s speech continued.


    ¡°That¡¯s why, even when detectives know that there¡¯s a high chance the one who proposed this unnatural countermeasure is the culprit, they would still go with it. And yet, to use such underhanded means that are akin to a round-robin¡­that¡¯s not like you, Mitsuki-san!


    That¡¯s petty!! Unfair!!¡± (Maki)


    She went all in at trying to convince Mitsuki with her berserk passion.


    ¡°Uhm, am I underhanded¡­?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki showed a rare sight of being flustered, and sought help from me with her eyes alone.


    But I shook my head to the sides.


    Stopping Maki when she is like this is not easy.


    Also¡­


    ¡°¡­Got it.¡± (Mitsuki)


    My response must have been the finishing blow.


    Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears withered and drooped.


    ¡°¡­Then, let¡¯s scrap this plan.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Yay!!¡± (Maki)


    She declared her defeat.


    Looks like even Mitsuki can¡¯t win against crying children and Maki.


    I watch this rare sight of Mitsuki with her shoulders drooped down and Maki celebrating while making a grin.


    And then, after deciding that our basic policy here will be to ¡®observe and let things flow¡¯ which you could hardly say is a clear plan, we finally returned to the living room that was the first room we were brought to at the beginning.


    ¡ªThe ones who welcomed us were 7 people.


    ¡°Oh, what took you so long? We are all gathered up here already.¡± (Shizun)


    The owner of the residence and a middle-aged man with good physique, Shizun-san.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    A butler at the prime of his life, who was keeping watch on the barrier room just a few moments ago, bowed in silence.


    ¡°E-E-Excuse me! I am truly honored that you have blessed us with your presence, honored guests¡­¡±


    The maid was panicking all over as she poured tea.


    ¡°Tch! You guys are the representatives of Spark Hawk-san? Are you really useful?¡±


    A bright red-haired man who doesn¡¯t look friendly.


    ¡°I am counting on you all. That ring is destined to be mine after all.¡±


    A woman with long deep blue hair flowing behind her who seems to have a lot of pride.


    ¡°Eeeh?! Don¡¯t joke around! That ring is mine!!¡±


    A selfish-looking young man with blonde hair spiked up.


    ¡°U-Uhm¡­I don¡¯t think fighting is good¡­¡±


    And then there¡¯s a slender girl with short black hair timidly waving.


    A whole bunch of quirky suspects that you could say are the very definition of an unstable family.

 CH 147

    Light


    Dark


    Author: She is not a heroine. Just in case.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    The first thing we did after gathering was to introduce ourselves.


    Our party has me, Ringo, Mitsuki, Maki, Sazan, and Ina.


    The residents of the manor are: the head, Shizun; butler, Elm; maid, Rirumu; eldest son, Fai; eldest daughter, Mizu <Water>; second son, Earth; and the second daughter, Fuu <Wind>.


    I know both sides, so I am an aside, but it must be really difficult to remember 13 people at once.


    Maki had industriously taken out a notepad and was writing down the information.


    Once the self-introductions are over, I think it will go to making countermeasures for the case, but¡­


    ¡°If it is exactly as the theft notice states, the culprit will be moving at night. There would be no point draining ourselves being on edge the whole time. How about we act freely until 6:00 p.m?¡± (Shizun)


    Shizun-san said this.


    You might think that¡¯s really naive, but this is the basic route of this quest.


    We know that the culprit won¡¯t move until night, and there¡¯s no reason for me to object.


    I thought Mitsuki would be the one to complain out of anyone here, but the person herself only had her cat ears twitch and stayed silent.


    ¡°¡­If I use the Explorer Ring, it is the same no matter where anyone is.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki must have sensed my questioning look, she answered me in a low voice.


    She really is someone I don¡¯t want as an enemy.


    Maybe because of the policy of letting things flow, there were no objections from our side, and the proposal of Shizun-san was accepted.


    We agreed to gather at the barrier room at 6, and we decided to move freely until then.


    Honestly speaking, this is just adjusting the time in the case you arrive at the Aken residence early, but you could say this is the opportunity for the player to do some preliminary investigation before the actual case.


    Maki, who is acting like a detective, wanted to begin the investigation at once, but I told her investigating the inside of the residence comes first.


    And so, we decided to get guided inside the Aken manor.


    However, Shizun-san was busy and the butler Elm-san returned to his job of keeping watch of the barrier room.


    And so, the job of guide ended up being passed to¡­


    ¡°N-Now then, I -Riruru- will be e-everyone¡¯s guide toshay!¡± (Riruru)


    It is the useless maid-san that was pouring tea excessively in the room before.


    Mitsuki raised a brow at the maid who was already clattering her teeth like crazy.


    ¡°Riruru¡­-san? If I remember correctly, in the self-introduction of before, your name was Rirumu though.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Ah, I-I am sorry! I-I was so nervous that I got my name wrong!¡± (Rirumu)


    Her shocking words baffled everyone.


    This is something I thought at the Hisame dojo too, but clumsy maids are only forgiven in fictional stories, and it would be disconcerting in reality.


    The first thing you would want to do is shout at them why they hired someone like this.


    Even if you accept those parts, mistaking your name is not on the level of clumsy, but already in the realm of forgetful.


    But this useless maid that is without doubt a product of fiction didn¡¯t read the room like the useless maid she is, and continued her self-introduction.


    ¡°U-Uhm, I am the maid, Rimuru! N-Nice to meet you all.¡± (Rimuru)


    Shock ran through my comrades at the sudden 3rd name that showed up.


    Not only Ina, even Sazan took a step back, Mitsuki looked calm but her cat ears went ¡®shaa!¡¯ as if trying to intimidate with its hairs standing up.


    ¡°¡­Souma, do men like something like that?¡± (Maki)


    Maki directed eyes of criticism at me.


    ¡°N-No, that¡¯s not¡­¡± (Souma)


    I was about to finish what I said, but the maid that heard us came over here.


    ¡°E-Excuse me, do you have a questio¡ªkyaaah!!¡± (Rirumu)


    ¡°Uwah!¡± (Souma)


    She slipped on the carpet and fell on top of me.


    What I could feel from my hands that caught her were two squishy things that don¡¯t fit her small body.


    ¡°I-I-I am sorry!¡± (Rirumu)


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t mind it¡­¡± (Souma)


    I responded to the maid that was all flustered while thinking this has its charms in its own way.


    ¡°Souma, you really¡­¡± (Maki)


    ¡°¡­Souma, come back!¡± (Ringo)


    The cold eyes of Maki and the voice of Ringo as she held my arm tightly made me snap back.


    ¡­Good grief, this template useless maid is fearsome.


    This is something I already knew, but the guiding of the useless maid was a train wreck.


    ¡°Uuh, what you can see at the right is, uuh¡­eeeh¡­a painting!!¡± (Rirumu)


    ¡°Yes, we can tell.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Aw¡­!!¡± (Rirumu)


    There are pieces of art in important points of the manor that seem like they have some incredible history, but she has practically no knowledge of them.


    ¡°Ah, what we have here are¡­stairs.¡± (Rirumu)


    ¡°¡­And what¡¯s on the second floor?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°The second floor? Uuuh, eeeeh¡­ah, my room is there!¡± (Rirumu)


    ¡°¡­I see.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki would throw in some assistance at times, but destroying them all was the power of this useless maid.


    It seems she at least can feel that she is lacking here. By the time we went around the 1st floor and arrived at the 2nd floor, the maid was speaking a whole lot less than before.


    This time around, it is Maki who speaks as if following up on this.


    ¡°B-But the pieces of art here are incredible. See, this vase has really bold colors, and it is as if the color of the vase went out and colored the pillar too. It feels really artistic¡­¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Ah, I-I am sorry! That¡¯s because I dropped a bucket of red paint¡­¡± (Rirumu)


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Maki fell silent with a face as if red paint had been spilled on her face, and as if taking her place, Sazan began speaking, looking at an armor that was nearby.


    ¡°Hmph, I don¡¯t know about art, but I can tell that the Aken family is a household of warriors. The many scratches and dents etched on this armor, these are truly the marks of a¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Ah, I-I am sorry! That¡¯s because I crashed and dropped it countless times¡­¡± (Rirumu)


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Mitsuki stood to the front as if taking the place of Sazan who had fallen silent.


    ¡°Speaking of sights, the making of this vase is impressive. If you look carefully, there¡¯s small patterns up and down¡ª¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Ah, I-I am sorry! I broke that vase before, so I glued it together with instant super glue, but the cracks remained¡­¡± (Rirumu)


    ¡°¡­E-Even if so, that¡¯s quite the skillful repair. I am impressed.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Different from the two, she managed to barely get a word in, but her cat ears were going ¡®I want to jump into a hole if there¡¯s one!¡¯ and were completely bent as if hiding themselves.


    Mitsuki was also shot down.


    That¡¯s when Ina bravely jumped in as if saying it was now her turn.


    ¡°S-Speaking of art, this stone statue¡­¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Ina-san, that¡¯s a wooden statue.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Aw¡­!!¡± (Ina)


    But Mitsuki pointed out her mistake before the useless maid could speak, and that was the end of her.


    However, the maid approached Ina with sparkling eyes in contrast to Ina who has her shoulders drooped.


    ¡°I feel like I could become friends with you, Ina-san!!¡± (Rirumu)


    ¡°P-Please wait! I am happy about that, but why did you arrive at that conclusion?!¡± (Ina)


    After Ina showed her own clumsy side of hers, we went up to the 3rd floor.


    ¡°U-Uhm, the barrier room is over here, and Elm-san is keeping watch there, so please keep it low¡­ Cause Elm-san¡­is really scary when angry!¡± (Rirumu)


    The moment we arrived at the 3rd floor, the useless maid said this with a not so silent voice, and Elm-san, who was guarding the door of the barrier room looked over here.


    ¡°Hiiih!!¡± (Rirumu)


    And directed a fearsome smile at the useless maid.


    ¡°I-I am sorry! I am sorry!¡± (Rirumu)


    ¡°Ah, hey¡­¡± (Souma)


    The useless maid hid behind me from how scared she got.


    ¡°I will only break 3 plates a day from now on! I will make sure to spill drinks that are not too hot! That¡¯s why, please spare meeee!!¡± (Rirumu)


    She shouted conditions as if she were conceding yet it didn¡¯t sound like she was doing so at all while she clunk onto me. Something soft was being pushed onto my back.


    By the time formulas were jumping around in my head from this hectic situation, Maki and Ina had torn the useless maid away from me.


    And at the same time as they did, Ringo pulled my arm and moved me even further away from the useless maid.


    ¡°You calm down a bit.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Y-Yes.¡± (Rirumu)


    Even Mitsuki, who was reprimanding her, was a bit baffled by this.


    On the other hand, I had now calmed down after being freed from the threat that was the chest of the useless maid, and looked around the 3rd floor.


    ¡°There are a whole lot of rooms that look the same.¡± (Souma)


    This is something that I thought about in the game and when we were with Shizun-san before, but there¡¯s not a lot of decorations in the 3rd floor compared to the 1st and 2nd floor.


    And yet, the corridor is long, and the several doors of rooms are the exact same, so it feels like you would be lost immediately if you are not familiar with this place.


    If I had to point out something that could serve as a guiding point, it would be¡­


    ¡°Ah, this armor, it is the same as the one below.¡± (Maki)


    The western style full armor that Maki found.


    It is completely the same design as the one in the lower floor, and it is the same in the part that it has scratches and dents here and there too.


    ¡°Can you get inside and move?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°G-Get inside of it? I-I think it would be difficult. It wasn¡¯t made to be worn to begin with, so it is heavy, and there¡¯s the issue of size.¡± (Rirumu)


    ¡°I see¡­¡± (Maki)


    It is true that the size wouldn¡¯t match Earth or Fuu who are small, and Shizun-san who is plump and the useless maid that is bountiful in one area wouldn¡¯t be able to use it.


    The useless maid must have been happy to be questioned, she continued her explanation.


    ¡°This armor is seriously heavy. The only ones who can carry this alone in this manor are me, Elm-san, and Fai-san. That¡¯s right, despite appearances, I am strong!¡± (Rirumu)


    That¡¯s where the useless maid appealed her strength with a puffed out chest, but there¡¯s obviously something else here that¡¯s being emphasized more.


    ¡°A-And so, whose room is the one beside the barrier room?¡± (Souma)


    The eyes of Ringo and Ina were stabbing at me when I was looking at the useless maid, so I hurriedly changed the topic.


    I actually know the arrangement of the rooms in this manor, but I should be able to divert the topic with this.


    ¡°Eh? Uuh, that¡¯s¡­¡± (Rirumu)


    ¡°The one at the left is the room of Mizu-sama; the one on the right is currently an empty room.¡± (Elm)


    The one who answered instead of the pondering useless maid was the butler Elm-san.


    ¡°M-My job!¡± (Rirumu)


    Maki moved to the front, leaving aside the useless maid who is shocked here.


    ¡°Would you mind showing us the empty room?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Go ahead. It shouldn¡¯t be locked.¡± (Elm)


    Having obtained permission, Maki opened the room on the right without hesitation and peeked inside.


    ¡°It is the same shape as the room with the barrier, huh. Could it be that Mizu-san¡¯s room is also¡­¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Yes. I can¡¯t show it to you, but all the rooms on this floor have the same arrangement.¡± (Elm)


    Maki nodded after hearing this, and wrote something new to her notepad.


    We apparently can¡¯t enter the barrier room, so we thanked Elm-san and left the 3rd floor.


    It is a 3 story manor, so that means we have checked out almost all the places.


    On the way to the 1st floor, Ina spoke to me.


    ¡°That maid-san is really clumsy, but she at least doesn¡¯t feel like the culprit.¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Who knows. Can¡¯t say anything.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Ah, refusing to answer is unfair!¡± (Ina)


    Looks like she tried to get info from me who knows about the culprit.


    How conceited even though she is Ina.


    I decided to retaliate a bit here.


    ¡°But ignoring all that, shouldn¡¯t you be careful of her?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh? Why?¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Cause you know¡­her character traits overlap with yours.¡± (Souma)


    The moment I said this, Ina¡¯s face turned bright red and she shouted.


    ¡°I-I am not clumsy to that degree!!¡± (Ina)


    And then, after a brief pause, the sound of something dropping rang.


    ¡°¡­Ah.¡± (Ina)


    Looking at the direction where the sound was made, the vase that Mitsuki was praising before had fallen and broken into pieces most likely because it got hit by Ina¡¯s hand.


    Ina turned pale white.


    That¡¯s when the useless maid noticed the incident and approached.


    After seeing the situation, she instantly went¡­


    ¡°Here.¡± (Rirumu)


    She gave something to Ina with a big smile that doesn¡¯t match the situation.


    What was given to Ina was a tube shaped container that doesn¡¯t match a medieval fantasy.


    What¡¯s written there is ¡®Super Glue¡¯.


    After leaving Ina at the fearsome 3d puzzle, we returned to the living room.


    There were no residents in the living room anymore, and we decided to disperse there.


    ¡°I will go question the residents of this house!¡± (Maki)


    Maki said this and was the first one to leave.


    ¡°Then, I will also check out the place a bit. I want to crush the possibility of an outsider being the perpetrator.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki said this and left the room.


    ¡°Fuh, the saga of the dark side adventurer is inviting me to an endless quest.¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan was excited about being in a new place and wanted to resume the exploration of the house, so he left at once.


    ¡°T-Then, I will also return to my work! Ehehe, actually, I thought of a way to use wind magic to finish my cleaning without much effort!¡± (Rirumu)


    The useless maid left with a statement that I could only see death flags for the tableware.


    And so, in this room, there¡¯s now only me and¡­


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Ringo who is for some reason observing me from the shadow of a pillar.


    Is she playing something here?


    I was thinking about leaving her be if she was having fun here, but¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Just getting stared at without saying anything is extremely uncomfortable.


    ¡°Uuh¡­Ringo?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°?!!¡±


    When I spoke to Ringo, she visibly flinched and hid her face behind the pillar.


    ¡°No, I can still see you. Or more like, I noticed you from the very beginning.¡± (Souma)


    When I said this, she poked her head out.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stay there and come here. This sofa is comfy, you know.¡± (Souma)


    Ringo shook her head even when I said this.


    ¡°¡­I-I am currently keeping in check.¡± (Ringo)


    She was pretty stubborn.


    But¡­


    ¡°If you are doing that, you can do so by my side. Doing it from there makes me uncomfortable instead. Come on.¡± (Souma)


    Saying this, I slapped the side of the sofa, and she came out as if she had given up.


    She hesitantly sat by my side.


    ¡°Why are you so suspicious of me?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this, Ringo answered without looking me in the eye.


    ¡°¡­Cause Souma¡­was making an evil face just before.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Souma)


    Was I making a face like that?


    I don¡¯t remember.


    But if that¡¯s the case, I have to fix this misunderstanding.


    I moved to the front of Ringo, made direct eye-contact with her, and said clearly.


    ¡°No need to worry that much. I simply thought about wanting to make countermeasures for Leila. I am not thinking about anything else aside from that, and I am not thinking about causing trouble for the people of this house at all.¡± (Souma)


    And at the end, I added ¡®of course, I would also like to get the crest if I can though¡¯, and Ringo relaxed her expression.


    ¡°¡­Hn. I will believe you.¡± (Ringo)


    I finally sigh in relief at the words that were muttered out in a low volume.


    The atmosphere softened in one go, and Ringo yawned with a low ¡®fuwaah¡¯.


    Seeing this, I got a bit worried.


    ¡°Speaking of which, have you been feeling better since then? Any place you feel pain at again?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this, Ringo hesitated for a bit before saying¡­


    ¡°¡­I am okay right now.¡± (Ringo)


    If she is saying ¡®right now¡¯, does it mean that there¡¯s times when she is not okay?


    I stared at her intently and she answered in a low volume while wriggling her body as if finding it ticklish.


    ¡°¡­It is just that¡­I can¡¯t sleep.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Insomnia? Then that means you really are not feeling¡ª¡± (Souma)


    Ringo shook her head lightly and denied it before I could finish.


    And then, after hesitating for a longer time than before¡­


    ¡°¡­I have dreams of Souma leaving.¡± (Ringo)


    She answered in a really really low voice.


    ¡°Me¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I was a bit shocked by what she said.


    I can only think of one reason for this.


    It must be about me leaving to the real world.


    At that time, Ringo said she would support us in returning to our world.


    But maybe Ringo actually doesn¡¯t want me to return.


    ¡°¡­I feel as if you will disappear the moment you leave my sight.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°That¡¯s why you were keeping an eye on me today?¡± (Souma)


    She nodded lightly at my words.


    ¡°¡­Sorry.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo even said that while facing down.


    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t something you have to apologize for¡­¡± (Souma)


    There¡¯s nothing Ringo has to apologize for.


    The one who should apologize is me.


    But thinking about Maki, I can¡¯t say I won¡¯t return to my world.


    In that case, I decided to at least hold Ringo¡¯s hand.


    ¡°¡­Sou¡­ma?¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo raised her head in surprise, and I tried to convey as much of my feelings as possible.


    ¡°I am sorry for not noticing your worries, Ringo. But I won¡¯t be going anywhere right now, so¡­so that¡¯s why, uuuh¡­it is okay to go to sleep without any worries.¡± (Souma)


    I stuttered as I said this, and understanding slowly spread onto the face of Ringo.


    ¡°¡­Hn.¡± (Ringo)


    She timidly tried to lean her head on my shoulder.


    She looked at me as if saying ¡®is it okay?¡¯ and I nodded silently.


    And then, she leaned on me as if relieved from the bottom of her heart.


    The moment I felt warmth on my right shoulder, I soon heard her peaceful breathing.


    She must have been really tired.


    ¡°¡­I really am sorry, Ringo.¡± (Souma)


    I say this as I gently brush the hair that was on her face away, and pet her.


    A mumble leaked out in her sleep.


    ¡°Souma, don¡¯t leave¡­¡± (Ringo)


    I felt as if my chest was squeezed from those words.


    ¡°I¡­won¡¯t go.¡± (Souma)


    I responded to her as gently as possible and held her hand tightly.


    ¡°¡­Oh?¡± (Souma)


    It seems like I ended up falling asleep at some point in time too.


    When I woke up, something fell from the top of my lap and made a loud sound.


    ¡°¡­Souma?¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo opened her eyes, surprised at that sound.


    ¡°Sorry. Did I wake you up?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­No, it is okay.¡± (Ringo)


    I apologize once more to Ringo, who shook her head and was still sticking to me, and lifted my body.


    I don¡¯t remember having left anything on top of my lap, so I leaned over to pick up what was dropped while thinking this in wonder, and¡­


    ¡°This is¡­¡± (Souma)


    After seeing what fell on the ground, I woke up completely.


    What had fallen onto the fancy carpet was the one and only gem that released ominous light.


    ¡°¡­The Eye of the Heavens, huh.¡± (Souma)


    This thing that Sazan should have thrown away somewhere had jumped all the way here that should be a different dimension.


    I slowly picked up the Eye of the Heavens and put it inside the adventurer bag.


    If this has shown up, it means that it has already been 6 hours since then.


    It is about time¡­


    ¡°Ooh, so you were here!¡± (Shizun)


    Shizun-san called me from the upper floor as if endorsing my thoughts.


    ¡°It will soon be 6 o¡¯clock. Let¡¯s go to the barrier room.¡± (Shizun)


    We looked at each other¡¯s faces and nodded, and then stood up with our hands still held.


    With this, the stage has been set.


    The artifice-filled Aken residence case finally begins!

 CH 148

    When we arrived at the barrier room, everyone was already there.


    I glanced at the corner of the room.


    The ¡®not yet¡¯ writing that I made was there.


    ¡°Everyone has gathered now then. Just in case, let¡¯s confirm whether the ring and the barrier are alright.¡± (Shizun)


    When Shizun-san proposed this, everyone nodded, but there was only one person that hurled insults.


    ¡°Tch! What a pain! If the ring is gone, I as the oldest would be the successor anyways, right? I am going to become the successor one way or another anyways, so isn¡¯t it fine for it to be taken?¡± (Fai)


    The one who said this is a thin man with tobacco in mouth, the eldest son, Fai.


    ¡°Onii-sama!!¡± (Mizu)


    The oldest sister Mizu reacts to the rash remarks of Fai, but he simply grinned.


    ¡°What? Got a problem? If you do, try undoing the barrier on your own right this instant.¡± (Fai)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± (Mizu)


    He even provoked Mizu.


    ¡°If our abilities are the same, it only makes sense that I should be succeeding the family as the eldest son, right? If you are unhappy about that, try using 2 elements right this instant! Come on, do it! If you can, that is!!¡± (Fai)


    ¡°Kuh, it is because you have such a nasty personality that I can¡¯t just leave you the family with peace of mind, Onii-sama! Why is it that you are so¡ª¡± (Mizu)


    ¡°Stop it already, you two!!¡± (Shizun)


    But the quarrel of the two was stopped by the shout of Shizun.


    ¡°Even if the ring gets stolen, the barrier would still stay. The standard of choosing the next head of the family is still the same. Also, in the case when no one can use 2 elements, I will be deciding the next successor by my own judgment.¡± (Shizun)


    He said this firmly and urged his children on.


    ¡°More importantly, you should all have something to do.¡± (Shizun)


    ¡°¡­Tch! Got it.¡± (Fai)


    ¡°If our esteemed father says so, it can¡¯t be helped.¡± (Mizu)


    Fai and Mizu nodded reluctantly and move forward.


    Earth and Fuu also followed behind.


    In order to undo the barrier, you have to pour barrier magic of the opposite element in the respective crystals.


    Fai of the fire element went to the blue crystal, Mizu of the water element went to the red crystal, Earth of the earth element went to the green crystal, and Fuu of the wind element went to the yellow crystal.


    And then, the 4 began to concentrate their power into the crystals in front of them.


    According to the lore of barrier magic, only the bloodline of the Aken family can use this magic, but it is not like everyone in the Aken family can use it easily.


    Contrary to Shizun-san who managed to finish the barrier magic in just a few seconds, the casting speed of his children was slow.


    ¡°¡­Kuh!¡±


    ¡°¡­Hnnnn.¡±


    Especially the oldest son Fai and the second daughter Fuu, they warped their faces slightly in pain.


    In contrast, the oldest daughter Mizu and the second son Earth seemed to still be fine.


    ¡°Done.¡± (Mizu)


    ¡°¡­Me too!!¡± (Earth)


    The first ones to finish in around 1 minute were Mizu and Earth, and then, in around 1 minute more, the other two finished theirs.


    ¡°Now then, please do it.¡± (Shizun)


    The 4 casted the spell onto the crystal at the order of Shizun-san.


    The crystals shone brightly for a second at the opposing element as if fighting back, but they eventually lost their light as if pushed back by the shine of the spell.


    The barrier in between pillars dissipates at the same time as this happened.


    ¡°¡­Now then¡­¡± (Shizun)


    Shizun-san approached the pedestal and grabbed the ring placed on top of it.


    And then, after raising it to show it to everyone in the room, he stared intently at the ring.


    ¡°¡­There¡¯s no doubt about it. This is certainly the Immortal Oath.¡± (Shizun)


    After asserting this, he gently returned it to the top of the pedestal.


    ¡°Now then, the barriers.¡± (Shizun)


    The 4 moved locations at the order of Shizun-san.


    Fai to red, Mizu to blue, Earth to yellow, Fuu to green.


    This time they all moved in front of the same color crystal as theirs and used their magic again.


    The 4 crystals regained their light again, the ring was blocked by the barrier, and was hidden once again.


    And then, we properly locked the barrier room with the key, left Elm-san to guard it, and we returned to the living room.


    But in the middle of our way back to the 1st floor¡­


    ¡°Souma-san, what should we do about this¡­?¡± (Ina)


    Ina called me to a stop with tears in her eyes.


    In her hands, there¡¯s a familiar vase¡­no, it is already a former vase¡­or you could even call this uneven object a ¡®strange lump¡¯.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± (Souma)


    There were no events in Nekomimi Neko where you had to repair a broken vase with super glue.


    While I was troubled in what to say, big boobs¡ªno, the useless maid hopped in from the side.


    ¡°No need to worry! You will drop it and break it again anyways, so you just have to remake it nicely then!¡± (Rirumu)


    ¡°Wait, wa, eeh¡­¡± (Ina)


    Ina made a dubious look at the useless maid that said something horrible with a smile.


    She grabbed Ina¡¯s hand and said.


    ¡°Also, I believe in you. I am sure you will get better really quickly, Ina-san!¡± (Rirumu)


    ¡°T-Thank yo¡ªwait! You are implying that I am going to break the vase again, right?!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Yes, I won¡¯t lose to you, Ina-san!¡± (Rirumu)


    ¡°Y-You are wrong! Don¡¯t make me your comrade!!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°It is okay! Just gain experience like this and you will be able to bring back snapped cups, broken plates, missing parts of the wall, or chopsticks broken in weird places by using super glue!¡± (Rirumu)


    ¡°Listen to what I am saying!¡± (Ina)


    The two were having such a lovely conversation and¡­


    ¡°You people, can I have some of your time?¡±


    A cold voice rang from behind.


    It is Mizu.


    ¡°Aw! I-I remembered I had something to do!¡± (Rirumu)


    The useless maid that noticed this ran away without even a millisecond of hesitation.


    Right after the useless maid was out of sight from the corridor, I heard the sound of something rolling down the stairs, but I ignored that and faced Mizu again.


    ¡°Good grief. That girl¡­¡± (Mizu)


    Mizu said this annoyed, and Ina quivered with the vase she broke in hand.


    ¡°U-Uhm¡­this¡­¡± (Ina)


    Ina nervously shows her the vase.


    ¡°Give it here. I will throw it away.¡± (Mizu)


    Mizu said this and extended her hand.


    Seeing that Ina moved back as if by reflex at this, she snorted.


    ¡°Do you know how much tableware that girl broke yesterday? 1 plate and 2 glasses for a total of 3. And yet, she already broke 2 jars, 1 vase, 3 plates, and a set of cups.


    Could it be that this pace of hers is because she is jolly about you people having come?¡± (Mizu)


    ¡°I-I am so¡ª¡± (Ina)


    Ina hurriedly tried to apologize, but¡­


    ¡°¡­Thanks for getting along with her.¡± (Mizu)


    She gently placed a hand on Ina¡¯s head.


    ¡°She is a girl that my father brought from the city. Despite appearances, she actually had her fair share of difficulties. Even though she could just take it more easily, she seems to be reserved towards us most likely because she has been hired by father.¡± (Mizu)


    ¡°But the vase¡­¡± (Ina)


    Unable to follow the situation, Ina said this and Mizu giggled.


    ¡°Aah, there¡¯s no need to worry about this. It is a cheap one for 100E anyways. There¡¯s no way we would leave something expensive in arm¡¯s reach of that girl, right? What we have out here are either cheap stuff or sturdy things that won¡¯t break even when it falls. We have the actual expensive things stored.¡± (Mizu)


    ¡°I-I see¡­¡± (Ina)


    Ina said this as if impressed.


    No, no matter how you think about it, that¡¯s a really crazy story, but it does make sense after seeing that useless maid.


    ¡°I was worried since that girl hasn¡¯t been too cheerful lately. That girl only broke 2 things the other day, you know?! Two! Can you believe it?!¡± (Mizu)


    ¡°I-I see¡­¡± (Ina)


    The unbelievable thing is that two is few for that useless maid, but it is probably already the common sense of this house.


    Mizu was making an actual worried expression.


    However, that face turned bright soon after.


    ¡°But she has finally found a brethren. I don¡¯t have to worry anymore.¡± (Mizu)


    ¡°B-Brethren¡­?¡± (Ina)


    Ina¡¯s face stiffened, having a bad feeling about this, and Mizu made a smile that you could lose yourself in.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s because you are a clumsy brethren of hers, right?¡± (Mizu)


    And then¡­


    ¡°I-I am not clum¡ªaaah!!¡± (Ina)


    The breaking sound that rang at the same time as she shouted this was proof enough.


    After disposing of the vase that broke again, I returned to the living room while pulling the hand of the dejected Ina, and Shizun-san began to explain the plans from here on.


    ¡°We have 6 hours from here to midnight. I am thinking of having watches on shifts excluding myself.¡± (Shizun)


    The plan proposed by Shizun-san went like this:


    6:00 p.m: Butler Elm.


    7:00 p.m: Useless Maid.


    8:00 p.m: Mizu.


    9:00 p.m: Earth.


    10:00 p.m: Fai.


    11:00 p.m: Fuu.


    ¡°You will be guarding the door in this order, and we will confirm once again at 12 whether the ring is safe. If nothing¡¯s wrong, we repeat the shifts. If nothing happens after that, we can consider the theft notice as a prank.¡± (Shizun)


    Shizun-san paused there and Maki asked without a moment¡¯s delay.


    ¡°Who will be in charge of that room¡¯s key?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°The key will be in my possession in most cases. However, when switching, I will have them bring the key and have the two of them enter the room to check.¡± (Shizun)


    For example; in the case when Elm and the useless maid are going to switch, the useless maid will go to the place of Elm with the key in hand. They will then open the door and check the state inside.


    If there¡¯s no issues after that, Elm will take the key and bring it back to Shizun-san.


    ¡°Is there any other spare key aside from that one?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°This is the only one.¡± (Shizun)


    ¡°Hmm, I see, I see.¡± (Maki)


    Some heartstrings must have been pulled there, Maki was groaning constantly.


    ¡°More importantly, what about us? Is it okay to move around freely?¡± (Fai)


    It was Fai who asked a question this time around.


    Shizun-san frowned at that tone of his, but answered his question.


    ¡°No, I will have them in the same room as much as possible. Especially Fai, Mizu, Earth, and Fuu. In the case when you 4 have something to do elsewhere, you have to bring someone along no matter what.¡± (Shizun)


    Fai clicked his tongue at this, but didn¡¯t object to it.


    After confirming that the questions have been answered, Shizun-san softened his expression.


    ¡°¡­Now then, let¡¯s leave aside the complicated talk for now and eat.¡± (Shizun)


    After that, we all moved to the dining room.


    ¡°Elm cooked enough for everyone before heading to his watch duty. Please accompany us on the table if that¡¯s okay.¡± (Shizun)


    We followed the proposal of Shizun-san and took a seat too.


    ¡°N-Now then, I, the unworthy Riruru, will take the place of Elm-san and bring the food to the table!¡± (Rirumu)


    The one who ran quickly to the useless maid after speaking words that instilled dread was the green haired second daughter, Fuu.


    ¡°Y-You must not! ¡­I mean, c-can you please let me do that?¡± (Fuu)


    ¡°But bringing the food is my job¡­¡± (Rirumu)


    The useless maid persisted, but Fuu pleaded desperately.


    ¡°When Elm-san is here, he always brings it all in by himself, so I wanted to try it out myself today at least. Can¡¯t I, Rirumu-oneechan?¡± (Fuu)


    ¡°¡­It can¡¯t be helped. If you say so, Fuu-chan.¡± (Rirumu)


    The tension in the dining room softened in one go after the useless maid nodded.


    Everyone in the room directed gazes of praise at Fuu who saved the food.


    Fuu noticed those gazes and laughed with an ¡®ehehe¡¯ shyly.


    ¡°Geez, getting happy about something like that. You really are a child, Fuu-chan.¡± (Rirumu)


    Seeing this, the useless maid told her that, and the shy smile turned into a bitter one.


    The dishes brought out may not have much in terms of portion, but it was an assortment of fancy stuff fitting of a meal of nobles.


    ¡°Hooh, this is quite¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki, who seems to be a gourmet despite being terrible at cooking, had her ears wave, displaying her happiness.


    ¡°Wow! So the magic of Sazan-niichan was what defeated the Demon Lord?! The Demon Lord is super strong, right?! So amazing! You are super amazing, Nii-chan!!¡± (Earth)


    ¡°Fufufu, that¡¯s natural for the strength of this Sazan-sama.¡± (Sazan)


    I heard the stupidly loud voices of Sazan and Earth at the neighboring seats.


    ¡°That¡¯s incredible. Also, the name Sazan is cool!¡± (Earth)


    ¡°Right?! Fumu, you have promise! Fufufufu¡­!¡± (Sazan)


    The tragic development of a child getting attached to Sazan.


    Well, the chuunibyou attire of Sazan must look cool in the eyes of a child.


    The rare praise Sazan was getting must have completely gone to his head.


    ¡°I actually hate my own name! Earth has a weird ring to it, right? Aah, I would have liked a cool name like the Flash Tir, or the Omnipresent Fo.¡± (Earth)


    I thought ¡®that¡¯s just the nicknames being cool¡¯, but I didn¡¯t say it out loud.


    Seeing the way Sazan dealt with it¡­


    ¡°Hmph! There¡¯s no point wishing for what you don¡¯t have. What¡¯s more important is to make achievements so big that they change the image of your own name.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s amazing! You really are amazing, Sazan-niichan!¡± (Earth)


    ¡°Hmph, well, you could say that.¡± (Sazan)


    Leaving aside his tone, what he is saying was unexpectedly decent which is surprising.


    There¡¯s cases where you finally do get a nickname once you become famous but it is a weird one, however, you could say it is a healthy suggestion.


    ¡°How can I become strong like you, Nii-chan?¡± (Earth)


    ¡°Right. First, have an objective. With an objective up high, the strength will follow.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°In that case, I already have one!¡± (Earth)


    Earth shouted with pieces of vegetables flying out of his mouth.


    ¡°I will become better than my brother and sisters¡­no, better than even my father, and become the number one barriermancer!!¡± (Earth)


    The air in the dining room froze for an instant.


    But the two in question didn¡¯t notice this and continued speaking gleefully.


    ¡°Hoh, number one, huh. Sounds nice.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Right?! I will definitely become number one! ¡­Cause, if I do so, my brother and my sisters won¡¯t have to fight¡­¡± (Earth)


    ¡°Earth¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Earth looked faintly discouraged there, and Sazan hurriedly stood up intentionally and declared¡­


    ¡°Fu¡­Fufufu! Then, I shall make a special exception and show you my secret art!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Eh, really?! Show me, show me!!¡± (Earth)


    It is fine to try and cheer him up, but nothing decent comes out from him getting ahead of himself.


    I doubt he is going to drop a dangerous spell all of a sudden inside the house, but let¡¯s be careful just in case. I nodded to myself and¡­


    ¡°Listen and be surprised! Watch and tremble! This is the ultimate spell that ended even the Demon Lord! Here I go! [Tidal Wa¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Alright, stop there!!¡± (Souma)


    I grab the collar of Sazan who was about to do something idiotic at the speed of light, and forcefully stopped him.


    Why is this guy so stupid?


    It makes me want to cry.


    ¡°W-What are you doing?!¡± (Sazan)


    But more trouble came while I was sighing at the struggling Sazan.


    ¡°Tch! As if I can eat such bad tasting food! Meal is over! I am leaving!¡± (Fai)


    The red haired man that was eating in silence until now stood up aggressively from his seat and left the dining room with his plate that still had food.


    ¡°Onii-sama!¡± (Mizu)


    Mizu stood up from her seat at the thoughtless remarks of Fai, but I stopped her.


    ¡°I will keep an eye on Fai-san. Everyone, please continue your meal.¡± (Souma)


    I say that and, without leaving any opportunity for someone to object, I followed after Fai.


    Fai was swapping the remaining food to a different plate by the time I arrived.


    When he saw me, he clicked his tongue audibly and began talking as if monologuing.


    ¡°This house doesn¡¯t have the magic bags or pouches that you adventurers use, so the maid is going out often to do the groceries. Tomorrow is that time, and yet, even though we are already low on ingredients to begin with, you guys came.


    There¡¯s no way there would be enough for everyone.¡± (Fai)


    He swiftly lined up the food and warmed it up as he said this bitterly.


    ¡°That damn Elm geezer, if you are going to make such bad tasting food, you gotta eat it too. That¡¯s why I¡¯m gonna go to the place of the geezer now and give him my scraps. If you want to keep an eye on me, go ahead and do it.¡± (Fai)


    A smile leaked out from me after seeing the food lined up nicely.


    ¡°Y-You bastard, don¡¯t go laughing! I¡¯ll kill you!¡± (Fai)


    I carried half of the dishes while listening to the insults of Fai from beginning to end, and kept him company all the way to the barrier room.


    And then, on our way back to the dining room¡­


    ¡°¡­Tch.¡± (Fai)


    Fai clicked his tongue while holding his stomach, so I offered him skewer dangos which I had found just a few moments ago when rummaging around my bag.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± (Fai)


    Fai opened his eyes wide at my sudden action.


    ¡°Can¡¯t tell just by looking? They are skewer dangos. I have so many in my bag, they are getting in the way. Can you please free me from some of them?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Why me?¡± (Fai)


    I pushed the dangos forward with Fai¡¯s eyes still nailed onto them.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine? I am learning from you and asking you to get rid of my scraps.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°You¡­¡± (Fai)


    Fai clicked his tongue somewhat happily at my words and¡­


    ¡°¡­Thanks.¡± (Fai)


    Said this in a low volume as he wildly ate the dangos.


    ¡°Salty. Damn it, this is so damn salty!¡± (Fai)


    He said this as he rubbed the corner of his eyes.


    But there¡¯s no way the skewer dangos are that salty, and even if they are, it wouldn¡¯t bring you to tears.


    ¡°¡­Want one more?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t! I really don¡¯t!¡± (Fai)


    Maybe Fai is trying to hide his shyness here, he shook his head hurriedly.


    ¡­Good grief, the people in this house are all tsunderes.

 CH 149

    ¡°That¡¯s why I think that the culprit is already clear once the barrier is gone. We know who are the ones holding the key, and we would know which elements are used, so¡­wait, Souma, are you listening?¡±


    ¡°I am listening, I am listening.¡± (Souma)


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t, but I will answer with that.


    ¡°Hmm, really¡­?¡±


    ¡°Really really.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°That¡¯s fine then. And so, about what I was saying¡­¡±


    Maki¡¯s mood was fixed soon after I followed along, and easily resumed her talk.


    The contents sound as if she is complaining like a gamer that was talking about the points they dislike, but I could tell that she is actually having a lot of fun here.


    ¡°The next problem is what to do with the taken ring.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°It is such a small ring, so isn¡¯t it fine to just put it inside the pocket?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Souma, you idiot! It would be discovered immediately once they do a body check!¡± (Maki)


    Why am I getting scolded here?


    I gave a throwaway answer as I swallowed the unreasonableness.


    ¡°Then, how about throwing it into a magic pocket as fantasy dictates?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Geez, think seriously here! The people of this mansion don¡¯t have adventurer bags or cooler boxes or anything like that! Souma, you have not researched enough at all!¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Even if you tell me that¡­¡± (Souma)


    I know the answer already, so there¡¯s no point in me researching to begin with, but such logic doesn¡¯t work on the excited Maki.


    As for why I am in a situation like this, I was kidnapped after the meal was over.


    No, I said kidnapped, but she simply pulled my arm and brought me to the sofa, but my arm is tightly grappled into Maki¡¯s chest, and I can¡¯t run away.


    ¡°I think there¡¯s some sort of loophole we are missing here. But I don¡¯t know what it is until the crime actually happens¡­¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s fine and all, but can you please let go of my arm already?¡± (Souma)


    I thought I made the obvious request here, but Maki looked obviously peeved here and held my arm even tighter.


    ¡°Why? Even though you were holding hands all friendly with Ringo-chan the whole time!¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Y-You were watching?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Of course I will if you sleep at a place like that! You were also holding hands with Ina while you walked, and you were even flirting with Sazan-chan just a few moments ago¡ª¡± (Maki)


    ¡°No, the last one is a misunderstanding!¡± (Souma)


    Even if I accept the other slander, that misunderstanding alone is unacceptable.


    I simply did that to stop the Tidal Wave, and it is by no means proof that I get along with Sazan.


    ¡°¡­Then, the other ones really aren¡¯t a misunderstanding.¡± (Maki)


    She stared at me.


    The strength restraining my arms grew stronger.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s not what I meant.¡± (Souma)


    I stuttered a bit there, but even so, there was no agitation in my heart. It was totally calm.


    I was calm to the point that I could silently think about this case and consider changing my internal database to Maki > Ringo with the latest information I got from Maki.


    Maki was looking at me while pouting, but she eventually gave up and loosened the grip on my arm.


    She narrowed her eyes as if finding this nostalgic.


    ¡°¡­Doesn¡¯t this remind you of the time when we did treasure hunting? You know, the times when you would draw treasure maps and I would search for them.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Aah, that.¡± (Souma)


    Speaking of which, that might have happened.


    ¡°Even then, you were already so abnormally good at deceiving people. I would try to decode the treasure map going ¡®not like this and not like that either¡¯ at your side while you were playing your videogames.


    That¡¯s probably why I ended up liking mysteries.¡± (Maki)


    Maki said this as if finding it nostalgic. I can¡¯t really tell her that that was actually something I thought up so that she didn¡¯t get in the way of my gaming.


    Also, I don¡¯t deceive people.


    ¡°When you think about it, we haven¡¯t changed since then. You would give half-hearted answers and I would get angry. Exactly the same as then.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°No, I think you have grown, Maki.¡± (Souma)


    I said flat out.


    ¡°Really¡­?¡± (Maki)


    Maki opened her eyes wide in surprise.


    Feeling the growth of Maki with my skin, I hurriedly stood up before she asked me where she had grown.


    ¡°Wawa, S-Souma?¡± (Maki)


    I decided to call the useless maid with the surprised Maki at the corner of my vision.


    It should be fine to give some service to Maki.


    ¡°Rirumu, I would like to think about the case with Maki! Can you lend us a room?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh, my room? But¡­¡± (Rirumu)


    I give one more push to the hesitating useless maid.


    ¡°I also want to hear what you have to say, Rirumu¡­ Can¡¯t I?¡± (Souma)


    The moment I saw the face of the useless maid when she heard my words, I knew the answer before even hearing it.


    ¡°I-If you are fine with me, please do!!¡± (Rirumu)


    ¡°W-Wow, this is an impressive room.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Really? Actually, I am pretty fussy about the interior of my room. Ehehehe~.¡± (Rirumu)


    Leaving aside the misunderstanding of the useless maid, the room of the useless maid was in such a terrible state that it shocked even Maki the moment we entered.


    ¡°If I had to put a title to it, it would be the aftermath of a battlefield.¡± (Souma)


    It is most likely because the useless maid trips and drops stuff on the daily.


    There¡¯s bend and dented areas all around the room, to the point that it would be hard to beat up the walls to this extent on purpose.


    Also, there¡¯s no order at all in this place.


    The only saving grace here is that there¡¯s no perishables lying around, but it is like the template of a woman that doesn¡¯t know how to clean her room, and a variety of things are placed haphazardly.


    I understand the shelf, closet, and the drawing that looks as if it was drawn by a child, but why does the room have broken vases, the statue of a peeing child without its head, and a branch pruner?


    I don¡¯t understand how her brain works.


    Moreover, the personal trait of this place are the many super glue tubes lying around which you probably wouldn¡¯t find anywhere else, amplifying that surreal sight.


    There¡¯s some with its contents still inside and some that have had their contents leak out and hardened; it really spoke a story of the sloppiness of the useless maid.


    And yet, the taste of the room is completely that of a girl, so the mismatch in that area is creating quite the chaotic feel to it.


    ¡°Ah, please take a seat. I will prepare some tea.¡± (Rirumu)


    Being told this, I sat at a chair with its back partially destroyed at the center of the room where a table with a square dent (probably a trace of having dropped something) is in.


    Maki also sat at the side of the chair I sat on. A chair that had one of its armrests missing.


    ¡°Please wait, okay? My tea brewing alone is good.¡± (Rirumu)


    Within this disorderly room, the useless maid skillfully prepared the tea set that¡¯s the only thing that¡¯s properly in place here with a serious face.


    The words of the useless maid were true.


    The only thing that the useless maid was good at was preparing the tea, and she spilled the tea in the middle of bringing it to us as if it were the most natural thing.


    After that, the useless maid brought out a spare tea set which she said she has 10 of, and once we finally got the tea to reach us, I was the first one to open the talk.


    ¡°And so, first of all, I would like you to tell us about the people of this house. How is it? Are all 4 of them working hard to become the next successor?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°U-Uuh¡­¡± (Rirumu)


    The useless maid hesitated for a while there, but she began talking as if she had resolved herself.


    ¡°A-Actually, I can tell who trains at the barrier room. My room is right below the barrier room, so I can hear footsteps¡­¡± (Rirumu)


    ¡°Really?! That¡¯s an incredible piece of information!¡± (Maki)


    Maki bit onto the unexpected words of the useless maid.


    Well, I knew this a long time ago, or like, that¡¯s the reason why I suggested this location.


    ¡°Y-Yes. They all go to the barrier room pretty often. My sleep is hindered especially by Earth-sama who comes at night. Ah, but at those times, I would use this branch pruner to poke the ceiling, and he would get all scared¡­ Ufufufufufu.¡± (Rirumu)


    The useless maid showed a rare evil smile as she made a gesture of poking the ceiling, but Maki -in her detective mode- didn¡¯t flinch at all.


    ¡°Please tell me who comes at what times!¡± (Maki)


    Maki brought out her notepad and took a listening stance.


    The useless maid must have been moved by her passion, she returned from her evil world.


    ¡°I am simply making assumptions by drawing distinctions from their footsteps, so it is not 100% certain.¡± (Rirumu)


    She prefaced with this and began talking as if reminiscing.


    ¡°First, Fai-sama would be around 5-9 pm. He often comes around dinner. He would stay in the room everyday for a really long time in the past, but he doesn¡¯t do so often lately.¡± (Rirumu)


    ¡°I see, I see.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Mizu-sama would come a little earlier than that, around 3-5 pm in most cases. Speaking of which, it is not to the degree of Fai-sama, but I think that Mizu-sama hasn¡¯t come often recently either¡­¡± (Rirumu)


    ¡°Right right.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Earth-sama would often come really late at night, around 11pm to  1am. Moreover, he has been coming almost every day recently, it is really noisy.¡± (Rirumu)


    ¡°Hohoh.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Fuu-cha¡ªFuu-sama almost never comes alone. She would normally come along when Earth-sama arrives, and I think there was one time alone when she was with Mizu-sama¡­


    Anyways, Fuu-sama is the oasis of my heart!¡± (Rirumu)


    ¡°¡­So she doesn¡¯t come alone.¡± (Maki)


    Maki would react frequently as she wrote down on her notepad, but that¡¯s known information for me.


    I just let the conversation run without paying much mind.


    On the other hand, Maki looked at her notepad one more time and once again began her proactive questioning.


    ¡°Then, next, do you know who and who they get along with better?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Y-Yes. Fai-sama and Fuu-sama have unexpectedly good synergy. Mizu-sama and Earth-sama get along, but Mizu-sama and Fai-sama, and Earth-sama and Fuu-sama don¡¯t get along.¡± (Rirumu)


    ¡°Then, what about Fai-san and Earth-san, and Mizu-san and Fuu-san?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°About that¡­hmm, it is not like they get along well, but they are at odds with each other.¡± (Rirumu)


    ¡°¡­I see. Then, an accomplice would be difficult.¡± (Maki)


    The useless maid reacted to the mutter of Maki and wondered what she meant, and Maki showed her her notepad.


    Question


    Necessary things


    Turn for the lookouts.


    Elm ¡ú Rirumu ¡ú Mizu ¡ú Earth ¡ú Fai ¡ú Fuu.


    ¡°You see, it is simple if it is just undoing the barrier. For example, with the turns of the lookouts, Mizu-san and Earth-san will open the door at the time of their shift, so if the two of them cooperated, they could use barrier magic of 2 different elements. You can open the barrier like this, right?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°I-In other words, the culprits are Mizu-sama and Earth-sama?!¡± (Rirumu)


    Maki shakes her head with a wry smile at the useless maid that drew a hasty conclusion.


    ¡°But you would need the fire and wind in order to set the barrier again, That¡¯s why you would need 4 elements in the end.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Then, if they go out without setting it up again¡­¡± (Rirumu)


    ¡°If they do that, the ones in the next shift will find that, so you would be able to tell really quickly who did it.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Aaah¡­¡± (Rirumu)


    The useless maid made a complicated look that doesn¡¯t fit her at the words of Maki.


    ¡°That¡¯s why you would require a pairing of opposing elements to do something about this barrier. Fire and water, or earth and wind. In other words, Fai-san and Mizu-san; Earth-san or Fuu-san. And yet, there¡¯s no chance for those pairings to be made with the turn order here.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°I see. I thought the orders were made randomly, but Shizun-sama actually thought about them, huh¡­¡± (Rirumu)


    The useless maid said something rude all casually as she nodded.


    ¡°I think there must be some loophole somewhere though. I thought about the possibility of someone being able to use 2 elements, but¡­if that were the case, they could just get the ring normally without going through this hassle. Hmm¡­¡± (Maki)


    Maki groaned once and then got up all of a sudden and approached the useless maid.


    ¡°Speaking of which, Rirumu-san, you can use magic too, right? Do you use barrier magic¡­?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°I-I can¡¯t! I can use a bit of wind magic, but I can¡¯t use barrier magic.¡± (Rirumu)


    ¡°Really?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Really! I promise in the name of super glue!!¡± (Rirumu)


    I don¡¯t know how much worth there is in promising in the name of super glue, but it seems like Maki was convinced.


    She loosened up and sat down.


    ¡°¡­Because the only ones who can use barrier magic are the ones of this family. When I was¡­when I was in the slums, I crashed into Shizun-sama, and he took me in. There¡¯s no way I could use a spell like that.¡± (Rirumu)


    ¡°Rirumu-san¡­¡± (Maki)


    The useless maid hurriedly waved her hands at the meek voice of Maki.


    ¡°P-Please don¡¯t make that face! I am truly happy after Shizun-sama took me in and got to get along with everyone. Even though my other acquaintances are all still in the slums¡­ Ah, t-that¡¯s not it. I am just saying I was really lucky!¡± (Rirumu)


    But the useless maid made a gloomy expression again.


    ¡°I am really lucky, and I love everyone in this house, but¡­but there¡¯s a small part of me that would like that ring to be gone. It is because of that ring that¡­everyone is fighting¡­


    Fai-sama, Mizu-sama, Earth-sama, and of course Fuu-sama too; they are all good people, and yet¡­¡± (Rirumu)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± (Maki)


    Maki found it hard to say anything.


    She probably thought that it might be better to not solve this case.


    That¡¯s why I pat her shoulder gently.


    ¡°Let¡¯s solve it all.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Souma?¡± (Maki)


    Maki looked back at me weakly, so I told her firmly, with strength.


    ¡°A detective doesn¡¯t just solve the case, right? You just have to find the ring, and then you solve all the problems haunting this family too.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Souma¡­ Yeah, that¡¯s right! Totally right!¡± (Maki)


    Maki stands up with fist tightened.


    ¡°Rirumu-san! Tell me in more detail about this household!! I will definitely guide this case into a happy end!¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Yes, Maki-san!!¡± (Rirumu)


    Maki and the useless maid held hands.


    A truly lovely sight.


    But¡­


    ¡°There¡¯s only 5 minutes before 7pm. Is that okay?¡± (Souma)


    The useless maid jumped up when I said this.


    ¡°Awawawawa! It is time for my shift! If I am late, Elm-san will glare at me real bad again!¡± (Rirumu)


    ¡°I-It is okay. There¡¯s still 5 minutes! Calm down. You have to get the key from Shizun-san first.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Y-Yes!¡± (Rirumu)


    The useless maid dashed out of the room after nodding profusely at the words of Maki.


    ¡°W-We have to go too¡­ Wait, why are you so relaxed, Souma?¡± (Maki)


    I waved with my hand saying ¡®it is okay, it is okay¡¯ at the hurried Maki.


    ¡°To be blunt with you, the crime doesn¡¯t happen at this time, so there¡¯s no problem.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Souma, no spoilers!!¡± (Maki)


    And in that way, I watched Maki run off angry, and I also stood up.


    ¡°Now then, I guess I should make my move too.¡± (Souma)


    I once again confirmed that no one is around, and brought out a certain gem from the adventurer bag.


    ¡°Hm? Souma-san?¡±


    In front of the barrier room, the useless maid saw me and tilted her head, and Elm-san behind her bowed silently.


    The useless maid had a key, and she was about to put it into the keyhole just now.


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief. Looks like you have not entered yet, right?¡± (Souma)


    It seems like I spent too much time in the room.


    I am glad I made it in time.


    ¡°Why are you here, Souma-san? You didn¡¯t go back to where everyone is?¡± (Rirumu)


    I shook my head.


    ¡°I was wondering about the state of the room, you see. You are going to confirm the inside of the room now, right? Can I enter too?¡± (Souma)


    The face of the useless maid turned cheerful at that.


    ¡°Of course! Let¡¯s check it together!¡± (Rirumu)


    She accepted gleefully and we three opened the room together.


    ¡°There¡¯s the barrier and there doesn¡¯t seem to be anything off¡­¡± (Rirumu)


    The useless maid peeked at the room from outside and said this carefreely.


    But I am not too happy with wrapping it up with just that.


    ¡°No, there might be inconsistencies if we enter. Let¡¯s go in and check.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°O-Okay!¡± (Rirumu)


    Saying this, we were about to step in, but¡­


    ¡°Wait a moment.¡± (Elm)


    Elm-san grabbed my hand.


    My heart jumped.


    ¡°I-Is something the matter?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I am sorry, but can you please open that hand of yours?¡± (Elm)


    ¡°W-Why?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Do I need a reason?¡± (Elm)


    The butler-san looked at me with faintly opened eyes.


    What incredible pressure.


    ¡°O-Okay. Here.¡± (Souma)


    I slowly opened my left hand.


    There¡¯s of course nothing there.


    ¡°The other hand, too.¡± (Elm)


    I was urged on by Elm-san and I slowly opened my right hand.


    What was in that hand¡­was nothing.


    ¡°¡­My apologies. I am a worrywart, you see.¡± (Elm)


    ¡°A-Ahaha. It is okay. You do have to be careful after all.¡± (Souma)


    I leaked out a dry laugh and quickly entered the room.


    The useless maid tilted her head with a dumbfounded face.


    I responded to her with a smile while saying there¡¯s nothing to worry about, but I was internally all flustered.


    (T-That was scaryyyyy!) (Souma)


    There was no such event in the game.


    To think a discrepancy from the game would show up here.


    I tell myself to be more on guard.


    I don¡¯t think I am doing anything that bad, but one mistake and it might have been game over.


    ¡°N-Now then, let¡¯s check the place.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yes! I will accompany you!¡± (Rirumu)


    Depending on the listener, it might sound like a date, but we do so as we move around the room.


    The first thing I did was check the ¡®not yet¡¯ that I marked on the corner of the room.


    There¡¯s no point if I don¡¯t confirm this.


    Seeing that the ¡®not yet¡¯ writing is still there, I sigh in relief for now.


    But I couldn¡¯t do anything more than that.


    The gaze of Elm-san was following me no matter where I went and did.


    I feel like he might suspect me if I do anything weird here.


    When I tried to casually move to the back of a pillar, Elm-san also casually moved locations, adjusting it in a way that he could still see me.


    (He has completely locked onto me!!) (Souma)


    In the end, I couldn¡¯t achieve much aside from confirming the not yet mark, and exited the room.


    And then, on our way back to the living room, Elm-san spoke to me in a dandy voice.


    ¡°Souma-sama, whenever you have any business outside the room, please tell me. I will accompany you even inside the bathroom so there¡¯s no inconvenience.¡± (Elm)


    ¡°A-Ahahahaha. Thanks.¡± (Souma)


    At a glance, that sounds like a considerate proposal, but that¡¯s actually his declaration of absolute surveillance.


    (This is bad¡­) (Souma)


    Even I have things I want to do stealthily.


    And yet, if the butler keeps an eye on me the whole time¡­


    I ended up glaring at Elm-san, and Elm-san responded with a gentle but ghastly smile.


    ¡ªAnd in this way, my secret feud, which has no direct relevance to the case but is urgent for me, against the capable butler had begun.

 CH 150

    Light


    Dark


    Let¡¯s begin from the conclusion.


    That butler really followed me to the toilet!!


    The toilet being spacious and him not staring intently at me was the only saving there, but there¡¯s a limit to acting on your words.


    Looks like Elm-san seriously intends to observe my every movement.


    That¡¯s obviously continuing even now. When I glanced at my left side, 3 meters from the sofa I am sitting on, there¡¯s the dandy butler looking at me with an unchanging stance¡­


    He might get neurosis from that.


    And there¡¯s one thing that it has affected negatively.


    When I glanced at my right side, at the corner of the sofa I am sitting on¡­


    ¡°¡­Hn?¡±


    I made eye-contact with a small blue critter that tilted her head.


    I sighed and warned her who knows how many times now.


    ¡°Ringo, there¡¯s nothing interesting even if you stayed there. How about sitting properly over there?¡± (Souma)


    But Ringo¡¯s watch passion was reignited by Elm-san, and she shook her head to the sides again.


    ¡°¡­It is okay. It is fun¡­to watch Souma.¡± (Ringo)


    I doubt something like that is fun, but she was leaning on the corner of the sofa with her chin resting on it, watching me with passion, and I could certainly feel an aura of happiness from her.


    I gave up on persuading her and sighed heavily again.


    Elm-san and Ringo were not letting me out of their sights.


    I could find an opening if it is just one, but it is hard with two.


    I have to make some sort of countermeasure or I won¡¯t be able to make any moves.


    Also, it is not like these two are the only ones watching me¡­


    ¡°Muuh!¡±


    At the opposite sofa, there¡¯s Maki groaning with ¡®muuh muuh¡¯ as if she were a new species.


    It seems like she is still hung up on the spoiler matter.


    She should just fix her mood already.


    When I moved my gaze, I made eye-contact with Ina, who was keeping company with Fuu.


    The fact that we made eye-contact must mean that she was also looking over here, but I don¡¯t get her well either.


    She has been curious about my state and stealing glances here for a while now.


    I want to believe Ina out of all people would not suspect me, but I don¡¯t know.


    The only ones uninterested in me are Sazan, who is boasting about himself to Earth as always, and Mitsuki who is sitting by my side with her back straight.


    (It really was the right choice to sit by the side of Mitsuki.) (Souma)


    When I returned to the living room, my party members were sitting pretty split up from each other.


    There¡¯s a limit to the places one can sit, so I was thinking about going to the side of someone else, but that¡¯s where I hesitated.


    If I were to sit by Maki¡¯s side, I feel like she would make me tag along in her deduction time, and that would be a pain.


    If I sat by Ringo¡¯s side, I feel like Maki would make a ruckus for a different reason, so I wanted to avoid that if possible.


    If I sat by Ina¡¯s side, I feel like she would get flustered and begin saying weird stuff.


    Sazan is out of the question.


    And so, I sat by Mitsuki¡¯s side, and it seems like that was the only correct answer.


    Even when I went to the side of Mitsuki, she didn¡¯t make a ruckus like Maki or Ina. You could even say she stopped moving completely like a statue the moment I sat by her side.


    Is this the realm of the calm and serene mind? Even her busy cat ears are standing upright as if they were frozen.


    (I should also stay natural. Stay natural.) (Souma)


    Telling myself this, I picked up the tea cup that was placed in front of me.


    I am a bit apprehensive about it since it was prepared by that butler, but Mizu-san went out of her way to bring it to me.


    When I brought it all the way close to my nose, a gentle and elegant scent spread from the tea and¡­


    ¡°Uwa?!¡± (Souma)


    A cracking sound was suddenly made and the handle came off.


    The cup fell on the table, splashing its contents, and I hurriedly jumped away.


    ¡°Are you okay? I will wipe it off at once.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°A-Alright. Thanks.¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki, who was paralyzed until now, resumed action as if she found this her opportunity, and wiped my left hand that had tea splashed on it with a handkerchief.


    ¡°M-My apologies! A-Are you okay?!¡± (Mizu)


    ¡°Mizu-san. Aah, no, this is nothing.¡± (Souma)


    Mizu-san heard the ruckus and hurriedly came to where we were.


    And then, after seeing the cup fallen on the table, she narrowed her eyes.


    ¡°This is¡­! I told her countless times not to use glue to stick the handle!¡± (Mizu)


    Looks like it was simply because the handle had been glued on and it was easy for it to fall off.


    The useless maid will most likely be eating the punishment course by Mizu-san once she comes back.


    ¡°¡­Mitsuki?¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s when I noticed that Mitsuki, who should have been wiping my hand, had stopped moving as if she had frozen again.


    She stared at my hand and had a face as if she thought of something.


    ¡°Is something the matter with my left hand?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked in wonder, Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears jumped to an unnatural degree.


    And then, she slowly shook her head.


    ¡°No¡­it is just that I thought the tip of your fingers were dry.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Eh? Ah, no, this is not really¡­¡± (Souma)


    I hurriedly pulled my hand back and Mitsuki moved her gaze as if chasing it.


    The eyes of Mitsuki had turned into that of a hunter seeking its prey.


    ¡°If they are dried up, h-how about I warm them up?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°A-As I said¡­uhm¡­w-we are sitting together anyways, so I was thinking it would be okay to hold hands with you just like you did with Ringo-san before.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Looks like she is also someone who saw me with Ringo.


    As if sympathizing with my flustered heart¡­


    ¡°Muh! Muuuh!!¡±


    The sofa at the opposite side, there¡¯s the muuh mooing getting even noisier.


    No, in the first place, warming my hand up won¡¯t heal it from being dried up -is what I want to object with, but seeing the trembling cat ears on top of Mitsuki¡¯s head, I felt bad refusing.


    ¡°W-What have you been doing for a while now¡­?!¡± (Mitsuki)


    I looked at the cat ears-chan, troubled, and Mitsuki suddenly blushed.


    And then, after getting flustered for a moment there¡­


    ¡°E-Excuse me!¡± (Mitsuki)


    She suddenly held up my body and flew off the room.


    ¡­How to say it¡­today is a day where I am getting kidnapped by my comrades often.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the matter?¡± (Souma)


    I asked Mitsuki who lowered me in the corridor, and she spoke with a tense atmosphere.


    ¡°There¡¯s one thing I want to ask you. I don¡¯t think such a¡­such a crazy thing is possible, but I want to crush that possibility properly.¡± (Mitsuki)


    She is really beating around the bush here.


    Could it be that she discovered my plan?


    I nodded with cold sweat running down.


    When I did, Mitsuki made an even more serious face and continued speaking.


    ¡°I am going to get straight to the point. Could it be that my¡­my¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    She hesitated for a moment there, but she then took a deep breath as if steeling herself, and asked this with strength.


    ¡°My ears move every now and then?!¡± (Mitsuki)


    You noticed just now?!! -is what I was on the verge of shouting, but I somehow managed to endure.


    ¡°Ah, no, my apologies for asking something stupid. It is just that you would look at my ears so often, I ended up assuming such an unbelievable thing. I¡¯m just a worrywart.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Even though I haven¡¯t said anything yet, Mitsuki was speaking up a storm, flustered, which is something rare of her.


    ¡­But I see.


    Now that I think about it, there was no one in the game who would inquire about the movements of the cat ears.


    This world probably took that into account and made it so people don¡¯t worry about the movements of cat ears as the default.


    In that case, I am probably the only one who could tell her the truth here.


    I burned in a sense of duty and spoke.


    ¡°No, uuuh¡­I don¡¯t think it moves from time to time¡ª¡± (Souma)


    It is not from time to time, but always.


    I was about to add that, but¡­


    ¡°Right?!! Aah, that¡¯s a relief!! I was worried the whole time that I might have been making the mistake of moving my ears unconsciously to you!! Aah, it really is a relief!!¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°No, as I was saying¡ª¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki arrived at an early conclusion and held both of my hands with her cat ears flapping happily.


    She is holding them with incredible strength, it hurts a lot.


    ¡°W-Wait, Mitsuki! Calm down and listen to¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°It is okay, it is okay! I am calm. There¡¯s no way my ears would move on their own! That¡¯s only natural!¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears were flailing about as she spoke.


    She is totally in cloud nine.


    Seeing her cat ears in such glee, I was beginning to think it would be way too cruel to tell her the truth here.


    I would just have to make sure Maki keeps it a secret, so I decided to just disclose this secret to her little by little, and diverted the topic for now.


    ¡°More importantly, is it okay to not keep a watch? You were trying pretty hard to stop this incident, right?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this, the cat ears tilted backwards as if going ¡®hmph¡¯ puffing out its chest.


    ¡°No worries. I already have a grasp of the location of every resident in this house. For example¡­the 3 people that have been observing us from the shadow of the corridor for a while now.¡± (Mitsuki)


    When I hurriedly looked back, I saw gray, black, and blue heads from the corner of the corridor hiding.


    Looks like Elm-san, Maki, and Ringo were observing us from there.


    But it seems like Mitsuki was not bothered by that one bit and continued talking.


    ¡°Speaking of which, after you 3 spoke at Rirumu-san¡¯s room, you wasted time alone and then went to check the barrier together with the others, right? Did you do something in that room that you didn¡¯t want others to see?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Eh, that¡¯s¡­¡± (Souma)


    The eyes of Mitsuki had strong light just like the time when we left the barrier room.


    Those are the eyes of someone completely suspecting me.


    There¡¯s Ringo and also the butler. Do I really look that suspicious?


    ¡°None none! It is nothing!¡± (Souma)


    I winced a bit at this while waving my hand in front of my face, but Mitsuki¡¯s strong glare was not loosening one bit.


    But it is true that I didn¡¯t do anything¡­at that place.


    I decided to call a witness as my last resort.


    ¡°Elm-san, you were watching, right?! I didn¡¯t do anything in that room, right?!¡± (Souma)


    When I shouted this, the butler came out from the corner of the corridor and nodded with a courteous gesture.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct. Souma-sama didn¡¯t take any suspicious actions.¡± (Elm)


    I directed eyes of ¡®see¡¯ to Mitsuki and¡­


    ¡°¡­That said, I don¡¯t know what he would have done if I hadn¡¯t been watching.¡± (Elm)


    Those words added unnecessarily made me shout ¡®Elm-san!¡¯ in protest.


    After that, I tried to justify myself here, but my suspicions weren¡¯t cleared, and we returned to the living room with questionable looks.

 CH 151

    Light


    Dark


    After that, no one moved away from the living room, and a peaceful time for everyone else aside from me passed.


    Change happened at 8pm.


    ¡°Now then, I will be relieving that girl.¡± (Mizu)


    Silent anger was shown in the eyes of Mizu as she stood up, and around 15 minutes later¡­


    ¡°I-I finally managed to come back.¡± (Rirumu)


    The useless maid returned.


    ¡°Welcome back, Rirumu.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Ah, Souma-san! I am back!! It is horrible. Hear me out! Mizu-sama showed up and suddenly began reprimanding me¡­¡± (Rirumu)


    ¡°Aah, yeah, that must have been rough.¡± (Souma)


    As a direct victim of hers, I can¡¯t really take her side.


    I just skip through what she said and enter the main topic.


    ¡°By the way, how was the room? Anything strange?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Room? Aah, the barrier room? Mizu-san and I didn¡¯t enter the room, so I can¡¯t really be too specific here though¡­ Is something the matter?¡± (Rirumu)


    The useless maid tilted her head in wonder, and I simply shook my head and smiled.


    ¡°No, it is fine if there was nothing. Yup, it is good.¡± (Souma)


    For some reason, several people are keeping in check what I say.


    They might think it strange if I inquire too much.


    I easily withdraw here.


    People have left the living room a total of 2 times since the useless maid came back from her shift.


    The first pair was the useless maid and Maki.


    The useless maid tried to fix her honor the very moment she came back, and on the way to bring tea as if saying this is for her honor¡­


    ¡°Hiyawah! Eeh?!!¡± (Rirumu)


    She raised a pretty intentional scream as she fell, making a big stain on her maid clothes, so she left to change.


    Maki did go with her all the way to the front of her room, and returned after around 15 minutes.


    The second pair was Fuu and Ina.


    Fuu raised her hand while wriggling and¡­


    ¡°E-Excuse me, I need to go to the restroom¡­¡± (Fuu)


    She announced this and Ina went with her.


    Both of them returned in less than 2 minutes.


    Aside from that, there would be friendly chatting, keeping an eye on me, closing their eyes and standing in place, keeping an eye on me, smoking with an unsavory face, keeping an eye on me; they were all doing their own thing to spend time.


    And then, 9pm.


    Time to switch again.


    ¡°Now then, it is my turn now!¡± (Earth)


    ¡°Ah, wait a moment!¡± (Souma)


    I called Earth, who was heading off for his turn, to a stop and had him hold a shining thing that would make children happy, and requested something of him.


    ¡°Eh? Okay, that¡¯s fine!¡± (Earth)


    I can feel gazes around stabbing me, but can¡¯t do anything about it.


    I want to be at peace as soon as possible.


    ¡°I will be heading off now!!¡± (Earth)


    Fortunately, no one called Earth to a stop again, and he left to do his shift.


    I will be able to know the result 1 hour later.


    I was making a gleeful look and Mitsuki stood by my side.


    ¡°What did you ask him to do just now?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°I simply asked him to check the state of the room¡­ You can go confirm with him if you want.¡± (Souma)


    When I said this, Mitsuki shook her head and moved away.


    They are all really untrusting people.


    Mizu-san came back and left somewhere with Ringo.


    5 minutes after that, Fai-san said¡­


    ¡°Tch, ran out of cigs!¡± (Fai)


    Saying this, he left for his room with Elm-san.


    It would mean that 3 users of barrier magic have left the room at the same time now.


    I look at Mitsuki wondering if that¡¯s fine and¡­


    ¡°There¡¯s no issues. I see it¡­all.¡± (Mitsuki)


    She immediately answered with that.


    She is so reliable it is scary.


    The 4 probably met up on the way, Fai-san and the others came back after around 5 minutes.


    ¡ª10pm.


    Fai-san left and the report I had been waiting for arrived.


    Earth had come back from his shift, ran to me, and whispered to me the result.


    ¡°Alright!¡± (Souma)


    I pumped my fist without minding my surroundings.


    Earth looked at me and said ¡®so weird~¡¯ and left. It seems like Elm-san asked him questions, but I don¡¯t care.


    It should go well with this¡­most likely.


    Exhaustion could be felt from everyone after 10pm.


    Within that, Earth and Sazan began to make a ruckus saying they were hungry, and they headed to Elm and Mizu.


    I also go with them.


    It seems like almost all the remaining ingredients were used, but we used a gem that had fire magic in it, and the two had prepared a late-night meal in just 15 minutes.


    By the way, Earth wolfed down that meal, and Sazan left more than half of it.


    ¡­If you eat little, don¡¯t go exaggerating your hunger.


    A while after that, when it hit 10:44pm, I secretly began preparing for the coming event.


    There¡¯s still eyes on me.


    Looking at my clock would make it too obvious, so I try to keep it as natural as possible while I reserve a spell for the event that will be happening.


    And then, just when it hit 10:45pm.


    Light suddenly disappeared from the world.


    ¡°W-What?!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡±


    I heard flustered voices inside the darkness.


    However, as someone who has already experienced this in the game, I alone could move calmly.


    I extend my hand without hesitation inside the darkness and put my hand inside the adventurer bag.


    The storage control of the item boxes doesn¡¯t rely on sight.


    My hand moved quietly in the darkness, and took out an item without issues¡­


    ¡°I-I am scared of the dark!!¡±


    I lost my balance at something that suddenly crashed onto my waist.


    ¡°Wa, who is it?! Get away from me!!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I don¡¯t like the darkness! No darkness!!¡±


    They must be panicking. There¡¯s barely any intelligible conversation here.


    I gave up on trying to tear that person away from me and somehow manage to continue operating the items.


    ¡°Kuh! [Light]!!¡±


    A few seconds later, Shizun-san used light magic, but by that time, I had also taken out a lantern from my adventurer bag.


    I used fire magic and light up the lantern.


    ¡°Damn it¡­ I should have been the first one to illuminate the place.¡± (Souma)


    I looked down while complaining.


    ¡°¡­It is your fault, Sazan.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Feh?¡± (Sazan)


    I directed a begrudging gaze onto the self-proclaimed great mage of darkness.


    The reason why the room suddenly got dark is because of what you would call a blackout in modern terms.


    It seems a device used to send mana to the residence had malfunctioned, and it came back on in around 5 minutes without doing anything.


    A commotion happened when they noticed that Fuu was not present once the lights came back on, but she was trembling below the table.


    She looks like she is level-headed, but there¡¯s this part of her that¡¯s really fitting of her age which makes her cute.


    Really different from Sazan whose age doesn¡¯t fit this.


    After all that happened, there was understandably no one who left the room.


    Soon after that incident, it hit 11:00pm, and Fuu said she was scared of going alone, so she went to do her watch duty with Ina.


    Fai comes back, switching places with the two.


    There wasn¡¯t really much conversation.


    There was barely any movement from 11 to 12, but Shizun-san, who hadn¡¯t moved at all until now, left the room together with Elm-san for around 5 minutes.


    His surveillance is gone, but I am not in the mood to be happy about that.


    I pass my time doing nothing of interest.


    Time slowly passed, and as the moment approached, I could feel everyone getting restless.


    However, that will end soon too.


    I wait patiently for that moment.


    And finally, the long awaited 5 minutes before 12.


    ¡°¡­Now then, let¡¯s go.¡± (Shizun)


    Shizun-san spoke with a heavy tone, and everyone in the room followed after him silently.


    ¡°Ah, father¡­¡± (Fuu)


    ¡°Souma-san!¡± (Ina)


    We reunite with Fuu and Ina in front of the barrier room.


    We open the room with Shizun-san¡¯s key.


    The door opened with a creak and¡­


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s a relief. The barrier is still there.¡± (Shizun)


    Shizun-san sighed in relief.


    Comments like ¡®Keh, I knew that would be the case¡¯ and ¡®It really was just a prank¡¯ rang in the place.


    ¡°Father, it would be best to confirm at least¡­¡± (Fuu)


    ¡°Yeah, you are right. Let¡¯s confirm the inside just in case.¡± (Shizun)


    However, Shizun-san nodded at the words of Fuu as if rethinking it, formed barrier magic with his own hands, and went to pour it onto the red and blue crystals.


    The barrier protecting the Immortal Oath slowly dimmed, and deep in¡­


    ¡°I-Impossible¡­!!¡± (Shizun)


    There¡¯s a column without a shadow of a ring anywhere.


    ¡°The ring is¡­gone?!¡± (Fai)


    Fai peeked from behind and said this with a face as if he couldn¡¯t believe this.


    From there, the commotion spread like a ripple.


    ¡°Impossible. I had an eye on the location of all the people in this mansion. There wasn¡¯t a single person who stayed in this room for more than a minute¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    I hear Mitsuki say this dumbfounded and direct my gaze to the side.


    ¡­The right corner of the room.


    The ¡®not yet¡¯ that I wrote with Shiranui is gone cleanly.


    Maki¡¯s Memo:


    Exit Record:


    [18:00-19:00 ¨C Watch: Elm]


    18:20-18:30: Fai and Souma.


    18:40-19:00: Souma, Rirumu, and Maki.


    [19:00-20:00 ¨C Watch: Rirumu]


    19:10-19:15: Souma and Elm.


    19:35-19:45: Souma, Mitsuki, Elm, Ringo, and Maki.


    [20:00-21:00 ¨C Watch: Mizu]


    20:30-20:40: Rirumu and Maki.


    20:45-20:50: Fuu and Ina.


    [21:00-22:00 ¨C Watch: Earth]


    21:05-21:15: Mizu and Ringo.


    21:10-21:15: Fai and Elm.


    [22:00-23:00 ¨C Watch: Fai]


    22:05-22:20: Souma, Mizu, and Elm.


    22:45-22:50: Blackout.


    [23:00-00:00 ¨C Watch: Fuu+Ina]


    23:15-23:20: Shizun and Elm.


    23:55-00:00: Everyone.

 CH 152

    Light


    Dark


    After the theft of the ring was made clear, Shizun-san and the 4 siblings confirmed whether the functions of the barrier were broken, but it was clarified that the barrier is working normally.


    The ring must have been stolen with some trickery -Shizun-san and the others arrived at this conclusion, and went back to the living room with heavy dejected faces.


    The atmosphere from there on was extremely bad.


    Exhaustion and regret, doubts and anger mixed, and everyone was making dangerous eyes.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    And for some reason, the eyes Elm-san directed at me became even more dangerous.


    No, it is not a mystery why it is.


    At the time when I confirmed the not yet writing in the room, Elm-san also read the direction of my gaze.


    Elm-san brushed the square tile I was looking at and had the writing edged there, and muttered¡­


    ¡°¡­The marking here is gone.¡± (Elm)


    Remembering the eyes of Elm-san at that time still sends shivers down my spine.


    Those are the eyes of someone who sees you as an enemy.


    I understand his point of view here.


    I marked the floor with the same feel as the game, but you normally wouldn¡¯t think a mark you leave on the floor would disappear.


    I foresaw this happening, so it can¡¯t be helped if a 3rd person would think of my actions to be related to the crime.


    However, there¡¯s no way I would be able to tell him ¡®this is a game world¡¯ like I did with my comrades, and so, it is impossible for me to explain the mark on the floor disappearing.


    I have no choice but to clear the suspicions by catching the true culprit.


    However, right now I¡¯ve gotta sleep for the sake of that.


    The opinion of Shizun-san about everyone going to sleep in this room where we can keep an eye on each other in this abnormal situation was naturally accepted by everyone.


    Looking around, I could see that my party members were also splitting up and going to sleep here and there in the room.


    Ina must have been tired, she was fast asleep while hugging Fuu.


    The only ones not in a stance to sleep were Mitsuki and Elm-san who took the guard duty.


    I fell into the world of dreams while feeling the endless piercing gaze of Elm-san.


    ¡°Good morning, Souma-sama.¡±


    ¡°Uwaaaaah!!¡± (Souma)


    The moment I opened my eyes, I had the horrible experience of waking up to the face of an old man with bags under his eyes which blew away my drowsiness.


    Just how long has Elm-san been on standby in that position for?


    Just imagining that was giving me a bad experience for my heart in two different meanings, but let¡¯s just take it as a good wake-up alarm.


    ¡°Hm?¡± (Souma)


    Anyways, it is true that I managed to wake up in one go with this.


    I tried to lift up my body, but I noticed that my body felt strangely heavy.


    ¡°R-Ringo?! Maki?!¡± (Souma)


    Now that I look closely, Ringo was curled up on my chest, and Maki was at my back as if riding on it.


    And for some reason, Sazan had also come close and had fallen asleep while seemingly clinging onto my leg.


    To think he would pull my leg even in his sleep. That¡¯s Sazan for ya.


    ¡°Everyone must have been uneasy. They gathered after you fell asleep and ended up like this.¡±


    Noticing that I had woken up, the only one of our party members, Mitsuki, came and explained to me.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± (Souma)


    I understand them being uneasy in this situation.


    In that case, I can¡¯t really blame them -I thought this and smiled wryly.


    ¡°Hm? Then where¡¯s Ina?¡± (Souma)


    I suddenly noticed this and asked, and Mitsuki silently pointed at a certain location.


    At that place, there¡¯s Ina hugging Fuu on the sofa and sleeping happily.


    Everyone woke up not long after, but the rough part came after.


    Everyone was in a bad mood because of the lack of sleep, and the search for the culprit began as if it were a witch trial.


    In this situation where Fai and Mizu were insulting each other, Earth shouted, and Fuu was all nervous. The one who calmed this situation down was an unexpected individual.


    In this noisy room filled with malice¡­


    ¡°Ingredients!! There¡¯s no ingredients!!¡±


    The loud voice of the useless maid drowned everyone else¡¯s voices, stopping everything.


    The useless maid¡¯s legs trembled, having gathered the attention of everyone, but she somehow managed to hang in there.


    ¡°It is important to find the culprit, but if we don¡¯t buy food, I think everyone is going to die!!¡± (Rirumu)


    Fai and Mizu lowered their heads at this logic they couldn¡¯t argue against.


    ¡°I-I call for a temporary truce due to the necessity of food!!¡± (Rirumu)


    And so, the unsightly strife between blood relatives was stopped temporarily.


    After that, Mizu said ¡®I have something I have to do today, and it has to be outside¡¯ which almost made the place rowdy, but Shizun-san said ¡®the ones who want to go outside will require a strict check of possessions¡¯ which calmed down the situation.


    You have to use that teleport device in order to go outside.


    If you can confirm that the ones going outside don¡¯t have the ring, the ring will at least not be taken outside -that¡¯s the logic.


    Everyone knows that plan is just a stopgap for the situation, but there were no better ideas.


    Even Fai, who was stubborn till the end, accepted the momentary solution of body checks when going outside.


    Only girls are going outside this time around, so the ones doing the body checks are Mitsuki, Maki, and Fuu.


    ¡°Properly check the inside of the clothes as well to see if there¡¯s no suspicious places, okay?¡± (Fai)


    Being told this by Fai, a thorough check was done in a different room¡­apparently.


    At the very least, when they came out of the room¡­


    ¡°Uuuh, I can¡¯t be a bride anymore.¡± (Rirumu)


    The useless maid said this.


    ¡°I-If this is enough to clear my name, it is cheap.¡± (Mizu)


    And seeing Mizu acting tough here, I can imagine they were actually pretty thorough.


    On top of that, in order to make sure the culprit was not given the ring after the check by an accomplice, they even made sure not to make contact with anyone else.


    They were guided all the way to the stone circle where the teleport device is as if they were prisoners being escorted.


    Shizun-san activated the device, making the teleport device be usable temporarily, and¡­


    ¡°Now then, I will be heading off.¡± (Mizu)


    Mizu was the first one to teleport outside.


    ¡°I-I will buy a whole ton of food!¡± (Rirumu)


    And the useless maid also disappeared after saying this.


    I then peeked at the faces of the remaining people.


    The first one I made eye-contact with was the butler-san who was observing me with a glare within his gentle countenance, but let¡¯s just say I didn¡¯t see that one.


    First of all, there¡¯s Shizun-san and Fai who seemed to be somewhat despondent.


    It seems like they are wondering if this method really was okay or if there was any point in this method, and a variety of other things.


    On the other hand, Maki and Mitsuki were proactively talking about the incident, and turning their gears, going ¡®it wouldn¡¯t work like this or like that¡¯ but it doesn¡¯t seem like they are close to reaching an answer.


    I wanted Maki to reach the answer if possible, but time is up.


    I purposely took a step to gather the attention of everyone, and said this in an exaggerated manner.


    ¡°Now then, we should also head out!¡± (Souma)


    Fai bit onto those inconsiderate words of mine.


    ¡°What are you saying all of a sudden?! Sorry to say this, but now that it has come this far, you guys are also suspects! We will have you take the body check properly too.¡± (Fai)


    In response to that violent tone of his¡­


    ¡°What¡¯s with that?! Tyranny!! I refuse!¡± (Sazan)


    I stopped Sazan, who objected angrily, with my hand.


    ¡°No, there¡¯s no need to. I already know where the ring is.¡± (Souma)


    I say this straight.


    ¡°Wa?! What are you sa¡ª¡± (Shizun)


    I stood in front of the confused Shizun-san and asked instead.


    ¡°Shizun-san, you can use fire, water, earth, and wind spells, right?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°T-That¡¯s right, but the ring is currently¡ª¡± (Shizun)


    ¡°Then, can you use this spell too?¡± (Souma)


    I cut off the words of Shizun-san and said the name of a certain spell.


    ¡°Y-Yeah, I can¡­¡± (Shizun)


    ¡°Please try using it. It will make everything clear.¡± (Souma)


    Shizun-san had his eyes opened wide at how self-centered I was here, but seeing that I wasn¡¯t saying anything more, he finally gave up.


    He chanted the spell with a face as if in half-doubt.


    And then¡­


    ¡°Could this possibly be¡­!!¡± (Shizun)


    Shizun-san¡¯s expression changed and then nodded to my proposal. And so, we moved out of the residence.


    Once we were out of the residence, we had Shizun-san cast a stealth spell, and followed after ¡®her¡¯ who left beforehand.


    The ones following ¡®her¡¯ are the 12 that were in the residence.


    I of course had Mitsuki find the one other person aside from her, and we are now moving together to follow her.


    All the people following have serious faces, but sweat was flowing from my hand as well even when I know everything.


    This case will reach its finale soon.


    However, I can¡¯t relax here.


    There¡¯s the possibility of failure until she picks that up.


    I endured my unease and followed her.


    We silently advanced, and change happened in her unhesitant steps.


    ¡°She deviated¡­?!¡±


    She was moving as reported until now, but she suddenly changed directions.


    She left the route and began moving in an unpopulated area.


    Seeing this, the people of the residence made faces as if saying ¡®could it be¡­¡¯.


    From my way of saying it, I thought there would be no doubt that she is the true culprit, but it seems like they really found it hard to believe.


    But, as if betraying them, she moved to the front with unsteady steps, and ran to where a single man was waiting at.


    The person waiting for her was a chubby merchant.


    Being in front of him, she said with a trembling voice.


    ¡°I-I have brought it as promised!! With this, you will pay for the treatment of those children, right?¡±


    The merchant made a creepy ¡®gehgeh¡¯ and his flabby chin shook.


    ¡°Of course, of course, with this, I will pay for the treatment of those slum brats¡­I mean, children. Now, enough about that. Quick, the ring¡­¡±


    It was a really easy to understand exchange.


    This should have made it clear to everyone.


    Now we just have to wait for the decisive moment.


    ¡°U-Understood. I-It is a promise, okay?!¡±


    And then, that moment came.


    She put her hand to the front¡­and chanted that spell.


    ¡°[Magical Pocket]!!¡±


    A pocket space appeared in front of her.


    She put her hand inside that without hesitation and took out a jet black ring, the Immortal Oath.


    I heard the sound of someone gulping.


    I also was waiting with bated breath.


    I was pretty nervous here, but it should be okay now.


    This is the long awaited deduction display of Maki.


    Just when she was about to give the ring to the man, I slowly stood up.


    ¡°That¡¯s as far as you go!!¡± (Souma)


    I shouted loudly and left the range of the stealth spell.


    Shizun-san and the others undid their stealth magic too and gathered behind me.


    ¡°S-Souma-san! And everyone else too¡­ W-Why?¡±


    I ignored her confused self and slowly raised a finger.


    ¡°The culprit calling herself the phantom thief, Night Wind, and stole the family heirloom of the Aken household¡­¡± (Souma)


    And then, I pointed that finger straight at her and shouted.


    ¡°The maid of the Aken household, Rirumu!! It was you!!¡± (Souma)

 CH 153

    Light


    Dark


    I thought I nailed it in a cool manner like the great detectives in novels, but the finger that I pointed at the useless maid¡­


    ¡°¡­Souma, you shouldn¡¯t point at people.¡± (Ringo)


    Was forcefully lowered by Ringo who has been getting more common sense lately.


    ¡­Yeah.


    It does feel like my momentum was thinned with this, but the one I have to deal with right now isn¡¯t the useless maid.


    ¡°¡­And, how long are you going to be standing there?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°N-No, I¡­¡±


    The one I pointed my sword at wasn¡¯t the useless maid but the fat man at the back.


    If I remember correctly, it is a merchant by the name of Karma.


    His way of laughing is creepy, so he is often mistaken as a big villain, but the reality is that he isn¡¯t good or evil, but a normal vice merchant.


    ¡°Gehgeh. B-Bye~!!¡± (Karma)


    Karma must have judged that there¡¯s no profit in staying here any longer, he turned his back to us without hesitation and ran away in a heartbeat.


    ¡°That bastard!!¡± (Fai)


    Fai tried to chase after him in his rage, but I stopped him.


    ¡°Just ignore him. What¡¯s more important here is¡­¡± (Souma)


    When I moved my gaze to the useless maid, she flinched.


    But she was still holding the ring and not trying to run away.


    ¡°I will have you return the Immortal Oath before hearing the details of this.¡± (Souma)


    I think it will be alright, but it would be troubling if the useless maid were to do anything weird here.


    I take the ring from the useless maid who seemed to have given up, and¡­


    ¡°I will return it.¡±


    Just before I did, Elm-san snatched the ring from her hand.


    Elm-san glared at me once, and then respectfully gave the ring to Shizun-san.


    ¡­No, isn¡¯t this too much suspicion on me?


    ¡°This is¡­the real Immortal Oath. There¡¯s no difference to the one inside the Magical Pocket.¡± (Shizun)


    Shizun-san confirmed the ring and the useless maid made an ¡®eh?¡¯ face.


    ¡°D-Did you see when I was using Magical Pocket?!¡± (Rirumu)


    She blurted that out in surprise, but it can¡¯t be helped that she would misunderstand like that.


    ¡°¡­I see, so you didn¡¯t know¡­about the defect of the Magical Pocket.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°D-Defect? What¡¯s that about?!¡± (Rirumu)


    I tell the harsh reality to the useless maid.


    ¡°This magic pocket is the most unsuitable place to put valuable things in.¡± (Souma)


    Magical Pocket: a spell that creates a rift in space and makes it possible to store items in it.


    When it was first discovered, it caught the attention of people as a technique that could assist the adventurer bag which has a capacity limit, but this spell has a massive landmine.


    When you place the item inside the Magical Pocket, the item disappears as time passes.


    People thought this was an unknown bug at first.


    However, a player coincidentally witnessed an NPC use Magical Pocket and discovered an unbelievable reality.


    The item that he had placed in the Magical Pocket not long ago was being taken out by that NPC.


    After that, he hurriedly chanted Magical Pocket again, but the item was gone.


    In other words, this item storage only has one communal space, and it is the same storage space for anyone using Magical Pocket.


    It is basically a single item box used by everyone.


    No wonder items would disappear one after the other like this.


    This of course means that players can also steal the items NPCs place there, but NPCs don¡¯t place items inside the Magical Pocket aside from events.


    Even if it did happen, it would have the NPC ownership to it, so it would be treated as a stolen item even if you were to take it.


    Fortunately, NPCs don¡¯t use the Magical Pocket much, so it is rare to have things disappear, but there¡¯s no need to go through the risk of having your things stolen.


    Because of a certain quest, there¡¯s the need to use this spell when you have no space.


    And that moment is in this Aken Family¡¯s Ring.


    ¡°If someone places an item in the Magical Pocket, anyone can freely take it out if they use Magical Pocket. By the moment you said you wanted to go do the groceries at the city, I predicted that you would hide the ring in the Magical Pocket.


    That¡¯s why I had Shizun-san chant Magical Pocket, and had him confirm that the ring was inside.¡± (Souma)


    By the way, the worst case scenario was the possibility of a completely unrelated party taking away the ring in the time we were out of the Aken residence.


    The reason why I still forced this place even with that possibility was because I wanted to catch the useless maid the very moment she took the ring out. Elm-san was keeping an eye on me the whole time, so there was also the safety that, even if the ring was gone, I wouldn¡¯t be suspected.


    With Elm-san, who has been watching me since morning till night, I can easily prove that I didn¡¯t have the chance to use Magical Pocket.


    Anyways, the ring didn¡¯t disappear, so it was unnecessary worry.


    That¡¯s when Maki raised her voice in protest with notepad in hand.


    ¡°W-Wait! The most important part is not explained with that! Rirumu-chan can¡¯t use barrier magic, and the only time she made contact with a person that can use barrier magic was when she switched with Mizu-san! Just how did she break through the barrier¡ª¡± (Maki)


    ¡°That¡¯s the misunderstanding.¡± (Souma)


    I cut Maki off, and she made a dubious look.


    ¡°Rirumu perpetrated this crime alone, and this has nothing to do with barrier magic or elements to begin with.


    Rirumu didn¡¯t take one step inside the room when the theft happened after all.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°What do you mean by that¡­?¡± (Maki)


    I speak as if lecturing the dumbfounded Maki.


    ¡°I thought I gave you enough hints, Maki. When we went to the room of Rirumu, you didn¡¯t find anything weird? Didn¡¯t you feel anything strange from the big dent on top of the table?¡± (Souma)


    There were dents all over Rirumu¡¯s room, but the square dent on the table at the center of the room stood out the most.


    That¡¯s weird when you think about it normally.


    No matter how clumsy Rirumu is, it is unnatural to hit the table with something so big on top of the table.


    Also, there was nothing that could create such a big square dent like that in her room.


    ¡°On top of the table? A-Aah, now that you mention it, that shape¡­¡± (Maki)


    That¡¯s where Maki raised her voice as if she thought of something.


    I saw that and grinned.


    ¡°¡­Looks like you noticed. That dent has the same shape as the tiles of the barrier room. And Rirumu¡¯s room is right below the barrier room. There¡¯s one conclusion you can take from this.¡± (Souma)


    I said this sharply after looking at the faces of everyone.


    ¡°Rirumu didn¡¯t break the barrier!! By cutting the floor right below the barrier, she brought the pedestal that has the ring to her own room!!¡± (Souma)


    This is the blind spot of this case.


    It is true that the pedestal and barrier are indestructible objects just like Mitsuki confirmed, but the floor supporting it isn¡¯t.


    When it was a game, players couldn¡¯t harm the floor and walls, so this is not really accurate, but you should be able to get it if you checked a certain place closely.


    ¡°Could it be¡­¡± (Maki)


    Hearing this, the one whose knees fell on the ground was for some reason not the useless maid but Maki.


    ¡°The barrier had nothing to do with it¡­? Even though I took so many notes and thought about it a whole ton¡­ Uuuh!!¡± (Maki)


    It must have been pretty mortifying, Maki began to mutter complaints.


    But she soon raised her head as if she had remembered something.


    ¡°B-But wait! Traces of it should have remained if the floor was dropped! And yet, when we went to the room, the floor was¡­¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Super glue.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Huh?¡± (Maki)


    I lifted a finger and explained to Maki who was making a silly face with her mouth open.


    ¡°In the first place, the crime happened when the shifts ended and she went to change after she had spilled tea on her clothes.


    The fact that we saw the dent on the table when we went to her room before that means that this isn¡¯t the first time that the ceiling fell. I actually investigated the ceiling after you two left, and there were traces of super glue having been used in a square shape.


    That¡¯s when I was certain the culprit would be Rirumu if the ring were to disappear.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh, but mere super glue wouldn¡¯t be able to¡­¡± (Maki)


    Maki tried to refute me, unable to accept this, but she is unfortunately forgetting that this is the Nekomimi Neko world.


    ¡°The super glue that Rirumu used to repair the tableware can also repair walls. It obviously can also stick back fallen ceiling. Moreover, Rirumu is strong enough to pick up heavy decoration armor from the corridor all on her own.


    It shouldn¡¯t be difficult for her to carry the floor to the ceiling after putting glue on it.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Glue¡­¡± (Maki)


    Maki must have lost even the energy to refute me, she sat on the ground as if her soul had left her.


    I do feel bad for her, but this is a situation where you will suffer if you place too much expectations on Nekomimi Neko.


    ¡°¡­Rirumu.¡± (Shizun)


    That¡¯s where Shizun-san stepped to the front as if taking after Maki.


    And then, after hearing my deduction, he asked in a low tone towards Rirumu.


    ¡°Is what he said true, Rirumu? Are you really the phantom thief, Night Wind? The culprit that stole the Immortal Oath?¡± (Shizun)


    Shizun-san asked half in doubt, and the useless maid simply answered with ¡®I am sorry¡¯.


    ¡°Why?! Why did you do something like this¡­?¡± (Mizu)


    Mizu let out a grieving scream.


    The useless maid directed blank eyes at her.


    ¡°¡­I visited the slums when we went out to do the groceries before. There, I saw a whole lot of the children I got along with before suffering from diseases¡­ At that time, I met the merchant Karma-san¡­¡± (Rirumu)


    ¡°You were told that he would treat those children if I brought him the ring, right?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked her this, the useless maid nodded honestly.


    ¡°I had no means to do anything about their illness, so I could only rely on someone else. Also¡­Also, I thought: ¡®Right now the house is in so much of a mess, everyone at their throats; all because of this ring¡¯.¡± (Rirumu)


    ¡°Rirumu¡­¡± (Mizu)


    Mizu was speechless at the face of Rirumu that was warped in deep sadness completely unlike her usual carefree look.


    Seeing this, she shouted sharp words as if spitting out blood.


    ¡°If that ring is gone¡­! I am sure everyone could return to being a happy family!! It is because I thought this that I¡­!!¡± (Rirumu)


    This scream that was like a confession but also a reprimand made the people of the Aken household groan and unable to say anything back.


    An awkward silence took over the place.


    I watched this state and sighed.


    ¡­The quest is over with this.


    Finding the culprit, getting back the item, and exposing their trick.


    I will be getting the reward from Shizun-san which is the shield crest and will be leaving the residence.


    A single maid will be disappearing from that household after that, but that has nothing to do with me.


    The quest is over.


    Even when you ask Shizun-san out of curiosity after the quest¡­


    ¡°I am the head of the family¡± -he would say a completely unrelated thing from the incident.


    But that can¡¯t be helped.


    A game is often like that.


    If that¡¯s the conclusion the developer readied, you have no choice but to accept it.


    In other words, the case is wrapped up here.


    The quest will finish safely, and you can welcome a happy end.


    (As if that¡¯s what I would think!!) (Souma)


    I have always been unsatisfied with this.


    Unsatisfied about the bad aftertaste of this incident and everyone involved in this case.


    I have advanced the quest just like the game dictated until now.


    But it should be fine now.


    I will be writing the scenario of this quest from here on.


    I steel my resolve and step forward.


    I took a step onto the stage that I normally wouldn¡¯t be able to step on.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that shit.¡± (Souma)


    My anger boiled up at the useless maid that¡¯s playing the victim.


    That¡¯s why I can only call her a useless maid.


    I roared with everything I had towards the groaning useless maid as if I were clearing away all of my grievances when it was a game.


    ¡°What you were thinking doesn¡¯t matter! You are the worst kind of person to bite the hand that fed you just from the fact that you chose the worst choice of theft!!¡± (Souma)

 CH 154

    ¡°Souma¡­-san¡­¡± (Rirumu)


    The useless maid made a pained look at my merciless words.


    ¡­I actually know.


    Not only this theft event, even the personality of this useless maid, her actions; everything was decided by the guys that created Nekomimi Neko.


    That¡¯s why it might be a mistake to put the blame on her alone.


    Even so, I couldn¡¯t stop.


    ¡°I understand that you wanted to save your acquaintances that are suffering from illnesses. I understand that you wanted to do something about the thorny relationship between Shizun-san and the others. But no matter the reason, stealing from your benefactors, stealing something so important from them¡­is a horrible thing that you must never do! You took the wrong method!!¡± (Souma)


    The useless maid faltered as if my words had physical form.


    ¡°B-But¡­¡± (Rirumu)


    ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®but¡¯ me! Do you really think the easy way out like stealing would make everyone happy? Even if you did succeed and saved them with the money you got from betraying your benefactors, would the children be truly happy? Also, the ring probably wouldn¡¯t have come back ever once you gave Karma the ring.


    Did you really think Shizun-san and the others would return to a happy relationship after having the ring stolen without knowing anything?


    And even if you managed to clear all those obstacles by some miracle, you would have to shoulder that sin for the rest of your life. Can you really say that¡¯s a happy conclusion?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± (Rirumu)


    My words that were being shot like a machine gun were certainly piercing the heart of the useless maid.


    Tears began to overflow from her eyes.


    ¡°¡­I-I knew I was doing the wrong thing here. But then¡­what should I have done? What could I have done that would make everyone happy¡­?¡± (Rirumu)


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious?¡± (Souma)


    You don¡¯t even need to think about it.


    It is a simple solution that you would find unbelievable to even hesitate about it.


    ¡°You should have spoken to them. Properly opened up to them about this.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°!!¡±


    The useless maid warped her face in shock, but I won¡¯t let her say she didn¡¯t think about it.


    ¡°Rirumu, you have people that would laugh at your endless mistakes, and people who would support you no matter the circumstances. Shizun-san, Mizu-san, even Fuu¡­ I am sure all the family would have lent you their strength if you had told them.¡± (Souma)


    I didn¡¯t show any mercy even when seeing the useless maid grow paler.


    I throw her strong words as if finishing her off.


    ¡°And yet, you couldn¡¯t believe in the people that treated you practically like family. You escaped to the worst method that was stealing!¡± (Souma)


    The useless maid fell on her butt as if she lost strength in her legs.


    Tears rolled down the face of Rirumu who seemed as if her soul had escaped her.


    ¡°Please stop it already!!¡± (Mizu)


    Mizu jumped out and hugged her as if covering her from me.


    ¡°I¡­I have seen this girl shutting herself the whole time, worrying all by herself, and suffering! As someone who doesn¡¯t know about this, you have no right to blame her!!¡± (Mizu)


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s right. I probably don¡¯t have the right to act like a superior here.¡± (Souma)


    It is true that I have done as I pleased since coming to this world.


    I also made a plan that trampled on the feelings of others in the matter of Leila.


    But¡­


    ¡°I hold my head high in the fact that I have done my very best no matter the situation to bring out the best result I can. No matter how hopeless the situation is, I continued struggling to find the conclusion where everyone is happy. That¡¯s why I can¡¯t forgive Rirumu who escaped to the easy path and threw away any such effort!¡± (Souma)


    I shouted this as if smashing those burning emotions of mine in my chest onto her.


    Even with all that, Mizu continued standing in front of me as if protecting the useless maid from me.


    ¡°In that case, I am equally at fault for not extending a hand to her when I knew that she was suffering. If you are going to blame someone, blame us two.¡± (Mizu)


    The useless maid opened her eyes wide at how Mizu continued covering for her despite everything.


    ¡°Mizu-sama¡­even though I-I betrayed you¡­why¡­?¡± (Rirumu)


    Mizu smiled kindly at that useless maid.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious? For me, you are a high maintenance little sister. You have been a part of my family for a long time now.¡± (Mizu)


    ¡°Mi¡­zu-sama¡­¡± (Rirumu)


    Big streams of tears flowed out from the eyes of the useless maid, and Mizu wiped them gently.


    A sight like that of actual sisters that get along.


    ¡­Good grief.


    Being shown such an endearing sight and on top of that, being told to blame her instead of the useless maid, there¡¯s only one thing left for me to say.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. You are ALL to blame here!! No, it is because of you guys that Rirumu ended up going the route of stealing, so your sin is heavier! Reflect on your actions, you hopeless idiots!!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Wa?!¡±


    This way too insulting statements not only made Mizu and the others raise their voices in surprise, but also my comrades.


    I myself am aware that I am saying something out of character here.


    But I can¡¯t stop.


    ¡°I was already beginning to get annoyed by that thorny atmosphere like that of the last episode of a home drama. The dispute to become the next successor of the Aken family, was it? Good grief, talk about stupid.¡± (Souma)


    Fai exploded at my unhinged scorn.


    ¡°You bastard!! Say that one more time! You don¡¯t know shit about our situation¡ª¡± (Fai)


    ¡°I know! More than anyone here!!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Wa?!¡± (Fai)


    I crushed him with even more pressure.


    ¡°In the middle of my investigation, I also heard about how the barrier room is being used. That gave me a good grasp of your relationships.¡± (Souma)


    This is a lie.


    My understanding of the relationships between the people of the Aken family is from the days it was a game where I gathered 10 times more information than in this occasion.


    However, I am going to push through here.


    ¡°What are you saying you understood¡­?¡± (Fai)


    ¡°Fai, you actually already know, right? The fact that Mizu can already use two barrier magic elements.¡± (Souma)


    When I said this, Fai, Mizu, and Fuu made shocked expressions.


    ¡°I-Is that true, Mizu?!!¡± (Shizun)


    ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­¡± (Mizu)


    Mizu averted her gaze at Shizun-san.


    That reaction spoke clearer than anything about the truth.


    ¡°But how does the outsider Souma know about this¡­?¡± (Shizun)


    I shrugged at the words of Shizun-san.


    ¡°A simple deduction¡­ Didn¡¯t you tell me before, Rirumu?


    Mizu has brought Fuu into the barrier room once. Mizu probably asked her to restore the dispelled barrier at that time.


    Mizu succeeded in earth barrier magic, and she wanted to reactivate the wind crystal.¡± (Souma)


    When I said this, Fuu opened her eyes wide.


    Looks like I am correct here as well.


    ¡°But Mizu-san had Fuu keep silent about her being able to use two elements. There¡¯s actually one more person who knows about this¡­ That¡¯s you, Fai.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Onii-sama?! But why¡­?¡± (Mizu)


    Mizu was confused.


    I explain point by point as if untying the knot in this situation.


    ¡°Mizu-san was training from 3pm to 5pm. And the time Fai was training was between 5pm to 9pm. Fai-san began his training at the time when Mizu-san ended her training. That¡¯s how Fai-san must have coincidentally learned that Mizu-san succeeded in her spell.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± (Fai)


    That¡¯s when their gears were disarrayed.


    ¡°Since then, the frequency in which Fai and Mizu-san went to the barrier room decreased, Fai began to get more short tempered, and the instances where Mizu-san would say provoking words towards Fai increased. Why do you think that is?¡± (Souma)


    I faced Mizu, and Fai and Mizu -the two who would throw snarls at each other like fire and water- began speaking.


    ¡°I-I thought she wasn¡¯t coming out and stating herself as the successor because she was refraining cause of me¡­ Then, if I am a totally hopeless case, I thought Mizu would become the next family head without minding¡­¡± (Fai)


    ¡°No way! I have seen up-close just how much effort you have put in becoming the next family head, Onii-sama! I wanted you to get back in form somehow even if you were to hate me, and then assist you once you became the family head¡­¡± (Mizu)


    The two of them disclosed what was deep in their chests for the first time.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. This is the result of the both of you thinking about each other, thus creating friction. But because of that, Earth did his best in his barrier magic training to stop the fight between you two, and as someone who knows everything, Fuu went to the barrier room every day to stop Earth.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Ah, Fuu-chan, that¡¯s why you came to the barrier room every day¡­?¡± (Rirumu)


    Fuu nodded with a red face at the words of Rirumu.


    The reason why she followed Earth only when she wouldn¡¯t go close to the barrier room on her own was because of this.


    For the sake of the wish of Mizu to make her brother the family head, and for the sake of a peaceful sleep for Rirumu, she would do her best to stop Earth every day.


    ¡°This is¡­¡± (Mizu)


    ¡°You were thinking in such a manner¡­?¡± (Fai)


    Mizu-san and Fai leaked out those words.


    All these siblings were moving for the sake of someone.


    However, they were all disjointed and created this tragedy as a result.


    The 4 were frozen in place, not knowing what to say.


    The one who broke this ice was their father.


    ¡°I am sorry, everyone!!¡± (Shizun)


    Shizun-san jumped out and apologized to his children with head on the ground.


    ¡°It is¡­it is my fault! I was chained by such a pointless tradition like making the person who undoes the barrier as the next family head and didn¡¯t think about your futures! I am the idiot here!!


    My shallowness made you suffer!


    Sorry¡­I am sorry!!¡± (Shizun)


    Seeing this, Shizun-san¡¯s children quickly ran to where he was.


    ¡°P-Please stop that, Pops! I-It is my fault.¡± (Fai)


    ¡°No, if I thought about it a bit more¡­¡± (Mizu)


    ¡°No, it is me¡­I¡­uwaaaan!¡± (Earth)


    ¡°E-Everyone¡­don¡¯t cry¡­¡± (Fuu)


    The rest was a complete mess.


    The 4 siblings and Shizun-san.


    Elm-san standing by the side, and even the useless maid in the arms of Mizu-san were having an apology tournament.


    The adults and children were spilling out everything they couldn¡¯t say until now to their most beloved family.


    I silently took distance from them and muttered this at the sight of a family becoming one.


    ¡°You all were way too clumsy. Even though you could have just been more honest with each other¡­¡± (Souma)


    After 10 or so minutes, Fai came to the front as if representing the family and stood in front of me with red eyes.


    ¡°Finished your talk?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this, he smiled as if a bit embarrassed.


    ¡°Yeah. About the next family head, we decided to discuss it with everyone before making a decision. But I think I will become the successor once I am able to use two elements. Mizu said she would coach me every day.


    Good grief, the next head of the family being taught magic by his little sister. There¡¯s no glory in that though.¡± (Fai)


    But that smile of his didn¡¯t feel thorny like the ones until now.


    It is a kind and reliable smile that really showed his actual personality.


    ¡°Also, Rirumu will be working for us again. Of course, she will be getting proper punishment.¡± (Fai)


    ¡°Punishment?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yeah, the really harsh punishment of calling Mizu and I as Onii-chan and Onee-chan for the rest of her life.¡± (Fai)


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s harsh!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Oi, what do you mean by that?!¡± (Fai)


    We chatted and laughed again.


    But Fai suddenly made a serious face.


    ¡°There¡¯s one more important thing I want to talk about. You see¡­I am really grateful for your help here.


    If not for you, we would have been in discord the whole time, and we might not have forgiven Rirumu ever.¡± (Fai)


    ¡°Oi oi, what¡¯s that all of a sudd¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I was about to say this, but I was stopped.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I want you to take this.¡± (Fai)


    Fai gave me a familiar jet black ring.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this the Immortal Oath?! It is the proof of the family head, right? You have to treasure¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°That¡¯s why! It is important, so I want you to have it¡­ Please. Think of it as helping us out here and accept it.¡± (Fai)


    My throat rang at the plea of Fai.


    I look at the jet black ring on his hand.


    I stretched my hand out as if I was being swallowed by that black luster and¡­


    ¡°I am sorry, but I can¡¯t accept it.¡± (Souma)


    Pushed back the offered hand of Fai.


    Fai opened his eyes wide at my unexpected action.


    ¡°Why? No, for the people that know about the history of this ring, this might be a cursed ring! But for us, this is¡ª¡± (Fai)


    ¡°I know!¡± (Souma)


    I cut off his words with a strong tone.


    This is a painful decision for me.


    I calmed down before I began to speak slowly.


    ¡°I also know the worth of that ring. When you told me that you were going to give me that ring, I thought from the bottom of my heart that I wanted it¡­but I can¡¯t accept it.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°And I am asking why!¡± (Fai)


    I said straight to Fai who was shouting in excitement.


    ¡°¡­Because I wouldn¡¯t get the best result I want if I were to take that.¡± (Souma)


    Fai was going to continue shouting, but he fell silent after hearing that.


    ¡°¡­I understand the worth of this ring. Even so, I also think I understand just how big of a meaning this ring holds for you and your family.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°But I¡­we are saying it is fine¡­¡± (Fai)


    ¡°And I don¡¯t like that.¡± (Souma)


    Fai made a face as if he didn¡¯t understand what I am saying here, so I try to explain as best as I can.


    ¡°What would make me far happier would be to imagine you guys seeing this ring and having smiles on your faces rather than me getting this ring.¡± (Souma)


    I felt my face heat up the moment I said this.


    I am aware I said something cheesy there.


    But those are my honest feelings.


    Hearing what I said, Fai clicked his tongue and turned his back towards me.


    He said this as if talking to himself while returning to his family.


    ¡°You damn samaritan! ¡­I won¡¯t  forget you, ever. Thanks.¡± (Fai)


    The tsundere bastard said this with a face as bright as red as his hair.


    I felt as if something hot like fire was left burning in my chest as I watched his retreating back.


    Shizun-san tried to bring the shield crest to me posthaste from the residence after that and we had our last conversation at this time.


    ¡°To be honest with you, I didn¡¯t know what to expect when I saw you people at first¡­ I am truly glad you are the ones that came to replace Spark Hawk-san.¡± (Shizun)


    Shizun-san told me those words as he gave me the shield crest and returned to the manor.


    After that, Fuu lowered her head to me, Earth gave us a V sign, Mizu held both of my hands without saying anything, and they all left respectively.


    The next one to come was the useless maid.


    I thought she would be pretty scared from being bullied a whole ton just now, but¡­


    ¡°Souma-san!!¡± (Rirumu)


    She hugged me the moment she approached.


    Chest and chest collided, and it went ¡®boyon¡¯.


    This is really¡­that¡¯s not it.


    ¡°Rirumu, uhm¡­¡± (Souma)


    The useless maid took over before I could finish.


    ¡°Souma-san, you truly have my gratitude. I can continue working there, and it seems like the children will be taken care of somehow with the assistance of Shizun-sama.


    This is all thanks to you, Souma-san!¡± (Rirumu)


    ¡°I¡­see¡­¡± (Souma)


    Then, there¡¯s nothing to say anymore.


    I decided to direct some words of encouragement.


    ¡°Do your best. Make sure not to fail a whole ton and get fired again.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yes! But I think it is going to be okay. Everyone calls me their f-family¡­and I also have my main occupation.¡± (Rirumu)


    ¡°Main¡­occupation¡­? You did something else aside from being a maid?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this, the useless maid¡­no, Rirumu smiled from the bottom of her heart.


    ¡°Geez! There¡¯s no way they would hire a clumsy maid like me otherwise! It is true that I have more work as a maid, but my main occupation is bodyguard! Bodyguard! I am deceived often and end up being a regular at the slums, but I am actually a former veteran adventurer!¡± (Rirumu)


    ¡°E-Eeeh¡­¡± (Souma)


    Now that she mentions it, she did lift up the floor and the armor, so I thought she was strong but¡­eeeeh¡­


    ¡°See ya then. If anything happens, call me! I will do my best for your sake, Souma-san!¡± (Rirumu)


    The useless maid -I mean, the bodyguard Rirumu messed me up until the very end as she left.


    And then, the last one to approach me was the butler that kept tabs on me like I was a mortal enemy of his, Elm-san.


    Elm-san stood upright in front of me and began talking with his sharp gaze still present.


    ¡°I will be frank here. I couldn¡¯t throw away my suspicions until the very end that you might pull something. Even at the time when Fai-sama offered you the ring, I thought you would take it. Or maybe act as if you were returning it and switch it for a fake one inside your hand.


    I went as far as to doubt you in such a manner.¡± (Elm)


    ¡°I see. I have been hated quite a lot.¡± (Souma)


    In the end, this butler-san is the only one I couldn¡¯t get along with.


    I responded with a dry laugh.


    ¡°¡­But that was my misunderstanding. Your actions have been fair and pure until the very end. Not only did you not take the ring, you didn¡¯t switch it either, and returned it to Fai-sama without touching it once.¡± (Elm)


    Elm-san took an action that I didn¡¯t even imagine.


    ¡°I apologize for my many acts of rudeness from the bottom of my heart.¡± (Elm)


    He lowered his body 90¡ã with hand on his chest like out of a manual.


    But I chuckled and told him to raise his head.


    An apology doesn¡¯t suit a happy end.


    The capable butler that accurately read this lowered his head again.


    This time around, at 45¡ã.


    ¡°My apologies. Thank you very much, Souma-sama¡­ Whenever you want a butler, please go ahead and step into the Aken household.¡± (Elm)


    After saying that, he returned to his masters with his dandy mannerisms.


    ¡°¡­It is over.¡± (Souma)


    I muttered this, and lethargy took over me at the same time as the sense of accomplishment seeped in me.


    I did something outside the game¡¯s development, but when I look at that united family walking together, I felt from the bottom of my heart that I was glad I did my best here.


    ¡°¡­That was well done.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­Souma, good work.¡± (Ringo)


    And then, my comrades who were taking distance from me, reading the atmosphere, came over to me and congratulated me.


    Happiness welled up from me at those words.


    But before I could digest it, Mitsuki looked at me with narrowed eyes and said this.


    ¡°Also¡­it looks like you achieved your real objective.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°?!¡± (Souma)


    I flinched unconsciously at those words.


    Mitsuki continued speaking while giving a side glance as if she wasn¡¯t bothered by this.


    ¡°If you had the Eye of the Heavens on you right now, you would have asked me to check the location of Leila the moment we left the residence.


    The fact that you didn¡¯t means that you erased it, right?


    The Eye of the Heavens¡­you erased it in that barrier room.¡± (Mitsuki)


    The sharp eyes of Mitsuki saw through the very depths of my heart.


    ¡°The timing was when I took my eyes off you. Most likely after you went to the room of Rirumu-san with her and Maki-san. At that time, you left the Eye of the Heavens in the barrier room and¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°So you saw through everything, huh. It is as you say, Mitsuki.¡± (Souma)


    I gave up and nodded.


    That was my number one reason to take this quest.


    I used the trait of the room about recreating itself right before the moment of the crime, and got rid of the Eye of the Heavens which is an indestructible item.


    It is true that it became harder to delete important items.


    That¡¯s because it was made impossible to just leave it for a long time in a field or throw a whole ton of items on the same field.


    However, that just means the important items don¡¯t disappear after a time limit or the max amount of items on a field is reached.


    You just have to do it with other means.


    That¡¯s where the recreation of the barrier room comes to play.


    In the first place, recreating the room means to delete the whole data of the room at that time, and brute force it by changing it to the data of a past room.


    It doesn¡¯t matter at all if the items in that room are indestructible or not.


    The moment the recreation happens, the things inside the room will disappear into the sea of data, or in this world, it might be into a separate dimension.


    ¡°Good grief, you really are¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    I hear the baffled voice of Mitsuki.


    I don¡¯t feel like I did anything to be ashamed of here, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be discovered this fast.


    I am probably gonna be reprimanded again.


    Thinking that, I lowered my head and¡­


    ¡°You really are my pride and joy.¡±


    My head was grabbed and I was enveloped in a soft sensation.


    ¡°Eh? Eh?!¡± (Souma)


    I heard the ¡®Ah!¡¯ scream from Maki on the side, but I didn¡¯t have the leeway to mind it.


    I couldn¡¯t understand what was going on and was about to raise my head, but¡­


    ¡°P-Please don¡¯t move! Despite appearances, I am really embarrassed here!¡±


    My head was sunk even deeper.


    I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on.


    My head was eventually freed and what was in front of my eyes was the bright red face of Mitsuki.


    A faint smile could be seen there.


    ¡°W-Why¡­?¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki tilted her head at my words.


    ¡°Did you think I would reprimand you?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Obviously. I used this request as an excuse to achieve my own objective! I took this quest for the sake of myself to begin with¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°And what¡¯s so bad about that?¡± (Mitsuki)


    She asked in return clearly and I was dumbfounded.


    ¡°You might have thought of yourself first and foremost. However, that doesn¡¯t erase what you have achieved¡­ ¡®I will continue struggling in order to obtain a conclusion where everyone is happy¡¯, those words of yours resonated in my heart.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Mitsuki¡­¡± (Souma)


    It wasn¡¯t only Mitsuki.


    My comrades came to where I am and spoke one after the other.


    ¡°Souma-san! You really are amazing, Souma-san! Amazing!! I admire you!!¡± (Ina)


    Ina showered me with praise all gleefully.


    ¡°Hmph, you see¡­sorry about what happened at the blackout. I will at least acknowledge that¡­you are a somewhat reliable guy¡­or like, uuh¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan said this while looking the other way.


    ¡°This is vexing, but you were a bit cool today, Souma. You already knew the answer, so it feels a bit unfair, but¡­but you looked like a great detective from a novel.¡± (Maki)


    Maki pouted and commented on this.


    And so, the last one¡­


    ¡°¡­Souma, I am sorry. You are a¡­decent human.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo said this and lowered her head.


    ¡°What¡¯s with everyone¡­? Even if you tell me that all of a sudden¡­¡± (Souma)


    I choked on my words.


    It is a weird feeling.


    I have been praised by a whole ton of people as a hero for defeating the Demon Lord, but I received exasperated gazes from my comrades most of the time.


    Now that I think about it, this might be the first time I have been praised by them.


    ¡°Everyone¡­¡± (Souma)


    I could feel something hot accumulating at the corner of my eyes at the unexpected warm words of my comrades.


    ¡°¡­Souma, are you crying?¡± (Ringo)


    Being told this by Ringo, I hurriedly rubbed my eyes.


    ¡°I-I am not crying! I am not!¡± (Souma)


    No one laughed even when I exposed such a pathetic sight of me.


    They are watching over me with warm expressions.


    (Accepting anything I do¡­so these are comrades, huh.) (Souma)


    I thought no one understood my thoughts until now.


    Not only that, I even partly gave up on sharing my thoughts since my way of thinking had been poisoned by the game.


    But that wasn¡¯t the case.


    ¡°Thank you. I¡­I¡­¡± (Souma)


    Even though I wanted to tell everyone my feelings, I couldn¡¯t put it in words and it was mortifying.


    But Mitsuki placed a hand gently on my shoulder.


    ¡°It is fine as long as you understand. Now, please smile. You just have to be proud of your own achievement and smile boldly about it as usual.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°I see. Right.¡± (Souma)


    A moody atmosphere like this really doesn¡¯t suit us.


    Having acknowledged this, I shook my tears away.


    Let¡¯s just do as Mitsuki says.


    Thinking this¡­


    ¡°Hold this for a bit.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh? Okay.¡± (Mitsuki)


    I gave the shield crest I got from Shizun-san to Mitsuki. I then take out the spoils of war this time around from the bag and raise it high up, shouting with a cheerful tone.


    ¡°Now then, everyone, we got what we wanted, so let¡¯s go back!!¡± (Souma)


    At the place where my comrades were looking at, with my hand raised high up, there¡¯s the Immortal Oath shining a mysterious luster under the sunlight.

 CH 155

    My objective was to get rid of the Eye of the Heavens within the barrier room, but this isn¡¯t as simple as it sounds.


    If it were in the game world, it would be one thing, but if someone were to find a weird gem on the ground in the barrier room now that the world is real, they would definitely find it suspicious.


    On top of that, it is not easy to drop the Eye of the Heavens in the room without anyone seeing.


    But there¡¯s one method that¡¯s just right for this.


    Using the same method as the culprit.


    There¡¯s only one place in the barrier room that no one would see, and that¡¯s the inside of the barrier.


    If I place the Eye of the Heavens here, no one will find it until the room resets.


    If I use the same method of dropping the floor from below like Rirumu, no one would see me.


    On top of that, there¡¯s one bonus from taking this method.


    The Aken Family Ring had its difficulty increased with the patch but, in the end, due to the discovery of the bug with the forgetful Knight Captain, it ended up being beneficial for the player as you already know.


    However, there¡¯s still more to this.


    The forgetful knight captain is not the only bug that was created from this.


    Right before the crime, to be more specific, at the moment when Rirumu drops the ceiling of her own room, the barrier room will return to its basic state.


    That ¡®basic state¡¯ is a state where there¡¯s no interference from the player; a room where the barrier and ring are present.


    And so, even if the ring were to be gone before Rirumu committed the crime, the ring would still be on top of the pedestal.


    In other words, by stealing the ring before Rirumu, lo-and-behold, there¡¯s now two Immortal Oaths.


    This is what Nekomimi Neko players called: The twice stolen ring.


    It can be used together with the forgetful knight captain, so if you give up on obtaining the shield crest and don¡¯t mind going through an outlaw playthrough, you can obtain 3 Immortal Oaths at most.


    However, there¡¯s something you have to be careful about here.


    In the case the player steals the ring on top of the pedestal, there will obviously be a stolen item mark on it.


    If you use the stolen ring just like that, you go straight to the outlaw route.


    If it is the ring that Rirumu stole, it won¡¯t be marked as a stolen item even if the player has it.


    Also, even if it does get marked, there¡¯s no issue if you return it to Shizun-san and the others in order to clear the quest.


    Basically, you just have to switch the ring that Rirumu stole with the one the player stole.


    And so, my plan in detail was like this.


    First, I will make a random excuse about wanting to hear about the case at 6:00pm or over, and go to Rirumu¡¯s room.


    After that, I would have Rirumu and Maki leave with the reason being that it is close to the shift, and succeed in being alone in Rirumu¡¯s room.


    I quickly take out the Eye of the Heavens, detach the ceiling that has simply been glued on, and exchange the Immortal Oath on top of the column with the Eye of the Heavens.


    I then returned the ceiling and stuck it back with super glue, but this unexpectedly ate some time.


    The glue got on my fingers too which was different from the game, and that cost me some extra minutes. On top of that, my fingertips got all hard because of it, so Mitsuki misunderstood that my fingers were dry from that.


    Even with that, I still barely made it, and then I went with Elm-san and Rirumu to check the barrier room.


    I checked the floor at the very center of the room to check if there¡¯s anything off with it, but the gaze of Elm-san was rough, so I couldn¡¯t get a look.


    Elm-san kept me in check after that, and you could say that was the miscalculation I had in this incident.


    And then, at around 8:30pm, Rirumu would go to her room with the excuse of changing, and the crime would take place.


    Thanks to the room being recreated, the Eye of the Heavens disappeared from the pedestal and a second Immortal Oath appeared.


    Rirumu steals that second Immortal Oath and puts it inside the Magical Pocket.


    ¡­Is what I think, but the reality is that the amount of times Rirumu goes to her room and the time she perpetrates the crime are random in the game, so I can¡¯t say for sure.


    In order to confirm this, I gave a shining item to Earth which would make children happy (an Explosion Gem) and asked him to confirm if the ¡®not yet¡¯ writing had disappeared.


    An Explosion Gem is a bit dangerous, but I gave him that and told him ¡®you definitely must not say Explosion while holding this inside the house¡¯ so it should be okay.


    After that, I was certain that the crime had taken place with the report of Earth, so what was left was to switch the rings.


    But Elm-san and Ringo were keeping me in check the whole time, so I needed to get one more trick in here.


    Fortunately, I knew that the blackout event was happening, so I used that darkness.


    I set Magical Pocket to Time Activate right after the blackout event.


    I took out the ring from the bag at the same time as the blackout happened, and switched the ring with the one inside the Magical Pocket.


    I put the switched ring without the stolen item mark in my bag, and take out a lantern to show as if I was doing my best to do something about the darkness.


    I got extremely flustered at Sazan clinging onto me, but I somehow managed to make it in time and my surroundings didn¡¯t suspect me, so you could say it ended in a good result.


    ¡°As for what I have to explain from there¡­confirming that the Eye of the Heavens successfully was gone after it didn¡¯t return once the night passed, and having Shizun-san use Magical Pocket first to find the ring since it would be bad for me to get a body check.¡± (Souma)


    I wrapped it up with this and looked at the faces of my comrades.


    For some reason, everyone had extremely complicated looks as if the emotional moment had gone elsewhere.


    Could it be that the explanation was too long?


    I held those doubts and Mitsuki finally spoke with a heavy tone.


    ¡°¡­If I remember correctly, you said you wouldn¡¯t steal the ring.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Eh? But I didn¡¯t steal it from the family though? The Immortal Oath has been returned to that room and everyone is doing their best in protecting it.¡± (Souma)


    I answered with a smile and Mitsuki sighed with a big ¡®haah¡­¡¯ and her cat ears drooped.


    I tilted my head in confusion and my eyes made contact with Sazan.


    Sazan made a bit of a displeased look as if saying he had no choice but to speak here.


    ¡°I apologized for clinging onto you at the blackout before, but¡­now I am regretting it, wondering why I didn¡¯t get in your way more.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°You are one horrible guy!¡± (Souma)


    I protested at that way too outrageous statement, but I couldn¡¯t get the agreement of my comrades.


    Not only that, I feel as if they are unconsciously taking distance from me.


    Within all that, Ina and Ringo took a step forward as if they resolved themselves.


    ¡°I-It is okay! Even if Souma-san is the worst piece of human garbage, I will never abandon you! I will follow you to hell and beyond!¡± (Ina)


    Ina tightened both fists and declared this.


    ¡°¡­Souma, let¡¯s improve¡­bit by bit, okay?¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo held both of my hands and said this in a strangely kind way.


    ¡°Y-Yeah, thanks, you two¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I may have thanked them, but I don¡¯t get what¡¯s happening.


    Is it okay for me to take this as them cheering me up?


    Hmm¡­


    I thought we synchronized there just a few moments ago, but girls really will always be a mystery to men.


    ¡°Souma, can I say one thing?¡± (Maki)


    While I was reaching an internal understanding about this situation, Maki asked me this in her usual slow tone.


    I nodded and urged her to go on, and she slowly raised a finger, and then pointed straight at me and said.


    ¡°You are the true culprit of this case!!¡± (Maki)


    ¡ª¨C


    Author: The ring arc is now over with this.


    My initial plan was to end it in 3 chapters¡­


    Gotta reflect on that.

 CH 156

    (Hmm. Could it be that it would have been better to keep silent about the ring?) (Souma)


    I thought about this on my way back.


    I thought that mostly everything had been discovered judging from the way Mitsuki was saying it, but looking at her reaction, it was at most only until the disposal of the Eye of the Heavens, and she hadn¡¯t thought of the duplication of the ring.


    And so, there was a small part of me thinking that I could have just kept silent.


    I have been feeling this recently, but the problem solving of a Nekomimi Neko player seems to not have a good reception with Maki, who is not used to videogames, and my comrades who haven¡¯t seen a videogame to begin with.


    And the reality is that, after that talk, I could feel a bit of bafflement mixed in the eyes my comrades directed at me.


    Especially when I saw Ringo nodding as Maki pointed at me as the true culprit. It made me feel the unfairness of society.


    (Even though she said you shouldn¡¯t point at people when I did it¡­) (Souma)


    While I was getting that feeling of listlessness, Mitsuki spoke to me.


    ¡°And so, what will we be doing from now on? Is it okay to go straight to the mansion?¡± (Mitsuki)


    I confirmed the location of Leila first and was about to tell her we should take a detour if necessary and took a peek at my adventurer bag.


    (¡­I see.) (Souma)


    I didn¡¯t really pay it much mind, but my countermeasures for Leila are already there.


    The days of fearing the Death Stalker are over.


    I purposefully used a cheerful tone.


    ¡°No, let¡¯s go straight back. Everyone must be tired, and I would feel bad dragging you all around the whole time.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°But¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Come on, come on, let¡¯s go.¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki was about to voice her disapproval, but I purposefully ignored it and continued walking on.


    We encountered monsters on the way, but monsters wouldn¡¯t be a match for us at this point in time.


    We safely returned to the capital.


    ¡°Fuh! Rihitel, I am back!!¡± (Sazan)


    Even though we have only been away for a single day, Sazan spread both arms exaggeratedly and shouted.


    I thought what he was doing was stupid, but I do share a bit of those feelings too.


    There has been so much in one day, I felt the city a bit nostalgic myself.


    However, there¡¯s something else that I have remembered.


    ¡°Now that I think about it, Sazan, you still have the Fingerless Gloves on you!¡± (Souma)


    Sazan is wearing jet black gloves on his spread out hands.


    I completely forgot about it because of Leila, but these are the Fingerless Gloves that I got from the pick-up items.


    ¡°W-What are you talking about?¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan moves his hands to the back as he says this.


    That¡¯s way too blatant.


    Even though he would criticize the stealing of others. I won¡¯t allow you to do the stealing yourself.


    ¡°Ah, wa¡­Ouch ouch!¡± (Sazan)


    I quickly twisted the arm of Sazan and exposed his hands.


    It is obvious since I saw them just a moment ago, but he does have the Fingerless Gloves on.


    ¡°See, you do have them. I am confiscating them.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°S-Stop it! To think you would try to steal my half, Dark Schneider¡­!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Don¡¯t struggle! Also, don¡¯t go naming other people¡¯s belongings with a nonsensical chuunibyou name!¡± (Souma)


    I tried to take the Fingerless Gloves off forcefully, but I can¡¯t do anything too violent.


    The Fingerless Gloves only have 40HP.


    No matter how weak of an enemy you attack, the durability of a weapon decreases by 1, so it means that the gloves break easy to the point that you can only use it 40 times at max.


    It is easy to see what future awaits if I were to pull such fragile gloves by brute force.


    ¡°Damn it, come on! Just give it to me already! Here, tickle tickle¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°You bastard, what are you¡­ahya ahya, no, stop¡­ahahya uhya!¡± (Sazan)


    I tried tickling Sazan, but he still didn¡¯t let go of the gloves.


    Even though it is not like it is ineffective on him. He is stubborn in the weirdest of places.


    I was somewhat getting impatient here and I continued my exchange with Sazan for a while, and Ina came to us worried.


    ¡°Uh, Souma-san, there¡¯s eyes around here, so doing something like that is¡­¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Don¡¯t put it as if I am doing something perverted here!¡± (Souma)


    That said, it is true that we are gathering attention.


    It is not like I am attached to my name as a hero, but tarnishing it wouldn¡¯t be good.


    Mitsuki threw me a lifeboat at the perfect timing while I was hesitating here.


    ¡°How about going to the weapon store for now? Those gloves might be on sale in the pick-up items, or we could find a different weapon to the liking of Sazan-san.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Right¡­¡± (Souma)


    I freed Sazan without much choice, and we headed to the weapon store to see if there¡¯s a weapon to the fancy of Sazan.


    ¡°Ooh, welcome! We¡¯ve got nice weapons just in! How about using this chance to update your weapons?¡±


    An energetic voice welcomed us the moment we entered the weapon store.


    (¡­Even if you tell me that¡­) (Souma)


    Our weapons are currently upgraded to the top of the line Meat Cleavers.


    There¡¯s no better weapon being sold in the capital.


    (However, if you ask me whether I am satisfied with this, that¡¯s not really the case¡­) (Souma)


    If your attack power is lower than your enemy¡¯s defense, the durability of your weapon is depleted more intensely.


    That¡¯s not something a character¡¯s powers can make up for.


    Especially at endgame where the parameters get inflated. That issue gets exacerbated even more.


    If you go shooting skills repeatedly on an enemy above yourself, your weapon will break in an instant.


    However, there¡¯s few weapons that I can think of on the fly that are better than the Meat Cleaver.


    I have already used the Gouging Vajra, so maybe I should go get the strongest scythe in the game, Soul Eater, from the hidden dungeon, or maybe the god killing sword that wasn¡¯t implemented in the game, the Ultihate.


    ¡°Aah, right, you people!¡±


    I snapped back at the words of the store owner.


    (What am I even trying to achieve by getting such strong weapons?) (Souma)


    I laugh at myself.


    The Demon Lord is gone.


    What I need right now isn¡¯t powerful weapons, but ways to return to the real world.


    I shake my head and face the store owner again.


    ¡°Actually, it seems like there¡¯s a lack of mithril in the whole capital. Can you please give us mithril armor if you have them? I will buy them at a higher price than normal.¡±


    It is the same thing the armor store said.


    Looks like there¡¯s still a shortage of mithril.


    ¡°We heard that from a different store before too, but is there really that much of a lack of mithril?¡± (Souma)


    The owner nodded several times at my question.


    ¡°It really is that bad. Mithril products suddenly jumping in price is natural, and there have been 2 theft cases of mithril from buildings.¡±


    ¡°They really are going all out.¡± (Souma)


    I gave some halfhearted response, but I wasn¡¯t as calm on the inside.


    This is something I thought when I went to the armor store with Ina before, but the chance that the mithril gathering event has actually begun is high.


    The mithril gathering event is an event that happens at the middle stages of the Mage Guild events.


    And if the Mage Guild event advances all the way to the end, the country perishes¡­


    A lot was happening, so I forgot about it completely, but it might be better to act fast here.


    I ask in order to check if there¡¯s any other clues.


    ¡°Has there been any unusual things aside from that?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Hm? There have been less people visiting the Grand Church, and there has been a shortage of Protein as well, I think¡­¡±


    ¡°Protein¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I think the lower visits to the church might be because the Demon Lord has fallen and the world is now at peace.


    But what bothers me more is the protein issue.


    The Protein of this world is not simply made out of egg whites. It is the name of a mysterious jelly beverage that warrior characters drink often.


    If you gift this to macho NPCs, their affection meter goes up by 2 in one go. A really sought for item for brawny warriors.


    And when thinking about brawny warriors, I can¡¯t help but think of the Warrior Guild.


    Does the fact that there¡¯s a shortage of this mean that there¡¯s movement from the Warrior Guild too?


    The events of the Mage Guild and the Warrior Guild were so big that they affected the main story of the game too.


    However, you could easily reset the effects of those events after you finished them by choosing ¡®Return to the Guild Event¡¯ in the menu screen.


    Switching that around, it means that these were events that forced even the Nekomimi Neko staff to add a reset button to this.


    Just thinking about that happening in this world where I can¡¯t use the menu screen sends shivers down my spine.


    Moreover, I only have a bad feeling about this if they are both progressing at the same time.


    (I don¡¯t think this is the time to be thinking about returning to our real world right now.) (Souma)


    I thought this and shrugged my shoulders, and Ina questioned me about that.


    ¡°Hm? Souma-san, did something good happen?¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Souma)


    I froze at the unexpected words, and even Ringo poked her head out from the side.


    ¡°¡­You were smiling a bit just now.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Me¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I wasn¡¯t aware of that at all.


    But if that¡¯s true¡­


    ¡°A-Anyways, let¡¯s search for the pick-up item!¡± (Souma)


    I felt like it would be bad to face that reality face on, so I hurriedly switched the topic.


    The enticing pick-up items lined up at a corner of the room.


    My agitation flew somewhere far away as I observed all that garbage.


    We unfortunately couldn¡¯t find the Fingerless Gloves among the pick-up items, but we found something nice instead.


    I immediately bought that and pushed it onto Sazan who was waiting alone in front of the store.


    ¡°Sazan, look at this!¡± (Souma)


    What I pushed onto him while saying this was a pitch black metal that had several holes.


    Its name: Black Knuckles.


    A beloved weapon of a chuunibyou, the knuckle duster (moreover, it is black).


    ¡°How about exchanging this with the Fingerless Gloves?¡± (Souma)


    I said this full of confidence, but Sazan simply made a dubious look.


    ¡°What¡¯s with that weird and nonsensical chunk of metal?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Eh¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I tried wearing it since I figured he probably wouldn¡¯t be able to get it unless he sees it for himself, but the reaction of Sazan was slim.


    ¡°Don¡¯t want it! Comparing that to my Dark Schneider is insulting!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°No, look, if you call it the Cursed Black Ring, wouldn¡¯t it sound cool?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Not at all!!¡± (Sazan)


    Looks like this isn¡¯t a whim. It really doesn¡¯t resonate at all with him.


    Even if we wrap them all up as chuunibyou, they all have their own respective tastes.


    ¡­Good grief, what a pain of a guy.


    But it can¡¯t be helped if it doesn¡¯t work.


    I decided to persuade him from a different angle.


    ¡°Listen here. If you have that on, you can¡¯t equip other weapons. What are you going to do about not holding a staff when you are a mage?!¡± (Souma)


    Staff and rods are set with magic attack power.


    When using magic, the magic attack power from the user themself and their equipment holds a lot of value.


    On the other hand, the Fingerless Gloves have zero magic attack power.


    And yet, it is still treated as a weapon, so even when you hold a sword or staff when you have them on, they will not be counted as equipped.


    With Sazan having the gloves equipped in both hands, only his magic attack power will be taken into consideration when using a spell.


    Sazan is fixated with his own magic, so this should be an issue that he can¡¯t condone.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­wait, not having magic attack power is the same issue with those knuckles!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Tch!¡± (Souma)


    I thought for a second that I could deceive him, but he noticed.


    ¡°T-To think you would want the gloves I have so much you would go that far¡­ You really are¡­ T-That¡¯s why I say you are a pervert that I can¡¯t let my guard down with! I won¡¯t fork over Dark Schneider!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan covers both of his hands.


    He is getting completely obstinate here, but those are mine.


    Withdrawing here would annoy me.


    While I was wondering what to do, Mitsuki spoke to Sazan as if to mediate this.


    ¡°Sazan-san, how about giving that back?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Eh? N-No, but¡­¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Everyone is relying on your magic. If you stay with those gloves on, everyone would be uneasy.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Uuh¡­¡± (Sazan)


    He probably didn¡¯t expect to be persuaded in this fashion.


    Sazan fell silent.


    And then¡­


    ¡°G-Got it. I will return Dark Schneider.¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan yielded unexpectedly easily.


    I sighed in relief.


    ¡°I see! Thanks, Sazan!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°B-But not right now!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Eh? Why?¡± (Souma)


    I tilted my head in wonder and Sazan said in hasty speech.


    ¡°Y-You know, I have been wearing this the whole time, so there¡¯s¡­stuff like sweat seeped into it. I will wash it before giving it back to you!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t mind it.¡± (Souma)


    I stretched my hand out to request for it, but Sazan withdrew as if scared.


    ¡°N-No! I won¡¯t give this to a pervert like you! I will definitely return it to you after I wash it!¡± (Sazan)


    Just how high level of a pervert does Sazan take me for inside his head?


    I winced at the unexpected oversensitive side of Sazan, and had no choice but to nod.


    We took a detour part-way even though I said we should go straight home, but we safely returned to the Nekomimi Mansion after that.


    ¡°The Aken manor was impressive, but this mansion really doesn¡¯t fall short.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­Our home is the best.¡± (Ringo)


    Mitsuki and Ringo were excited at having returned to our house in so long and entered.


    ¡°Gotta eat something for now.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Fuuh, have to agree with you on that.¡± (Sazan)


    Maki and Sazan entered the mansion as if it was their own home.


    ¡°¡­Ina?¡± (Souma)


    But there was one person standing in place, looking at the distance.


    When I called her, she looked back here as if she had come back to her senses.


    ¡°Ah, I-I am sorry. I was thinking back on the Aken family¡¯s matter¡­¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Aah¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I was happy to get along with Fuu-chan and Rirumu-san there¡­¡± (Ina)


    Traces of grief were shown in the eyes of Ina.


    Ina had been alone the whole time, so it must have been sad for her to part from the people that seemed like they could become her friends.


    ¡°¡­It is okay.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Ina)


    But that¡¯s having your heart in the wrong place.


    ¡°You can just go meet them again if you want to. I am sure the two would be happy if you were to visit them.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± (Ina)


    Light shone in the sad face of Ina.


    ¡°Also, we will probably meet Rirumu pretty soon. Who knows, even if we don¡¯t go meet her ourselves, she might pop up somewhere. We are talking about Rirumu after all.¡± (Souma)


    When I said this, Ina laughed with a ¡®fufu¡¯ and a face that had regained its energy.


    That¡¯s why I entered the mansion relieved together with Ina¡­


    ¡°What happened?¡± (Souma)


    And then I noticed the anomaly.


    My comrades that should have entered before us were standing in place.


    When I looked deeper in, I saw a¡­woman in maid clothes moving around busily with her back still turned.


    (Could it be¡­) (Souma)


    Being pushed by a certain feeling, I take a step.


    An intruder in this mansion that managed to even deter the Knight Order? That¡¯s not normal.


    But if it is the girl that is so dense towards obstructions and is a skilled adventurer¡­then maybe¡­


    ¡°¡­Oh?¡±


    That¡¯s when she finally noticed us.


    That way too familiar face that slowly turned towards us¡­left me speechless from the surprise.


    On the other hand, the girl saw me and showed a truly happy smile as she said this.


    ¡°Welcome back, Loic!!¡±

 CH 157

    ¡°Lei¡­la¡­¡± (Souma)


    I was so surprised that I choked on my words.


    Just two syllables, and yet, I couldn¡¯t say them properly.


    How did Leila manage to find this house with her Eye of the Heavens gone?


    No, even if she managed something with the location of the house, how did she manage to get inside this place that even drove away the Knight Order?


    And most of all, how can Leila have a smile in this situation?


    That smile that I could even feel madness in made me unable to move as if sewn onto the ground.


    Leila ran to where I am, and she spoke with a shining smile.


    ¡°Loic, I was thinking about surprising you once you returned, so I cleaned the inside of the mansion! H-How is it? Pretty clean now, right?¡± (Leila)


    ¡°Cleaning¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I am impressed I could even voice out a word.


    It is true that it does look as if it has been cleaned up pretty well now that I look around.


    But having you enter our house arbitrarily and cleaning it up is just scary.


    ¡°A-Also! I prepared a meal! I don¡¯t know what you like, so I might have made a bit too much!¡± (Leila)


    ¡°I-I see¡­¡± (Souma)


    I take a step back at that vigor of hers that looked desperate.


    But that was not good.


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t run away!¡± (Leila)


    Leila reacted oversensitive to that action of mine and grabbed my arm.


    ¡°?!!¡±


    ¡°W-Wait, Mitsuki!¡± (Souma)


    I stopped Mitsuki with the last remaining of my composure when I saw Mitsuki grab her katana at the corner of my vision.


    ¡­I-It is still okay.


    Leila is still not holding a knife in her left hand.


    It should be alright.


    I returned my gaze and Leila didn¡¯t seem to even have my comrades in her peripheral and was desperately clinging to me.


    That grip strength was abnormal, and it was to the point that my arm was screaming even when I should be higher leveled than Leila.


    ¡°You are still angry, right, Loic? I gave you a weird item like the Eye of the Heavens on my own volition. There¡¯s no way you wouldn¡¯t be angry.¡± (Leila)


    ¡°Eh, no, that¡¯s¡­¡± (Souma)


    It is obviously hard to tell her that I have already broken it.


    Seeing me finding it hard to respond here, Leila¡¯s expression got even more desperate.


    ¡°I-I am sorry! I am really sorry! But please¡­please forgive me. Don¡¯t¡­Don¡¯t abandon me¡­¡± (Leila)


    She said this and continued crying while wrapping around my arm.


    (W-What¡¯s this¡­?) (Souma)


    It has only been 1 minute since I opened the door and saw Leila with a big smile.


    Leila seemed cheerful at first, but now there¡¯s no shadow of it and is bawling her eyes off.


    I don¡¯t get this at all.


    However, I am confident about something with this short exchange.


    Leila¡¯s unstable self is mostly to do with how intensely her emotions go up and down.


    There¡¯s no doubt about it.


    She is definitely crazy!!


    However, I haven¡¯t seen Leila in this state when it was a game.


    From what I know, this wasn¡¯t posted on the net either, so it should be safe to assume this is a development that wasn¡¯t in the game.


    I don¡¯t know what happened, but I doubt she is going to attack me anytime soon.


    I was relieved for now and decided to listen to the situation once Leila calmed down.


    Fortunately, when I told her that I have already broken the Eye of the Heavens and that I am not angry anymore, Leila recovered to a degree where she could speak.


    ¡°And so, why are you here, Leila¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I stealthily moved away from my female comrades while asking this cautiously.


    ¡°Y-Yeah. I thought it would be bad to clean your room when you are not here, so I decided to clean the corridors¡­and here I am¡­¡± (Leila)


    I am not talking about the cleaning -is what I was on the verge of shouting, but I somehow manage to endure.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s not what I meant. Why did you come to this mansion?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this, Leila made a hurt expression for some reason.


    I don¡¯t get her.


    ¡°Cause you said that¡­I could come with you¡­¡± (Leila)


    ¡°Me¡­?¡± (Souma)


    When she said this, I ended up remembering the question that Leila threw onto me before.


    ¡°T-Then¡­if I were to say I wanted to follow you, w-would it trouble you?¡±


    Leila certainly did ask that at the deepest part of the ruins.


    And I remember answering halfheartedly, thinking that it would be fine since I was disguised as Loic.


    ¡°If you pledge absolute loyalty, will always prioritize me no matter the time, and never hurt me no matter what, I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    I feel a bit embarrassed just remembering about it.


    At that time¡­yeah, I was trying to act like the handsome character that suits the appearance of Loic, and got a bit out of control there.


    ¡°No, wait, how did you know I live here¡­?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Ah, with this¡­¡± (Leila)


    Leila pushed a drawing onto me.


    ¡°A portrait of me?¡± (Souma)


    It is a shoulder-length portrait that resembles a wanted poster, but the realistic touch to it is really good.


    However, it has been beautified by around 150% more than the real thing, and it is practically a different person already.


    Also, the side of my face is the only part that looks manga-like, written in a speech bubble ¡®I will protect Leila!!¡¯.


    This drawing is so chuunibyou that it could even create a new nickname for me if someone were to see it.


    ¡°When I showed this to the people when I was looking for you, they said ¡®Isn¡¯t that the Sinking Prince Souma-sama?¡¯ and told me about this house¡­


    The name was different, so I wasn¡¯t sure, but once I actually came here, it smelled of Loic, so¡­¡± (Leila)


    ¡°Smell, you say¡­ Ah, wait wait! How did you enter?!¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this aggressively, Leila made a shocked expression.


    ¡°Eh? Just like in the ruins¡­I entered from the front¡­¡± (Leila)


    ¡°That¡¯s not normal at all I¡¯ll have you know!¡± (Souma)


    I shouted, unable to endure it anymore, and held my head.


    Speaking of which, she is supposedly a scholar (treasure hunter).


    Thinking about her history, I doubt she had any decent human interaction with anyone aside from her father, so it wouldn¡¯t be strange if she were to have warped common sense.


    ¡°W-Was it really troubling after all¡­?¡± (Leila)


    Leila saw my reaction and spoke uneasily.


    I honestly find it a big pain, but because of the circumstances, it is hard to treat her harshly here.


    I was hesitating on my answer and¡­


    ¡°¡­Souma.¡±


    I heard a low voice from the back and came back to my senses.


    ¡­Right.


    The reason Leila is here is a small detail in the end.


    What¡¯s more important is that I can have a peaceful conversation with Leila in this situation which I can¡¯t help but find strange.


    I poured all of my senses on the girl in front of me again and asked Leila who was looking up at me nervously.


    ¡°¡­Leila, are you okay?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°As long as you are with me, I will always be okay.¡± (Leila)


    She said that with a straight face, but that¡¯s not what I meant.


    I steel myself and said with the resolve of stepping into the tiger¡¯s den¡­no, the dragon¡¯s den.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. Would you really be fine even if I am together with other women?¡± (Souma)


    Maybe Leila hasn¡¯t used her ¡®Death to the Infidel!!¡¯ until now because she was so concentrated on me that she didn¡¯t notice the other girls.


    I said this while making sure I can move at any moment Leila acted, but she simply showed a slightly gloomy look.


    ¡°Y-Yeah. I was shocked that Loic was bringing around 5 women the whole time, but..b-but it is not something I can complain about¡­¡± (Leila)


    Leila is being reasonable here!


    I glanced at Sazan, who was being treated as a woman here, but¡­


    ¡°¡­Hm?¡± (Sazan)


    This dude hasn¡¯t noticed at all.


    Well, it is better for him to not make a ruckus here, so I return my gaze to Leila.


    ¡°W-What¡¯s the matter, Loic¡­?¡± (Leila)


    I ignored the shaking voice of Leila and looked at the knife at her waist that clashes with her maid clothes.


    That¡¯s the fixed weapon of Leila.


    The Unique Weapon, Death Bringer, which unleashes the [Death to the Infidel!!].


    There are characters in Nekomimi Neko that have weapons you can¡¯t take off or slots you can¡¯t equip anything on, and Leila is one of those.


    You are free to do anything with the right hand weapon, but you can¡¯t equip anything on the left aside from the Death Bringer.


    And then, when her jealousy gauge is maxed, she will take out the Death Bringer and attack you.


    Death Bringer is a high stat weapon with instant death even in its raw form, so it is on the outstanding side as a fixed NPC weapon, but what¡¯s the point if you get killed by it.


    There were people who broke the Death Bringer so she wouldn¡¯t use ¡®Death to the Infidel!!¡¯, but that was pointless.


    Even if Death Bringer is broken before the activation, it will regenerate to practically a brand new state when she unsheathes it, so you get attacked in the end anyways.


    I can¡¯t really say ¡®Is that so? Alright then¡¯ and accept it.


    (I really can¡¯t relax just because she said so.) (Souma)


    Thinking this, I decided to act out a bit in front of Leila.


    ¡°Ringo, come here a bit.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Hn.¡± (Ringo)


    I seized Ringo, who had a face that wasn¡¯t really thinking of anything, and wrapped my arm around her shoulder as lecherously as possible.


    ¡°¡­S-Souma?¡± (Ringo)


    I internally apologize to Ringo who fidgeted restlessly here, and didn¡¯t let my eyes off Leila even for a second.


    I looked at her as if saying this is an everyday occurrence and asked Leila with a firm tone.


    ¡°E-Even if I were to f-flirt with someone in t-this way, you won¡¯t think of killing me?¡± (Souma)


    Leila¡¯s left hand twitched for a moment¡­but that was all.


    Instead¡­


    ¡°T-There¡¯s no way I would try to kill you, Loic. I promised to never hurt you, and also, you are the person I love¡­¡± (Leila)


    She curled up as if hurt by this.


    Tears flowed out from the eyes of Leila and a pool was being made on the floor.


    ¡°Ah, no, uhm¡­¡± (Souma)


    I got flustered at this instead.


    I am completely the bad guy here.


    Mitsuki and Maki were also looking over here as if saying ¡®this is not what you told us¡¯.


    ¡°Uuuh¡­¡± (Souma)


    I put a hand on the shoulder of Leila while super troubled here and said this.


    ¡°For now, let¡¯s eat something.¡± (Souma)


    After that, we got to the dining table, and had a late breakfast.


    What was lined up on the table were things that were cooked by Leila with the ingredients in the refrigerator.


    I don¡¯t know if it is accurate to call it a refrigerator, but the temperature and quality of the things placed in there don¡¯t change.


    We managed to eat a piping hot meal as if it had been prepared just now.


    ¡°Muh, this is¡­!¡± (Mitsuki)


    Leila was unexpectedly good at cooking, Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears twitched and trembled to show her surprise.


    Even in my eyes, this meal was no less fancy than the one in the Aken household.


    When I asked about the ingredients¡­


    ¡°I-I used the things in the refrigerator without permission after all. What I used was Para Squid, Confu Chicken, Terror Tomato, and¡­¡± (Leila)


    I was on the verge of spitting it out when she said this, but the food was truly really good and I didn¡¯t get hit by any status ailments.


    According to Leila, she has gotten skilled at cooking with dangerous ingredients like these ones in her long years of ruin explorations.


    Because of this, Ina ended up like an empty husk from the sense of defeat, but it is pretty much the usual at this point, so she should be okay.


    I apologized to Leila in the middle of the meal and told her that Loic was a fake name, but she didn¡¯t go crazy.


    ¡°Souma¡­ Souma. I think it is a nice name!¡± (Leila)


    She simply answered with a smile.


    I was dumbfounded by such a refreshing reaction.


    And so, the meal continued in such a peaceful fashion and ended without anything happening.


    I was on guard, ready at any moment Leila were to attack me in the middle of the meal, but she didn¡¯t show a single sign of that.


    (Can I really consider this safe?) (Souma)


    The Leila here is clearly different from the one in the game.


    I can only make assumptions as to what the reason for this is, but¡­


    (Should I think that the compulsory effect of the game isn¡¯t as strong when it comes to the personality of the person?) (Souma)


    This world is a world that is based on the game, but the strength of those restrictions vary depending on what it is.


    The strongest compulsory ones would be basic rules in the game like: ¡®you will receive damage if you get hit by an offensive skill¡¯ and ¡®if your HP hits zero, you die¡¯.


    This is something that no one in this world can go against.


    The next thing that I think has a strict restriction are incidents related to events.


    Judging from the marriage event and the train mode, in the case set conditions like a specific situation and keywords are fulfilled, it tends to be replicated even if it is slightly deviated from reality.


    You can change the results of the event itself through your actions, but I would say it has a strong compulsory factor to it.


    The next one would be restrictions that have to do with some equipments and actions.


    ¡®You can only use 2 rings¡¯, ¡®Ina can¡¯t make comrades¡¯, ¡®Mitsuki can¡¯t get close to the Demon Lord Castle¡¯; these types of mental barriers do have a compulsory effect in this world.


    However, they don¡¯t work on someone treated as a player like me, and it can still be overturned by force of will to a certain degree.


    And the one with the least compulsory effect would be the usual actions of characters and their personalities.


    When I met Ina, she would have the loner trait that she didn¡¯t have in the game; Mitsuki slowly became someone who can show consideration; which all diverges greatly from the game.


    Maybe this applies to Leila too.


    The way I got involved with Leila was slightly different from that in the game, and Leila herself is not a doll that follows a set pattern like an AI anymore, but a proper human that can listen to everything we say and understand it.


    Or maybe her promise with me had a positive effect.


    I don¡¯t know in detail, but the result is that I can¡¯t deny the possibility that a Leila who doesn¡¯t kill me out of pure jealousy has been born.


    While I was thinking about that all by myself¡­


    ¡°How about having her work in this house?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki suddenly stood up and said something weird again.


    ¡°What are you saying all of a sudden, Mitsuki?!¡± (Souma)


    I protested in surprise, but Mitsuki responded with a calm face.


    ¡°I understand your fears. But I will also keep an eye on her, and if you are worried about her, it would be better to keep her somewhere you can see her, right? From what I have seen until now, her ability at cleaning is splendid, and well, I wouldn¡¯t find it disagreeable for her to handle the meals.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki didn¡¯t drop her poker face even until the very end, but when she was eating, I didn¡¯t miss the fact that her cat ears were jumping all over the place.


    (This woman was reeled in with food!) (Souma)


    Is what I thought, but I swallowed the criticism.


    It is true that the food was tasty, and it would be a great help to have someone who can cook the ingredients that are in the refrigerator of the mansion.


    My other comrades seem to not have any objections probably because they saw Leila crying.


    I myself would also feel bad about throwing her out like this.


    It might be fine to just check for a limited time.


    I nodded reluctantly.


    ¡°Now then, if you are okay with that, Lei¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yeah, I also ask this of you! Thank you, Mitsuki, Loi¡ªno, Souma!!¡± (Leila)


    There¡¯s no way Leila, who doesn¡¯t seem to want to part from me, would reject this, so we ended up hiring her as a maid of our home.


    ¡°Now then, I will guide you through the residence.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­Hn, me too.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Ah, I-I will be counting on you¡­¡± (Leila)


    Saying this, Mitsuki and Ringo left the room with Leila.


    ¡°Good grief. Looks like that¡¯s a wrap then. I will return to Alex and the others once and tell them of our return¡­ Fuh, no need to worry. I will return here once I do.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Wu, I had forgotten, but I have to return to the castle. I went out without permission, so a search party might be dispatched soon.¡± (Maki)


    I feel like I heard a whole ton of things I shouldn¡¯t ignore as Sazan and Maki stood up from their seats and left.


    Now all that¡¯s left is me and the empty husk of Ina.


    Being left alone in such a smooth manner makes me think that maybe they found it a pain to deal with Ina in this state and pushed it onto me.


    ¡°U-Uhm¡­¡± (Souma)


    While I was wondering what to say to the zoned out Ina, she showed me a weak smile.


    ¡°I-It is okay. My cooking was self-taught anyways. I really c-can¡¯t win against a pro that has learned properly. I already knew.¡± (Ina)


    ¡°R-Right¡­¡± (Souma)


    She is not only not a pro but also a loner though. I swallowed those words.


    ¡°More importantly, isn¡¯t it great? Leila-san seems like a good person¡­¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± (Souma)


    Being able to say this without it sounding like sarcasm is one of the impressive parts of Ina.


    I finally felt as if the danger to my life was getting further away and sighed heavily.


    ¡°It is actually good. I did have a last measure for it, but I didn¡¯t want to use it.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Last measure?¡± (Ina)


    I smiled at Ina who latched on to those words, and I moved my hand to the adventurer bag.


    ¡°Yeah. It is a classic move you use for troublesome people -not only Leila- when it was a game. If nothing could be done, this¡ªeh?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± (Ina)


    Ina must have noticed the change in my expression, she asked me, worried.


    However, I didn¡¯t have the leeway to comfort her.


    ¡°¡­Gone.¡± (Souma)


    What should have definitely been in my bag is gone.


    I desperately searched for it, but I really can¡¯t find it.


    ¡°What is gone?¡± (Ina)


    I answered dumbfounded at the question of Ina.


    ¡°¡­The Immortal Oath.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Ina)


    ¡°The Immortal Oath I got from the Aken family is gone!¡± (Souma)


    I shout.


    Even in that time, I searched half in panic, but I couldn¡¯t find the jet black ring I definitely put in here.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s terrible!¡± (Ina)


    I didn¡¯t even have the time to nod at the words of Ina. I was searching every inch of the bag, desperately seeking the Immortal Oath.


    The result was that I now noticed something strange.


    ¡°Not only the Immortal Oath. A number of ingredients are gone too.¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s right. It is impossible.


    It is impossible for the things inside the bag to come out on their own.


    But the items are actually gone.


    (No, wait¡­ Items came out¡­? That¡¯s not the only possibility¡­) (Souma)


    Once I touched upon that possibility, the rest was simple.


    ¡°No way!!¡± (Souma)


    I think of a certain something that should be inside the bag¡­and pull my hand out.


    The moment I took out my right hand, Ina raised her voice in surprise.


    ¡°B-Bear-san?!¡± (Ina)


    ¡­That¡¯s right.


    In my right hand, there¡¯s a Bear plushie with its stomach swelled up and a black ring jammed tightly on its finger.


    ¡°So it really was you.¡± (Souma)


    There¡¯s no way the contents of the bag would just come out.


    In that case, the items disappeared from inside the bag.


    And so, the only one who can do that is the Bear who can move freely inside of it.


    ¡°You¡­are getting way too comfortable inside someone else¡¯s bag¡­hm?¡± (Souma)


    The Bear would normally react cutely and annoyingly to my words, but right now it is simply shaking and not moving at all.


    This is strange.


    Ina must have noticed something wrong here too, she began making noise.


    ¡°Souma-san, is Bear-san alright?!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Is this¡­paralysis?!¡± (Souma)


    It is as the name states, a status ailment that renders you unable to move for a set period of time.


    It is a problematic state, but you in turn also recover fast from it, so it shouldn¡¯t be dangerous, but the state of the Bear is clearly weird.


    I don¡¯t see the paralysis recovering anytime soon.


    ¡°T-This is bad! W-We have to get a doctor here quickly¡­!!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°No, we have to go to the church first!!¡± (Souma)


    I held the Bear without waiting for Mitsuki and the others to return, and we hurried off from the mansion.


    ¡°¡­That was a shocker.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    I said this and poked the Bear.


    The Bear must have reflected on itself there, it hit its head and went ¡®teehee¡¯.


    ¡­It might not have reflected on its actions after all.


    The paralysis really was the issue here.


    Staying for so long was clearly because of the Immortal Oath, so after I got the ring off at the church, the Bear recovered soon after without going to the medics.


    The Bear can¡¯t speak, so I can only imagine the reason, but the Bear probably put on the Immortal Oath while half-asleep inside the bag, and ate what it found inside the bag.


    Well, my first question was ¡®You can eat food?¡¯, but it seems like it got paralysis after eating something.


    In that case, it wouldn¡¯t heal with the ring on, so even if it wanted to ask for help, it couldn¡¯t come out.


    ¡°You were really in danger of dying there, you know? Do you get it?¡± (Souma)


    I poked at the Bear that was holding onto my right shoulder like a koala.


    This is just an example, but if you are afflicted with a status ailment that doesn¡¯t let you move, petrification and stop can¡¯t ail you at the same time as poison, but paralysis is different.


    Not only can you not move because of the paralysis, it is a situation where your HP is shaved off due to poison. I have had that experience countless times in games.


    The combo of poison and paralysis is intense in and of itself, and surviving from a paralysis and poison that can¡¯t heal is despairing.


    If there had been food that poisoned you inside there, there would have been a chance that the Bear would have died.


    ¡°Souma-san, please don¡¯t blame the Bear-san too much. Bear-san must have been feeling lonely because you weren¡¯t paying it attention.¡± (Ina)


    I was taken aback by what Ina said.


    It is true that the Bear has been inside the bag the whole time aside from showing its face a little bit in the Aken household.


    I thought it was having fun since it is the Bear, but it might not have been the case.


    No, even if it was so at first, I left it be even when it stayed inside the bag for a whole day.


    I have taken out items from the bag countless times, so I had as many chances to think about the Bear, but I barely did.


    Could it be that that¡¯s why the Bear put on the ring and ate food on its own? To appeal its existence to me?


    ¡°Could it be that you¡­were sulking?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this, the Bear faced the other way while still holding onto my shoulder.


    I chuckled at the rare easy to understand reaction of the Bear.


    ¡°I see. Sorry about that.¡± (Souma)


    Despite appearances, the Bear is an irreplaceable comrade of ours.


    When I lowered my head to apologize, the Bear used its round hand to pet my head.


    *Grin*


    And grinned at me.


    I had gotten used to that smile at some point in time, and a smile showed in my face too.


    ¡°S-Souma-san!¡±


    I heard a strangely flustered voice from my left and something wrapped around my left arm.


    When I looked there, Ina had wrapped her arms around mine and was hugging me.


    ¡°I-I am imitating B-Bear-san. E-Even I can do something as bold as this!¡± (Ina)


    She said this with a bright red face.


    And it seems like she couldn¡¯t endure the silence.


    ¡°A-And so¡­how¡­is it?¡± (Ina)


    She threw me a question I found hard to answer.


    What¡¯s the correct response here?


    I answered in this fashion after thinking about it.


    ¡°I felt a really squishy sensation the moment we touched, and that surprised me.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°R-Really?! E-Ehehehe. I did feel like I was g-growing a bit lately!¡± (Ina)


    Ina seemed to be in glee while getting all shy.


    ¡­Yeah, I am not lying.


    It did feel squishy.


    We were making a racket like that while returning to the mansion and¡­


    ¡°Souma!¡±


    I see Leila jumping out from the mansion.


    Speaking of which, I left the mansion without telling anyone because it was an emergency.


    Looks like I worried her.


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief! You disappeared all of a sudden, so I thought again¡­¡± (Leila)


    Leila stood in place in front of me, and after seeing us, she stopped moving.


    ¡°Lei¡­la¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I was suddenly assailed by a bad feeling and lowered my body.


    Right after¡­


    ¡°Wa?!¡± (Souma)


    For just a really paper thin difference, I miraculously managed to avoid the silver flash that passed by the place where I was at.


    ¡°Kyaaaa!!¡± (Ina)


    My body fell one breath later and Ina screamed.


    I felt that from the corner of my vision and didn¡¯t move my gaze away from the direction where the knife flew at.


    What I was looking at dumbfounded while on the ground was¡­the Death Bringer and¡­


    ¡°I-I¡­why¡­?¡±


    ¡ªLeila, who was making a face even more dumbstruck than me while holding it tightly.

 CH 158

    Everyone was in a daze from the way too shocking development, and me, Ina, and even the Bear didn¡¯t know what to do.


    Within that tense atmosphere, Leila looked at the knife she was holding and me who was on the ground.


    ¡°I¡­I¡­I am sorry!¡± (Leila)


    She suddenly turned around and ran off as if escaping from us.


    ¡°Leila!¡± (Souma)


    I shout, but she doesn¡¯t stop.


    Her legs faltered for a bit when I called her, but she was still trying to get away from us.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± (Souma)


    I don¡¯t know why Leila did that.


    I might get attacked again if I get close to her.


    (But¡­!) (Souma)


    I can¡¯t just leave her be when she makes such a painful expression.


    That¡¯s why I extended my hand once again towards her and¡­


    ¡°[Darkness]!¡± (Souma)


    I took away her vision with the dark elementary spell, Darkness, and threw the restraining item, Bind Rope, onto Leila who stood in place from the abrupt development. I then quickly closed the distance while she was confused, and caught her just as she was falling down, casting a whole ton of the Paralyze spell in close distance.


    ¡°?! ?!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± (Souma)


    It seems like she doesn¡¯t understand what happened just now. Seeing Leila with her eyes wide open within my arms, I finally take a breath.


    Looks like I can finally have a proper talk now.


    ¡°Now then, Ina, Bear, let¡¯s enter the mansion for now.¡± (Souma)


    Finishing one job here, I turned around and Ina made a questionable look.


    ¡°¡­Souma-san, that way of catching her was a bit nasty.¡± (Ina)


    Ringo and Mitsuki came running out from the mansion wondering what happened, so I explained the situation to them.


    ¡°¡­Souma, are you okay?¡± (Ringo)


    Hearing this, Ringo was touching me all over the place in worry to confirm I am fine, so I gently pushed her away.


    ¡°I am okay. Just a scratch is instant death, so you could say I am uninjured.¡± (Souma)


    I felt like that¡¯s not too okay after saying it myself, but Ringo pulled her hand away.


    What¡¯s most important right now is to hear what Leila has to say.


    I moved away the Bear, who was poking the cheek of Leila as if finding it amusing, and undid the restraints and paralysis of Leila.


    ¡°Sorry for being so rough with you there.¡± (Souma)


    I apologized first and Leila¡¯s face blushed.


    ¡°N-No, I am the one at fault here, and I am happy about the princess carry.¡± (Leila)


    She answered happily.


    ¡­Alright, let¡¯s just take this positively as her having cheered up a bit.


    ¡°More importantly, why did you do something like that all of a sudden?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked her this, she shook her head to the sides weakly.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know. My head suddenly went completely blank when I saw you two getting along so well and¡­¡± (Leila)


    She said she barely has any memories of taking out the knife and trying to stab me with it.


    (Hmm, could this be¡­) (Souma)


    The result of hearing Leila in detail was that there¡¯s the possibility that the ¡®Death to the Infidel!!¡¯ is being treated as an event.


    Now that I think about it, this is close to the Train Mode of Ina in that you need to fulfill certain conditions for it to happen.


    Train Mode happens pretty much regardless of the will of Ina. If ¡®Death to the Infidel!!¡¯ is in that same vein, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for it to have some compulsory effect.


    However, if that¡¯s the case, what¡¯s strange is the time when I hugged Ringo.


    Leila didn¡¯t show any reaction and didn¡¯t use the Death to the Infidel!!


    Or maybe there¡¯s a clue there. And so, I tried asking, but¡­


    ¡°Hey, when I uhm¡­wrapped my arms around Ringo¡¯s shoulders, your head didn¡¯t turn blank?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°A-At that time, my heart prickled a bit, but your voice was trembling, and I could tell you were pushing yourself there.¡± (Leila)


    ¡°Aah, I see.¡± (Souma)


    She could tell I was acting there, so she didn¡¯t get jealous to the point of activating the Death to the Infidel!!


    (But that¡¯s troubling¡­) (Souma)


    If my assumption is correct here, even if Leila has no intentions of hurting me, there¡¯s a high chance she will try to stab me again.


    Moreover, those attacks all have the instant death effect against the player.


    (I have to test it out.) (Souma)


    I silently resolve myself.


    ¡°Ringo!¡± (Souma)


    I called Ringo who was the closest one and seemed to be on guard towards Leila.


    ¡°Wa?!¡±


    I forcefully pull her close to me.


    Like a redo of before.


    However, I hugged her from the very front so that Leila doesn¡¯t have any room for doubt.


    I could feel Ringo¡¯s body curling itself up within my arms and, almost at the same time as this happened¡­


    ¡°!!¡±


    Leila had the knife in hand at some point in time and it approached me.


    After verifying several things, a number of points were made clear.


    It seems like the ¡®Death to the Infidel!!¡¯ activates automatically when Leila feels jealous to a certain degree.


    You could say the conditions are a lot more lenient compared to the game where she would attack you just by talking a bit with a woman, but even with that, this is still pretty rough.


    It activates at a high rate when getting along with my comrades, and she suddenly came at me when I was playing with the Bear.


    Looks like race, gender, love, friendship; doesn¡¯t matter what it is, if they get along with me, there¡¯s a high chance of getting jealous.


    Even if I don¡¯t do anything and Leila just remembers that I was linking arms with Ina, it is possible for the conditions to be fulfilled with that, so that in itself is already dangerous.


    Fortunately, the attack speed of ¡®Death to the Infidel!!¡¯ isn¡¯t that high, and she calms down when she does it once unlike the game, so we are managing somehow right now.


    That said, I don¡¯t have the confidence that I would be able to avoid it when I am sleeping or eating.


    Moreover, ¡®Death to the Infidel!!¡¯ phases through any obstructions¡­


    No matter how powerful of an armor I have or an indestructible object, they won¡¯t serve for anything, and the people around can¡¯t block the attack, so you have to stop Leila from unsheathing the knife before it happens.


    But there¡¯s a way to get out of this.


    From my experience until now, in order to change the results of this world¡¯s events, I have to do actions that I couldn¡¯t in the game, and there should be factors that the developers wouldn¡¯t have anticipated.


    And so, about the Death Bringer that was a fixed weapon in the game and you couldn¡¯t unequip, Leila apparently can unequip it in this world.


    Since it is something that she originally couldn¡¯t do, it takes a toll mentally, but when I asked her, she gave me the whole knife with scabbard and all while looking like she was in pain.


    ¡®Death to the Infidel!!¡¯ is an attack that uses the Death Bringer, so if the Death Bringer which is pivotal to this is gone, there¡¯s a chance we can prevent it.


    Thinking this, I tried to cause the ¡®Death to the Infidel!!¡¯ while I had the Death Bringer, and¡­


    ¡°¡­That didn¡¯t work, huh.¡± (Souma)


    It resulted in a failure.


    The moment the skill activated, Death Bringer disappeared from my hands, and returned to the waist of Leila.


    And so, I asked for permission from Leila and synthesized the Death Bringer with another weapon.


    Death Bringer is unfortunately not on the level of the Meat Cleaver, so the only worthwhile trait was the Instant Death ability, but that¡¯s not the main point this time around.


    I doubt it can return to its original form if it gets synthesized.


    I prayed from the bottom of my heart, invited the jealousy of Leila, and¡­


    ¡°¡­Didn¡¯t work again, huh.¡± (Souma)


    I was disappointed in the fact that the Death Bringer appeared on the waist of Leila again.


    Also, I avoided it all of a sudden, so I ended up letting go of the Bear and fell on the ground which angered the Bear and it smacked my leg repeatedly, but I didn¡¯t have the leeway here.


    I hurriedly checked the equipment that I synthesized with the Death Bringer, and it still had its synthesized effect there.


    It is not like there¡¯s absolutely no effect, I guess?


    ¡°¡­Souma, let¡¯s stop already.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo then couldn¡¯t bear watching any longer after seeing me avoid the attacks of Leila over and over again while scared, and spoke to me.


    However, there¡¯s one last thing I want to try out.


    ¡°Cooler Box! With this¡­!¡± (Souma)


    The magic item that freezes time and stopped even the homing spear.


    I placed my hopes on it, thinking that it should go well with this, and brushed the fluffy fur of the Bear.


    But¡­


    ¡°¡­It didn¡¯t work, huh.¡± (Souma)


    The result was complete failure.


    The moment Leila moved, there was a new Death Bringer in her hand, and the knife that I should have placed inside the Cooler Box was nowhere to be seen.


    I lowered my head and groaned.


    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t feel bad.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo patted my shoulder in worry.


    ¡°Thanks, Ringo.¡± (Souma)


    It is true that nothing will be born from getting dispirited here.


    Even so, when I looked at the Cooler Box that was now empty, I couldn¡¯t help but feel dejected.


    (Haah¡­I thought I could get an infinite supply of Death Bringers¡­) (Souma)


    The fish that escaped was big.


    I returned to Leila and the others while sighing.


    After that, we tried a variety of things to get rid of the Death Bringer, but they all ended in failure.


    The Death Bringer was made in a way that it would be recreated on the waist of Leila the moment ¡®Death to the Infidel!!¡¯ activates as a countermeasure for when it is destroyed. Also, when there¡¯s two existing Death Bringers, the previous one is automatically disposed of.


    ¡°Guess this is it¡­¡± (Souma)


    It seems like it is in principle impossible to do something about the Death Bringer.


    In that case¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a little break.¡± (Souma)


    Unable to endure the gaze of Ringo, Ina, and Leila who were looking over here worried, I one-sidedly announce this and left the room with quick steps.


    ¡°¡­Fuuh.¡± (Souma)


    The cold air from the corridor felt nice against my skin.


    Looks like I was mentally exhausted without my noticing from avoiding the Instant Death attacks over and over.


    I confirmed that there¡¯s no one around and opened the adventurer bag stealthily. I take out the Immortal Oath from there.


    ¡­It is not like there¡¯s absolutely no way to get out of this situation.


    ¡°But, am I¡­really going to do it?¡± (Souma)


    I looked at the cursed jet black ring and asked myself this.


    Me not having a single card to use was before I went to the Aken household.


    With the Immortal Oath in my hands, I can use a¡­certain method¡­to deal with Leila with most likely definite chances.


    The name is: The Eternal Stone Statue.


    It is just like the name states, a method to turn an NPC into a stone statue.

 CH 159

    ¡ªThe Eternal Stone Statue.


    It is a famous way of getting rid of an NPC in Nekomimi Neko on the level of the Infinite Corridor Suppression.


    I honestly didn¡¯t think I would be able to shake Leila off completely simply by disposing of the Eye of the Heavens.


    No, I did think it would be nice if that were the case, but I can¡¯t deny that, aside from deciding on disposing of the Eye of the Heavens when heading to the Aken household, there was one other objective poking out from inside my head.


    That one other objective being to obtain the ultimate anti-NPC weapon.


    Nekomimi Neko places a whole lot of effort in troubling the player, so it of course has a whole plethora of status ailments.


    Weaken which halves your stats; Shadow Bind which immobilizes you; Restriction which instead makes you only be able to move and nothing else.


    As for others, there¡¯s the familiar ones in RPG: poison, paralysis, sleep, confusion, and many others, but they all go away after a certain period of time.


    Even the petrification which is said to be the most difficult to heal will naturally go away after 10 minutes or so.


    Status ailments are by no means permanent.


    However, there¡¯s exceptions.


    The Immortal Oath I got from the Aken household.


    When you have this ring on, status ailments won¡¯t heal.


    Basically, if you manage to make the other party wear the Immortal Oath, you can turn status ailments permanent on them.


    Of course, you can¡¯t equip things to monsters and hostile NPCs, so you are limited on who you can use it on, but this combo of Immortal Oath + Status Ailment is truly powerful.


    With the Immortal Ring on, even a character with high resistance to status ailments like Mitsuki would be affected.


    Status ailments will hit with 100% chance, so just by throwing a paralysis and poison potion that you can easily get even in Lamurick, you can kill that character for certain.


    However, when you kill someone like that, the Immortal Oath will be gone together with the death of that character, and there¡¯s the chance that a lot of inconveniences will happen if an NPC dies.


    What gathered popularity there was the Eternal Statue that simply takes away the freedom of the character with petrification.


    If you don¡¯t have petrification, you can substitute it with paralysis or sleep, but anyways, the basis of this method is to have the other party permanently unable to act by having them wear the Immortal Oath and leaving them somewhere.


    That way your heart won¡¯t hurt as much compared to killing them, and you can take off cursed items at the church, so the Immortal Oath won¡¯t be gone after one use.


    ¡°If I am going to use one, it would be petrification.¡± (Souma)


    It wouldn¡¯t be funny if they were to die from starvation at some unknown point in time with paralysis or sleep.


    There¡¯s also the choice of restraining her and limiting her actions, but her being conscious makes it more painful instead, and I don¡¯t know if that would block the ¡®Death to the Infidel!!¡¯.


    I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about petrification. I have increased my proficiency in the earth element with Master Torch, so I can do it at once if it is petrification magic.


    I can, but¡­


    ¡°Uhm, Souma-san.¡±


    I reflexively hid the ring at my back at the voice that came from behind me.


    ¡°Ina? What¡¯s the matter?¡± (Souma)


    I pocketed the ring behind me and asked Ina while faking a smile, and she shook her head with a despondent look.


    ¡°Ah, I am sorry for interrupting you while you were thinking. I didn¡¯t really have any business with you or anything. I was simply a bit worried about you¡­¡± (Ina)


    I was a bit relieved by this.


    Looks like she simply came to check on me because she thought I was feeling down.


    ¡°I see. Sorry about that. I am okay¡­ What¡¯s everyone doing?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this, Ina shook her head again.


    ¡°¡­Nothing. Everyone doesn¡¯t seem to know what to do.¡± (Ina)


    Ina¡¯s face while saying this was also shaded in a dark mood.


    The situation might be more dire than I thought it was.


    This isn¡¯t the time to be worrying about whether I can dupe Death Bringers or not¡­or more like, I don¡¯t even know if there would be a price tag for something like that, and I don¡¯t really think its performance is that good.


    There¡¯s not much benefit in having more of them, but the words infinite duping makes my gamer blood stir.


    ¡°U-Uhm, Souma-san?¡± (Ina)


    I must have fanned her unease by staying silent, Ina took a step towards me.


    The teary eyes of Ina approached me.


    ¡°¡­It is going to be okay¡­right?¡± (Ina)


    Inconcrete words that sounded as if she were trying to cling onto something.


    I tried to smile at Ina with as much of a reliable smile as possible.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious? I have overcome countless hardships like this one, and there¡¯s several things I have thought of as well.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Really?!¡± (Ina)


    ¡­Lies.


    It is not on the level where I would use ¡®several¡¯.


    However, I answered her lightly so I don¡¯t worry her further.


    ¡°Yeah, the way of dealing with ¡®Death to the Infidel!!¡¯ changes depending on how it works on a systematic level, but I should be able to manage somehow. Even if I can¡¯t think of a good method, I can use the Eternal Statue and¡ªah.¡± (Souma)


    It was only after I said it that I noticed I slipped there, but it was a bit too late.


    That wasn¡¯t something I should have said to Ina who was turned into what was basically a statue because of the curse of the Demon Lord even if she didn¡¯t have memories of that time.


    ¡°Eternal¡­Statue¡­?¡± (Ina)


    Those words leaked from Ina¡¯s mouth.


    I would have been happy if she had just let it slip by, but it looks like she has clearly bitten onto them.


    ¡°N-Now then, it is about time we go back. Everyone must be bored.¡± (Souma)


    I hurriedly pushed the back of Ina and tried to return to the room.


    ¡°P-Please wait. That just now¡ª¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Come on, come on. Let¡¯s go.¡± (Souma)


    I pushed the back of Ina who was still worried about the words just now.


    It is true that everything will be solved if I use the Eternal Stone Statue.


    ¡ªBut what would be the difference between that and the Blessing of the Demon Lord which stole the freedom of Ina?


    I hid those hazy emotions of mine and returned to the room where Leila and the others are waiting.


    The moment I entered the room while thinking about what to test next, my legs stopped at the weird atmosphere.


    I furrowed my brows unconsciously at this, and Leila walked in front of me with a resolved face.


    She tightened her lips once before speaking.


    ¡°Y-You know, Souma¡­I really should leave this place.¡± (Leila)


    I was dumbfounded by what she said.


    I didn¡¯t expect this girl that was even called the Death Stalker to utter those words herself.


    I hurriedly responded to her.


    ¡°W-Wait! You went through the trouble to meet me, right? And yet, easily deciding to¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy.¡± (Leila)


    Leila showed a painful face warped as if enduring tears.


    ¡°I heard from Mitsuki-san. You might die if my knife hits you¡­ You know¡­I love you. I love you more than anyone in the world. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t want to think about the possibility of you dying. I don¡¯t want to stay away from you, but if that means you being in danger, I would dislike it more.¡± (Leila)


    I couldn¡¯t respond to her properly, so Leila continued speaking with a sad face.


    ¡°I have not once thought that I wanted to kill you. But¡­But when I see you getting along with someone else, my head turns completely blank. My body just moves on its own when that happens¡­and I can¡¯t stop no matter what.


    Even when I shouted in my heart to stop, I just¡­¡± (Leila)


    ¡°Leila¡­¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s the compulsory power of the events.


    Even when I think it is not the fault of Leila, I have no way to tell her this.


    That¡¯s when I finally understood.


    She is already not the Death Stalker Leila from the game.


    She is a different person with a different personality.


    She continued to criticize herself with tears in her eyes.


    ¡°I¡­I didn¡¯t know I was someone like this. I am sorry. I am really sorry, Souma. But I won¡¯t meet you ever again¡­ That¡¯s why¡­That¡¯s why¡­¡± (Leila)


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s not enough.¡±


    The one who cut off the desperate words of Leila was Mitsuki who possessed indifferent pressure.


    ¡°Not¡­enough¡­?¡± (Leila)


    Leila looked back with a scared face, and Mitsuki said coldly.


    ¡°Even if you are far away, it won¡¯t solve anything if your feelings don¡¯t change at all. Can you assure us that you definitely won¡¯t remember us and be assailed by jealousy while you are far away?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± (Leila)


    That¡¯s right.


    Leila would activate the ¡®Death to the Infidel!!¡¯ if she feels jealous.


    The frequency may decrease if she is away from me, but if we can¡¯t predict the timing and actions henceforth, it might even be more problematic.


    ¡°I-I¡­then what should I do¡­?¡± (Leila)


    Muddy light shows up in the eyes of the faltering Leila.


    Her wavering gaze fell onto the Death Bringer at her waist.


    The hand of Leila unsteadily stretched towards the knife.


    (Don¡¯t tell me¡­suicide?!) (Souma)


    I was going to hurry and stop her, but Mitsuki¡¯s words hit Leila before that.


    ¡°Hoh, so you would choose your own death, huh. But have you not considered that you dying would cause trouble for him instead? The citizens will suspect your death is related to your relationship with him, and he will feel responsible for your death.


    Don¡¯t you think choosing death is just way too self-centered?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Those words of Mitsuki, which she seemed to have found amusing, froze the movements of Leila in place accurately.


    Those words were the finishing blow.


    ¡°No way¡­ Then what should I¡­¡± (Leila)


    Leila had lost all hope and fell on her knees.


    ¡°Mitsuki!¡± (Souma)


    I reflexively drew towards Mitsuki and she dropped her cat ears to the side in self-derision.


    And then, she whispered in a way that only I could hear.


    ¡°I have laid the groundwork. With this, she should accept any unreasonable request you make.¡± (Mitsuki)


    I opened my eyes wide at the unexpected words of Mitsuki.


    Mitsuki then told me this with an expressionless face that looked kind yet cold.


    ¡°You have a plan, right? That¡¯s the face you had when you entered the room.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Mitsuki, you¡­¡± (Souma)


    Did she corner Leila on purpose for my sake?


    But that doesn¡¯t match Mitsuki¡¯s image as a person of justice.


    Mitsuki averted her gaze slightly at my questioning look.


    ¡°I always ask you for the reasoning the whole time as if taking the high ground, but¡­I don¡¯t want to lose you no matter what. I wouldn¡¯t lament dirtying my hands for the sake of that.¡± (Mitsuki)


    I gulped my breath at the even more extreme words, and she quickly turned around.


    ¡°¡­I will be taking my leave here.¡± (Mitsuki)


    She then looked at us, grabbed the nape of the Bear who was grinning, and left the room with unfaltering steps.


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Eh, u-uuh¡­¡± (Ina)


    After that, she also brought the flustered Ina with her and Ringo left the room, too.


    And so, the only ones left in the room were me and Leila who was sitting on the floor.


    (¡­I have no choice but to do this.) (Souma)


    It is now that I steeled my resolve.


    I can¡¯t keep the status-quo forever, and I have no brilliant ideas right now.


    Then, I¡¯ve no other choice but to tread on.


    ¡°Leila¡­¡± (Souma)


    I crouch to match my gaze with Leila.


    And then, I chose my words and spoke to her in as gentle of a tone as possible.


    ¡°Actually, I thought of a way that you can stay in this house, Leila. I think it will be a bit¡­stuffy for you, but if this goes well, you won¡¯t be killing me anymore.¡± (Souma)


    I said this while mixing a small lie.


    But Leila, especially in her current state, wouldn¡¯t be able to tell that.


    Leila felt hope in my words and raised her head as if clinging onto me.


    ¡°Really¡­?¡± (Leila)


    ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± (Souma)


    It really did make me hesitate a bit to nod at that raspy voice of hers.


    However, I nodded on the outside, and Leila looked at me as if asking me what she should do.


    ¡°I-I will do it! Please let me! W-What should I do?¡± (Leila)


    Leila bit onto it to a saddening extent.


    I felt prickling pain at that reality while trying to act calm here.


    ¡°It is simple. You just have to wear a certain something.¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s where I take out ¡®something¡¯ from the bag.


    ¡°That¡­?¡± (Leila)


    She must have felt a bit uneasy about its black and ominous design.


    I think I saw Leila cower for a moment there.


    However, she looked at me with strong resolve in her eyes before I could explain.


    I was the one on the verge of faltering from those eyes that were far stronger than I imagined.


    ¡°¡­Give me your left hand.¡± (Souma)


    I averted my gaze as if losing to those eyes of hers, and instead shortly requested this of her.


    ¡°Yes.¡± (Leila)


    Leila obediently offered me her hand.


    A far smaller and slender hand than I expected.


    I held her faintly trembling hand and¡­


    ¡°¡­You are not doubting me?¡± (Souma)


    I unconsciously leaked those words out.


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡± (Leila)


    Leila made a face as if she didn¡¯t understand what I said just now, and I was pissed by it even when I was aware that¡¯s unreasonable.


    ¡°I tried to deceive you before, you know? Don¡¯t you think it is weird for me to tell you to put this on without giving you a single explanation?¡± (Souma)


    Even when I continued speaking, Leila stayed dumbfounded, but eventually chuckled.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. Your happiness is my happiness.¡± (Leila)


    It has been a while since I have felt chills.


    Meaning that, even if I were to deceive her, she would be fine if I am happy with it.


    I felt scared for some reason and purposely said this in an exaggerated manner.


    ¡°¡­Even if I told you this is a cursed ring that will make you suffer for the rest of your life?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yes.¡± (Leila)


    Even with that, Leila still nodded without hesitation.


    Not only that, she even pushed her extended left hand forward as if to urge me on.


    (I see¡­) (Souma)


    The Death Stalker Leila is not here anymore.


    However, Leila still holds the same degree of passion inside of herself.


    And it is all because I performed such a plan due to the desire for my own safety¡­


    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t make a face like that.¡± (Leila)


    Leila¡¯s hand stretched towards me and she wrapped her hands around mine.


    ¡°You saved me from eternal loneliness. That¡¯s how happy I was.¡± (Leila)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± (Souma)


    I was about to deny it, but then I remembered that Leila didn¡¯t even pay any attention towards the knights who tried to approach her under the orders of Maki.


    It might be true that the only one who could get involved with her when she closed her heart was me with my game knowledge and player attributes.


    ¡­I saved her.


    That¡¯s just the result, but can you really call my actions that?


    ¡°B-But I approached you in order to obtain the magic book of the ruins¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°When I heard that, I was happy. I felt like I was needed for the first time in my life. My heart pounded when you saved me, and I was really happy being able to talk about ruins with someone other than my father.¡± (Leila)


    That¡¯s when Leila showed a beautiful¡­a truly mesmerizing smile.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing for you to worry about. That¡¯s why¡­here.¡± (Leila)


    She let go of my hand and offered her hand to me again.


    ¡°Leila¡­¡± (Souma)


    What should I do to answer that resolve of hers?


    I only know of one method right now.


    ¡°I am putting it in, okay?¡± (Souma)


    I have reached a decision completely.


    Even so, I declared this shortly and moved my hand forward while scolding my trembling fingers.


    ¡°¡­Ah.¡± (Leila)


    Leila let out that voice.


    That¡¯s when a black ring with a boorish design that doesn¡¯t suit Leila had been slid into her left hand and¡­


    ¡°STOOOOOP!!¡±


    The door opened with a ¡®Bang!¡¯ like that of an explosion at that moment, and then something flew our way like a bullet.


    ¡°Wa?! Sudde¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I didn¡¯t have the chance to say anything.


    That light brown bullet pushed down my whole body and I fell on the ground with force to spare.


    ¡°You must not, Souma-san! You definitely must not do that!¡±


    ¡°Wa, Ina?! What¡¯s all this¡­¡± (Souma)


    The light brown bullet, Ina, held my shoulders with incredible strength and shouted with tears in her eyes.


    ¡°I noticed after remembering what happened to the Bear-san! About what this Eternal Stone Statue that you spoke about is, Souma-san!¡± (Ina)


    I averted my gaze from shame.


    Regret assailed me, telling me I really shouldn¡¯t have told Ina about this.


    ¡°You must not! You definitely definitely will regret it, Souma-san! It is too soon to decide this! Me and everyone else will do anything they can! That¡¯s why, just a bit more¡­¡± (Ina)


    That¡¯s as far as Ina said.


    ¡°¡­Run.¡±


    I heard a low voice from above Ina, at the other side.


    ¡°Leila?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Leila-san?¡± (Ina)


    We both look up.


    Leila was there, on the verge of taking her knife out at any moment.


    (Crap! This position!!) (Souma)


    This sight of both of us lying on the ground must be enough to fan the jealousy of Leila.


    Also, in this position¡­


    ¡°Run, Ina!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Souma-san!¡± (Ina)


    Seeing that the knife was finally taken out, Ina and I moved at the same time.


    I reflexively tried to move Ina away, and Ina instead tried to get on top of me to cover me, making both of our actions clash.


    ¡°Kya!¡± (Ina)


    The clash only lasted for an instant. In the end, I was the one who won, being the strongest between us both.


    However, because of the opposition of Ina, the retreat of Ina was slightly delayed.


    ¡°!¡±


    The Death Bringer that was unleashed mercilessly cut through the sleeves of Ina and approached me.


    I saw that in slow motion.


    ¡°¡­Ah.¡±


    I think a dumbstruck voice came out from me at the last moment.


    By the time I came back to my senses, the blade was already right in front of me, and I couldn¡¯t avoid or block it anymore¡­


    ¡°Souma-san!!!!¡±


    The scream of Ina pierced my ears.


    However, even at that time, Leila¡¯s knife struck against my bare hand mercilessly and¡­


    ¡°Haah¡­that seriously scared me!¡±


    ¡­After confirming that the Instant Death didn¡¯t activate despite that, I sighed heavily in relief.


    I seriously thought I was going to die here.


    When I saw the Death Bringer cut the clothes of Ina on the way¡­I thought it could be possible, but this countermeasure was honestly 50/50 whether it would work or not.


    I can only call this truly lucky.


    ¡°Eh? Souma-san? E-Eh?¡± (Ina)


    Ina raised her voice in confusion.


    She is happy that I am okay, but she doesn¡¯t understand how it ended up like this -that¡¯s the face she is making.


    I sighed at what you could say is a usual sight of hers.


    I explained to her slowly, as if chewing it for her.


    ¡°Weapons are made in a way so that you can¡¯t equip two at once in the same hand.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Hm? What are we talking about here?¡± (Ina)


    I sigh once again at Ina who still doesn¡¯t get it.


    ¡°Ina, calm down. Look at the left hand of Leila.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Left hand¡­? Aaaah!!¡± (Ina)


    She snapped back and looked at the left hand of Leila who was dumbstruck here.


    What was there was the equipment that I had put on her just before. The Cursed Black Ring, the Black Knuckles.

 CH 160

    ¡°U-Uuh, what does that mean?¡± (Leila)


    Not understanding the meaning of our exchange, Leila stood there in place with Death Bringer in hand, and I once again sighed heavily.


    The logic behind why I could survive the ¡®Death to the Infidel!!¡¯ is extremely simple.


    Even with both the Fingerless Gloves and a staff on at the same time, it will be considered as the Fingerless Gloves being the only equipped one. It has been set in this world that you can only equip one thing in the same hand.


    And so, I thought that I could equip Leila with a different weapon before she used the Death Bringer.


    There¡¯s actually a reason for putting on the Black Knuckle on her beforehand.


    There¡¯s a high chance that a sword or dagger will be dropped from the motions of opening her hand and grabbing the Death Bringer, so judging from the Fingerless Gloves case, the knuckle category weapons that are equipped directly to your fists seem to have a higher priority in this world.


    There¡¯s also the judgment that it would be better for it to be knuckles which would hinder daily life the least in comparison when it comes to having them on the whole time.


    Anyways, putting on the knuckles beforehand obstructed the action of equipping the Death Bringer, invalidating the ¡®Death to the Infidel!!¡¯. That¡¯s basically the gist of this time¡¯s plan.


    However, this all depended on how the skill itself works.


    This and the Eternal Stone Statue were the only effective means I could think of, but I even thought that the chances of it failing were higher.


    It was plenty possible that it would automatically unequip the Black Knuckles when it activated, or the priority of the Death Bringer being higher than the Black Knuckles.


    On top of that, if the Instant Death effect is not an ¡®attack from Leila¡¯ but an effect imbued in the ¡®blade of the Death Bringer¡¯, I would have died when hit by the Death Bringer.


    I obviously wouldn¡¯t entrust my life to a method that has so many uncertain factors.


    That said, when the blade of Leila that should phase through anything had cut the clothes of Ina¡­I noticed that ¡®Death to the Infidel!!¡¯ was not working as intended, and resolved myself to test it with my own body.


    It may have been a risk I had to take eventually, but there was nothing ensuring my safety here.


    I seriously thought my heart was going to stop when the blade of the Death Bringer touched me.


    No, considering that my heart could have stopped for eternity there, this is by no means exaggerated.


    I actually wanted to take several steps to test it out before the real deal, but I ended up having to do it outright because of the hasty assumption of Ina which I don¡¯t know if it is good or bad.


    ¡°I-I am sorry! There¡¯s no way Souma-san would do something as horrible as that, and yet, I¡­¡± (Ina)


    ¡­Well, the person herself has reflected on it, so let¡¯s just leave it at that.


    ¡°¡­Souma?!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    While I was thinking that, even Ringo and Mitsuki came in.


    ¡°Good timing. The problem with Leila has been solved. Actually¡­¡± (Souma)


    I explained the situation to everyone including Leila who still hasn¡¯t understood the situation yet.


    ¡°So, is it okay to assume that she is no longer dangerous?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Probably.¡± (Souma)


    I nodded vaguely at the words of Mitsuki.


    I managed to block the ¡®Death to the Infidel!!¡¯ unscathed this time around, but it is not like it is completely harmless.


    It would obviously be dangerous if the Black Knuckles were unequipped, and even if it is not treated as equipped, she is still stabbing with the Death Bringer. She might injure me a bit depending on the location she hits.


    Also, everyone might get worried, so I won¡¯t say it, but even when the Death Bringer doesn¡¯t have the Instant Death effect, the chances of the Black Knuckle having the Instant Death instead are pretty high.


    Judging from the incident before, there¡¯s barely any situation where the Black Knuckle will hit my body, but it is not like the threat of Instant Death is completely gone.


    ¡°Probably, meaning that there¡¯s still danger?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears stand up sharply as if to intimidate.


    I averted my gaze from her.


    ¡°I think it will be fine as long as she doesn¡¯t take off the Black Knuckles. The problem is whether she can have it on the whole time¡­¡± (Souma)


    When I directed my gaze at Leila, she directed an unexpectedly resolved look.


    ¡°I-It is okay. I definitely won¡¯t take it off¡­ Even at the cost of my life!¡± (Leila)


    ¡°A-Alright. Please don¡¯t risk your life for it, okay?¡± (Souma)


    I have had a faint feeling about it, but her statements are a bit heavy.


    However, if it is just like the game, Leila has taken off the Death Bringer that shouldn¡¯t be possible to unequip, and has equipped the Black Knuckles in that spot.


    This is clearly an action that goes against the systems of the game just like when equipping more than 3 rings.


    It is certain that she is pushing herself here, and it might actually threaten her life in some way.


    ¡°If it is really painful, try taking it off every once in a while to get a break¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°No, I really am¡­okay.¡± (Leila)


    When I told her this in worry, Leila answered stout-heartedly.


    ¡°It felt really off at first to the point I wanted to scratch my head off, but once I got used to it, there was no issue. I am sure I will be able to have this on me the whole time by tomorrow.¡± (Leila)


    ¡°¡­Really?¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo bit onto the words of Leila for some reason.


    Leila nodded in wonder.


    Leaving aside the part about her wanting to scratch her head off, at the very least, it doesn¡¯t seem like she is pushing herself here at present.


    ¡°Ah, but if any knuckle weapons are okay, wouldn¡¯t it be better to change them to a cuter one?¡± (Ina)


    Ina proposed this, but¡­


    ¡°No¡­this one¡¯s fine. This is something that Souma gave to me after all¡­¡± (Leila)


    Leila shook her head and hugged the jet black knuckles.


    I am happy that she is happy about my present, but hugging visually aggressive jet black knuckles is a bit of a surreal sight from a girl.


    ¡°Ah, speaking of which, I am also treasuring the bouquet of flowers that you gave me before. I am giving it potions every day instead of water, so they are livelier than when you gave them to me.¡± (Leila)


    ¡°I-Is that so¡­¡± (Souma)


    Is she referring to the bouquet of flowers I gave her with the Prince Charming plan?


    Her treasuring something like that the whole time is scary, but the potions in this world being this all-purpose is pretty scary in itself too.


    ¡°¡­Anyways, this matter is wrapped up now. She will be in charge of the cleaning. Is that okay?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki, who was silently listening to the flow of our conversation, looked at me and asked for confirmation.


    I felt something off from how impatiently she brought up that topic, but she isn¡¯t wrong.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve got no problems.¡± (Souma)


    I nodded without hesitation and the face of Leila got brighter in one go.


    Mitsuki spoke once again before Leila could say anything.


    ¡°Now then, let¡¯s eat!¡± (Mitsuki)


    She proposed this with more passion than usual.


    With that call, Leila and the member that was originally good at cooking within our party, the Bear, stood in the kitchen.


    Mitsuki was waiting with her cat ears flapping, and the two brought the food soon after.


    The dishes can only be described as splendid.


    Looks like the meals in our home and the mood of the cat ears-chan will be stable as long as Leila is here.


    And then, as if lured by the scent of food¡­


    ¡°I am back~! Geez, the scolding of Father was so long, I ended up coming back late~.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Fuh, excuse the wait! I shall permit you all to celebrate the return of the genius dark mage, Sazan-sama¡ªah, t-that¡¯s not fair! I am eating too! I am gonna wash my hands, so wait for me!¡± (Sazan)


    Maki and Sazan arrive at our house.


    The two were spitting out words as if this is already their home, and took a seat on the dining table as if it were the most natural thing in the world.


    No, leaving aside Sazan, Maki came from the same world as me, so I do feel like she is instead way too familiar with her family in this world.


    Anyways, everyone¡¯s gathered now.


    Once everyone took their seats, the Bear climbed my head and perched itself there.


    It would sometimes munch on my hair while clinging onto my head as if to not lose to everyone who is eating.


    It is a bit ticklish, but it would be troubling for me if the Bear-san were to eat again and have its stomach puffy, so I just let it do as it pleases.


    ¡°And so, what do you plan on doing? Will you be going back to searching for a way to go back to your world?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki asked me this after wolfing down her meal at an incredible pace with her cat ears flailing about.


    When she said this, Ringo, who is sitting by my side, stiffened her body, and the gazes of the others were directed this way.


    ¡°Right¡­¡± (Souma)


    The immediate danger is gone now that the problem with Leila is solved.


    I could move in order to return to my world just as Mitsuki says, but there¡¯s still a spark that might cause a commotion in society.


    I should crush that possibility first before doing anything so that I don¡¯t have any regrets.


    ¡°Dealing with the Mage Guild and Warrior Guild comes first. The country might fall if we leave any of those two be.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Hn! That sounds fine. C-Can¡¯t leave dangerous things¡­after all.¡± (Ringo)


    When I said this, Ringo immediately agreed with an unusually proactive tone.


    On top of that, Maki, who was concentrating on eating, raised her head at my words.


    ¡°Ah, Father also said that the Mage Guild is doing weird stuff, so to be careful.¡± (Maki)


    She has been saying Father here and there, but she is currently a princess in this world, so that means the father of Maki is the king.


    The king is urging caution here, so it feels like a big incident is afoot here.


    ¡°What about the Warrior Guild?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Hmm¡­he didn¡¯t say anything about that one. Only the Mage Guild.¡± (Maki)


    I tried checking, but it seems like there¡¯s no issue with the Warrior Guild.


    Or maybe the king still hasn¡¯t grasped that info yet.


    ¡°Then, we really gotta suppress the Mage Guild¡­¡± (Souma)


    I said that, but honestly, I am not too into it.


    The executives in the Mage Guild are a bit dangerous -which applies to the Warrior Guild too.


    Especially the Guildmaster of the Mage Guild. That person pushes the mage supremacy, and they are plotting a grand spell that will sacrifice all the people of the capital.


    This is a main part of the Mage Guild event, and a normal game would try to stop the ambitions of the Guildmaster, but Nekomimi Neko really is a different breed.


    If you try to stop the Guildmaster, it will be considered as failed.


    You crush the peaceful faction inside the guild that¡¯s trying to stop them, and you will go around gathering mithril and items necessary in magic, and make the large scale spell succeed. That¡¯s the basic route of the guild event. Quite the nutcase making.


    I of course remember the route to stop the Guildmaster, but now that the event has moved on its own, I don¡¯t know if it will actually work.


    Sazan suddenly stood up while I was thinking.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t wanna get involved with that bunch!¡± (Sazan)


    It may sound like he is saying something valerous here, but his legs are trembling a bit.


    He might have a trauma or something.


    ¡°Speaking of which, you were recruiting people at the Mage Guild before, right? Could it be that something happened at that time?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this, Sazan began speaking haughtily as if saying ¡®nice of you to have asked¡¯.


    ¡°It goes without saying! Those worldly people, out of all things, they tfied¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    He bit his tongue at the most important part.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Sazan silently sat down under the lukewarm gazes of all of my comrades.


    He coughed once and spoke again, acting as if nothing happened.


    ¡°¡­A-Anyways, I am against it. If you have to go no matter what, do so without me.¡± (Sazan)


    He said this and faced the other way.


    Well, it is not like there¡¯s any issues without Sazan though.


    ¡°Right. Well, there¡¯s no need to deal with them directly¡­ Everyone, I am thinking of heading to the library once I am done with my meal here.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°The library?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Yeah, I am heading to the royal library. There¡¯s a trump card to seal the ritual of the Mage Guild.¡± (Souma)


    I dug out a memory I didn¡¯t want to remember as I answered Mitsuki, and my face turned grim.


    At the basement of the capital¡¯s library, there¡¯s the magic book and essential item for the Mage Guild, the Nekuranomikon, but that¡¯s not all.


    What protects the doors to the basement is a top difficulty quest in Nekomimi Neko that has driven many players into the verge of neurosis and has made veteran Nekomimi Players give up on the 100% completion.


    ¡ªThe worst riddle quest that¡¯s even said to be impossible to clear depending on the questions, the quest: The One who knows Wisdom!

 CH 161

    In the game, a riddle quest is a quest that you have to answer correctly in order to progress.


    As for what would show up, the one that I often see in games is ¡®What has 4 legs in the morning, 2 at noon, and 3 at night?¡¯.


    The answer is human.


    On four when it is a baby, standing up on two legs when it grows, and at the end, you will be on three legs counting the cane.


    It is a riddle that¡¯s being clowned on often with comments like ¡®a human doesn¡¯t grow that fast, you idiot¡¯ or ¡®a cane isn¡¯t a leg¡¯, but you probably can get the gist of it with that.


    Of course, there¡¯s ones where you have to decipher a code, questions where they test your knowledge of the game by asking about the people that show up or the locations. There¡¯s also questions of how long was your playtime, how many enemies you have defeated, or normal riddles.


    And it is normal to not be able to progress unless you solve those problems.


    You might think I am just spitting the obvious here, but this is a pretty important point. There¡¯s a lot of cases in riddles where, if you don¡¯t reach the answer at first, you won¡¯t be able to reach the correct answer no matter how many hours you take.


    It is possible to reach a state where you have to give up on clearing the game because you couldn¡¯t get one question.


    However, that¡¯s only in the case when you do it on your own effort.


    In this era, you can just search for the answer in the net somewhere, and it is almost impossible to get stuck in game quizzes.


    ¡­Unless the game is Nekomimi Neko.


    The Nekomimi Neko developers feared that the players would clear their game by using walkthroughs, so they prepared 2,000 questions in total for the riddle quest, and you have to clear the 50 randomly assigned questions from within those.


    And so, the industriousness of the developers in the wrong direction gave birth to the monster called The One who knows Wisdom which is most likely impossible to clear even by the developers themselves.


    However, I wouldn¡¯t really say that¡¯s detrimental to us.


    ¡°¡­I see. So this ¡®The One who knows Wisdom¡¯ quest could serve as a protective wall against the Mage Guild?¡± (Mitsuki)


    I omit the game elements and tell them about the quest, the One who knows Wisdom, and the perceptive Mitsuki asked this.


    ¡°It really helps that you are quick on the uptake. That¡¯s right. Our objective is to stop the ritual of the Mage Guild. There¡¯s no need for us to clear that quest, and we could take the route of not solving the contraptions.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°T-Then, does that mean we are not doing that quest?¡± (Ina)


    I answered with a shake of my head at Ina who asked this while raising her hand.


    ¡°No, considering the future, it would be better to clear the quest. I of course plan on challenging it today. However, that quest is probably impossible to clear with normal means. I do have an effective way to clear it, but¡­¡± (Souma)


    I glanced at Leila.


    I still haven¡¯t told Leila that this is a game world.


    Considering the actions of Leila until now, I think she would accept it if I were to tell her properly, but it would be better to refrain from talking about game clear methods in front of Leila for now.


    I wrap things up while choosing my words.


    ¡°¡­There¡¯s a variety of issues to it. That¡¯s why I am thinking that, as long as I can confirm the Nekuranomikon this time around, clearing the quest is secondary.¡± (Souma)


    I think I am worrying too much here, but from what I remember of the Mage Guild quest, there¡¯s only 3 necessary things for their ritual.


    They need a massive amount of magic power necessary for the spell, in other words Element; a whole lot of mithril which is necessary to shape the spell; and the Nekuranomikon to control it.


    There¡¯s also other parts of the quest like getting rid of the spy that was sent by the kingdom, destroying the houses where enemy factions have barricaded themselves in, executing traitors from within the faction; a whole lot of violence. However, I doubt those are directly linked to the success of the ritual.


    The Element and mithril, they can definitely get it if they take their time, so in order to stop the ritual for sure, we would have no other choice but to secure the Nekuranomikon.


    Anyways, it would be best if we hurry to the library as quickly as possible.


    I looked back at Leila and entrusted her with the house.


    ¡°Well then, Leila, we will be heading out for a bit, so stay¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°W-Wait! ¡­C-Can¡¯t I go with you too?¡± (Leila)


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Souma)


    I tried to, but Leila requested this of me instead.


    ¡°But¡­¡± (Souma)


    We had Leila join us solely for the cooking, and she isn¡¯t exactly the most reliable fighting force.


    Also, if she were to do the ¡®Death to the Infidel!!¡¯ in public, even if there¡¯s no physical harm to it, it could be bad for our reputation.


    I hesitated there, and Leila¡¯s face visibly grew more dejected.


    ¡°Ah, s-sorry. If you don¡¯t want to, I won¡¯t force you to. That¡¯s why¡­that¡¯s why¡­please don¡¯t throw me away¡­¡± (Leila)


    She suddenly began crying.


    I was dumbfounded for a moment, but I soon ran to Leila and¡­


    ¡°No, you are jumping all over the place! I didn¡¯t say a single word about throwing you away.¡± (Souma)


    I patted the back of Leila while smoothing things over, and she calmed down somewhat.


    She showed me a smile while clearly pushing herself here.


    ¡°I-I am sorry for being selfish there. If you so say, I won¡¯t ever leave this mansion for the rest of my life. I will wait for 10 or even 100 years for your return, Souma. That¡¯s why¡­that¡¯s why¡­please don¡¯t thro¡ª¡± (Leila)


    ¡°As I said, I won¡¯t!¡± (Souma)


    How can she bring the talk from one extreme to the other?


    Even when she has reached the 3rd stage, she is still timid, or like, it feels as if her yandere elements she inherited from the game Leila are being steered into a different direction.


    Messing it up here could lead to a whole lot of trouble.


    Having that feeling, I chose my words even more carefully than before and tried to persuade Leila.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to go that far. It is not like I find it a bother for you to come. But there¡¯s nothing interesting in the library, and there¡¯s no need to push yourself to come¡­¡± (Souma)


    When I tried to run away like that, Leila intensified her pitch.


    ¡°I am not at all, absolutely zero pushing myself here!! I research ruins, so I am really interested in the puzzle solving of a library! T-That¡¯s why, I want to try it out¡­!¡± (Leila)


    ¡°Aah, I-I see.¡± (Souma)


    Speaking of which, Leila took the initiative to solve all the puzzles in the ruins we went together to before.


    It really does make sense that she would like that stuff.


    But¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­not such good stuff, you know?¡± (Souma)


    The puzzles of the One who knows Wisdom aren¡¯t that decent.


    Rather, they are horrible gimmicks that you would get stressed the more you do them.


    ¡°For your sake, it is better to not get involved in¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°B-But I really want to try it out! P-Puzzle solving is my lifework¡­ No, my very life itself!¡± (Leila)


    She went pretty big there.


    I didn¡¯t know she placed that much value on her life in solving puzzles.


    ¡ªSolving puzzles is life.


    Words that you might even see as a quote somewhere.


    However, this and that are two different matters.


    Bringing Leila really wouldn¡¯t be a good idea¡­


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine?¡± (Mitsuki)


    When I was still hesitating here, Mitsuki threw in a word from the side.


    ¡°But¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°It is not like we are heading to the outside of the city, and there¡¯s no danger, right? Also, her knowledge might be of use.¡± (Mitsuki)


    It is difficult for me to refute it if you put it like that.


    I learned this at the time of the Prince Charming, but when it comes to ruins and old legends, Leila¡¯s knowledge can¡¯t be underestimated.


    Of course, The One who knows Wisdom isn¡¯t so soft that you would be able to clear it just by being a bit skilled at puzzles, but that doesn¡¯t mean it is completely useless.


    I have cleared this quest once in my game days.


    But, at that time, I used a technique that could be considered a hidden trick, and when I got stuck in the quiz, I would instantly search it in the Wiki and answer exactly as written.


    Now that I can¡¯t check the Wiki, clearing this quest will rely on my memory, but I have no confidence in being able to remember all the 50 questions of the quiz.


    ¡°¡­Can you promise that you will obey my orders and not move anything on your own whim?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Y-Yes! Leave it to me! I will listen to anything you say, Souma! I would die if you told me to die, and if you were to tell me you don¡¯t need me anymore¡­if you tell me that¡­¡± (Leila)


    Leila began to tremble, scared of her own imagination.


    Sorry to say this, but that¡¯s quite the pain in the ass.


    I am beginning to feel like it would be less of a pain if I bring her with me.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say either of those. Got it. Just this time alone, you can come, Leila.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°T-Thanks, Souma!¡± (Leila)


    And in this way, we added Leila who was strangely enthused, and we ended up heading to the library with a big group of 7.


    The way from the mansion to the library is pretty close.


    We leave the mansion while waving to the Bear who took the place of Leila in staying at home, and begin talking about the steps from now on as we walk.


    ¡°¡­And so, there¡¯s a contraption at the deepest bookshelf of the library, and when you change the arrangement, the bookshelf will move and the sphinx will show up. If you answer the questions of the sphinx correctly, you can go down to the basement, but it is difficult to clear it normally.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°But you would be able to, right, Souma-san?¡± (Ina)


    I felt itchy at the gaze of Ina that was filled with trust and nodded.


    ¡°It is not certain, but I do know of a method to lower the difficulty of the puzzles.¡± (Souma)


    When I said this, Ina and Leila looked at me as if saying ¡®that¡¯s my Souma!¡¯.


    Maki spoke with a slightly cold tone in contrast.


    ¡°We are talking about you, so it is most likely nothing decent, right?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Don¡¯t call it that. It is normal. Normal.¡± (Souma)


    That said, this is a clearing method related to the game¡¯s nature.


    How can I even explain it to a person that doesn¡¯t know how the game works?


    ¡°Uhm, you see, there¡¯s at least a few set rules within the problems that the Beckoning Sphinx brings out. They are stored in a different place from normal, like an omikuji¡ªhm?¡± (Souma)


    Something happened while I was having difficulty explaining.


    From the very front, at the direction of the library, I saw a man in black robe walking our way.


    ¡°¡­Souma?¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo looked up at me uneasy, and I signal them to be careful with only my gaze.


    (¡­No doubt about it.) (Souma)


    The robed man steadily approached.


    That¡¯s a mage from the Mage Guild.


    Also, not just any member.


    It is one of the confidants of the Guildmaster, Salmon.


    He has a fish-like name despite being one of the high ranks in the guild, and his fighting capabilities are pretty high too.


    Of course, it is not an enemy that we wouldn¡¯t be able to win against if we were to fight, but the issue is the direction he came from.


    (Could it be¡­) (Souma)


    I try my best not to follow Salmon with my gaze, but even so, I still continue observing him from the corner of my eye.


    His face is hidden with the hood and I can¡¯t see his expression.


    It looks as if he doesn¡¯t have anything else aside from the staff at his waist and a bag.


    But if the bag he has at his waist is an adventurer bag, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for him to have anything.


    ¡°!!¡±


    Within that tense atmosphere, Salmon crossed paths with us and¡­passed by.


    ¡°¡­Fuuh.¡± (Souma)


    I exhale the breath I was holding in.


    We are objectively a group that stands out, but it seems like Salmon had no interest in us.


    Or maybe it was because he achieved something that didn¡¯t allow him to care about us.


    ¡°Was that someone from the Mage Guild just now?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki got close to me and asked me this when Salmon was nowhere in sight anymore.


    Looks like Mitsuki did notice.


    ¡°Yeah, Salmon from the Mage Guild. He might have come out from the library¡­ Can you follow his location?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I can. We passed by each other just now and I now have his name.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears stood upright as if saying ¡®battle stance!¡¯ and showed me their passion.


    On the other hand, I was hesitating on what to do as I told this to Mitsuki.


    There¡¯s no building aside from the library which a mage would go to.


    Even so, I doubt the quest has been overcome, but there¡¯s still that slight possibility.


    ¡°No, there¡¯s no point thinking about it here. Change of plans.¡± (Souma)


    The entrance of the library is in sight already.


    However, I didn¡¯t move onwards and turned around, heading towards an alley at the side of the library.


    ¡°Souma?! Where are you going?!¡± (Maki)


    Maki raised her voice at my sudden action.


    I looked back and shouted.


    ¡°Sorry, everyone, go in from the entrance! Go straight to the opposite wall! I will go around from the back!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°B-Back, you say. But the only entrance to the library is here¡­¡± (Maki)


    Even the time used to speak was too precious.


    I set the Time Activation for Petitplosion in my head and answered roughly.


    ¡°I told you the basement is at the deep end of the library, right? You can¡¯t use skills inside the library! It is 100 times faster to go from the back!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Souma!¡± (Maki)


    Maki was still saying something, but I ignored her.


    I feel like it is pointless to hurry here at this point, but I have a bad feeling.


    ([Step], [High Step], [Ground Compression]!) (Souma)


    It has been a while since I have used the movement skill combo.


    I deserted even the voices of Maki and the others, and went deep inside the alley, moving along the outer walls of the library.


    ([Step][Side Slash][Step][Side Slash], [High Step], [Ground Compression], [Petitplosion]¡­[Step], [Instant Charge], [Step], [High Step], [Eternal Heaven Soaring Blade], [Air Hammer][Instant Charge], [Air Hammer], [Instant Charge], [Step], [High Step], [Ground Compression]!) (Souma)


    I used Godstep Cancel to zigzag around the obstructions, used Soaring Blade to go over the heads of people, used Air Hammer and Instant Charge to land ahead, and went through the alley with the utmost speed.


    On the way¡­


    ¡°W-Wa?! Did something just pass¡ª¡±


    ¡°A tengu. A tengu showed¡ª¡±


    ¡°Was that the turbo geezer?! I thought that was an urban¡ª¡±


    I think the people I passed by said something, but I left behind even those voices and got to the back of the library.


    ¡°Fuh!¡± (Souma)


    I used Petitplosion at the end to eliminate the opening of the movement, and finally took a breath.


    However, I can¡¯t take too much time in that or there wouldn¡¯t have been any point in me hurrying this much.


    I chanted the spell while adjusting my distance to the library, and immediately activated it.


    ¡°[Infinite Mirage Prison]!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Finally here.¡± (Souma)


    I sensed the several footsteps heading here and muttered this, closing the book I was reading.


    As for the result of me hurrying: the Nekuranomikon was fine.


    Not only that. The contraption of the bookshelf deep inside the library hasn¡¯t been discovered yet, and the Beckoning Sphinx had not even come out yet.


    It is a bit embarrassing to say this myself, but my intuition really isn¡¯t reliable.


    It is to the point that I even thought there was no need for me to hurry so much I even wall jumped.


    By the way, you would think you can¡¯t enter the library using the wall jump bug since it is forbidden to use spells and skills inside the library, but the effect of the skill is cut off the moment you enter, so it is instead easy to get in.


    I got inside after a few tries of Infinite Mirage Prison, and after confirming that my comrades had not arrived yet, I immediately began to operate the contraption of the bookshelf.


    I remember it clearly.


    When I switched a number of the blue front covers on the shelf, the bookshelf made a rumbling sound as it moved, and a strange statue showed up.


    The protector of the Nekuranomikon and the One who knows Wisdom.


    Also known as the Beckoning Sphinx.


    A human face, lion body, and pointy ears like those of a cat, standing on two legs, and with both front legs bent like one of those cat statues holding a coin.


    Putting it simply, it is like a fusion of a beckoning cat with a sphinx, at a rate of 1:8.


    The quest obviously hasn¡¯t begun, and the Beckoning Sphinx is still silent.


    There¡¯s no real need to hurry now.


    And so, I was waiting for them while reading a book.


    ¡°¡­Souma-san!¡± (Ina)


    I turned around calmly at the lower than usual call as if I hadn¡¯t run off in a hurry.


    ¡°Aah, Ina. You took your time. See, this is the¡ªhm?¡± (Souma)


    I noticed after looking back.


    All my comrades walking over here were showing tense faces, and I could see an unfamiliar bespectacled lady at the front of their group.


    This woman that has her attire, hair, and glasses all in an orderly fashion seemed to be glaring at me for some reason.


    (Who is this person¡­? No, I think I have seen her before, but¡­) (Souma)


    I can¡¯t remember.


    However, judging from their grim faces, I doubt she is coming here with good news.


    (This timing¡­is it the Mage Guild? But was there a person like this in the Mage Guild? Even so, it is strange that Ringo and Mitsuki are not saying anything if that¡¯s the case¡­) (Souma)


    This was so sudden, my thoughts were in a disarray.


    Also, the bespectacled woman was giving off a sharp atmosphere that made people nervous and accelerated my unrest.


    I was hit by that atmosphere and put the book I was reading inside my bag hurriedly, and almost reflexively fixed my posture.


    She furrowed her brows as she watched my actions, and she finally walked over to me.


    ¡°¡­I will go straight to the point here.¡±


    There was no greeting no nothing.


    This bespectacled girl stopped in front of me, and pushed her right hand at me.


    I flinched at that out of reflex, and she said this with a whole ton of pressure.


    ¡°If you are entering the library, pay the entrance fee properly!!¡±


    ¡ª¡ª-


    Author: You definitely must not break and enter.

 CH 162

    ¡°¡­Alright. I have certainly received the entrance fee of 2,000E.¡±


    I lost to the pressure of the bespectacled lady and easily forked over the entrance fee.


    I feel like 2,000E is a rip-off, but considering the money I have, it isn¡¯t that big of a deal.


    It is a cheap price to pay to escape from the pressure of those eyes.


    The bespectacled lady is apparently the librarian.


    I feel like she was in the game too, but I didn¡¯t get involved with her too often, so I didn¡¯t remember her.


    Once Ina learned that the entrance fee is 2,000E, she leaked out at the entrance unconsciously: ¡°Uuh, that¡¯s not fair, Souma-san¡­¡±


    Which the librarian picked up and didn¡¯t let go.


    As expected of Train-chan.


    Looks like she is still peerless when it comes to aggroing unnecessary stuff.


    ¡­No, well, I got my just desserts though.


    By the way, Sazan not only didn¡¯t have the entrance fee, his whole fortune was 30E, so Mitsuki was the one that paid for him.


    Moreover, the moment he entered¡­


    ¡°U-Uwaaaa! S-So many books!¡± (Sazan)


    He shouted this and ran off somewhere alone.


    Be silent in the library at the very least.


    It must not have been good that I spaced out there thinking about that¡­


    ¡°Were you listening?¡±


    ¡°Uh? Y-Yes, of course!¡± (Souma)


    The Librarian called me out.


    I answered yes in return, but I of course wasn¡¯t listening.


    Her glare assailed me and cold sweat flowed down from my forehead.


    The Librarian-san¡¯s voice got even lower, most likely suspecting me completely here.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t thinking of something underhanded again, right?¡±


    ¡°N-No way¡­¡± (Souma)


    I hurriedly denied that, but Maki, who was watching this as if amused, whispered behind me.


    ¡°So you say, but maybe you are thinking you can steal as many books as you want from the library with your teleport technique~?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Wa?!¡± (Souma)


    She might have said it as a joke.


    But it still made me snap.


    Even if I think about it as the usual frivolous remark, I can¡¯t just let it go.


    ¡°¡­Take it back.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Maki)


    Anger welled up even further at the surprised Maki.


    I didn¡¯t hide that anger and looked back at Maki.


    ¡°Souma?! C-Calm down¡­!¡± (Ina)


    I pushed back Ina, who hurriedly tried to mediate here, and I stood in front of Maki.


    There¡¯s a decent difference in height between me and Maki.


    I looked down and glared at Maki.


    ¡°Uuh¡­Souma?¡± (Maki)


    Fear got mixed in the voice of Maki.


    That didn¡¯t calm down my anger though.


    There¡¯s things that are fine to say and not.


    ¡°Stealing the books of the library as much as I want with the teleport technique? Don¡¯t joke around!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Ah¡­I-I am¡ª¡± (Maki)


    Maki was about to mumble something, but it didn¡¯t enter my ears.


    This being a library and the Librarian-san being behind me had disappeared from my mind.


    I shouted as if smashing my overflowing anger onto Maki.


    ¡°Just how much effort do you think I¡­we Nekomimi Neko players went through thinking about ways to steal the books here?!!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Sorr¡ªeh?¡± (Maki)


    Maki was dumbfounded here and I pressed on further.


    ¡°Spells and skills can¡¯t be used in this library, and we can¡¯t use Infinite Mirage Prison! The theft identification is at the entrance of the library even if you try to stealthily bring it out, and the books in this place can¡¯t be stored in storage items!


    Even so! Even so, our predecessors racked their brains out, believing there¡¯s a way, and they finally thought up the Mole Style Teleportation and Shoplifting Dash! In the first place, going out of our way here to¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I was getting more and more heated, but the voice that rang behind me cut me off all of a sudden.


    ¡°¡­Can you please tell me about that in detail?¡±


    A hand was placed on my shoulder with a chilling tone, and I nervously turned around.


    ¡°Is it okay for me to take those words just now as a confession of theft or an advance notice?¡±


    The glasses of the enraged Librarian-san were there, and I froze up at those eyes that could kill people.


    (This is bad. This person is super pissed off¡­!) (Souma)


    Her words alone are gentle, but her decisive tone is proof of this.


    The pressure leaking out of her is unbelievable.


    Is this the aura of a person that can do her job?


    Her age shouldn¡¯t be that different from mine and Leila¡¯s, but the aura around her is completely different.


    I don¡¯t think I can go against this pressure I haven¡¯t experienced before.


    I look at my comrades, seeking help.


    The very first person I made eye-contact with was Mitsuki, who was expressionless, but her cat ears were lying down as if saying ¡®I am so ashamed¡­¡¯.


    I don¡¯t think she is going to be helping me here.


    ¡°¡­¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Souma-san¡­¡± (Ina)


    Ringo and Ina were looking at me with really sad eyes like those of fans looking at a star athlete that caused a scandal.


    It scraped off at my heart, and I feel like asking these 2 for help would be bad as a person.


    And the last one is Leila, who at some point in time was standing behind the Librarian-san with Death Bringer in hand. When our eyes made contact, she tilted her head cutely.


    I was wondering what in the world she was doing, and her mouth moved without letting her voice out.


    {Should-I-kill-her?} (Leila)


    At the same time as she did, she made a gesture of cutting the neck with a knife.


    Shivers ran down my spine.


    Her yandere trait had suddenly flared up.


    (You must not kill her! Must not!) (Souma)


    I desperately shake my head to the sides for the safety of the Librarian-san and¡­


    ¡°Do you even have any intention of listening seriously to what others say?¡±


    Seeing this, the Librarian-san¡¯s expression got even stricter, which amplified the killing intent of Leila.


    The worst combination had been established.


    As a result¡­


    ¡°¡­And that¡¯s how it is. Do you get it now?¡±


    ¡°¡­Yes.¡± (Souma)


    I had to listen to the scolding of the Librarian-san trembling in anger for 10 or so minutes, and I had turned into a mere doll that nodded.


    The Librarian-san nudged her glasses up in a bad mood, seeing me like that.


    ¡°Your response alone seems to be fine, but I can¡¯t believe you even if you say that with your mouth.


    Let¡¯s have you write a few lines so that it takes form.¡±


    ¡°Ugh. An apology letter?¡± (Souma)


    To think I would be made to write something like that at my age.


    When I asked this with a bitter face, the Librarian shook her head to the sides unexpectedly.


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t ask for that much. It can be something simple just to keep it in physical form. I doubt you would forget like that.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± (Souma)


    Basically a written pledge.


    When I nodded, the Librarian-san brought out a slightly dense stack of papers to me from her bag.


    ¡°¡­Right. Please write your name here.¡±


    ¡°Just my name?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind as long as I can see your sincerity.¡±


    You are asking for something pretty difficult there.


    For now, I write Souma Sagara at the very top as carefully as possible.


    ¡°Not even worth a glance.¡±


    She threw it away in one go.


    ¡°W-Why? I wrote it like norma¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I was glared at when I said that.


    ¡°I told you to show your sincerity. And yet, you wrote it so small in a corner, moreover, in such letters that I can¡¯t feel any emotion from. Is this what your sincerity amounts to?¡±


    Being told this, it is not like the desire to rebel didn¡¯t well up in me, but after thinking about it for a bit, I once again wrote my name really big on the paper given to me.


    I glance at the face of the Librarian-san.


    ¡°¡­Well, fine. Next would be your apology. One sentence is fine, so please write that you won¡¯t ever break and enter again.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± (Souma)


    Well, this can¡¯t be helped.


    I moved my pen to finish this at once and¡­


    ¡°¡­No, wait.¡±


    The Librarian-san grabbed my hand.


    ¡°You must have your own reputation to keep as well. I want you to reflect, but not to the point where I would wish to drop your reputation. Let¡¯s write it in a more roundabout manner.¡±


    ¡°Roundabout?¡± (Souma)


    Is it possible to express breaking and entering in a roundabout manner?


    I direct a gaze of expectation and¡­


    ¡°Basically, just write that you caused trouble for the library and that you will not be doing it again. The ideal writing to represent all this is¡­¡±


    The Librarian-san nudged her glasses with one finger, and made a thinking pose.


    And then, her eyes opened wide and said this all confidently while pointing straight at me.


    ¡°¡®You must be having it rough, but please do your best! I am rooting for you!¡¯¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­I see.¡± (Souma)


    I don¡¯t understand the logic, but that¡¯s apparently what it is.


    Well, if the person herself says that¡¯s fine, then it should be.


    I wrote it exactly as she asked.


    ¡°Now that I think about it, people might not be able to tell who wrote it with just the name. Can you please add ¡®Sinking Prince¡¯ before your name?¡±


    Hm? I tilted my head, wondering if I called myself ¡®Sinking Prince¡¯, but I write it as told.


    She narrowed her eyes after seeing this, and her demands didn¡¯t stop.


    ¡°Having written that much, it would be better to write who you are addressing it to. Write at the top of your name: to the Royal Library. Ah, no, it would be weird to write it for the library, so write there: To Seirie.¡±


    ¡°Seirie?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°It is my name. It would be easier to understand if it is directed at an individual, so I will let you borrow my name here even if I find it undesirable. But no honorifics will make it sound like you are lacking in sincerity here, so please write ¡®To Seirie-chan¡¯.¡± (Seirie)


    ¡°Eh, Seirie¡­-chan?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Problem?¡± (Seirie)


    I lost to her gaze that was practically saying ¡®You got a damn problem?¡¯ and I silently write it down.


    However, the eyes deep down the glasses were not satisfied.


    ¡°It has gotten a lot better, but I still can¡¯t feel the sincerity here. Let¡¯s add ¡®with love¡¯ here. Ah, adding a heart mark might be good too.¡± (Seirie)


    ¡°I see¡­ That¡¯s fine, I guess.¡± (Souma)


    Having already accepted Seirie-chan, there¡¯s already nothing for me to throw away now.


    When I wrote it all down, the Librarian-san¡­no, Seirie-san¡­I mean, Seirie-chan nodded as if satisfied.


    By the way, the completed product goes like this:


    {To Seirie-chan:


    It must be rough, but please do your best!


    I am rooting for you!


    From the Sinking Prince, Sagara Souma.


    With love (heart)}


    It looks somewhat different from a written pledge.


    Or more like, now that I take a closer look, this is¡­


    The size and thickness, I feel like this looks exactly like a sign paper from the modern world. Is it just a coincidence?


    While I was tilting my head here¡­


    ¡°Now then, I will be storing this paper.¡± (Seirie)


    She takes the paper away from me as if snatching it off my hands.


    Seirie-san quickly wraps it up with something that looks like vinyl, finishing it up nicely, and then hugs it tightly and goes ¡®fuhe¡¯ with a smile that¡¯s not really apt for the public.


    ¡°E-Excuse me¡­¡± (Souma)


    When I spoke to Seirie-san, she moved the sign paper away from her body as if she snapped back, and stowed it away in her bag with quick movements.


    ¡°Now then, I have certainly received it.¡± (Seirie)


    It seems like she is going to act as if that didn¡¯t happen just now. She answered in a business-like manner.


    You would normally be baffled after seeing that, but¡­


    (That¡¯s a relief. She is also a proper resident of Nekomimi Neko.) (Souma)


    The fact that I am feeling relieved in such a weird manner probably means that I have been poisoned by Nekomimi Neko a bit too.


    My comrades at the back seem to be relieved about our exchange too. They were showing something close to wry smiles.


    Even Leila was showing a faint smile while holding the Death Bringer, and then moved her mouth amused in a way that I can see it.


    {I-really-should-kill-her!} (Leila)


    Wait, you shouldn¡¯t!


    I hurriedly looked at Mitsuki and she grabbed Leila away.


    {L-Let go! I can¡¯t kill that woman like this!} (Leila)


    {I am doing this to stop you exactly from that. Cool down your head a bit.} (Mitsuki)


    {I-I have to s-stop women like that before Souma is deceived! A-After I kill her, I will lead a life with no money but a whole lot of love together with Souma in a one story house with a garden, and die on the same day as Souma while being watched by our grandchildren!} (Leila)


    {You are totally planning on living for a long time! Also, considering the fact that we have money and a mansion at present, the setting is pushing it a bit too much. Calm down!} (Mitsuki)


    Totally clueless that such madness was taking place behind her, Seirie asked with her usual serious tone.


    ¡°I have been bothered by this for a while now, but¡­¡± (Seirie)


    Saying this, Seirie passed by my side, and stood in front of the Beckoning Sphinx which I was praying she wouldn¡¯t find while I was being scolded, and then tapped that statue.


    Looks like she noticed it a long time ago.


    ¡°What in the world is this? I don¡¯t think it was there when I came here before¡­¡± (Seirie)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± (Souma)


    I was troubled about what to say.


    It would be pretty difficult to wriggle out of this one after coming this far, but telling her honestly would be¡­


    Maki came to me while I was troubled by this.


    ¡°It is not like you are doing anything bad here, so isn¡¯t it fine? Cause you know, even if we hide it, it would be the same if she were to follow us.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°¡­Well, that¡¯s true.¡± (Souma)


    Now that I think about it, we are only going to be opening the door to the basement, so there should be no problem with telling her.


    Seeing that state of hers before, it is not like she is a completely hardheaded person.


    She might even let us go here if we properly tell her the situation.


    She must find it a curious sight. She is going around the Beckoning Sphinx, observing every inch of it, and would at times touch it.


    Seeing this, I resolved myself.


    I sighed and spoke to Seirie-san.


    ¡°Understood. I will tell you the situation¡­ However, I want you to promise me something beforehand.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°What is it?¡± (Seirie)


    I was on the verge of faltering at the cold gaze of Seirie as she turned only her head here, but I encouraged myself saying that this is important, and told her.


    ¡°That sphinx will activate when you take the koban** it is holding. It would be troubling if it was moved without any preparations, so please don¡¯t touch that place¡­ Uhm, Seirie-san?¡± (Souma)


    For some reason, Seirie-san stopped moving when I said that.


    And then¡­


    ¡°Uhm, there¡¯s something I would like you to see¡­¡± (Seirie)


    ¡°Huh?¡± (Souma)


    After that, she slowly turned around with awkward movements like that of a robot that had not been oiled for a long time.


    I thought it weird at first, but when I saw her appearance¡­no, to be more precise, what she was holding -the flat golden something- I also frowned in the same way.


    ¡°Seirie-san, could it be that that¡¯s¡­¡± (Souma)


    When I said this, everyone¡¯s gazes gathered at Seirie-san and what Seirie-san is holding which you would only think of as a koban.


    Even when bathed by those gazes, Seirie-san didn¡¯t falter at all but instead showed a bold smile.


    ¡°Hih!¡± (Seirie)


    ¡°Hah?¡± (Souma)


    She suddenly let out a scream like that of a small cornered animal, and collapsed flat on the floor with that smile on her face.


    A splendid fall like that of a doll with its strings cut or a robot with a blown fuse.


    ¡°Eh, wa, Seirie-san?!¡± (Souma)


    I hurried to her and helped her up.


    ¡°She¡­fainted?¡± (Souma)


    Seirie-san is completely unconscious.


    ¡­Yeah.


    Looks like she only looked fine, but actually couldn¡¯t take the pressure around her and fainted.


    I do want to say it is great that she is not in any dangerous state here, but the issue here is what¡¯s behind her.


    ¡°What do we do here¡­?¡± (Souma)


    At the side of Seirie-san, at the wide stomach of the Beckoning Sphinx, there¡¯s a question I have not seen before, and an answer input form floating there.

 CH 163

    ¡ªWhat would thousands of people acknowledge as a difficult problem?


    A problem that¡¯s complex, difficult to understand, and can¡¯t be solved without outstanding knowledge and education?


    Or maybe a problem that requires not only knowledge but creativity and thinking out of the box?


    Or a philosophical or religious problem that doesn¡¯t have a right answer?


    A problem where only specific people would get it, something like an inside joke?


    It is true that all of those would be difficult, and there¡¯s no real answer to which one of those would be the most difficult.


    But Nekomimi Neko had provided a completely new contender to ¡®what a difficult problem is¡¯ in a way that no one imagined.


    That¡¯s¡­


    ¡°It really is a problem I haven¡¯t seen before.¡± (Souma)


    I sighed after seeing the problem at the belly of the sphinx.


    If it had at least been a familiar problem, it would have been easier, but I gotta raise the white flag here.


    But this is one of the troublesome traits of the One who knows Wisdom.


    I may be discouraged, but not surprised.


    I have cleared this quest once, but this quest is made to give you 50 problems out of a massive 2,000.


    There¡¯s 1,950 more questions you haven¡¯t even seen if you just clear it once.


    (There¡¯s too many questions no matter how you think about it.) (Souma)


    A massive amount of 2,000 questions.


    This changed the totally unremarkable riddle quest into a monster.


    In the first place, 50 questions is already a lot, and yet, they have prepared 40 times the surplus. Just how tenacious can they be?


    If it just had 50 questions only like normal, and it were simply questions of various genres, this riddle quest might have settled as a slightly difficult quest.


    ¡°¡­Hngh.¡±


    At that time, Seirie, who I had helped up, regained consciousness.


    I am worried about the activated Beckoning Sphinx, but I should prioritize nursing Seirie-san.


    You can¡¯t use healing abilities in the library.


    I quickly took out an HP potion and a Cure potion and tried using it on Seirie-san, but¡­


    ¡°She isn¡¯t getting up?¡± (Souma)


    None of those worked.


    I think the unconscious state is considered as a status ailment, but maybe there¡¯s a different way to heal it when you collapse from being too nervous.


    ¡°Then¡­¡± (Souma)


    If it is about recovering stamina, it would be MP, so I tried using MP potions this time.


    When I did, Seirie-san opened her eyes a bit.


    Her eyes made contact with mine at an unexpectedly close range.


    ¡°Seirie-san?¡± (Souma)


    The sharpness of before is gone, so I nervously asked Seirie-san who was looking at me with unfocused eyes.


    Seirie-san didn¡¯t react even with that, and it was only after blinking 2-3 times that she finally spoke.


    ¡°¡­Dream?¡± (Seirie)


    After she muttered this, her hand slowly approached my face and¡­


    ¡°If you want to dream that much, I can present you with a dream you won¡¯t ever wake up from.¡±


    Leila moved in with knife in hand as if blocking that.


    Her face alone had an unnaturally big smile, but her eyes are completely bad news.


    Crap.


    ¡°W-Wait, Leila!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°As I said, please calm down.¡± (Mitsuki)


    The crazed Leila was quickly dragged away by Mitsuki, but it seems like the sudden knife coming into vision woke Seirie-san up in one go.


    ¡°Uhm, what was that just now¡­?¡± (Seirie)


    ¡°¡­Well, just think of it as a tick of sorts.¡± (Souma)


    I answered Seirie-san who understandably asked with a scared voice, and then leave her to Maki and the others as I head to where Leila is.


    ¡°Wuuu, t-that woman¡­wuu.¡± (Leila)


    Leila was muttering this with teary eyes, but the fact that ¡®Death to the Infidel!!¡¯ didn¡¯t activate means that she is somehow able to endure her jealousy.


    Even Leila is growing.


    I want to believe she is.


    ¡°Y-You really did your best there, Leila. It is alright now, so calm down, okay?¡± (Souma)


    I try to persuade her carefully as if I were dealing with a criminal shutting themself up, and I brushed her shoulder to soothe her, and Leila slowly calmed down.


    ¡°Nice. That¡¯s right, take deep breaths. Deep Breaths. Now, inhale¡­exhale¡­¡± (Souma)


    When I urged her on, she obediently listened to what I said and began to take deep breaths.


    She is a dangerous person reminiscent of a bomb that could go off at any moment, but this obedient side of hers is really a saving.


    I think she is going to calm down eventually like this.


    ¡°Suuh, haah, suuh, haah. Suuuh, haaah. Suuuh, haaah. Suuuuuuh¡­haaaah¡­suuuuh¡­haaaah¡­¡± (Leila)


    Even now, she is seriously obeying my instruction and taking deep breaths with her face buried on my chest¡ª


    ¡°Wait.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Feh?¡± (Leila)


    I hurriedly tore Leila away from me.


    She was taking deep breaths normally at first, but in the middle of it, she was definitely breathing in something different from air.


    She really is someone that wouldn¡¯t just take a fall and lie there. I really can¡¯t lower my guard with her.


    ¡°Is it over? I can still take more deep breaths.¡± (Leila)


    ¡°L-Later, okay?¡± (Souma)


    She should have calmed down with this.


    I ran away from Leila who had dazed eyes, clearly desiring more, and returned to Seirie-san.


    ¡°¡­My apologies. I have messed up greatly.¡± (Seirie)


    When I went to Seirie-san, it was just right when they finished explaining things to her, and she groaned when she saw me.


    ¡°I normally wouldn¡¯t collapse with just this much, but you know¡­I was reading a book all night yesterday, so that was most likely the reason¡­¡± (Seirie)


    The double punch of lack of sleep and the shock must have used her mental stamina.


    She seems like she has a level-head on her shoulders, but still has her own little flaws.


    ¡°It would be better to not push yourself. Ah, want to drink one more?¡± (Souma)


    I doubt one will recover her completely.


    I took out an MP potion from the pouch, and offered it to Seirie-san.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m okay. Despite appearances, being a librarian is about stamina. I am more of a martial artist after all.¡± (Seirie)


    ¡°I see¡­ But it really would be better to not push yourself¡­¡± (Souma)


    When I recommended this to her again, Seirie-san answered with cheeks slightly flushed.


    ¡°It is not an issue about pushing myself. As I said, I am a martial artist. That¡¯s why one is all I need.¡± (Seirie)


    ¡°Uuh¡­¡± (Souma)


    I couldn¡¯t immediately link being a martial artist and not needing potions, but after thinking about it one more time, I got it.


    Martial Artist = Warrior Class = Low Max MP.


    In other words, despite appearances, Seirie-san is actually a muscle-head¡ª


    ¡°M-More importantly, I am truly sorry for activating that device on my own¡­¡± (Seirie)


    ¡°Eh? O-Okay¡­¡± (Souma)


    Being told this, I once again directed my gaze at the sphinx.


    It would be impossible to deactivate the already fully operating sphinx.


    ¡°I heard from Maki-san there. I didn¡¯t know you had such circumstances, Sagara-sama. I have truly done something terrible.¡± (Seirie)


    Just what in the world did Maki and the others tell her?


    Where did the pressure from the beginning go? Seirie-san is looking dejected to a pitiful degree.


    I hurriedly shook my head.


    ¡°No, it is okay. It is not something that must be done at all cost anyways.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°But¡­¡± (Seirie)


    It is a shame that I can¡¯t clear the One who knows Wisdom, but we did achieve the bare minimum.


    I thought it was fine to go back with this.


    But¡­


    ¡°No, it really would be wrong! No matter how long it takes, I swear on my name as a librarian of the Royal Library that I will definitely solve this riddle!¡± (Seirie)


    Seirie-san tightened her fist and proposed something unexpected.


    It is true that Seirie-san might be strong at riddles like this one since she is the librarian here.


    My feelings wavered there for an instant, and my comrades also spoke.


    ¡°W-Wait! Then I will do it too! I will!¡± (Leila)


    ¡°Ah, then me too!¡± (Maki)


    It is the recovered Leila and Maki, who was observing until now.


    Speaking of which, these two do look like they would like riddles.


    (I would feel bad refusing good will.) (Souma)


    And so, it was decided.


    It is true that the One who knows Wisdom is difficult, but it is not impossible to clear.


    There¡¯s even cases where it could be easily cleared depending on the questions that show up.


    ¡°¡­Then, please do.¡± (Souma)


    I lowered my head and we began our attempt to clear the One who knows Wisdom.


    This quest doesn¡¯t only have riddles, but also a variety of other questions. For example; what was the knight division that the 3rd king of the Rihito Kingdom established, or problems where P moves at 3km/h and Q moves at 4km/h in an ABCD square¡ªand stuff like that. It covers a good amount of genres.


    Thinking about it solely from the difficulty of the questions, they aren¡¯t your average questions.


    On the other hand, our trump card, Seiri-san, has apparently memorized almost all the books in this library regardless of genre.


    Most of the books in the library were dummies in the game days, making them unreadable, but that¡¯s not the case in this world.


    That she has memorized them all is quite the outrageous memory.


    And so, about how that¡¯s working¡­


    ¡°Even if it is bread, it is bread that can¡¯t be eaten? An extremely vulgar and childish question that doesn¡¯t even deserve the label of foolish question.


    Within the knowledge related to bread written in the books, and considering the pattern of the questions that this sphinx brings out, the answer is clear as day.


    The answer is 97% rotten bre¡ª¡± (Seirie)


    ¡°Here here, frying pan. Correct!¡± (Maki)


    She had a pretty sad streak.


    ¡°¡­W-Well, it is 97%, so that means there was a 3% chance of being wrong. Y-You could even say my estimations were correct.¡± (Seirie)


    I avert my gaze and act as if I don¡¯t notice that Seirie-san took off her glasses and stealthily wiped her eyes.


    No, it is not like she isn¡¯t useful at all.


    She is extremely strong when it comes to history and math, and she even answered questions that made Leila fall into thought, even when you could consider it her main field, immediately.


    On the other hand, when it comes to riddles that require creativity, she is really weak, and there would be a lot of times where she would spin her wheels pointlessly due to her motivation.


    However, thanks to her joining in, the fields they could cover have increased.


    For adventuring knowledge, there¡¯s Leila; common knowledge, there¡¯s Seirie; puzzles and riddles for Maki. A battle formation where there¡¯s barely any openings had been completed.


    However, there would be times when I would see questions that I have seen before, but¡­


    ¡°Ah! I have seen that questi¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Speed. Correct! ¡­Did you say something, Souma?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°¡­No, nothing.¡± (Souma)


    They would mostly be instantly solved, so I didn¡¯t even have the opportunity to come in.


    (Oh well, that¡¯s fine. It should be fine even if we don¡¯t clear it anyways.) (Souma)


    I think this while being a sore loser, and after a few minutes of watching them work¡­


    The 3 solved the questions smoothly even after that, and in the 13th question when I was beginning to think there¡¯s no need for me¡­


    (This is¡­!) (Souma)


    The moment I saw that problem, my body tilted forward.


    [What¡¯s the creature that stands in 4 legs in the morning, 2 at noon, and 3 at night?]


    The famous riddle that showed up in the stomach of the sphinx made the 3 change color.


    ¡°Ah, I know this one! I will push it, okay?!¡± (Seirie)


    Seirie-san merrily pushed the button faster than everyone, making me wonder just where her stiff image went.


    Even Leila, who was burning in defiance at first, and the selfish Maki were watching over her with gentle expressions like that of a grandpa overseeing his merry grandchild.


    ¡°Uhm¡­hu¡­man¡­¡± (Seirie)


    Seirie-san submitted the answer carefully.


    When she finished inputting the word ¡®human¡¯, she showed a victorious smile and pushed the button.


    But¡­


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Seirie)


    *Bzzzt*


    The buzzer sound rang.


    The Beckoning Sphinx heartlessly denied the answer of Seirie-san.


    ¡°Eh? Eh?¡± (Seirie)


    She inputs ¡®human¡¯ again wondering that maybe she wrote it wrong, but the result was the same.


    Seirie-san fell into a panic and began to input all the answers she could think of.


    ¡°I-In that case, ¡®person¡¯¡­ N-No?


    T-Then, ¡®people¡¯! ¡­Not this either?


    ¡®Man¡¯! ¡­If this is not it either¡­then¡­¡± (Seirie)


    However, they were all pointless.


    All of them had the buzzer ring which meant wrong.


    Seeing this, I sighed.


    (¡­Can¡¯t be helped.) (Souma)


    I thought maybe, but it seems like it won¡¯t be as simple as that.


    The lucky thing here is that it is an answer that I know.


    ¡°Allow me for a bit.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Sagara-sama?¡± (Seirie)


    I gently moved Seirie-san aside and extended my hand to the input panel.


    And then, input ¡®bath¡­¡¯ there.


    ¡°Souma? What in the world are you¡ª¡± (Maki)


    I ignored the dubious face of Maki and pressed the button.


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡± (Maki)


    *Pinpon*


    A nice sound rang and the sphinx announced that it had been answered correctly.


    ¡°W-Why¡­?¡±


    Everyone was making surprised expressions at the way too unexpected development.


    Of course they would be.


    There¡¯s no idiot who would answer ¡®bath¡¯ to that riddle, and there¡¯s no way you would just accept it as the right answer.


    I understand those feelings to a painful extent as I spoke.


    ¡°Uhm, this is hard for me to say, but¡­¡± (Souma)


    I will now be talking about the biggest issue in implementing a pointlessly massive amount of 2,000 problems, and the biggest reason as to why this quest is considered the most difficult.


    The worst thing you can do when bringing out questions in a game¡­no, giving questions to someone in general.


    ¡°¡­The questions this guy gives¡­have wrong answers sometimes.¡± (Souma)


    Riddle quest: The One who knows Wisdom.


    You not only need to answer correctly, but also guess the mistaken answers of the developers or it will be almost impossible to clear. A way too unreasonable quest.

 CH 164

    [At noon, that baldie brought extra work for me again. Told me to add the problems for the riddle quest.


    I still have a whole mountain of work, moreover, the reason for that is also the unnecessary work that the baldie gave me before. And yet, giving me more work again on top of that? Don¡¯t joke around.


    I was thinking so much about refusing, but ¡®Listen here. Game development is a group endeavor. It would be troubling if you alone are so whiny here. The problems are already made, you know? Everyone aside from you have turned the wheels in their heads for several hours, maybe even a whole day. You didn¡¯t participate, so you should at least do this much or it wouldn¡¯t be fair. Don¡¯t you feel even a bit bad about it? You can use Order to write, so can¡¯t you do this in one go? Everyone did their best to make this, so don¡¯t tell me you alone are going to refuse because there will be more work¡­¡¯ he told me this while giving off the scent of hair gel, sweat, old man, and raining saliva on me. Seriously, what the hell.


    It is true that if it were limited to just typing without the need to think of anything, there would barely be any mistakes by using Order, and it would be the fastest way. At least several times faster than the ancient relic called a keyboard that the old man still uses.


    If the contents are already made, it shouldn¡¯t take too much time. I don¡¯t like agreeing with this guy, but arguing with him would be a waste of time. It would be faster to just accept already and finish this quickly.


    ¡­That was a mistake.


    What the baldie brought from his desk was not really big, but looked like an awfully heavy cardboard box. There were a variety of papers and magazines(?) all jammed in, and each of them had something resembling quizzes written there.


    There¡¯s no way all of these are the problems of the riddle quest, is what I thought. But that was exactly the case.


    If I had to recreate the conversation then, it would go something like this.


    ¡°W-Wait a moment! What¡¯s with this amount?!¡±


    ¡°Everyone did their best after all. Yup, I was truly blessed with good staff members.¡±


    The baldie grinned with his bare head shining.


    ¡°No, this is not on that level! Aren¡¯t there more than 100 problems here?!¡±


    ¡°Tsk tsk tsk tsk! You got the numbers wrong~. The numbers~.¡±


    The baldie waved his finger while making a sound like that of calling birds.


    ¡°100 is wrong¡­? You ain¡¯t gonna say it is 1,000, right?¡±


    ¡°Man, that¡¯s close! Truly close! But it is unfortunately double that!¡±


    The baldie had a face full of oil from how amusing he was finding my panic to be.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°As-I-said, it is double! The double being 2,000. It is 2,000 problems!¡±


    The meat of the baldy¡¯s stomach quaked vigorously.


    ¡°Two th¡ªw-wait, there¡¯s no way I can do that ma¡ª¡±


    ¡°Maan, just seeing that face of yours made it worth the hard work. I leave the rest to you, our Ace Programmer-kun! Fuhih!¡±


    The baldie left hopping while letting out a weird sound.


    ¡°You gotta be kidding me¡­¡±


    ¡°Fufufufuhih~!¡±


    Is basically how it went.


    Argh, geez. I am getting pissed just remembering it. The hair roots of that baldie should just go extinct without leaving a trace!!


    Even when I spit those insults, I had no choice but to do it since I already accepted, and my work won¡¯t decrease unless I do it.


    How the riddle quest will proceed has already been decided, so I managed to make a simple framework by utilizing a quest that was similar. However, the riddles that were given to me stood out in how many issues they had.


    As expected from a job that was divided with everyone, there were ones that were straight up copied from a quiz book (with the name of the book in the blank spaces. At least erase that!), problems that seem to have been written by computer and printed (there was no need to print it, just give me the damn data), and others that were really tightly packed with handwriting (super hard to read), and the worst offender being the ones that used erobooks, writing the problems with an autograph pen on top of a photo of a naked woman. I really want to tell that person he is an idiot. The important parts can¡¯t be seen because of the pen¡­no, that¡¯s not it, there¡¯s paper everywhere, so please don¡¯t go out of your way to use weird stuff.


    It couldn¡¯t be helped, so I wrote down the problems while admiring the erobook, and had the scanner eat all the others and turned them into data, changing them into text with a software exclusively for uses like this¡­however, there were some writings that were so bad that it couldn¡¯t be read. I had no choice but to use the images as reference to change them into text directly.


    There were also some parts where the problems would be read wrong. For example; ¡®panda¡¯ <¥Ñ¥ó¥À> would be turned into ¡®a PC¡¯ <¥Ñ¥½¥À> and ¡®pond snail¡¯ <¥¿¥Ë¥·> into ¡®other = 4¡¯ <¥¿£½¥·>, but I can¡¯t go double-checking every single one of the 2,000 problems. I wrote down which ones I should check for now and continued my work.


    The riddles didn¡¯t just have issues with the writing. There would be times when there would be weird scribblings at the side of the problem (most likely a raccoon) and others who would write Hanako and Yuu~ where it would be Yuu instead of You. Others who would write only 5 words before beginning a new sentence. Anyways, it was a whole mess. Of course, I fixed it all by hand. Please don¡¯t add extra work for me.


    And so, I copy and pasted the final text data into the quest. Work proceeded smoothly after that, but I found a new issue along the way. There¡¯s one missing answer compared to the amount of problems. This idiot forgot to write down the answer. I was filling up the question and the answer separately, so I didn¡¯t notice until they were lined up.


    The amount of problems I entered until now were 150. In other words, there¡¯s the possibility that the questions and answers will get misaligned every 150 entries. However, it would be a pain to find the missing part. I can just fix those mistakes once everything is done. I simply add ¡®answer misaligned¡¯ into the last problem¡¯s answer.


    I continued the work for a while, and I found large scale issues. Now it wasn¡¯t 1 answer missing. I found a paper with only problems and no answers written at all. I was wondering who the idiot was and checked the corner of the paper, and there was the name of a certain developer written there.


    If I remember correctly, she is the one in charge of the character designs, and isn¡¯t involved too much with me. Moreover, it is a woman. That¡¯s right. Even if she is a pervert who would go ¡®aahn, Shermia-tan, Shermia-tan, haah haah!¡¯ breathing roughly while looking at the very bottom of the 3d model of the character she herself made, she is still a woman. Even if she is a pervert who would take 10 hours designing characters while going ¡®the springiness and gloss here¡­¡¯, ¡®the ideal nips¡­¡¯, ¡®No! Elasticity! There¡¯s not enough elasticity!¡¯ despite the characters wearing underwear (it would be an issue if they weren¡¯t), she is still a woman. My nickname in high school was ¡®Mole¡¯ or ¡®Bean Sprout Glasses¡¯, so it was too high of a hurdle to talk to her.


    Anyways, I tried finding the answers on the net as much as possible, and added whatever answer I could think of for the ones I couldn¡¯t find. There might be wrong ones, but it should be fine if I just ask her for the answer when I get the chance and fix it then.


    And then, after finishing half of all -1,000 questions- I opened this diary.


    You might think ¡®what are you doing when it is so busy?¡¯, but writing something with Order doesn¡¯t take that much time, and this is an important breather for me. I just can¡¯t not.


    ¡ªOne day, I will publish this diary and reveal to the world that our company is a black company.


    In the middle of this maddening work that I don¡¯t know when it will end, that delusion alone was my only amusement.


    Go ahead and laugh at this dark hobby of mine. But I don¡¯t have a wife, children, and obviously no girlfriend. I don¡¯t drink alcohol or smoke. I don¡¯t have the time or money to play around. As a game programmer with nothing on all fronts, such enjoyments are important.


    Of course, I currently don¡¯t plan on publicizing this and exposing the company. If that happens, it would be on the day when I decide to quit this company¡ª]


    ¡°Eh?!¡±


    After reading that far, the book suddenly disappeared from my vision.


    When I lifted my head in surprise, there was Mitsuki with ice cold eyes looking down at me with the book I was reading just now in her hand.


    ¡°Good grief. You¡­ Leila-san and the others are doing their very best even now, you know? What kind of nerves do you have that you can read something like this all normally in a situation like this?¡± (Mitsuki)


    She isn¡¯t showing much emotion in her voice and expression, but the Cat Ears-chan was going ¡®Geez! Even I can get angry, you know?!¡¯, and was doing its best to show that¡¯s not good.


    Ringo is at the back of the angry Mitsuki, but judging from her sad eyes, I doubt she feels like defending me here.


    Then, there¡¯s no other way but to clear this misunderstanding myself.


    ¡ªSeveral minutes after I answered that famous wrong answer riddle¡­


    Normal questions continued until the 23th one.


    But the 24th one¡­


    A problem even I didn¡¯t know showed up, and we were halted again.


    It is probably almost impossible to get through it.


    Also, even if they manage to clear this question, there¡¯s a high chance another impossible question will show up.


    I proposed to just give up, but Leila shook her head.


    ¡°I-I want to try it!¡± (Leila)


    She said that clearly, and after thinking about the patterns of the wrong answers, she began to input answers with a fine-tooth-comb.


    The two seemed to have been influenced by that sight of Leila, not only did they not give up, they continued trying to clear the One who knows Wisdom with even more determination.


    Seeing those 3, I snuck away, went to the space for reading, at a place where tables and chairs were lined up, and began reading books.


    My actions could be seen as me abandoning those 3 challenging the One who knows Wisdom to read books.


    But that¡¯s a complete misunderstanding.


    ¡°Y-You¡¯ve got it wrong! This is necessary!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Necessary? What part of this is necessary¡­?¡± (Mitsuki)


    I began explaining myself in order to escape from their criticizing gaze.


    ¡°This is a diary from the creator of Nekomimi Neko, and there¡¯s a lot of hints regarding this quest!¡± (Souma)


    There¡¯s countless books in the library, but they are almost all dummies.


    However, there¡¯s no point in this being a library if you can¡¯t properly read books here.


    That said, it is not like the info of one book will solve this in one go.


    There were books where you can find the setting of the game and how to clear it, and books that the staff thought of themselves, but going out of your way to write down proper books for the sake of the game is impossible.


    In order to inflate the number of books, they would copy+paste books that already had no copyright, and there were even trivial stories about the Nekomimi Neko staff. This is one of those.


    This book is a Nekomimi Neko development diary that was written by a Nekomimi Neko programmer and is filled up to the brim with complaints about the Nekomimi Neko development.


    This diary is filled with complaints from beginning to end about the game development, but the more you read, the more the writer sounds like he is being cornered, and at the last page, he wrote with extremely big letters:


    ¡°Towards a free sky!!¡±


    As if hinting at something.


    I think I can imagine what he did after, but this book was published in the game only.


    Looks like he didn¡¯t have the guts to publicize it in the net.


    Regardless of what happened afterwards to him, details of the One who knows Wisdom are written here too.


    The effect it had was big. It nurtured the contents of the Wiki even further, and the players that started later said that clearing the One who knows Wisdom became a lot easier.


    If you read this, you can at the very least imagine what kind of wrong answers there are in this quest.


    The 3 types of mistakes that you can tell from the diary are:


    Your search efficiency increases a lot just from whether you know this or not.


    Also, there¡¯s cases where the answer is written directly like ¡®misaligned answer¡¯.


    That¡¯s why I will read this, and when the 3 are really stuck, I will advise them again with this.


    ¡­Is how I explained in detail, but Mitsuki doesn¡¯t seem to be convinced yet.


    She objected with her cat ears twitching.


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to do something so roundabout. I think it would be settled if you just show Leila-san and the others this though¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    I also thought that.


    But I am thinking of leaving that as the last resort.


    ¡°You heard it too, right, Mitsuki? Leila wants to face this challenge on her own.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh? Aah, yeah. I did hear that too¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    That unfaltering immediate declaration.


    Leila must really love riddles.


    That¡¯s why she won¡¯t give up no matter how unfair the problems.


    She is trying to clear this with her own knowledge and intelligence.


    ¡ªThat¡¯s a resolve that even us Nekomimi Neko players can understand.


    ¡°When I heard that, I felt as if I woke up. Leila and the others are facing this quest with pure emotions.


    Don¡¯t you think it would be boorish to tell them about how to clear it from the very beginning?¡± (Souma)


    I spoke passionately to share my emotions, but the reaction of Mitsuki wasn¡¯t as favorable.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not the issue here. In the first place, Leila-san is doing this for¡ª¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki was about to say something with her ears moving as if troubled, but she sighed and drooped her cat ears and shoulders.


    ¡°Well, fine. This might wake those girls up.¡± (Mitsuki)


    She muttered this as if giving up about something.


    Does that mean she understands me?


    I observed Mitsuki half in doubt and¡­


    ¡°¡­Is that¡­okay?¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo asked Mitsuki in surprise.


    ¡°Yes. They should understand at an early stage that he is this kind of person. It will be a learning experience for them.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­Got it.¡± (Ringo)


    Looks like Ringo also came to an understanding, she nodded.


    I suddenly noticed after seeing that state of hers.


    ¡°Hm? Isn¡¯t your complexion bad, Ringo?¡± (Souma)


    I have begun to worry about the condition of Ringo since the day she felt bad.


    I thought it was because the library was dark, but even accounting for that, Ringo¡¯s complexion isn¡¯t good.


    When I asked this, Ringo hurriedly moved both hands to her back.


    ¡°¡­I-It is nothing.¡± (Ringo)


    It is clearly the ¡®nothing¡¯ that is something.


    I tried to pursue the topic, but Mitsuki stopped me.


    ¡°If it is about Ringo-san, there¡¯s no issue. She is doing her best in her own way for your sake.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°For my sake?¡± (Souma)


    I tilted my head at the unexpected words.


    ¡°¡­M-Mitsuki!¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo threw a clear voice of discontent on Mitsuki.


    But it seems like that wasn¡¯t enough. She was about to bring her hand out in protest¡­but hurriedly moved it back.


    Unable to do anything, Ringo began slamming Mitsuki with her whole body.


    That¡¯s a rare sight.


    I watched that heartwarming sight of the two, and Mitsuki parried Ringo smoothly and moved the chair by my side.


    ¡°More importantly, it would be a bother to make too much noise in the library. How about taking a seat?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°R-Right¡­¡± (Souma)


    Speaking of which, we were making a lot of noise without thinking about it, and it is only now that I looked around.


    There¡¯s a decent amount of people using the library, but there¡¯s fortunately no people paying attention to us.


    Or more like, everyone is laying on the table lazily, and were not minding the surroundings.


    ¡°Everyone seemed more alive at the time we first came here, but it is this time already after all.¡± (Mitsuki)


    The words of Mitsuki made me go ¡®aah¡¯.


    And here I was thinking there was a familiar atmosphere here, but this resembles the sight of afternoon classes in Japan.


    When I think about it like this, this languid atmosphere isn¡¯t that bad.


    There¡¯s those stretching their arms on the table and using that arm as a pillow with their eyes closed; those who are placing both arms on the desk and sleeping as if hiding their face; those who have their chin resting on the table while languidly reading a book.


    This is a somewhat nostalgic sight.


    Of course, it is not like everyone is lazing about.


    However, their numbers are few. One being a mage-looking man that seems to be writing nearby, and a priest-like girl reading a book, and¡­


    ¡°W-Wow! This is incredible! This is the one that¡¯s said to have the secrets of the dark rituals written down, the Pitch Black Magic Book!


    And is this the Book of the Dead that¡¯s said to be a fake book that¡¯s more real than the real thing?!


    Aah! The legendary novel that¡¯s said to make you even stupider because of the writing style and is being treated as a forbidden book, the Strange Reincarnation at Night Zero!


    And what¡¯s here is¡­¡±


    And a weird mage-looking man wearing a mask who is reacting exaggeratedly at every bookshelf he passes by.


    I acted as if I didn¡¯t see anything and faced Mitsuki.


    We made eye-contact just as I returned my gaze.


    Looks like Mitsuki found the same and reached the same conclusion as me.


    She directed her cat ears in a different direction from the masked mage and asked me.


    ¡°Speaking of which, in the ¡®game¡¯ days, you managed to get them all correct, right? How did you do that?¡± (Mitsuki)


    That question of hers is natural.


    It is true that answering wrong questions is a way too high hurdle even for Nekomimi Neko players.


    However, they boldly faced this unreasonable quest.


    The reason being¡­


    ¡°Aah, that¡¯s because the Nekomimi Neko players have 3 weapons normal people don¡¯t have.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°3 weapons?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Yeah!¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s right. With 3 weapons that are invisible but are more important than anything, they faced the giant monster that is the One who knows Wisdom.


    Those 3 weapons are¡­


    ¡ªA deep love for Nekomimi Neko that allows you to enjoy the game no matter what happens.


    ¡ªThe courage to clash onto something countless times without giving up regardless of the suffering and adversities.


    ¡ªAnd RNG tuning.

 CH 165

    Explaining RNG seriously would be hella long, so I will explain this simply. What¡¯s referred to as RNG in games is basically a number randomly generated in a game.


    Like in dice games and life games where you get random numbers with dice and roulettes, advancing your piece the amount rolled, and if it is 3 or lower, you would have to rest. Just think of RNG as the computer version of it.


    However, computers don¡¯t have dice and roulettes, so most would just create a formula that would generate a semi-random number.


    That said, just like how it isn¡¯t impossible to bring out the result you want in dice and roulettes if you practice, the random numbers that the computer created can be manipulated to the same degree or even easier depending on the case.


    You can change the result of what should be a random factor, predicting the random number and manipulating it.


    This is the forbidden gamer technique, RNG adjustment!


    There¡¯s a limit of things that decide the random factors in a game.


    That¡¯s why, if you master the RNG adjustment, you can do super plays like always getting criticals in your attacks, have your enemies always miss or misfire, have enemies drop rare items for certain when you defeat them, get 777 when you roll the slots in the casino, or even have a rare monster of different color in one go.


    ¡­In theory, that is.


    Unfortunately, there¡¯s barely any random number adjustments you can do in Nekomimi Neko.


    Nekomimi Neko is apparently the type where the random numbers are generated every time the game begins, but analyzing that is too much for a game-loving college student.


    Even if you have a grasp of the random numbers, there¡¯s just too many factors using random numbers in Nekomimi Neko and, on top of that, the way the random numbers are consumed are completely different depending on the situation, and it is almost impossible to calculate all of it.


    ¡ªHowever, that¡¯s only for the normal random numbers which have their numbers change each time you reset.


    The Nekomimi Neko staff had made a part of the events not change their random numbers even after a Save and Load.


    This random number is utilized in the One who knows Wisdom. In other words, the Omikuji** Random Number. <TLN: Omikuji are random fortunes written on strips of paper at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples in Japan.>


    When the Nekomimi Neko players got problems in the quest that they couldn¡¯t solve at all, they tried to change them with Save & Load.


    However, we are talking about the Nekomimi Neko staff that don¡¯t cut corners when it comes to making people suffer.


    They have properly taken measures so that you wouldn¡¯t be able to clear it with such means.


    If this quest used the normal random numbers, the problems that appear should change by loading a saved data from just before the quest.


    However, no matter how many times it was reset, the quiz that showed up was the same.


    If it had been the data that was after the problem had already been given to you. But when you redo the One who knows Wisdom from data of before you began, the problems didn¡¯t have any changes to a hateful degree.


    Could it be that the problem in this quest has already been set since the moment the game began?


    There was a moment when even that possibility was entertained.


    However, a certain player succeeded in getting a different problem from the one he had before by coincidence.


    That method was a lot more simple than anyone imagined.


    ¡ªDraw an omikuji before the next problem is given.


    By simply doing that, the problems that show up in the riddle were misaligned.


    Now that that had been ascertained, it was now the usual flow.


    Verifications from Nekomimi Neko players began, and the structure of this riddle quest had been exposed to the light of the day.


    The timing when the riddles are set is when you begin the One who knows Wisdom, and when the previous riddle has been solved.


    It was discovered that, at those moments, it will take reference from the same random numbers to that of deciding the inside of an omikuji in order to choose the next riddle.


    Putting it simply, if a number from 1-2,000 is given out, if your omikuji random number is 1, once you solve the riddle 10, the next one will be 11. If your omikuji random number is 5, it will be riddle 15.


    By the way, when you begin the quest, the riddle is 0, so if your omikuji random number is 1, it will be riddle 1; if it is 2, it will be riddle 2.


    In that case, the matter is simple.


    Each time you draw one omikuji, the omikuji random number changes.


    That¡¯s why you can continue pulling the omikuji until you can get a riddle you can answer.


    Being influenced by this, the next clear method was posted on the Nekomimi Neko Wiki.


    A simple clear method for the One who knows Wisdom even Sazan can do:


    ¡úIf you can¡¯t solve the riddle, Load, pull an omikuji, and Save.


    It might be hard to understand in written form, but this is basically the method to shift the random number of the riddles before solving them by pulling an omikuji.


    In this way, by doing a really ancient way of random number adjustment, it was made possible to change the problems of the One who knows Wisdom.


    However, this adjustment is done with the Save & Load system in mind.


    It is obviously impossible to do in this world where you can¡¯t use Save and Load anymore¡­


    ¡°In other words, the pointlessly long talk until now was truly pointless?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°No, don¡¯t call it pointless!!¡± (Souma)


    The more cold than usual words of Mitsuki hurt me, and I ended up raising my voice, forgetting that this is a library.


    ¡°But being told all of that and then resulting in there being nothing accomplished, I don¡¯t know how to respond to that.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°I-It is simply that it can¡¯t be used right now, but the random number adjustment clear method for the One who knows Wisdom is an incredibly effective method to clear quests and¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°As I said, there¡¯s no point if it can¡¯t be used right now.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± (Souma)


    The attacks of Mitsuki are pretty painful.


    Just when I was about to object¡­


    ¡°¡­Souma.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo, who had been silent and seemed to be in a bit of pain, suddenly looked at the direction of the Beckoning Sphinx.


    I directed my gaze there too, and Leila and the others were walking here.


    What bothers me is that Leila is lending her shoulder to Seirie-san.


    ¡°Did something happen to Seirie-san?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this once they came close¡­


    ¡°No, it is noth¡ª¡± (Seirie)


    ¡°Seirie-san exerted herself too much and collapsed~.¡± (Maki)


    Seirie-san shook her head, trying to play it off, but Maki easily exposed the fact that Seirie-san collapsed.


    Seirie-san glared at Maki in silence, but Maki responded with a smile.


    After looking at each other for a while, Seirie-san averted her gaze and groaned.


    S-She is unexpectedly weak¡­


    ¡°We couldn¡¯t manage to solve the problem, so we are thinking about taking a bit of a break.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°I am sorry. Because of me¡­¡± (Seirie)


    Seirie-san groaned even more at the words of Maki.


    It really makes me feel bad.


    ¡°Well, it seems like your lack of sleep is still affecting you, so please don¡¯t push yourself too much.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Thank you very much¡­¡± (Seirie)


    I directed some words of encouragement and her teary eyes made contact with mine.


    Those eyes of hers were different from the strict atmosphere of before and had a soft nature to it¡ª


    ¡°S-Souma! Want to eat a boxed lunch?!¡± (Leila)


    Leila jumped in between me and Leila-san with a speed as if ¡®Death to the Infidel!!¡¯ had activated.


    ¡°You made a boxed lunch?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Y-Yeah. W-When I had nothing to do¡­ I made it thinking of y-you, Souma.¡± (Leila)


    I was a bit surprised by how she brought the topic in, but I can¡¯t really refuse if she puts it like that.


    ¡°Uhm, there¡¯s a lot of people, but is there enough for everyone? Me being the only one eating would be a bit¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I-I think it will be alright.¡± (Leila)


    And so, it is suddenly boxed lunch time.


    It is a bit soon for dinner, but I was feeling a bit peckish, so that works just fine.


    It is apparently prohibited to eat inside the library, so we followed after Seirie-san, and we were brought to what seemed to be a break room. We decided to eat the boxed lunches there.


    ¡°U-Uh, I made a whole lot, so eat a whole lot, okay?¡± (Leila)


    Leila said this slightly shily as she began to bring out food from the Cooler Box.


    ¡°Ooh!¡± (Souma)


    As expected of the Cooler Box.


    You normally would have to think about the difficulty of carrying it around and what to do when it gets cold, but there¡¯s no need to worry about that if you put it inside the Cooler Box.


    She called it boxed lunches, but she was placing many splendid dishes on the table.


    Dishes that were like a Manchu-Han Imperial Feast were being lined up, and lined up, and lined up¡­


    ¡°Eh, wait¡­t-there¡¯s still more?¡± (Souma)


    Even when the table was already packed, the dishes didn¡¯t stop coming out.


    I hurriedly stopped her.


    ¡°Y-Yeah. I began making them from a few ways back¡­¡± (Leila)


    ¡°A few ways back, you say¡­¡± (Souma)


    Leila has been together with me the whole time since coming to the mansion, and I haven¡¯t seen her making all of this food.


    When I directed eyes of suspicion, Leila looked at me with a nervous gaze.


    ¡°I-It is not a lie. I have simply been making them little by little since 3 days ago¡­¡± (Leila)


    ¡°3 days ago?!¡± (Souma)


    Isn¡¯t that right after meeting me for the first time?


    ¡°Wait wait! You didn¡¯t like me or anything at that moment, right?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°T-That¡¯s what I thought, but I was kind of bothered by it, and by the time I noticed, I had begun making a whole lot of things¡­¡± (Leila)


    It is not like a lot of terms were bothering me here, but I ignored them for my own safety.


    Anyways, to cook a variety of dishes for a man she only saw once and didn¡¯t even know if he would eat it¡­


    Chills ran down my back.


    ¡°¡­Hn. Tasty.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Leila-san really has talent in cooking.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°E-Even I¡­if I had 1 year¡­no, 2 years¡­10 years, I would be able to cook something like this easily¡­!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Yup, tasty! I would say Dustdus Pudding comes first, then this.¡± (Seirie)


    ¡°Fuh, to think you would be able to satisfy my palate. You really do have the skills.¡± (Sazan)


    But my comrades have been honed for this.


    They didn¡¯t really falter at what Leila said, and were munching on the food.


    ¡­I feel like there¡¯s even an unnecessary one who was fished from the scent, but I would be losing if I am bothered by it.


    Seirie-san seems to have recovered from the healing effect of the food, she looks pretty okay now.


    But considering that she has collapsed twice, I couldn¡¯t just not say anything.


    ¡°¡­Hey, how about stopping?¡± (Souma)


    Everyone¡¯s gazes gathered at me when I said this.


    I was being stabbed with gazes of doubt and criticism, but I still speak.


    ¡°I understand that feeling of ¡®We have already come this far¡¯. But I said it from the very beginning, right? Our objective is to not let the Mage Guild get the Nekuranomikon. Clearing the One who knows Wisdom is not absolutely necessary.


    I won¡¯t say there¡¯s no point, but I don¡¯t think there¡¯s worth enough to the point of making someone push themselves.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± (Leila)


    Leila, who was the most motivated, found it hard to say anything.


    Seeing this, I got happy even when this wasn¡¯t the moment for it.


    Leila says a lot of dangerous stuff, but I am truly glad that she is not the kind of person who would say ¡®Seirie doesn¡¯t matter, so I want to continue the quest¡¯.


    And if I can convince Leila, it is only a matter of time.


    ¡°Fortunately, the Nekuranomikon is fine. That¡¯s why¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Please let me do this.¡±


    But an unexpected person objected to my opinion.


    ¡°Seirie-san?¡± (Souma)


    The bespectacled librarian lowered her head deeply at me.


    ¡°Souma-san, I caused you trouble due to my thoughtless actions. I apologize from the bottom of my heart for this.¡± (Seirie)


    ¡°Eh? A-Aah, no, that¡¯s¡­¡± (Souma)


    And then, in the time I couldn¡¯t keep up with the change in the situation, Seirie-san pushed on.


    ¡°But that¡¯s exactly why I want to solve these riddles.


    I am grateful for your consideration.


    However, this is my own selfishness to take responsibility for my mistake, and my resolve.¡± (Seirie)


    ¡°Seirie-san¡­¡± (Souma)


    As if being roused by this, Leila, who had her head hanging down until now, spoke.


    ¡°It is not like you don¡¯t want to clear the trial of this sphinx, right? You would be happier if it was cleared, right?¡± (Leila)


    ¡°Well, yeah¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°T-Then, I want to do it. I want to make you happy with that.¡± (Leila)


    ¡°Leila¡­¡± (Souma)


    I was at a loss for words at her soft yet strong gaze.


    ¡°Eh, what¡¯s that?! That¡¯s not fair! I-I will do it too! Cause you know, I-I love riddles!!¡± (Maki)


    Maki raised her voice as if saying she didn¡¯t want to be late in the ride here.


    The reason for one of them is awfully light, but that¡¯s why those must be the honest feelings of Maki.


    I look at Leila, Seirie-san, and Maki with complicated emotions.


    Even if their motivations are different, it seems like they all have a strong desire to clear the quest.


    ¡­Now that it has come to this, there¡¯s no reason to be against it.


    I raised both hands in silence and showed I yielded here.


    The faces of the 3 got bright in one go.


    It is not like I want to throw cold water on this, but I really have to ask this.


    ¡°And so, do you think you can clear it?¡± (Souma)


    The reaction to this was extremely obvious, and the 3 hung their heads down.


    Looks like it is not a favorable situation.


    ¡°After that, we advanced a little bit and reached the 26th problem. But the one that came up, we just can¡¯t¡­¡± (Maki)


    ¡°It might be my imagination, but I feel there¡¯s something off about the question. That said, I still don¡¯t know what it is¡­¡± (Seirie)


    Maki and Seirie-san explain.


    It has pretty much gone as I imagined.


    It was worth searching for a hint in the diary then.


    I paused for a brief moment as if teasing them, and stepped in as an advisor.


    ¡°Then, I will give you advice¡­no¡­¡± (Souma)


    I glanced at Mitsuki.


    The cat ears of Mitsuki were twitching as if she wanted to say something, and I rephrased myself.


    ¡°It might be a bit underhanded, but if I were to say that I have the diary of the person that set those riddles which could serve as a clue to solve the riddle quest, would you want to read it?¡± (Souma)


    When I said this, Leila and Seirie looked at each other and slowly nodded.


    Looks like the two have the same opinion.


    Maki is also making a ruckus, going ¡®let me read it, let me read it¡¯.


    ¡°I see. Then, I will let you borrow this.¡± (Souma)


    I was about to give the diary to Leila and hesitated at the last moment.


    Depending on how you see it, you could call this the diary of this world¡¯s creator.


    If they read this, they might learn that this world is a game.


    Even if not, they will still feel something is off.


    (No, even with that¡­) (Souma)


    I shook my head lightly and pushed the book onto Leila.


    ¡°The details of this quest are written around the 5th page. You might find some things curious when you read this. I will definitely tell you after. That¡¯s why I would like you to just swallow those questions and concentrate on clearing the quest.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Souma¡­ Okay, got it.¡± (Leila)


    Leila received the Nekomimi Neko development diary with a serious face and immediately began reading the page I told her.


    Maki and Seirie-san also came in from the sides.


    Ina seemed like she wanted to read it too despite not being involved in this at all, but the 3 looked so serious that she had no choice but to give up and withdraw to the back.


    I sent a gaze to Mitsuki, asking her ¡®this should be fine, right?¡¯, but she didn¡¯t make eye-contact with me and had her cat ears folded as if she was saying she doesn¡¯t hear anything.


    Good grief, what a shy girl.


    ¡°To think such a book¡­¡± (Seirie)


    The diary I let them borrow must have been shocking.


    Seirie-san leaked out those words while following the letters as if she were eating them.


    ¡°Ah, this Order refers to being able to write letters like gyuuun¡­¡± (Maki)


    On the other hand, Maki, who is the only one who has knowledge in modern computers, is the one explaining to them the terms they don¡¯t know.


    ¡°Aaah! Racoon!!¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Y-Yeah, that problem really did have a lot of ¡®ra¡¯ to the point it felt weird.¡± (Leila)


    Looks like they found the hint.


    ¡°I-I see. It is true that I can¡¯t deny this can serve as a hint. There¡¯s a lot of ¡®ra¡¯, so that means it is that, yeah.¡± (Leila)


    And within that group, there¡¯s Seirie-san who is desperately trying to act as if she gets it which I watch over with lukewarm eyes.


    They then stood up soon after and ran to the Beckoning Sphinx.


    ¡°Uhm¡­after taking out the ¡®ra¡¯s here, the real question is¡­got it! The answer is woodpecker!¡± (Maki)


    When Maki entered her answer, the pinpon sound announcing it was correct rang.


    ¡°Yay! Got through the 26th riddle!¡± (Leila)


    Maki and Leila high-fived happily.


    Watching this¡­


    ¡°Yeah, in this scenario, the chances of it being ¡®woodpecker¡¯ are 99%.¡± (Seirie)


    Seirie-san, who seemed like she still doesn¡¯t understand why the answer is woodpecker, shifted her glasses up and down while saying this as if all-knowing.


    ¡°We are plowing through!¡± (Maki)


    Maki challenged the 27th riddle as if borrowing the momentum of the previous difficult problem and immediately got it right.


    The 28th and 29th were cleared consecutively, and at the celebratory 30th¡­


    ¡°¡­Again, huh.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°I-It seems so.¡± (Leila)


    A hard question again.


    Having their answer fail despite that normally being the correct answer, the shoulders of the two drooped at the feeling of a difficult struggle, but that was actually convenient for me.


    I step forward as if moving away Seirie-san who is fixing her glasses silently in vexation.


    ¡°No, you did well. I can finally make my move.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Souma?¡± (Leila)


    I said this and tapped the shoulder of Leila.


    I then said this to Leila who had her eyes wide open.


    ¡°I already know the answer to that¡­ But just leave it like that without answering it right¡­¡± (Souma)


    I looked at the sphinx once more, and then turned around, and walked to the exit of the library.


    ¡°S-Souma, where are you going? Could it be that you are already giving up?¡± (Leila)


    Leila called me while I was heading out.


    I stopped at this and shook my head.


    ¡°No way. As if I could let this perfect opportunity slip by.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh? T-Then why are you heading out?¡± (Leila)


    I smiled boldly at the following question of Leila and answered¡­


    ¡°¡­I am heading off to pull an omikuji.¡± (Souma)


    The game of random number adjustment, Nekomimi Neko.


    The whole picture is about to be revealed¡­

 CH 166

    At a corner of the capital of Rihitel.


    Close to the Royal Library, there¡¯s a Japanese style area that you would find hard to believe is inside an European style city.


    A peculiar gate formed by red pillars, and there¡¯s statues resembling lions resting at both sides.


    Gravel laid on the decayed stone steps.


    And what¡¯s smiling deep in is a smiling black haired girl wearing a mysterious white and red attire.


    ¡­To be blunt, it is a straight up Shinto shrine.


    A Shinto Shrine in this country in terms of their religion is a mystery, but one young man came here every day.


    His aim being the omikuji that has strange powers.


    No, it is a bit hard to deny that the shrine maiden giving omikuji was also attractive, but his excuse was the omikuji.


    He went up the stairs today as well, and showed up in the Shinto Shrine he is accustomed to.


    Even though it is just a bit of an altitude difference, he felt as if this space was always filled with pure air.


    No, this shrine has a healing effect for HP and MP even if little, so that feeling might not be that far from the truth.


    ¡°Ah, good morning!¡±


    While thinking about that, the black haired girl sweeping the compounds noticed him and spoke to him.


    Honestly speaking, there won¡¯t be dust or trash piling up that would require sweeping no matter how much time it passes, but that¡¯s not the issue.


    His cheeks loosened naturally at the bright smile that one could even feel sanctity from.


    He had a girl he had promised to get married to in the past.


    Because of a certain incident, he had to break up with her, but this bright shrine maiden somewhat reminded him of that girl he has parted with.


    ¡°Are you getting an omikuji today as well?¡±


    The girl asked and the man nodded nervously. He took out the Crystal filled with Element.


    ¡°Yes. Please give me a good one.¡±


    ¡°Fufu, I wonder about that. That¡¯s something God decides.¡±


    The shrine maiden giggles playfully at his words.


    Even when knowing this is just a scripted conversation, he couldn¡¯t hold off his heart from racing.


    ¡°Now then, please pull one.¡±


    Unbeknownst if she is aware of his internal struggles, the shrine maiden offered him a square cylinder filled with numbered notes for omikuji use.


    He took that without hesitation.


    Even if around half of his reason for coming to this shrine daily is to see the smile of this shrine maiden, the other half is purely because of the effect of the omikuji.


    The effect of the omikuji isn¡¯t that big of a deal.


    Even in the case when you pull the biggest one that is ¡®Excellent Fortune¡¯, you simply get 20% more Element from the monsters for 24 hours.


    ¡®Good Fortune¡¯ gives you 10%. If you get ¡®Bad Fortune¡¯ and ¡®Terrible Fortune¡¯, it will be the opposite. 10% or 20% less in the Element you obtain.


    Then, does that mean it really is a matter of luck whether you benefit or suffer? Not really.


    You can pull the omikuji as many times as you want with 100E, and if a new effect comes out, it gets overwritten.


    In other words, even if you are unlucky and draw Bad Fortune, you can pull several times again until you get Good Fortune, and only the effect of the Good Fortune will be applied.


    100E isn¡¯t much for him now, and the rates aren¡¯t bad.


    Aside from the aforementioned ones, there¡¯s also the familiar Regular Fortune, Slightly Good Fortune, and Lasting Fortune; weird ones like Terrible Fortune x Excellent Fortune, and Terrible Fortune x Terrible Terrible Fortune; also joke ones like Test Fortune, Shangri-La Bad Fortune, and Used. However, in principle, you can get Excellent Fortune almost for sure if you draw 20 times which is 2,000E.


    In other words, as long as you aren¡¯t frugal with the time and have no problems of coming there and drawing the omikuji, you definitely won¡¯t come out losing. It is a bit of a special event.


    Rather, the omikuji¡¯s effects are created from the mysterious effect of the shrine¡¯s mana, in other words, Element which doubles as money, so it even made him worry about their financial state for running a business with such a generous price.


    By the way, when he asked about this directly¡­


    ¡°It is true that the more omikujis sold, the more on the red we are¡­ Ah, but that¡¯s okay! This is just between us, but the omikujis here have attracted customers, and we are profiting in other aspects! That¡¯s why there¡¯s no problem at¡ªah, you definitely must not tell this to anyone else, okay?!¡±


    The vexed sight of the shrine maiden at that time had charmed him, and he became a regular of that shrine.


    ¡°¡­Then, I am drawing.¡±


    As expected of someone who comes daily, he was used to this.


    He waved the cylinder to a decent degree, and after making clear rattling sounds, he swung his hand vigorously, and after waving his hands with one big motion, a wooden stick with a number came out from the container.


    ¡°Hm¡­?¡±


    The usual omikuji and the usual motions.


    And yet, the number that came out from it is different from usual, which made him furrow his brows.


    ¡°¡­Six hundred sixty six?¡±


    There should only be 2 numbers at most on the omikuji.


    He tilted his head slightly, but the girl moved before that.


    ¡°The number 666 would be this.¡±


    Saying this, she gives him the omikuji kindly like usual.


    Even when having a bad feeling about this, he slowly opened the paper and looked inside.


    666 Fortune: Worst Fortune.


    The Person you wait for: Not only will they not come, they will hate you.


    Lost Articles: You will lose other things while searching for it.


    Gamble: It would be a miracle if you win.


    Desires: They won¡¯t be granted to a shocking degree.


    Travel: You will be able to journey off into the skies.


    Health: One little trip will kill you.


    Illness: One little bit of bubble lotion will kill you.


    Studies: The more you try, the more you forget.


    Love: Know your place.


    Marriage Proposal: You will be blessed greatly, so you definitely should try it.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    He was speechless at how outrageously horrible it is.


    He has been coming to this place for several weeks already, but this is the first time he has gotten a result as horrible as this one.


    He wondered what happened to his Element acquisition rate, so he hurriedly checked his own Status Screen, and the status change entry had [Worst Fortune (Element Acquisition Rate -80% ?Lottery Fortune Worst)] added to it.


    ¡°This really is the worst¡­¡±


    He muttered this.


    But the good part of this is that you can redraw.


    He paid 100E to the shrine maiden-san without hesitation and drew the omikuji again.


    But¡­


    ¡°Eh? ¡­666?¡±


    The stick that he had redrawn had the same number written.


    ¡°O-One more time!¡±


    A nightmarish coincidence.


    But he can still redraw.


    ¡®This time for sure, a normal one should come¡¯ -he stretches his hand towards the cylinder with numbers once more.


    But no matter how many times he tried¡­


    ¡°666 again¡­¡±


    Only the Worst Fortune omikuji was coming out.


    After drawing for several dozen times, he came back to his senses.


    ¡°Could it be that the Lottery Fortune that was shown in the explanation just now¡­¡±


    He thought at first that it was rubbing salt on the wound for drawing Worst Fortune.


    But if that cemented his draws from here on¡­


    ¡°U-Uhm¡­¡±


    When he was filled with dread, a saving hand was extended to him.


    The shrine maiden girl gently held his hand and said with an anxious face as if encouraging him.


    ¡°Tomorrow! How about you try drawing it again tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°¡­Aah, right.¡±


    I forgot something important in my panic.


    The effect of the omikuji runs out in 24 hours.


    There¡¯s no need to get all flustered redrawing. The Worst Fortune will end if he endures for 1 day, and the Element Acquisition Rate and the Lottery Fortune will return to normal.


    He thought for a moment he might as well just reset, but it has already been confirmed that the results of the omikuji don¡¯t change.


    If he is going to draw Worst Fortune one day anyways, it would be better to make it fast.


    ¡°Thanks. Then, I will come again tomorrow at this time.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will be waiting!¡±


    He was about to waste money there.


    He felt deep gratitude towards the shrine maiden smiling dazzlingly, and left the shrine.


    And then, the next day.


    He went up the stairs triumphantly.


    The day he drew the Worst Fortune, his adventures unexpectedly went well.


    The money he got from the monsters was a lot lower than normal, but it is bearable if it is just one day.


    After clearing 2 quests, he saved, stayed at an inn, and after checking that it was the time when he pulled the omikuji yesterday, he went to the shrine.


    ¡°Ah, good morning! Are you getting an omikuji today as well?¡±


    Hearing the energetic voice of the girl¡­


    ¡°Yes, please give me a good one.¡±


    He responds in the usual manner.


    And then¡­


    ¡°Fufu, I wonder about that. That depends on the luck of the person.¡±


    He felt something was a bit off from her words, but he drew the omikuji for now.


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡±


    He froze at the 666 written there.


    (What¡¯s going on¡­?)


    He hurriedly confirmed the time.


    There¡¯s no doubt.


    It has already been 24 hours since the last time he drew.


    ¡°O-Once more!¡±


    Even when he was somewhat aware that it would be pointless, his hand stretched towards the cylinder.


    However, the result was cruel.


    It was like the recreation of the nightmare from yesterday.


    No matter how many times he drew, no matter how many times he repeated it, that cylinder was only spitting out 666 sticks.


    (This is weird. Even if the 2nd time onwards is the effect of the Worst Fortune, why did it show up in the 1st one today? 24 hours have passed and the Worst Fortune¡¯s effect should be gone¡ªno, could it be¡­?!)


    When he investigated his own Status, the Worst Fortune was still showing there. Moreover, now that he looked closely, the remaining time for the effect to go away was not written there.


    That there¡¯s no indication of this¡­


    ¡ªCould it be that this is a permanent effect?!


    He had lowered his guard completely.


    The other omikujis were 24 hours, so he just assumed that was the case for the Worst Fortune too.


    It may not have been intentional, but the words of the shrine maiden ¡®come draw tomorrow¡¯ amplified that assumption.


    (What should I do? What must I do?)


    It might have still been salvageable when he still hadn¡¯t saved yesterday.


    If he just resetted and never drew omikujis again, it would have been solved.


    But he saved yesterday night already.


    He already can¡¯t erase the reality that he drew the Worst Fortune omikuji.


    He couldn¡¯t think of what to do next.


    Would he have to continue his adventures with the terrible effect of -80% Element Acquisition Rate?


    In that case¡­


    ¡°Uhm¡­¡±


    But a hand of salvation was extended to him when he was in despair once again.


    He raised his head and the shrine maiden kindly offered him her hand.


    ¡°Bad luck is in a way an evil. Would you like to exorcize it?¡±


    The face of her saying this while tilting her head looked truly like that of a God.


    (God really didn¡¯t abandon me!)


    It was as if he had found Budha while in hell. He held the soft hand of the girl as if clinging onto it.


    He lowered his head deeply, really deeply.


    ¡°Please do!¡±


    And then, she said with a crystal clear smile like that of an actual angel smiling¡­


    ¡°Thank you very much! That will be one payment of 1,000,000E!!¡±


    ¡ªAt that instant, his angel had transformed into a demon.


    ¡°¡­And so, something like that happened.¡±


    I told them that story while we were heading to the shrine, and Mitsuki, who was walking by my side, had her cat ears bend as if finding it displeasing, and Maki was making a complicated expression.


    By the way, my companions are currently these two: Mitsuki and Maki.


    Leila and Seirie-san stayed to watch over the sphinx, and Sazan is missing.


    Ringo and Ina tried to come with us too, but at the time when leaving the library, Ina left a mysterious message that said ¡®it has been completed¡­¡¯ and dropped out.


    And on the way here, Ringo gave a shounen manga protagonist excuse of helping an old lady that had fallen on the road, and dropped out too.


    And so, one of the important remaining companions, Mitsuki, raised her cat ears as if filled with discontent and spoke.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that totally a fraudulent business? And so, what happened to you¡­I mean ¡®him¡¯?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Obviously that time I¡­no, this acquaintance of mine, couldn¡¯t prepare the 1 million E at once¡­apparently. He somehow managed to make the money by doing quests for several weeks, and selling items, and he finally managed to pay the 1 million E¡­or so he said.¡± (Souma)


    It is only now that I understand.


    They have the other party win a little bit, and then once they have their trust, they deceive them of their money.


    The classic move of a scam.


    They would bait you with omikujis that have a high effect for a low price, and then suck your money away with the combo of Worst Fortune. It is the worst kind of business practice.


    Even though there¡¯s no way an event that benefits players would just be lying around at arm¡¯s length in Nekomimi Neko. I really messed up there.


    While I was cursing the failings of my youth, Maki poked her head out from behind Mitsuki.


    ¡°Hey, I am more interested in that woman you promised to marry!¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Wa?!¡± (Souma)


    I was troubled in what to say because of what she suddenly blurted out.


    ¡°A-As I said, that wasn¡¯t me but an acquaintance.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Lies. You had no acquaintances in that world, Souma.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Just how much of a loner am I? I do know a few.¡± (Souma)


    Even though I went out of my way to say acquaintance instead of friend since it would be exposed right away if I said friend. What an unbelievable girl.


    Mitsuki spoke as if mediating when I was indignated by this.


    ¡°Anyways, how is this related to the riddle quest?¡± (Mitsuki)


    It is a pretty forceful change of topic, but what she is asking is understandable.


    I try to soothe Maki, who was trying to approach me, with one hand while answering Mitsuki.


    ¡°Yeah, that 1,000,000E exorcism had a lot of victims aside from me¡ªI mean, him. But Nekomimi Neko players are the type that don¡¯t just stand up normally when they fall. We¡ªThey thought of a way to use that.¡± (Souma)


    That Worst Fortune omikuji has a destructive power that doesn¡¯t bring shame to its Worst Fortune name.


    Even so, the chances of drawing Worst Fortune in the omikuji is really low.


    To be more precise, the 666 omikuji only shows up when the omikuji RNG hits the lowest denominator.


    ¡°However, once you get hit by the Worst Fortune state, you won¡¯t get anything but Worst Fortune afterwards¡­ Do you know why?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Because the contents of the omikuji are decided by the random numbers of the omikuji¡­ah, could it be¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    Her face was expressionless, but her cat ears were trembling, showing that Mitsuki was shuddering. I nodded clearly.


    ¡°It is probably as you have imagined just now. The moment you draw the Worst Fortune omikuji, the random numbers of the omikuji will be adjusted, and set up so that the random numbers are all the lowest denominator!¡± (Souma)


    This is the reason why Nekomimi Neko is not called a game where you can adjust the random numbers¡­but a game that adjusts the random numbers.


    There may be many games where you can adjust your RNG, but Nekomimi Neko is probably one of the few games who would have a horrible RNG adjustment like this one.


    It is not like I took a direct look at the data or anything, so I don¡¯t know if the RNG really was changed or if they did something with the rates though.


    However, it isn¡¯t much of a difference for the people playing the game.


    In the case you do an event when you are in that state, the reality that a crushing defeat is promised doesn¡¯t change.


    Thanks to this adjustment, the players who drew the Worst Fortune would find it difficult to earn money from gambling type games like the casino, making it even more difficult to pay back the 1 million E, but that in turn also makes other things possible.


    Riddle Quest: The One who knows Wisdom.


    In this quest alone, you won¡¯t be troubled even if the RNG is the lowest denominator.


    No, not only that. With the random number being set, the difficulty decreases drastically.


    ¡°When the omikuji random number is at the lowest denominator, the next riddle of the One who knows Wisdom will always be the same.


    In other words, the problems coming out are fixed!¡± (Souma)


    When in the Worst Fortune state, the riddle number will only advance one by one.


    If you clear the 1st problem, the next one will be 2, and then 3, always.


    The new clear method with that in mind is this.


    The way to clear the One who knows Wisdom that even Sazan can do, part 2.


    I don¡¯t know if those last steps were necessary there, but let¡¯s leave that aside. Anyways, it is simple.


    It is on a level where it really would be possible for Sazan to do too.


    However, it can only be certain with the riddle number 1 to 50.


    Normally, you would have to draw the omikuji before you begin the One who knows Wisdom in order to do this clear method.


    That¡¯s why it was such a struggle until now.


    ¡°The riddle that showed up at the end is one I know of. That¡¯s riddle 6. The very first wrong answer riddle you get hit with in The One who knows Wisdom.¡± (Souma)


    However, the story is different if we find riddles 1 to 50.


    I am sure that I can get them all right until the riddle 50.


    Hearing this, Maki counted with her fingers and asked.


    ¡°Uuuh, there¡¯s 20 questions remaining and the one that was found was the 6th riddle, so¡­you know the remaining 43, right? T-Then, if you were to draw the Worst Fortune omikuji¡­¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Yeah, I can get them all right till the end for sure!!¡± (Souma)


    I responded confidently to Maki and jumped into the compounds and said:


    ¡°Excuse me, give me a whole lot of omikuji! Until I get Worst Fortune!!¡± (Souma)


    I shouted this to the shrine maiden that has taken care of me before.


    ¡°Sorry for the tardiness!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Souma!!¡±


    When I went to the deepest part of the library, Leila jumped at me with a big smile on her whole face.


    That action of hers brought back some bad memories but I somehow managed to catch that body of hers.


    ¡°Sorry, took more time than expected.¡± (Souma)


    I apologized, but Leila shook her head within my arms.


    ¡­After that, the Worst Fortune just wasn¡¯t showing up no matter how many omikuji I drew, and it made me impatient, but¡­


    ¡°Hey, Shrine Maiden-san, is there really a Worst Fortune in here? You know, there have been those cases recently~. Like in gachas, there would be times when they would tell you there¡¯s an Ultra Rare of something, but the reality is that there wasn¡¯t even one in there.


    Honestly speaking, I think that¡¯s a straight up scam. I wonder if that¡¯s the same with this omikuji~.


    I don¡¯t know how many sticks there are inside this cylinder, but I have definitely drawn an amount of sticks several times what should be inside.


    Even so, I haven¡¯t gotten a single one? Aren¡¯t the rates a bit weird~?


    Could it be that you have done something to it~?


    Hey, care to explain? Come on, Shrine Maiden-san.¡± (Souma)


    I tried acting like a claimer with a bit of revenge mixed in it, and it finally showed up.


    After confirming this, we ran back to the library while leaving the shrine maiden that was half in tears.


    ¡°Time is of essence! I am going from the back¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I was about to finish my sentence there, but Mitsuki grabbed the back of my collar and we entered the library from the entrance, paying the entrance fee like normal.


    It seems like we made Leila and the others pretty uneasy here, but our preparations are perfect thanks to this.


    I slowly moved Leila away from me and stood in front of the sphinx.


    ¡°Apologies for the worry. But it is alright now. Leave the rest to me.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Souma¡­ O-Okay!¡± (Leila)


    ¡°Then, I leave the rest to you.¡± (Seirie)


    I received the gaze of trust from Leila and the gaze of expectation from Seirie, and moved my hand to the entry form.


    What¡¯s shown in the screen is the pretty orthodox math problem where you have to calculate the rendezvous point in an ABCD area at full sprint with Hanako-san** chasing after you. <a Japanese urban legend about the spirit of a young girl named Hanako-san who haunts school toilets.>


    However, I know this is not the math problem shown here.


    ¡°The answer is¡­Hanako-san!!¡± (Souma)


    The letters of Hanako-san are input along with my shout.


    ¡°Eeeh?!¡± (Maki)


    I could hear the scream of Maki from behind, but I didn¡¯t pay attention to it.


    I don¡¯t know why the developers placed the name of a person as the answer for a question asking you for a location.


    There wasn¡¯t a single mention of this in the diary. I don¡¯t know what kind of esper managed to discover the answer to this either.


    However, I know that this is the correct answer.


    The clear pinpon sound rang.


    With this, there¡¯s now 20 questions remaining.


    From here on, there¡¯s only 4 within the 7 to 27 that are wrong answers.


    Moreover, I know all of them.


    That¡¯s why my hands won¡¯t stop.


    No reason to.


    Question 31 shows up.


    The 3 questions following up 7 to 9 are normal questions.


    The number 7 certainly does look familiar.


    It is not necessary to take my time here.


    I extend my hand to the entry form and¡­


    ¡°¡­Hm?¡± (Souma)


    My hand stopped right before touching the screen.


    And my fingers didn¡¯t move forward one bit after.


    ¡°D-Did something¡­happen?¡± (Leila)


    Leila nervously asks me since I had stopped completely.


    I turned around slowly and answered her question.


    ¡°Uuuuh¡­looks like I forgot the answer.¡± (Souma)

 CH 167

    I have confidence in my memory when it comes to Nekomimi Neko, but I didn¡¯t exactly memorize the answers of all 50 questions.


    If I remember correctly, it was in my 3rd or 4th playthrough of the game when I cleared this quest with the easy 2nd clear method.


    It was at the time when I wasn¡¯t that apprehensive towards checking the Wiki.


    I remember the questions with the wrong answers clearly because I would compare the question and the answer and laugh out loud, but my memories of the other questions are honestly hazy.


    That said, a normal quiz can be solved easily by Leila, Seirie-san, and Maki.


    I could leave this to those 3 aside from the wrong answer problems.


    I told the 3 to solve those problems, and they all agreed pleasantly.


    ¡°Okay~.¡± (Maki)


    Maki agreed casually.


    ¡°We¡¯ve come this far, so it would be troubling if you were to tell us to give up instead.¡± (Seirie)


    Seirie-san fixed her glasses and said dependable words.


    And the last one¡­


    ¡°Yeah, leave it to me. I have this book that you gave me, so it is okay.¡± (Leila)


    She said this while caressing the opened diary preciously.


    I simply gave it to Leila so the 3 could use it. Giving it to Leila as a gift was nowhere in my mind, but it seems like that¡¯s how she warped the facts inside her head.


    Now that I think back on it, the 3 of them seemed like they were reading that diary all friendly, but I feel like the one who always had it was Leila.


    (¡­Oh well.) (Souma)


    I doubt she will lose it with how much she seems to be treasuring it, and different from Sazan, Leila would most likely give it back to me immediately if I asked her to.


    Anyways, it will only be a matter of time before we clear this quest.


    I was thinking about helping out as well in order to reach that conclusion sooner, but¡­


    ¡°You will distract everyone if you are watching, so go wait over there.¡± (Maki)


    Being told this by Maki, I wrote down the answers to the wrong answer questions and gave them to the 3, and then decided to go back to the reading room where the others are.


    The reading room was a disaster like usual.


    We were hit by that languid atmosphere, and we also ended up lazing about as well.


    ¡°Fuwaaa. Even I am spacing out and feeling sleepy.¡± (Ina)


    Ina let out a big yawn and placed her cheek on the table.


    Good grief, what an easy to influence girl.


    I was wondering how my other comrades were and checked. Mitsuki had her back straight as usual, sitting there with good posture.


    As for Ringo, who I was worried was not feeling well, she is now munching on something all energetically¡­wait.


    ¡°Ringo, what in the world are you eating?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Omanjuu**. Got it from Oba-chan.¡± (Ringo)


    No, that¡¯s not what I was asking.


    By Oba-chan, she must mean¡­the old lady that she helped out on the way to the shrine?


    Ringo had already sent the old lady back to her house and came back by the time we returned to the library.


    Fortunately, the symptoms of the old lady weren¡¯t serious, and she got better by throwing a potion to her, but it seems like she was moved by this and gave her the omanjuus at her house as a gift.


    Grannies always give you snacks no matter the world.


    No, in the first place, isn¡¯t it prohibited to eat here?


    ¡°¡­Want to eat too, Souma?¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°O-Okay.¡± (Souma)


    Even so, I got swept away by the flow and was about to accept the omanjuu, but I noticed something.


    ¡°Hm? Did you always have a ring on your right hand?¡± (Souma)


    I don¡¯t have a hobby of checking the rings of others, but Ringo has the habit of checking her own rings every now and then, so I can somewhat remember.


    If I remember correctly, she had 2 rings, both on the left hand.


    ¡°¡­I-I don¡¯t have any.¡± (Ringo)


    But Ringo pulled back her right hand as if I asked something bad there.


    I don¡¯t really get it, but it is a suspicious reaction.


    I tilted my head in wonder and Mitsuki did the rare action of speaking as if amused by this.


    ¡°How about you give a ring to Ringo-san as a gift? If you give her 7¡­no, 8 that would fit her, I am sure she would be happy.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­M-Mitsuki!¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo raised her voice again.


    Looks like there¡¯s some sort of weird understanding between them I don¡¯t know about.


    Could it be that there¡¯s some sort of thing that only women get? -I look to the side at Ina and¡­


    ¡°Feh?¡± (Ina)


    Ina simply looked up, sleepy.


    ¡­Yeah, even if there¡¯s something like that, only Ina would not get it.


    Seeing how clearly nervous Ringo is here, I wouldn¡¯t feel too good about pursuing the topic too persistently.


    I avert my gaze from the two and observe the surroundings.


    The ones in the library are as languid as ever.


    There¡¯s only 2 who are properly doing anything.


    When I looked at the female priest, it was right at the time when she was using thick books to drop them down like dominos.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    She watched as the last book fell down and pumped her fist, but once she noticed my gaze, she suddenly made a serious look and nodded as if going ¡®I see¡¯.


    No, what in the world would you even learn from how the books fall?


    I thought ¡®good grief¡¯ and looked at the one other survivor. The mage-looking man was gulping a potion down as if it were an energy drink, most likely to do one last push.


    When our eyes met, he made a manly grin.


    ¡­Seriously, where did the ¡®prohibited to eat¡¯ rule go?


    I am worried about how all-powerful potions are in this world and how degraded the morals are in the library, but there was one more thing that bothered me.


    It is about Seirie-san who must be doing her best in the quest even now.


    In Nekomimi Neko, when the MP of characters hit zero, they die just like when the HP hits zero¡­well, it won¡¯t go that far, but you end up incapacitated.


    It rarely happens, but in the cases when you use all your MP with magic, or your MP hits zero because of MP damage, it is impossible to operate your character until you recover naturally or use healing items to go over 1 MP.


    For example; you could suppress a certain monster in a flying city by using this mechanic¡­but that¡¯s not related here, so I will put that aside. Anyways, there¡¯s the risk of MP deficiency.


    I don¡¯t know how it works in this world, but this is a world where muscle pain can be cured with HP potions.


    Then, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for lack of sleep to be treated as MP damage.


    ¡°I hope Seirie-san doesn¡¯t collapse again.¡± (Souma)


    I muttered this out loud and¡­


    ¡°Thank you very much, but there¡¯s no need to worry.¡±


    ¡°Uwa?!¡± (Souma)


    I heard a voice from behind and jumped.


    On top of that¡­


    ¡°Geez, getting ahead is unfair, Seirie-san!¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Even though you told us yourself not to run in the library¡­¡± (Leila)


    Maki and Leila came from behind her, breathing heavily.


    ¡°I am the most confident in this world when it comes to how to walk fast in this library.¡± (Seirie)


    She said this while making her glasses flash, but I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s cool.


    However, the fact that these 3 have come must mean¡­


    ¡°Could it be¡­¡± (Souma)


    When I was about to speak, the 3 all said their piece.


    ¡°Yup, we solved all 50 riddles of the One who knows Wisdom!¡± (Maki)


    ¡°The last answer alone, we wrote down the answer but haven¡¯t entered it yet, so it will be cleared after pushing the button!¡± (Leila)


    ¡°We wanted Souma-sama and the others to be present there, so we have come to call you.¡± (Seirie)


    The mouths of the 3 were lighter than usual, most likely from the sense of achievement.


    Leila was especially happy within those 3.


    ¡°S-Souma! I did well, right?¡± (Leila)


    Leila asked slightly uneasy, and I nodded heavily.


    ¡°Yeah. Leila, Maki, Seirie-san, you did well.¡± (Souma)


    When I said this, Leila wriggled her body while holding the diary.


    ¡°I-It wasn¡¯t much. It really was thanks to this diary you gave me, Souma¡­¡± (Leila)


    ¡°We didn¡¯t use that book even once this time around though~.¡± (Maki)


    Maki said coldly, but Leila wasn¡¯t listening.


    I looked at the side, wondering if Seirie-san could stop this.


    ¡°I¡­didn¡¯t do anything to be praised for¡­ I did it to make amends to begin with. Compared to the achievements of the Sinking Prince-sama, this is just a grain. I¡¯m by no means saying I am not happy¡­¡± (Seirie)


    Seirie-san was fixing her glasses 3 times per second as she mumbled all that.


    That¡¯s a bit scary.


    ¡°A-Anyways, calm down, you two. Come on, it will trouble the people around¡­¡± (Souma)


    When I said this, Maki looked around and made a weird face.


    ¡°Trouble the people around, you say. But there¡¯s not a single one who is studying seriously though?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°T-That¡¯s true, but¡­see? That mage person over there¡­¡± (Souma)


    Saying this, I looked at the last bastion of this library, the mage-looking man, but¡­


    ¡°Hm? Not there¡­?¡± (Souma)


    There wasn¡¯t anyone at the table where the mage man was.


    ¡°There¡¯s no one!¡± (Maki)


    ¡°No, just a moment ago¡­¡± (Souma)


    The moment I was about to say that¡­


    ¡°E-Earthquake?!¡± (Souma)


    The ground began to shake.


    ¡°No, this is¡­!¡± (Souma)


    I remember this trembling.


    It is a pretty grandiose cutscene, so I remember it.


    ¡°This is the trembling of when the entrance to the basement opens!¡± (Souma)


    Everyone opened their eyes wide in shock when I shouted that.


    Within those, Ringo, the only one who wasn¡¯t flustered by this, pulled my sleeve.


    ¡°Just now¡­that person went in¡­¡± (Ringo)


    She directed her gaze at where the mage was and soon looked at the direction where the entrance of the basement is.


    That was all I needed.


    ¡°Crap!!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°So that¡¯s what it was!¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki and I shouted at the same time, looked at each other, and began running at the same time.


    (I lowered my guard!) (Souma)


    This place having magic books is a piece of information you get from the Mage Guild.


    It wouldn¡¯t be strange for them to know that much.


    I shouldn¡¯t have relaxed just from confirming the Nekuranomikon was fine.


    That mage is most likely someone from the Mage Guild.


    He must have thought he wouldn¡¯t be able to get the Nekuranomikon the normal way, or he must have simply been searching for the Nekuranomikon here. Anyways, his aim was the Nekuranomikon.


    He listened in on our talk and must have taken action.


    (Damn it! If I had suspected him from the beginning, I could have caught him!) (Souma)


    There was that regret welling up from me, but nothing will be accomplished here from complaining.


    I might still be able to make it in time.


    I was running at full speed by the side of Mitsuki.


    The ground has already stopped shaking.


    By the time we arrived, the area below the sphinx -the entrance to the basement- was wide open.


    ¡°So it really was this!¡± (Souma)


    The mage is nowhere to be seen.


    Looks like he has already gone down.


    But there¡¯s no need to rush.


    The inside of the basement is a dead end.


    There¡¯s nowhere to run to.


    ¡°We are going in!¡± (Souma)


    We went inside together with our comrades that had caught up.


    What entered our vision when we went inside the basement was the pedestal where the Nekuranomikon was enshrined.


    There¡¯s nothing placed there as if it were natural.


    And the one standing by the side is¡­that mage man.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± (Souma)


    I shouted and Mitsuki was about to move, but he was faster.


    ¡°Tch!¡±


    He clicked his tongue and took out a small light stone from the pouch at his waist.


    ¡°Teleport Stone?! Mitsuki!¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki moved faster than I told her.


    She slipped into the darkness, moving forward with a speed that can¡¯t be detected; a textbook assault.


    But just a moment before she reached close to the pedestal¡­


    ¡°¡­So he got away.¡± (Souma)


    The man was already gone.


    A heavy air took over the basement that was only illuminated by torches.


    ¡°Even though it shouldn¡¯t be possible to use teleportation items inside the library¡­¡± (Seirie)


    Seirie-san said this vexed, but I denied that.


    ¡°No, unfortunately, this is not inside the library anymore. You can use teleport items here.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°No way¡­¡± (Seirie)


    Seirie-san showed a mortified expression and bit her lips.


    But I didn¡¯t have the leeway to comfort her here.


    I missed the perfect chance to catch them because of my own mistake.


    It was eating away at me.


    But I wasn¡¯t the only one feeling responsible.


    ¡°¡­It is my fault.¡±


    It was Leila who muttered this.


    She approached the empty pedestal with unsteady steps and fell on her knees there.


    ¡°I-It is because I wanted to be praised that¡­I said we should go call Souma¡­¡± (Leila)


    Tears fell down from her eyes and wet the cold floor of the basement.


    And it wasn¡¯t only Leila.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s the same for me! I also proposed to go call Souma, so I am also¡­¡± (Maki)


    Maki said this and walked forward.


    ¡°Then, I am also as guilty. No, I am even worse.


    I began this to make amends, and yet, I got all merry just because we solved the problems, not even considering leaving someone to watch.


    If we are speaking of our sins, I would be number one.¡± (Seirie)


    Even Seirie-san groaned and confessed her own sins.


    The wailing of the girls echoed in this small basement.


    I didn¡¯t expect everyone to be this mortified by it.


    I hurriedly tried to comfort them.


    ¡°P-Please wait! Everyone, there¡¯s no nee¡ª¡± (Souma)


    But¡­


    ¡°We are very sorry!!¡±


    There was someone who came out, overwhelming my words.


    ¡°Mitsuki¡­?¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki, who shouldn¡¯t have made any mistake here, lowered her head deeply, very deeply.


    The cat ears on top of her head were also obviously drooped deeply.


    I could tell with that alone that she was seriously apologizing here.


    ¡°¡­I am sorry.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Ringo?!¡± (Souma)


    Ringo stood by the side of Mitsuki and lowered her head deeply.


    I couldn¡¯t understand just what in the world was going on here.


    Mitsuki speaks with her head still lowered.


    ¡°We are also at fault here this time around. I swear I didn¡¯t imagine things would get this serious. But whichever the case¡­it is the truth that we betrayed you.¡± (Mitsuki)


    The sudden confession made everyone aside from Mitsuki and Ringo look surprised.


    I asked Mitsuki while confused.


    ¡°What do you mean by betrayed? Could it be that you two knew that it was someone from the Mage Guild¡­?¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki finally raised her head there.


    And then, rather than sad, she glanced at me with pity, and faced Leila and the others.


    ¡°It would be better to see than have me ramble here. Leila-san, can you please turn around what you are holding so preciously?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Leila did as told with a questioning look.


    She turned around what she held preciously on her chest even when she collapsed on the ground.


    Maki and Seirie-san also took a peek from the side.


    And then¡­


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡± (Leila)


    ¡°¡­Huh?¡± (Seirie)


    ¡°¡­Aah, so it was this.¡± (Maki)


    Leila and Seirie-san let out dumbfounded voices, and Maki let out a defeated tone.


    ¡°W-What¡¯s the meaning of this?! What about the diary that Leila-san has?!¡± (Ina)


    Ina, who was left behind in terms of standing and position, began shaking my arm.


    ¡°Aah, yeah¡­that diary, you see¡­¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s right.


    That¡¯s a diary.


    A diary that one of the game developers made when playing around.


    Let me be more detailed here.


    That¡¯s a self-deprecating diary that is filled with the complaints of a bachelor with a dark personality.


    The title of it is¡­Dark-Nature <Nekura> of <No> the Unmarried <Mikon> or¡­Nekuranomikon.

 CH 168

    I would like to meet the Bear already¡­


    ¡°Uuh, as I said, I went to the back of the library from the very beginning, right? I used a teleport bug to get the Nekuranomikon and entered the library by using Infinite Mirage Prison again.¡± (Souma)


    At the time when I separated from everyone and went to the back of the library, I said it would be ¡®a 100 times faster if I enter from the back with a skill¡¯, but that was by no means an exaggeration.


    Entering with Infinite Mirage Prison from the back can avoid the One who knows Wisdom, so you can save a great deal of time.


    The basement is at the deepest part of the library.


    In other words, it is at a place terribly close to the back of the library.


    You can¡¯t use skills inside the library, but if you use Infinite Mirage Prison from the back, you can just narrowly reach the basement.


    If any of my comrades had seen me using the skill, this misunderstanding wouldn¡¯t have happened.


    I was ¡®singing the incantation¡¯ and ¡®adjusted my distance to the library¡¯.


    There¡¯s no need to use incantations to enter the library since it has skill nullification, and if it is just to enter the library, you can just get as close to the wall as possible.


    It is exactly because I planned on going to the basement that I needed to use Petitplosion and measure the distance in order to not mistakenly enter the library.


    ¡°T-Then, does that mean that you already had the Nekuranomikon before we began the quest?!¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what it would mean.¡± (Souma)


    When I said that, Maki¡¯s shoulders drooped.


    Mitsuki rubbed her downed shoulders to comfort her and spoke.


    ¡°When we met up, he placed the book he was reading inside his bag. You can¡¯t put the books in here inside one¡¯s bag, so that must have been the Nekuranomikon.


    I should have noticed that he had already obtained what he wanted at that moment.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki continues speaking while lowering her cat ears as if apologetic.


    ¡°Ringo-san and I noticed this a little bit later. When you all were solving the riddles. He was reading the Nekuranomikon all normally while you all were desperately doing your best. I was surprised by the nerves he had at that time.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­It surprised me.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo added while not looking surprised at all.


    Mitsuki wrapped things up after flapping her cat ears as if sympathizing.


    ¡°Things like this will most likely happen again if you are to accompany him in his actions. I stayed silent since I thought it would be better to experience this sooner, but I didn¡¯t expect things to become this serious¡­ My deepest apologies.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­I am sorry.¡± (Ringo)


    The two lower their heads at the same time.


    Maki hurriedly stopped them.


    ¡°I-It is okay. It is not the fault of you two. More importantly, I would like to know why Souma didn¡¯t say anything about this.¡± (Maki)


    Maki approaches me.


    Contrary to her carefree tone, her eyes were sharp.


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t plan on hiding it at first, you know? I did try to talk about it the moment we arrived here after all.¡± (Souma)


    Even though I haven¡¯t done anything bad, I lost to that pressure and ended up taking a tone as if I am justifying myself here.


    But it is true that I had no intention of hiding it.


    If Seirie-san didn¡¯t come and tell me about the entrance fee and all that,  I would have told them from the get-go.


    ¡°Then why did you stay silent until now?! You could have told us about it whenever you wanted!¡± (Maki)


    But the anger of Maki didn¡¯t calm down.


    She is trying to corner me with merciless words.


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s because I saw you all challenging the riddle seriously.¡± (Souma)


    When I told them about the problems with mistaken answers, Leila and the others didn¡¯t stop challenging the quest.


    At that time, they seemed like they didn¡¯t care about the Nekuranomikon business, or the unfair tricks to it, and were simply enjoying the riddle solving.


    That¡¯s the most correct stance as a gamer.


    What we Nekomimi Neko players have lost.


    That¡¯s why¡­


    ¡°¡­I couldn¡¯t do it. Doing something like telling you all an unnecessary thing and throwing cold water to your spirit.¡± (Souma)


    Those words that I placed a flood of emotions in made everyone fall silent.


    ¡°¡­Souma.¡± (Maki)


    Maki, who was the fastest one to recover here, approached me and¡­


    ¡°It is because you are like this that I always¡­always¡­!¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Uwa, wait, Maki, sto¡ª!¡± (Souma)


    She grabbed my clothes and began to shake me.


    Maybe because of her stupid strength as a game character, my body shook like a leaf.


    ¡°C-Calm down! We can reach an understanding if we talk!!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°You are the one who doesn¡¯t understand, Souma!¡± (Maki)


    I desperately try to calm down Maki with my vision quaking while feeling a bit nostalgic about this situation.


    Even in Japan, Maki would suddenly get angry for whatever reason, and I would get flailed about the whole time.


    Before I began living alone, she would come to my house suddenly on holidays, would drag me around to parks, movies, amusement parks, shopping, and stuff like that. Even at the times when I was playing video games at home, she would lean on me from behind, lay down on top of my lap, drink my beverages on her own, and would say things like ¡®I will massage you¡¯ and be very close to destroying my joints. She really has been one wild storm I have been swirled into.


    Both of my hands are not enough to count how many troubles of Maki I have had to clean up for her.


    And yet, she would say stuff like ¡®Who knows what Souma would do without me by his side with his lack of common sense~¡¯ as if she were my guardian.


    She even came to a different world to become a princess, so I would like her to get a little bit of common sense, but it seems like the hopes are slim.


    ¡°¡­So this is¡­a hero. A peak that can¡¯t be reached by the thoughts of the common, huh.¡± (Seirie)


    I somehow managed to tear Maki away from me and Seirie-san was saying something at the back with her glasses flashing.


    By the way, when I look at Leila¡­


    ¡°Souma! You were thinking so far for my sake¡­?!¡± (Leila)


    She looked up at me with teary eyes.


    It would trouble me if she were to snap all of a sudden like Maki, but this is also difficult to deal with in its own way.


    I looked at Mitsuki as if seeking help, but¡­


    ¡°¡­I thought this would be a good lesson, but it seems like things just don¡¯t go smoothly.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Her cat ears were shriveled up and didn¡¯t seem like she would help me out here.


    ¡°P-Please wait!!¡±


    But a voice was raised from somewhere unexpected.


    ¡°¡­Ina?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Then why did you need to clear the quest, Souma-san?¡± (Ina)


    Ina was turning her gears desperately in order to follow here, but she stood right in front of me and asked me this nervously.


    ¡°Eh? Aah, that¡¯s¡­¡± (Souma)


    I glance at the side and confirm the presence of Seirie-san.


    She seemed confused as if she didn¡¯t understand why I looked at her.


    ¡°Uhm, Souma-san¡­?¡± (Ina)


    Ina speaks again uneasy.


    ¡­This is troubling.


    I was wondering how to answer this, and Ringo muttered.


    ¡°¡­Mole-san?¡± (Ringo)


    At a glance, it is a word that makes no sense.


    But the perceptive Mitsuki noticed it with just that.


    She ended up noticing.


    ¡°¡­I see. Now that I think about it, you said it at the very beginning. The 2 ways to steal a book from this library: Shoplifting Dash and the other one.


    If I remember correctly¡­the Mole Style Teleport Technique?¡± (Mitsuki)


    My shoulders jumped.


    I hurriedly tried to play it off, but Mitsuki¡¯s eyes caught that clearly.


    ¡°N-No way! Souma, the reason why you wanted us to open the basement was because you wanted to steal books?!¡± (Maki)


    ¡°I-Is that true, Souma-san?!¡± (Ina)


    The eyes of Maki and Ina hurt.


    I couldn¡¯t take them and averted my gaze, but there was a bespectacled oni awaiting me there.


    ¡°U-Uuh, Seirie-san? That just now was¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Souma-sama? Can I please have a word with you?¡± (Seirie)


    Seirie-san spoke as if she were speaking through her grit teeth.


    I can feel pressure incomparable to that of the time when I almost skipped on the entrance fee.


    ¡­Ah, this is bad.


    This is a bad route.


    I remembered the lecture I had before as if it were a revolving lantern, and was half prepared for death here, but¡­


    ¡ª-Waaaaaaaaaaaaan!


    An unexpected lifeboat came from an expected direction.


    ¡°¡­What was that just now?¡±


    A strange sound rang from the upper floor -from the library.


    Like the roar of a beast, or the cry of a baby; that kind of creepy mixed sound.


    Seirie-san must have thought that is a matter that must be prioritized more than me, she freed me and¡­


    ¡°It might be a lost child¡­ I will go check for a bit.¡± (Seirie)


    She quickly went up the stairs.


    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t think it is over just yet.¡± (Seirie)


    Moreover, she didn¡¯t forget to nail that in.


    I am glad Seirie-san is dedicated to her job.


    I rubbed my chest in relief, but I can¡¯t stay relaxed the whole time.


    ¡°¡­Mitsuki.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Got it.¡± (Mitsuki)


    It is not assured that the inside of the library is safe yet.


    Even if you can¡¯t use magic inside the library, it is not like it is impossible to do battle actions.


    I was thinking about asking Mitsuki to guard Seirie-san, but it seems like that wasn¡¯t needed.


    ¡°Leila-san, hide the book!¡± (Seirie)


    Seirie-san, who had gone up to check things out, ran back and shouted this.


    Seirie-san wouldn¡¯t panic no matter how flustered she is, but she announced this with her all without hiding her agitation.


    ¡°The Mage Guild hasn¡¯t given up on that book yet! A suspicious mage is right by¡ªah!¡± (Seirie)


    But even that desperate warning was too late.


    A jet black wind jumped by the side of Seirie-san into the basement.


    ¡°Wa?!¡±


    No one could react to this sudden development.


    No, we didn¡¯t know how to react to it.


    It was already right before me by the time I snapped back to my senses.


    ¡°Sto¡ª¡± (Souma)


    My words didn¡¯t serve much.


    The jet black shadow did a body blow as if doing a kamikaze onto me, and pushed me down along with it.


    ¡°Souma!!¡±


    Someone shouted.


    But before that voice reached my ears, the mage on top of me did an unbelievable attack on me.


    ¡­The horrible attack of making a mess out of my chest from the opening of its mask with tears and snot.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s horrible. You are so horrible, Souma! Hiding at a place like this and leaving me out!! I was searching a lot, like a whole whole lot!!¡±


    The name of this black clothed person bawling his eyes out on my chest is Sazan.


    There¡¯s no mage as suspicious as this with a jet black cloak and creepy mask.


    -Extra


    An easy Mole Style Teleport Technique that even Sazan can do?!


    Reference a different guide of the Wiki to learn how to clear the One who knows Wisdom.


    If you have the capital, the omikuji method is recommended.


    In the case you have companions, make sure you have them act separately, or disband the party and don¡¯t bring them with you.


    If they see you in the act, there¡¯s the chance of you being labeled a criminal.


    You must not hold the books in your hands no matter what at this moment!!


    If you leave the library while holding the book, you will be labeled a thief and become a criminal regardless of witnesses.


    There¡¯s the possibility of the labeling happening if you throw them, so you gotta go with kicking.


    You kick, kick, and kick your heart out for the books you want! Score goals onto the basement!


    With this, preparations are done.


    Please retrieve the books in the basement.


    If it is a book that gets consumed, it is alright to just read them there.


    Please go outside with Infinite Mirage Prison.


    You will have to redo everything if you end up inside the library when doing this step, so be careful!


    You have obtained what you wanted.


    You can cook them, burn them, or lick them. You can do as you wish now.


    Yay!

 CH 169

    ¡°Haah, good grief. You¡­¡± (Souma)


    I think I told him about how I was aiming for the Nekuranomicon underground, but I completely forgot after rummaging through the books. Sazan thought he got left behind and was roaming around the library while crying.


    ¡­Such a pain.


    He joined us shrewdly at the meal, and yet, he prioritized his own desires and went to search for books, so it ended up like this.


    While I was feeling baffled, Sazan easily recovered and spoke to Seirie-san.


    ¡°Ah, you! You are an employee here, right?! I have a few words to say to you!!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°¡­What is it?¡± (Seirie)


    At that moment, because of the accumulated dangerous experiences, my Seirie-san mood sensor had become sensitive and was ringing its alarm.


    It isn¡¯t showing in her face, but this is her reaction when she is seriously pissed.


    Feeling the premonition of a big explosion, I hesitated for a moment whether I should intervene with Seirie-san or stop Sazan, and the result was¡­


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    I decided to just stay silent and wait for Sazan to self-destruct.


    He does as he pleases, so self-combusting for his actions works just fine.


    If the target of anger is placed on Sazan, there¡¯s the chance that the mole matter will not be pursued which would be wonderful.


    ¡°It is about this! This!¡± (Sazan)


    Seeing what Sazan had pushed forward with a displeased tone, Seirie-san showed a clouded expression for the first time.


    What Sazan was holding while angry was a small slate the size of a notebook.


    What was there were shining letters written in an old style.


    ¡°It is written that it is a rare video recording of the heroes that sealed the Evil God, and yet, nothing happens when I touch it!¡± (Sazan)


    The slate that Sazan is waving around is most likely something on display at the exhibition room of the ¡®Video Record of the Evil God¡¯s Great War¡¯.


    At that familiar slate¡­


    [I leave this record to the eventual coming of the hero.


    If ye are to succeed the will of the Legendary Hero Alex and wish to slay the Evil God, trace the trails of the heroes of beginning and watch over that destiny.


    >>1st Chapter.]


    Is what¡¯s written there.


    Or more like, this guy has brought something that was on display?


    He did something that even seasoned Nekomimi Neko players (all thousand¡­hundred¡­well, there should be at least around 50) couldn¡¯t do as if it were nothing.


    ¡­Well, it is most likely a change now that it has become a real world.


    In the game, you couldn¡¯t interact with that slate because it is treated the same as terrain like the walls and ceiling, but it seems like you can freely carry it around in this world.


    But why is nothing happening?


    If you touch the ¡®1st Chapter¡¯ link in the slate, it should play the video on its own¡­


    ¡°My apologies, but that¡¯s for display purposes, so you can¡¯t actually see the record.¡± (Seirie)


    Seirie-san lowered her head and deepened the doubts.


    That¡¯s personally not a bad development for me, but I ended up speaking out instead.


    ¡°Wait a moment! Doesn¡¯t it activate just by touching the ¡®1st Chapter¡¯ part?¡± (Souma)


    I have used that slate a number of times before.


    I thought there was no mistake in that, but Seirie-san shook her head.


    ¡°No. I have tried it out myself, but nothing happened.¡± (Seirie)


    ¡°There¡¯s no way¡­¡± (Souma)


    Was there some sort of change in its use?


    I tilted my head again and¡­


    ¡°Then, how about I try it?¡±


    A small hand stretched out from the side and stole the slate away from Sazan.


    ¡°Maki? What are you¡ª¡± (Souma)


    Eyes of surprise gathered on Maki and after taking the slate from Sazan, she¡­


    ¡°For stuff like this, rather than speaking an essay here, you just have to do it.¡± (Maki)


    She raised the slate high up and spoke in a boastful way.


    ¡°Ah, no, wa¡ª¡± (Souma)


    Noticing the next action Maki was about to take, I was going to tell her to stop, but I didn¡¯t make it in time.


    ¡°1st Chapter, start! Just kidd¡ª¡± (Maki)


    The bold shout of Maki echoed in the library and¡­


    ¡°Hm?¡± (Maki)


    One second later, Maki curled up as if hugging her own body, and sat in place.


    Everyone didn¡¯t understand what happened and were blinking there in wonder, and Maki raised her head as if scared.


    ¡°¡­I-I am back?¡± (Maki)


    That Maki muttered this with a trembling voice, and when she saw me, she jumped at me.


    ¡°Souma! I-I was so scared!¡± (Maki)


    I catch her body while thinking today is a day where I am being jumped at a lot.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I always tell you to not touch things without thinking.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Uuuh!¡± (Maki)


    Maki let out a voice of displeasure on my chest, but it seems like she is aware it was her own fault here, she didn¡¯t object.


    My comrades were watching me rub Maki¡¯s shoulder from afar, but Seirie-san eventually stood to the front representing them and¡­


    ¡°What happened? She got so scared in a brief instant like that. Could it be that a really dangerous¡ª¡± (Seirie)


    ¡°Ah, no. Even if it was just an instant for us, that wasn¡¯t the same for Maki.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± (Seirie)


    I soothe Maki who was still crying here as I answered like that.


    ¡°¡­In that brief instant, Maki saw a mass slaughter that spanned an hour.¡± (Souma)


    Putting it simply, when you use this Video Record of the Evil God Great War, you can watch the journey of the past heroes until the moment where they seal the Evil God.


    A part of that video was used to promote the game when it was about to be released, so there¡¯s quite a lot of effort put into it.


    A crazy 1 hour long movie inside a game.


    The graphic quality is a lot higher than that of the actual main story, and there¡¯s intense camera work.


    Heroic music you won¡¯t forget after hearing it once which is said they hired a famous music composer to create.


    This overwhelming potential created a miraculous harmony, and dragged it all into a negative direction as if it had all been planned beforehand.


    There¡¯s apparently 50 chapters of this according to the official announcement, but the 1st Chapter is the cliche development of the village of the hero being attacked by monsters and being destroyed.


    In other words, you get shown the sight of family and friends of the hero, who you get attached to at the beginning, be slaughtered with graphics that are even higher than that of the main story and with intense camerawork. And so, you end up in the horrible situation of watching a 1 hour movie of that.


    Because of rating issues, they held back when it came to the depiction of blood, but this was complete harassment¡­no, it was torture.


    Moreover, this doesn¡¯t have a skip button like the credits, and the only way to stop it once you begin playing it is to operate the general menu and stop the game itself.


    In this world where you can¡¯t open the menu screen, you basically can¡¯t stop it.


    Also, they must have thought the players shouldn¡¯t get in the way of the famous composer¡¯s music, there¡¯s no voice acting for the characters, and it is made like the silent movies of old.


    Moreover, that famous composer must have been more expensive than expected, there was only one track made, so in sad moments or in peaceful moments, you will always have the heroic song playing in the background.


    It is an impactful song that you won¡¯t forget after hearing it once, looping for the whole span of 1 hour without being cut. This really hits mentally.


    That song won¡¯t be leaving your head for several days, and you will be in a state where you will unconsciously hum that song if you lower your guard.


    By the way, this video doesn¡¯t have any support for anything aside from the sense of hearing and sight.


    VR videos normally have the ability for you to share all the senses of the people appearing in it, and when that¡¯s not the case, they will shut out the senses that are not necessary.


    However, I don¡¯t know what Nekomimi Neko thought, but you will retain your state as a player while only the sense of sight and hearing are overwritten which is a nonsensical way of doing things.


    If I were to just describe the feeling and exclude all the theory, it would be ¡®leaving your body in the library while only your eyes and ears are sent to the battlefield of the past¡¯.


    For example; both of your legs being on the ground, yet your view is in the middle of the sky. This would cause great confusion, and despite being able to cover your eyes and ears, you can¡¯t cut off the information coming to your sight and hearing.


    You are practically forced to watch an intense depressing video with a song playing loudly in your ears and looping infinitely. You are in a state where other senses outside of sight and hearing will be registered from completely foreign areas from the video for a whole hour. It really makes you feel like you are being brainwashed or something.


    This issue would be so big it would even cause a massive refund wave for a normal game, but sadly to say, Nekomimi Neko players who have already reached this point wouldn¡¯t be fazed by something like this. They already didn¡¯t falter or get surprised by this.


    ¡°Uuuh. Everyone suddenly disappeared and I was at a place I didn¡¯t know¡­ I was scared, not knowing what to do!¡± (Maki)


    But for Maki who is not used to Nekomimi Neko, it must have been a shocking experience.


    I rubbed the back of Maki gently just like I often did in Japan to calm her down.


    ¡°T-This is unacceptable! Why can Maki use it, but me -the genius mage- can¡¯t?!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan began throwing a tantrum for an unexpected reason, but it is not like I can¡¯t imagine why she could and he couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°This ¡®succeed the will of the hero¡¯ might refer to the player.¡± (Souma)


    This is obvious, but NPCs have no ability to interact with videos.


    Well, the people of this world can do stuff that only players could do in the game, so I can¡¯t really say for sure on that front, but it wouldn¡¯t be strange for this slate to be player only.


    It doesn¡¯t seem like Maki has learned Incarnation of Fury, and didn¡¯t react to the last phase of the Demon Lord, so I didn¡¯t know if she was being treated as a player, but if this can¡¯t be operated by people of this world, it should be safe to assume that she has some privileges.


    ¡°If I can use this too, that would set it in stone, but¡­¡± (Souma)


    Unfortunately, there¡¯s a cooldown to use this slate, so you can¡¯t play it consecutively.


    As proof of this, there¡¯s a new 2nd Chapter link at the lower part of the slate where the 1st Chapter link is, but there¡¯s no light on it.


    If I remember correctly, you can use it again after 24 hours, but nothing will happen until then.


    By the way, the 1st Chapter was a massive 1 hour, but they must have run out of power and budget, the 2nd Chapter is only 13 minutes.


    The 3rd Chapter is 6 minutes, and the 4th Chapter and on have not been made yet.


    That¡¯s truly Nekomimi Neko levels of deterioration.


    ¡°¡­Can¡¯t be helped. Let¡¯s come here again tomorrow.¡± (Souma)


    I said this in resignation, but Seirie-san gave an unexpected proposal.


    ¡°In that case, you can take that slate with you.¡± (Seirie)


    ¡°Eh? Is that okay?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yes. It seems like normal people can¡¯t use it anyways, and if that Sinking Prince-sama needs it, no one will complain.


    And most of all¡­I don¡¯t want to leave something this dangerous inside the library.¡± (Seirie)


    She glanced at Maki at the end when she said this.


    ¡­Yeah.


    It does feel in a way as if she is throwing a troublesome thing to us, but it is true that it is a great proposal I didn¡¯t even expect to get.


    I put the slate inside the bag and Sazan slid towards me.


    ¡°H-Hey, Souma, if you manage to see the continuation, tell me the story too!¡± (Sazan)


    So that¡¯s how it is now -is how I felt.


    Even if he can¡¯t see it directly, he can hear about it.


    Well, that makes sense.


    ¡°You have an interest in stuff like this?¡± (Souma)


    I thought Sazan was only a magic idiot, but does he like heroes too?


    When I asked this, the stupid masked mage puffed his chest proudly.


    ¡°Hmph! You didn¡¯t know? The objective of my journey is to defeat the Evil God! Find the Fragments of the Evil God, defeat them, and have my family acknowledge me. That¡¯s my goal for now.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°I see.¡± (Souma)


    I am surprised that Sazan had a proper objective.


    ¡°But weren¡¯t you at the time when we defeated the Evil God Fragment? Was that no good?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Obviously! We didn¡¯t properly fight against either the Demon Lord or the Evil God Fragment!¡± (Sazan)


    Well, that¡¯s true.


    Acknowledging your strength when you drowned or used Yellow Slimes to defeat them would be a bit hard to swallow.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I am investigating the Evil God in preparation for my battle against the Evil God.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°I see.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°What¡¯s with that?! Such a weak reaction!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan got angry, but I don¡¯t have much interest in that.


    I have gathered a variety of information about Nekomimi Neko, but honestly, I don¡¯t know much about the lore of the world or stuff like that.


    There was a page exclusive for theorizing about this in the Nekomimi Neko Wiki and it was decently lively there, but my play stance was to increase my level rather than learn about that.


    But Nekomimi Neko is not your average trash game. It is a trash game with specs and potential.


    Basically, it was created with care, and that care is all serving as a minus, but that¡¯s exactly why there¡¯s parts that shine.


    It has a vast amount of skills and a special magic system that can be compared to other great games, and aside from that, there¡¯s also the lore of the world being surprisingly detailed. There¡¯s stories and events that have delicate foreshadowing to a shocking degree too.


    ¡­And yet, the developers were not of a single mind to a baffling degree, so there¡¯s a whole lot of plot holes everywhere, incredible foreshadowing that doesn¡¯t get picked up, and outstanding points that would get canceled.


    ¡°Good grief. Can¡¯t be helped. Here, I will lend this to you, so study!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan said this and what he took out from the inside of his cloak was a children¡¯s book with the title: ¡®Evil God Great War ~Birth of the Hero King~¡¯.


    Why does he have something like that inside his cloak?


    I would rather you give me back the Fingerless Gloves, is what I thought as I frowned at the book warmed by his body temperature and flipped through the pages.


    There were a lot of things I didn¡¯t remember clearly written in an easy to digest way.


    Hero Alex overcame the trial of God, obtained the divine sword, Ultihate, and sealed the Evil God.


    The Evil God was split in 4 fragments, and was sealed in several areas of the country.


    Alex had 5 comrades, but the details of what happened to them after that or even their names were not made clear.


    Alex founded a nation in the land where he sealed the Evil God, and became its first king.


    That outstanding achievement and pure soul was praised to high heavens, and a religion to accept him as a saint was born.


    Seeing the drawing of the flourishing capital of Rihitel under the ruling of King Alex, I stopped my hands from flipping the page.


    ¡°Hm? I think I have seen this shape recently¡­¡± (Souma)


    I looked at the whole picture of the capital at that time, and Maki peeked from the side.


    ¡°Hm? Aah, this is the same shape as the present capital! It is the very same as the map at the entrance of the capital! That¡¯s impressive. Even though it is a city from way back!¡± (Maki)


    ¡°I think your recovery speed is impressive in itself too.¡± (Souma)


    I threw some shade, but Maki is closer than usual.


    The shock of before must have taken a bigger toll than I thought.


    ¡°¡­Hm?¡± (Souma)


    I returned my gaze to the drawing of the capital again, and this time around, I felt a light shock from the opposite side.


    When I looked there, Ina was leaning her head on my shoulder.


    Ina hurriedly moved her head away when I moved my eyes there, and laughed.


    ¡°U-Uuh, I wanted to compete too. J-Just kidding.¡± (Ina)


    I don¡¯t get it.


    Ina must have gotten flustered by her own eccentricity, she waved her hands vigorously and suggested.


    ¡°M-More importantly! How about we go back up first? A lot happened in this short span of time, so I am a bit tired. I would like to sit in a chair and take a break~.¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Right¡­¡± (Souma)


    I still have things that bother me, but I can read books anywhere.


    It would be better to talk about the future when we have gone out from the basement and have calmed down.


    We began walking to the stairs, and Leila came with her face facing down.


    ¡°Souma¡­I am giving this back to you.¡± (Leila)


    She pushed the Nekuranomicon to me.


    Looks like she is telling me to take it.


    ¡°Is that okay?¡± (Souma)


    I thought she was pretty attached to this book, but Leila nodded at my words with a smile I could only call forced.


    ¡°Y-Yeah, I am a bit sad, but¡­but if I were to trouble you because of my own selfishness, I would dislike that more. That¡¯s why I would like you to hold that instead, Souma.¡± (Leila)


    ¡°I-I see¡­¡± (Souma)


    It is not like I don¡¯t think this is a bit of an exaggeration for a single book, but being looked at like a child that¡¯s being sold, I will obviously feel bad.


    ¡°Aah, uhm, I will give you a gift at another time, Leila.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°O-Okay! Then, I will treasure that for the rest of my life!¡± (Leila)


    The destiny of the present I still haven¡¯t even bought yet has already been decided.


    I made sure not to frown here and answer.


    ¡°A-Alright. I would be happy if you do¡­I think.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yay! If you are happy, I am happy too!¡± (Leila)


    ¡°¡­I see. That¡¯s great to hear.¡± (Souma)


    A heavy conversation was unfolding between us two as we exited the basement.


    Once we returned to where we were, it was the same state as usual.


    A whole lot of people were laying on the table, or sleeping with their bodies on the back of the chair.


    The only survivor is that priest girl, and within all the sleeping people, there¡¯s her single-mindedly working.


    She must have finished her work, she pumped her fist as if saying ¡®alright!¡¯.


    At her side, there¡¯s a tower of thick books piled up skillfully vertically.


    ¡­Seriously, what is this person doing?


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Noticing that she was being observed, she hurriedly fixed her attitude and looked at the tower of books with a complicated look while tilting her head, but what is there to be all pensive about with that?


    Maybe because she lowered her guard there, the tower lost its balance, and the priest-looking woman ended up crushed beneath the falling books.


    Just when my face loosened at that sight¡­


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± (Seirie)


    Seirie-san, who caught up, leaked that dumbfounded voice from behind.


    (This is bad¡­) (Souma)


    Seirie-san loves the library more than anyone, so there¡¯s no way she wouldn¡¯t think anything about the state of the users here.


    Even at the time when she went to call me, she should have seen this sight, but she was hurrying at that time, and it was a situation where she probably couldn¡¯t pay attention to her surroundings.


    Is she on the verge of exploding now that she sees this tragic scene again?


    ¡°W-Well, it is good weather, so getting a few winks in¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°This is¡­! Does this look like just ¡®a few¡¯ to you?!¡± (Seirie)


    I flinched at the angry shout of Seirie-san.


    I thought Seirie-san was angry to the point of raising her voice, but¡­


    ¡°Just what is happening in my library? This is¡­this is weird¡­¡± (Seirie)


    She was scared.


    She felt fear towards the sight in front of her -towards this situation.


    Being affected by her attitude, I once again looked around.


    I observe this scenery with a blank slate.


    When I did, I groaned naturally.


    ¡­Right.


    Why didn¡¯t I find it strange?


    Even with just the dozen or so people that can be seen here, almost all of them are sleeping.


    ¡ªIs that truly possible?


    ¡°The entry fee of this library is not cheap. That¡¯s why only people with proper objectives are here, and yet, this is¡­¡± (Seirie)


    What Seirie-san leaked out spread my unease.


    Entry fee of 2,000E.


    Would people who have paid such a pricey fee be wasting their time pointlessly like this?


    Also, what did Mitsuki say at first when she saw this?


    ¡ª¡°Everyone was more proper when we first came here, but it is this time after all.¡±


    We simply didn¡¯t notice, but the abnormality was slowly¡­


    ¡°Souma, this might be a bit bad.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Maki?¡± (Souma)


    Maki interrupts my speculation.


    I raised my head at the sound of tension in her voice.


    Maki approached the table, and with a hand placed on top of the shoulder of the man laying there, she said with a face on the verge of tears.


    ¡°¡­I wonder why¡­even when I shake this person, he is not waking up at all.¡± (Maki)


    I felt chills run down my spine.


    Fearing the worst, I ran to the closest table and called the person laying there.


    ¡°Excuse me, please wake up! WAKE UP!!¡± (Souma)


    I shook the person aggressively from the agitation, but there¡¯s no response.


    ¡°Ah!¡± (Souma)


    Because of how much power I put in from my impatience, that person dropped to the ground with chair and everything.


    But, even with that, that person was still sleeping.


    Not a single twitch.


    ¡°What¡¯s this¡­?¡± (Souma)


    It is only until now that I was sure this is not just a regular sight.


    And what¡¯s most fearsome about this is that there was no such event like this happening in the library when it was a game.


    No, not only the library, I have not experienced an incident where people fall asleep enmasse.


    A completely unknown happening.


    ¡°We have to¡­we have to call for help! This library is¡­under some sort of attack¡ª¡± (Seirie)


    ¡°Seirie-san!¡± (Souma)


    I ran to Seirie-san, who was unsteady on her feet as she screamed, and hurriedly supported her body.


    ¡°It is because you are pushing yourself even though you are lacking¡­sleep¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I froze in the middle of my words.


    Seirie-san was looking at me with hazy eyes, and the worst flashed in my mind.


    The anomaly from before of Seirie-san and now.


    Was it really something as commonplace as lack of sleep?


    ¡°¡­Could it be¡­¡± (Souma)


    What flashed in my mind at that moment was a possibility that could only be considered in the realm of speculation.


    But once I began suspecting it¡­once I began thinking about it¡­ It was soon after that the breakdown began.


    What I heard at earshot these few days, the many words that I didn¡¯t pay much mind to, they all overflowed at this point in time.


    The information swirled inside my head and rushed in.


    What I have seen until now, the words I have heard, the things that were stagnated at the corner of my mind; they all gathered and created a single shape.


    ¡ªSeirie-san¡¯s bad condition, the rumors of the Grand Church, Mage Guild¡­


    ¡ªSazan¡¯s words, magic circle, the two who were okay¡­


    ¡ªThe escape with Ina, the light from the heavens, the theft of mithril¡­


    ¡ªAnd the sight of the capital that hasn¡¯t changed since long ago.


    If everything¡­absolutely everything were to be related?


    ¡°¡­I have to confirm it.¡± (Souma)


    I think this is pretty far-fetched.


    But in order to confirm that¡­


    ¡°Outside.¡± (Souma)


    I get up while carrying Seirie-san and¡­


    ¡°Leila, please.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh? Ah, Souma?!¡± (Leila)


    I left the sluggish Seirie-san to Leila, and ran off without hesitation.


    ¡°Souma-san! W-Wait!¡± (Ina)


    I heard the voice of Ina behind me, but I ran without caring about it.


    I weave through the people that are not moving at all, towards the entrance of the library.


    I slip through the side of the employee that¡¯s collapsed at the counter, and jump out from the library.


    ¡°!¡±


    Coming out, I narrowed my eyes slightly at the silence that contrasted the anomaly and disorder inside the library.


    No, this silence is an anomaly in itself.


    It is this time of the day.


    Even if it is at the corner of the city, there should still be some sort of activity around.


    ¡°What in the world is happening?!¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki caught up and I asked this without looking back.


    ¡°Mitsuki, did you pass by anyone today when we were heading to the shrine?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh? ¡­Now that you mention it¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    It was nearby and we were hurrying, so I didn¡¯t even consider it.


    On our way to the shrine, we only met one person.


    The old woman that was laying on the road and Ringo nursed.


    ¡°¡­I am an idiot.¡± (Souma)


    This is most likely something that happened right after we defeated the Demon Lord¡­no, even a lot further back¡­slowly encroaching.


    There were a mountain of hints.


    Even if no one else noticed, I¡­I should have noticed.


    No, not yet!


    If I fail, I just have to regain footing now!


    ¡°Everyone, from here on¡ª¡± (Souma)


    When I turned around and was about to give my instructions, I felt a light shock in my arm.


    When I looked, I saw Ina leaning her head against my shoulder.


    I chuckled at that.


    ¡°Ina, this is no time to be playi¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I said this while stretching my hand to Ina.


    But Ina¡¯s body slipped as if escaping from my hand and¡­


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡± (Souma)


    She fell onto the ground with a dry sound.


    And didn¡¯t move an inch from there.


    ¡°Ina..?¡± (Souma)


    A raspy voice came out of my mouth.


    ¡ªBut the chestnut-color haired girl didn¡¯t answer my words.

 CH 170

    ¡°Ina¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I felt as if the blood in my whole body drained when I saw Ina not move an inch.


    I hurriedly ran to Ina and carried her limp body up.


    ¡°Hiyah!¡± (Souma)


    And threw a potion flask on her face at full power.


    And then¡­


    ¡°Puoh?!¡± (Ina)


    Ina woke up while making a noise hard to believe came from a girl.


    ¡°Feh? Eh? Hm? W-Why did I¡­¡± (Ina)


    Around 3 seconds since she collapsed.


    It was a truly speedy recovery and she is looking energetic.


    ¡°I am sorry, Ina. It was my fault.¡± (Souma)


    Now that I think back on it, Ina has been fatigued the whole time since coming out.


    There was even a moment when she staggered and leaned on my shoulder.


    And yet, I didn¡¯t notice those signs.


    ¡°E-Eh?! N-No, I am the one at fault for not telling you when I wasn¡¯t feeling well!¡± (Ina)


    When I lowered my head deeply, Ina flailed her arms, flustered.


    She then forcefully raised my head and changed the topic clumsily.


    ¡°M-More importantly, my nose hurts somewhat. Do you know why?¡± (Ina)


    I strain my eyes at what she said and the tip of her nose is red.


    I of course do have an idea as to why.


    ¡°Must be because you fell forward without mitigating it or doing anything.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Really? Ah, now that you mention it, I felt a hard impact on my face right before I woke up. That might have been it!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Yeah, probably.¡± (Souma)


    Even if she has raised her level and has obtained a superhuman body, fall damage isn¡¯t reduced.


    It is a truly strange mechanic.


    ¡°¡­Potion.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo muttered this from the back, but before there was any time to think about it, Mitsuki cut in.


    ¡°It is great that there¡¯s no issue with Ina-san, but that makes it even more important to concentrate on solving this issue. The state of this city is abnormal in every facet.


    I have no idea what¡¯s going on here though. But don¡¯t you have an idea as to why?¡± (Mitsuki)


    As expected of the daughter of that Asahi-san.


    The cat ears of Mitsuki are standing upright with even more presence than usual and seem to be burning with a sense of duty.


    ¡°¡­Got it. I will explain in order, so let¡¯s go back to the library for now.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°That would be great, but can we really be taking our time here?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki twitched her cat ears and I nodded.


    ¡°Yeah. There¡¯s no doubt it is a bad situation, but it shouldn¡¯t be the type that is an immediate threat to your life.¡± (Souma)


    This may sound weird, but the situation was made clear thanks to Ina collapsing.


    It would be better to calm down here and sort out the situation.


    ¡°Also, we can¡¯t just leave Leila and Seirie-san behind, right?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Got it.¡± (Mitsuki)


    I added this to persuade her, and Mitsuki nodded.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go back quickly.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki must really want to solve this abnormal situation.


    ¡°Got it, got it. Then¡­¡± (Souma)


    I had a wry smile at Mitsuki who was hastily walking to the entrance as I also headed to the library with quick steps¡­and onto the side of the library¡­


    ¡°Infinite Mirage¡ªguh!¡± (Souma)


    I was going to use a skill, but Mitsuki grabbed my collar, and not only did she drag me to the entrance, she forcefully made me pay the entrance fee.


    Mitsuki has been strict with me recently.


    ¡­After that, I mumbled ¡®it would be faster if I were to enter from the wall¡¯, but Mitsuki looked at me as if looking at trash.


    Even though she told me to be quick and I was about to do that¡­ This world is unreasonable on all fronts.


    Seirie-san didn¡¯t wake up even after we returned to the library, but I raised her body and had her drink the contents of the potion flask, and she recovered soon after.


    Seeing this, Ina said¡­


    ¡°I-I wonder why¡­ Even though I don¡¯t understand the reason, I feel like this is incredibly unfair¡­¡± (Ina)


    She said this while wriggling her body, but anyways¡­


    ¡°It seems like everyone¡¯s gathered, so I will explain the situation.¡± (Souma)


    I arrived at the biggest table in the library and looked at my comrades that gathered around.


    Ringo, Mitsuki, Ina, Maki, Sazan, Leila, Seirie-san, and the priest who was buried in books just a moment ago.


    ¡­I feel like a completely unrelated party is mixed among us, but well, that¡¯s fine.


    ¡°I will begin with the conclusion first. We¡­no, this whole city is being hit by an MP Drain attack.¡± (Souma)


    The moment I said this, the relaxed atmosphere tensed up in one go.


    I could also see a number of them get flustered at this.


    Ina raised her voice.


    ¡°T-Then, the people who have collapsed in this library¡­¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Yeah, the people here are not sleeping. They have fainted from their MP hitting zero.¡± (Souma)


    Being incapacitated when your MP hits zero is a mechanic of this game.


    However, there¡¯s rarely any attack that can deal continuous damage to MP even in the whole game, so it took me time to reach this conclusion.


    ¡°Wait! Then, why are there people who are okay and some who are not?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Because their max MP is high.¡± (Souma)


    I easily answered the question of Maki.


    MP recovers with time just like HP, however, this is influenced by the max MP of the character.


    The reason why the sharp Mitsuki didn¡¯t notice something strange happening was because her max MP is high, and her natural MP regeneration is above that of the MP damage, so the attack is technically nullified.


    Leaving aside the mage man that seemed to be compensating with MP potions, the priest woman being okay is most likely because her level is decently high and might have a magic related class, so her max MP must be high.


    As for our party, the mage idiot Sazan goes without saying. Me, Ringo, and Maki who may be more in the physical side but still are high level, and Leila is just barely on the threshold of not being affected.


    On the other hand, Seirie-san, who is a muscle-head character and has low max MP, and Ina, who has the lowest level in the party, must have been hit with the MP damage.


    ¡°Uuuh, I really am the weakest in the party then¡­¡± (Ina)


    Ina felt down here, but it is not like this is the end.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the exact time this attack began, but if we take Seirie-san collapsing as our baseline, it was most likely before we entered the library.


    It is most likely still happening, so I would like Seirie-san and Ina to be the most wary here and make sure to drink an MP potion if you feel anything off.¡± (Souma)


    I warned them to be careful, and Seirie-san pushed the bridge of her glasses as if that was her nodding gesture, and Ina quivered and nodded profusely.


    ¡°¡­What¡¯s the method?¡± (Mitsuki)


    That¡¯s when Mitsuki, who was listening silently until now, asked this with an expressionless face that had a sliver of bewilderment.


    ¡°I understand what you are saying here. It would make sense that they have collapsed from lack of MP. However, an attack that encompasses the whole city is something I have never heard of before. Just how in the world¡ª¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Magic circle.¡± (Souma)


    I cut off the words of Mitsuki and answered bluntly.


    ¡°Magic circle¡­?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Yeah, I heard from Sazan. The pattern at the stained glass of the Grand Church apparently has the ability to gather the energy around.


    That magic circle was most likely utilized here.¡± (Souma)


    At the time when we went to the Grand Church to get the medal of honor, Sazan spoke a lot about that magic circle.


    I most likely wouldn¡¯t have noticed how it was done without that.


    I don¡¯t really like being grateful to Sazan, but this alone is thanks to Sazan.


    However, the one who objected to my words was Sazan himself.


    ¡°W-Wait, are you talking about the mana congregation circle? But the most it can do is gather mana from what¡¯s above it. A small magic circle like that¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Then a bigger one can?¡± (Souma)


    I casually pointed this out and Sazan refuted strongly.


    ¡°That in itself is ridiculous! If a magic circle that big were to be drawn, the people in the city would notice! Also, in order to draw a magic circle, you need something like mithril which has special magic traits in order to show enough effect¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°But what if that magic circle was drawn way back¡­since the time the country was founded?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°W-What are you saying?! Something crazy like that¡­¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°I am not lying. Here, look.¡± (Souma)


    I pushed the [Evil God Great War ~The Birth of the Hero King~] on Sazan.


    What I showed him was the page with the drawing of the past capital.


    The cityscape that has barely changed since it was founded.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that just a map of the city?! There¡¯s no magic circle anywhere¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Really? Look properly.


    ¡­Hey, this shape, haven¡¯t you seen it somewhere before?¡± (Souma)


    I question him as if driving the nail on Sazan.


    ¡°The buildings¡­¡± (Ringo)


    The first one to notice was Ringo.


    She slowly moved her finger and traced the city.


    ¡°What are you¡­Aaaaah!!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan, who knows the most about magic circles here than any of us, noticed right after.


    Sazan was at a loss for words for a moment, but he looked at me with his eyes wide open.


    ¡°W-Wait a moment! What does that mean?!¡± (Maki)


    Maki couldn¡¯t keep up with the talk and raised her voice.


    If you think about it in an RPG perspective, you would get it at once -is what I thought, but I added an extra hint.


    ¡°Hey, Ina, when we were returning to the mansion, we were moving on top of the roofs, right?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh? Ah, yes. That was soon after defeating the Demon Lord, right?¡± (Ina)


    ¡°At that time, you saw what the roofs were made out of, right? Do you remember?¡± (Souma)


    Ina was flustered at the sudden topic being thrown to her and desperately turned her gears.


    ¡°Uuh, if I remember correctly, mithril¡­ Ah!¡± (Ina)


    And she notices it too.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Most of the roofs in this city are mithril. The material that¡¯s the most suitable for magic circles and magic catalysts.


    ¡­You should be able to understand after saying this much, right?


    The lines creating the magic circle are these building roofs.


    In other words¡­¡± (Souma)


    I looked around at the faces of my comrades that were coloured with surprise, and I said¡­


    ¡°This city itself is a giant magic circle!¡± (Souma)

 CH 171

    What I said made everyone in the place silent from the surprise, but Mitsuki eventually recovered and spoke while waving her cat ears.


    ¡°¡­I can¡¯t believe it. To think the city that we were living in normally had such a secret¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Yeah, I also doubted the sanity of this when I noticed this at first.¡± (Souma)


    What¡¯s strange here is that this lore wasn¡¯t revealed anywhere in the game, and it is simply something that I concluded after putting the pieces together.


    Even though they thought of such a large-scale thing, they didn¡¯t pick up any of that foreshadowing at all? The Nekomimi Neko staff really are crazy.


    Could it be that they just love thinking of the lore, but are weirdos that don¡¯t have any interest in revealing it?


    If there¡¯s such hidden lore all around, no wonder the Wiki theory page would be lively.


    We are only half-way through all of it.


    There¡¯s still more to this.


    ¡°Of course, the center of the magic circle and the center of the city are overlapping. That¡¯s why the mana is originally gathering at the center of the city¡­the Grand Church.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I see! The light of that stained glass was in order to make a second layer for the Mana Congregation Circle!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Yeah, most likely.¡± (Souma)


    I agreed at the shout of Sazan.


    The one who made this city is the founding king, Alex, and the Grand Church is deeply involved with King Alex.


    Alex is most likely the one who created this contraption.


    Gathering the mana of the city, creating an illusory pillar of light, and playing it off as a miracle of God.


    I think it is an easy to understand visual representation to evoke those feelings, but the founding king unexpectedly does some crafty stuff.


    At that moment¡­


    *Bang*


    Someone stood from their chair with that sound.


    ¡°In other words, the ones in the bad are the people gathering mana at the Grand Church! Unforgivable! Let¡¯s kill them!¡±


    ¡°U-Uuh¡­¡± (Souma)


    I don¡¯t know how to react to that and fall silent.


    The one who stood up and shouted was not from our party.


    It was the priestess that was sitting at the far end of the table and we don¡¯t even know the name of.


    ¡°Ah, speaking of which, I haven¡¯t introduced myself. I am the Sister, Myusurusushu Myuruttsu.¡±


    The priestess said this, but that¡¯s quite the tongue twister.


    ¡°Uhm, Myushurushu-san.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Ah, sorry. It is not Myushurushu, but Myusurusushu.¡±


    ¡°S-Sorry. Uhm¡­Myusurushu¡­sushu¡­ Uuh, Myurumyurits-san.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Ah, sorry. It is not Myurumyurits, but Myuruttsu.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Who was the one who thought of the name of this person?!


    I felt killing intent for the Nekomimi Neko developers again while hearing what Myusu¡­Myuru¡­Myu-something had to say.


    This Myu-something-san is a Sister that works at a different church from that of the Grand Church in this city, and is apparently the right arm of that famous character, Priest Gratia.


    I don¡¯t remember hearing her name in the game, so she is probably not a companion character or isn¡¯t involved in events, so she was most likely what you would call a mob character.


    ¡°Those bald geezers at that Grand Church would always spit insults to Priest Gratia when they come to our place! They would say: ¡®Living here must be so carefree. How nice!¡¯. So persistently, every single damn time!


    I am sure they don¡¯t like the Priest-sama because he has glossy hair!


    We should go there at once and burn them down!¡± (Myu)


    Now that she mentions it, the famous church NPC of this city, Priest Gratia, had long hair.


    But the people of the Grand Church were most likely all made bald by the Nekomimi Neko developers because of some stereotype like ¡®All people from sacred professions must be like monks, so bald should be fine¡¯.


    The ones at the Grand Church are not at fault¡­probably.


    ¡°Aah, burning them down is a bit¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Really? Then, at the very least, let¡¯s burn down their hair roots!¡± (Myu)


    ¡°No, won¡¯t the priest be more hated unnecessarily if baldies increased?¡± (Souma)


    Even though she looks like a calm person, the insides are totally different.


    Well, taking it as her being angry for the sake of a person she respects, you could say she is a good person in her own way.


    ¡°You really like Priest Gratia.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°It is not on the level of ¡®like¡¯, but he is a reliable person, and also¡­¡± (Myu)


    That¡¯s when she made a distant gaze like that of a maiden in love.


    ¡°He is the only person who can properly say my name.¡± (Myu)


    ¡°What¡¯s up with your name?!¡± (Souma)


    Well, I myself can¡¯t say it properly, so I can¡¯t really refute her here.


    But leaving aside what kind of people the ones at the Grand Church are, the true culprit here is not them.


    ¡°I am sorry, but please hold off on blaming the people of the Grand Church. It is true that the magic circle in the Grand Church was to create a light pillar, but the old man of the weapon store said that visitors have decreased in the Grand Church recently, right?


    It has probably lost that ability. There¡¯s a completely different group of people tinkering with it and using it for something else.¡± (Souma)


    I lower my gaze to the opened city map.


    ¡°Sazan, you said that you can change the place where the power gathers if you tinker with the magic circle, right?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh? Y-Yeah.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Then¡­¡± (Souma)


    I stared at the map and pointed at two locations.


    ¡°If these two locations were to get cut off, where does the mana gather?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°If it is there and there¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Seriousness shows in the eyes inside the mask.


    Sazan fell in thought for a while, but he eventually slid his finger at a certain point on the map.


    ¡°¡­Probably around here.¡± (Sazan)


    He said with a stiff voice.


    It seems like he understands plenty well what this means.


    ¡°Dead on.¡± (Souma)


    The place that the masked mage pointed at¡­is the place that prides on being the tallest in the capital, the headquarters of the Mage Guild, the Sorcery Tower.


    In the game days, the Mage Guild related quests had a truly straight name like ¡®Crush the defiant!¡¯.


    The content of the quest was to use a siege magic golem to destroy the houses of the people that were against the ritual of the Guildmaster.


    The performance of the magic golem was unbelievable. Even though it could only do close-range attacks, it had the attack and defense power of a mid-game boss, and had the same physical resistance as the Butcher.


    On top of that, despite being gigantic, its mobility is not bad. Truly an impregnable fortress¡­is what you would think, but its magic defense is zero, and it is 4 times weaker to all elements aside from physical.


    Why did they lend you a golem whose weakness is magic when you are going to fight against mages?


    Players can¡¯t destroy buildings, so you have to protect that golem somehow, and the quest had an unreasonable difficulty level because of it, but well, let¡¯s leave that aside for now.


    What¡¯s important is that the objective of this quest is not ¡®defeat the opposing faction that¡¯s cooped up in their houses¡¯, but ¡®destroy the houses of the opposing faction where they are cooped up in¡¯.


    I couldn¡¯t accept it at that time, but I can understand the reason why now.


    Because the houses the opposing faction were cooped up in are the locations I just pointed at in the map.


    In other words, they are really important locations for the Mage Guild to change the location where the mana of the city gathers.


    ¡°I will cut off the little details, but I knew that the Mage Guild were aiming for these two houses.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t expect the reason was because they wanted to destroy the mithril roofs though.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Hm? Then, does that mean the houses have been destroyed? In that case, it would have become an even bigger deal and talk of it would have spread in the city¡­¡± (Maki)


    I didn¡¯t deny the point of Maki and nodded instead.


    ¡°It has already gotten to that point. However, not in the form of building destruction, but in theft.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Ah, I see! Are you referring to the mithril theft incidents?¡± (Maki)


    In the weapon store, there was one other rumor aside from the Grand Church, and that was the mithril used on the houses having been stolen.


    I can¡¯t really say for sure, but it would be natural to think that this is an incident where the mithril of the roofs had been taken away by the Mage Guild.


    ¡°The mana is probably being absorbed and gathered into the Mage Guild by the magic circle.


    They are trying to use that power to perform a forbidden ritual.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°In other words, even this MP Drain that covers the whole city is only the tip of the iceberg?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki asked this while tilting her cat ears, and I turned even more serious as I nodded.


    ¡°Right now it is only sucking MP little by little. But if the ritual begins for real, that won¡¯t be all that will be happening. It will absorb the HP and MP of the whole city without leaving a drop.


    When that happens, all the living beings in this city¡­will be wiped out.¡± (Souma)


    The moment I said this, I heard someone gulping.


    At the same time as I said this, a memory played in my mind of the game days.


    ¡ªThe sight of the capital devoid of a single person after the Mage Guild event.


    In the game days, I didn¡¯t really feel the realization that it was the result of all the people in the capital having died.


    Also, because of the patch that enabled you to rewind the effect of the guild events, and the Load function, I could just go back to the beginning and redo it.


    That¡¯s why I could just talk carefreely about it as a funny story even with an event like the whole city being wiped out.


    But it is different now.


    I don¡¯t have a menu screen with a handy button to reset the effects, and I can¡¯t Load data or begin a new game.


    And yet, if that event goes on all the way to the end, the people in the capital and maybe even my comrades will all die for real.


    I definitely must not let such a sight be replicated in this world.


    ¡°The only ones who can stop them are us who have noticed their scheme. Can I borrow the strength of everyone, even if only a bit?¡± (Souma)


    I said this and looked at the faces of my comrades.


    A sudden threat to the city and a sudden request for help.


    And yet, not a single one of them averted their gazes.


    ¡°¡­Thanks.¡± (Souma)


    I could tell their resolve just from looking at their faces even without them saying it out loud.


    Now all that¡¯s left is to move straight ahead.


    ¡°Time is of essence. Let¡¯s go at once. The location is of course¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡­5 minutes later.


    ¡°Heave-ho!¡±


    A metal plate flew in the air with that shout.


    We exited the library and went to the location: the roof of the library.


    ¡°Yup, this should be all of it.¡± (Souma)


    Having obtained the permission of Seirie-san, we joined strengths and went around tearing off the mithril from the roof of the library.


    I thought we would have to destroy the roof at worst, but I was a bit baffled that the mithril could be easily taken off.


    But well, I am glad it ended safely.


    ¡°Now then, we are done for today. Good work, everyone.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Huh? W-Wait a moment! What about the Mage Guild?! What about the threat to the city?!¡± (Sazan)


    I ignored Sazan who had lost his marbles and was screaming, and I stretched.


    The more intricate and detailed a plan is, the weaker it is to obstructions.


    To the point that, by just tearing off a single random roof, the whole plan can crumble.


    ¡°Oi, are you listening?! Hey! ¡­Don¡¯t ignore meeee!!!¡± (Sazan)


    I looked at the mithril plates we tore off with the shrill voice of Sazan as BGM, and muttered this.


    ¡°¡­How much would it go for if we sold this?¡± (Souma)


    And in this way, the unprecedented danger threatening the capital came to an end with just basic carpentry skills.

 CH 172

    Light


    Dark


    ¡°As I said, this is a magic circle, so just messing a part of it will do just fine.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Uh, no, I understand the logic! But¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Even when coming back to the library, Sazan continued complaining, so I explained to him.


    Magic circles are a delicate thing, so just changing one part or two can change the effect of a magic circle.


    That¡¯s why the Mage Guild won¡¯t be able to use their magic circle anymore with the mithril of the library¡¯s roof torn off.


    The MP Drain should have stopped, and the people who have lost consciousness from the lack of MP will wake up eventually.


    ¡°But you were having a grand speech about lending you our strength¡­¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Hm? But I did borrow your strength even if only a little bit¡­right?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­That¡¯s¡­Hngh!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan was raising an incomprehensible fuss here, but I can¡¯t go wasting too much time on him.


    We have escaped immediate danger for now.


    But we can¡¯t just leave it as just that this time around.


    ¡°Maki, sorry, but can you go to the King for a bit and explain the situation? If possible, it would be a great help if you were to use the castle soldiers to capture the Mage Guild¡¯s Guildmaster.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Okay, got it!¡± (Maki)


    Even if we heal the collapsed people, they would just be confused and uneasy without knowing the situation.


    We should be able to keep the chaos and confusion to the bare minimum if there¡¯s the explanation of the King.


    ¡°Seirie-san, I think the people of the library will be waking up little by little, so please deal with them. I will give you a few MP potions just in case.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Understood.¡± (Seirie)


    But the people in the library aren¡¯t the only unconscious people.


    As for how we will deal with those people¡­


    ¡°Want me to take over the job of explaining to the citizens?¡±


    While I was thinking about it, Myu¡­-san proposed this.


    ¡°Is that okay?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yes. It will obviously be impossible to explain to everyone, but I think I can be of help.¡± (Myu)


    ¡°No, but¡­¡± (Souma)


    I think Maki will explain to the King, but it would be better to have as many hands as possible to calm down the confusion.


    But, honestly speaking, seeing how she has been acting until now, I find it hard to believe she has the ability to be of use here.


    She must have noticed those doubts, she spoke as if reprimanding me.


    ¡°Souma-sama, it is true that I alone am a powerless sister. However, people are not alone as long as they are alive. Relying on others and urging the cooperation of others is by no means an action that should be shamed for.


    Also, I have Priest Gratia and those reliable comrades.¡± (Myu)


    ¡°Myu¡­-san.¡± (Souma)


    I couldn¡¯t say the name of the person in question, so it didn¡¯t really close up that well, but her words seeped in my chest.


    I am aware that I would end up thinking about how to solve all the problems by myself.


    This is personally a painful talk.


    But what she is saying right now had no signs of it being an exaggeration or her being embarrassed about them, her face not showing criticism towards me.


    I felt like this girl that seemed like she was just fooling around a few moments ago was truly a sincere and faithful person with experience.


    ¡°Sorry. I¡­¡± (Souma)


    Remembering that I was treating her like a weirdo until now, I felt embarrassed.


    But she smiled as if saying ¡®that¡¯s okay¡¯ and declared this bluntly.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I will throw this whole matter onto Priest Gratia! That person is capable unlike me, so I am sure he will do this well!!¡± (Myu)


    ¡°¡­Ah, okay. Let¡¯s just go with that.¡± (Souma)


    Understand that this person is completely hopeless, the conversation was severed then and there.


    Well, the reality is that, if she were to talk with the priest about it, the priest will most likely do everything in his power to calm down the confusion of the city.


    ¡°Hnnn¡­? This is¡­?¡±


    While we were having that talk, one of the people that had collapsed in the library had woken up.


    I look at the faces of my comrades and exchange glances.


    There will be individual differences in the MP recovery rate, but all the people will most likely be waking up from here on.


    The MP Drain of the Mage Guild has stopped safely.


    Seirie-san stayed in the library, Maki headed to the castle, Myu-something-san went back to the church, and we headed back to our house.


    People woke up little by little, and the city was regaining its noise.


    As expected of the residents of Nekomimi Neko.


    They must have gotten used to weird happenings. Even when they know that they have lost consciousness, there¡¯s barely any people who are flustered about it.


    ¡°Speaking of which, I am feeling hungry.¡± (Ina)


    Ina muttered carefreely.


    The sound of life mixed into the city and the scent of food was wafting about.


    We have used quite a lot of time at the library.


    It is most likely already time for dinner.


    ¡°R-Right! Once we are back, I will go all out in my cooking! Sashimi of Killing Globe Fish and Birdhelm salad¡­¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Rejected. Are you planning on killing us?¡± (Mitsuki)


    I heard the conversation of my comrades at the front.


    And once we were around half-way¡­


    ¡°Ah, shoot!¡± (Souma)


    I suddenly raised my voice and the gazes of everyone gathered on me.


    ¡°Sorry, it seems like I forgot something at the library. I¡¯m gonna go get it, so please return first.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Ah, then I will also!¡± (Leila)


    Leila immediately wanted to follow along, but I shook my head.


    ¡°No, it would be faster if I go alone and it is already time for dinner. Can you please go back first and prepare dinner for us?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°The meal of Souma? ¡­Okay! I will do my best!¡± (Leila)


    Her response was strangely energetic, but I sighed in relief. And then, it was now Sazan who slid his way towards me as if having fun.


    ¡°The library, huh. Fufu. Then this omniscient mage that knows everything in this world, Sazan, shall come along with you. Of course, you will be going for your own business, but you will be paying for my entrance fe¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°More importantly, give me back my gloves.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Gya! Wa, n-no! It stinks of sweat! I am telling you no! ¡­G-Got it. I will wash it at the mansion properly, so stop pulling!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan slid his way in aiming for the library, but I shot him down and switched directions before he could say anything more.


    I ran back to the path we came from.


    ¡°P-Please wait, Souma-san! We really should¡ª¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Now then, I will be heading off, so go back first, okay?! [Step], [High Step], [Ground Compression]!¡± (Souma)


    I act as if I didn¡¯t hear the voice of Ina coming from my back and accelerate in one go.


    I turn the corner with the last Ground Compression.


    And then, after confirming I couldn¡¯t see them anymore¡­


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡± (Souma)


    I turned my back from the path to the library and began walking to a completely different direction.


    The objective is of course the source of this incident, the Mage Guild.


    ¡ªWe are out of immediate danger.


    ¡ªBut we can¡¯t just end it like this this time around.


    If Maki does this well, King Rihito might be able to move the soldiers to apprehend the Mage Guild¡¯s Guildmaster.


    However, the expectations are low that they will be able to achieve that.


    Especially if the guildmaster were to use the magic circle in the office room to escape inside the tower. Capturing the guildmaster will be despairing with the forces of the castle.


    Also, there¡¯s one thing I am curious about.


    The trick that the Mage Guild used was one given through the game.


    It is true that the methods and objectives were shown in the setting of the game.


    But the incident of the citizens being MP drained was not in the game.


    (The divergence between the game and this world is getting bigger.) (Souma)


    NPCs have become people with free will and their scope of action has expanded greatly.


    That difference is getting bigger as time passes, and by the time 1-2 years go by, my game knowledge will stop being of use little by little.


    In that sense as well, it is time to settle this here.


    ¡°¡­This might be my last job in this world.¡± (Souma)


    The dangers that have come to us have been many, and I didn¡¯t pour strength into returning to my world.


    But once this incident is resolved, I doubt there will be any more incidents that will drag this world into peril again.


    That means my duty as a Player in this world would be over.


    I will just have Sazan cooperate a bit later, and I will be able to obtain the ¡®method to return¡¯ that I was thinking about at first.


    Ringo, who is suffering because of me, and Ina, who I pretty much married because of the situation, Mitsuki, who has helped me out the whole time, and the cat ears-chan that calms me down the whole time. Of course, there¡¯s the Bear and Leila too. My precious comrades.


    It is not like I am not hesitating about separating from them.


    But when I have to decide whether to return, I will make it so I have the least amount of regrets, make a world where everyone remaining can live in peace, and cut off as much of the roots of evil as possible.


    It is true that my game knowledge will slowly become useless.


    Even so¡­no, it is exactly because of that that I have to affix this Mage Guild problem into the game category with my game knowledge to solve it.


    ¡ªThis will most likely be my last role as a Protagonist (Player) in this world.


    That¡¯s why I headed to the Mage Guild without hesitation.


    ¡°So it really was like that.¡±


    I was startled by the voice that rang behind me and I stopped.


    When I looked back, there were two people that shouldn¡¯t be here.


    ¡°Mitsuki! And also Ringo?! Why¡­?¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki loosened her lips as if saying that¡¯s a foolish question, shook her cat ears, and spoke.


    ¡°It is the world¡¯s most stupid question. Who do you think I am?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Those haughty words that Mitsuki spoke gently like a lullaby made my mouth loosen unconsciously.


    ¡°I see. So it would be easy to see through an act like that for you, huh, Mitsuki.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yes¡­ Because I have been watching you the whole time since meeting you.¡± (Mitsuki)


    The memories I have had with Mitsuki replayed with those words and I felt my chest being squeezed.


    I escaped to Ringo hurriedly as if shaking off those emotions.


    Are you the same as Mitsuki? -is what I asked with my gaze, and Ringo nodded without hesitation.


    ¡°¡­Hn. I followed her on a whim.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡­Yeah, having no real reason is the best.


    I made a wry smile at the unexpected words and was about to wash it off, but¡­


    ¡°¡­I wanted to go together with you, Souma.¡± (Ringo)


    Even Ringo went and said something that surprised me.


    And then, she was urged by Mitsuki at her side. She hesitantly walked forward and showed me both of her hands.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­!¡± (Souma)


    Ringo¡¯s fingers had 2 on her left and 2 on her right for a total of 4 rings.


    For a resident of this world like Ringo, the limit of rings you can have on should be 2¡­


    ¡°Could it be that your condition was weird in the library because¡­¡± (Souma)


    The reason why Ringo has not been feeling good recently is because she was training to put on a whole lot of rings?


    Of course, you will be able to do as much more with the number of rings increasing.


    But breaking such mental restrictions should come with extreme pain.


    I was left speechless with the two hands in front of me and¡­


    ¡°¡­I will do my best.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­I will do my best in anything so that I can be of help to you, Souma.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo grabbed both of my hands tightly and looked up at me as if clinging onto me.


    ¡°That¡¯s why¡­please don¡¯t leave me.¡± (Ringo)


    Does that¡­does that mean not leaving her even though I am going to the Mage Guild?


    Or¡­


    ¡°Ringo¡­¡± (Souma)


    But whichever the case, I couldn¡¯t say anything to Ringo.


    A tense atmosphere like that of glass that could break with just a single breath.


    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s go.¡± (Mitsuki)


    The one who cut that atmosphere without hesitation were the cat ears cutting through the wind.


    Mitsuki entered between us with a light mood, taking both mine and Ringo¡¯s hand, and began walking as if dragging us.


    ¡°M-Mitsuki?!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Mitsuki¡­?¡± (Ringo)


    Mine and Ringo¡¯s voices overlapped.


    But even when receiving the criticism of two, she didn¡¯t show a single sign of being flustered.


    ¡°It would be a waste of time to talk here. Rather than standing in place and thinking, let¡¯s do what we can right now.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Ah, but¡­¡± (Souma)


    It is not like I went alone without my own thoughts.


    It is because I judged that it would be best to hit the Mage Guild alone that I separated from everyone¡­


    ¡°Now then, are you going to throw Ringo-san away after she showed this much courage?¡± (Mitsuki)


    But if she puts it that way, I can¡¯t say anything back.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki grabbed our hands without any hesitation and continued onwards.


    I was a bit¡­jealous of her unfaltering personality.


    But, at that moment¡­


    A small mutter leaked out from Mitsuki at the front.


    ¡°If this is going to be the last time¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    What¡¯s that about this being the last time?


    Mitsuki didn¡¯t finish what she was going to say, but I felt like the fingers of Mitsuki pulling my hand were trembling slightly.


    ¡°¡­Right.¡± (Souma)


    I resolved myself.


    Mitsuki and Ringo are the two that have been together with me the longest since coming to this world.


    That¡¯s why, if¡­if this is the last incident in this world¡­


    ¡ªIt should at least be with these 3.


    I felt like I heard those words that were not voiced out, and I held the trembling hand of Mitsuki.


    Mitsuki looked back and I answered clearly.


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go. All 3 of us.¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki looked as if she gulped for a moment there, but soon nodded with a calm expression.


    ¡°¡­Of course.¡± (Mitsuki)


    And then quickly looked to the front and continued onward gallantly while pulling me and Ringo.


    I doubt Mitsuki doesn¡¯t think anything about me returning to my world.


    But she is putting a lid on those feelings for now and is trying to do what she can.


    I think that¡¯s a strength that Ringo and I don¡¯t have.


    The liveliness of the city was beginning to return to the MP drained city.


    There are people who know us, and some are looking at us, who are walking while holding hands, with weird eyes.


    But Mitsuki didn¡¯t falter.


    She didn¡¯t even spare a glance at the noise of the surroundings, and with an expressionless face filled with confidence, she raised her face proudly, puffed her chest out, and advanced forward.


    Walking forward.


    ¡°¡­Mitsuki.¡± (Souma)


    My voice was raspy.


    That raspy voice of mine was swallowed by the noise of the city and didn¡¯t reach Mitsuki.


    I hesitated countless times but decided to say it in the end.


    ¡°¡­Mitsuki, uhm¡­sorry.¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki finally looked back when I said this.


    She had her usual composed expression, but I don¡¯t feel that thorniness she had when I first met her.


    ¡°Is something the matter? Don¡¯t tell me you are having cold feet at this point in time, right?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Those provocative yet soft words of hers made a smile show on my face again and I shake my head.


    I simply pointed back and said¡­


    ¡°The corner just now¡­to the left.¡± (Souma)


    The cheeks of Mitsuki flushed in an instant, and her cat ears fell as if saying ¡®I am sorry¡¯.


    ¡ª¨C


    Author: Somewhere else at that time, Ina was snatching some of the dinner at the mansion and was scolded by Leila.

 CH 172.5

    ¡°¡­So it ends up like this after all.¡±


    I looked at the guildmaster, Iaski, and spit out my dissatisfied emotions.


    I planned on doing my best to not kill Iaski, but he came at me no questions asked once the ritual was over.


    Inside this tower that you can¡¯t use teleport inside of, with even the entrance sealed, he had no choice but to yield.


    Even if you lower the HP of the other party until it is in critical state, an event doesn¡¯t happen, so I had no choice but to kill him.


    ¡°If I knew this would happen, I should have done the revolt event in the middle of it.¡±


    It took me a lot of time to reach this last event since becoming a member of the Mage Guild.


    I mutter this idea that I thought countless times in the middle of it, but this time around, for a different reason.


    When I close my eyes, I can recall the many unreasonable events of the Mage Guild.


    First, at the time when I was being recruited by the guild.


    You have to take something called a baptism ritual in order to become a member of the guild, but at the time when you are forcefully equipped with the apprentice robe at the baptism ceremony, there¡¯s a bug where the equipment you had on at that time will disappear, so I had to reset it with tears in my eyes.


    It has been patched now and changed to you being able to equip it before beginning the event, but I really would like them to stop placing such dangerous traps in an event that is not dangerous no matter how you think about it.


    After that, I was made to become the helper of an eccentric mage (most orders were to bring this here, but it is completely RNG. If you fail, all your progress will pop like a bubble), would be made to do unreasonable errands countless times (at that time they would ask for items that were not included in the game, so there would be cases when it would be impossible to clear), you would be caught up in weird experiments that would decrease your stats permanently (moreover, there¡¯s no notification when it is lowered, so if it hadn¡¯t been an unchanging number like Stamina, I would have saved without noticing), and you would be told to sell a magic book at an unreasonable price (you obviously won¡¯t be able to, so I had to take out from my own pocket and gave it to them). They really made me go through hell.


    Every time Iaski made unreasonable orders, I would think countless times about doing the revolt event.


    Even after going through so much trouble, you would have to raise your level all the way to 150 in order for Iaski to like you as the level supremacist he is, and then I finally managed to become a guild executive. That¡¯s when I can finally take the last quest.


    The last guild event of the Mage Guild is a chain quest: Siren of Purging Drama.


    In order to do the forbidden ritual that¡¯s the last objective, you need to do 3 quests.


    First, the quest to destroy the houses of the Mages from the opposing faction which are against Iaski and the others from the radical faction.


    I don¡¯t know why this is a necessary quest for the chain event, but it is a prerequisite quest, so it can¡¯t be helped.


    You can¡¯t destroy houses in the game, so you have to use a sketchy thing called a Sorcery Golem, but this was horrible.


    Even though it moves with magic, it has zero magic resistance, and it would get destroyed in the blink of an eye if it gets hit with concentrated magic attacks.


    Moreover, you will fail the quest if you move away a certain distance from the golem, so you have to go to the houses of the opposing faction and incapacitate the enemies beforehand, then hurry and take the quest in order to finish this one.


    The next one is to secure the necessary magic book, Nekuranomikon, which assists in the ritual.


    The ritual requires managing an outrageous amount of mana, so an item is necessary to control it, and that¡¯s apparently the Nekuranomicon.


    This is sleeping in the basement of the library, but you have to clear an unreasonable quiz event, and I reluctantly had to clear this one with the Wiki.


    The last one is getting the mithril which will serve as the catalyst for the ritual.


    Not only is the control of the mana gathered from the city difficult, there¡¯s the need for a whole lot of catalysts, so there¡¯s apparently the need of a mass amount of mithril.


    As a result, you end up having to do an item request that requires you to buy 1,000 mithril pieces of armor which you would question the sanity of.


    Moreover, when you buy mithril items, they run out of stock for a while, so I even touched upon the malice of the Nekomimi Neko developers who are detailed in only the annoying spots.


    I had no choice but to do the ¡®Mithril Statue 1,000 Visits¡¯ which is hell just thinking back on it, but anyways, I somehow managed to get 1,000 mithril pieces of armor.


    After finishing those painful preparations, the ritual event finally began.


    The talk prior to it was that this is a ritual ¡®to purge the opposing faction that is inside the guild, and the potential opposing children who don¡¯t understand the worth of magic all at once, and let the world know the authority of the Mage Guild¡¯.


    But once all preparations were done, the guildmaster, Keimona Iaski <translates to Animal Ear Lover>, said this next:


    ¡ªGood work. With this, I can surpass humanity.


    In other words, Iaski wished to do this ritual all for his own selfishness to begin with.


    The fame of mages was of no importance to him.


    Iaski is a level supremacist to begin with and had the tendency to blindly accept power.


    But I couldn¡¯t tell that that was foreshadowing that linked to this point.


    Even if so, I still helped out Iaski without much choice.


    If I was going to stop the event midway, I would have just triggered the revolt event from the very beginning.


    I can¡¯t turn back anymore anyways.


    In that case, I just gotta go all out.


    I doubt anything worse than this can happen.


    I did this ritual with those half-hearted feelings and have seen a trace of success.


    No, can this be called succeeding?


    This forbidden ritual to ¡®overcome human limitations¡¯ stopped with just the birth of a disgusting creature.


    Iaski turned into a dreadful appearance, and the moment the ritual ended, he attacked me in order to test his strength, and ended up easily falling instead.


    It is not like your insides will evolve just by changing your appearance.


    Talk about all bark no bite.


    Making so much preparation, chanting a grandiose incantation, and even making flashy effects, and yet, the closing of curtains is this.


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go back.¡±


    This ritual is located at the highest floor of the Sorcery Tower.


    It seems like the magic circle of the Mage Guild used for the baptism ceremony was also used as the teleportation circle for the ritual, so I could come here in one go thanks to the magic of Iaski, but now that Iaski has died, I can¡¯t use the teleportation.


    The teleportation spells and items aside from that don¡¯t work in the Sorcery Tower, so there¡¯s the chance that the map has no connections. I can¡¯t even use Infinite Mirage Prison to come in and out.


    I have no choice but to walk my way out.


    I slowly went down the tower while feeling exhausted from being made to tag along in a stupid event.


    I went down to the 1st floor, and the moment I opened the entrance of the Mage Guild, unexpected cheers welcomed me.


    ¡°Oooh! Our new leader, Sagara-sama!¡±


    ¡°Glory to Sagara-sama!¡±


    The Mage Guild members including the ones that should have been on the side of Iaski began to extol me.


    I don¡¯t know how this conclusion was reached, but I am supposed to be the next guildmaster after defeating Iaski, and I am the hero since I took over his role and finished the ritual.


    ¡°Sagara-sama, as the only person in the whole world who has succeeded in the ritual, you are the hope of mages.


    From today on, the Mage Guild is yours. This is the Ruler Stick that will serve as proof of that.


    Please accept it.¡±


    The vice-guild master Dekill gave me a stick, and I grabbed it.


    What happened to the opposing faction that was desperately trying to stop a mere ritual like this?


    In the end, even if they called it a purge of the opposing faction, the most they did was destroy the houses they were holed up in.


    What was this farce about?


    I frowned at the sloppy story development. No notification of an end or credits; a quiet finale for the Mage Guild event.


    I barely felt anything off at first.


    The first time I felt something was off was when I went to the Item Shop to replenish my healing items.


    ¡°Hm¡­?¡± (Souma)


    There wasn¡¯t anyone at the store.


    A pointlessly energetic mob clerk-san would normally greet me with a pointlessly energetic tone when I enter the store.


    And yet, the store is inactive and there¡¯s not a single sound.


    But that¡¯s weird.


    At the times when the store is open, there aren¡¯t any cases where the clerk is away, most likely in order to prevent thefts.


    The only exception would be¡­


    ¡°¡­This¡­¡± (Souma)


    When I peeked at the shop¡¯s counter, there was a red ribbon on the floor.


    The terrible thing about this is that I have seen this before.


    It is an item that the Item Shop clerk always had on.


    I obtained confirmation of my bad feeling from this dropped item.


    The only possibility for there being no one in the store: it is when the clerk has been killed for some reason.


    Since the previous patch, people will drop event items when they die.


    The dots would connect if this ribbon is for some sort of event.


    ¡°What happened here¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I have been dumbfounded by the way too cheerful attitude of that girl, but I did take a decent liking to her.


    Even if her death doesn¡¯t affect the story much, it still makes me a bit sad.


    If you advance the story normally, there will rarely be any occasions where a mob character like this would die, but Nekomimi Neko is the type where it does still happen even if rarely.


    That said, I don¡¯t remember having done such a big event that would kill an NPC.


    Did I unknowingly step into a landmine?


    I went outside to gather information and¡­


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s when I finally noticed.


    The fact that there¡¯s not a single soul in this city.


    ¡°Oi oi, you gotta be kidding me!¡± (Souma)


    From there, I not only ran to the Weapon Shop and the Inn, I even entered private houses and mansions of nobles, and even went to the shrine.


    The moment I easily entered the castle that is always protected by soldiers, I had a clear picture of the situation.


    ¡ªBasically, the people of the city disappeared¡­no, they died.


    I know the reason.


    There¡¯s only one thing that comes to mind.


    It is the ritual that Iaski did.


    A ritual for the sake of ¡®purging the opposing faction that is inside the guild, and the potential opposing children who don¡¯t understand the worth of magic all at once, and let the world know the authority of the Mage Guild¡¯.


    Also, there was the explanation that it is a ritual that gathers the mana from the city.


    I just assumed that the purging would be caused by the effect of the ritual.


    But that might not have been the case.


    The ritual simply created a disgusting creature that wouldn¡¯t benefit anyone.


    Honestly speaking, its effect was really meager.


    But what if the biggest effect of the ritual wasn¡¯t the result of it, but the process?


    The process of gathering a massive amount of mana for the ritual serving the role of purging would make the dots connect.


    They would end up connecting.


    That ritual gathered the mana of the people in the city¡­no, the living beings in the city, and then, the living beings that had their mana forcefully stolen died.


    The only ones who came out of this safely are probably the people who were in the Mage Guild at that time.


    ¡°What¡¯s with this?¡± (Souma)


    I felt as if everything in front of me went pitch black.


    Even if it is a game, in just a few hours, the greengrocer old lady, the Inn old man, the king, queen, the annoying idiot mage; everyone died.


    And I contributed to such a ritual.


    There was no deep meaning to it.


    I simply rode on that boat and unreasonably took away the lives of these many people.


    Thinking back on it made me even want to vomit.


    But¡­


    ¡°¡­Something like this is within the realms of speculation in Nekomimi Neko.¡± (Souma)


    My playtime in Nekomimi Neko is no joke.


    If this had been me in my first playthrough, the me before experiencing the Demon Lord Blessing event, I might have panicked here.


    However, this is technically my second time.


    I already have resistance.


    The residents in a whole street are all gone, and you could say the casualties are higher than before, but it is not like there was a forced Save.


    I can escape from this situation by simply loading the data before the ritual.


    I operated the menu screen and was about to load, but¡­


    ¡°Latest patch¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I saw an announcement that wasn¡¯t there before.


    An official announcement from Nekomimi Neko notifying the players of a new patch.


    I lost to my curiosity and opened that page.


    What was listed there were the many bug fixes and changes, and at the end¡­


    ¡°Reset of the effects from the Warrior Guild and Mage Guild events?!¡± (Souma)


    I could only call this timing godly.


    ¡°We have received reports that, after ending the guild event, it is difficult to continue your playthrough. We have implemented a rescue button to return your character to just before the last event¡­¡±


    The information written in the announcement is very short.


    But from what I can read here, if you do the effect reset, you can rewind the event progress as well as the player, characters, and the state of the buildings to just before the last event.


    Oi oi -I whisper this under my breath.


    Is it okay for it to be this convenient?


    But this in itself really might be the help of the heavens.


    I tried to operate the patch application with a trembling hand and¡­


    ¡°Crap¡­!¡± (Souma)


    I immediately groaned.


    You have to close the game once in order to apply the patch.


    Even if it is the latest in VR games, it can¡¯t apply the patch while you play.


    ¡°What should I do?¡± (Souma)


    The problem is whether I should save in this situation.


    I think back to the last time I saved.


    ¡­I don¡¯t remember having saved in several hours.


    If I were to quit the game without saving here, I would have to do this mentally exhausting event again which is something I would like to avoid.


    That said, I am a bit uneasy about saving this situation.


    ¡°Oh well, it should be fine.¡± (Souma)


    I should be able to manage somehow if the patch is applied.


    I tried being positive here, and ran to the Monolith to save my data.


    I then choose the quit game option without hesitation.


    Choosing to quit the game doesn¡¯t mean the VR machine will stop immediately after.


    This VR machine also has an exclusive browser that can let you browse the net.


    ¡°Patch! Patch!¡± (Souma)


    I was so excited here that I ended up speaking to myself here while I fiercely went through the menu.


    Several 3d windows appeared in an instant through my Order.


    At the same time, the VR App that Maki installed as a joke materialized the ¡®Patch! Patch!¡¯ in deformed letters, crashing onto the window, and disappearing into bubbles.


    I was literally spreading my monologuing inside the virtual space while surfing on the net with the avatar exclusive for this use, calling up the official pages of Nekomimi Neko at light speed, and started applying the patch.


    ¡°Alright, done!¡± (Souma)


    It must be because a little time had passed since the patch was announced, I managed to access it in one go.


    Even though it is not that big of a size, the bar was not moving at all and it was giving me anxiety.


    But that¡¯s the usual.


    Instead, using this time to confirm the details of the patch has become part of the fun lately for me, and you could call it a time of bliss too.


    With an exalted feeling of mixed impatience and anticipation, I scrolled the announcement page that I had opened on a different window, and confirmed the details of the patch.


    I skip over the many explanations of bug fixes that I would usually read slowly, and went immediately down to the very lowest entry about the effect reset of the guild event.


    The technique for the effect reset is simple.


    Right before the last guild event where there¡¯s an irreversible effect -for example; in the Mage Guild event where you are teleporting for the ritual- something similar to a quick save will be made, and if you do a specific process after clearing the guild event, that data will be loaded, and everything will be returned to the quick save state aside from the player¡¯s stats and items.


    And the specific process for it is¡­


    ¡°Sleep on a bed? Isn¡¯t that¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡ªIn other words, a dream punchline.


    I chuckled at the sense of the Nekomimi Neko staff as I continued reading.


    As for the reset of the Mage Guild¡¯s effects, after the success of the ritual, if you go to a sleeping state at the bed that was added above the ritual stage, the effects will be automatically reset.


    For the Warrior Guild, it is simple. After the guild event, you can go to sleep in any inn to reset the effects.


    By the way, the sleeping state is a status ailment that you can choose from the game menu by tapping the ¡®sleep¡¯ while you are lying on a specific location like a bed for a set period of time.


    Also, as a change annexed to this, you cannot leave the guild once the ritual of the Mage Guild event has succeeded, so you have no choice but to reset the effects. This makes sense if you think about it.


    Dead NPCs drop quest items.


    If there¡¯s people who aim for that and go out of the Mage Guild to retrieve the quest items of the dead people before doing the effect reset, you can easily obtain the quest items that you normally wouldn¡¯t be able to.


    It is most likely a countermeasure for that.


    I really have to question the dream punchline, but they really think about the small details as always -is what I was thinking as I continued reading, and I finally reached the last part. To the point where the ¡ù (that means important) was written¡­


    ¡°Hm?¡± (Souma)


    I felt as if some weird trash-like letters entered my eyes all of a sudden, so I rubbed my eyes.


    ¡­But now that I think about it, there¡¯s no way trash would enter my eyes in VR.


    There¡¯s no such program that benefits no one in this avatar.


    I see, so it is not trash, but a visual bug, huh -is what I thought as I once again confirmed the last part.


    ¡ùAs such, due to the way the data is dealt with, the ones who have finished the guild event before the application of this patch won¡¯t be able to use the rescue function, so please keep that in mind.


    ¡°Uuuh¡­¡± (Souma)


    A weird sound came out of my mouth.


    The letters ¡®uuuh¡¯ flowed into the webpage, but I didn¡¯t have the leeway to worry about that.


    One time¡­just one more time¡­is what I thought as I closed my eyes and slowly opened them.


    ¡ùAs such, due to the way the data is dealt with, the ones who have finished the guild event before the application of this patch won¡¯t be able to use the rescue function, so please keep that in mind.


    ¡°Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!¡± (Souma)


    Those merciless words made me continue spitting out gigantic lines of letters in the VR space.


    And then, 1 hour after that.


    ¡°Frikin dammit!!¡± (Souma)


    I swung around my rusted sword in the path of the Forest of Beginnings, and showered the female bandit with blows to vent my anger.


    ¡ªThat¡¯s my experience with the Mage Guild event.


    ¡ªAnd the case where I had to begin my 3rd playthrough of the game.

 CH 173

    It is not because I went the wrong path, but I stopped going directly to the Mage Guild for now, and decided to go to the market to get anti-mage equipment.


    If we are going to be fighting against mages, elemental resistance is necessary.


    We went around the accessory shop, and went through our equipment once again.


    I told the two about my Mage Guild clear in the game days while we were walking, and shared my knowledge.


    ¡°¡­And so, that¡¯s what happened.¡± (Souma)


    I told the two about my experience at that time, and the awkward atmosphere between us disappeared.


    Ringo instead put a hand on my shoulder, and Mitsuki looked at me with kind eyes.


    This in itself feels awkward.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really get it, but it seems like you had it rough.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°No, that part was pretty much my own fault.¡± (Souma)


    I followed the shaking cat ears of Mitsuki with my eyes and shook my head slowly.


    To think I would save after seeing unconfirmed information. I can only call that naive as a Nekomimi Neko player.


    I should have at least confirmed the contents of the patch first before saving.


    The patch not having effect if you have cleared the event before you applied the patch is just the tip of the iceberg. There¡¯s a lot of cases where fatal bugs happen like event items added after the fix that you can¡¯t obtain and it is impossible to progress.


    I should have properly checked for the raging voices from the people that tested the fixed areas and have suffered from it. Measure the expected consequences, and the possible benefits of it, and only after I have come to an understanding about everything, I have to tell myself ¡®What I am doing here is not gaming, but debugging¡¯.


    That¡¯s what the latest patch of Nekomimi Neko entails.


    At that time, I severely lacked that mindset.


    ¡­No, it is weird that the Nekomimi Neko developers make the players have that mindset in the first place though.


    And the reality is that there were a lot of problems with the guild event reset, and there was the need for fixes on fixes.


    What was most unpopular was the dream punchline.


    There were minute changes to the Mage Guild¡¯s event contents, and instead of not being able to go outside after the ritual, the vice-guild master will show up and there would now be a mini event where he would bless you.


    The details are pretty much the same as if you came outside the tower.


    The vice-guild master would praise me for succeeding in the ritual, tell me that I am the mage guildmaster of the era, and would give me words of blessing.


    What¡¯s different is after that.


    Maybe because they now can¡¯t surprise the player with the ¡®there¡¯s no one in the capital!¡¯ due to not being able to go out, a window that allows you to see the state of the outside was added together with the bed at the top floor.


    And then, in front of this window where you can see the state of the city, the straightlaced and gentle but lacking in presence vice-guild master would show a big smile only at this moment and say:


    ¡°This is the new capital. Can you see it? That narrow path in front of the guild, normally, is around the time when a girl would be having a walk here. She is a lively girl, you see. When our eyes meet while I am inside the guild, she would say ¡®hello, Onii-chan!¡¯ with a smile on her face and would wave her hand. However, she won¡¯t be crossing this place ever again. That damn brat that doesn¡¯t know her place and position¡­no, not only that, even her lower lifeform she is taking out for a walk and her family¡­have become relics of the past.


    Eh? Why, you ask? That¡¯s obviously because all living beings in the capital have all died, including every single insect¡­ Why are you making that face? Please be a lot happier. Due to the ritual that you and Iaski-sama performed, the dirty and foolish people have been cleaned up! The ignorant and unenlightened populace that held prejudice towards mages, the obstinate royalty that doesn¡¯t admit the supremacy of mages, the contemptuous betrayers that didn¡¯t understand our noble ideology despite being mages like us; every single one of them were cleaned up beautifully by you and Iaski-sama¡­no, by the ritual that you performed!


    Man, that¡¯s a grand achievement that someone like me with my lack of ability and timidness wouldn¡¯t be able to achieve even in a millenia! This is truly¡­truly wonderful! There¡¯s no one in the kingdom¡¯s history who has been able to kill as many people as this. You have repainted history! You have created a new era, Sagara-sama!¡±


    How to say it¡­it is the worst kind of praising you to death.


    Of course, in the literal sense.


    I mostly play solo, so I haven¡¯t experienced it, but this quest can only be taken solo, so in the case you have companions, they will be waiting outside, and you will have extra dialogue that they have died too from the ritual.


    I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any, but this event is so nasty that it makes me worry that, if there¡¯s innocent children playing this event, they might end up getting traumatized.


    The vice-guild master will be talking endlessly about stuff like that, so most people wouldn¡¯t be able to take it and go outside.


    However, you unfortunately can¡¯t go out of the tower because of the changes.


    The door leading to the room where the large scale magic circle is located can¡¯t be entered or exited, so the player can¡¯t escape from the vice-guild master.


    In the end, you will have no choice but to head to the one other mysterious object that was added at the top floor, the big bed that is placed unnaturally at the opposite side of the window.


    When you do, the vice-guild master will say this.


    ¡°Oh, are you tired? Then, please rest on that bed. However, please be careful. Actually, this might be a daydream, and you may still be wondering whether to accept the ritual in front of Iaski-sama.


    If you go to sleep, you might end up waking up from this wonderful dream¡­ Just kidding.¡±


    After giving you such an on-your-face statement, you get returned to the state just before the last quest when you sleep on the bed.


    Right before the last quest is before you get send to the inside of the tower with the teleportation magic circle of the guild by Iaski, so you will end up right in front of Iaski, who is supposed to be dead, the next instant you go to sleep, so it is unexpectedly terrible for the heart.


    By the way, when you reset the effects once, not only the last quest, everything related to the ritual is treated as if it didn¡¯t happen, so you won¡¯t be able to go inside the tower, and even if you ask Iaski about the ritual¡­


    ¡°Ritual? Purge? What are you talking about? I can¡¯t really say I find eliminating the ones that oppose you as something admirable.


    Mages should coexist with other people that are not.


    The only ones who can accomplish that are us from the Mage Guild.¡± (Iaski)


    Not only does he not remember anything, he answers you with a response like that of an exemplary guild master.


    I don¡¯t know if he was saying that truthfully, but you could say this completely opposite statement amplified the already fuzzy feeling you get.


    This Mage Guild event is pretty baffling in itself, but the Warrior Guild doesn¡¯t fall behind.


    In order to join the guild, you have to touch the precious statue that is the symbol of the Warrior Guild, the Full Build Bob, and you will be wrapped in dazzling light. That¡¯s when the event starts.


    It is discovered that the player has a weird special constitution called Muscle Sympathy, and it is destined for you to create an ideal world where all living beings are blessed with the divine protection of muscles, the Muscle Arcadia.


    Well, what I mean is that you have to clash in earnest with the Warrior Guild that only talks physically, power up the Full Build Bob statue more and more, and have the Muscle-Head Field of that statue cover the whole world.


    The Muscle-Head Field is a fearsome field that turns the ones inside into muscle-heads, and in system terms, the people inside will have their skills and spells sealed, and will be forced to fight with only their own bodies.


    It is truly the field for the brawny.


    You could just laugh it off as a joke, but when you clear the last event, the Muscle-Head effect is enhanced. All the people in the world including children, women, and the companions of the player will only speak in muscle language likel ¡®Hngh!¡¯, ¡®Hah!¡¯, ¡®Muscle!¡¯, ¡®Osu!¡¯, ¡®Yaranaika?¡¯, so you wouldn¡¯t be able to do a proper playthrough.


    Unlike the Mage Guild event, you can freely walk outside after the event is over, but it is not like the characters die so they don¡¯t drop the quest items, and they only say ¡®Hngh!¡¯ ¡®Haah!!¡¯ ¡®Oof!¡¯ when you talk to them, so you won¡¯t be able to proceed with the events no matter how much you try.


    That¡¯s why you could say the existence of the patches were truly beneficial, but the fixes for this one are on a whole level of terrible compared to the Mage Guild.


    That¡¯s because when you are going to go to sleep somewhere after clearing the last event, all of a sudden without any foreshadowing¡­


    ¡°Once you wake up, the ideal muscle utopia disappears, and the city returns to its usual liveliness¡­


    I see, so that was a dream¡­


    You muttered this dejected, but soon placed strength in your biceps.


    It is okay. Your dream muscles are still here.


    You took a step forward with newfound hope as you felt the afterglow of the foregone dream.¡±


    Being hit with a monologue that feels like an underpaid intern made it, the muscle-head field is freed up.


    This shoved-in event pulled the same amount of bad rep as the added event of the Mage Guild, and unleashed a big bashing onto the developers.


    The result is that the sticky speech of the vice-guild master added with the patch and the dream punchline that was half-assed into both guild events were removed. And so, it is now settled into choosing in the menu screen to ¡®Effect Reset of the Guild Events¡¯.


    On top of that, there were issues even in those fixes, but¡­


    ¡°And so, is the so-called Muscle-Head Field of the Warrior Guild going to be alright?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°There¡¯s no problem there. It shouldn¡¯t proceed without the help of the player.¡± (Souma)


    I answered with confidence at the question of Mitsuki.


    The guild event of the Warrior Guild hinged mainly on the special constitution of the player.


    Unlike the mithril gathering that can be done pretty much by anyone, the Warrior Guild event shouldn¡¯t be able to proceed without the player.


    ¡°Then, as long as we crush the Mage Guild, we won¡¯t have to worry anymore, right?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°It is more the guildmaster Iaski than the Mage Guild. We have to stop that guy no matter what.


    However, in order to catch him, there¡¯s several problems that must be solved first.¡± (Souma)


    The most troublesome thing is his stronghold, the Sorcery Tower.


    In order to enter the Sorcery Tower, you either have to use the teleportation circle of the guild in the first place, or open the secret door.


    However, the only one who can use the teleportation circle is Iaski, and only the executives of the Mage Guild and Iaski know how to open the secret door.


    The method to open the secret door is different with every individual save file, so even I can¡¯t pinpoint it.


    ¡°Mitsuki, you passed by Salmon from the Mage Guild in front of the library, right? Can you search where he is right now?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yes. Wait a bit¡­ Hm?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Her cat ears shook in surprise as if going ¡®E-Eh? Hmm?¡¯.


    ¡°I can¡¯t pinpoint his location. There¡¯s no way¡­he is already dead?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Thanks. That¡¯s most likely correct.¡± (Souma)


    The Sorcery Tower is being treated as a separate map.


    In system terms, it would be something close to the pocket dimension of the Aken household.


    There¡¯s no reaction even when a search ability is used outside, and the teleportation spells and items are nullified.


    It is separated in terms of data, so it is impossible to enter and exit with Infinite Mirage Prison, and the World Map and the Teleport Stones that can only be used in adjoined land really show no effect.


    It would be really troublesome if they were to hole themselves up there.


    In the worst case scenario, if Iaski and the vice-guild master were to hold fort, we wouldn¡¯t be able to put a hand on them.


    Also, if they were to force the ritual even if in an incomplete state, who knows what in the world would happen.


    Anyways, what¡¯s important here is to not allow the other party any freedom to act.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I am going to use a game event.¡± (Souma)


    In this world, the compulsory power of the events is strong.


    If I take the same actions as the game event, they should have no choice but to move accordingly as well.


    I will cause chain events that Iaski will have no choice but to deal with, and won¡¯t allow him to act.


    That¡¯s my basic strategy.


    ¡°First, I will cause the guild recruitment event, and draw in Iaski.¡± (Souma)


    The guildmaster personally gets involved in the baptism ceremony.


    If it were someone else, they would most likely get refused at a time like this.


    But if it is me, the Player, it would be an event.


    We should be able to pull Iaski with the compulsory effect of the events.


    ¡°In that case, we are going to catch him when he comes for the ceremony?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°No, the ceremony will be done on top of the teleportation circle. If they were to discover me and they were to escape up, it would all crumble to dust.


    That¡¯s why I will cause the Revolt Event at that moment and am planning on catching Iaski for certain there.¡± (Souma)


    When I fulfill the two conditions of ¡®joining the Mage Guild¡¯ and ¡®Challenging the guildmaster¡¯, I can trigger the ¡®Revolt Event¡¯.


    The Revolt Event is a large-scale duel event with the guildmaster position at stake.


    When you issue the challenge, the guild members will be divided into the guildmaster side and the challenger side, and will become a team battle. The leader of the winning side becomes the next guildmaster.


    Which side the guild members go to depends on their affection, and there will be no one siding with me as a new member.


    In other words, in order to win in the Revolt Event, I have to win in a Whole Mage Guild vs Me.


    ¡°However, I have confidence that I can win as I am now.¡± (Souma)


    This is not a lie.


    I have increased my battle power in preparation for the Demon Lord battle before.


    If I were to fight in perfect form, even if I am against more than 20 or 30, I can proudly say I can easily defeat them.


    Also, this is an important point. In the case the player wins against Iaski, he will be apprehended by the Knight Order right then and there under the work of the opposing faction, and will be escorted to the castle.


    ¡­That opposing faction can also become hostile to you in the duel if you are within a certain threshold of the affection rate, but let¡¯s not bother about the small details.


    Anyways, if I win in the Revolt Event, I will have a high chance of incapacitating Iaski.


    For the sake of that¡­


    ¡°However, both of these events are done alone. That¡¯s why, I am sorry, but you two, please wait in front of the gui¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­No.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo grabbed my arm before I could finish.


    ¡°You were listening to what I said, right? There won¡¯t be any issues on my own. It would be better for you two to just wait obediently¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­No.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo shook her head and hugged my arm tightly as if telling me with her whole body that she definitely won¡¯t be letting go.


    Ringo really might be getting anxious about the possibility of me leaving her.


    I myself also want to fight together at the end at least, and that¡¯s why I did allow them to follow me all the way here.


    But even with that, this is still troubling.


    ¡°Hey, it is not like I want to leave you behind because I want to. It is just for a bit¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s not it. You can¡­leave me behind.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Eh?!¡± (Souma)


    I was left speechless at the unexpected response.


    The expression of Ringo when she said ¡®don¡¯t leave me behind¡¯ has been burned into my eyes.


    And yet, why is she saying it is okay to leave her?


    Ringo¡¯s gaze lowers at her own hands for a moment, at the rings on her fingers -at the crystallization of her hard work.


    Even with that, Ringo looked up at me as if shaking it off and said to me clearly.


    ¡°¡­If I am a hindrance, you can leave me behind.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Rin¡­go¡­?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­But don¡¯t go alone.¡± (Ringo)


    The strength Ringo was using to hold my arm increased.


    My gaze and Ringo¡¯s intertwined.


    Those way too desperate eyes of hers made me forget to breathe.


    ¡°¡­Souma, you said you can¡¯t use your gear in the baptism ceremony.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°So you remembered that¡­¡± (Souma)


    It is true that you will be forced to equip the lowest tier of equipment in the baptism ceremony, and your adventurer bag will be taken away too.


    Of course, it is just temporary for the ritual, but I don¡¯t know if I will have the time to get them back this time around.


    It will all go down the drain if Iaski were to run away in the time I am changing.


    I planned on causing the Revolt Event the moment the ceremony ends.


    In the worst case scenario, I might have to fight dozens of mages while still in my baptism ceremony gear.


    That¡¯s the biggest worry in this time¡¯s plan.


    I spoke in a way that they wouldn¡¯t notice, but it didn¡¯t work.


    ¡°¡­.You must not go to such a dangerous place¡­alone.¡± (Ringo)


    I don¡¯t know how to respond to the gaze of Ringo who is worrying about me.


    If it were simply because she didn¡¯t want to separate from me, I could have stopped her, even if forcefully.


    But¡­


    ¡°¡­Good grief. Can¡¯t stand to watch this.¡±


    A shadow crept behind me when I was frozen and unable to say anything.


    ¡°Wa?! M-Mitsuki?!¡± (Souma)


    I suddenly felt a soft sensation at the opposite arm from where Ringo was grabbing me.


    When I looked there, Mitsuki was hugging my arm the same way as Ringo, and was pulling.


    ¡°You want to do the event alone. Ringo doesn¡¯t want you to go alone. Then, the solution is simple. We will leave that so-called event to you.


    However, we will also go with you, and if anything unexpected happens, we will intervene.


    ¡­Isn¡¯t that okay?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Eh, no¡­that¡¯s true, but¡­okay.¡± (Souma)


    I ended up nodding at the logical words of Mitsuki.


    Mitsuki nodded as if saying ¡®good¡¯ and looked to the side.


    ¡°Also, you two, it is good that you are all concentrated in your talk, but don¡¯t forget to keep your eyes on your surroundings properly¡­ See?¡± (Mitsuki)


    What Mitsuki pointed at skilfully with her ears was¡­


    A sign where Accessory Shop is written¡­


    ¡°If I hadn¡¯t noticed, we would have passed our objective, you know?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Wa?!¡± (Souma)


    I swallowed the words ¡®you don¡¯t have the right to say that¡¯ as I saw how Mitsuki bent her cat ears and winked at me with a smug look.


    (The smug cat ears are so annoying! But cute!) (Souma)


    I was entranced by the cat ears-chan that were shaking proudly, and Mitsuki was smiling at Ringo as if saying ¡®I did it¡¯ while my head was blank.


    I forgot about how I was being hesitant of the two accompanying me, and was simply being pulled by the hand of Ringo and the chest of Mitsuki as I entered the accessory shop.


    ¡ª


    Author: Mitsuki has found a way to steer Souma.

 CH 174

    By the time I noticed, I was inside the accessory shop.


    While I lost myself in the cute solo of the cat ears-chan, I had been taken into the establishment at some point in time.


    I hurriedly dug back the memories of a few seconds ago.


    ¡ªThe graceful cat ears-chan that managed to pull off a technique resembling a bow and wink.


    ¡ªThe cat ears-chan that tilted backwards as if being smug about its success.


    ¡ªThe cat ears-chan that shook as if proud.


    ¡ªThe cat ears-chan whose tips were twitching as if saying ¡®geez, it is embarrassing to have you look at me that much~¡¯.


    ¡ªThe cat ears-chan that are dutifully spinning around going ¡®there¡¯s nothing off, right?¡¯, being careful about the surroundings.


    ¡ªThe cat ears-chan that looks down at me while I am relishing in the abnormally soft sensation I feel when Mitsuki is pulling my arm.


    ¡ªWhen I concentrated all of my senses to my arm unconsciously, I felt that it was being sandwiched by something soft, and cat ears-chan is cute.


    ¡ªAh, damn it. Mitsuki noticed that she had been pushing her own boobs on me and moved away¡­also, cat ears-chan.


    I have no memories of anything aside from cat ears-chan.


    (Crap¡­) (Souma)


    Even though we should have been having a pretty decently important talk here, I was spacing out, admiring the cat ears.


    I was wondering what to do if they noticed that I was way too entranced by the cat ears and checked the state of Mitsuki at my side.


    ¡°¡­Is something the matter?¡± (Mitsuki)


    But she was expressionless as always.


    She may look like she is in a bad mood with her arms crossed on her chest, but judging from her drooped cat ears, it doesn¡¯t seem like she is angry.


    At the very least, she doesn¡¯t look like she is suspecting me.


    Well, we are talking about Mitsuki who didn¡¯t even know that her own ears were moving.


    She probably doesn¡¯t even imagine at all that I was spellbound by her cat ears and spacing out.


    ¡°No, it is noth¡ªhm? Ringo?¡± (Souma)


    I was internally relieved by this, and I felt pressure from the opposite side of Mitsuki.


    Ringo, who was still grabbing onto my upper arm, squeezed tightly.


    It doesn¡¯t really hurt, but there¡¯s an oppressiveness to it.


    She probably didn¡¯t find it amusing that I am only paying attention to Mitsuki.


    I chuckled and told Ringo softly.


    ¡°My bad, my bad. But it is not like I have forgotten about you. That¡¯s why don¡¯t be too violent, okay?¡± (Souma)


    When Ringo heard this, she opened her eyes wide for a second, and then lowered her head as if hurt.


    At the time when I began getting worried that I might have said too much there, Ringo glanced at Mitsuki and nodded.


    ¡°¡­I will¡­do my best.¡± (Ringo)


    Is she referring to how she will be doing her best in not being violent?


    Well, I don¡¯t really think Ringo will do something that will harm me.


    I decided to just brush it off.


    ¡°More importantly, let¡¯s get some new rings for Ringo.¡± (Souma)


    I haven¡¯t forgotten that Ringo worked hard in the ring matter.


    When I appealed this, Ringo¡¯s eyes shone.


    ¡°¡­Hn!¡± (Ringo)


    She wrung my upper arm even harder than before.


    ¡­I told ya not to be violent¡­


    When getting gear in this game, you don¡¯t only have to think about the defense, but also the status ailments and elemental resistance.


    You could call it a resistance puzzle.


    In Nekomimi Neko where the status ailment resistances are really tight, no matter how well you get your gear up, it is impossible to get all your status ailment resistances to 100%, so there¡¯s not much point in trying to.


    It might be possible now that you can equip 10 rings, but what we should be setting our eyes on is elemental resistances rather than status ailments.


    The Nekomimi Neko world works predominantly on the mindset of kill before you are killed.


    My battle power is tilted towards offensive to match this.


    Even if I have pretty nice armor, if I were to get shot by several dozens of mages at the same time, evading would be difficult, and that damage can¡¯t be scoffed at.


    I would like to get equipment that mitigates elemental damage and/or absorbs it.


    The store has a variety of equipment with elemental mitigation including the pick-up items, moreover, we have the equipment that Mitsuki got from the quests when preparing for the Demon Lord battle, so we managed to get quite a lot of elemental resistance equipment.


    Characters and monsters have elemental multipliers in their stats. If it is at 100%, it is normal damage; 50% is half damage; 0% is nullified; if it goes into the negatives, it absorbs. On the other hand, if that¡¯s at 200%, the damage is doubled.


    This number is how the elemental resistance is shown, so the lower the number, the more resistance you have.


    However, here comes the troublesome part of Nekomimi Neko. There¡¯s also special traits for elemental resistance that are not numbers like: Fire Element Halved and Fire Element Null. Regardless of the elemental % of other equipment, it will get overwritten by a special trait.


    It will get complicated if I talk about the priorities when elements clash and other stuff, so I will omit that, but basically, even when the elemental percents are bad, if you have equipment that has an elemental resistance special trait, you can erase it in one go.


    We could buy fire resistance rings to drop the fire element percent to the negatives, and then erase the weak point that is ice element by equipping gear that has the special trait of ice element nullifier.


    The Mage Guild will mainly be using fire, water, and wind.


    We can seal 2 of them with this, and I have made it so I recover when I get hit with fire, so I should be able to fight at an advantage until it is discovered.


    There are cases when damage goes in when you absorb the element, so there are times when absorb is inferior to nullify, but there shouldn¡¯t be much to worry about since it will be my equipment.


    As for the remaining gear, I will get it until it mitigates half of the wind damage.


    I finished my preparations.


    I prepared Ringo¡¯s equipment in the same way.


    It seems like Ringo still finds it painful to equip rings in all of her fingers, but I bought enough for 10 taking into account her future growth.


    Ringo¡¯s demand for more attack power and my request to make it more focused on defense clashed, but I think we found a nice middleground.


    And then, while we were on our way to bring it to the cashier¡­


    ¡°Chronos Watch¡­¡± (Souma)


    I found the pocket watch that I have grown used to seeing inside the game.


    A Chronos Watch is: a watch that moves at the same pace eternally even without winding it or putting mana into it. That eternal trait of it makes it a necklace that has the effect of mitigating stun and slow status ailments.


    Its reduction is on the low side of 20% and it is honestly questionable as an accessory.


    However, aside from the fact that it has a long chain to hang around your neck, it is the same outward appearance as a pocket watch, and it looks like it can be used as a clock too.


    ¡°¡­Alright!¡± (Souma)


    I muttered this under my breath and quickly grabbed 3 of them and brought them to the cashier.


    I have also gotten my elemental resistance accessories so my preparations are complete!


    Is what I want to say, but once we exited the store¡­


    ¡°Since there¡¯s the chance, how about we check out the other stores?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki suggested this, so we decided to go to the weapon, armor, and item shop, too.


    The gear that I should have been used to seeing already was for some reason fun to go around and check. We went around the stores with around 50% more excitement than usual.


    Especially Mitsuki who doesn¡¯t say much aside from what¡¯s necessary. Today, she was awfully talkative.


    However, no matter how merry we are, it is not like the catalog of items is going to change.


    There were unfortunately no noteworthy discoveries in the weapon and armor shop, but we did have a little bit of a harvest in the item shop.


    I remember buying the whole inventory of the item shop, but they had a number of items they didn¡¯t have before.


    ¡°This is a Magical Pocket Gem, huh.¡± (Souma)


    One of those is the gem that has magic sealed in it which was of use in the battle against Mitsuki.


    It is a consumable, and its attack power doesn¡¯t reflect the stats of the one utilizing it, so their use is questionable, but there are situations where they can be of use.


    You can still use magic items in a situation where your magic is sealed, so they are priceless treasures in a sense.


    Also, it is the normal method to say the name of the spell out loud, but you can activate gems by just having them receive a strong impact.


    Depending on how you use it, you could even activate 2 spells at the same time by chanting a spell while throwing a gem.


    ¡°Let¡¯s buy this.¡± (Souma)


    I do feel it is somewhat of a wasteful purchase, but we still have a surplus of cash.


    Thinking that it might be useful in the Revolt Event, I began buying all the gems, mainly the ones I didn¡¯t have before.


    And then, when we went out, it had at some point in time gotten dark.


    ¡°¡­The day is about to pass.¡± (Mitsuki)


    I was dumbfounded by the words of Mitsuki.


    The Mage Guild closes at night.


    In a situation where there¡¯s no knowing when Iaski will go out of control, leaving aside the accessory shop, there should have been no need to check out the other stores.


    Of course, it is not like we can¡¯t make it in time now, but why did I waste time like this?


    I noticed after asking myself this.


    (Could it be that I didn¡¯t want to go to the Mage Guild?) (Souma)


    If I go there and solve the problem, one more reason for me to stay in this world will disappear.


    It means that my time to leave this world¡­my time to separate from Ringo and Mitsuki¡­will get closer.


    That¡¯s probably the same for the two¡­


    ¡°I am sorry.¡± (Mitsuki)


    The moment I faced the two, Mitsuki lowered her head.


    ¡°Mitsuki¡­?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t my intention. At the very least, it¡­shouldn¡¯t have been deliberate. However, I was the one who suggested we check the other stores.


    I¡­I acted as if I had already accepted it, and made you¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    Now that I think about it, that¡¯s true.


    Mitsuki suggesting to go shopping in this tense situation is not normal.


    Maybe Mitsuki also wants to keep me in place at the very depths of her heart, not wanting me to go the Mage Guild.


    ¡°It is okay, Mitsuki.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°But¡­!¡± (Mitsuki)


    However, that¡¯s probably the same for me and Ringo.


    We 3 were reluctant to let this time pass.


    There¡¯s no one here who has the right to blame her for this.


    ¡°There¡¯s something I want to show the two of you.¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s why I cut off that topic forcefully.


    What I took out instead was the Chronos Watch.


    The 3 watches that I bought stealthily at the accessory shop.


    When I stuck those 3 together and lined them up on the ground, I took out the Wakizashi from my bag.


    ¡°What are you¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    I ignore the question of Mitsuki for now and swing the Wakizashi.


    I try to be careful not to break it from too strong, and scratch the 3 watches as if extending the scratch to all 3 of them.


    That went better than I expected.


    I was satisfied by that result and I stored the middle scratched watch in my bag and gave the remaining 2 to Ringo and Mitsuki.


    ¡°¡­Souma?¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo voiced her lack of understanding here.


    I thought ¡®this isn¡¯t like me¡¯ while speaking.


    ¡°This watch will move the same no matter the place, no matter the situation.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­?¡±


    I pushed the watch onto Ringo who seemed to not understand it yet.


    After letting out an ¡®uuuh¡¯, I steel myself and continue speaking.


    ¡°As I said, no matter the place we are in¡­even if it were in a different world¡­these watches alone will be moving at the same pace.¡± (Souma)


    Ringo opened her eyes wide and I could tell that Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears stood upright.


    I got a bit embarrassed by their exaggerated reaction and quickly follow up.


    ¡°Also, I have scratched these watches. Even if you get a similar watch to this, these 3 watches are the only ones that are linked by a single scratch.


    That¡¯s why, uhm¡­I want you two to have them.¡± (Souma)


    Seeing the faces of Ringo and Mitsuki, it is not like they are simply expressionless here, but frozen completely.


    I feel like I messed up here.


    I really shouldn¡¯t have done something I am not used to on a whim.


    ¡°Ah, no, it doesn¡¯t mean that it will change anything or I am saying we should part ways immediately, it is just that¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I hurriedly tried to explain myself, but¡­


    ¡°¡­Thanks.¡± (Ringo)


    But Ringo took my hand faster than I finished.


    With various emotions that weren¡¯t put into words, she gently took the watch from my hand as if enveloping my hand.


    And then, Mitsuki as well¡­


    ¡°Thank you very much. This will be my treasure¡­ No, my priceless possession for the rest of my life.¡± (Mitsuki)


    She said something heavy as if nothing as she took the watch.


    Mitsuki then put the chain around her neck without hesitation, and pushed the watch inside her chest.


    Even though it is not that type of atmosphere, I ended up being unnecessarily flustered at how the watch fell right down her cleavage.


    ¡°S-Souma!¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo then raised a flustered voice and grabbed my hand together with the watch, and pulled my hand towards her.


    *Gyuu*


    She pushed it right onto her chest.


    ¡­No, what are you trying to do here?


    On our way to the Mage Guild, Ringo in the end decided to equip the Chronos Watch around her neck.


    Ringo actually had a different necklace on, but she said she wanted to equip the Chronos Watch and didn¡¯t listen.


    When I yielded at the end¡­


    ¡°¡­I will¡­put it on.¡± (Ringo)


    She said this as if nervous, and slowly put the Chronos Watch around her neck as if showing it to me.


    Ringo didn¡¯t say anything, but it seemed like she wanted me to comment about it.


    ¡°Uhm¡­¡± (Souma)


    I look at Ringo again with the watch on.


    I thought the petite Ringo wouldn¡¯t match with the somewhat big watch, but that mismatch draws your eye instead and looks cute.


    ¡°Yup, it looks good.¡± (Souma)


    I wrung out my courage to comment this as a former loner, but unfortunately, it seems like Ringo didn¡¯t like it.


    Ringo placed a fist right in front of her chest and said.


    ¡°¡­I will¡­do my best!¡± (Ringo)


    She once again voiced out some mysterious resolve in a low voice.


    Even though that sight of hers is endearing, I wonder why I can¡¯t smile at it?


    While my face warped with many bitter emotions I couldn¡¯t digest, a big shadow suddenly covered me.


    I snapped back and lifted my head.


    ¡°This is¡­¡± (Souma)


    What is towering in front of me is the tallest construction in this city.


    The mage¡¯s den that stands tall in this very dim time.


    ¡°¡­Sorcery Tower.¡± (Souma)


    After a long detour, we finally arrived at the destination.

 CH 175

    ¡°Excuse me.¡±


    We are going into enemy territory, but it is not like we are trying to go against the whole Mage Guild.


    We entered the Mage Guild as if we were students entering the teacher¡¯s office.


    Even if it will become a battle, entering from a dark place to a building with illumination is calming.


    The guild reception is not in the Sorcery Tower but a building right in front of the Sorcery Tower.


    It is a place I have gone to countless times, and it is also the place where I met Sazan for the first time in this world.


    ¡°There doesn¡¯t seem to be anything off.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Just as Mitsuki said, the inside of the guild isn¡¯t tense in any special way or is busier than usual maybe because what¡¯s happening doesn¡¯t reach all the way here.


    You could even say it is really peaceful.


    If Mitsuki is not finding anything off, there¡¯s no point in being on edge here.


    I tell myself to not lower my guard as I head to the counter located right after the entrance of the guild.


    I tell my business to the bespectacled man there that seems to be the nervous type.


    ¡°Excuse me, I would like to join the Mage Guild¡­¡± (Souma)


    After that, I was told about the qualifications to join and about this and that rule.


    I honestly wanted to skip this, but it would be troubling if I were to interfere carelessly and it doesn¡¯t move exactly like the event.


    I should endure this much.


    Is what I was thinking and listened obediently, but this is something I have heard countless times in the game already.


    Unlike when it was a game where I could kill time by checking the Wiki, I couldn¡¯t really do much here, so it was a more boring time than I imagined.


    ¡°Now then, please wait here for a moment until the preparations for the ceremony are done.¡±


    Even so, after chiming in half-heartedly a number of times, the explanation finally ended and we moved to the ceremony.


    The 1st phase will be successful if the guild master shows up here¡­


    It is apparently going to take a while, so I looked around the guild and killed some time.


    Now that I get another look, there¡¯s weird tapestries, bookshelves filled with books related to magic, and stuff of unknown use placed disorderly around. It really is a space that a mage would like.


    However, as expected from the Nekomimi Neko developers that are half-assed in a lot of areas, there¡¯s also a lot of things that make you think ¡®don¡¯t you have the wrong image here?¡¯.


    I personally find the skull on the tip of a stick to be nonsensical.


    That feels like it is more on the field of exorcists than mages. Just what is the picture they are trying to paint here?


    The employee still hasn¡¯t returned, so I approached one of them, and try tapping one of the skulls.


    A hard sensation was transmitted to my finger.


    Just what is it made of?


    If it is an actual human skull, that would be really bad.


    ¡°Ah, right.¡± (Souma)


    A thought came to my mind and I took out a small rock and put it inside the hollow eye sockets.


    It was a bit of a prank, but in a few hours¡­


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki came while I was grinning at my own imagination.


    It seems like my actions were witnessed completely, and her cat ears were intimidating me as if going ¡®don¡¯t be a bad boy!¡¯.


    I feel like this will make my mouth bitter in a lot of ways.


    ¡°N-No, this is nothing big. That was just a fluorescent stone, and¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I didn¡¯t expect to be criticized.


    I tried to explain myself here all flustered, and the employee came back with godly timing.


    ¡°Preparations are complete. Please come with me.¡±


    He told me this indifferently just like when it was a game.


    The attention of Mitsuki was deviated with this.


    I stealthily sighed in relief and, while I did that, Mitsuki quickly walked to where the employee was.


    ¡°I will also be accompanying him in his ceremony. Got it?¡± (Mitsuki)


    That wasn¡¯t a question anymore, it was a confirmation.


    But seeing the business-like attitude of just now, I doubt this would work on him.


    I was thinking about having them wait here if they are firmly refused, but¡­


    ¡°¡­Right. If you don¡¯t get in the way of the ceremony, there should be no issues.¡±


    The employee easily agreed to have Ringo and Mitsuki accompany me.


    ¡°Now then, I will guide you.¡±


    He began walking calmly as if nothing happened.


    I was surprised by the unexpected development, but I can¡¯t let myself be left behind here.


    We hurriedly chased after him.


    When I got to the side of the employee, he glanced at me and said with a calm tone.


    ¡°You are lucky. The Guildmaster-sama that happened to be present will apparently be personally doing the baptism ceremony.¡±


    ¡°Hoh, I am grateful for that.¡± (Souma)


    I responded half-heartedly there, but this is exactly what I wanted.


    The baptism ceremony of the player is always done by the Guildmaster.


    However, he said something that he didn¡¯t say in the game before.


    ¡°I heard that you sunk the Demon Lord with Tidal Wave and defeated him, Souma-sama.¡±


    ¡°Eh? ¡­Well, yeah.¡± (Souma)


    I was startled by how he asked me this flatly.


    Could it be that mages really don¡¯t find it acceptable to use magic like that?


    My body stiffened there, but¡­


    ¡°There¡¯s barely anyone who can use Tidal Wave in this guild. It is incredibly auspicious that someone like you will be joining our guild.¡±


    He softened his cold mask for a bit there, and smiled with what could be called a youthful expression.


    ¡°Welcome to the Mage Guild. I am happy to have you with us.¡±


    I froze there for a few seconds.


    ¡°T-Thank you.¡± (Souma)


    I barely managed to respond and wipe my sweat.


    T-That was close.


    If I was a single girl that loves bespectacled men, and someone who is weak to gap moe**, I would have fallen completely with that smile just now. <Gap Moe is a term often used in reference to fictional characters to describe when said character does something completely contradictory to what their usual habits/personality/appearance dictates. Usually this contradiction is seen by others as charming or likable.>


    ¡­In other words, it wasn¡¯t that dangerous.


    It was somewhat embarrassing to make eye-contact with him, so I escaped by looking back.


    When I did, I made eye-contact with Mitsuki who was looking at me as if she had seen through everything.


    That in itself was embarrassing, so I moved my gaze to the opposite direction and¡­


    ¡°Buh!¡± (Souma)


    I was on the verge of letting something weird out from my mouth.


    Ringo, who was walking at the opposite side of Mitsuki, was¡­fondling her own boobs. Well, she is doing something.


    N-No, she is probably fixing the chest area of her clothes because it bothered her, or checking the Chronos Watch at her chest, or something like that. This is poison for the eyes.


    Ringo is a beauty that competed for 1st and 2nd place in the game, and my senses dull when comparing it to the bullet train of Mitsuki, but it is not like she has no boobs.


    There¡¯s strangers here.


    Her making such defenseless gestures is terribly bad.


    ¡°R-Ringo, that¡¯s a bit¡­¡± (Souma)


    I lectured Ringo, who looked over here surprised, in a low voice.


    ¡°You know, Ringo, you are cute, so please don¡¯t do things that make people misunderstand.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­?¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Like, you know¡­fiddling with your chest like just now¡­might make men feel weird.¡± (Souma)


    I am not good at these kinds of topics.


    I said this really quickly, and Ringo flapped her mouth 2-3 times and then¡­


    ¡°¡­Hn!¡± (Ringo)


    She nodded strangely energetically.


    Ringo didn¡¯t touch her chest after that, but she walked with her chest puffed out as if emphasizing her boobs.


    I am a bit uneasy about whether she actually got what I said.


    ¡°¡­It is this room.¡±


    Not long after that, we arrived in front of the room.


    It seems like the guiding is up to this point just like in the game.


    ¡°I have brought him here.¡±


    After saying just that, the employee returned to the reception room.


    It was like that in the game too, but it seems like he won¡¯t be guiding us back.


    ¡°I have confirmed with the Explorer Ring. There¡¯s Iaski and Salmon, and even the Vice-Guildmaster, Diekill.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°So they called Salmon back from the tower, huh.¡± (Souma)


    The moment the employee turned the corner, Mitsuki whispered this to me.


    The 3 who are especially strong even within the radical faction.


    It was going exactly as the event, so I lowered my guard there, but we might even get attacked by surprise the moment we open the door.


    ¡°I think there¡¯s the presence of other people. Make sure to remain cautious.¡± (Mitsuki)


    However, there¡¯s no choice of not going forward.


    It is different from the usual crisis.


    We should be far above in terms of strength.


    I nodded at Mitsuki and ready myself to deal with anything that might happen, and step into the room.


    ¡°Welcome, Hero-dono.¡±


    I was spoken to the moment I took a step into the room.


    The one there was one of the 4 mages.


    The one in the center of it is the old man that spoke to me just now.


    The Mage Guild¡¯s Guildmaster, Kemona Iaski.


    His confidant and executive of the radical faction, Salmon.


    The gentle-looking bespectacled man that is by his side, the Vice-Guildmaster, Diekill.


    And¡­


    ¡°You¡­!¡± (Souma)


    I raised my voice reflexively when I saw the last person.


    Ringo took a fighting stance and Mitsuki had already readied herself to take out her katana.


    ¡°Hiih!¡±


    The person in question raised a scream, most likely hit by the pressure.


    That person is the mage-looking man that was at the library.


    The subordinate of the Mage Guild that tried to steal the Nekuranomikon.


    ¡°¡­Can you please wait for a bit?¡±


    The one who put a word in this violent atmosphere was Iaski himself.


    ¡°My apologies for aiming for the magic book that you people had. However, I believe that we can solve this problem peacefully if we talk about it.¡± (Iaski)


    I am impressed he can say that with a straight face, but it would be unnatural to rush all in here.


    I was thinking about how to move to the normal path and urged him to go on.


    ¡°¡­Please do tell me.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I am this guild¡¯s guildmaster, Kemona Iaski. The one here is the vice-guildmaster, Diekill, and my subordinates, Salmon and Robin.¡± (Iaski)


    Looks like the man that tried to get a jump on us and take the book is called Robin.


    He nodded profusely at the words of Iaski as if matching him.


    I thought about introducing ourselves here too, but¡­


    ¡°We are¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to introduce yourself. I know all of you well. The hero that¡¯s over level 180, Souma-dono. Also, your companion Ringo-dono and Mitsuki Hisame-dono, right?¡± (Iaski)


    It seems like he already has intel on us.


    Sticky gazes were showered onto us 3, especially Mitsuki who was mentioned last.


    Mitsuki didn¡¯t say anything, but her cat ears bent as if finding this unpleasant.


    ¡°It seems like you know quite a lot about us.¡± (Souma)


    I said this as if drawing a line here, and Iaski suddenly began speaking.


    ¡°Hey, Hero-dono, why is it that you managed to achieve the great endeavor of defeating the Demon Lord?¡± (Iaski)


    ¡°Why, you ask¡­¡± (Souma)


    This is a sudden question, but Iaski once again speaks before I could answer.


    ¡°That¡¯s power. The power that you hold, in other words, having a high level, has allowed you to achieve the grand exploit of defeating the Demon Lord.


    What¡¯s most important in this world to obtain something is how high your level is!¡± (Iaski)


    ¡°¡­Strength isn¡¯t something like that. Level is just one indicator of strength.¡± (Souma)


    Iaski said a level supremacy statement without hesitation.


    Even when I know that he is just pulling his game setting here, I couldn¡¯t endure those words of his that denied our journey until now and ended up refuting them.


    Seeing me like that, Iaski laughed.


    ¡°Fufufu, how young. However, that¡¯s fine for now. More importantly, you get it now, right? You are high leveled and are the hero that saved the nation; a being that we can¡¯t ignore. Also, Hisame-dono at your back.


    You are practically the only person in this world that¡¯s not chained by your level and holds overwhelming power.


    It would be weird for me to not have my attention on you.¡± (Iaski)


    It seems like Iaski has a strong attachment to Mitsuki regardless of level.


    I stepped forward as if to cover for Mitsuki, but his gaze rooted in deep delusion didn¡¯t stop.


    Mitsuki seems to be uncomfortable at receiving that gaze as if it were licking her all over.


    ¡°¡­And so, what is it that you are trying to achieve by using the magic circle set in this city? We are already aware of it, you know?¡± (Souma)


    I hesitated for a bit, but I don¡¯t want to lengthen this talk any further.


    I immediately tried to end this, but the guildmaster chuckled.


    ¡°As expected of the nation¡¯s Hero-dono, your intel is fast. However, please don¡¯t misunderstand.


    The reason why I activated the ritual magic circle was because I wanted to form a connection with you. It wasn¡¯t serious.


    As proof of this, not a single person in this city has died.¡± (Iaski)


    I couldn¡¯t close my mouth at what he said so brazenly.


    It is true that they only had their MP taken away and no one died, but in the case where they are at a tall location or are in a fight, it could be fatal depending on the timing you lose consciousness.


    No, Iaski is just saying this, but there¡¯s no assurance that there hasn¡¯t been anyone who has died.


    ¡°You are being pretty shameless here.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki¡¯s tone may sound flat, but she is not hiding her anger.


    ¡°You may doubt me here, but it is the truth. I thought the Hero-dono would definitely show up if I were to cause a strange occurrence like this one.


    I didn¡¯t expect to be pinpointed in one day, but that¡¯s what makes you a Hero.


    Our objective has been achieved.¡± (Iaski)


    Hearing the words Iaski was spitting out with a super serious face, I suddenly felt this is stupid.


    I don¡¯t know if he is seriously trying to recruit us here or if he has some sort of scheme, but there¡¯s no need to play along with him.


    ¡°Sorry to say this, but I am not interested in poking around here. ¡®I have come to take the baptism ceremony¡¯ -you are the one who will be performing it, right?¡± (Souma)


    I speak out the key words, and advance the event.


    Iaski shouldn¡¯t be able to refuse this.


    ¡°Of course! The Mage Guild would prosper with you joining the guild! I could make you an executive the moment you join the guild as a special exception, and of course, as long as you are a guild member, I promise that we won¡¯t forcefully try to steal the magic book!¡± (Iaski)


    ¡°I get it, so just wrap this up already.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Can¡¯t be helped. Now then, can you please change into this?¡± (Iaski)


    I couldn¡¯t seal his chit-chat completely, but Iaski soon moved just like in the event.


    What Iaski gave me was the elementary mage robe and elementary mage staff.


    It is gear of the lowest tier for ceremony use.


    ¡°Now then¡­¡± (Souma)


    I quickly changed into the mage robe at the screen deep in that was prepared beforehand.


    It is not like my raw stats lowered with this, but it does feel really unreliable.


    ¡°Also, apologies, but rules are rules. Can you please take off your bag, poach, and accessories?¡± (Iaski)


    I nodded and took them off, gave the rings and necklace to Ringo, and the adventurer bag and pouch to Mitsuki.


    Now that I think about it, in the case I came in alone, there would have been the danger that my belongings would have been robbed in the middle of the ceremony.


    This alone is already enough to make me think it was good that the two came with me.


    But¡­


    ¡°I will give up on my equipment if it is the rules, but it is not prohibited to have an item in my hand, right?¡± (Souma)


    What bothered me is the Nekuranomikon.


    I want to avoid the possibility of Mitsuki and Ringo being attacked in the time I can¡¯t move because of the ceremony.


    I think Mitsuki would be fine, but this is just in case.


    ¡°Umu, that¡¯s true. If it is something that you can hold in your hand, I don¡¯t mind.¡± (Iaski)


    I thought for sure he would think up an excuse to refuse it, but he easily accepted my proposal.


    I thought Iaski¡¯s objective was to nail me down with the ceremony and steal the Nekuranomikon in that opening, but was that not the case?


    Or maybe he can¡¯t put restrictions on me that are not in the game?


    It bothers me, but I can¡¯t take away my words.


    Also, this is a good chance to observe how the other side reacts.


    I take out the Nekuranomikon from the bag, and after hesitating for a bit, take the Chronos Watch too, holding it on the opposite side of the elementary mage staff.


    I took out a number of magic gems stealthily at that time, and slipped them into the sleeve of the robe.


    ¡°Hooh, that¡¯s¡­¡± (Iaski)


    I didn¡¯t miss how Iaski¡¯s eyes narrowed the moment I took out the Nekuranomikon.


    This guy really hasn¡¯t given up on the Nekuranomikon.


    It would be better to crush him completely here in order to cut off any worries for the future.


    I strengthened my resolve again and stepped into the small magic circle that is the stage of the baptism ceremony before anyone said something.


    3 Mage Guild related parties.


    It is an irregular situation where I have 2 companions accompanying me as the baptism ceremony begins.


    It is called the baptism ceremony, but the contents of it are simple.


    There¡¯s barely any magic meaning to this ceremony, and it is simply listening to the guildmaster for a long while on the magic circle. This makes you automatically into a member of the Mage Guild.


    Leaving aside the game system stuff, you could say there¡¯s barely any actual magical meaning in this ceremony.


    ¡°As the protector of all the mages, mine organization where all the secrets of magic congregate¡­¡± (Iaski)


    What Iaski was saying sonorously really is what I have heard countless times.


    Even when I think I shouldn¡¯t lower my guard, I can¡¯t concentrate.


    I closed my eyes in order to shut out the unnecessary information.


    (Alright. I should confirm what comes after Iaski has finished the ceremony while I have the chance.) (Souma)


    I thought I should do at least this since there¡¯s nothing for me to do, but there¡¯s nothing to really confirm here. What I have to do is set.


    The moment the ceremony is over, I will challenge Iaski faster than he can move, and cause the Revolt Event.


    There¡¯s no way he can do something to us in the few seconds it takes to say the keywords, and as long as I have Mitsuki here, I feel like I would be able to get through most of any battle.


    That¡¯s why, I ended up thinking about what comes after that.


    Once this is over, I will be returning to my world, huh¡­


    The moment I thought this, images began flooding my mind as if a dam had broken.


    ¡ªMy parents and my friends in high school which I am close to that I left in Japan.


    ¡ªThe room that is cramped but I have grown attached to.


    ¡ªMy first VR machine that I used all of my fortune to buy.


    ¡ªMy precious comrades that I don¡¯t even know the faces of whom I got acquainted with through Nekomimi Neko.


    ¡ªThe commendable guys that spoke to me despite me living a loner life in my college days.


    ¡ªThe nostalgic taste of the hamburger from the junk food establishment I frequented.


    There were also a whole lot of moments I didn¡¯t pay much attention to which I experienced in Japan showing up in my mind.


    Those memories that should be small and unimportant assailed me with overwhelming mass.


    (I see¡­) (Souma)


    I thought I didn¡¯t have much lingering attachment to Japan, but that was a mistake.


    I was simply averting my gaze from them by sinking into the game world, and tried to not remember it.


    The admiration of my former world, the sadness of being unable to return; I didn¡¯t expect so many of those to remain inside of me.


    That nostalgia that felt like it had mass was going to crush my heart.


    But, at that moment¡­


    ¡°¡ª!¡±


    The familiar voice that rang in my ears made me snap back to reality.


    The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes by reflex was the man that looks like a mage straight out of a fantasy world, Iaski.


    ¡°!!¡±


    We are deep in the Mage Guild and I am currently taking the baptism ceremony; the calm side of my brain is whispering this to me.


    However, my instincts were having an adverse reaction before any calm decisions could be made.


    I unconsciously faltered and moved my body back.


    ¡°Souma!¡±


    The one who saved me was the voice of a girl again.


    I looked back at the voice and what came into my eyes was a vivid sky-blue.


    The appearance of my irreplaceable companion that I have been together with the longest in this isekai.


    ¡°Ringo¡­?¡± (Souma)


    The moment I saw her, a flood of emotions I couldn¡¯t put in words pushed onto me in one go.


    ¡­I wonder why.


    The moment I saw her face, I imagined the moment we had to part ways, and loneliness that was comparable to that of when I remembered Japan or even more assailed me.


    I felt that my home is where they are regardless of the logic.


    ¡°¡­I am okay.¡± (Souma)


    I shook my head to shake that away and smiled back at Ringo.


    It seems like the baptism ceremony ended while I spaced out reminiscing.


    I sunk into my thoughts in the most important of moments, but Ringo saved me here by calling to me.


    Fortunately, Iaski and the others haven¡¯t made a move yet.


    I don¡¯t know what they are planning here, but their tardiness in action will be fatal.


    I will take the battle.


    ¡°Kemona Iaski! As an earnest member of the Sorcery Tower¡­¡± (Souma)


    I spoke before anyone else, and was about to say the words to begin the Revolt Event.


    But I couldn¡¯t say the last words.


    ¡­Because¡­


    The keywords that require close to a dozen words were longer than the short 3 syllables that Iaski said.


    ¡°[Teleport].¡± (Iaski)


    The moment that word reached my ears, my body was sent off somewhere together with a flash of light.


    ¡°This is¡­the magic circle at the Sorcery Tower?!¡± (Souma)


    My brain couldn¡¯t process the unexpected situation.


    It is from the fact that I have been teleported to the magic circle¡¯s room where I should only be able to show up in the last event, but most of all, I couldn¡¯t believe what was in front of my eyes.


    I don¡¯t want to believe it.


    At the center of the magic circle that¡¯s used for the last ritual¡­there¡¯s the statue of a brawny man that doesn¡¯t suit this place.


    ¡°Full Build Bob!!¡± (Souma)


    The symbol of the Warrior Guild that should be enshrined at the center of the Warrior Guild is here for some reason.


    ¡­No, rather than the reason for it, what¡¯s most serious is the effect it has.


    The Full Build Bob has a Muscle-Head Field around it, and all skills and spells are negated.


    I have given all my gear and items to Ringo and Mitsuki, and what I have equipped is the ceremonial gear of the lowest tier.


    Anyone can tell with this¡­


    (This is a trap! Also, a trap that targeted me from the very beginning!) (Souma)


    I couldn¡¯t see through all the moves of Iaski, and I had my skills, spells, and gear sealed.


    And there¡¯s one more thing that¡¯s terrible here.


    ¡°Welcome to mine tower. Highly esteemed Hero-dono, let¡¯s celebrate your joining of the guild and your promotion to executive here!¡±


    The black iron giant that stands in my way.


    The Muscle-Head Field has a bad effect on mages normally.


    But there¡¯s exceptions.


    ¡°This is the one we have raised dutifully. Its level is 192. If I remember correctly, ye were spitting out that level is not the only thing that defines strength.


    ¡­How about you prove this to me here?¡±


    ¡ªSorcery Golem.


    It doesn¡¯t have any attacks other than plain physical attacks, and in exchange for being extremely weak to magic, it is outstandingly strong against attacks other than magic, and it has outrageous blunt damage. The secret weapon of the Mage Guild.


    The Mage Guild weapon that shines the most when the enemy can¡¯t use magic and skills.


    ¡°No no, that¡¯s just unfair¡­¡± (Souma)


    I didn¡¯t even have the time to complain about defeating a sorcery weapon in a space where magic is sealed.


    The black iron giant raised its big arm overhead mercilessly¡­


    ¡ª¡ª¨C


    Author: The suspicion of the comments is incredible, but this time around I plan on taking it seriously until the end¡­ I swear.

 CH 176

    The next instant the fist was slowly held aloft, the artificial arm headed at me with twice the speed.


    ¡°Ste¡ªkuh!¡± (Souma)


    The actions seeped into your body come out in emergencies.


    I tried to avoid with Step by reflex, but it was obviously pointless.


    Even so, right before the giant hit my head, I jumped to the back and escaped.


    A thunderous sound rang right after.


    When I looked, around 2 meters ahead of me, I could see that the swung down fist of the iron giant was sunk into the ground.


    I felt like the whole tower shook with that one attack and I trembled.


    (If I had been a millisecond late about evading¡­) (Souma)


    In this world, how strong something looks doesn¡¯t exactly mean they are actually that strong.


    But considering the data specs, the Sorcery Golem is outstanding.


    If I were to take that hit directly, I will most likely face the same fate as that floor.


    ¡°Hohoh, you managed to avoid that attack? That¡¯s the Hero-dono for ye.¡±


    The impressed voice came from way higher than I expected.


    When I looked over there, Iaski went up the Sorcery Golem with a deftness that you wouldn¡¯t think came from an old man.


    ¡°You bark a lot for someone leaving things to others.¡± (Souma)


    I try answering with that bluff, but I don¡¯t really have that much leeway here.


    I am an indoor gamer to the core here.


    I don¡¯t want to enter a fisticuff with a giant construct with strength that can destroy me in one hit.


    But now that Iaski has gotten on the Golem, it has become harder to slip by the Golem and defeat him.


    Also, the Full Build Bob is an indestructible object.


    It would be pointless to consider destroying it.


    The cards I can play are narrowing.


    Even so, I still tried to think of a way to avoid the battle, and Iaski spoke to me in a boastful manner.


    ¡°Hey, Hero-dono, do you believe in fate?¡± (Iaski)


    ¡°Fate?¡± (Souma)


    What is he saying all of a sudden?


    I raised a brow at the unexpected topic, and Iaski continued speaking on top of the Golem.


    ¡°If not fate, you can call it the flow of this world. Have you felt it before? The sensation of your will being warped and your actions being determined by the world.¡± (Iaski)


    ¡°Your actions¡­being determined?¡± (Souma)


    I have not had an experience like that.


    I haven¡¯t, but those words were something I couldn¡¯t ignore.


    ¡°For example; when you came to join the Mage Guild.


    I felt like I had to do the baptism for you personally all too naturally.


    Thinking about it logically, such a thing shouldn¡¯t be necessary.


    And so, I think that such unnatural actions might be the world¡¯s interference that¡¯s weaved in order to create the desired flow of the world.¡± (Iaski)


    ¡°¡­The compulsory power of events.¡± (Souma)


    I muttered this.


    This world tries to replicate the situations and game systems of Nekomimi Neko.


    Within those, things that relate to game systems and events are especially strong in their desire to replicate them.


    There has been no one who has been aware of that compulsory power until now.


    But this man¡­


    ¡°Hooh, so you really do know about it. I thought from an early stage that you would be the one that would be an obstruction in my ritual.


    Not only the subjugation of the Demon Lord. You even got through the trial of the Hisame household, defeated the monster army that advanced onto the capital, and got in the way of the Evil God worshippers¡¯ ambitions at the underground dungeon.


    Your grand achievements are truly worthy of your title as a hero.


    It is obvious that, if left alone, you would notice our plans and would try to stop us.


    In that case, I will use the desired flow of the world as a means to defeat you.¡± (Iaski)


    I see¡­


    Those words finally made me piece together this situation.


    This is an event.


    Moreover, the last stage of the ritual event will wipe out the residents of the capital.


    In order to activate the last event of the Mage Guild, you need to go through several guild events, level up your character, become an executive of the Mage Guild, and clear 3 quests to gather required materials for the ritual.


    Of course, this isn¡¯t something that a player that has just done the baptism ceremony can jump right into.


    But Iaski obtained all the items for the ritual aside from the Nekuranomikon, and said that he would make me an executive of the guild the moment I joined the guild.


    Becoming an executive of the Mage Guild and obtaining the necessary materials for the ritual have already been fulfilled.


    (In that case, this is bad. I might have been locked up.) (Souma)


    It is impossible to stop the last event of the Mage Guild until the event is finished.


    Being teleported to the magic circle room marks the end. You can¡¯t go down until the ritual has been achieved and you defeat Iaski.


    In that case, I could defeat Iaski and mess the event, but there¡¯s actually a branching route when you ¡®defeat Iaski and do the ritual yourself¡¯.


    You couldn¡¯t get out until you finished the ritual in that case too, so there¡¯s no point in that.


    No, the vice-guildmaster came from the outside.


    Even if you can¡¯t go outside from the inside, if it is from the outside¡­


    ¡°¡­Sinking into your thoughts in front of your enemy, quite the leisure guy.¡± (Iaski)


    I ended up falling into thought in front of the enemy, and a lump of iron approached me as a displeased voice rang.


    No, that lump of iron is the leg of the Sorcery Golem.


    This haphazard attack that has enough power to kill me made my body falter.


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate me!¡± (Souma)


    But I jump to the side as if kicking my own scared body.


    Barely made it.


    I confirmed the kick of the giant that flowed to the side worth 3 bodies, forcefully waved my hand while still in an unstable posture, and hit the golem¡¯s leg with my held staff.


    The stance, positioning, angle; a hit that was terrible in almost every aspect.


    Even so, the tip of the staff still managed to hit the leg of the giant.


    However¡­


    ¡°Wa?!¡± (Souma)


    The staff only made a dent the size of a fist on the leg of the iron giant.


    The staff instead made a dry sound and easily broke in two.


    It is impossible to repair now.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± (Souma)


    I threw the remains of the staff to hinder it at least, but there¡¯s no way something like that would connect to damage.


    Seeing how it all bounced off the Golem, Iaski¡¯s smile widened.


    ¡°That¡¯s pointless. No matter how outstanding of a warrior you are, you won¡¯t be able to win against my giant in this field.


    That¡¯s an unshakable truth that is supported by experimentation.¡± (Iaski)


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± (Souma)


    I ended up asking back at the poison mixed in his words.


    When I did, Iaski made an evil smile and looked back at the statue of a brawny man at the back.


    ¡°I had to work hard to set this trap, ye know.


    First of all, in order to borrow this statue from the Warrior Guild, I ended up having to pay a large sum of money in order to buy everything of something called Protein.¡± (Iaski)


    I forgot about that!


    I heard about the shortage of Protein that the Warrior Guild members love greatly along with the shortage of mithril.


    That¡¯s not because of the Warrior Guild moving, but because Iaski and the others bought it all off, huh.


    ¡°And so, you used the Protein as a negotiation chip to borrow that statue?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Good grief, entering that den that reeks of sweat was an unpleasant experience, but I had an unexpected harvest there.


    Do ye know the man called Alex? Level 200. The highest level human in this world.¡± (Iaski)


    ¡°Could it be¡­!¡± (Souma)


    Iaski shook his head at my expression changing.


    ¡°No need to worry. I haven¡¯t killed him. It would be stupid if I were to cause a ruckus before my real objective.


    However, he was coincidentally at that den of abominable brutes, so I simply requested him to have a mock battle close to that statue.


    The result was¡­fufu. It wasn¡¯t even a battle.


    He couldn¡¯t injure my Golem even once, and left dejected!


    That level 200 who is the number one warrior of the nation!¡± (Iaski)


    ¡°You¡­¡± (Souma)


    He has lost it.


    He is so stuck with his level supremacy, no, because of it, he has a strong sense of inferiority against high level characters.


    If I remember correctly Iaski himself is level 180.


    Alex must have been someone he disliked since he is level 200.


    Even if it was within his own field, he crushed him one-sidedly, so he must have been on cloud nine.


    But he overlooked an important possibility.


    ¡°Hey, that doesn¡¯t exactly mean that I won¡¯t be able to defeat it though?¡± (Souma)


    I ask the obvious.


    But even when Iaski heard this, he simply laughed out loud.


    ¡°Hahahahahahahaha! Ye really say some amusing stuff!


    I will admit that ye have overcome many stratagems and tribulations.


    However, weapons, skills, magic, items, and¡­comrades.


    The things that ye relied on have been taken away from ye.


    Even if ye say level is not the only factor of strength, in the end, what a human can rely on is their level.


    Yer level is lower than even Alex who couldn¡¯t do anything against my Golem.


    In other words, it means ye absolutely can¡¯t defeat my giant!¡± (Iaski)


    That¡¯s really just like the level supremacist Iaski.


    But I shook my head.


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s wrong. You are wrong.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°What?¡± (Iaski)


    Iaski raised his brow in displeasure and I slowly put a hand inside my sleeve.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­!¡± (Iaski)


    What I took out from the sleeve were colorful gems.


    I grabbed that¡­


    ¡°I see! Yer planning on fighting with items in a space where magic has been sealed! That¡¯s fitting fer a cunniving¡ª¡±


    And placed it gently on the ground without using it.


    ¡°What are ye doing?¡± (Iaski)


    I don¡¯t answer that question.


    I simply place the Nekuranomikon at the side of the gem.


    ¡°I will say it again. You are wrong.


    You said you took my comrades away, but that¡¯s not true.


    My comrades will definitely get all the way here and save me.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Nonsense! Only Diekill and Salmon know how to enter this tower!


    In the first place, they shouldn¡¯t know that yer here!


    This tower cuts off the search spells and teleportation spells, too!


    That¡¯s why¡­¡± (Iaski)


    I looked at Iaski who was shouting hysterically, and put the last item I had in my hand, the Chronos Watch, on my neck.


    I brush the back of it with my fingers and I felt the clear sensation of the scratch that is the proof of our connection.


    ¡°Even so, they will be able to run all the way here. I believe in them.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t joke around! Trust is helpless against true power! Even if yer comrades were to come here, I just have to kill ye before that! Kill him! My Sorcery Golem!!¡± (Iaski)


    I approached Iaski who was losing it.


    ¡°And the biggest mistake you are making is that you believe from the very core of yourself that how high your level is defines true strength.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Shut up! In the end¡­in the end, what moves the world is power! Comrades, bonds, and love are by no means in that spectrum! Power and level are the only things ye can trust in this world! If not, I¡­I¡­!¡± (Iaski)


    What was the leisure of just before?


    Seeing Iaski like this, I even thought he was pitiful.


    ¡°Level is the only thing that can be trusted¡­? What a joke. That way of thinking is completely wrong.


    Listen here. I will only say it once, so perk your ears up, okay?


    True power¡­¡± (Souma)


    The black iron giant was throwing out those destructive attacks on me while we were talking, but once my resolve has cemented, such straightforward attacks are of no threat.


    I saw through the attacks without issues, and after evading them, I  swung my right hand with a backhand fist and¡­


    ¡°¡­Cannot be told without seeing the individual stats!!¡± (Souma)


    I smack the arm of the Sorcery Golem.


    A second after that contact was made, a *pam* sound was made.


    ¡°¡­Huh?¡±


    The arm of the iron giant tore off, spinning on the air, flying off with good momentum, and slamming on the wall before falling on the ground.


    ¡°What¡­just now¡­eh?¡± (Iaski)


    Iaski¡¯s eyes opened wide, not expecting me to fight back.


    I didn¡¯t let that chance escape and gave him a speech.


    ¡°Listen here. Neko¡ªthis world decides the level in a half-assed way.


    The diary had written that they even decided with dice for the single digits.


    That¡¯s why using levels as a measurement is¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Y-Ye bastard! My golem!!¡± (Iaski)


    Even when I was in the middle of my speech, Iaski roared.


    The Golem froze for a moment there, but it began moving again, and tried to grab me with the hand that was still fine.


    ¡­But it doesn¡¯t get me.


    There¡¯s no way it can.


    Having calmly read the trajectory of the fist, I walk one step to the right¡­and avoid it.


    My speed is three times that of an average person.


    When calm, such a punch is nothing.


    ¡°I-Impossible¡­! That spe¡ª¡± (Iaski)


    ¡°As I said, levels are not everything.¡± (Souma)


    I said this as I swung my fist on the arm of the Golem.


    It made the sound of a super-alloy robot breaking, and the left arm of the Golem was torn off.


    ¡°I-Impossible, impossible!


    There¡¯s no way my Golem would be defeated¡­


    Kuh! Retreat!¡± (Iaski)


    There¡¯s nowhere to escape even if he said to retreat, but the Golem tried to withdraw with the order of Iaski.


    It has impressive speed even when running backwards.


    If I were in a normal state, I wouldn¡¯t be able to catch up to it.


    That¡¯s why I walked with quick steps and caught up soon after.


    ¡°Wa, wa, waa¡­?!¡± (Iaski)


    Iaski had already become a being that can only flap his mouth.


    I felt a bit bad about that look of his, but thinking about what he has done until now, and what he was going to do, there¡¯s no reason for me to hold back.


    ¡°Sorry, Iaski, but I am only level 180¡­¡± (Souma)


    Once I shortened the distance, the first thing I did was punch the right leg of the Golem to make it stagger, then I pulverized the left leg to make it fall, and after confirming that Iaski had fallen from the Golem¡­


    ¡°If it is in a fistfight, I am stronger than the Demon Lord.¡± (Souma)


    I slammed my fist onto the trunk of the body, and the iron giant was completely silent now.


    Looking at the Sorcery Golem that had become scraps, Iaski began to shout.


    ¡°Something like this¡­something like this shouldn¡¯t be happening!


    This is not in the realm of skills and level.


    Destroying a Golem with your bare body is impossible!


    What¡¯s this¡­?! What the hell is this?!!¡± (Iaski)


    I have no obligation to answer him, but it would be a pain for him to make even more of a ruckus here.


    After confirming once more that the iron giant has stopped functioning completely, I face Iaski again.


    ¡°If you have investigated me, haven¡¯t you heard about it too? The skill I have, the power of the Incarnation of Fury.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Incarnation¡­of Fury? But¡­But all skills should have been sealed and can¡¯t be used!¡± (Iaski)


    Iaski lost it even more and I silently answered him.


    ¡°No, I have used it¡­since before defeating the Demon Lord.¡± (Souma)


    ¡­That¡¯s right.


    This is the power of Incarnation of Fury.


    And this is also the Incarnation of Fury that was called a Balance Breaker and Truly Extraordinary even in Nekomimi Neko.


    It is so broken that it was called the Incarnation of Fury¡¯s Death Bug from the anger of killing the game. A forbidden buff technique.

 CH 177

    Author: The explanation of the comments was easy to digest, so I took those and included them in the main story.


    ¡ª¡ª¨C


    I was thinking of using Incarnation of Fury as a trump card to defeat the Demon Lord.


    Incarnation of Fury is a status change skill that only the player can obtain once they do the proposal event before clearing the game and have activated the Demon Lord¡¯s Blessing.


    If you only look at the plus effects of it, you could say its effects are quite splendid.


    Even if the effect is fixed to 30 seconds, all stats including the agility and stamina that normally doesn¡¯t increase will have their numbers triple.


    Just that alone will not make it ¡®on a whole other level¡¯, and for Nekomimi Neko that has a really messy balance, it wouldn¡¯t be called a ¡®balance breaker¡¯.


    Also, you can only use it once a day, moreover, it is a trump card that can only be used for 30 seconds which is too risky.


    My real aim, the true reason for the Incarnation of Fury being called a Balance Breaker, is when the penalty time comes after the tripled stats:  ¡®at the moment when your stats are all dropped to 1/100th¡¯.


    There are people who would think ¡®if you increase your parameters while the effects of a skill or spell that change your stats is in effect, wouldn¡¯t the amount you receive be different too?¡¯, but there¡¯s normally no such thing happening in Nekomimi Neko.


    It would be a pain to explain seriously the stuff regarding this, but for example, at the time when your stats are tripled in the Incarnation of Fury, if you eat a seed (the item that increases your stat to +1) you will have your stat increase by 3 times more than normal.


    You would think eating a seed at this time would be great since it increases your stats by 3 instead, but the reality is that your stats will return to 1/3rd of what it was including the increase once the buff is over, so in the end, you would only increase it by 1 point just like normal.


    This is the reason why people say that skills and spells like Incarnation of Fury and Power Up that increase your stats temporarily are not tinkering directly with the stats of the character.


    The stat change of Incarnation of Fury and Power Up is ¡®increase  specific stats by X times¡¯. Basically, you are setting a temporary status ailment on yourself.


    Even if it looks like you increased your stat by 3 by eating a seed while you are in the Incarnation of Fury state, it simply looks like that because of the tripled stats.


    ¡®So even Nekomimi Neko is proper in those areas¡¯ -is what I thought and felt impressed about it, but there was one exception.


    In the first place, there¡¯s one clear restriction in skills and spells that change your stats in Nekomimi Neko; also known as the Stat Change State.


    If you think back on how much my strength increases with the customized Power Up, you should be able to tell, but the limit for the Stat Change State is between 9.9 times to 0.1 times in system terms.


    In other words, even at the highest, it is until 10 times; the lowest is 1/10th.


    Meaning that the penalty of the Incarnation of Fury that lowers your stats to 1/100th is completely outside the rules.


    But the developers must have wanted to make the penalty big no matter what. In order to solve that inconsistency, they took the most careless and forbidden method.


    Basically, in the time when you are at the penalty of the Incarnation of Fury, they didn¡¯t go for the ¡®a modifier on the stats of the character is set¡¯ but they instead went for the brute forcing method of ¡®directly tinkering with the stats of the character to lower it to 1/100th¡¯.


    There¡¯s a lot I want to say regarding that, like: ¡®try to deal with it somehow through programming¡¯ or ¡®did you really want to make it 1/100th that much?¡¯.


    But this resulted in the creation of an unbelievable exploit.


    If a player with 500 in Strength used Incarnation of Fury, it will end up like this.


    500 (normal state) ¡ú 500 x 3 (Incarnation of Fury¡¯s effect) ¡ú 5 (Penalty) ¡ú 500 (End of Penalty).


    Now then, this is how it would look like when you use a Power Seed that increases 1 Strength in the middle of the Incarnation of Fury¡¯s effect.


    500 (normal state) ¡ú 500 x 3 (Incarnation of Fury¡¯s effect) ¡ú 501 x 3 (used Seed) ¡ú 5.01 (Penalty) ¡ú 501 (End of Penalty).


    You end up with 501 at the end, and the increase won¡¯t change from when you are not using Incarnation of Fury.


    Then, what happens if you use a Power Seed in the middle of the penalty?


    500 (normal state) ¡ú 500 x 3 (Incarnation of Fury¡¯s effect) ¡ú 5 (Penalty) ¡ú 6 (used Seed) ¡ú 600 (End of Penalty).


    The final increase in stats is 600.


    A single Power Seed increased your stats by 100.


    Basically, this is what it means¡­


    -If you use the seed while in the penalty time of Incarnation of Fury, the effect is multiplied by a 100.


    This is the Balance Breaker of Nekomimi Neko: The Fury of the Seed Death Bug.


    Even if the stats of the player are high at the end, you would go over 1,000 at most.


    But if you use this exploit, you can increase your stats by 100 for every Seed. You now understand why this is called a Balance Breaker, right?


    Moreover, this exploit shows the highest effect in Agility and Stamina.


    There¡¯s of course big effects on stats like Strength, but Agility and Stamina don¡¯t increase even when you level up, and it is fixed to 100.


    Meaning that, when it comes to Agility and Stamina, eating one Seed would be two times the normal, 2 would be 3 times the increase.


    The Seed items that I got from the treasury room of the castle had one Seed of all types.


    Also, when we were buying out the Item Shop, I got one Speed Seed from the pick-up items.


    I got a Magic Seed from defeating the elemental boss at the Stream Cave.


    Moreover, because of the excessive grinding of King Butchers in preparation for the Demon Lord battle, I got a massive amount of Power Seeds.


    The result is that I got 3 times more Agility than normal, 2 times the Stamina, stats from the level ups, and an overwhelming attack power.


    ¡°Could it be that yer a transcendental being just like Mitsuki Hisame? To think ye were a being that overcomes the wall of levels¡­¡± (Iaski)


    I snap back to reality at the words muttered by Iaski.


    His temporary panic was gone now, and he was now directing eyes of envy and admiration at me, but I shook my head.


    ¡°It is not such a good thing.¡± (Souma)


    My power simply came from an exploit.


    There were times when I would destroy things accidentally because I wasn¡¯t used to the sudden increase in power, and I couldn¡¯t keep up with the 3 times increase in speed. There were a lot of hardships.


    There are still times when I can¡¯t use the combos that I could do in my game days, and when I use Incarnation of Fury, I can¡¯t even move properly in a state where my speed is 9 times the normal.


    I should win against Mitsuki when it comes to my Agility number, but I can¡¯t match Mitsuki at all when we actually do move our bodies, and aside from attack and movement, my defense and magic power are just a bit on the high side compared to normal.


    The reality is that, if I had been hit once by the Sorcery Golem in that battle, there was even the fear that I would die instantly.


    I can¡¯t really say this is power that has good balance.


    ¡°Also, this is a strength that is limited to when I am barehanded¡­¡± (Souma)


    Meaning that at the time when I attack in a barehanded state, the Strength of the character themself will be counted as the attack power of the weapon.


    There¡¯s some complicated math to this, so it is not really simple, but to put it in an easier to understand way, it normally goes: Weapon Attack Power + Strength = Attack Power; but when barehanded, it is: Strength + Strength = Attack Power.


    It is far more reliant on the stat of the character themself than a normal weapon.


    Because of how it works, the weapon¡¯s attack power wouldn¡¯t be counted in the effect of the Power Up and Incarnation of Fury, but this obviously is fitting for me now that I have increased my Strength with the exploit.


    My attack power in my barehanded state most likely easily surpasses that of when I have Shiranui equipped.


    There¡¯s also the fact that there¡¯s no fear of decreasing the durability of the weapon.


    There¡¯s times when the durability of a weapon goes down in one go because the attack power of the weapon is too low compared to the defense of the enemy.


    The reason why my staff broke in the fight just now was because of this.


    It managed to dent the Golem, so the attack power as a whole should have been enough.


    And yet, the staff still broke because the attack power of the weapon itself wasn¡¯t enough.


    On the other hand, your fists won¡¯t break no matter how strong the enemy is, so you could say barehanded is outstanding in that area.


    However, the unfortunate part of going barehanded is that the growth of it is low to the point that it makes you want to scream.


    The weapon category modifier is obviously the lowest, its proficiency, skill modifier, and its skill proficiency modifier is low, too. Even if you increase the barehanded proficiency, you won¡¯t get that strong, and even if you increase its skill proficiency, it isn¡¯t that much different from your normal attacks.


    As someone who can easily increase my proficiency with Master Torch, and can spam skills on top of that, this is terrible compatibility with me on that front.


    (On the other hand, it also means that it would be my strongest form in a state where my skills are sealed.) (Souma)


    I don¡¯t know if me not having weapons to use here was good or bad.


    I was thinking such a pointless thing and shook my head.


    It is not like everything has been solved.


    I got a grip of myself and looked at the fallen Iaski.


    Now that Iaski has lost his Golem, he shouldn¡¯t have any moves he can play since he is a mage, but I also have no means to incapacitate him other than killing him.


    I thought about it a bit and placed the scraps of the Golem and the Full Build Bob statue that¡¯s on the magic circle on top of Iaski to seal his movements.


    ¡­The brawny statue being on top of Iaski was a weird sight that might make Baccarat happy if he were to see this, but Iaski shouldn¡¯t be able to move with this.


    ¡°Now then¡­¡± (Souma)


    I look around the room again.


    The first thing that came to my eyes was the broken body of the Sorcery Golem that I used to restrain Iaski, too.


    It might be remaining here because it is treated as an event object rather than a monster.


    On the other hand, the broken staff is nowhere to be seen at some point in time.


    Broken weapons that have gone way past their durability -in other words, their HP- will disappear just like monsters, so it must have done exactly that.


    I confirmed the entrance after that, but I really can¡¯t open it from here.


    Basically, my bad premonition hit the mark.


    It probably means that the event is still underway.


    Thinking about the setting here, Iaski might be trapped here too.


    I wavered a bit here, thinking for a second that I might as well finish the ritual even if just for show, but I erased that thought.


    I can¡¯t put the city in danger for something like that.


    It would be better to render the ritual useless just in case.


    ¡°¡­This is¡­¡± (Souma)


    It was hidden because of the giant body of the Golem, so I couldn¡¯t see it, but there¡¯s a lump of something at the corner of the room, and it was covered with cloth of the same color as the wall.


    I get close and tear off the cloth.


    What was below was a mountain of weapons and armor.


    I picked up one of them.


    ¡°A mithril weapon. Figures.¡± (Souma)


    Most likely mithril gear surpassing the thousands.


    Now that I think about it, he had to bring the mithril to this room if he planned on doing the ritual.


    So he was hiding them like this so I wouldn¡¯t be given a weapon, huh.


    ¡°Sorry, but I will be gearing up here.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Do as ye please.¡± (Iaski)


    Iaski must have given up after I found that, he nodded as if sulky.


    I can¡¯t really say mithril equipment is strong at this junction, but it is better than nothing.


    I chose a mithril sword and armor from the mountain.


    It does kind of feel like stealing, but I have gotten permission from the person himself, so it should be safe.


    ¡°The problem is what to do with the rest¡­¡± (Souma)


    This is obvious, but even if I get my own gear here, it doesn¡¯t decrease the mountain of mithril.


    We could retrieve them later, but it would be problematic if we were to get caught up in something related to the ritual again later.


    I don¡¯t have my bags, so I decide to just break them all.


    ¡°Tei!¡± (Souma)


    I tried punching the mithril dagger in my hand and it easily broke to an amusing extent.


    ¡°Ye bastard! Stop it! That¡¯s my¡­!¡± (Iaski)


    Gathering the mithril equipment must have been hard. Iaski began causing a ruckus, but I continued destroying them no-questions-asked.


    Even when my fist hit the edge of the blades, my fist was winning easily. I am a bit scared of my own hand.


    The sensation of breaking a fragile thing when I destroy the weapons, the light effect when they disappear; how to put it¡­there¡¯s fun in it, like breaking stuff to relax.


    I forgot my objective at some point in time and immersed myself in destroying the mithril equipment.


    Mitsuki and the others came to save me right when I had pretty much finished destroying the mithril equipment and was about to unconsciously destroy even the last mithril weapon I had secured for myself.


    ¡°Are you okay?!¡± (Mitsuki)


    The first one to jump into the room was Mitsuki, and after she observed the situation around the room¡­


    ¡°¡­Looks like there wasn¡¯t even the need to worry.¡± (Mitsuki)


    And returned to normal in an instant.


    I feel kind of sad about that, but the fact that she arrived here faster than Ringo must mean that she ran here seriously worried about me.


    By having Ringo leave the door open once she came, the worry of not being able to escape was solved.


    According to what they said, Mitsuki judged that I was teleported to the Sorcery Tower when the Explorer Ring didn¡¯t show me or Iaski.


    She wrapped up the two executives that remained there and had them spill out the way to enter the Sorcery Tower.


    ¡°¡­Hn. I remembered it properly.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo puffed her chest out.


    It was a pretty complex puzzle, but it seems Ringo has a surprisingly good memory.


    ¡°It seems like you also had a massive win over here as always.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki directed a bit of sarcasm over here and I remembered something.


    I puff out my chest in a way that doesn¡¯t fall off from Ringo just now.


    ¡°Sorry to say, but I haven¡¯t used a single one of those tricks that you would dislike so much, Mitsuki.


    Not only that, I didn¡¯t even use Skill Cancel, magic, and even items. I fought from the front, in a fair-and-square battle.¡± (Souma)


    When I said this, Ringo opened her eyes wide and Mitsuki shook her cat ears as if saying ¡®no way¡¯ for some reason.


    ¡°It is not a lie¡­ Ain¡¯t that right, Iaski?¡± (Souma)


    I directed the conversation to Iaski, who is restrained by Mitsuki, and he nodded as if bitter.


    ¡°¡­Nice, Souma!¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo said this elated even when expressionless, and tip-toed to pat my head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t, that¡¯s embarrassing.¡± (Souma)


    I say that on the surface, but it didn¡¯t feel bad.


    Mitsuki was the only one who looked at the scraps of the Golem.


    ¡°No, no matter how you look at it, this is not the aftermath of a person that fought normally¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    She said this, still unconvinced, but there¡¯s only one truth.


    She always says I don¡¯t have common sense or that I am underhanded, and even that I am a weirdo at times, but I can fight normally if I wanted to.


    Mitsuki tilted her head and cat ears, Ringo was repeating ¡®nice job, nice job¡¯, and we brought the tied up Iaski with us as we went down the Sorcery Tower while I was feeling refreshed for a change.


    Maybe because the plan they were so confident on was crushed, Iaski and the executives were more docile than expected.


    We restrained everyone with items, and once we got outside the guild, we encountered the Knight Order that Maki most likely called for.


    We gave a simple explanation to them, and passed them to the knights.


    With this, we have wrapped things up.


    The moment we were relieved and relaxed, Iaski, who had been apprehended by the knights, roared.


    ¡°Transcendent Souma, I shall give ye a prediction!¡± (Iaski)


    He shook off the knights that should have more strength than him in an instant, and shouted with full force.


    ¡°Ye will lose something irreplaceable in the near future!


    That¡¯s fate! An unavoidable future! Ye bastard will pitifully¡ªguh!¡± (Iaski)


    The knights didn¡¯t allow any further words.


    They seized Iaski and quickly escorted him to the castle.


    I was dumbfounded by the sudden development and Mitsuki approached me.


    ¡°It must be the howling of a sore loser. There¡¯s no need to worry about it.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­Right.¡± (Souma)


    It is just as Mitsuki says.


    I decided to not worry too much about it.


    I turn my back to Iaski who is being taken away, and we walk to our home, the Nekomimi Mansion.


    ¡°Lose something important, huh¡­¡± (Souma)


    I have not heard of Iaski making a prediction before.


    My logic is telling me that this is just BS that has no foundation at all, so it is not like I believe him.


    However, I sped up my legs heading to the mansion just a tiny bit.


    There¡¯s already no sign of the chaos in the city, and we managed to arrive at the mansion without anything happening.


    Not much time passed.


    Even so, we have to properly explain to everyone since we have gone out without telling them beforehand.


    Is what I was thinking, but¡­


    ¡°Aaaaaaaaaah!!¡±


    A shrill scream rang from the mansion.


    A painful scream as if they lost their most beloved person¡­


    ¡°¡­Souma?!¡± (Ringo)


    I moved before my brain.


    ¡°Ye will lose something irreplaceable in the near future!¡±


    Those words of Iaski rang in my head.


    I Order the skill while being assailed by unease.


    I used the Step, High Step, and Ground Compression combo I can now use freely at 3 times speed.


    I left behind Ringo and even Mitsuki, and I arrive at the door of the mansion faster than anyone.


    I crash straight onto the door and cancel the Skill Stun with that, and then rush into the mansion as if rolling in.


    What entered my eyes when I came in was Sazan on his butt and the flooded floor.


    And what was on the hands of the soaked Sazan was¡­


    ¡°I-It wasn¡¯t on purpose, okay? I-I was simply trying to wash them a bit and used water magic¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Give that here!¡± (Souma)


    I didn¡¯t listen to his excuses and forcefully take away what Sazan tried to hide behind him.


    But it was too late.


    Having reached the limit of its durability¡­that became particles of light in my hands and disappeared.


    ¡°D-Dark Schneideeeeeer!!¡± (Souma)


    My wail resonated in the lobby of the mansion.


    On this day, I managed to stop the large-scale ritual that would swallow up the whole city, and saved many people.


    But the price for that was that I lost an irreplaceable important thing (Fingerless Gloves).

 CH 178

    Light


    Dark


    ¡ªWhy did Dark Schneider have to die?


    For now, I had Sazan sit on his knees for interrogation, and placed a rock on top of his lap¡­no, I placed the Bear instead, and he screamed ¡®hiiih!¡¯ in less than a second and fainted.


    Well, he did say he tried to wash the Fingerless Gloves and used a water offensive spell before all this interrogation farce.


    Now that I think about it, trying to wash a leather product with water is already grounds for retort, but using offensive magic in order to wash something? That¡¯s a washed-up choice.


    Weapons are of course items with HP as well, so they break when attacked, but the defensive power at those times is reliant on the attack power number of the weapon itself.


    And so, the Fingerless Gloves held by Sazan had the lowest of defenses.


    Moreover, the durability of the Fingerless Gloves is terribly low. Its HP was only 40.


    Even a beginner mage¡¯s spell would have broken it.


    Now then, what should I do with this guy? -is what I was thinking while standing in front of Sazan.


    ¡°Ah, Souma-san! You are back!¡± (Ina)


    Ina must have heard the ruckus, she poked her head out onto the lobby and ran over here with incredible speed.


    ¡°I-Ina?!¡± (Souma)


    Considering how much the HP of Ina has increased with the Mutual Love Ring, I think the effect of the ring might be: In the case when the stats of the other person wearing the ring are higher, you will get half of those stats.


    If that¡¯s true, the Agility of Ina should be a bit higher than the normal person, and my Agility has been increased to 300, so the Agility of Ina with the ring on should be around 210 now.


    She has gotten a bit used to it and barely falls in her daily life now, but when she moves at full speed like this¡­


    ¡°Ina, stop!¡± (Souma)


    I hurriedly told her to stop, but it was a bit too late.


    ¡°Feh?! Hiyaaaaaaah!!¡± (Ina)


    Ina slipped because of the puddles of water on the ground that Sazan made.


    ¡°Oguh!¡± (Souma)


    She headbutted my stomach, and with my balance destroyed, we all fell grandly along with Sazan.


    Ina really is a good quality clutz that doesn¡¯t disappoint.


    In other words, she is a pain in the butt.


    ¡°Souma, you came back?! I was really worried¡ª¡±


    With the most terrible of timings, Leila poked her head out from the other side of the door.


    She must have been cooking, Leila had a kitchen knife in her hand, and the moment she saw me, she had a glad countenance in an instant and¡­


    ¡°¡­Ah.¡± (Souma)


    I didn¡¯t even have the time to think this is bad.


    The smile from her face dropped after seeing my position, and light dimmed out from her eyes.


    ¡°¡­What are you 3 doing all tangled up?¡± (Leila)


    The kitchen knife fell onto the ground, and what appeared in her left hand in exchange was the nostalgic Death Bringer.


    ¡°Stop! Hey, Sazan doesn¡¯t count!!¡± (Souma)


    What I shouted was ignored, and the moment the blade was thrusted onto me as if saying no questions asked¡­I saw the Bear, who had at some point in time moved away from my side, placing both hands together as if in prayer.


    ¡°Sorry, Souma. My body moved on its own again¡­¡± (Leila)


    ¡°W-We have the Black Knuckles, so it is okay. See, I am alive and kicking.¡± (Souma)


    ¡®That¡¯s a relief¡¯ -Leila says with a smile like that of a prim and proper lady, but her left hand still had the Death Bringer in hand, moreover, the tip of it is hitting the left side of my chest.


    ¡­Scary.


    What¡¯s scary, you ask? The big smile of Leila.


    Moreover, it is not a smile for intimidation, but a pure smile with no blemish.


    And with that face melting with happiness, she is twisting the blade of the Death Bringer on my left chest and drawing circles on it.


    ¡­This is her being lovestruck.


    Can you believe it?


    Where do yanderes learn this wrong way of showing their love?


    Do they understand this instinctively from the moment they were born?


    A natural born yandere?


    Yanderes are scary.


    ¡°¡­More importantly.¡± (Mitsuki)


    The one who grabbed the collar of Leila and pulled her away from me was Mitsuki.


    I directed a gaze of gratitude to Mitsuki, but she wasn¡¯t looking my way.


    ¡°What happened with the dinner? I think it is already a good time though.¡± (Mitsuki)


    We were the ones who were outside for a while, but she said this without any hesitation.


    Looks like her saving me was just a consequence of her just being hungry.


    ¡°Ah, s-sorry! I will prepare the dishes, okay?! Only the finishing touches are needed, so just wait for 15 minutes!¡± (Leila)


    Leila was about to hurry off to the kitchen, and I was going to ask her if I could help her out with anything, but¡­


    ¡°¡­Souma.¡±


    My sleeve was pulled from the back and I swallowed what I was about to say.


    ¡°Sazan? What¡¯s the matter?¡± (Souma)


    I thought the only one who would do that was Ringo, but the one who pulled my sleeve was Sazan.


    ¡°Shut up and follow me.¡± (Sazan)


    He said this and walked off without waiting for my response.


    I had no choice but to follow after him.


    ¡°Ah, oi, where are you going?!¡± (Souma)


    I thought he would go to a room somewhere, but Sazan exited the house.


    Even so, I continued following Sazan, and he stopped at a part of the garden.


    ¡°It is here.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°You, isn¡¯t this¡­¡± (Souma)


    I opened my eyes wide at what Sazan pointed at.


    What was there was a long and thin wooden plank that was clearly not there yesterday.


    It is like an impromptu grave.


    No, it is not ¡®like¡¯ one, it must have been the intention of Sazan.


    What¡¯s written in that wooden plank is the name ¡®Dark Schneider¡¯ after all.


    ¡°Haah¡­¡± (Souma)


    I feel like my tension went away in one go.


    He is serious in his own way.


    ¡­He is an idiot though.


    Now that I look closely, Sazan¡¯s clothes are still soaked.


    He probably was making this impromptu grave this whole time without changing.


    I don¡¯t know if to call this being an idiot, but his passion is the real deal.


    ¡°Souma, uhm¡­I am s-sorry¡­¡± (Sazan)


    That¡¯s why, when Sazan lowered his head in that fashion¡­


    ¡°It is fine.¡± (Souma)


    I managed to respond with that.


    ¡°B-But I did something irreversible¡­¡± (Sazan)


    He must have felt bad a while after the incident.


    I could tell Sazan had a pale face even with the mask on.


    ¡°I am telling you it is fine. I know that you are an idiot to the core, and¡­I also know that you treasured those Fingerless Gloves even more than I did.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Souma¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Don¡¯t look at me with those eyes.


    I am also trying my best to hold back here.


    ¡°Or are you telling me you didn¡¯t actually treasure Dark Sc¡ªthe Fingerless Gloves?¡± (Souma)


    I tried to divert the topic by provoking him, and he easily bit.


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t say such nonsense! Every morning, I would put on Dark Schneider and pose ten times in front of the mirror, and I never missed saying good night to it every night!


    You could say Dark Schneider was my soul partner. Don¡¯t put me in the same vein as you who only saw it as a tool¡ªah, sorry.¡± (Sazan)


    He forgot his own position in the middle of it, and apologized for getting too riled up there, but¡­


    ¡­Yeah.


    That¡¯s honestly weird.


    Or more like, don¡¯t wash your soul partner with water.


    ¡°But Dark Schne¡ªthe gloves disappeared, right? What did you bury in this pla¡ªgrave?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Fuh! You really are sharp. I buried the water spilled there to substitute the disappeared Dark Schneider.


    That¡¯s why there¡¯s no body here. You probably couldn¡¯t exactly call this a grave.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Wa?!¡± (Souma)


    I almost couldn¡¯t hold down what welled up in me when I heard him say ¡®this probably can¡¯t be called a grave¡¯, but I desperately covered my mouth.


    ¡°Souma?¡± (Sazan)


    Seeing this, Sazan let out a dubious voice.


    I desperately shook my head.


    ¡°N-No, it is okay. If you put your feelings in the grave, anything can be a grave. What¡¯s important is the feelings, the feelings.¡± (Souma)


    I have heard people saying ¡®Graves are not for the sake of the dead, but for the ones left¡¯, but I think it really is the case here.


    ¡°You thought about making a grave for the sake of Dark Schneid¡ªthe Fingerless Gloves seriously. As long as you have those feelings, that¡¯s plenty enough. At the very least, it is for me.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I see¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan voiced out words of understanding, and after that, we both put our hands in prayer.


    It may be a surreal sight in a lot of ways, but that¡¯s fine.


    What¡¯s important is the feelings.


    And so, we could have ended it on that note, and yet, Sazan showed pointless pride.


    He suddenly flapped his robe and pointed at me.


    By the way, when he flapped his robe, water splashed onto me from the robe and hit my face.


    ¡°¡­Hmph, it really wouldn¡¯t feel right like this. As the greatest mage and peerless user of darkness, I shall grant one wish of yours.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Huh?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I rarely do something like this, okay?! Be grateful!¡± (Sazan)


    He is looking away to hide his embarrassment, but what he is basically saying is that he is going to listen to a request of mine to atone.


    (This is troubling¡­) (Souma)


    Honestly speaking, there¡¯s one thing I want to ask.


    It is something important that might affect us in the future.


    But it is exactly because it is something important that I didn¡¯t want to bring it out as an exchange.


    And so, I wondered if there was anything I could ask instead, and I looked at the soaked clothes of Sazan.


    ¡°Alright, got it! How about taking a bath together after dinner?!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Feh?!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan let out a weird voice.


    He began to flail his hands all flustered as if I had told him something incredibly unexpected and asked again.


    ¡°U-Uhm¡­pardon me, a bath?¡± (Sazan)


    Why the sudden polite tone?


    ¡°You were making this the whole time while all drenched, right? It would be better for you to take a bath and warm up.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Ah, y-yeah. Thanks for the consideration¡­ No, that¡¯s not it! M-My dark powers are¡­uuuh¡­eeh¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan continued giving indecisive responses.


    I honestly am not that into the idea of getting into the bath with him to the point of being aggressive about it.


    Due to my shut-in mentality, I wouldn¡¯t want to have a bath together with others even if they were to ask me.


    Moreover, between men? What kind of torture is that?


    That said, there¡¯s a watch so we don¡¯t die when taking a bath anyways, so even if it is outside the bathroom, having a girl on watch is not to my taste.


    Having a bath together with Sazan isn¡¯t that out of the question.


    I am interested in what he would do with his mask when taking a bath.


    ¡°Also, I actually have something to talk about with you. We can definitely be alone together inside the bathtub.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°U-Ugh. In that case, you have a point, but¡­wuu, aaah!¡± (Sazan)


    Just when I thought Sazan had suddenly grabbed his head¡­


    ¡°Hmph! D-Don¡¯t think you have won!¡± (Sazan)


    He said a weird throw-away sentence and ran back to the house.


    It doesn¡¯t make sense, but him saying that must mean he has recovered.


    I shook my head as if saying ¡®good grief¡¯ and I looked back at the grave of Dark Schneider for one last time.


    ¡°Gotta remake it into a proper one.¡± (Souma)


    For the sake of the gone Dark Schneider.


    And most of all, for the sake of Sazan.


    ¡°Endure for a bit until then, Dark Schneider.¡± (Souma)


    At the place I am looking at, there¡¯s a small grave that can¡¯t even be called one at the corner of the garden.


    Rather than simple, it is plain shabby. A wooden plank that screamed hastily found, and messy writing that¡¯s like a writhing snake.


    This is what was written in letters that had a lot of emotion in them:


    ¡ªThe origin of Dark Schneider.


    Dark Schneider is going to rise out.

 CH 179

    Light


    Dark


    Nekomimi Neko monster introduction:


    [Horned Paon]: A variant of the elephant model monster, Paon, that inhabits the snow field areas.


    Its main attack method is to spit out snow from its long nose which has a stun effect.


    It has strange popularity in videos and fan creations, and its frequency of appearance matches that of the Fragment of the Evil God.


    ¡ª¨C


    Every time I took a bite of the food Leila put work into, she would say: ¡®U-Uuh, so, how was the taste? I wanted Souma to eat it, thinking only of you, and made it only for your sake. I-If there¡¯s anything that¡¯s not to your liking, I will fix it, and if you ask for anything¡­anything¡­uhm¡­Souma? Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?  I-I see. I-I am sorry. Something like this i-isn¡¯t tasty, right? Something made by someone like me would be no good at all, right? I will throw everything away! I have no choice but to remake every¡ªit is tasty? Y-Yay! I am so happy! Then, I will go and make a hundred extra of this, okay?!! Eh, r-really? G-Got it. If you say so, Souma. Ah, then, try eating this one here. A-Aaahn, j-just kidding¡­ S-Sorry. I am sorry. That was dirty, right? I-I should know my pl¡ªah! Ehehehe. Thanks¡­ Uuh, and so, how was the taste?¡¯. After a forced loop event that was close to a mental attack, I was now completely stuffed, and when I said I was going to take a bath and stood up from my seat¡­


    ¡°¡­Hn!¡±


    Ringo stood up naturally as if her turn had come.


    When I go take a bath, I normally ask Ringo to keep watch so that I don¡¯t die from drowning.


    However, circumstances are different this time around.


    ¡°Ah, sorry, Ringo. I have a companion today.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­?¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo tilted her head in wonder silently, and pointed at a certain someone.


    ¡°Today, Sazan is going to be accompanying me. Isn¡¯t that right, Saza¡ªhm?¡± (Souma)


    The reason the last part was a question was because Sazan was concentrating on reading a book and seemed to not hear what I said.


    Moreover, he is not reading just any random book¡­


    ¡°Magic section execution¡­effective time expansion¡­arrange incantation¡­boost mana¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Could this possibly be that?


    The secret technique of loners to appeal to your surroundings that you are concentrating on something complicated in order to avoid speaking to others?!


    Moreover, he is even adding the buff of mumbling nonsense as if the person himself is not aware of it in order to make it creepier.


    For a master like Sazan (in loner terms), it wouldn¡¯t be strange for him to know this technique, but him using this technique at this moment must mean that he really doesn¡¯t want to take a bath with me.


    ¡°Oi, Sazan, we are taking a bath!¡± (Souma)


    I placed a hand on Sazan¡¯s shoulder and he quivered. After a few seconds, he finally understood what I said, and he nodded several times in a strangely uneasy way.


    ¡°L-Leave it to me! It will be okay. I am a prodigy after all!!¡± (Sazan)


    Prodigies have nothing to do with taking a bath, but it is great to see that it is not like he doesn¡¯t have any intentions of taking one.


    When I told him we were going and had him stand up, someone spoke to me from the back.


    ¡°That¡¯s rare. To think you would proactively try to get involved with Sazan. What brought this on?¡± (Mitsuki)


    When I looked back, Mitsuki was shaking her cat ears in curiosity while watching us.


    I was about to tell her for a second that we promised to take a bath together, but I rethought it just barely in time.


    I glanced at Leila.


    Leila at a glance seemed like she was concentrating on cleaning up the dishes, but the corner of her eyes were directing a sharp gaze.


    Maybe because I went to the Mage Guild and worried her before, Leila has been emotionally unstable for a while now.


    Or more like, I feel like I have flipped her yandere switch at some point in time.


    Leila in her yandere state knows no boundaries for good or for bad.


    The current Leila wouldn¡¯t care if it is an hetero male or a plushie, she gives up the atmosphere that she would still kill them in one clean stab.


    ¡°Sazan destroyed Dark Schne¡ªthe Fingerless Gloves, you know. I had him tag along with me as a bit of a punishment.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I see. So that¡¯s how it is.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki made a dubious look as if she had been convinced and as if she had not.


    It would trouble me if she were to pursue the topic.


    ¡°I-In that case, I can take¡ª¡± (Leila)


    Leila was about to say something, but before she could¡­


    ¡°Come on now, Sazan! Give the book a break and let¡¯s get going!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Camouflage only for visual information¡­target an individual through mana quality¡­tie it up with repetition and¡ªwa! S-Stop it! Don¡¯t pull! Just a bit more¡­just a bit more¡­!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Just come already!¡± (Souma)


    I forcefully made Sazan, who was still mumbling, stand, and pulled him all the way to the dressing room.


    And so, we reached the phase where we were entering the bath, but¡­Sazan began complaining at the last moment.


    ¡°I-I will come in later!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Huh?¡± (Souma)


    I let out a displeased tone, and Sazan looked scared, but he didn¡¯t bend here.


    ¡°I-I didn¡¯t say I won¡¯t be going together with you. I will finish reading after a bit more!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Finish reading? Are you talking about that book?¡± (Souma)


    Sazan claimed this, but he is still half in his book.


    I doubt he would finish reading this in just a few minutes.


    (¡­Oh well.) (Souma)


    It is not like I wanted to take a bath with Sazan real bad anyways.


    If he runs away, that¡¯s all, so I decided to yield here.


    ¡°¡­You will really come in later, right?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Of course! Right, I will promise on the heirloom of mine lineage, the Soul Bracelet!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°No, I¡¯ve got no idea what¡¯s that.¡± (Souma)


    I swept away what Sazan was saying all high-strung, and decided to enter first.


    By the way, Sazan faced the other way and was reading his book single-mindedly while I was taking off my clothes.


    There was no need, but I washed my body, and sunk my body into the big bathtub.


    Of course, I would die if I sunk all the way to my face, so I left it as if it were a normal bathtub: only until the shoulders.


    ¡°¡­Fuuh.¡± (Souma)


    It would be about time for Sazan to come.


    Well, if his words just now were not a lie, that is.


    (¡­This is bad. I am beginning to get nervous.) (Souma)


    Why for Sazan of all people? -is what I thought, but now that I think about it, I haven¡¯t taken a bath together with someone since middle school or high school, or maybe a field trip.


    Should I have readied a towel? But it might not be good to bring in towels when going into the bathtub in this world¡­is the pointless thing I was thinking about, when¡­


    ¡°!!¡±


    I heard the door open.


    And from the other side, there¡¯s Sazan standing there.


    That figure of his was more confident than I imagined, and without any shame, his body was wrapped with a black cloak¡ªwait¡­


    ¡°Y-You¡­!!¡± (Souma)


    Even if it is Sazan, I didn¡¯t think he would go as far as coming into the bath with clothes.


    No, there was apparently a custom of taking a bath with clothes when it was a game, but at the very least, my comrades should be taking their clothes off when taking a bath.


    Ina¡¯s clothes were not wet at all when she just finished bathing after all.


    He asked me nervously.


    ¡°D-Do I really have to take off my clothes?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Obviously.¡± (Souma)


    If he were to enter with a cloak like that, I wouldn¡¯t be able to relax.


    ¡°T-The staff, too?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Ob-vious-ly!!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°B-But a staff is the next most important thing for a mage, and without this, the control of the spell¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°What is it you intend to do in the bathtub?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Uguh¡­¡± (Sazan)


    When I said this strongly, Sazan looked dejected for a moment there, but he raised his face soon after.


    ¡°Got it. Wait for a bit.¡± (Sazan)


    He looked at me with a decisive look.


    The face of a man that has resolved himself.


    ¡­Man, we are simply taking a bath together.


    Just when I was relaxed, soaking in the warm water¡­


    ¡°C-Coming in!¡±


    I got startled at the door of the bath being open with a loud noise.


    I speak in the direction of the door with the intention of hiding my shame here and¡­


    ¡°Oi, you are late, Saza¡ªhuh?¡± (Souma)


    The moment I saw Sazan, I opened my mouth wide reflexively.


    It is because Sazan¡¯s mask¡­was still on.


    Even though he is completely naked, his mask alone was still obstinately on.


    But what bothers me most is what lies below.


    At the crotch of Sazan standing with arms crossed¡­


    ¡°Paon!!¡± (Souma)


    ¡ªAn abnormally big Horned Paon (the head) had its nose raised high.


    ¡°Eh? Wa, eh?!¡± (Souma)


    This abnormality is G rank.


    I was terribly confused, witnessing what I can only describe as a monstrosity.


    (Wait! Wait wait wait!) (Souma)


    Let¡¯s calm down here.


    Think carefully.


    Even if it is big, it is simply compared to the physique of Sazan. It is obviously smaller than a Horned Paon.


    Wait, that¡¯s not it.


    But then what is it?


    This is not about ¡®hey, I have a monster on my crotch¡¯.


    There¡¯s a limit to having a monster.


    (C-Calm down. Calm down, me!) (Souma)


    I shook my head and tried to somehow pull back the reins of my thoughts.


    But is something like this¡­really possible?


    Is this how a fantasy world works?


    Could it be that, because of the half-assed mental setting of the Nekomimi Neko developers, Sazan ended up having to shoulder such a piece of work?


    ¡°W-What? D-Don¡¯t stare so much.¡± (Sazan)


    It seems like I have been staring at the Horned Paon of Sazan.


    Sazan bent his upper body as if covering his body.


    But¡­there¡¯s something below you have to hide first!!


    ¡°¡­S-Sorry.¡± (Souma)


    Is what I wanted to shout, but I couldn¡¯t come out strongly at Sazan.


    My pure honest thoughts here are: ¡®What¡¯s that? That¡¯s scary¡¯.


    But Sazan was more flustered than that.


    Of course he would be hesitant to take a bath with someone when packing such a beast.


    Or more like, he might have even ended up being bullied in his childhood if something like this was witnessed. There¡¯s plenty of possibility that that¡¯s how he ended up becoming a chuunibyou.


    ¡°N-Now, come in.¡± (Souma)


    I made a wry smile and invited Sazan.


    ¡­That was my intention, but I have no confidence that I actually managed to make a smile there.


    ¡°H-Hmph! Just what I wanted.¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan must be nervous too, he gave a weird response and hesitantly moved forward.


    I actually wanted to tell him to wash his body first, but I don¡¯t have the energy to.


    Sazan¡¯s breathing was rough and was practically showing off his Horned Paon at this point, moreover, entering the bathtub with his arms still crossed.


    ¡°Uh!¡± (Souma)


    The moment his body sank into the warm water, I ended up getting a close look at the Horned Paon of Sazan.


    ¡­Sazan-senpai is seriously a monster tamer.


    ¡°N-Nice water, right?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°R-Really?¡± (Souma)


    Sazan sank all the way to the shoulders and made that awkward comment, and I answered awkwardly, too.


    Or more like, why is he not uncrossing his arms even in the water?


    According to the psychology of it, bringing your arms up to protect the front of your body is a show of caution, but isn¡¯t he a bit too tense here?


    A hard to describe tense atmosphere surrounded us for a while, but a human can¡¯t stay tense forever.


    As time passed, we got a bit more leeway to think about stuff, so even if Sazan didn¡¯t undo his crossed arms, his attitude has softened a bit.


    ¡°At any rate, you really are not taking your mask off, huh.¡± (Souma)


    I brought this topic out with a bit of friendliness to it, and Sazan snorted from within the mask as usual.


    ¡°Hmph! This mask is a sacred treasure of mine family. It can¡¯t be taken off easily just for a mere bath.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say before that the bracelet was the treasure of your family?¡± (Souma)


    When I pointed this out, Sazan refuted with a bright red face.


    ¡°B-Both of them! Both of them are treasures of my family. This mask is a sacred treasure, and this bracelet is a treasure tool!


    T-That¡¯s why both are things that I can¡¯t take off, ever!


    See, I have brought the bracelet with me, too!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan skilfully took out his wrist from the water with his arms still crossed and showed it to me.


    I didn¡¯t notice because of the impact of the Horned Paon, but he also had the bracelet, huh.


    Or more like¡­


    ¡°You don¡¯t have it on.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°T-That¡¯s because¡­it is okay to h-hold it in my hand¡­¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Then, shouldn¡¯t it be alright to take off the mask, too?¡± (Souma)


    I go for a consecutive attack a bit teasingly.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­if I take this off, I won¡¯t be able to stay as myself¡­¡± (Sazan)


    He muttered this in a serious tone.


    It is an unexpected reaction, but that¡¯s something I can¡¯t ignore.


    ¡°You can¡¯t stay as yourself¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I tried to pursue this and¡­


    ¡°Wa?! T-That¡¯s not¡­! I-It is not like that!!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan was splashing around all flustered with his arms still crossed.


    ¡­Oi, stop that.


    The Horned Paon is rampaging inside the water.


    ¡°M-More importantly, you told me, right?! That you have business with me! W-What business do you have?!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± (Souma)


    I couldn¡¯t speak for a moment there.


    I actually wanted to speak to him for a bit more, and bring this out after we mellowed out, but it can¡¯t be helped.


    I hesitantly spoke.


    ¡°I have a request. I want to search for an offensive spell book together with you.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Offensive spell? You need something like that even though you defeated the Demon Lord?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s not it. It is exactly because I have defeated the Demon Lord.¡± (Souma)


    I hesitated on whether to say the next words.


    But¡­


    If I am to open this up to someone, Sazan would be the most suitable.


    The one with the least connection with me in the party, and the one who needs me the least is Sazan.


    That¡¯s why I looked straight into the eyes of Sazan inside the mask, and said this clearly.


    ¡°¡­I am thinking of going back to my world.¡± (Souma)


    The moment I said this, sound disappeared from the world for a moment and¡­


    ¡°¡­Ah.¡± (Sazan)


    The bracelet in the hand of Sazan fell and made an unexpectedly loud sound.


    ¡°Wawawa?!¡± (Sazan)


    As if that served as the switch, the world resumed moving. Sazan turned his back towards me and began searching for the bracelet that had fallen into the water.


    Sazan speaks in a low volume while his back still faces me.


    ¡°I-I see. So you are leaving. Of course you would! You did say you are not originally from this world after all! I-I got it. I will also help out!


    ¡­Haha! I-I get it! It is okay, I get it!¡± (Sazan)


    The trembling voice of Sazan echoed, and for some reason, the search for the bracelet that had fallen into the transparent warm water didn¡¯t end for a while.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    Author: ¡°As if I can stay in this world! I will return to Monster Hunter!¡±


    And so, what comes next is the Return Arc.


    I plan on delivering a heated story with intensity as if blasting fire magic onto the comments section.

 CH 180

    Light


    Dark


    ¡°I will cooperate. It depends on the conditions, but I don¡¯t mind doing it.¡± (Sazan)


    Having gotten the bracelet back, Sazan looked at me and said this in a bad mood.


    His face is hidden with the mask, but it is clear that he doesn¡¯t find it pleasing that I am going back.


    ¡°But why do you need an offensive spell in order to return to your original world? If you need my help, I will have you explain properly.¡± (Sazan)


    He tilted his body a bit and looked down at me as usual.


    By the way, the arms he has been crossing the whole time are down probably because of how tense he is right now.


    My gaze concentrated there somehow.


    The sense of distance is messed up because it is inside the warm water, so I can¡¯t see properly, but there isn¡¯t really a weird part about it.


    He was crossing his arms weirdly, so I suspected he might have a secret on the level of the Horned Paon, but it seems that was just me being distrusting.


    Or more like, my gaze gravitates down to the Horned Paon, and I can¡¯t concentrate.


    ¡°You bastard, looking elsewhere when we are having a serious talk he¡ªhiyaaaaaaaaa!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Dowah!¡± (Souma)


    Sazan noticed my gaze was down, and he turned his body at surprising speed as if hiding his body from me.


    ¡°¡­D-Did you see?¡± (Sazan)


    And then, he looked back with his slender back still facing here and asked this, but that¡¯s way too late.


    ¡°See, you ask? Are you referring to that uhm¡­Horned Paon?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Wa?!!¡± (Sazan)


    It might have been an unexpected response, Sazan made a dumbfounded voice that didn¡¯t lose to the one just now.


    I doubt he didn¡¯t notice that his Horned Paon was at full throttle, but we are talking about Sazan here, so who knows.


    ¡°Guwuuh¡­¡± (Sazan)


    I don¡¯t know what¡¯s so displeasing about this, but Sazan was looking at me with an incredible glare while grinding his teeth¡­


    ¡°R-Right, about that Horned Paon¡­¡± (Souma)


    After a while, I said this with an attitude as if desperately trying to swallow something.


    I don¡¯t really get it, but maybe he actually didn¡¯t want to show his Horned Paon.


    ¡­Well, of course he wouldn¡¯t want to.


    ¡°How to say it¡­you must have it rough in a lot of meanings.¡± (Souma)


    When I said this with a hint of sympathy, he for some reason snapped and went ¡®shut up!¡¯.


    Youngsters these days get angry easily, it is troubling.


    ¡°More importantly, what about the answer for the question before?! Don¡¯t divert the conversation and answer already!! How are you going to return to your world after obtaining an offensive spell?!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan began making a ruckus while I had a baffled face.


    I think you are the one who diverted the topic here, but it would be a waste of time to point that out.


    I tightened my expression and answered briefly.


    ¡°¡­In order to return to my world, I will be using the Fused Forbidden Spell, Death Flash.


    I need the strongest spell of this world, Stardust Flare, to achieve that.¡± (Souma)


    Because of its destructive power, Stardust Flare is also called the annihilation spell, and it is a spell that doesn¡¯t bring shame to that exaggerated name.


    It has fearsome traits like: Max Area of Effect, multi-hit attack, random impact, and ignore magic resistance. It has been arbitrarily given fame as the strongest anti-personnel spell.


    Moreover, its power is not the only thing that is incredible about the Stardust Flare.


    This outrageously flashy spell that makes a ton of stars rain from the sky and have them explode one after the other has terrifying visual effects, so it has also taken the throne as the number one of the Four Devas of Visual Overload.


    If you cast that together with the spell that you obtain from Leila¡¯s event, Bubble Chain, a massive overload will happen, triggering the safety mechanism of the VR machine, and it will cause a forced Log-Out.


    This is the Fused Forbidden Spell, Death Flash.


    ¡°¡­I kind of get it now.¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan listened to my explanation while sitting on his knees with his legs opened up a bit and nodded lightly.


    I don¡¯t really care, but because his legs are open, his Horned Paon is on full power as always.


    I think it is because it would hit the Horned Paon if he were to close his legs, but I really want to question whether he wants to hide the Horned Paon or not.


    But Sazan asked me purely seriously while my attention was taken by the Horned Paon.


    ¡°Is that going to go well though?¡± (Sazan)


    I get serious too at the rare serious attitude of Sazan.


    But I couldn¡¯t give a clear answer to that question.


    ¡°Honestly speaking, I don¡¯t know. However, I think there¡¯s a chance here.¡± (Souma)


    The reason why I can¡¯t use the menu screen anymore is probably because that¡¯s way too game-like, and this world is a ¡®separated world¡¯ so it would get in the way.


    Skills and spells are also game-like, too.


    However, those elements are things the residents of the created world of Nekomimi Neko are aware of, and are used by them, so there¡¯s that decisive difference from the menu screen.


    Nekomimi Neko puts their efforts in all the pointless areas, so there wasn¡¯t a single person who would say meta stuff and game advice like ¡®it is important to save often¡¯ or ¡®you have to equip the weapon from the menu screen or it won¡¯t have any effect¡¯.


    In the common sense of the Nekomimi Neko world, the menu screen, save, load, and also logout don¡¯t exist.


    However, it is not like all the things that the people of the world are not aware of are not allowed to exist.


    There¡¯s bug techniques, and also skill activation methods like Order and Focus which are clearly things the people of this world are not aware of, and yet, I could use them properly in this world.


    Despite that, the menu screen was sealed most likely because of the degree, or more like, it is the most game thing within those. But if that¡¯s the line of thought here, there¡¯s hope.


    The Equip that was one of the functions of the menu screen can be accomplished by directly holding the weapon or putting on the armor.


    ¡ªIn that case¡­


    If there¡¯s a method to use the save, load, and logout without using the menu screen, wouldn¡¯t that succeed?


    It may be a way too optimistic theory, but that¡¯s what I think.


    ¡°That said, I don¡¯t know what might happen.


    Of course, I will gradually experiment. And if Maki is against it, I will think of a different method.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°The reason why you want to return to your world is really for the sake of Maki?¡± (Sazan)


    I found it hard to respond to the unexpectedly sharp words of Sazan.


    ¡°¡­The biggest reason, yeah. But I think I shouldn¡¯t be living in this world.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°In other words, if you can communicate with the people of your world, you would be fine with living here?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± (Souma)


    Is this person really Sazan? -that¡¯s how sharp he is being here.


    I couldn¡¯t answer immediately.


    But it seems like that attitude of mine didn¡¯t rub Sazan the right way.


    ¡®Fumu¡¯ -he muttered and said with energy.


    ¡°Got it. Then, I will cooperate with everything I have!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Eh? Is that okay?¡± (Souma)


    He said he would help me out from the very beginning, but why is he so into it all of a sudden?


    When I showed a surprised expression, Sazan suddenly raised his voice and pointed at me.


    ¡°H-However! I don¡¯t mind if it is until you return to your world, but I want you to cooperate with me, too!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Cooperate?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°That¡¯s right! There should be a lithograph that only you and Maki can use in the library!


    You will watch all of those until the end and tell me the details about it!¡± (Sazan)


    By lithograph, is he talking about the video recording of the Evil God Great War?


    That would be easy then.


    ¡°Got it.¡± (Souma)


    I answered immediately and Sazan took a daunted attitude for some reason.


    ¡°A-Also¡­!¡± (Sazan)


    He was still pointing at me with his face slightly averted as he continued speaking.


    ¡°I will cooperate with you in returning to your world. I will, so¡­so¡­think of a way to return to this world again, too.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Sazan?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t misunderstand! I just want to use you more!


    That¡¯s why, it is not like I would be sad about you leaving or anything like that¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan was weaving his words all flustered.


    ¡­Good grief.


    Despite not being honest, he is the most honest out of everyone.


    ¡°Thanks, Sazan.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Wa?!¡± (Sazan)


    When I thanked him, Sazan slapped the surface of the water in a flustered manner.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t get you! M-More importantly, the spell!! You are going to be getting this thing called Stardust Flare, right?! What do you plan on doing?!¡± (Sazan)


    He is obviously trying to divert the topic here, but I ride on that.


    ¡°Yeah. We need to perform a certain event, but you are needed for that.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Me?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°To be more precise, it is a mage with strong dark element affinity, but there wasn¡¯t anyone aside from you in the whole game.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Dark element, huh¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan frowned when he heard that.


    He looks so drained it makes me wonder where the energy from before went.


    Speaking of which, Sazan speaks all the time about dark powers, and yet, I have not seen him use dark element magic.


    He would mostly use fire or water.


    Does he have a trauma with dark magic? He clearly looks apprehensive about it.


    ¡°Does it really have to be me? If it is dark element¡­there¡¯s Leila, maybe?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°No, Leila isn¡¯t really dark element but more like dark personality¡­wait, that¡¯s not it.


    You were the only one who could do it in the game, so it is impossible for anyone aside from you in this world, too.¡± (Souma)


    I said this, but Sazan still continued to complain.


    ¡°I-In the first place, this is weird! It is called Stardust and Flare, and yet, it is dark element?!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Even if you tell me that¡­¡± (Souma)


    I am not the one who set the element.


    ¡°Or more like, why do you dislike the dark element? Could it be that you actually can¡¯t use dark magic?¡± (Souma)


    Even though I know that¡¯s not the case, I asked this, and Sazan must have been hit in his pride, he answered with a loud voice.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s not true! It is just that, uhm¡­m-mine dark powers are way too big for this world.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°¡­Hah?¡± (Souma)


    I let out a displeased voice when he suddenly pulled out the crazy talk, and Sazan quivered before adding in a low voice.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s why, uhm¡­when I used dark magic a long time ago, there was a time when I blanked out and burned down a forest¡­¡± (Sazan)


    He must have remembered that time, Sazan brushed his right hand uncomfortably while sitting on his knees.


    Seeing this, something clicked in my head.


    (¡­Could it be¡­) (Souma)


    Maybe it is the source of Sazan¡¯s chuunibyou. The dark magic affinity he has might have to do with the dark-something that¡¯s sealed in him.


    Sazan tends to lose control often by himself, but if his dark magic affinity is even higher than that, the damage it could cause is unmeasurable.


    Because he used dark magic that he can¡¯t control and went wild, he was isolated, and considering his rebellious personality, I can understand how he ended up becoming a chuunibyou.


    Also, considering the effect of the dark magic, it could also explain the clearly abnormal Horned Paon on his crotch¡­


    No, that would be stretching it a bit.


    Anyways, it seems like the hate of Sazan towards dark magic is the real deal.


    However, I can¡¯t withdraw here.


    ¡°I now get that you can¡¯t use dark magic. In that case, I will be the one using it. You can just undo the seal.¡± (Souma)


    The player can learn the Stardust Flare spell by just being present.


    I thought this would be fine, but¡­


    ¡°Hmm, but even if you say that¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Even with that, the response of Sazan wasn¡¯t favorable.


    He probably is apprehensive about dark magic that surpasses logic.


    I have no choice but to push here.


    ¡°Anyways, you are the only one I can rely on.


    I can only ask this of a mage with outstanding ability like you.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°O-Only me¡­ O-Outstanding mage¡­¡± (Sazan)


    The sullen attitude of Sazan softened in one go at what I said.


    ¡°Actually, this Morrigan Sprite person that hid the Stardust Flare spell is apparently an incredible person that¡¯s called stuff like the Golden Mage or the Strongest Alchemist in the World.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Golden¡­Strongest¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan has become a robot that repeats words, but he has bitten on.


    I go all in.


    ¡°When he sealed the Stardust Flare at a certain place, he created 3 medals to undo the seal.


    Only the chosen ones that have outstanding dark magic affinity, a strong body, and overcome several trials to obtain 3 medals will be able to earn that spell.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Hmm¡­medal¡­trial¡­chosen¡­one!!¡± (Sazan)


    I could feel the eyes of Sazan heating up below the mask. This has sparked his chuunibyou.


    This is already my win.


    ¡°A-Alright, got it! In that case, I -the great dark mage Sazan-sama- will obtain that spell!!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Thanks! I believed you would say that!!¡± (Souma)


    ¡ªThis guy really is easy!!


    I didn¡¯t let even a single bit of that thought out as I threw gratitude towards Sazan.


    That must have rubbed him the right way, Sazan averted his chest while still sitting on his knees.


    ¡°Fufufu, for someone as great as me, the feeble trials created by mortals are the same as a sand castle!


    The day when my name echoes around the world as the strongest mage is close!¡± (Sazan)


    However¡­


    Sazan exaggerated it like that, but he still doesn¡¯t know¡­that there¡¯s a fearsome trial awaiting him that he can¡¯t even imagine.


    I think back on the trials.


    ¡ªThe Trial of the Heart: Odds and Evens.


    ¡ªThe Trial of Technique: Poker.


    ¡ªThe Trial of Body: Horse Racing.


    All of them are extremely difficult, and they all have absolutely nothing to do with magic.


    ¡­By the way, the man who hid the Stardust Flare spell in a certain location and created the trials to obtain it, Morrigan Sprite.


    His nicknames as the Golden Mage and the Strongest Alchemist of the World¡­are because he is the Casino King.


    ¡ª¡ª


    Author: The germination of comp gacha in an isekai!

 CH 181

    After finishing our chat, we decided to exit the bath, but¡­


    ¡°Now then, I will also¡ªwahiyaaaaah!!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan was about to stand up, but immediately returned inside the bathtub.


    ¡°W-What is it with you all of a sudden?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked him this, he suddenly turned his back towards me all desperately and¡­


    ¡°I-It is okay! It is nothing!!¡± (Sazan)


    He shouted words that I can¡¯t trust at all.


    ¡°No, there¡¯s no way it is nothing.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°S-Stop it! Don¡¯t come! It really is nothing! It is nothing!¡± (Sazan)


    I approached Sazan, and he bend over, desperately hiding his crotch as if rejecting me.


    ¡ªCould it be that the Horned Paon has gone out of control?!


    The worst situation plays in my mind.


    My feet stop cold.


    ¡°¡­Uhm, you really will be okay alone, right?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I have been telling you that for a while now! Just go already!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°G-Got it. I will do that.¡± (Souma)


    Horned Paon matters are delicate ones.


    It would be for the sake of Sazan to not get too involved in this.


    ¡°T-Then, I will be leaving. Don¡¯t stay too long in the bath. Ah, also, when you are leaving¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Just go already! Wait, don¡¯t look over here!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°I-I get it!¡± (Souma)


    I jumped out of the bath chased away by Sazan, and finally took a breath once I returned to the entrance of the dressing room.


    It is tiring to hang out with Leila, but I don¡¯t know where the landmines are planted with Sazan, so there¡¯s a different kind of exhaustion in that front, too.


    I wiped my body quickly while sighing, put my clothes back on, and put the Water Dragon Ring back on (if I have it on, I won¡¯t drown in the bathtub, but the effect of the water is also nullified, so the point of taking a bath would be gone, too).


    My preparations are done here, but Sazan is still not coming out.


    Not only that, when I called him¡­


    ¡°P-Please bring my clothes basket here!¡± (Sazan)


    He made a mysterious request.


    ¡°Good grief. He really is a lot of work¡­¡± (Souma)


    I complained as I searched for the basket where the clothes of Sazan are.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± (Souma)


    This dressing room must be in the format of a bathhouse, there¡¯s a number of baskets ready.


    I peeked at each one of them and found one that had black things stuffed in the 4th basket.


    ¡°¡­Aah, this, huh.¡± (Souma)


    There¡¯s a jet black cloak and clothes, and also the book that he has been reading the whole time before entering the bath.


    There¡¯s no one else who entered the bathroom aside from us, so this must be it.


    ¡°I found it!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°P-Please bring it here! Ah, don¡¯t rummage through my clothes!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Just who do you think I am¡­¡± (Souma)


    I was baffled by this while instinctively moving my gaze to the basket.


    When I looked, the name of that book entered my eyes by coincidence.


    That awfully thick book¡¯s title is: Big Reference Book of Monster Visuals.


    ¡­It wasn¡¯t even a book about magic.


    Then what was all that when he was mumbling about magic and whatever?


    It seems like he really didn¡¯t want to enter the bath with me.


    I was feeling sad about this truth as I placed a towel on the basket with the clothes of Sazan and threw it inside the bath. I then exited the dressing room with my shoulders drooped.


    When I returned to the living room, most of my comrades were there and were chatting.


    ¡°¡­You are back, huh.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Ah, Souma!¡± (Leila)


    Mitsuki was the first one to notice and raised her voice, and Leila ran my way next.


    I casually confirm that Leila doesn¡¯t have the Death Bringer in hand and sigh.


    This house is dangerous with the bath and Leila and everything else.


    ¡°Hmm? Souma, where¡¯s the black one?¡± (Maki)


    I wiped off my cold sweat, and Maki spoke to me in wonder all sprawled on the table.


    This girl is supposed to be a princess. Is it okay to not go back to the castle? No, I shouldn¡¯t be the one worrying about this stuff when I am trying to bring her back to a different world.


    ¡°Aah, if it is Sazan, he is still changing. Well, I think he will come soon.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Leila)


    The one who reacted sensitively to this was not Maki but Leila.


    ¡°Eh? Eh?¡± -she repeated those words and was looking at both me and the bath, and began to mumble something.


    ¡°U-Uhm¡­changing, you say? ¡­Could it be that you took a bath together with that person, Souma¡­?¡± (Leila)


    ¡°W-What about you guys? Why are you all gathered here?¡± (Souma)


    I felt something ominous from Leila¡¯s tone, so I cut off her words quickly.


    Leila was still saying something, but I already know.


    Mitsuki read the atmosphere here and spoke first.


    ¡°It is not like there¡¯s anything special. It is just that the people that were in the residence wanted to know about the results of the incident.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Aah, I see.¡± (Souma)


    Looks like Mitsuki explained to the others what happened at the Mage Guild while I was away.


    Well, Ringo doesn¡¯t proactively talk about those things, so it was probably mostly Mitsuki alone telling the whole story.


    ¡°Anyways, you came right in time. I have finished the talk here, so I was thinking about having you tell us about the plans from here on.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Speaking of which, we have had to deal with quite a lot of immediate issues until now.


    However, you could say the immediate dangers are now gone with the Mage Guild being crushed.


    It means that we have finally obtained true freedom.


    Thinking about it in that way, everyone being gathered here is also convenient for me.


    ¡°In that case, the timing is just right for me as well. Actually, I spoke with Sazan in the bath about moving together tomorrow to obtain a certain spell.¡± (Souma)


    Hearing this, everyone made dubious looks.


    ¡°Spell? But for what?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± (Souma)


    I was about to answer ¡®in order to return to my world¡¯ at the question of Mitsuki, but¡­


    ¡°¡­It is in order for me to become the strongest mage!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan had appeared at my back at some point in time and answered in that fashion.


    I was taken aback by this, but Sazan, who was all warmed up from having come out from the bath, continued speaking smoothly.


    ¡°From what I heard, the spell left by the great mage called Morrigan Sprite, Stardust Flare, is the strongest dark spell.


    In that case, there¡¯s no one more suitable than me who is the number one mage in the world! Might as well even take his nicknames, too. And so, we have agreed to help each other out!¡± (Sazan)


    He pointed at me and laughed with a ¡®Fuhahahaha¡¯.


    What is he saying all of a sudden?


    ¡°O-Oi, Sazan, what in the world are you sayi¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I asked this in a whisper to Sazan while flustered, and Sazan didn¡¯t change his expression one bit and whispered back to me.


    ¡°Are you an idiot? If you tell them honestly, you might get stabbed by the girl there.


    Talks like this should be done after laying more groundwork first.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡± (Souma)


    Leila became unstable just from being away from me for a bit.


    If I were to tell her I am returning to my homeland, who knows how she would react.


    However, I am simply delaying the issue.


    ¡°S-Souma?¡± (Leila)


    Leila must have noticed that we were talking about her in our whispers, she raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°H-Hey, what are you talking about all close? I would like to hear about it, too.¡± (Leila)


    She was laughing with an ¡®ehehe¡¯, but her smile was strangely dark and her eyes were blank.


    ¡­Yup.


    I don¡¯t think I will be killed here, but it is certainly a bit scary.


    I really should make proper preparations first before I explain to Leila and the others.


    Sazan must have felt that I had taken the escape stance, he continued his grand speech.


    ¡°Anyways! Me and him will be taking the trials to obtain the Stardust Flare. It is the trials that the famous Golden Mage, Morrigan Sprite, made.


    It will most likely be really rough, but there¡¯s no need to worry. Even if it is the best alchemist in the kingdom, I won¡¯t be losing in my ability as a mage¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    I think he began to talk to play it off, but it seems like he got into it while he was talking.


    Sazan continued talking passionately, but as if throwing cold water to this¡­


    ¡°Excuse me¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki interjected while raising her hand lightly.


    She wasn¡¯t bothered by Sazan who curved his lips down and spoke.


    ¡°Can I say one thing?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°What is it?¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan takes an arrogant stance with anyone, but Mitsuki was still expressionless and responded indifferently.


    ¡°I think Morrigan Sprite wasn¡¯t a mage, but the name of a casino manager though?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­Eh? But¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan opened his mouth wide and looked over here as if seeking help.


    I averted my gaze.


    ¡°He was stingy and didn¡¯t have much interactions with others from the same line of work, and I remember him obtaining great success after driving many mages into gambling¡­


    If I remember correctly, the method to pull them into gambling was to ¡®make a famous spell into a gambling prize¡¯. And so, the nicknames he got from that were Golden Mage and History¡¯s Strongest Alchemist of the Rihito Kingdom¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    The merciless explanation of Mitsuki made the face of Sazan turn bright crimson from embarrassment and anger after having understood what was going on.


    And then¡­


    ¡°Y-You bastard! You deceived meeeeeeee!!!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan finally turned bright red all the way to the neck, and jumped at me.


    The talk was suspended for now, and I was sentenced to 100 pokapoka** punches.

 CH 182

    The next day.


    It is a rare case where we decided to move separately here.


    ¡°I want to take this opportunity to arrange the things around me.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki said such a dangerous thing and headed to the dojo early in the morning.


    Next is Maki.


    ¡°Hnn, I will get scolded by Father if I go back like this so¡­ah, right!¡± (Maki)


    She was monologuing that and then grabbed Ringo for some reason.


    ¡°¡­N-No. Souma and I have¡ª¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Now then, let¡¯s go back!¡± (Maki)


    She grabbed Ringo just like that and left for the castle.


    I saw off Ringo who was being dragged away and Sazan spoke to me in wonder.


    ¡°Is it okay to leave that be?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°It is okay¡­ It would be better for Ringo to create more acquaintances.¡± (Souma)


    ¡ªBecause I am going to be leaving soon after all.


    I swallowed my internal whisper, but even with that, I continued watching the path where Ringo was taken away, and Sazan mumbled something from behind.


    ¡°If you are going to make a face like that, you should stay here forever¡­¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Sazan?¡± (Souma)


    I looked back in wonder and Sazan shook his head in a bad mood.


    ¡°It is nothing¡­The only ones left to move out are us.¡± (Sazan)


    Two remaining. Leila and Ina will be staying at the mansion, and Ina will be helping out Leila as she learns how to cook.


    Actually, Ina seemed like she wanted to come with us, but when she heard about the details of the trials: ¡®Wuuh, Mother told me that gambling is the one thing I shouldn¡¯t do¡¯. And so, she withdrew from participating.


    Those two have currently come all the way to the entrance of the residence to see us off.


    They must have felt we will be leaving now, Ina came over.


    ¡°Ah, you two are going? Do your best, okay?!¡± (Ina)


    That worryless energetic voice made me feel cheerful too.


    That brightness must have brought a miracle, an unbelievable thing happened.


    ¡°¡­Do your best too.¡± (Sazan)


    That Sazan of all people responded with words of encouragement.


    He must have been embarrassed saying that straight to her face, he lowered his gaze down a bit, but this could be considered a big growth.


    ¡°S-Sazan-san?¡± (Ina)


    Ina probably didn¡¯t expect Sazan to respond like that, her mouth was wide open.


    Sazan must be getting shy here, he spoke with a curt attitude.


    ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand. I don¡¯t like getting all chummy with others, and I don¡¯t think of you as a comrade.


    I simply understand the feeling of the needy ones.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°I-I see. Thank you?¡± (Ina)


    He was acting all condescending here all naturally, but maybe he was deeply impressed by Ina doing her best trying to learn house chores.


    I don¡¯t really get it, but I feel like 2 loners getting along is a good thing.


    By the way, Sazan was opening up his heart to Ina a bit¡­


    ¡°S-Souma, are you really going? G-Gambling is dangerous, you know?¡± (Leila)


    But was completely ignoring Leila who was at the side.


    Not only that, he was glaring at Leila, who was clinging onto my arm as if pushing her chest on me.


    ¡°Y-You see, if you want to, Souma, I can earn your share too with everything I have! That¡¯s why you can just stay in the house forever at my side¡­¡± (Leila)


    Well, Leila doesn¡¯t see anyone aside from me, so you could say that goes both ways.


    Anyways, I only have a bad feeling about staying here.


    I decided to wrap this up at once and depart.


    ¡°Well then, protect this place while we are out, okay? I am sorry, but you are the only one I can rely on, Leila! I can count on you, right?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I-I am the only one you can rely on¡­ O-Okay, I will do my best!¡± (Leila)


    Leila showed motivation while tightening her fist in front of her chest and¡­


    ¡°S-Souma-san?! I will also¡­I will also be staying at home, you know?!¡± (Ina)


    I turned my back to Ina, who doesn¡¯t look too reliable, and we exited the residence.


    ¡°Good grief, why do I have to go with just you¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan was muttering complaints, but it seems like he intends to follow.


    I once again explain the details of the trials that I left vague yesterday to Sazan who is following from behind somewhat obediently.


    ¡°The trials are: Odds and Evens, Poker, and Horse Racing.


    Putting it super simply, you have to win big in those 3 and you get a medal.¡± (Souma)


    The ingenious part of Morrigan Sprite is the fact that the condition to obtain the medal is something like ¡®once you have obtained more than a certain amount in one go at horse racing¡¯.


    With this condition, you won¡¯t be able to obtain the medal by winning little by little, and most of all, no matter if it is a small sum, you still have a chance of getting the medal by winning big.


    If you put a hand on this with light feelings, it isn¡¯t hard to imagine this has created many mages who wouldn¡¯t stop betting even when low in cash.


    This is what I thought when watching the guild event in the game days, but the mages in this world are obstinate and hate losing.


    Even if they look down on gambling normally, the moment they put a hand on it once, it is the end. You could even say they have a lot of traits that would drop them into the downward spiral.


    This is in the end lore created by Nekomimi Neko.


    It is not like I thought too deeply about it, but I really think Morrigan pulled a sly move there.


    ¡°I see. Wait, it really has nothing to do with magic!¡± (Sazan)


    When I explained the system around it, Sazan visibly exploded.


    But I think he is definitely the type that would destroy himself in gambling.


    The type that doesn¡¯t know when to stop.


    Even so, it is true that I tried to deceive him, so I apologize to him.


    ¡°My bad. I wanted you to help out no matter what.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Fine.¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan accepted my apology unexpectedly easily.


    ¡°If it is such a difficult trial, it would obviously take time. Then¡­¡± (Sazan)


    He was about to say something but stopped midway.


    He then asked me a question flustered as if playing it off.


    ¡°M-More importantly, where are we going first?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Right. Let¡¯s go with the more proper one first: Odds and Evens.


    Ah, stop there for a bit.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Hm?¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan stopped his feet and tilted his head, so I quickly wrapped the rope around him.


    ¡°Heh?¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan was tied up and let out a silly voice, so I spoiled him a bit here.


    ¡°Actually, we are going to be doing the odds and evens at that¡­north horse racing stadium.¡± (Souma)


    The north horse racing stadium is the last place the poor people go to.


    Because what the challengers bet there is not money.


    ¡ªThe chips of the game are¡­people.


    Yourself, your family, or the safety of your lover.


    You make people themselves as chips and go for a big bet.


    That¡¯s the north horse racing stadium.


    ¡°C-Could it be¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan began trembling, but it could be.


    To be blunt, there¡¯s no need for dark magic affinity in order to obtain the medals.


    Bringing Sazan even with that is honestly for the sake of moments like this.


    I tapped the shoulder of Sazan whose lips had turned pale, and I smiled in as much of a refreshing way as possible.


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t worry. Odds and evens is the same as an omikuji. Just continue drawing wins.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Noooooooo!! I definitely don¡¯t wannaaaaaa!!¡± (Sazan)


    He wailed a whole ton, but the trial itself ended in just a few minutes.


    ¡°I-Impossible! Pinzolo** 20 times in a row?! <When all dices roll 1.>


    Impossible! There¡¯s no way 1 would show up when the dices have been weighed a whole ton!


    Brat! You must have cheated!!¡±


    This pot is calling the kettle black while I somehow managed to suppress the hoodlums that surrounded us without killing them.


    I stuffed the medal and the wins in the bag, carried the tied-up Sazan under my arm, and quickly left the gambling den.


    It is kinda late to explain now that it is over, but Odds and Evens is a game where you throw dice, and you have to guess whether the total number will be Odd or Even.


    Normally, there will be rules for how to throw the dice or bet, but we are in Nekomimi Neko.


    The developers must not have knowledge in that regard either, they were pretty half-baked in that front.


    Anyways, I bet 20 times in a row that it would be even, and won 20 times in a row.


    I got the medals and the prize money, and now we are here.


    I undo the ropes of Sazan after moving a certain distance away, and he groaned with a ¡®wuuuh¡¯ and glared at me.


    ¡°T-That was scary! I was really scared, you know?!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Aaah, yeah yeah. But I won. I told you not to worry, right?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°As if I can not worry! Or more like, what in the world did you do?!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°What I did, you ask¡­ I told you it is the same as the omikuji. Those dice are set with the same RNG as the omikuji.¡± (Souma)


    The RNG of the omikuji is RNG that won¡¯t change with anything aside from an omikuji.


    The RNG is fixed because of the Worst Fortune omikuji, so only 1 will show up on the dice no matter what you do.


    With this, two 1¡¯s will always be even, so there¡¯s no way you can lose if you just call even.


    There was no chance of losing in this trial from the very beginning.


    ¡°B-But if you lost by some sort of miscalculation, what would have happened to me¡­?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t abandon you in a situation like that. I would have kidnapped you and ran away.


    See, it turned into a battle, but I managed to get out, right?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°U-Uguh¡­¡± (Sazan)


    His complaints must have run out, Sazan began to groan again.


    Leaving aside if it is safe or not, thinking about it normally, I am completely in the wrong for betting Sazan, but he probably hasn¡¯t thought of that because his mind is in disarray.


    This has nothing to do with the matter, but because of the RNG of Odds and Evens being the same as the omikuji, the dice numbers don¡¯t change no matter what, so you can win as many times as you want if you utilize Save and Load.


    You would think that¡¯s soft for Nekomimi Neko, but winning easily is a trap in itself.


    If you win too much, the scary dudes will attack you like just now, so you will suffer if you just came to the capital and wanted to earn some easy buck.


    It really is a nasty game.


    ¡°Damn it, got it. And so, where¡¯s the next¡ªah!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan was about to ask this and covered his body as if feeling danger coming.


    His eyes are completely like those of someone looking at a kidnapper.


    Looks like he is pretty on guard here from the incident just now.


    ¡°It is not like I will gamble with your body over and over.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t put it in such a weird manner!¡± (Sazan)


    I deal with Sazan who is waving his hands around, and then I put on a serious expression.


    The next stage of the battle isn¡¯t a place where you should go with half-baked feelings.


    ¡°Listen here, Sazan, we are heading to the casino next.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Casino¡­ Poker, huh.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°That¡¯s right. But this is not regular poker.¡± (Souma)


    Many Nekomimi Neko players have challenged that casino without being able to do anything about it.


    The poker we are going to be facing now has made Nekomimi Neko players suffer for many years, and there¡¯s still no certain method to win it. An unlawful gamble.


    ¡°The worst scam poker where the pay definitely doesn¡¯t match when the bet is increased!!¡± (Souma)

 CH 183

    Poker is a game where you match cards with the 5 cards you have (if you have 3 cards with the same numbers, it is a Set; if all of the cards have the same mark, it is a Flush) and you compete in the rarity.


    It is originally a game with strong psychological battles between the players that are betting, but in this computer game aimed for one person, the rules of the casino have been simplified, and in most cases, it becomes a simple game of who gets the strongest cards.


    That¡¯s no exception in Nekomimi Neko. The participants pay the entry bets, and if you get a good hand, you will get paid depending on how strong your hand was.


    If we go a bit deeper into the rules, what you are betting is not the coins of the casino or medals, but plain and simple money, and there¡¯s no limit to how much you can bet.


    You can exchange your cards once and the joker is in.


    There¡¯s 2 jokers in the deck, and it can serve as any card.


    The detailed payouts are as follow:


    2 pairs x1.


    Set x2.


    Flush x4.


    Straight x5.


    Full House x10.


    4 of a kind x20.


    Straight Flush x50.


    5 cards x100.


    Royal Straight Flush x500.


    All Cat x1000.


    Leaving aside the fact that the Flush and Straight¡¯s payouts are reversed, the payout as a whole is on the high side within the casinos of games.


    Especially the highest one with the x1000 of All Cat.


    Even if you bet 1E, it will turn into 1,000E; if you bet 10,000E, you get 10,000,000E.


    The condition to get the medal is to get 10 million E, so you would clear the condition with that one hit.


    By the way, this All Cat is an exclusive from this game. Basically, you have to get the 11, 12, 13 that have the cat drawing and the 2 jokers.


    It is obviously harder to get than the Royal Straight Flush that decreases in difficulty with the joker.


    Moreover, there¡¯s a way to make the prize even higher.


    This casino has the signature Double Up of casino poker.


    Double Up is a game gimmick where you can double all the money you have won if you win.


    When you decide to challenge the Double Up, you will end up in a simple game of High or Low.


    The rules are truly simple. You simply have to guess correctly if the next card¡¯s number is higher or lower than the previous one.


    If you can do it correctly, the prize money you got from poker will double, and if you fail, you obviously lose it all.


    This is the tastiest part in game casinos.


    You can get it right with a 50/50 chance, and you get double the prize.


    This is an advantageous match for players to the point that there¡¯s no option of not doing it.


    ¡­But the Nekomimi Neko casino is not so soft.


    Jokers are in.


    Double Up is implemented.


    It is true that, if you look at the rules alone, it would look as if the player is on the advantage compared to the casinos of other games.


    But when you actually play it, you will change your impression.


    Especially when the bet increases. The difficulty spikes up.


    When people checked the chances to get cards in the cases you were betting 1 and when you were betting 10,000, a shocking result was revealed.


    When it is 1, the cards distributed are practically the same as the normal ones, but when it is 10,000, there¡¯s a fearsome tilt.


    To be more precise, you can¡¯t get any matches.


    You only get a hand with the same numbers once in a thousand, and it is even rare to get 3 cards with the same mark.


    Even if you exchange the cards, good cards don¡¯t come as if premeditated, and despite there being around 3,000 attempts, matches only happened 11 times.


    Moreover, most of them were the Set that has the lowest multiplier, and the highest one was the Straight. It was just baffling.


    Then, there¡¯s no choice but to earn with Double Up -is the natural train of thought, but even the Double Up has the evil hand of cheating in it.


    By the time the obtained prize is over 10,000, you will begin failing an unnatural degree, and once you hit 1,000,000, you barely succeed anymore.


    The highest card you can get in this High or Low is the joker.


    That¡¯s why you shouldn¡¯t lose if you call low next, but in the case when the prize is over 1,000,000, the next card is the joker 9 times out of 10.


    If the number is the same, the player is the one that loses, so it is normal to lose even if you draw the strongest card.


    This correction power to do whatever they want is outstanding, so even when it is a state where 2 jokers are already out, a joker can still appear.


    However, the dealer is apparently not cheating, so even if you get pissed off, they will just tilt their head, and that¡¯s even more irritating.


    By the way, the dealer is a young woman in a bunny outfit.


    Her tilting her head is a bit cute.


    This is most likely also a trap from the Nekomimi Neko developers.


    That doesn¡¯t affect me at all, but there¡¯s probably people who would get mesmerized by the mole on her chest and mess up.


    Good grief, how wretched!


    ¡°And so, the place we are heading to is a fearsome battlefield that has buried many players.


    Basically the frontlines¡­ You should prepare yourself at least.¡± (Souma)


    After a long explanation, I tell this to Sazan, and then take a step into the casino.


    Sazan hurriedly clung onto me.


    ¡°W-Wait a moment! We are heading to such a dangerous location?


    It is impossible to earn 10,000,000E, right?


    In that case¡­¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°It is¡­not impossible.¡± (Souma)


    I correct the words of Sazan.


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°It is not impossible, Sazan. That has been proven in a video.¡± (Souma)


    There¡¯s most likely only one legend who has obtained more than 10,000,000E.


    ¡°Listen here, when the prize money increases, the probabilities are tinkered with.


    However, it is just that the chances are lower¡­but it is not zero.¡± (Souma)


    There was a certain video of a man that was called the True King of Casino and the Man among Men.


    He got a 4 of a kind in a 9,999E bet.


    And then, after that, he miraculously managed 5 consecutive Double Ups.


    By that point, he had 6,400,000E.


    His hand was most likely trembling from the tension and excitement.


    He must have heard the whisper in his ears: ¡®you can stop here¡¯.


    But he still pushed on.


    He didn¡¯t fear losing 6,400,000E, and aimed for the dream of going over 10,000,000E.


    The card he had in his hand was a 3 of spades.


    Practically the worst card you can have.


    You would normally choose High, and you would aim for 4 or more.


    But in this situation, wouldn¡¯t it be better to aim for the opposite? -is the doubt that he couldn¡¯t throw away.


    He thought over it for 10 seconds.


    In the end, what he chose was High.


    He predicted that the card that comes after is higher than 3.


    With the prize money being so high up now, percentages are useless.


    His fate will be sealed with the scam draw of the world¡¯s correction power -is what everyone thought while watching the video, but the next instant¡­


    ¡ª4 of hearts!


    No one expected it, but it was the result that everyone wished for.


    He won the despairing gamble!


    ¡­By the way, he got ahead of himself and chose Double Up again, and lost easily.


    His prize money turned into zero and he obviously couldn¡¯t get the medal.


    This is the reason why he was called the Man among Men.


    ¡°There¡¯s precedent. That¡¯s why it is not impossible. The chances may be on the low fractions, but it is possible.


    The chance is outrageously low, but it is not zero.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°B-But even if so, that¡¯s¡­¡± (Sazan)


    I shake off the clinging Sazan, and stand in front of the poker table.


    ¡°You can play poker here. Will you give it a try?¡±


    The Bunny-san that looks exactly like in the game smiled.


    ¡°Yes, I will.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Souma!!¡± (Sazan)


    I answered without hesitation, and Sazan raised his voice like it was a scream.


    I looked back once and slowly opened my mouth.


    ¡°Sazan, you should get it too, right?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°W-What?¡± (Sazan)


    I looked at the eyes deep inside the mask and told him with all the emotions I could muster.


    ¡°¡­Even when knowing you can¡¯t win, there¡¯s times when a man has to fight.¡± (Souma)


    Sazan lowered his stretched out hand after hearing that.


    ¡°I¡­don¡¯t get something like that¡­¡± (Sazan)


    The time for battle has come.


    ¡®Suuuh haaah¡¯ -I take deep breaths and calm myself down.


    I slowly close my eyes and slowly open them.


    The peculiar way too bright lights of a casino, the distracting noise of the surroundings, the back pattern of the cards, the mole on the chest of the Bunny-san; all of those look very clear in my eyes.


    It is okay. I am calm.


    ¡°Now then, please bet the amount you wish while placing your hand on this Monolith.¡±


    The Bunny-san must have seen that I had prepared myself, she urged me on.


    I first extended my hand towards the monolith at the side of the table.


    The ones who have good instincts must have gotten it, but this small monolith is a Save Point just like the ones in cities and fields.


    You will be forced to save when you are betting, so you can¡¯t redo it even if you were to lose.


    Moreover, if you reset in this state, not only does the bet money not return, the game will restart to a state where it has already ended.


    But I was already prepared for that.


    I take out the Crystal from my wallet with my hand still on the Monolith.


    ¡°Now then, I will bet 10,000,000E.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°!!!¡±


    I bet 10 million E without hesitation.


    I heard Sazan gulping at the back, but I didn¡¯t look back.


    ¡°10 m-million E, right? Understood.¡±


    The Bunny-san showed a slightly tense smile and the game finally began.


    The cards of destiny were dealt by the Bunny-san.


    ¡°Ah, sorry, I am not playing after all.¡± (Souma)


    ¡ªBut just before she did, I withdrew.


    The Bunny-san froze for a while there, but she resumed operation after a few seconds.


    ¡°U-Understood. Then, I will return the money you bet.¡±


    She gave me back my bet of 10,000,000E with a business smile.


    And then¡­


    ¡°Ah, congratulations!


    You have exceeded the prize money of 10,000,000E, so you will be awarded the extra prize that is the medal!!


    ¡­¡­¡­Eh?¡±


    I turned my back at the Bunny-san, who tilted her head and froze again, and exited the casino triumphantly.

 CH 184

    ¡°The trial will be over with this, huh¡­¡±


    This is the last item needed to obtain Stardust Flare.


    If I obtain the medal in this horse racing stadium and put it together with the medals that I obtained in Odds and Even, and Poker, my hand will be closer to the method to return.


    That¡¯s great and all, but¡­


    ¡°I feel like everyone is watching us.¡±


    Within the peculiar heat of the horse racing stadium, I shrunk my body a bit as if escaping from the gaze of my surroundings.


    The reason we are gathering this much attention is obviously because¡­


    ¡°What a face you are making. I don¡¯t really want to, but I will be your partner until this race is over.


    If you get it, puff out your chest more and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up! If you hadn¡¯t entered with such a chuuni name, I would have been able to puff out my chest more!¡±


    My self-proclaimed partner was saying quite the haughty words.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get what you dislike so much, Speed God King!


    We will now be trampling the peasants and rule over this land as their summit, so it is a fitting name for us.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, you airheaded chuunibyou! Also, our name is not Speed God King, but G-Speed King.¡±


    I was told that the character limit was reached, so it cannot be used which was straight out of a game, so I had no choice but to change God for G.


    But I always think of the black and wriggling thing when I hear G. <G (gokiburi) is normally how they refer to cockroaches>


    It is true that I think it is a speed king, but I don¡¯t really like it.


    ¡°Haah¡­¡±


    I sighed away the rotten emotions.


    The last match of the horse racing competition is about to begin.


    This is going to be my¡­no, our last race we will be entering in.


    If we are to say we are partners in the broad sense of the word¡­then yeah, it is not really wrong.


    ¡°To think the day would come when I would call you Partner. I wouldn¡¯t have thought about it even in my dreams when I first met you.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. That goes both ways!¡±


    But now that I think about it, the first time I met him was right when I came to Rihitel.


    Speaking only of the time we met, he would be an old acquaintance on the level of Ringo.


    Also¡­


    ¡°Well, it is thanks to you that we managed to get this far. I am grateful for that.¡±


    I don¡¯t really like admitting this, but if not for him, I would have taken a lot more time in these trials, and a lot more money.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I told you that something of this degree is a piece of cake in the face of my true power.¡±


    ¡°Haha, so you say!¡±


    We were having that chit-chat while we headed to the gate for participants of the horse racing stadium.


    The gazes stopped bothering me at some point in time.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s go, Partner.¡±


    ¡°Hmph! Try your best to not pull my leg.¡±


    I enter the horse racing stadium together with my reliable partner and think back on the details that led to this situation.


    ¡°¡­W-What was that just now?! That¡¯s allowed?!¡±


    Right after I obtained the medal from the casino with my big brain play, Sazan came at me fuming.


    It was on a level where he forgot about his usual chuuni way of talking.


    ¡°O-Oi, what are you so angry about? I properly got the medal as a result, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the issue here¡­ Also, with this, there¡¯s no time¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind it. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Sazan was mumbling by himself there, but I ignored him and headed to the horse racing stadium which is the place for the last trial.


    Despite everything Sazan said, he still followed me with quick steps.


    ¡°The next one is the horse racing stadium. Well, I just have to hit with a betting ticket of over 1,000,000E. Pretty easy.¡±


    ¡°Wa?! Can you win so easily in horse racing?¡±


    ¡°As if.¡±


    Not only that, it has the same system of Poker where the chances of that horse you bet winning getting lowered.


    Because it doesn¡¯t save beforehand when you bet on it, the chances of winning are even harder than poker.


    ¡°T-Then, how¡­¡±


    ¡°I will bet on all the horses.¡±


    ¡°¡­Huh?¡±


    I can¡¯t see it, but the magic idiot probably is showing a stupid face below that mask, so I tell him straight.


    ¡°As I said, I will be betting 1,000,000E on all the horses participating. No matter how much the system tinkers with the probabilities, there will always be one in first place.¡±


    Even Nekomimi Neko didn¡¯t go as far as making all the horses you bet fall out of the race and having no winner.


    It was a pretty great idea that utilized the full power of my surplus of money¡­or so I thought, but my temporary partner seems to not have liked it.


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t! You must not do that!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    When I asked back, Sazan faltered for a moment, but he immediately increased his momentum and complained.


    ¡°C-Cause you will definitely be on the losing side if you do something like that!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really mind something like¡ª¡±


    ¡°I mind! Also, if you do that, you would immediately get the medal¡­¡±


    Sazan mumbled something at the end there, but when he noticed that I was looking at him dubiously, he spread both hands and shouted.


    ¡°A-Anyways! I won¡¯t allow such wasteful spending in mine watch! That is the pledge of the great dark mage Sazan who has inherited the most precious blood of all!


    T-That¡¯s why¡­you MUST NOT do it!¡±


    He proclaimed such a thing that sounded like a chuuni and also like a commoner.


    ¡°More importantly, look! Don¡¯t you have a method that would take more time but would not incur losses?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­I do.¡±


    ¡°Eh? You do?!¡±


    Even though he was the one who asked, he was still surprised by it, so I had no choice but to explain it to him.


    ¡°Players can participate in horse racing, too.


    When you have free time, you can bring your own horse, take a test, and if you get a higher time than the one set, you can show up in that day¡¯s first race as a special seed.¡±


    ¡°Then, if you bet on your own horse and win the race¡­¡±


    ¡°It would be easy to earn 1,000,000E like that.¡±


    Moreover, the odds for when you are participating for the first time are always 5 times more regardless of the strength of your horse.


    The max amount you can bet is 1,000,000E, so you can only earn as much as 5 million with this, but this is one of the ways to raise money in the Nekomimi Neko Wiki.


    ¡°The problem is the method to obtain a strong horse.¡±


    There¡¯s a good amount of places where horses are raised, so we can get one by buying from there.


    You can get the horse to participate in the race if you obtain a horse, but the factors to raise one are practically unknown.


    ¡°The feed aside from the basic feed does provide changes in the parameters, so you could raise them like that in a way though¡­¡±


    ¡°Is there an issue with that?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. They can only eat once every day normally, but there are times when the strength increases by 5 but the acceleration goes down by 8, or times when the stamina goes up 10 but the max speed decreases by 15. It is all stuff like that¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s no good at all!¡±


    Sazan sliced that mercilessly, so I barely managed to refute it.


    ¡°N-No, it is true that there¡¯s not many factors that help to raise the horse there, but they are born with their own traits.


    The horses are generated randomly once the game starts, but a high ranked horse is strong from the beginning, so we can manage somehow¡­probably.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something like ranks on horses, too?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. To be more precise, it is something like this.¡±


    Packhorse: All stats are terribly low. They are stupid, and it is more often than not that it won¡¯t listen to your orders. It loves eating and it eats twice as much as a normal horse.


    Mediocre Horse: Stats are on the low side. It is not that intelligent, so there¡¯s times when it will ignore orders. It likes taking it easy.


    Swift Horse: It excels in speed compared to a normal horse. If you give an order in the middle of a race, it will obey most of them. However, maybe because it is nervous, it is sensitive to sounds.


    Warhorse: It excels in its stamina compared to normal horses. It will obey your orders, but it will take time until it can understand you. Its body is sturdy and takes naps often.


    Famous Horse: Excels in all stats. There¡¯s barely any time when it would disobey your orders. It is brave and possesses outstanding abilities.


    Red Horse: It is faster and has more strength than Swift, War, and Famous Horses. However, it doesn¡¯t listen to orders at all. It is wild to the point that it would slam other horses on purpose and loves it.


    Sacred Horse: It has all stats at 999 (maxed). Not only orders, you can even have normal conversations with it as if it had a human AI. It even throws witty remarks and jokes. It is a bit cocky and loves pranks.


    ¡°In other words, if we pull a strong horse from the beginning¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible to win the race!¡±


    It is not a dream, but¡­


    ¡°Even the chance of winning with a Famous Horse is around 10%, and the random generation chance of a Famous Horse is lower than 1%. As for the Red Horse and the Sacred Horse, the chances are so low that I have not actually seen them, and I can¡¯t tell apart what rank a horse is though!¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t work at all then!!¡±


    That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t propose it at first -is what I wanted to say, but I endure it.


    I actually didn¡¯t want to say it, but it can¡¯t be helped.


    ¡°I do have a surefire method. However, it will take close to a month to do this, so I don¡¯t really reco¡ª.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go with that!¡±


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡±


    I was half-way in my words, but Sazan leaned forward, grabbed both of my hands, and looked at me with burning eyes.


    He noticed my dubious gaze, moved away from me, and began explaining himself while waving his hands.


    ¡°Ah, no, you see¡­it is the surefire method that you thought of, right? In that case, it is most likely nothing decent, but it should be certain.


    I do trust you on that front.¡±


    ¡°W-Well, thanks.¡±


    There¡¯s rarely any moments where Sazan praises me, so I ended up getting flustered there.


    But it seems like the person himself hasn¡¯t noticed the effects of his words and was simply nodding as he continued speaking.


    ¡°Also, taking time is most important, but¡­uhm¡­it would be better for it to not take money!¡±


    ¡°No, the price for the feed is pretty¡ª¡±


    ¡°Then, I will provide that!!¡±


    He was speaking over me in no time at my rebuttal.


    I was wondering why the sudden motivation, but I was also somewhat happy that he was into it.


    ¡°And so, what do we do? Is there something you need to prepare?¡±


    Sazan urged me on as if fearing that I would change my mind.


    ¡°Uhm¡­we will prepare a packhorse first, and then, we will gather around 100 of the same type of feed that has as much effect as possible¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright! I leave the horse to you! I will go buy the feed!¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    I grab the back collar of Sazan, who was about to run off mid explanation, and somehow manage to stop him.


    ¡°You said you are going to be paying for the feed, but now that I think about it, you are penniless! You didn¡¯t even pay the entrance fee of the library!¡±


    ¡°I-It is okay! I have gotten some allowance.¡±


    Allowance, he says¡­


    ¡°Who gave you something like that?¡±


    He didn¡¯t have that when we entered the library, so it is most likely a party member of mine.


    I just hope he wasn¡¯t deceived by some weird old man on the street.


    I was worried and asked him, and he answered a bit embarrassed.


    ¡°I-It was Bear-sama¡­¡±


    The Bear¡­


    And here I was wondering where it was, and it was secretly doing something like that?


    Or more like, that guy had money?


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    The self-proclaimed dark mage quickly escaped from me while I was amazed by that revelation, and he once again ran off.


    He moved to a point where my hand couldn¡¯t reach, turned around, and shouted.


    ¡°A-Anyways! It can¡¯t be helped, so I will support you with everything I have! That¡¯s why you must not use all your money on gambling and waste it, okay?!


    You should just think about obtaining the medal by seriously winning the race!¡±


    ¡°¡­Got it.¡±


    I answered completely defeated by his persistence, and this troublesome and inseparable mage¡­seemed as if he was smiling below that mask of his.


    ¡°Well then, we meet up after 3 hours! I will buy some awesome feed, so you get the horse. Don¡¯t mess up!¡±


    But I didn¡¯t have the chance to confirm this and Sazan ran off energetically.


    I felt somewhat warm here and motivated myself again.


    ¡°Then, I should check the places I know.¡±


    When I have decided on something, I will do it with everything I have.


    I moved my feet, aiming for the destinations I have been thinking of with a speed that doesn¡¯t lose to Sazan.


    ¡ªThat brings us to the present.


    After finishing the troublesome procedures, overcoming many hurdles, I¡­we are standing in this horse racing field.


    ¡°What? Are you nervous after coming this far?¡±


    I looked down at my comrade that was speaking to me as if teasing me and answered with a smile.


    ¡°No way. I was simply feeling excited because we will be able to knock the socks off everyone here.¡±


    ¡°You also got one nice mouth there.¡±


    The first time I met him, I even thought he was annoying, but we now have comfortable conversations like this one.


    It is different from Ringo, Mitsuki, and Ina.


    There¡¯s a peculiar atmosphere because it is him.


    I once again looked down at my partner, and then I suddenly had a question.


    The stamen or pistil, male or female; basically, a talk about gender.


    I have been speaking to him as if we were both men, but now that I think about it calmly, I feel like I have not asked him face to face.


    ¡°Speaking of which, this has been bothering the whole time but you¡­¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°No, it is nothing.¡±


    But I swallowed the words I was going to ask.


    (What am I thinking?)


    There¡¯s no point in gender in my relationship with him.


    I am his Partner, and he is my Partner.


    That¡¯s all there is to know.


    (Whichever the case, no matter where it rolls, I won¡¯t be falling in love with this guy.)


    I simply thought of it internally and laughed at it with my throat.


    My reliable and bad-mouthed Partner looked at me in wonder and¡­


    ¡°¡­It is about to begin.¡±


    It sensitively felt the change of the stadium and urged me on with a low voice.


    I held the reins again to answer that voice of his and I grinned.


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave them in the dust, Partner!¡±


    My Temporary Partner didn¡¯t say much at my words.


    He simply looked at me teasingly just like the first time we met and neighed deliberately.


    ¡°Neigh!¡±


    And in this way, my Partner who I scouted from the nostalgic horse shed that Ringo and I stayed at, the Sacred Horse, G-Speed King, won with a 50hd <Horse Distance> difference from the 2nd place and won the medal splendidly.


    ¡­After that, I showed the medal to Sazan, who had a whole ton of feed on both arms, with a smug face, and he got angry at me for some reason.


    ¡°You¡­! You¡­!¡±


    It really must have been bad that I wasted the feed.


    He threw the feed at me with tears in his eyes and I secretly decided to have the Bear increase Sazan¡¯s allowance while protecting my body.


    ¡ª-


    Reference:


    An easy way to raise a horse that even Sazan can do.

 CH 185

    Sazan threw the feed at me for a while after losing his marbles once I showed the medal to him, but¡­


    ¡°Souma, sorry for interrupting, but this one wants to get mine reward quickly¡­¡±


    When G-Speed King spoke, Sazan froze in place.


    ¡°A-A horse spoke?!¡± (Sazan)


    Even in this crazy world of Nekomimi Neko, it seems like speaking horses are still rare.


    No, of course they are.


    ¡°W-What¡¯s that, Souma?! Just what in the world is this¡­¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Aaah, yeah yeah, I will introduce you now.¡± (Souma)


    I stood in front of G-Speed King as if to cover him from the confused Sazan, and introduced my former partner.


    ¡°Sazan, this guy is the Sacred Horse: G-Speed King. My old acquaintance.¡± (Souma)


    G-Speed King is the horse that was in the neighboring horse shed from the one Ringo and I were in when we just arrived at Rihitel.


    When I first met this horse, everyone from the city was talking about the Hisame Dojo because of the Hisame Household Visit event, so this guy neighed ¡®Nenene-Hisame¡¯s house lies to the west of the capital!¡¯ and annoyed me.


    I didn¡¯t find it strange at that time because a lot of things were going on, but I did think it was a bit strange that it suffered the effects of the Hisame event.


    In the game, the ones who were affected by the Hisame event were at most babies; in other words, characters who have the human AI.


    Even if it is Nekomimi Neko, a normal monster or animal won¡¯t just come and tell you about the location of the Hisame Dojo.


    I thought about the possibility that maybe it works differently now that it is real, but if it is a different reason from that¡­basically, if that horse could speak to begin with¡­


    The result was a big jackpot.


    I went to that horse shed and tried talking to him, and it is true that this is the only talking horse in the whole world; a Sacred Horse rank.


    ¡°¡­In other words, the reason why the feed I bought is useless now and why you are showing me that medal there with a smug face is all because of this guy?¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan heard the explanation and glared bitterly at G-Speed King.


    No, why do you end up looking like that?


    Could it be that the combination of chuuni and chuuni is really a bad one?


    I was baffled by this, and at my side, there¡¯s G-Speed King snorting at the glaring Sazan.


    ¡°Hmph! Why should I be called ¡®this guy¡¯ by you peasant?


    Listen here, I am the horse of Gods, G-Speed King!


    I possess godly speed that leaves everything and everyone eating my dust. A chosen¡ª¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that God Speed? What a lame name.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°W-Wa?!¡±


    G-Speed King was at a loss for words at the complete denial of his chuuni name.


    By the way, the player can freely choose the name of the horse they get.


    Basically, as long as it is not a race horse, it wouldn¡¯t have a name, so this guy¡¯s official name has become the same as the entry, G-Speed King.


    G-Speed King¡¯s anger was tremendous, having most likely what will be his lifetime name be made fun of.


    The horse neighed as if growling, and it was hitting its front legs on the ground as if it would charge onto Sazan at this very moment.


    ¡°F-Foolish human! This one can tell that you don¡¯t know of mine god speed.


    Bear witness to mine¡­god speed!!¡±


    ¡°Ah, wait, oi!¡± (Souma)


    I don¡¯t know what came over him, but G-Speed King suddenly began dashing at full power in the middle of the city.


    He lacks way too much resistance towards provocation!


    As expected from a guy that has been cooped up in a horse shed his whole life.


    ¡°Oi, wait, G-Speed King! G-Speed King!


    Stop, G-Speed¡ªArgh, stop, G-King!¡± (Souma)


    I shouted, but this G-King doesn¡¯t show any signs of stopping.


    It dashed at full speed with abnormal speed as if pushing through the screams of people.


    I also ran and chased after it, but I couldn¡¯t catch up to it at all.


    ¡°Damn it! Can¡¯t be helped!¡± (Souma)


    I didn¡¯t want to swing a sword in the middle of the city, but I can¡¯t just go saying that here.


    I quickly took out my sword and chased after G-King with Godstep Cancel.


    ¡°You¡­!¡± (Souma)


    It is dangerous if I were to mess up the Side Slash, so I moved with short bursts of Slash and Step.


    The path is fortunately open thanks to G-King.


    I catch up to G-King in a few seconds and move to his front.


    ¡°W-Waaa?!!¡±


    I was thinking about stopping G-King if need be, but there was no need. He stopped in front of me, grinding to a halt.


    And then, he looked at me as if looking at an unbelievable thing.


    ¡°Eh, peasant¡­no, mister¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°W-What was that just now? That movement just now¡­and that speed¡­¡±


    ¡°Hm? Aah, you are talking about the Godstep Cancel?¡± (Souma)


    We are talking about this horse that is a stickler when it comes running faster than anyone. He must have gotten interested in my peculiar way of running.


    I was troubled in how to explain it for a moment there, but I decided to speak honestly about it.


    ¡°That just now was a movement method that the people of my homeland created.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Your¡­homeland¡­¡± (G-King)


    ¡°Yeah, the warriors of that place can all pretty much use it.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I-I see. That¡¯s¡­an impressive place.¡± (G-King)


    I tell him the truth with a bit of embellishment.


    I don¡¯t know what the Sacred Horse imagined, but it is trembling.


    ¡°Now, don¡¯t do such foolish things and let¡¯s go back.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°R-Right. Umu, let¡¯s do that.¡± (G-King)


    Looks like he has cooled down from the exchange just now.


    He was meek to a point where it is hard to believe he was rampaging just now, and nodded to what I said.


    He seems to be feeling bad about it, he even looks like he is taking distance from me.


    And then, at that moment¡­


    ¡°¡­G-Speed King.¡±


    ¡°That movement, if I remember correctly¡­¡±


    ¡°It is a G. It is without doubt a G¡­¡±


    The mutterings of the citizens reached my ears.


    ¡°Achaa, I have done it now¡­¡± (Souma)


    I noticed what happened with those voices and placed a hand on my forehead.


    Because I shouted G-King repeatedly, it seems like the citizens have now learned of the G-King¡¯s name.


    And it is most likely not as a god speed horse just like the name states, but as an awfully fast wild horse.


    ¡°Hey hey, mom, G means cockroach <Gokiburi>, right? That person¡ª¡±


    ¡°Sshh! You must not point! That¡¯s rude!¡±


    ¡°As expected of Hero-sama. Unbelievable¡­¡±


    Also, I feel like the attention from G-King has flown onto me, too.


    At this rate, I feel like the day when they will see me as Sinking Prince and the Owner of G-Speed King might come soon.


    ¡°S-Sorry. Because of this one, you are being called like that¡­¡±


    ¡°Haah¡­ Well, just be careful next time.¡± (Souma)


    I waved my hand at the ashamed G-King.


    I already have a nonsensical nickname like Sinking Prince.


    A rumor of me having a weird horse wouldn¡¯t be anything big at this point.


    But I should walk at a distance from him when I am outside -is what I internally thought as we walked, and Sazan came from the other side with his shoulders showing his anger.


    Sazan looked at our state and the surroundings, and seemed to have understood the situation.


    He snorted at the G-King as if trying to steal away his standing as a horse.


    ¡°See? It is because you named yourself something nonsensical like God Speed King.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Guguuh¡­¡±


    G-King grinded his teeth even though he is a horse.


    It seems to be mortified that his name was made fun of, but it looks like he can¡¯t argue with that one incident just now.


    But that¡¯s not the end for what Sazan had to say.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I will give you a new name for this special occasion.


    Your true name worthy of your title as a Sacred Horse.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°What¡­?¡±


    G-King was confused here, and Sazan spread both arms as he made his black cloak flutter and shouted.


    ¡°From here on, you are not God Speed King!


    You will be the holy thunder that cuts through darkness and tears apart evil! The Sacred Horse, Sacred Lightning.¡± (Sazan)


    Those passionate words of his made G-King open his mouth in surprise and¡­


    ¡°What¡¯s that? You lack a shred of naming sense.¡±


    ¡­It obviously turned into a big fight.


    ¡°In the first place, you are all gloom with your darkness and shadow!


    Learn of this one, God Speed King! There¡¯s no name that can describe someone as holy as this one¡ª¡±


    ¡°Fool! As if I can allow such a vulgar name to be considered as good taste! Entrusting your body to darkness and dyeing that flesh of yours in its forbidden powers. That exhilarating feeling¡­¡± (Sazan)


    This is something I somewhat understood here, but these two are both chuuni, but their spectrum is slightly different.


    That¡¯s why they can¡¯t forgive those small differences, and they end up clashing in this way.


    Or maybe it is a hate for your own brethren or whatever, but whichever the case, I don¡¯t want anything to do with this.


    Walking together with a talking horse and a black robed mage that is seriously having an argument with it? Please spare me from that.


    ¡°Hey, let¡¯s go to the next one already.¡± (Souma)


    When I said this after getting bored of watching them, the both of them looked at me in disapproval.


    No, I can¡¯t tell what their faces were saying since one is wearing a mask and the other one is a horse, but it was their attitude.


    G-King was the first one to step forward and spill out his displeasure.


    ¡°Where are you planning on going now? I want to get the promised reward already though.¡±


    ¡°Aah, speaking of which, I did promise to give you carrots.¡± (Souma)


    The price for the cooperation of G-King was a whole ton of carrots.


    Of course, I have an idea for the carrots if I am offering them.


    If I remember correctly, there¡¯s a whole lot of purple carrots in the refrigerator of the mansion.


    Leila doesn¡¯t seem to like carrots much, so she doesn¡¯t use them much in her cooking, so there should still be a whole lot in the refrigerator.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s have G-King go to the mansion first and have Leila give him the carrots¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°This has been bothering me for a while now, but that G-King refers to this one?¡±


    I averted my gaze from the displeased eyes of G-King, and I made eye-contact with Sazan who was right by the opposite side.


    Sazan asked me with a strangely calm voice.


    ¡°By next, are you referring to obtaining the Stardust Flare spell, right?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Y-Yeah. We already have the medals, and it won¡¯t take that long if it is the same as the game. That¡¯s why we can go there quickly and¡­¡± (Souma)


    I try to say this cheerfully towards the uncharacteristic cold voice of Sazan.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± (Sazan)


    I froze at those words.


    Sazan didn¡¯t seem to feel anything from this and just spoke clearly and bluntly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to. I won¡¯t go.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°You won¡¯t go, you say. But if you are not there¡­¡± (Souma)


    I won¡¯t be able to get the Stardust Flare.


    Even when he knows this¡­


    But Sazan continued speaking as if I didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Souma, I have cooperated with you until now. It is now your turn to help me out as promised.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Sa¡­zan?¡± (Souma)


    I called the name I am already used to saying and peeked at the eyes lying inside that mask.


    Ice cold eyes were looking at me.


    ¡°I will go to your room tonight. I will have you fulfill your promise there.¡± (Sazan)


    And those words were without doubt the beginning.


    ¡ªOur one and only movie watchalong!!

 CH 186

    Light


    Dark


    That night, Sazan came to my room.


    ¡°Now, I will have you show me as promised, Souma!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan raged when he entered the room.


    Aside from that¡­


    ¡°By the way, look at this. What do you think?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Really¡­Horned Paon¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡ªIs not the kind of development that happened. The objective of Sazan was the item I had.


    ¡°This, right?¡± (Souma)


    What I held up while saying this was the stone slate that I brought from the library.


    [I am leaving this record to the eventual one with the attributes of a hero.


    If you wish to succeed the will of Hero Alex and defeat the Evil God, follow the trails of the heroes of old times, and observe their fate.


    >>First Chapter >>Second Chapter]


    Just as this old sounding explanation says, this is the Evil God Great War Record showing the journey of the past heroes sealing the Evil God.


    Sazan seems to be really interested in this recording about the Evil God and the heroes.


    However, the only ones who can play this recording are the humans with the Player trait, in other words, me and Maki.


    Sazan, who is the most interested in this, won¡¯t be able to see it directly.


    That¡¯s why I made a promise with him that I will watch the video for him and tell him about the story.


    But that¡¯s not the only problem of this stone slate.


    ¡°Listen here, I will properly tell you about that stone slate to the very end at another time, so tomorrow, let¡¯s go get the Stardust Flare toge¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°No. Tell me about the 15 stories until the very end. The Stardust Flare will be postponed until then.¡± (Sazan)


    This stone slate has 15 recordings in total.


    And when you activate the stone slate once, you can¡¯t use it again until after 12 hours.


    Meaning that¡­


    ¡°It will take at least 2 weeks before we can finish watching everything, you know?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°And?¡± (Sazan)


    I wanted to say ¡®you can¡¯t wait that long, right?¡¯, but he instead answered in a good mood as if that¡¯s exactly what he wanted.


    ¡°¡­Got it.¡± (Souma)


    It seems like he won¡¯t be yielding here.


    When I nodded, I moved away from Sazan and sat on the bed.


    Seeing this, Sazan seemed to be annoyed for some reason and approached me.


    ¡°W-What? Even if you don¡¯t like it, there¡¯s no need to run away.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°What about you? Why are you in a sour mood all of a sudden? It is not like I ran away from you. I simply wanted to take a comfortable position.¡± (Souma)


    If this works the same as the game, only my vision and sense of hearing will be going to the video record world, but the other body functions are still maintained.


    Especially the first chapter that will take 1 hour to finish completely.


    It would be pretty rough to stand upright the whole duration.


    ¡°Fine then.¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan said that as he jumped onto the bed, and moved behind me.


    ¡°Oi, why are you getting on someone else¡¯s bed without permission?!¡± (Souma)


    I obviously complained, but Sazan is not listening.


    He instead leaned on me and pointed at the stone late in excitement.


    ¡°Who cares about that! Come on, quick quick!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°It is not okay at all, and it is not like you will be seeing it¡­¡± (Souma)


    I mumbled complaints, but Sazan isn¡¯t listening at all.


    ¡°You are the one who doesn¡¯t get it at all! Complete records of the Evil God Great War don¡¯t exist anywhere in the country!


    Even the documents that were at my house didn¡¯t have a clear representation of the heroes.


    Listen here, you should understand a bit more about how important this¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Got it, got it! I will tell you properly!¡± (Souma)


    He is going to shout my ears off.


    I resolved myself and stretched my hand towards the stone slate, but my hand stopped right before it.


    ¡°¡­Hey, can I begin from the 2nd chapter?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Of course you can¡¯t! From the beginning! The beginning!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Yeah yeah, I get it! I get it, so don¡¯t shout right by my ear.¡± (Souma)


    Also, your mask is hitting my face. It hurts, it is scary, and also sweltering.


    I want to end this quickly and take it easy.


    (That said¡­) (Souma)


    The 1st Chapter of this recording is a gloomy end where all characters that appear die aside from Hero Alex. It is hard to understand it because there¡¯s no sound aside from that one BGM.


    It is not something I would like to watch over and over.


    Seeing I was still hesitating, Sazan finally stretched his hand towards the side of my shoulder and¡­


    ¡°Geez, come on already! Just go!¡± (Sazan)


    He grabbed my finger and forcefully tried to make me touch the [>>1st Chapter] part.


    ¡°Ugh! You, suddenly¡ª¡± (Souma)


    The cold sensation of Sazan¡¯s fingers sent chills down my back, and the next instant¡­


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡±


    What was showing in front of me was the scenery of a rustic village.


    ¡°It is true that I have seen this before, but¡­¡± (Souma)


    I was overwhelmed by the reality of this, but the scenery unfolding in front of me is certainly that of the Evil God Great War Record that I saw in the game.


    It is not like it is exactly the same.


    It has evolved in a lot of ways as a whole compared to the time when it was advertised.


    Aside from the high quality of the video, there was a lot of incomplete stuff in it. It must have turned out this way after the developers splurged on their budget and development time, completing truly beautiful visuals.


    There¡¯s proper voices for the characters that were like a silent movie, and the BGM that was being looped over and over has changed into a natural sound that makes you feel like you truly lived in that time.


    I was flustered by how this is the first time the effect of an item is different from that of the game, but there have been places where the unimplemented parts of the game were stored in this world, so let¡¯s just say this is the effect of that.


    That said, it doesn¡¯t change the details in itself.


    I am sorry for Sazan, but I try not to take it too seriously and decide to watch the scenery in front of me absentmindedly.


    The villagers will be slaughtered by the Evil God army anyways, so the childhood friend Millia-chan saying ¡®Hey, I want to tell you something in the coming fire festival, Alex¡­ Will you hear me out?¡¯, and the silent father Ridonia-san saying ¡®¡­But you are my number one treasure¡¯, his mother Nina-san smiling kindly while saying ¡®That¡¯s right. You will become a big brother by next year¡­ Fufu, what would you prefer, a little sister or a little brother?¡¯, and the buzz cut hair boy that says ¡®Alex-niichan, teach me the sword! I will become a great swordsman that doesn¡¯t lose to you!¡¯ will certainly be killed a few minutes later.


    ¡°Good grief, that Pops, even though he is so awkward, he is being strangely considerate.¡±


    ¡°Geez, don¡¯t talk about your father like that.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°I am happy about being able to walk together with you like this, Alex.¡±


    ¡°Good grief, you really are¡­¡±


    That¡¯s why, even when the conversation of the main characters was entering my ears, I didn¡¯t feel anything¡­


    ¡°Today was fun, wasn¡¯t it, Alex?¡±


    ¡°Really? It was so much of the old same that I feel like there wasn¡¯t anything fun though.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but there being nothing is good.¡±


    ¡°Is that how it works? I don¡¯t get it.¡±


    ¡°Fufu¡­ Hey, Alex, it would be nice if this day were to continue forever, right?¡±


    ¡°Millia?¡±


    ¡°It is continuous days of nothing, but there¡¯s bits and pieces of pain and fun. Having talks like this, sharing time together¡­¡±


    ¡°You have been weird for a while now, Millia. We will be together the whole time from here on too, right?¡±


    ¡°Ehehe. Right.¡±


    I don¡¯t feel anything¡­


    ¡°¡­Hey, Alex.¡±


    ¡°What now?¡±


    ¡°I am happy¡­ Thanks, Alex.¡±


    ¡°Aaaaah! Not listening, not listening!!¡± (Souma)


    Even when I shout loudly to drown out their voices, I can¡¯t hear my own voice while I am watching the recording.


    I tried to move my attention away from the forced conversation that¡¯s filled with death flags, while trying to think of something different in the corner of my mind.


    Right, my biggest concern right now isn¡¯t the details of the story.


    It is true that this will be a tragic development, and it is rough to be shown something like this in this quality, but I do have resistance to it.


    The problem here is myself.


    ¡ªI already felt it since a while now¡­no, since the moment this video began, but my back feels heavy.


    Moreover, it is not only plain heavy, but it feels somewhat hot and would move every now and then.


    Moreover moreover, it gets strangely shaky in the exciting moments, and in the cruel scenes, it would hold me tightly, and as it goes even further, in the scene where he was making the graves of slaughtered villagers¡­


    ¡°Wahya?!¡± (Souma)


    Some sort of hot droplet fell on the back of my neck.


    No matter how much I shout while I am watching the video, my voice doesn¡¯t even reach me, so I am a bit embarrassed that I ended up letting out my voice in surprise.


    But I am certain now.


    A feature that wasn¡¯t present in the game, or more like, it was a single-player game, so there was no way to try it out, but could it be¡­


    ¡°Ah¡­ It is over, huh.¡± (Souma)


    The 1st Chapter ended with the young man who had his village wiped out, Alex, pledging to defeat the Evil God.


    The virtual reality that was almost no different from reality ended, and I returned to the real world with as much abruptness as when it began.


    Even with that, the weight and warmth I felt on my back was the same.


    That¡¯s why I looked back with certainty and¡­


    ¡°Hey, Sazan, could it be that¡ªuwa?!!¡± (Souma)


    I was shocked by the sight in front of me.


    ¡°Wuuh¡­Uwaaaaa¡­¡±


    Sazan¡­that Sazan was gushing out water from the holes of the mask.


    It was coming out like a waterfall from the eye part of the mask and hitting my neck.


    ¡ªSazan saw that video together with me and was bawling his eyes out.


    Just as I guessed, Sazan had seen the video together with me.


    He managed to respond accurately to a question that you wouldn¡¯t be able to answer if you hadn¡¯t seen that video, so there¡¯s no doubt about it.


    I don¡¯t know why even Sazan could see that video despite not having the Player attribute.


    Sazan tried to activate the stone slate himself last time and it didn¡¯t work, so it is certain that he can¡¯t activate it on his own.


    In that case, it should be safe to assume that the other party can watch the same video as long as they are touching that person.


    ¡°¡­Calmed down?¡± (Souma)


    When I spoke to Sazan whose tears have stopped already, he answered with a ¡®yeah¡¯ uncharacteristically shily.


    ¡°Fine then.¡± (Souma)


    My words are cut off by the agitation that is different from the usual Sazan.


    Silence continued again for a while.


    ¡°Uuh, thanks.¡± (Sazan)


    What Sazan said next was even more unexpected.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think I would be able to see something like this. It was¡­incredible.¡± (Sazan)


    Those words that were oozing excitement, so pure and no flare, made me flustered for some reason.


    ¡°Eh, ah, no¡­it is not like I did it on purpose.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°But if you weren¡¯t there, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to see this ever¡­ That¡¯s why, thank you.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°O-Okay¡­¡± (Souma)


    He is being so honest here it is creepy.


    Seeing Sazan being so different from usual, I ended up asking a tactless question.


    ¡°Speaking of which, why are you fussing over stuff like the Evil God and the Hero?¡± (Souma)


    Thinking back about it, I feel like his interest in the Evil God and the Demon Lord were not normal.


    Even this guy who is acting as he pleases might have some sort of objective.


    I asked with those kinds of light emotions, but¡­


    ¡°¡­My family¡­is an esteemed household from the bloodline of a savior of this nation.¡± (Sazan)


    What he muttered were words far heavier than I imagined.


    ¡°I myself am also proud of the fact that the people of my family have protected this world.


    And I have no intention of denying that.¡± (Sazan)


    I was speechless at the revelation.


    A highly esteemed family, moreover, it has protected this country. This is not just on the level of a hero lineage.


    They are most likely nobles of this country, and there¡¯s even the possibility that they are high nobles that are involved in the central operations of the nation.


    ¡°I am normally not in a position where it is okay for me to be on a journey like this one.


    However, I am the one with the best affinity to dark magic in centuries, so I am being allowed such selfishness.


    Even so, if I don¡¯t manage to bring any results in a few years, I have to return to my family.


    And then¡­I will have to marry some random person, raise children, and I won¡¯t be able to travel freely anymore.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± (Souma)


    I thought that¡¯s like a lady of a noble family in those villainess stories.


    Escaping from an asphyxiating family, hiding your identity with a disguise, and living the commoner life you admired.


    But there¡¯s a time limit for this, and that end is the political marriage your parents have decided for you.


    If we don¡¯t consider the gender here, it would be just like the settings of a tomboy noble lady.


    ¡°¡­I definitely don¡¯t want that.


    That¡¯s why I need power. Power that will make all of my family acknowledge me.¡± (Sazan)


    But the story of Sazan is completely different from the stories of the noble ladies in stories.


    The strong light hidden within the eyes deep in the mask shook.


    ¡°Hm? But wait. Defeating the Demon Lord is not enough?¡± (Souma)


    Sazan is a member of the party that defeated the Demon Lord.


    I feel like that¡¯s enough to prove his power though.


    When I said this, Sazan suddenly pouted his lips.


    ¡°That¡¯s your own fault.


    With that method of defeating the Demon Lord spreading around, there¡¯s no way my power was going to be acknowledged.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­well, yeah.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I can¡¯t win with tricks. I have to break through with proper strength.¡± (Sazan)


    It is true that the water attack only worked because of the special conditions of that place, so there wouldn¡¯t be much point.


    It wouldn¡¯t make them acknowledge his power.


    ¡°Also, my aim is not the Demon Lord. It is something even more evil.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°More evil¡­than the Demon Lord. The Evil God Fragment, huh.¡± (Souma)


    Seeing Sazan nodding, it reminded me of something.


    At the altar of sacrifice¡­


    ¡°Then, does that mean that the reason why you called me your rival when I defeated the Evil God Fragment at the underground dungeon was because¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s it. I have been chasing after the whereabouts of the remaining 3 Evil God Fragments.


    I will find them¡­and destroy them.¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan tightened his fist to the point that it turned white as if trying to break something invisible.


    That made me think¡­


    There¡¯s 3 more Evil God Fragments aside from the one in the altar of sacrifice.


    We might be able to tell where they have been sealed if we watch all the recordings here to the very end.


    No, in the worst case, I could tell him about the fragment that has been placed underground Lamurick as a hidden boss, and that will solve the problem.


    But¡­


    ¡°Hey, Sazan, this is hard for me to say, but¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡ªYou won¡¯t be able to defeat the Evil God Fragment.


    I was thinking about telling this straight to Sazan.


    However, Sazan stopped me with his hand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know.


    With my current strength, I know that I can¡¯t defeat an Evil God Fragment.


    ¡­But I definitely won¡¯t give up.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Sazan¡­¡± (Souma)


    What¡¯s here is not the usual chuunibyou mage.


    What¡¯s here is a proud hero that cursed his own fate and faced it with an indomitable mind.


    ¡°I have already decided.


    No matter what happens, I can¡¯t give up.


    That¡¯s why, one day, I will definitely¡­¡± (Sazan)


    The black robed hero said with a low and thin voice burning with determination¡­


    ¡°¡­Form a strong party and have them defeat the fragment in my stead!!¡± (Sazan)


    And made the worst leech declaration in a trouble refreshing manner.

 CH 187

    Sazan brazenly declared his leech stance, but it seems like he doesn¡¯t intend to leech off me that much for now.


    That much¡­


    He really is honest on that front, but at the very least, he once again promised that, after seeing the last of the Evil God Great War, he would help me obtain the Stardust Flare.


    That¡¯s something to rejoice about, and I think it would be fine to be thankful to Sazan for that.


    However, there¡¯s one problem because of it.


    That problem is¡­


    ¡°Did you know, Souma?! According to the legends, Hero Alex would encounter his future wife, the Moonlight Princess, in the town called Saruna.


    It is a historical event that has created many plays, but will that scene be shown in the 2nd chapter?


    If I manage to see that, I would be witnessing history¡­¡± (Sazan)


    ¡ªMeaning that Sazan was being awfully annoying.


    No, Sazan is annoying as always, but he is even more annoying than usual.


    He is completely in the excited state of a person that has just watched a movie they like, moreover, because he has knowledge of the source material -the story of the Evil God Great War- he is even throwing spoilers.


    ¡°Hey, are you listening, Souma?!¡± (Sazan)


    Also, he is close.


    Extremely close.


    Sazan would normally sit opposite of me or diagonally when it is meal time, but he has now taken a spot at my side without hesitation, and has slid his chair even more while moving his face closer to me.


    It would be one thing if it were a cute girl, but even if a suspicious masked man were to approach me, it wouldn¡¯t make me happy. Or like, it is annoying to an unbelievable extent.


    ¡°Hm? What is it, Souma? You still have a lot of your hamburger left. If you don¡¯t like it, you can give it to m¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°I love it. It is because I love it that I am leaving it for last.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Y-You love it, huh. Mu¡­mugugugu¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Moreover, he has begun to talk a lot more casually; it can¡¯t even be compared to before.


    No, he has been way too familiar with me since way back, but the quality of it has changed a bit.


    Sazan is shaking his mask creepily, showing his anguish and¡­


    ¡°G-Geez! Just take it, you thief!¡± (Sazan)


    He placed a piece of meat cut to around 5 centimeters in size on top of my plate.


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡± (Souma)


    I was shocked by this, and Sazan said with a face filled with bitterness.


    ¡°You love it, right? I need you to do more in the future. This Sazan-sama, who is called the very embodiment of compassion and charity, shall bless you on this occasion.


    It won¡¯t happen again, so taste it with relish.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°¡­Tha¡­nks?¡± (Souma)


    Even if you tell me you are blessing me, how can I taste this small fragment that I can¡¯t comprehend how you even cut it.


    No, this glutton Sazan sharing his food might be something incredible even if it is the size of scraps.


    ¡°Be grateful to me with every bite you take.¡± (Sazan)


    I ignore Sazan who is saying that, and I try my best to stab the hamburger piece with heightened effort, and bring it to my mouth.


    Because of the size, there¡¯s barely anything to bite, but well, it at least had the taste of a hamburger¡­I think.


    I swallowed the small piece of meat, and a mask suddenly entered my vision.


    ¡°H-How was it? Tasty?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Eh? ¡­Y-Yeah, probably.¡± (Souma)


    When I answered, Sazan nodded as if saying ¡®obviously!¡¯, but it is not like you are the one who made it, you know.


    I was grimacing here, and Mitsuki spoke to us.


    ¡°Looks like you two have gotten pretty close.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Y-You fool! That¡¯s not true!


    Who would¡­?!¡± (Sazan)


    How in the world do you look at this and reach that conclusion?


    Also, that way of responding has the opposite effect, so stop it.


    ¡°Fufu, it seems like you really are getting along better.


    Is it the result of your spell searching yesterday?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°A-As I said, it is not like that!¡± (Sazan)


    Mitsuki was loosening her cat ears as if watching something endearing at the pointlessly flustered Sazan, but her cat ears suddenly jumped up as if she thought of something.


    ¡°Speaking of which, could the spell you were searching yesterday be¡ª¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­Souma!!¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo suddenly cut off Mitsuki.


    ¡°W-What¡¯s the matter, Ringo?¡± (Souma)


    Everyone¡¯s attention gathers onto Ringo who let out an uncharacteristically loud voice.


    Ringo had her gaze wander awkwardly under the eyes of everyone and then¡­


    ¡°¡­I will give you¡­my hamburger¡­¡± (Ringo)


    She gave me the hamburger she had remaining on her plate.


    The atmosphere was reset with what Ringo did, but I felt something off here and tilted my head.


    (Everyone¡¯s been acting strange since this morning.) (Souma)


    Mitsuki and the Bear are comparatively normal, but everyone else seems to be acting awkward.


    Sazan goes without saying, but Ringo is also weird, and Ina seems to be ruminating about something.


    And the one that¡¯s in the weirdest state is¡­


    ¡°Hnngh!¡± (Souma)


    I ended up choking while I was thinking.


    I hurriedly smacked my chest and a cup with water was given to me from the side.


    I take it with gratitude and drink it.


    ¡°You saved me there, Sazan.¡± (Souma)


    No matter how high level I am, it seems it is still painful to have something caught in your throat.


    I thank Sazan who gave me the cup, and he puffed his chest out proudly.


    ¡°Hmph, well, I am your partner after all. Saving my clumsy partner is my duty.¡± (Sazan)


    I don¡¯t know when we became partners, but it is true that he did save me.


    I showed a wry smile and I was about to thank him again, but¡­


    ¡ª*Katakatakatakata!*


    I reflexively faced the opposite direction where that strange sound was made.


    (Uwa¡­) (Souma)


    The sight that came into my eyes made me regret looking from the bottom of my heart.


    ¡°¡ªMaSoumaSoumaSoumaSoumaSoumaSouma.¡±


    Leila was sitting at the opposite side of Sazan, but she has been acting weird since Sazan approached me.


    She tilted forward and was mumbling something with her long hair covering her face.


    ¡ª*Katakatakatakatakata!*


    I strain my eyes wondering just what in the world this sound is, and it was the sound of Leila hitting the plate with the knife she is holding.


    It is not like she is doing this on purpose. It is most likely because she is shaking at high speed to the point it is blurring.


    ¡°SoumaSoumaSoumaSoumaSoumaSouma¡­¡± (Leila)


    ¡ª*Katakatakatakatakata!*


    Both the mumbling and the sound of the knife were echoing in the dining room.


    To be perfectly blunt, it is scary.


    It is not only scary to a degree where it doesn¡¯t lose to the residents of the mansion, but it is twice as scary because there¡¯s no knowing where the Death Bringer might come flying.


    ¡°L-Leila?¡± (Souma)


    I have been acting as if I didn¡¯t notice until now, but this is the limit.


    I hesitantly spoke to her.


    ¡°Wa?! Souma!¡± (Leila)


    When I did, Leila responded with a shining smile that made it feel like the sight of just a few seconds ago was a lie.


    ¡­That makes it even scarier instead.


    ¡°Y-You see¡­you still haven¡¯t eaten much of your food yet. It is the tasty food you worked so hard to make, so you should eat it before it gets cold¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°T-Tasty?! My cooking is tasty?¡± (Leila)


    ¡°Y-Yeah, it is really tasty.¡± (Souma)


    I am telling the truth.


    I answered with a stiff smile and her already shining face shone even stronger like the sun, and she sprung up from her seat.


    ¡°Got it! Then, I will add 20 more right this moment¡ª¡± (Leila)


    ¡°No, that¡¯s fine! Just eat! Okay?!¡± (Souma)


    I somehow calmed down Leila who stood up and had her sit back down.


    This is how I managed to safely finish my meal.


    After that I was checking my own skills while Sazan followed me around, and instructed Ina on skills all the way to the night.


    Training in my skill comboing has been a daily thing for me since the game days, and there¡¯s still main skill combos I can¡¯t use after getting the 3x speed.


    I think that was a decently fruitful time, but the tough time came after night came.


    The stone slate recording of the Evil God Great War can be utilized again after 24 hours.


    In other words, we can now watch the continuation of yesterday night.


    ¡°Souma, so you were here!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan showed up as if natural, aiming for the stone slate.


    That¡¯s fine and all.


    I can take that much annoyance, but¡­


    ¡°Fufufu, I am completely prepared! I took a real good nap so that I don¡¯t feel sleepy in the middle of it, and I gulped down an MP Potion just now to wake me up¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Ah, Souma!¡±


    Sazan was talking to me, and for some reason, Leila jumped in as if she timed it.


    Sazan looked blatantly peeved by this, but Leila didn¡¯t falter at all at this and spoke to me.


    ¡°Hm? What are you two doing?¡± (Leila)


    ¡°I-It is nothing! I am leaving now!¡± (Sazan)


    It seems like Sazan wants to keep the matter of the stone slate a secret to everyone else, and walks off somewhere.


    After repeating that several times¡­


    ¡°Now that it has come to this, we are meeting up in the bathroom!


    Even that woman shouldn¡¯t be able to get in the way there!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan said a weird thing in his overly excited state.


    Also, it is creepy, so stop blushing when you are saying we should meet in the bathroom.


    Even if I can¡¯t see your face because of your mask, I can still tell if your neck gets all red.


    ¡°Hey, you can watch it with me if you are in contact with me, so it should be fine for other people to be there too, right?


    Is there a need to keep it a secret?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°N-No! I won¡¯t be able to watch in peace like that!¡± (Sazan)


    Looks like he feels a certain way about this that he doesn¡¯t want to yield to.


    I was pushed by Sazan who was insistent about being just the two of us, and this time around we headed to the dressing room, but¡­


    ¡°Ah, you were here, Souma! What a coincidence!¡± (Leila)


    Leila showed up there as if it were the most natural thing in the world.


    Sazan immediately jumped at her.


    ¡°T-There¡¯s no way this is a coincidence! In the first place, what business do you have here?!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Eh? There¡¯s a washing place here, so I was thinking about doing the laundry.¡± (Leila)


    Now that she mentions it, there certainly is a place like that at the corner of the dressing room.


    So that space was for the sake of doing laundry, huh.


    Clothes didn¡¯t get dirty when it was a game, so I didn¡¯t notice.


    By the way, the clothes here don¡¯t get too dirty most likely because it has inherited that trait from the game.


    It would be a different story if you were to dive into mud, but it seems like there¡¯s no issue with wearing them for a bit of an extended time. You can do the laundry itself by just throwing water on it, and you can also dry them by just hanging them for 1-2 hours.


    It is truly easy.


    ¡°Gugugu¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan was groaning at Leila who had begun doing the laundry.


    It seems like even Sazan doesn¡¯t have the courage to enter the bath together with me in front of Leila.


    I was thinking about having Sazan give up and convince Sazan to explain to her about the stone slate, but Sazan took my hand faster than I had the chance to.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± (Sazan)


    He pulled my hand just like that and began walking.


    ¡°O-Oi, where are we going?¡± (Souma)


    He didn¡¯t answer even when I asked.


    Sazan walked on without a word and brought me to a certain room.


    ¡°This is¡­¡± (Souma)


    It is not like I am aware of all the rooms in this vast mansion, but I remember this room all too well.


    I found it hard to speak.


    ¡ªThief Shoo Shoo!


    Sazan brought me to the trap room I was trapped in with Ringo a long time ago.

 CH 188

    ¡°Y-You are going this far¡­?¡± (Souma)


    Sazan even prepared the key, pulled me to the ¡®Thief Shoo Shoo!¡¯ room and closed the door without hesitation.


    It is true that you can¡¯t open the door to this room from the outside without the key.


    It is the best place to confine yourself.


    But I didn¡¯t expect to enter a dangerous place like this just to watch a video.


    ¡°Come on! Quick quick!¡± (Sazan)


    I was baffled by this and Sazan himself had returned to being a child from the excitement of watching the video.


    Seeing Sazan smacking the floor by his side, I sighed and approached him.


    It will only take an instant in real time anyways.


    We just have to wrap this up quickly.


    I didn¡¯t really feel like following what Sazan was telling me to do, so I sat at the front of Sazan as if facing him.


    The floor of this room has a really fancy soft carpet on top of it, so there¡¯s no issues with sitting directly on it.


    I was thinking that while taking out the stone slate and feeling a heated gaze from my side.


    ¡°Now then, Sazan¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Y-Yeah.¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan needs to be in contact with me in order to see the video of the stone slate.


    I offered my hand and Sazan held my hand¡­but stopped right before he did, and instead carefully took off his coat.


    And then, held my hand strangely hesitantly at this late point in time.


    ¡°Ready?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­¡± (Sazan)


    When I asked this, Sazan lowered his gaze as if hesitating and soon responded with a strong expression.


    ¡°O-Obviously!¡± (Sazan)


    After confirming this, I stretched my hand towards the stone slate and touched the [2nd Chapter] letters.


    ¡ª1 year passed since then.


    That said, we are not talking about the real world.


    It is referring to the story world.


    Alex went to a town as an adventurer after his home village was destroyed by monsters and had become a splendid warrior.


    The story of the 2nd Chapter is the story of Alex and his encounters with his future comrades.


    Alex coincidentally encountered a scene where monsters were attacking a carriage, but the one who was in that carriage was the Light Princess, Ciel, and her bodyguards¡­ A development you see pretty much in any story.


    I have seen this story all the way until the 3rd Chapter, but the production value has taken a drastic leap and now has audio, so it is already completely different from the original.


    It is true that I have seen this plot before, and yet, if I were to lower my guard, I would get sucked in by the story.


    Especially the Light Princess Ciel who is also a magic swordsman, and the two body bodyguards, the master swordsman Luden and the mage Nameless, joining forces with Alex to fight the leader of the monsters was pretty epic.


    The enemy is a monster called an Archdemon, and its name is Richter.


    By the way, an ArchDemon is a late game dungeon boss monster in Nekomimi Neko, and you could consider it the highest class boss excluding the Demon Lord and the Evil God.


    It is practically the same as the Butcher appearing in the Deus Plains.


    It was overwhelming Alex and the others from beginning to end, but with the life or death attack of Alex and the action of Ciel trying to protect him with her very body, Richter left after saying ¡®I am interested in you people now¡¯.


    Well, it is that.


    An enemy stronger than what you can defeat appears in the early stage, but after acknowledging the power of the protagonist in their dire straits, it would leave unnaturally; a pretty common development in shounen manga.


    When I watched it in the game, I thought the video was plain and the plot was stale, but I managed to find this interesting even when I have already seen this before most likely because the recording has been changed and made really well.


    The 2nd Chapter ended while I was analyzing it in that fashion and¡­


    ¡°Wow wow wow, this is amazing! D-Did you see?! Did you see that, Souma?!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Hah? See what?¡± (Souma)


    When I got back to the real world, Sazan spoke to me in an excited state.


    It seems like Sazan managed to safely watch the recording too thanks to him being in contact with me.


    That¡¯s great and all, but I can¡¯t keep up with this tension of his.


    ¡°The skill of Nameless! See! Here!


    He had the same bracelet as I had, right?!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Aah, he¡­did?¡± (Souma)


    Sazan showed me his bracelet by pushing his bracelet onto my cheek as if trying to glue it on me.


    The name was Soul Bracelet¡­?


    Speaking of which, the thin male mage that accompanied Ciel might have been wearing a bracelet.


    ¡°The genesis of my family is that great mage, Nameless!!


    To think I would be able to see my ancestor with my own eyes!


    I am the most fortunate person in the world!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°I-I see. That¡¯s great¡­¡± (Souma)


    I was a bit taken aback by Sazan who was holding my hands and waving it around.


    Well, he might be having fun watching the achievements of his ancestor, but isn¡¯t he getting too happy here?


    ¡°Actually, this Soul Bracelet has the power to seal the soul.


    This bracelet has the memories of the heads of previous generations, and there¡¯s a few memories of Nameless-sama in it.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°I see. Could it be that you know a lot about the Evil God Great War because¡­¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this thoughtlessly, Sazan grabbed my hands even harder and began explaining to me while leaning forward.


    ¡°Very perceptive! This bracelet is amazing.


    It is a treasure that¡¯s said the history of the family would have changed if there were 2 of this, and right now it is only fragments of the mission and memories of the family heads, but if you use all of its power, you can do even more incredible things.


    In the first place, Nameless-sama became the top mage at that young age thanks to having inherited the memories of the family predecessors with the ring. That¡¯s why every generation succeeds the name Nameless as an immortal mage with no name¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan had completely entered explanation mode.


    The words of Sazan entered one ear and out the other while I understood a bit here.


    If the ancestor of Sazan is a hero of the Evil God Great War, I can¡¯t really say it is wrong that the family of this guy are esteemed nobles.


    Being raised like a flower or a butterfly since childhood¡­sounds weird for a man, but anyways, if he has been raised with a silver spoon, I can understand how he ended up being a selfish guy. If you have talent in magic that rivals that of your hero ancestor, I can understand admiring him.


    ¡°Oi, Souma! Are you listening?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°I am, I am. I know that that bracelet is an important thing.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Guh, you are not wrong, but putting it so simply¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan seemed to be dissatisfied with my half-hearted response, but his excitement from seeing his ancestor must have won, he swallowed it.


    ¡°A-Anyways, this is the next most important thing after my life¡­no, it might be as important.


    That¡¯s why, Souma, if I die, please bring this bracelet to my family.


    Alex knows where my home is.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°O-Oi, what are you saying all of a sudden.¡± (Souma)


    I didn¡¯t expect Sazan to talk about what to do when he dies.


    I furrowed my brows, but Sazan snorted.


    ¡°Of course, I have no intention of dying. It is just in case.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°No, as I said¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Well, you will be leaving to your own world, so it doesn¡¯t matter though.¡± (Sazan)


    I was going to say something, but the somewhat sad words of Sazan robbed me of the timing.


    Sazan didn¡¯t say anything after that and stayed silent for a while, but began to talk while trying to not match my gaze.


    ¡°I left my home, but it is not like I don¡¯t understand wanting to return to where you were.


    That¡¯s why, uhm¡­is it actually¡­a pain?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Eh¡­?¡± (Souma)


    Those way too unexpected words made me let out a dumbfounded voice.


    ¡°As I said! You want to return to your world, right?


    And yet, I am stopping you because of my own desire for knowledge. So it really must be¡­¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Sazan¡­¡± (Souma)


    I honestly didn¡¯t think he was someone that would think of others this much.


    ¡­No, that¡¯s not it.


    He might have¡­changed as well.


    Just like how Ringo, who was the very definition of an NPC at the beginning, had obtained emotions.


    Just like how Mitsuki, who was uninterested in anything other than fighting, had begun to think of others.


    Sazan must have grown into a different branch from the one of the game.


    Having shown such a change, I¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to be unnecessarily considerate here, you idiot.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Ouch!¡± (Sazan)


    I flicked the mask facing down real hard.


    It seems like quite a lot of power showed up because of my Strength, and Sazan is writhing in pain somewhat seriously.


    ¡°W-What are you doing?!¡± (Sazan)


    I spoke to Sazan who was raising his voice in protest.


    ¡°Listen here, I do think I have to return to my world.


    I want to give my farewells to everyone, and it is not like I am hurrying to the point where each second counts.


    I do want to know about the Evil God myself.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Really¡­?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Yeah. Cause if I don¡¯t¡­it wouldn¡¯t feel like a proper end, right?¡± (Souma)


    If I were to think about me coming to this world and its happenings as a single story, the goal is most likely me returning to my world with Maki.


    But I feel like the Evil God is an unavoidable path in order to put an end to that story.


    The game didn¡¯t touch in detail about the Evil God.


    It is not like I will do something troublesome like defeat the Evil God or strengthen the seal.


    But that¡¯s exactly why I have to learn just what this Evil God is and what danger it poses.


    Without knowing that, I feel like I will have lingering regrets in this world.


    ¡°That¡¯s why you don¡¯t need to worry about anything.


    Also¡­gathering and watching the same thing is pretty fun.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Souma¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Was it something that unexpected?


    Well, it is true that I wouldn¡¯t have been able to imagine myself doing something together with just Sazan alone and consider it fun if that had been me half a year ago.


    Sazan¡¯s eyes were wide open on the other side of the mask, and his mouth below the mask loosened into a smile.


    ¡°I-I see. If you say so, it can¡¯t be helped.


    H-Hmhm, I will allow you the privilege of watching the accomplishments of Nameless together with me.¡± (Sazan)


    His mouth was loosened into a smile the whole time contrary to his grandiose tone, and he is wriggling in a really creepy fashion.


    ¡°It is not only Nameless who shines here.


    Also, I get that you are happy, so stop rubbing your thighs like that, it is creepy.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°T-That¡¯s not it. This is¡­uuuh¡­¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°What is it?¡± (Souma)


    I thought the flustered Sazan was a bit¡­just a tiny bit endearing, and deliberately asked him teasingly.


    ¡°Y-You know, that¡¯s¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan was seriously troubled, and it feels like he is having a bit of fun here.


    This is just a feeling, but I think I can now talk to Sazan with an atmosphere like that of talking to a friend.


    ¡ªThat must be why¡­I lowered my guard completely.


    I thought that this completely isolated space was safe, and that no one could interrupt us.


    ¡°I-It is just that¡­eh?¡± (Sazan)


    It was truly sudden.


    As if punishing this relaxed atmosphere between the two of us.


    ¡°What¡­is this¡­?¡±


    ¡ªA blade poked out from the left side of Sazan¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Wa¡­?!¡± (Souma)


    I couldn¡¯t move because of the way too sudden development.


    Even though it is an unbelievable situation, my brain couldn¡¯t process it.


    It was like a heated knife cutting butter.


    So easily¡­way too easily going through the chest of Sazan.


    ¡°Aaah¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan let out a scared voice, but he still couldn¡¯t move.


    After that unrealistic sight, the knife passed through the whole body of Sazan, and the hand holding the handle came into vision.


    ¡°Sazan!!¡± (Souma)


    I was finally freed from the paralysis, but that was too late.


    The abnormal situations didn¡¯t stop.


    The knife completely pierced the left side of Sazan¡¯s chest.


    A long hand slid there and went up.


    ¡ª*Slide*


    Something golden wriggling like a snake appeared from the body of Sazan.


    That winding golden medusa-like thing became the face of a woman, looked at me, and¡­


    ¡ª ¡°FO-UND YO-U.¡±


    ¡°U-Uwa¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hiyaaaaaaaaaah!!¡±


    The screams of two echoed in the closed room.


    ¡°Sazan, how¡¯s the water?¡± (Souma)


    I called Sazan, who is in the bathtub, from the corner of the dressing room.


    (Well, it can¡¯t be helped after something like that happened.) (Souma)


    What poked out from the body of Sazan was Leila who activated ¡®Death to the Infidel!!¡¯.


    I completely lowered my guard there, but I forgot that Leila can ignore obstructions when she activates that.


    Leila heard the sound of us enjoying ourselves in the ¡®Thief Shoo Shoo!¡¯ room, and she activated ¡®Death to the Infidel!!¡¯, piercing the wall of the neighboring room, the body of Sazan, and appeared at my place.


    But does that mean it turned into a carnage with Leila losing her sanity? Not really.


    The anger of Leila calmed down after Sazan literally put his body on the line there.


    Sazan was the source of the trouble to begin with, but you could say Sazan was the biggest contributor too.


    ¡ªLet¡¯s be kinder to Sazan from here on.


    The sobbing noises I could hear from the bathtub soothed my heart as I washed the carpet that had a Japanese motif.

 CH 189

    ¡°S-So this is the Shining Darkness Cave, huh¡­¡±


    The next day after the Sazan barrier incident¡­


    I was asked by Ina to help her in her training.


    The location is a level 108 dungeon: the Shining Darkness Cave.


    It is the place that was named by Sazan, but it is 30 levels higher than the level of Ina.


    There should be no issues with the effect of the Mutual Love Ring, but Ina seems to be nervous here.


    ¡°It will be okay. Ringo and Mitsuki are watching too this time around.¡± (Souma)


    The members this time around are Ina, Ringo, and Mitsuki.


    Leila is watching over the house.


    Maki came this morning to check on us for a bit, but it seems like she is busy dealing with the aftermath of the Mage Guild.


    ¡°Well, I will have to graduate from my parents when I have the chance.¡± (Maki)


    Is what she said, but I wonder what brought that?


    Sazan, who remained there, wasn¡¯t coming out no matter how long we waited, so I went to his room and called out to him, but there was no answer at all.


    Looks like he is still grieving.


    Oh well, I have left the rest to the Bear, so there should be no need to worry on that front.


    ¡°B-But there¡¯s something I have investigated together with Thiel-san.


    The monster called Light Root here is apparently a dangerous monster that magic doesn¡¯t work against and blows itself up if you get close to it!¡± (Ina)


    I was a bit impressed by what she said.


    It seems like she doesn¡¯t just blindly fight enemies, but properly investigates her enemies beforehand.


    It is a prudent approach that I find it hard to believe came from Ina, but it must have been a mindset provided by Thiel.


    But that worry is unnecessary.


    ¡°What. If you know about it, that makes it faster. I am thinking of having you fight that Light Root.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°A-Against the Light Root?!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Yeah. But as I said before, there¡¯s no need to worry that much.


    It might certainly be scary at first, but a handy surefire method has been created for that guy.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Really¡­?¡± (Ina)


    ¡°It is to the point where this monster was famous as a level up monster.¡± (Souma)


    Being told that much, Ina finally sighed in relief.


    ¡°What surprised me most was that you made a request like this from me, Ina.¡± (Souma)


    There was a conversation like that right after defeating the Demon Lord, but we agreed that it isn¡¯t good to powerlevel each other.


    My party members might be able to level up quickly if we use the surefire methods and the cooperation of our strong comrades, but there¡¯s a lot of cases where the important player skill, the techniques to fight, won¡¯t grow because of it.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s¡­¡± (Ina)


    Ina faced down a bit at my words.


    ¡°I at first also thought about slowly getting stronger. But¡­¡± (Ina)


    ¡°But?¡± (Souma)


    When I urged her on, Ina waved her hand vigorously.


    ¡°I-It is nothing! I-I just thought strong people are admirable!¡± (Ina)


    I feel like that wasn¡¯t an answer at all, but Ina approached me as if to play it off.


    ¡°M-More importantly, what is this about a surefire method?


    Could it be something like readying your armor so that you don¡¯t take light element damage¡­?¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Unfortunately, the Light Root¡¯s self-destruct spell, Shiny Rain, is non-elemental damage.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Even though it is called Light Root and Shining Rain?!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°That¡¯s just how the world works.¡± (Souma)


    Or more like, Nekomimi Neko works like that, but that¡¯s basically the same here.


    ¡°In that case, uhm¡­is it something like ¡®it has a specific elemental weakness, so you can defeat them with magic¡¯?¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Nope. Not only is it non-elemental, it has the special trait of suffering only 1 damage no matter the element, so that would be difficult.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°T-Then, shoot it down from afar with bow and arrow¡­¡± (Ina)


    ¡°It is an effective method, but it self-destructs with a single hit, so you have to defeat it in one hit with that.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Mumuuuuh. T-Then¡­¡± (Ina)


    Ina began to ponder cutely, but she is unfortunately out of time.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s just leave that enjoyment for later.


    It wouldn¡¯t be training if it were easy from the very beginning, so we have to begin from laying the groundwork first.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Laying the groundwork¡­?¡± (Ina)


    Ina asked this question and I looked at Mitsuki.


    ¡°Anytime.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki came close to me without me having to say anything.


    That was pretty reassuring as I looked around the cave.


    There¡¯s fortunately no Light Roots spawning just yet.


    ¡°Alright, we are cleaning up the cave first! We are throwing all the monsters over there aside from the Light Roots!¡± (Souma)


    Saying this, I pointed at a hollow spot at a corner of the cave.


    That was the first task that day.


    A great cleaning of the cave began.


    ¡°T-There really is nothing now¡­¡±


    A few minutes after that, Mitsuki and I managed to get rid of all monsters aside from the Light Roots.


    The monsters here can¡¯t get over a certain degree of elevation, so you can isolate them by throwing them into a specific location.


    Of course, a certain degree of ability is required to capture them and throw them in without killing them, so it is knowledge that doesn¡¯t help in conquering the place.


    However, because of how Nekomimi Neko works, only one group of monsters can show up in one spawn point.


    In other words, if you can isolate the monsters without killing them, you can incapacitate the related spawn points.


    With this, only two spawn points are operational in this dungeon: the spawn points where only Light Roots show up.


    We now have readied an environment where we can continue defeating only Light Roots.


    ¡°Get ready, Ina. It is time for the real deal.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Y-Yes!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Then, first¡­¡± (Souma)


    I found a Light Root that appeared just in time, and I deliberately made noise as I approached it.


    When I did, the Light Root found me and made a turn.


    It directed its plant face at me, began to shine white and¡­


    ¡°Kya!¡± (Ina)


    It began to emit a light shower from its whole body.


    The light lines that are being emitted in all directions was a sight to behold in a way, but it is pretty unbearable for the people who are hit with this without prior knowledge.


    It is impossible to avoid the light shower that has no openings by sight.


    This doesn¡¯t only apply to the player, but to Mitsuki who has god-like reflexes and physical abilities.


    Of course, I escaped from the range before the light reached critical point, but the chances of you getting baptized by the light if this is your first time are high.


    ¡°¡­Ah.¡± (Ina)


    And then, after 10 seconds of continuous showering of light, the spell ended and its body disappeared into particles of light.


    By the way, in the case when the Light Root self-destructs and dies, you don¡¯t get EXP and Element.


    Also, the monsters showing up in this dungeon provide very little EXP aside from the Light Root, so there¡¯s barely any benefit in having the monsters get caught up in it.


    It is a really well-made arrangement that really shows the nasty side of Nekomimi Neko that doesn¡¯t want the players to have a good experience.


    Well, that¡¯s fine and all.


    I explained what we will be doing today to Ina who was completely befuddled by the self-destruct spell and was standing completely still.


    ¡°What I want you to learn today is a technique to avoid that Shiny Rain and attack the enemy.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°T-That can be avoided?!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Yeah, peel your eyes and watch.¡± (Souma)


    Saying this, I carefreely approach the Light Root that showed up from the other spawn point.


    It turned to me and emitted white light.


    I retreated last time, but that won¡¯t be the same this time.


    After confirming that the Light Root had set the direction, I take a step.


    The rough estimate is close to the edge of the Shiny Rain¡¯s AoE, 3 steps to the front, and 2 steps to the right.


    ¡°S-Souma-san?!¡± (Ina)


    The Light Root shone powerfully right after.


    The light shower was released in all directions.


    That obviously showered onto my body too and¡­


    ¡°Watch out!¡± (Ina)


    Ina shouted, but I waved my hand telling her I was okay.


    That¡¯s how carefree I was here.


    ¡°E-Eeeeh¡­¡± (Ina)


    I don¡¯t know what she thought when she saw me like this, but she let out a dubious sound.


    This Shiny Rain may look like it has no blind spots at a glance, but that¡¯s only the visual effect.


    There¡¯s no way the Nekomimi Neko developers would go out of their way to place a hitbox on every single line of light from the thousands coming out.


    There¡¯s practically no relation between the visual effect and the hitbox of it, and this spell only has sparse hitboxes here and there, so it is possible to get through it unscathed if you know of them.


    ¡°The first few seconds are basically free. If you stand here, you won¡¯t get hit. The first light will serve as your point of reference. Just take one step to the right from where that one hit.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°No no no no no! You are getting hit! You are getting hit, Souma-san!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Ah, no, as I said¡­¡± (Souma)


    I scratched my head as I looked down at the light bundles that were piercing my body.


    It seems Ina still doesn¡¯t understand well the difference between visual effects and hitboxes.


    ¡°Anyways, just get close as if you were drawing an S and¡­¡± (Souma)


    This spell changes its hitbox as time passes.


    I matched that by taking the first 2 steps quickly, and after 5 seconds, I bent my body slightly and walked forward around 5 steps, squated there and waited 2 seconds, and then, dash as if roused forward!


    I quickly take only 3 steps forward and turn around as if I were moving away from the Light Root, move to the side as if going through a thin opening, avoid the last hitbox that came at me from below by jumping, and use that very jump to stand in front of the monster.


    Once I got a good look at the face of the Light Root that is endearing but also hateful at a close range, I swung down Shiranui onto that head that¡¯s its weakness.


    ¡°¡­If you hit the weak point like this, you will most likely be able to defeat it in one hit, too.¡± (Souma)


    Having all of its HP taken in one hit, the Light Root slowly changes into light particles.


    ¡°Fuwaaah¡­¡± (Ina)


    Ina was letting out a sigh of admiration as if she witnessed something out of this world, but it is still not over yet.


    I kicked down the Light Root that had begun to disappear and moved to the place where it was standing until just now.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lower your guard just because you defeated it.


    Even if the monster dies, the spell will still be in effect, so quickly move to the safe zone, in other words, where the Light Root was.


    It is only after you manage to do this that you can call it a success.¡± (Souma)


    The spell ended and I explained this to Ina as I slowly returned to her, and Ina directed a complicated gaze mixed with fear and admiration.


    ¡°Souma-san, you really are amazing!


    B-But I feel like this is a bit too advanced for me.


    Wouldn¡¯t it be better to begin from an easier to defeat monster¡ª¡± (Ina)


    ¡°It may be hard to learn this, but dungeon bosses will use techniques with the same area of effect as this one.


    At those times, there¡¯s a big difference between knowing how to evade this and not knowing.


    The most efficient way to earn EXP around here is to defeat these guys before they self-destruct.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I see¡­¡± (Ina)


    My words must be resonating in her mind, Ina fell into thought.


    A person stood at the back of her while she was still hesitating.


    ¡°¡­I will do it too.¡±


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡± (Ina)


    It was Ringo.


    She gently placed a hand on Ina¡¯s shoulder as if saying she is not alone.


    ¡°¡­I also think that dance¡­is creepy.


    But¡­I will do it.


    Even if it is difficult¡­until I can do it.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Ringo-san¡­¡± (Ina)


    Ina spoke with deep emotion at the unexpected appearance of a comrade.


    But what¡¯s that about a dance?


    ¡°It is true that it would be one hell of a task to copy those eccentric movements.


    However, no matter how much of a deviant you look, his battle techniques are reliable.


    I wasn¡¯t thinking of learning from others at this point in time, but it looks like today I will be able to achieve fruitful training.¡±


    The one who said this and appeared from the other side was Mitsuki.


    She has already unsheathed Tsukikage and has taken a battle stance.


    ¡°¡­We are still¡­weak. But I am sure¡­we can become strong.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Everyone¡­ I-I will do i¡ª¡± (Ina)


    The words of the two moved the heart of Ina, and just when Ina was about to voice her resolve¡­


    ¡°Dual spawn?!¡± (Souma)


    Unrefined intruders cut her off.


    Light Roots spawned almost at the same time from the two spawn points we left at both sides.


    Sorry to say after she has finally gotten into it, but I still haven¡¯t fully explained the moves to her yet.


    It wouldn¡¯t be practice even if they were to show up now.


    ¡°Damn it! For now, I will¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I was going to deal with them while clicking my tongue, but there was someone who moved faster than me.


    Mitsuki and Ringo.


    ¡°Bad timing. Come back later.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki sliced the Light Root in a single dash.


    ¡°¡­Hindrance.¡± (Ringo)


    The remaining Light Root got a direct hit from the Lightning Strike of Ringo and immediately perished.


    Didn¡¯t even leave them time to use Shiny Rain.


    ¡°¡­..Hm?¡± (Ina)


    The two returned and offered their hands to Ina who was showing a stupified look on her face.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s do our best together.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s¡­work hard¡­together.¡± (Ringo)


    Ina saw that and¡­


    ¡°¡­Yes, let¡¯s work hard together.¡± (Ina)


    Grabbed the hand of the two with a strangely sooty face.


    ¡°Kyaaaaaaaa!!¡±


    ¡°Ina!¡±


    The scream of Ina echoed for who knows how many times today.


    Ina failed in the movement and was hit by the self-destruct of the Light Root.


    ¡°Are you okay?!¡± (Souma)


    I ran to where Ina had landed after being blown away, and she was already up and using a potion on herself.


    ¡°Ahahaha¡­I failed again.¡± (Ina)


    She forced a smile as she said this, but her face is a painful one.


    After that, Mitsuki succeeded in getting in front of the Light Root in her first try with her outstanding battle sense.


    Ringo struggled more than that, but was unexpectedly quick at getting the trick and safely succeeded in her 4th try.


    But even after Ina tried it 10 times¡­20 times, she couldn¡¯t succeed, was hit countless times by the self-destruct spell, and rolled around the floor just as many times.


    This technique that was ridiculed as Shiny Rain (physical) was a non-elemental physical attack and there¡¯s no effective way to mitigate it when it hits you.


    No matter how much you strengthen your defense with rings, even if the Shiny Rain doesn¡¯t kill you, the pain of it should be quite big.


    I learned to avoid Shiny Rain because I couldn¡¯t feel the pain inside the game. If I were Ina, my heart would have broken a long time ago.


    ¡°H-Hey, Ina, this isn¡¯t something you must absolutely do, and if you are a bad fit for it, you can just give up and¡ª¡± (Souma)


    That painful look of Ina made me try to stop the training, but she shook her head.


    ¡°I-I am okay! N-Next time for sure, I will do it!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°N-No, but¡­¡± (Souma)


    Why is she trying so hard here?


    But before I could get those words out, Ina stood up once again with dagger in hand after healing up.


    ¡°E-Ehehe, just watch, Souma-san. I will master the evasion method of that light, defeat a whole ton of those monsters, and level up a whole lot.


    And once I get strong like that, once I do¡­you will be able to return with no worries¡­¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Ina?¡± (Souma)


    I think Ina was trying to say something important there, but a new Light Root spawned before that.


    ¡°This time for sure¡­!¡± (Ina)


    Seeing this, Ina changed her expression, and began what might be several dozens of tries already¡­or she might already be in her hundreds at this point.


    ¡°Ina!¡± (Souma)


    I ended up calling to that back of hers.


    I shouted just before she entered the effective range of the Shiny Rain, and Ina looked back just for a moment.


    ¡°Go get ¡®em!¡± (Souma)


    Simple words with no flare to them.


    But the moment Ina heard those words, she made a clear smile¡­a smile that seemed like it came from the bottom of her heart.


    ¡°¡­It is here.¡± (Ringo)


    The voice of Ringo.


    The Shiny Rain begins.


    The first step went without issues.


    She has properly gone to the safe spot.


    And then, after a short while, Ina began moving.


    She moved 3 steps quickly to the front.


    ¡°Alright!¡± (Souma)


    You normally go 2 steps here, but that one extra step was beneficial.


    The difference in the distance of our steps created errors, but Ina adjusted those herself bit by bit.


    And then, after stopping for a second, she bent and went forward.


    You must not get impatient here.


    ¡°Nice, nice.¡± (Souma)


    Ina moved forward with our gazes of expectation on her back.


    After finishing her 2 steps, she waited there while crouching.


    She wiped off the cold sweat from her face and jumped!


    ¡°Watch out!¡± (Souma)


    I reflexively shout.


    The angle was too soft.


    But Ina instinctively caught that and adjusted it in the middle of it.


    She changed directions properly as she ran, and after charging up for a moment, she turned around!


    ¡°! Did she do it?!¡± (Souma)


    The timing that she messed up countless times.


    But it was perfect this time around.


    I was surprised that the attack that always hit her body here didn¡¯t happen, but Ina was not stopping.


    The monster that has been close yet far is just one straight line away.


    After confirming countless and countless times that the last obstacle had appeared, she avoided it with the jump that she practiced and¡­


    ¡°Goooooo!!¡± (Souma)


    She finally jumped right in front of the Light Root.


    There¡¯s no leeway in time.


    She stabbed the face of the Light Root without a moment¡¯s hesitation, body slammed the Light Root to enter the space of the Light Root, and¡­


    ¡°¡­Ah.¡±


    Once the light shower had calmed down, the one standing there was an unharmed Ina.


    I approached Ina who was standing there dumbfounded as if she didn¡¯t understand what she did just now, and called to her straight away.


    ¡°Congratulations, Ina.¡± (Souma)


    The moment I said this¡­the face of Ina crumbled into a mess and¡­


    ¡°O-Owa!¡± (Souma)


    Ina jumped onto my chest with the same intensity as what she had performed just now.


    ¡°Yay, I did it! I have finally done it!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Yeah, you did well, Ina. You really did.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°With this, as long as I master it, I can defeat them and level¡ª¡± (Ina)


    Ina was about to say something, but she didn¡¯t say anything more as if it was caught in her throat.


    I gently watched Ina and told her what I have been thinking this whole time.


    ¡°Then, shall I give you a reward for your hard work?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Re¡­ward¡­?¡± (Ina)


    Ina asked this with expectation while trying to hide her eyes filled with tears in embarrassment.


    I found that endearing as I continued speaking.


    ¡°Well, calling it a reward is an overstatement though.


    I was thinking about answering what you wanted to know the whole time today.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Me? Uhm¡­what was it?¡± (Ina)


    Looks like she has already forgotten after everything that has happened.


    I chuckled and answered her.


    ¡°Of course, the easy way to defeat the Light Root.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­¡­¡­Feh?¡± (Ina)


    Right after that.


    ¡°Knowing how to avoid the Shiny Rain is useful, but if we are talking about efficiency, it really gotta be this¡­right, Ina?¡± (Souma)


    The handy surefire method since the game days (if you hit the Light Root with a knockback effect spell from afar while in the middle of the activation of the self-destruct spell, not only does it get caught in its own attack, but you get EXP too because you dealt 1 damage) of using Petitplosion, and the tension must have gone out from Ina, she fell in place and began crying.


    I was wondering what to say to her from that unexpected reaction, but Mitsuki and Ringo went to her side before that.


    ¡°¡­Cheer up. You must not¡­lose.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Give up. That guy is just like that.¡± (Mitsuki)


    The two cheer up Ina as if they were friends for decades.


    Having felt that their bonds strengthened there, I nodded over and over.


    ¡ªAnd in this way, the training that day lowered its curtains with great success.

 CH 190

    Light


    Dark


    After finishing dinner, I returned to my room and collapsed on the bed facing up.


    ¡°¡­To think the day would come where I would pass the day in such a leisurely fashion.¡± (Souma)


    A lot has happened since entering the world of Nekomimi Neko.


    Perilous things one after the other that didn¡¯t allow me to catch a break, and I feel like I was running about the whole time to solve them.


    But after defeating the Demon Lord and crushing the plans of the Mage Guild, there¡¯s no threats that I have to hurry and solve.


    Even today, I may have fought monsters, but it was solely for the sake of leveling up against lower level enemies.


    I think it isn¡¯t good to lower my guard, but there¡¯s honestly no fear of dying.


    Even though I wished for peace, now that it is here, I feel like something is missing.


    But even if I say that¡­


    ¡°This isn¡¯t bad either.¡± (Souma)


    Days of nothing, but not boring ones.


    If I have the comrades I have made in the arduous days until now, everything can change into lively events.


    I honestly think they are wasted on me.


    ¡°If I had to put it in a way, it is like they have more of a normal view, or like, I would like them to learn common sense.¡± (Souma)


    The faces of my comrades that lack common sense in a variety of ways surfaced in my mind and I ended up chuckling.


    *Knock Knock*


    The sound of someone knocking on the door rang.


    Looks like my day is not ending yet.


    ¡°I-It is Sazan. Can I come in?¡±


    The voice of the mindbroken that was on the other side of the door¡­no, the mage, startled me.


    ¡°W-Wait for a moment!¡± (Souma)


    I hurried my way to the door and opened the door a tiny bit after hesitating for a moment.


    ¡°H-Hey there, if it ain¡¯t Sazan.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­I said it was me¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan faced the other way in a bad mood, but that gesture of his looked vibrant.


    It seems like he stopped shutting himself in his room, but it seems like the shock of the dam destruction incident is still affecting him.


    ¡°And so, what brings you here at this time?¡± (Souma)


    I asked this while blinking, and Sazan spoke in a sullen manner.


    ¡°W-What brings me here, you ask?! Obviously the continuation of yesterday!¡± (Sazan)


    He looked as if he realized something after saying that energetically, and lowered both hands as if protecting his lower half.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s not it! Don¡¯t think anything weird! I may be talking about continuing what we were doing yesterday, but I am not referring to t-that, okay?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°I know!¡± (Souma)


    What is this guy saying?


    Or more like, what is he referring to by continuing?


    ¡°I-I won¡¯t make that mistake again. I have made a variety of preparations in my own way for the sake of that.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°I-I see.¡± (Souma)


    I don¡¯t know what to respond with.


    I just chimed in with whatever and Sazan began explaining as if embarrassed.


    ¡°Yeah, I tried not to drink too much, and I even went to the t-toilet before coming here. A-Also¡­I chose clothes that are easy to wash this time.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°You are already thinking you will fail!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I-It is just in case! Just in case!¡± (Sazan)


    I can¡¯t see because of the mask, but Sazan said this with a bright red face and tried to peek in my room as if trying to play it off.


    ¡°A-Anyways, please let me in. It would be a pain if someone were to see us talking here.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Eh, n-no, my room is currently a mess, and there¡¯s no place to sit¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°The bed is fine. We are beginning immediately anyway, and that would be easier¡­¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Y-You¡­!¡± (Souma)


    I raised my voice unconsciously.


    Sazan tilted his head as if wondering if he said something weird, but there¡¯s something called phrasing.


    I would like him to stop using words that might cause a misunderstanding.


    But it seems like Sazan misunderstood it in a different manner.


    He was taken aback and spoke angered.


    ¡°C-Could it be that you don¡¯t want to because you think I might dirty the bed?! I am not the one at fault!


    If you were to get pierced all of a sudden from behind like that, a-anyone would¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Idi¡ª! As I said, you¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I hurriedly tried to cover the mouth of Sazan, but it was too late.


    ¡°Wa?!¡±


    A slender hand extended from the shadow of the door, and my shoulders were grabbed tightly.


    And then¡­


    ¡°Hey, Souma, what were you two doing yesterday? You will tell us, right?¡±


    From the ceiling, the inside of my bag, from below my bed, from the corner of my room; my comrades that are watching our state stealthily have surrounded us.


    ¡°¡­In other words, the two are not in that kind of relationship?¡±


    I nodded strongly at Maki who was hiding in the shadow of the door.


    ¡°Obviously! I don¡¯t have a taste like that!¡± (Souma)


    Those words¡­


    ¡°¡­Hn. I believed¡­in you.¡±


    Ringo, who fit in the corner of the room, nodded several times.


    Despite her saying that, I feel like she was looking over here with a cold gaze, but I won¡¯t pursue the topic.


    ¡°Were you two really just watching the video of that stone slate? Leila-san suddenly appeared at that time and Sazan-san¡­¡®spilled his drink¡¯.¡±


    It seems like Mitsuki, who was sticking to the ceiling just now, still hasn¡¯t been convinced and pursued it.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s right! R-Right, Leila?¡± (Souma)


    I directed my gaze and Leila, who had gone below the bed, nodded lightly.


    ¡°Y-Yeah¡­something like that¡­I guess?¡± (Leila)


    Leila answered with an unconvinced tone.


    Seeing this, the Bear, who was hiding inside my bag a few minutes ago, grinned.


    ¡­The ones who knocked on my door after dinner were Maki and the others.


    They apparently heard from Leila that my relationship with Sazan was suspicious, involved Ringo and the others who were there, and came to question me.


    Also, the Bear brought tea for us in the middle of it and joined up.


    This plushie is so considerate it is scary.


    Of course, there¡¯s nothing to feel guilty about no matter how much they ask us, but I had no choice but to keep silent about the broken dam incident of Sazan to protect his pride.


    However, when I try to explain it without that part, I can¡¯t help but create inconsistencies.


    While Leila and I were troubled about what to do, Sazan had come right in time.


    Things ending up like this can¡¯t be helped, so we told pretty much everything to them honestly.


    Even with that, I replaced the dam breaking with spilling a drink, but people like Mitsuki, who are sharp, might have noticed the truth.


    That said, the suspicions of me being homo were cleared, and I am now free¡­is what I thought.


    ¡°That¡¯s not fair! I want to watch that together with Souma!¡± (Maki)


    This time around, Maki pointed at the stone slate and was selfish about it.


    ¡°You¡­didn¡¯t you dislike it when you watched the 1st chapter?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°T-That¡¯s true, but¡­but if it is together with you, I will be fine!¡± (Maki)


    ¡°What¡¯s with that?¡± (Souma)


    I don¡¯t get that logic at all.


    However, I know more than anyone else that Maki doesn¡¯t withdraw after saying something.


    I try to persuade her peacefully so as not to tick her off.


    ¡°N-Now, wait there, Maki. Weren¡¯t you busy recently, Maki? This can only be used once a day, so maybe when you have a bit more time¡­¡± (Souma)


    Maki said she was busy with a mountain of work from the aftermath of the Mage Guild.


    I used that as my shield to have her change her mind.


    ¡°Hmm, well, there was a lot of trouble there, but¡­¡± (Maki)


    The momentum of Maki loosened up.


    I throw words in as if hitting that opening.


    ¡°I see, that¡¯s true. Speaking of which, you went to the Mage Guild together with the Knight Order, right?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Ah, yeah. That was a real pain¡­¡± (Maki)


    I diverted the conversation and Maki, who easily rides the flow, began talking about the Mage Guild.


    According to Maki, the incident caused by the Mage Guild¡¯s guildmaster, Kemona Iaski, apparently caused big ripples in the surroundings.


    First, all the executives of the Mage Guild that were cooperating with Iaski on his ritual were apprehended, and the Mage Guild has stopped operations for an indefinite amount of time.


    It seems like the Knight Order investigated the Mage Guild¡¯s headquarters and the Sorcery Tower, but the results were apparently not that good.


    ¡°The magic circle there doesn¡¯t make sense after all.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Aah.¡± (Souma)


    You can move rooms with the teleportation circle there, but the place you get teleported changes over and over depending on the number of times teleported, the time of the day, moreover, the phase of the moon too.


    I wouldn¡¯t have been able to explore it properly without looking at the Wiki, so it must have been pretty tough for the knights that are first timers.


    ¡°There¡¯s a whole lot of weird tools lying about, and they would explode all of a sudden if they are touched! Also, all contraptions are nasty in nature!


    When night came, the eyes of the skulls at the entrance would shine and it was really scary!¡± (Maki)


    Maki talked on and on as if completely into it.


    However, from what I know, there shouldn¡¯t be a mechanism like that that makes the eyes of the skulls in the Mage Guild shine.


    If it is not actually the deed of ghosts, the people of the Mage Guild might have done something to the skulls as a parting gift.


    ¡°I see. There are people who do some crafty pranks.¡± (Souma)


    I said this indignated and¡­


    ¡°No, that¡¯s¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki was about to say something, but when she made eye-contact with me, she sighed and said ¡®¡­It is nothing¡¯.


    Her reaction makes no sense in its own way.


    ¡°Also, the Grand Church was a big issue.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Aah, the magic circle of the city, huh.¡± (Souma)


    There¡¯s a mechanism that takes mana from the magic circle to gather mana little by little from the people of the city to create a light pillar, and the Mage Guild utilized that.


    The roofs of the city were repaired quickly under the orders of the king, and the Grand Church now has the splendid light pillar back, but it is not like everything is back to how it was.


    It is now known just how the light pillar of the Grand Church works.


    That light pillar was called a miracle light in the past, but I doubt there are many people who are happy that their mana has been used as fuel for it without their permission.


    It seems like protests from the citizens flooded onto the Grand Church.


    Within the people that went to the Grand Church to protest, there were those who would complain that they were not feeling well, and the King decided to close the Grand Church temporarily.


    Even if the magic circle of the city absorbs MP, it is only a little, so I doubt that would hamper their health, but the nocebo effect does exist.


    It might be a bit of an overblown reaction, but the Grand Church is the one who has profited from the ¡®miraculous light¡¯ until now.


    This is what¡¯s called getting your just desserts.


    ¡°But if it is causing such a ruckus, doesn¡¯t that mean you are still busy?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Hmm, yeah, but Father seems to not want me to be in the castle, or like, he wants me to be by your side, Souma.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Huh? My side? Why?¡± (Souma)


    The talk suddenly was thrown to me, and I asked back in surprise.


    But it seems like Maki doesn¡¯t know the reason well either.


    ¡°Who knows. But he said that he had something important to talk with you about, so to come with you next time to talk.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Alone with the king?¡± (Souma)


    What¡¯s that? That sounds like it would be extremely awkward.


    ¡°An important talk, huh¡­¡± (Souma)


    There was no such event in the game.


    Could it be that there¡¯s a big incident brewing that didn¡¯t happen in the game?


    That said, it bothers me a lot that he is trying to make Maki stay by my side.


    The important talk of the King and the unnatural attitude of Maki.


    How do those two relate? I can¡¯t even begin to imagine.


    ¡°Ah, that aside, he also told me about inviting you guys to our home.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Home, you say¡­ You are referring to the castle, right?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yeah, the castle.¡± (Maki)


    Maki nodded easily.


    ¡°You know¡­it seems like something bothers him about Ringo-chan.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°¡­Me?¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo tilted her head.


    But I feel like I know the reason why the King is interested in Ringo.


    If not for the wish of Maki to the tanzaku, Ringo would still be the princess, in other words, the daughter of the King.


    The memories should not be there, but he might have felt something from Ringo who is his actual daughter.


    ¡°There really is a lot going on.¡± (Souma)


    I tried to wrap it up nicely like that, but¡­


    ¡°Wait, I was this close to being deceived there! More importantly, the stone slate, quick! Let¡¯s watch the 2nd Chapter with me!¡± (Maki)


    Looks like I couldn¡¯t wriggle myself out of that one.


    Maki dug out the topic again, and grabbed my arm as if telling me we should watch it at once.


    The one who got angry at that was Sazan.


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t joke around! Souma will be watching the 3rd Chapter with me! W-We promised to!¡± (Sazan)


    He said this and grabbed the opposite arm.


    We can watch the video together even with only one finger touching, but Maki and Sazan were grabbing my arms tightly.


    ¡°You people¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Y-You two, stop it.¡±


    I was about to warn them, but Leila unexpectedly admonished the two.


    She tore me away from the surprised Maki and Sazan, and¡­


    ¡°I-I am the one who will stick to S-Souma!¡± (Leila)


    She shouted nonsense while clinging tightly onto my arm she stole away.


    ¡°T-The arm of Souma has been my designated seat since long ago!¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Give it back! That¡¯s mine!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°No, it is mine.¡± (Souma)


    My retort rang in deaf ears and my surroundings grew noisy with those 3.


    ¡°¡­The Evil God Great War, huh. I am a bit interested in it myself.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Mitsuki?!¡± (Souma)


    Even Mitsuki, who would normally enter to mediate things in these occasions, had her eyes shine vividly and her cat ears were flapping in interest.


    The Bear grinned¡­but let¡¯s ignore that.


    I looked at Ringo who is my last hope, however, she is still expressionless but looking somewhat jealous.


    It seems like the stone slate of the Evil God Great War is more popular than expected.


    ¡°Aaah, geez, I get it!¡± (Souma)


    There will be no end like this.


    I grabbed the arms of Mitsuki and Ringo, no questions asked, and pulled them to me forcefully.


    ¡°U-Uhm¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki, who was leaning completely against my body, looked at me with her cat ears flapping nervously.


    I take out the stone slate from my bag as if to answer that gaze of hers.


    ¡°Now that it has come to this, let¡¯s watch it all together! However, from the 1st Chapter!¡± (Souma)


    Complaints will occur no matter who I see it with anyways.


    In that case, it would be better to watch it together with everyone.


    I tell them this clearly.


    ¡°Y-Yeah, I think that¡¯s a truly great idea¡­ Yeah.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears nodded in agreement while she was within my arms.


    There were no objections from the 3 that were arguing, and the moment they heard what I said, Maki grabbed my right arm, Sazan my left, and Leila leaned onto my back.


    The Bear climbed onto the top of my head.


    It seems like preparations are complete.


    But there was one¡­


    ¡°¡­Is it¡­okay?¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo alone looked up at me as if uneasy.


    ¡°Okay as in what?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­You say everyone¡­but¡­¡± (Ringo)


    The beautiful blue eyes shook uneasily.


    Eyes as if she were asking me whether it is okay for her to be here.


    Ringo would sometimes look at me with those lonely and frail eyes as of recently.


    But I don¡¯t really get what¡¯s making Ringo uneasy here.


    Even so¡­


    ¡°Do you not want to, Ringo?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this, Ringo grabbed my clothes.


    ¡°¡­I am happy being together with Souma, but¡­¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°In that case, you don¡¯t have to worry. It is okay.¡± (Souma)


    I don¡¯t know if my words really reached the heart of Ringo, but¡­


    ¡°¡­Hn, got¡­it.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo nodded weakly but clearly.


    That¡¯s plenty enough.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s begin.¡± (Souma)


    And so, I extended my hand to the stone slate and touched the letters.


    ¡­Without a clue that that would be the start button of a tragedy.


    The next morning.


    The center of our conversations when we were gathered at breakfast naturally became that of the Evil God Great War recording of yesterday.


    It seems like experiencing the past of a historical figure is apparently a pretty big happening for the people in this world.


    Even the expressionless Mitsuki had her cat ears twitching in excitement as she spoke about the video they saw yesterday.


    Everyone gets along well normally, but the conversation really livens up when they have a topic in common.


    The dining room was around 50% more lively than normal, and I would join in the conversation every now and then, as I thoroughly enjoyed this peaceful morning.


    It was at that moment¡­


    ¡°They are getting pretty heated up here. What is everyone talking about?¡±


    Someone spoke behind me.


    I looked back with a smile and¡­


    ¡°Aah, Ina. It is of course about last night¡¯s¡­¡± (Souma)


    I spoke that much and froze.


    ¡­Last night?


    Speaking of which, last night, Ina and I¡­


    ¡°Ah, thank you very much for tagging along with my training yesterday! I haven¡¯t been able to sleep at night because of so much happening, but thanks to your help, I slept like a log yesterday after eating¡­ Ehehe¡­ Hm? Souma-san?¡± (Ina)


    Ina thanked me with a cheerful smile, and I¡­no, we couldn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡ªThe night that day.


    It goes without saying that we ended up having to watch the 1st Chapter again.


    ¡ª¨C


    Author: The people who seriously forgot about Ina, raise your hand without shame!

 CH 191

    Light


    Dark


    ¡°Richter, lend me your strength!!¡±


    Saying this, he held aloft the sword tainted in an ominous black, the Knight Sword, Richter.


    ¡°Kuh! As if I will let you!!¡±


    The one facing him was a big man with blue skin.


    ¡ªThe Demon General, Riglath.


    The old vanguard of the humanity invasion, and a war seasoned warrior.


    He closed the distance with leg power that would be impossible for a human to bring out.


    But¡­


    ¡°Wa, disappeared? ¡­Above!¡± (Riglath)


    Riglath snapped back and looked up, but everything was too late.


    What was there was the figure of a swordsman jumping high up with the sun at his back.


    ¡°Cra¡ª¡± (Riglath)


    ¡°Ultimate Technique: [Eternal Heaven Soaring Blade]!!¡±


    The blade swung down from high altitude easily split Riglath apart.


    The Demon General that turned countless people into corpses had finally fallen on his knees in front of a human.


    ¡°Impossible¡­ Me¡­against an inferior life form¡­¡± (Riglath)


    The Demon General left those last words and disappeared into a mist of light.


    After seeing this, the swordsman turned around and muttered something as if talking to the jet black blade.


    ¡°¡­I have avenged you, Richter.¡±


    And then, after hearing those words, the scenery around changed in one go and¡­


    I have returned to my own room in the blink of an eye.


    I slowly separated my finger from the stone slate that lost its light, and sighed.


    ¡°Man, that was one exciting development!¡±


    What I saw just now wasn¡¯t real.


    It is a past recording of the Evil God Great War.


    But this is an extra video created to have the people of Japan playing Nekomimi Neko enjoy it.


    The one who actually made this wasn¡¯t the developer but the mysterious power that created this world, but the concept has been inherited and surpassed.


    Thanks to this, this recording now has high entertainment value.


    Especially the 8th Chapter that is a turning point of the story. It was incredibly heated.


    This time around it was the fight against the vanguard of the human invasion, the Demon General Riglath, but the demon Richter that was in the rival position until now rebelled against the Evil God because of the death of his subordinate, and joined forces with Alex and the others.


    Even with that, they were still on the verge of losing against the Demon General, the severely injured Richter sacrificed his own body and used an item called the Dragon¡¯s Treasure.


    He changed his body into a sword, and with the power of Richter now entrusted to Alex, he finally defeated Riglath after an intense battle.


    And it seems like I am not the only one who was excited from that heated development.


    ¡°T-That was so impressive! Impressive¡­ It was impressive!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Stop shaking me already, Sazan.¡± (Souma)


    Sazan shook my arm while displaying his pitiful vocabulary.


    ¡°Wuuuh, even though Rihiter-san was such a nice person¡­¡± (Ina)


    Ina was in the opposite direction, tears rolling down from her eyes while holding my hand.


    No, that¡¯s not all.


    When I looked a bit up from the hand Ina was holding, there¡¯s Maki hugging my arm, and there¡¯s Leila sticking right on my back, breathing roughly.


    Ringo is between my legs, Mitsuki is frozen up without moving with her chest touching me lightly, the Bear is on top of my head; it is an abnormal situation where a total of 6 people (plus a plushie) were sticking onto my body.


    Since the day we watched the 1st Chapter together, all of my comrades would gather in my room at night, and it has become an everyday event to watch the stone slate.


    ¡°At any rate, half of it is already over, huh. I am hesitant about watching the continuation of it.¡± (Ina)


    Ina finally noticed she was holding my hand this whole time, and let go of my hand with her face slightly red, and muttered those words.


    I can understand those feelings of hers too.


    How to say it, rather than following the trails of a hero, it feels more like we are watching a series.


    It is saddening when the series you like ends. It seems like this world has books and manga, but from what I know, there¡¯s no TV or movies.


    This recording must be special for Ina and the others.


    ¡°Yeah, but it is not like we can¡¯t watch it again, so we could do so again anyti¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I said this without thinking and stopped myself after noticing.


    It is not anytime¡­


    Once we finish watching all of this, my promise with Sazan will be fulfilled.


    When I do, I will be able to obtain the spell that might allow me to return to my world.


    Of course, I will have to do a variety of experiments first, and depending on the situation, might have to cease the idea completely.


    Even so, there¡¯s no assurance that I can show these videos to Ina and the others all the time¡­


    ¡°¡­Souma-san?¡±


    I returned to my senses at the somewhat questioning¡­no, somewhat uneasy voice of Ina.


    Even though I was thinking I should say something, words didn¡¯t come out.


    The one who saved me from my distress was Ringo.


    ¡°¡­Souma, was the Dragon¡¯s Treasure also¡­in the game?¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡± (Souma)


    The atmosphere changed at the sudden question of Ringo that didn¡¯t read the room.


    ¡°I was curious about that too. I have not heard of an item that can change humans¡­no, this time around it wasn¡¯t a human, but an item that can change living beings into a weapon.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki joined in on the question and the words that I found difficult to finish were washed away.


    ¡°Y-Yeah, the Dragon¡¯s Treasure was in the game too. Or more like, it is said it is necessary to create the strongest weapon.


    That¡¯s because a certain percent of the stats of the person that become a weapon will become a straight up +modifier.


    It doesn¡¯t increase things like Agility and Stamina, but just by having a high level character holding a transformed weapon, they can increase their strength by several dozens of levels, so there¡¯s no way it wouldn¡¯t be strong.


    The Dragon¡¯s Treasure can only be obtained at the endgame, and you have to sacrifice a comrade to use it, so there aren¡¯t many who would use it, but it is an item that will always appear when discussing which is the strongest.


    I don¡¯t know where it originated, but the weapon created from the Dragon¡¯s Treasure was called the Sand Dragon Sword and treated specially.


    The Dragon¡¯s Treasure was a drop from a devil type monster endgame, but even in the recording it doesn¡¯t change the fact that it is an important item, and aside from the fact that the devil Richter held it, there¡¯s apparently only one handed down in the royal family.


    ¡°But well, it is an item from Nekomimi Neko, so there¡¯s obviously a downside. When you use the Dragon¡¯s Treasure, you can choose the type of weapon you are changed to, but¡­¡± (Souma)


    When you shout the name of the weapon and your own name, the weapon transformation will begin, but a lot of weapon candidates have been prepared.


    With just the sword category, there¡¯s already: sword, greatsword, knight sword, tune sword, decorative sword, butcher, beheading sword, rapier, uchigatana, wooden sword, light saber, giant cross, radish, a plain wooden stick, and many others. Aside from standard weapons like the spears and axes, there¡¯s throwing weapons like: rock, shuriken, kunai, darts, boomerang, chakram, super ball, fork, grenade, talisman, coin, gyaru¡¯s panty.


    Moreover, there¡¯s for some reason musical instruments like: harmonica, guitar, harps, pianica, lute, shamisen, xylophone, pipe organ, and grand piano. Furniture category items like: chairs, desks, sofas, beds, darumas, fireplace, kotatsu, and barbeque sets.


    Anyways, there¡¯s a lot of directions you can change into, and depending on what¡¯s decided, the visual and weight changes depending on the result.


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem with that? Leaving aside whether it is necessary or not, I think it would be a good thing to have a lot of choices.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki tilted her cat ears and asked this.


    I think so too.


    But that not being the end is what makes it Nekomimi Neko.


    ¡°Yeah, I think so too, but even when you choose the direction you are changing, your weapon type always ends up as a sword.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Wa?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears stiffen in surprise and I explain with a sigh.


    ¡°As I said, it must have been a pain for them after increasing the direction of the transformations too much.


    Even if you choose a spear or an axe, or a sofa, or a grand piano, all of them will be treated as a sword.¡± (Souma)


    I saw a surreal video of someone using a sword skill with a grand piano before. It was horrible.


    It is the opposite pattern of the Shiranui that has the size of a sword but the reach of an Otachi.


    Because slashing skills have a lower range than the size of a grand piano, it won¡¯t hit the enemy no matter how you shoot it.


    Mitsuki was left speechless at this and Maki also frowned at the side.


    ¡°Uwaah. This game really is¡­uuh¡­what was it? You know, cra¡ªno, p-poop¡­¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Trash game. A trash game.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°That¡¯s right! That¡¯s it! A trash game!¡± (Maki)


    I want Maki to have more memory and shame.


    Also, I don¡¯t mind it when I use the word trash game myself, but I for some reason don¡¯t like it when others do.


    I got a bit pissed about it and raised my voice.


    ¡°N-No, but¡­the Dragon¡¯s Treasure is truly strong, you know?! If you can¡¯t use it as a weapon, you can still hold it in your opposite hand as a sub-weapon, and if you have several of them, you can do even more incredible things!


    The production method for the strongest weapon using that is already in the Wiki and¡­¡± (Souma)


    What I am reminded of is the Sand Dragon Sword Loop Method which is the worst strengthening method of a character.


    The Dragon¡¯s Treasure not only uses the stats of the character, but also the stats of the equipment.


    The equipment will be destroyed when you do, but in exchange, even if the person that used the Dragon¡¯s Treasure has low stats, if they had equipment with high stat modifiers like¡­


    ¡°Uuh¡­Souma-san?¡±


    That¡¯s when my eyes met Ina¡¯s and brought me back.


    What was I thinking?


    I don¡¯t really want to go as far as sacrificing someone to become strong, and there¡¯s no enemy that would need that in this world.


    I shake my head as if shaking off the wicked thoughts.


    ¡°Basically¡­that¡¯s not it.


    If you instead make it a weapon smaller than a sword, it would have a higher range when using skills just like with the Shiranui.


    I have used the Sand Dragon Sword, in other words, a weapon of the Dragon¡¯s Treasure once.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°That means you changed someone into a weapon?¡± (Ina)


    I had trouble speaking for a moment at what Ina pointed out.


    But I can¡¯t play off this one.


    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s an old man called Joseph deep in the eastern mountains.


    No matter what anyone does, they will definitely die after 100 days of the game from natural causes.


    That¡¯s why I earnestly requested of him and he accepted becoming a weapon.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­I see¡­¡± (Ina)


    The intensity of Ina weakened.


    It is not easy to make others use the Dragon¡¯s Treasure.


    There¡¯s no skill or spell that makes others say what you want, so you have no other way but to ask them in the normal way.


    You are basically asking the person to die, so it won¡¯t succeed unless you have quite the high affection, and no matter how much you increase the affection, depending on the character, there are those that won¡¯t allow you to use the Dragon¡¯s Treasure on them.


    ¡­By the way, the number one person that won¡¯t let you use this on is the mage that is ignoring our talk and playing around with the stone slate, Sazan.


    I explained to them just now with ¡®earnestly requested¡¯ so that they would get it easily, but I actually went to Joseph¡¯s place countless times, raised his affection close to 100, and asked him to let me use the Dragon¡¯s Treasure.


    ¡°And so, was that weapon useful?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki took the place of Ina, who couldn¡¯t find words immediately, and asked for the continuation.


    But I didn¡¯t answer clearly to her.


    ¡°I wonder. It wasn¡¯t that useful as a weapon, but the modifiers were certainly useful.


    But I barely used that weapon in the end.¡± (Souma)


    It might be possible in this world, but the weapon of the Dragon¡¯s Treasure can¡¯t be placed in the weapon synthesizer of the game, and you couldn¡¯t change the weapon type.


    That¡¯s why, even if the weapon is smaller than a sword and works well in tight turns, the Sand Dragon Sword that can¡¯t use the important Otachi skills doesn¡¯t have much use.


    Also, the stats of Joseph were not that impressive, so I couldn¡¯t expect any drastic effects.


    But the biggest reason is¡­


    ¡°¡­Sacrificing someone to become strong didn¡¯t really feel right for me.


    Even though I knew they were just game characters.¡± (Souma)


    I said ¡®I am an idiot, right?¡¯ in a self-deprecating manner, and my hand was held tightly.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s not true.¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Ina?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I¡­I think that¡¯s a good side of yours, Souma-san!¡± (Ina)


    I got embarrassed by the passionate words of Ina and averted my face.


    I hurriedly made an excuse.


    ¡°N-No, it is not such a nice reason like that.


    It is hard to use a sword, also, you know, there¡¯s also the problem of the name.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Name?¡± (Ina)


    The name of the Sand Dragon Sword is chosen by the type of the weapon and the first name of the person used.


    For example; when Richter became a Knight Sword, the name Knight Sword Richter is forcefully decided.


    Also, not being able to customize the weapon also means that you can¡¯t change the name of the weapon too.


    I said this with an embarrassed smile as if regretting my past mistake.


    ¡°Cause you know, Gyaru¡¯s Panty Joseph sounds lame.¡± (Souma)


    For some reason, a cold silence hit the room.


    We utilized that opportunity to disperse, and returned to our own rooms.


    ¡°You really are always Souma no matter when.¡± (Maki)


    Maki said this as she left, baffled.


    ¡°I am curious about what you were in the middle of saying about the many uses for the Treasure, but¡­I am sure that¡­will reveal it.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki left those mysterious words as she pointed at the stone slate and exited the room with her cat ears waving bye bye.


    Well, they are all a quirky bunch, so there are some who won¡¯t go back.


    First, I convince Leila who wasn¡¯t getting away from me no matter what; pushed the stone slate onto Sazan, who was trying fruitlessly to read even more information out of it, and shooed him out of my room; and just when Ringo was about to leave the room after helping me out in making the others leave, I remembered that instance of before.


    ¡°Ah, wait, Ringo.¡± (Souma)


    Being called to a stop, Ringo looked back with her hand on the doorknob.


    ¡°Thanks for before. You saved me there.¡± (Souma)


    At the time when I was troubled with what to say to Ina, Ringo deviated the conversation for me.


    We are talking about Ringo here, so I don¡¯t think she did it on purpose, but I at least wanted to thank her.


    I thought for sure that Ringo would get confused at my sudden gratitude, but¡­


    ¡°¡­I support you¡­Souma.¡± (Ringo)


    She answered with mysterious words and disappeared to the other side of the door as if running away.


    ¡°Support, she says¡­ What does she mean by that?¡± (Souma)


    I really don¡¯t get what Ringo says as always.


    However, the side-profile of Ringo before she closed the door was strangely sad, and that face of hers didn¡¯t leave my mind for a while.

 CH 192

    Light


    Dark


    This might be the first time since coming to this world that a peaceful time has passed.


    Aside from training my skills every now and then, I have been using almost all of my daytime for the sake of my comrades.


    What I do depends on the person, but I would help out in the training of Ina, would go to the dojo for practice together with Mitsuki, would get extorted for the entrance fee to enter the library by Sazan, would bring Ringo around the city to eat, would do the requests that Maki would arbitrarily accept, would challenge cooking dangerous ingredients with Leila, would have the Bear introduce me to the residents of the mansion¡­you know, a lot.


    There are times when other comrades would be together with me at those moments, and times when they would act separately.


    But they would all naturally gather at night and we would watch the stone slate recording together.


    We are being called the heroes that defeated the Demon Lord, but the adventure of Alex and the others is completely different from ours.


    They don¡¯t use bug techniques to attack the enemy, won¡¯t use teleportation skills craftily to enter places they can¡¯t, and won¡¯t drown the Demon Lord.


    They utilize the basic systems of Nekomimi Neko, yet, their adventure advanced like a proper one.


    The 9th Chapter was about Alex and his group after defeating the Demon General. They left the frontlines to the master swordsman Luden, moved to the solitary island south of Lamurick, and met the tribe called the Seal Lineage.


    In the 10th Chapter, they met the blind girl called Neitia who is a young priestess of the family and sealed the fragment of the Evil God in her own body, and promised that they would definitely save her.


    The 11th Chapter is about them heading to an old fortress called Old Castle relying on the information they got of the Seal Lineage, and a large-scale battle happened against the evil giants residing there.


    In the 12th Chapter, they took the trial of gods at the inner altar of the Old Castle, and obtained the only weapon capable of going against the Evil God, the absolute Divine Sword, Ultihate.


    The 13th Chapter was about him wielding the power of Ultihate, and successfully defeating the Evil God Fragment residing in Neitia after a hard fought battle.


    All of them were interesting as a story, but there were many events that a Nekomimi Neko freak shouldn¡¯t ignore.


    Areas and events that were not implemented in the game, as well as items that were impossible to obtain, were clearly shown in the recording.


    First, the solitary island south of Lamurick was outside the map of the game, so it was of course an unimplemented area. There are giants in the Old Castle and an altar hinting at something, but even when you went there, no event happened.


    I may be getting out of topic here, but in the forums, there would be people who would say ¡®I went to the altar of the Old Castle, but nothing happened¡¯ and people would always answer with ¡®wasted effort¡¯ as if mocking them.


    And then there¡¯s the absolute Divine Sword Ultihate that Alex got.


    Only its stats have been publicized but it wasn¡¯t implemented in the end. A weapon Nekomimi Neko players desired.


    The appearance and abilities of Ultihate were published before the game was sold.


    According to the data, this weapon has even higher attack power than all weapons including the Soul Eater of the hidden dungeon, and the weight is the lowest denominator: 0.


    Not only that, it nullifies the long distance attacks as long as you hold it, and has an unbelievable ability like increasing all the stats depending on how many allies are within the field. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that it has the best performance out of all weapons.


    The visuals of the weapon had a lot of dedication to it, so there were obviously high expectations for this weapon, but when the game came out, there was no Ultihate in sight, and it disappointed many players.


    I imagine they didn¡¯t have the ability to implement the nullifying of long range attacks and changing the effects depending on the number of people in the field, but the truth is unknown.


    I feel like a lawsuit for false advertisement could have hit them for that, but well, this is one of the things you could find often in Nekomimi Neko.


    However, it will probably be difficult to obtain this.


    The condition to begin the event at the Old Castle is apparently for Neitia to say the keywords, and we would have to head to the solitary island in order to find a priestess.


    The subsequent trial of God that begins after that is only a really bad match with me.


    Only one person can take the trial, moreover, no matter how great your physical capabilities are, your body will be restricted to that of an average person.


    You obviously can¡¯t use a single skill and spell.


    The details of the trial is to advance straight through a path that¡¯s around 2 meters in width and 30 meters long, and touch the Divine Sword that¡¯s at the end. Sounds simple, but blades of light will come flying at you from all directions each step you take that can kill you in one hit.


    Alex, who should now have the physical capabilities of a normal human, showed off his strong natural reflexes and instincts to avoid them like an action movie, but that¡¯s not something I can imitate.


    I would most likely be split in two at the first step.


    And then, at the end, aside from the arrows that were flying out from above and the sides, arrows came flying from below, in other words, from the middle of the road which I found to be really nasty.


    It would be impossible to avoid it your first time even as a seasoned Nekomimi Neko player.


    But now that I have seen it, I can now confirm that this event is not completely original from this world, but an extension of the Nekomimi Neko game.


    The difficulty of the game that doesn¡¯t think at all about the people playing it, as if telling you to learn by dying, is a telltale.


    This is certainly something the developers of Nekomimi Neko thought of, but wasn¡¯t implemented.


    This world really isn¡¯t Nekomimi Neko itself, but an append disk where extra content has been included. The ¡®Complete Version of Nekomimi Neko¡¯.


    You could say that this Nekomimi Neko world is even more complete than the game itself.


    ¡­Well, despite this being the complete version, the bugs not only remain but I feel like there¡¯s more, but that¡¯s most likely what makes Nekomimi Neko.


    The topic deviated a bit there, but there¡¯s still more reasons as to why Ultihate is necessary to defeat the Evil God.


    The gem at the heart of the Evil God, that gem that¡¯s called the Orb in the Evil God Great War, can apparently divide the Evil God depending on the power of the Ultihate when you attack it with a skill.


    The Evil God will obviously weaken the more it is divided, and the size and powers of the Evil God will be proportional to the size of the Orb, and the skills it can use change too.


    The thing is that, when you defeat the fragments, it will get absorbed by the remaining fragments, so if you really want to defeat the Evil God, you have no choice but to defeat it when it is whole.


    This is also information I didn¡¯t hear before in the game, but it does make sense.


    The Evil God Fragments I have met are the fragment from the hidden boss in the game located under Lamurick, and the fragment at the sacrifice altar after coming to this world, but because the fragment at the sacrifice altar was small, it didn¡¯t use the AoE attack, Genocide Wave, like the one under Lamurick.


    It really seems like the abilities depend on how big the gem that serves as its heart is.


    According to the information from the recording, aside from the giant Evil God Fragment being able to speak freely, there¡¯s also a mist that doesn¡¯t allow the other party to escape, miasma that inflicts status ailments, the ability to steal a single item from a dead enemy, and also the ability to get through dimensional walls.


    I also didn¡¯t understand well what this ¡®getting through dimensional walls¡¯ was, but it is basically an ability that lets it freely go through isolated maps.


    In other words, things that would imprison the enemy won¡¯t work on an Evil God Fragment of a certain size.


    In that sense, you could say that the Evil God Fragment that has been imprisoned underground in Lamurick is still small.


    In that case, how do you seal an Evil God like that? You either have to sacrifice a certain percent of the country to do a large-scale sealing spell that stops its movement, continuously use attacks 24/7 that will trigger the self-regeneration of the Evil God once it hits critical point, or seal it inside your body like Neitia who has the affinity to.


    Of course, all methods lead to big sacrifices.


    There¡¯s no way the hero of the people, Alex, would be okay with that, and with Divine Sword in hand, he faced the full form of the Evil God after defeating the fragment¡­is what I thought chapter 14 would be about, but¡­


    (This is horrible¡­) (Souma)


    In this world, people and monsters turn into light particles and disappear when they die.


    It doesn¡¯t leave a body or blood, but seeing the destroyed road and the burning houses, you can tell what happened in that place.


    ¡°Why?! Why did something like this¡­¡±


    What was awaiting Alex and the others after obtaining Ultihate was a destroyed city by an attack of the Evil God.


    Monsters were rampant and people were running around; a true hellscape.


    And then, at the frontlines they arrived at, an especially big monster showed up accompanied by many monsters.


    ¡ªEvil God, Dis Aster.


    Its appearance isn¡¯t that different from the Evil God Fragment I saw in the game.


    But the size is on a whole different level.


    Is its overall length around 15 meters?


    Rather than a living being, it was more as if a small mountain was moving.


    ¡°So you have come, humans.¡±


    And when the Evil God acknowledged Alex and his group, it unexpectedly spoke with a terribly hard to understand ear-ringing voice.


    No, it might not be unexpected.


    According to the information of the Seal Lineage, an Evil God Fragment that is close to complete has intelligence and can talk.


    But it seems like you are surprised on an instinctive level when a giant being like this actually talks.


    The heroes cowered unconsciously and got ready. That guy showed an ugly smile with its giant face, and slowly extended its right arm to the front.


    I thought it was an attack, but it wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°¡­You forgot¡­something.¡±


    What was dropped in fragments from the giant right hand was a destroyed thin sword.


    The famous sword that only two exist in the world: Swallow Edge.


    ¡ªThe sword of the master swordsman Luden who was fighting on the frontlines.


    The moment Alex understood the meaning of this, he roared.


    ¡°Dis Asteeeeeeerrrrr!!!!¡±


    That became the starting signal to a life or death struggle.


    Every single one of them is a top tier combatant and are called the Top Ten including the now gone Luden.


    They may be one step behind Nekomimi Neko players in the way they use skills and magic. They are all super outstanding combatants comparable to Mitsuki.


    The double sword Hero, Alex, with the knight sword Richter in his right hand and the Divine Sword Ultihate in his left.


    Supporting her allies in dark and light, alternating between high level swordsmanship and magic on the frontlines, the Light Princess Ciel.


    More acquainted with fire and light magic than anyone, and known as the user of the strongest magic in history, the Great Mage Nameless.


    Having fulfilled her own duty, her talent in magic was awakened by the tutelage of Nameless, the Dark Priestess Neitia.


    A mysterious mercenary using a one-bladed sword called a katana and possessing outstanding speed and swordsmanship, the Nekomimi Swordsman Shizuru.


    Despite his brawny appearance, he uses healing magic more delicately than anyone, the Macho Healer Giyamon.


    No matter how terrible the conditions, the lonely hunter never lets prey escape, the Godly Archer Loden.


    Despite having the brightest personality of them all, she defeats the enemy with fearsome assassination techniques without them noticing, the Reaper Fin.


    The little sister of Ciel, possessing mana that doesn¡¯t lose to her sister, providing healing and support to her allies, the Moonlight Princess Luna.


    Every single one of them fought desperately.


    Especially the work of Hero Alex.


    He would cover his comrades with his body by using the power of the sword to nullify the long range attacks, and would slice up the Evil God inexhaustibly with the raised stats of the Divine Sword and the Sand Dragon Sword.


    ¡ªBut that reached a limit.


    Dis Aster continues regenerating  unless the heart is destroyed, so there was a clear difference in endurance compared to the humans that have limited HP and MP.


    The first crack happened at the frontlines.


    ¡°Hehe, your back is open!¡±


    The assassin Fin didn¡¯t lose her brightness even at a time like this and slashed at the arm from the back, but¡­


    ¡°Fin! Run!¡±


    ¡°Eh? ¡­Ah.¡±


    It was just an instant.


    The assassin girl that had approached the Evil God too much was wrapped around tentacles in an instant, swallowed, and¡­crushed.


    ¡°Are you kidding me? No way, Fin¡­¡±


    Alex stood in place dumbfounded as if the deadly struggle of just before was a lie, and the Evil God stretched its tentacles with an air of composure.


    It wasn¡¯t an attack.


    It was like a redo of the conversation before the battle.


    What was dropped in front of Alex was a crushed bracelet.


    It is an important bracelet gifted to her by the kids at the orphanage Fin came from.


    ¡°¡­Trash.¡±


    That word of the Evil God filled with malice made Alex snap completely.


    ¡°Uaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!¡±


    He charged mindlessly, different from the intense yet logical fighting style of before.


    (How nasty¡­) (Souma)


    I frowned while watching this.


    It seems like the special ability of the Evil God about taking a piece of equipment from the enemies it defeats is to provoke its enemies.


    This is most likely a cutscene that the Nekomimi Neko developers thought of, but that¡¯s just like them in the bad sense.


    The downfall precipitated after that.


    The state of the battle that was barely being maintained with a 9 vs 1 was clearly going to crumble with one gone.


    ¡°Alex, calm down! If you lose your calm, the enemy¡ª¡±


    ¡°Princess, watch out!¡±


    The next victim was the God Archer Loden.


    A beam was shot at Ciel who was trying to calm down Alex, and it pierced the body of Loden, who covered for her, in an instant.


    ¡°Loden? Damn it¡­DAMN IIIITTT!!¡±


    Seeing Loden fall, Alex was angered even further, but that didn¡¯t change the situation.


    The Evil God released miasma from its whole body to fight against Alex and the others who had gathered up.


    Some would be paralyzed, some were slept, some were hit by the tentacles while trying to avoid the miasma; the hard struggle of Alex and his group rang pitifully and they fell right there.


    ¡°¡­This is¡­as far as you go¡­it seems.¡±


    ¡ªExcept for a single girl called the Light Princess, Ciel Eluna.


    Ciel was casting healing magic on Luna inside the swirling miasma, and ran to where Alex was.


    But what Ciel did after getting to where Alex was wasn¡¯t to save Alex, but to take the sword in his hand, the sword that the Devil Richter transformed into: the Knight Sword Richter.


    ¡°Ciel¡­?¡±


    He didn¡¯t understand what was happening.


    Ciel smiled gently at Alex who was making that face and¡­with the Knight Sword Richter in hand, she raised a small gem in the opposite hand.


    ¡°Could it be¡­¡±


    The Dragon¡¯s Treasure that¡¯s said to only exist within the ranks of the demons and the royal family¡­


    She raised that and¡­


    ¡°Alex, I loved you¡­ I leave this world to you¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop it! Don¡¯t do it, Ciel!!¡±


    The girl still had a sad countenance even in the face of those words¡­and speaks¡­


    ¡°Knight Sword, Ciel Eluna.¡±


    The change happened in the blink of an eye.


    The pristine white skin turned into a white blade, and her beautiful silver hair became its tip.


    The lovely girl rescinded her flesh and was reborn into a holy sword that vanquishes darkness.


    ¡°¡­Ciel.¡±


    I don¡¯t know what Alex thought or what kind of face he made when he said this.


    However, the eyes of Alex when he stood up with the Knight Sword Ciel in hand had strong unyielding light.


    ¡°¡­Evil God, Dis Aster. I will¡­be the one¡­to end you!¡±


    Alex silently announced this and then¡­


    ¡°¡­Ah.¡±


    The recording left in the stone slate ended, and we were returned to our room.


    We looked at each other¡¯s faces for a while and couldn¡¯t say anything.


    The story was a positive one until now, so we couldn¡¯t adapt to the drastic shift.


    I understand how it is as a story.


    The heroine sacrifices herself to provide power to the protagonist.


    You could say it is a development you see often.


    I also understand it in a game mechanic way.


    Create a weapon using the gear modifier of the Dragon¡¯s Treasure.


    In other words, if a person holding a Dragon¡¯s Treasure weapon uses a Dragon¡¯s Treasure, the weapon that will be born will become ¡®the previous character¡¯s modifiers+the current character¡¯s stats¡¯, and will become a powerful sword that can¡¯t be compared to just a single Dragon¡¯s Treasure.


    I understand the logic.


    I do, and yet, maybe because I have grown way too attached to Alex and his group, I couldn¡¯t swallow reality.


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s end it here for now.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki, who was the least shocked compared to others, opened up with this, and everyone began to leave one after the other.


    And the last one to remain was Mitsuki.


    I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much meaning to Mitsuki being the last one.


    There was probably no hidden intention to this.


    But that must have relaxed me, so I ended up speaking my opinion for this time¡¯s story to Mitsuki.


    ¡°¡­That was surprising. Even though I should have known, seeing people die like that is a bit¡­¡± (Souma)


    No, I have seen people die countless times in movies and games.


    But the reality is different this time.


    We have also fought the Demon Lord and the Evil God Fragment.


    One false step and we might have had casualties.


    Thinking about it in that way, I couldn¡¯t help but feel it close to home.


    ¡°Right. But that¡¯s how difficult of an endeavor it is to save the world.


    It is not something you can achieve without any sacrifices.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Yeah, you might be right there.¡± (Souma)


    I should have been aware of the ever present risks of death.


    But it is weird how it was pushed at me at this point in time.


    I was facing down here, but Mitsuki spoke to me gently.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t make that face. You are the savior of the nation, the Hero Souma.


    You have saved the world without a single sacrifice, so you have achieved something even more amazing than them.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°No, but I¡­¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki softly placed a finger on my lips as if sealing my rebuttal.


    ¡°I have been witness to your actions.


    The good and the bad since Lamurick; I have witnessed it all.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Mitsuki¡­¡± (Souma)


    She has been together with me for about as long as Ringo, and in terms of the time we met, it was earlier than even Ringo.


    I can¡¯t say anything back if she puts it in that way.


    ¡°I will say this with that as my backing; you have worked hard enough.


    That¡¯s why I think it is okay for you to move ahead in the way you want without worrying about anything.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°As I want¡­¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki didn¡¯t answer my question and slowly separated from me.


    ¡°Tomorrow is finally chapter 15.


    The long adventure might be coming to an end.¡± (Mitsuki)


    I saw off Mitsuki, who left with those words, and I fell into thought.


    ¡ªThe end of the long adventure.


    Was she referring to Alex and his group, or¡­

 CH 193

    I felt a weight on my chest late at night and opened my eyes¡­


    ¡°Wa, uwaaa¡ªmgh!¡±


    I screamed at the ghost with long blond hair hanging down in front of me.


    But that ghost covered my mouth and tried to suffocate me¡ªhm?


    ¡°W-Wait! T-That¡¯s not it! It is not what you think!¡±


    The blonde hair ghost covering my mouth all flustered was without doubt¡­


    ¡°¡­Leila?¡± (Souma)


    One of my comrades and a yandere treasure hunter, Leila.


    ¡°Ah, I am sorry for w-waking you up.


    That wasn¡¯t my intention at all¡­¡± (Leila)


    ¡°No, that¡¯s fine.¡± (Souma)


    My sleep must have been shallow because the recording we saw before bothered me.


    I am not really angered at the fact that I was woken up.


    ¡°But didn¡¯t you come here because you had business with me? If there¡¯s anything you want to say, don¡¯t hesitate and¡­wait, Leila?¡± (Souma)


    Leila was staring at the palm of my hand as if she was entranced by it.


    When I called her name, she quivered and raised her head.


    ¡°Awa! T-That¡¯s not it! I won¡¯t lick it!¡± (Leila)


    She made an excuse that made no sense.


    ¡­It is a mystery, but there¡¯s no point in worrying about every single eccentricity of Leila.


    I repeated the question again.


    ¡°And so, what business did you have with me, Leila?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°U-Uhm¡­I wouldn¡¯t go as far as calling it ¡®business¡¯¡­¡± (Leila)


    Leila looked as if she had a hard time saying this for some reason.


    ¡°Y-You see¡­before I go to sleep, I normally use a life-size doll of Souma to practice talking with you for around 3 hours¡­¡± (Leila)


    ¡°I-Is that so¡­¡± (Souma)


    There¡¯s already nothing but things to retort to here, but I endured it and just chimed in.


    ¡°B-But there¡¯s times when I would feel this¡­hazy feeling¡­¡± (Leila)


    ¡°Eh? Like feeling horny?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°N-No! I do, but that¡¯s not it!¡± (Leila)


    So there are times when she actually does, huh -is what I thought but didn¡¯t say as I continued listening.


    ¡°Y-You know, like whether Souma is meeting someone else¡­or stuff like that¡­¡± (Leila)


    ¡°Aaah.¡± (Souma)


    Leila is a really jealous character, and there¡¯s a lot of girls around me now for some reason.


    There¡¯s probably times when she would think that.


    ¡°And so, at those times, I would unconsciously¡­bring that one¡­¡± (Leila)


    ¡°That?¡± (Souma)


    I tilted my head and she showed something in front of my face with an awkward smile.


    ¡°Yeah, this!¡± (Leila)


    ¡°Wa, uwaaah!!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Ah, no! That was a lie!¡± (Leila)


    Leila hid it behind her after I screamed, but that was clearly the producer of traumas, the Death Bringer.


    ¡°I-In other words, you would unconsciously use ¡®Death to the Infidel!!¡¯?¡± (Souma)


    I somehow managed to get my wits back and asked this. Leila went ¡®probably¡­¡¯ while scratching her cheek embarrassed.


    She is making a ¡®teehee¡¯ face, but the hand that is scratching her cheek is holding the Death Bringer and it is unbelievably dangerous.


    ¡°A-About this¡­when this comes out, my head blanks out and I can¡¯t do anything about it, but lately¡­I have been able to control it a bit.¡± (Leila)


    ¡°Eh, really?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yeah. I feel all hazy and phase through walls all the way to your chambers, and by the time I notice, your sleeping face is in front of my eyes and it feels like nothing matters anymore, and it just stops at some point in time.¡± (Leila)


    Meaning that once she sees me alone after burning in jealousy from her own imagination, the ¡®Death to the Infidel!!¡¯ stops.


    It didn¡¯t work like that in the game, but this is most likely the effect of having turned into reality.


    ¡°Wait, doesn¡¯t that mean it wouldn¡¯t have stopped if someone were by my side?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I-It is okay! At that time, I will do my best and stab the other party!¡± (Leila)


    I wouldn¡¯t call that okay at all¡­


    I feel my heart sank a bit there most likely from the fear.


    W-Well, someone sleeping by my side is honestly impossible though.


    I will just throw that worry to the side for now.


    ¡°Meaning that you just came here by coincidence and didn¡¯t really have any business with me?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Ah, uuh¡­the truth is that it wasn¡¯t only today¡­¡± (Leila)


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Souma)


    I froze at the unexpected words and Leila basfully spoke.


    ¡°Actually¡­I have been coming here every night recently¡­and looking at your sleeping face¡­¡± (Leila)


    ¡°Every night?!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Y-Yeah. My recent routine is to watch your sleeping face for the whole night, and go prepare breakfast around sunrise.¡± (Leila)


    It was a completely premeditated crime.


    ¡°You say you are watching me the whole night? Then when do you sleep?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked the reasonable question, Leila blinked as if she was hit unaware, and laughed as if saying ¡®oh come on~¡¯.


    ¡°I am watching your sleeping face, so I don¡¯t need to sleep.¡± (Leila)


    ¡°No, how does that even work?¡± (Souma)


    Well, you can heal lack of sleep with potions in this world, so there must be no problem with that, but it just feels off.


    Having my sleeping face be seen every night without my knowledge is also honestly not what I would consider comforting¡­


    ¡°Ah, w-wait! You haven¡¯t done anything weird to me while I was sleeping, right?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I-I wouldn¡¯t do something like that! I haven¡¯t touched a hair of you!¡± (Leila)


    ¡­That¡¯s a relief.


    Now that I think about it, the Leila of this world, even if she is a yandere, she is still a yandere with morals.


    I believe that she won¡¯t do anything I don¡¯t want.


    I was about to apologize for doubting her, and Leila insisted once more.


    ¡°The most I did was look at your sleeping face, get close and smell you, and suck the breath you exhaled!¡± (Leila)


    ¡°R-Right. You really didn¡¯t do anything that stra¡ªwait.¡± (Souma)


    Being smelled is pretty questionable, but what was that at the end?


    What¡¯s so fun about sucking the breath I exhale?


    Or more like, I can¡¯t even understand how she thought of that.


    ¡°Hm?¡± (Leila)


    Leila tilted her head with a face devoid of malice as if saying ¡®what¡¯s the matter?¡¯.


    Looks like sucking the air I breathe out is totally normal, and there¡¯s no room to question it.


    ¡°I-It is nothing.¡± (Souma)


    I feel like I would be dealt mental damage if I were to ask about this, so I decide to just forget it.


    ¡°A-Anyways, I am sorry, but I forbid you from looking at my sleeping face from here on.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°E-Eh?¡± (Leila)


    No, even if you make a surprised face¡­


    ¡°Obviously. Tomorrow is the last chapter of the Evil God Great War, so sleep for today.¡± (Souma)


    We are going to be watching the recording at night anyways, so it doesn¡¯t really matter, but you can call it an excuse.


    However, it seems like my words affected her in an unexpected manner.


    ¡°¡­I see. It is already the end, huh.¡± (Leila)


    The cheerful face of Leila withered down in an instant.


    That sudden change flustered me a bit.


    ¡°Was the story this time around shocking to you too, Leila?


    Like the Light Princess and the many comrades dying¡­¡± (Souma)


    It was actually a question I didn¡¯t intend to ask, but her answer was an unexpected one.


    ¡°If it is about the princess, I think that way is fine.¡± (Leila)


    ¡°That way is fine, you say¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Because she can be together with the person she loves forever after becoming a sword. I think that¡¯s not a bad way to end.¡± (Leila)


    I can¡¯t empathize with that.


    But it does feel like a way of thinking fitting for Leila.


    ¡°The story of the Evil God Great War will end tomorrow.


    Even if all his comrades die and the protagonist ends up alone, I think it would still be a happy end if he managed to save the world like that.


    I think the most painful thing would be to not be able to meet your loved one ever again despite being alive after all.¡± (Leila)


    ¡°Leila¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I get lost on what Leila is saying here for a second.


    It is as if she is saying¡­


    ¡°¡­Souma, is there anything you want to do from here on?¡± (Leila)


    ¡°Wa?¡± (Souma)


    I couldn¡¯t keep up with the sudden change of topic.


    Even so, I desperately turn my gears to break the awkward silence and wring out words.


    ¡°Right¡­ First, I would like to fight the monsters in the west marshland.


    There¡¯s apparently monsters I don¡¯t know there¡­no, it is not like there¡¯s any problem even if I don¡¯t defeat them though.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s all?¡± (Leila)


    ¡°Eh? No¡­¡± (Souma)


    When I said this, Leila made a strangely sad face, and I searched for more words.


    ¡°After that¡­uuuh¡­I will try to become the strongest?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Strongest?¡± (Leila)


    I originally had somewhat of an obsession with strengthening my characters in games.


    I don¡¯t hate high difficulty gameplay with restrictions and really close battles, but I actually like to increase the stats of my character by using doping items without much meaning after clearing the game.


    Well, the usual end to it would be that I would become too strong and run out of enemies to fight, boring me.


    But that¡¯s in games.


    The structure of this world is that of a game, but it is at the same time a real world.


    Becoming pointlessly strong in a single-player game is completely different from fulfilling your own sense of superiority on MMOs by going ¡®I am OP!¡¯.


    Becoming the strongest being in the real world really is something that would make your heart dance.


    This world still has an outstanding being like the Evil God, so I might not get bored for a while if I am aiming for the strongest.


    (It is just that¡­) (Souma)


    I noticed it is something I ¡®want to do¡¯ not ¡®have to do¡¯.


    It is basically something like ¡®extra content I would like to do after clearing the game¡¯.


    Now that I think about it again, there¡¯s nothing that makes me have to stay in this world.


    If I had to compare this situation to fiction, it would be¡­


    A story that has ended a long time ago when the Demon Lord was defeated or when the Mage Guild¡¯s conspiracy was crushed as a little extra.


    ¡°So you really plan on returning home, Souma.¡± (Leila)


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°You told me when you were still calling yourself Loic, right?


    That your homeland is somewhere faraway, and that you have to return.¡± (Leila)


    My eyes opened wide at the question thrown to me while I was sunk in my thoughts.


    ¡°W-Why¡­?¡± (Souma)


    Even though I haven¡¯t told Leila about me leaving or even about being from another world, and yet¡­


    Leila gave me a sad smile at my surprise.


    ¡°I can tell just by looking since it is about the person I love.


    No one is saying anything, but I think everyone else has also noticed.¡± (Leila)


    I didn¡¯t notice at all.


    But now that I think about it, Ringo, Ina, and Mitsuki have been acting a bit strange¡­


    ¡°So you are not denying it.¡± (Leila)


    I was brought back with the voice of Leila.


    Her eyes were filled with tears, and she was looking at my face with sadness.


    ¡ªI steel my resolve after seeing that face.


    ¡°There¡¯s something I must tell you, Leila.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Okay.¡± (Leila)


    And so I told Leila what I should have told her sometime before.


    How I came here with Maki, and what I plan on doing from here on.


    About the method to return to my world, about the fact that Maki and I may be the only ones that can return, that it is a one-way method; everything.


    Leila didn¡¯t say a single word while I was explaining this.


    But once I finished explaining, Leila leaked out¡­


    ¡°Can¡¯t you stay here?¡± (Leila)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­but I have to send Maki to her world.¡± (Souma)


    And I can¡¯t just throw Maki to our original world all on her own.


    ¡°In that case¡­could you kill me before returning to your world?¡± (Leila)


    ¡°What are you¡­¡± (Souma)


    I peeked at the face of Leila from the sudden words.


    Even more darker eyes than I imagined were there, and I was left speechless at this.


    ¡°Cause I won¡¯t know how to live when you are gone.¡± (Leila)


    I had no response to those way too heavy words.


    But even if so, I have to say something.


    I extended my hand softly, and placed my hand on top of Leila who was sitting on the bed by my side.


    ¡°Souma¡­?¡± (Leila)


    I placed proper emotion on every single following word I spoke to Leila who had her eyes wide open.


    ¡°Even if so, I want you to live, Leila.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Okay.¡± (Leila)


    The answer was low and frail.


    Even so, she still nodded and that relieved me for now.


    ¡°It is not like you will be gone immediately, right?¡± (Leila)


    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s a lot to prepare. I plan on staying here for a while.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s a relief.¡± (Leila)


    I sighed heavily and Leila stole glances at me every now and then.


    It seems she is feeling better now.


    Being relieved now, I asked her what¡¯s the matter, and Leila spoke shily.


    ¡°You see¡­is it okay to request something from you so that I do my best?¡± (Leila)


    ¡°What is it? If it is something I can do, that¡¯s fine.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°It is fine?!¡± (Leila)


    ¡°Eh, y-yeah¡­¡± (Souma)


    I was a bit taken aback by how excited Leila got.


    But Leila was holding the hand I placed on top of hers tightly at some point in time, and couldn¡¯t escape anymore than I already have.


    ¡°You see, there¡¯s something I want you to gift me.¡± (Leila)


    ¡°Gift?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Ah, but it is not something expensive or anything like that.


    A-Also, I will treasure it almost as much as Souma, the second thing I will treasure the most in this world¡­¡± (Leila)


    I thought that was an exaggeration, but considering how much she treasured the Nekuranomikon that I gave her, I feel like she would go that far.


    ¡°And so, what¡¯s this you want?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°R-Right. About that¡­¡± (Leila)


    When I asked this, Leila raised her head that¡¯s usually facing down and said with a sparkling smile.


    ¡°¡ªI want your baby!!¡± (Leila)


    ¡°T-That was close¡­¡± (Souma)


    I closed the door and sat flatly on the bed.


    I basically pleaded her to go back at the end, but if she had been a bit more aggressive, I might have fallen clean there.


    ¡°Man, to think Leila was that impressive¡­ Yeah, that¡­¡± (Souma)


    I think back to the events of just now and¡­


    ¡°Oh right, that¡¯s not it.¡± (Souma)


    I come back to my senses and forcefully bring back my face that was about to turn into a grin.


    ¡°I also have to think properly about this.¡± (Souma)


    About the future, about my original world, about this world¡­


    I shouldn¡¯t stop my thoughts with Maki as the excuse, I should be more serious about it.


    Will the last chapter of the Evil God Great War serve as a guidepost for this?


    ¡°Anyways, everything will come to tomorrow¡­ Hm?¡± (Souma)


    I say this while throwing myself onto the bed, and that¡¯s when I noticed something strange.


    The warm sensation on my back was a bit strange.


    ¡°What¡¯s¡­this?¡± (Souma)


    It looks like a part of the blanket is bulging.


    Judging from the position, it wouldn¡¯t be a pillow. Did I put something here?


    Wondering this, I tried lifting the blanket and¡­


    ¡°B-Bear?!¡± (Souma)


    There was the Bear trembling there.


    I wondered why this time, but speaking of which, I do have an idea.


    The Bear would crawl into my bed at night sometimes.


    The Bear might have entered my bed like usual before Leila came to my room.


    Speaking of which, I woke up when I felt a weight on my chest, and Leila said ¡®if there¡¯s someone sleeping together with you, I would stab them¡¯.


    If it was scared about the words of Leila that didn¡¯t care if the one by my side was a man or a bear plushie, she would mercilessly stab them¡­


    ¡°Y-You escaped with your life there, Bear.¡± (Souma)


    When I said this, the Bear hugged me tightly.


    It must have been really scared there.

 CH 194

    Light


    Dark


    The morning that day was strangely noisy.


    ¡°¡­What are you guys doing?¡± (Souma)


    The residents of the mansion who are the dolls, the long haired woman in all fours, the red handed one, and the expressionless blue haired girl were making a ruckus while scrambling over something sparkly.


    ¡°Wait, seriously, what are you doing, Ringo?¡± (Souma)


    Now that I look closely, no, I don¡¯t even need to look closely to tell that Ringo was also naturally mixed into the struggle of the mansion¡¯s residents.


    When I asked this, Ringo stopped in place, and after looking at me for around 3 seconds, she tilted her head.


    ¡°¡­Training?¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°No, even if you ask me¡­¡± (Souma)


    She gave me an unclear answer.


    But well, I can somewhat understand what Ringo is trying to say here.


    Ringo was using skills and Skill Cancel to move around restlessly within all that scuffling for the sparkly thing.


    The mansion residents were moving their joints in the opposite direction and throwing each other which is outrageous in itself too, but this might unexpectedly serve as battle practice.


    ¡­Yeah, but I noticed that what these guys are fighting over is the key of the mansion.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, but finish it up by breakfast, okay? Also, properly bring that key with you.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Hn, I will¡­do my best.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo nodded lightly and returned to the key battle filled up with determination.


    There¡¯s most likely a rule that they won¡¯t give the key back unless you get it with your own effort.


    Losing the key would be troubling, but Ringo, who tends to look sad lately, seems to be having fun, so that should be fine.


    (Well, if push comes to shove, I can just call the Bear.) (Souma)


    By the way, Leila must have been really scary for the Bear, it shut itself inside my adventurer bag and hasn¡¯t come out since.


    Shutting itself inside my bag is questionable, but I am sure it will show its face when it gets bored.


    ¡°I will be heading to the dining room first then.¡± (Souma)


    I wished Ringo good luck and left the place.


    ¡°Hm, it is you?¡± (Souma)


    When I went to the dining room, there was Sazan with the stone slate and a notebook on the table, writing something with a serious face.


    ¡°Hoh, it is you, huh. Leila was all motivated for some reason. It seems like it will take a bit more time before breakfast is done.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°¡­I see.¡± (Souma)


    I think I have an idea as to why Leila is motivated and at the same time I don¡¯t¡­


    ¡°Why are you grinning all of the sudden? So creepy.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°N-Not really. I haven¡¯t remembered anything.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Remembered? What are you saying all of a sudden.¡± (Sazan)


    I averted my gaze from the questioning look of Sazan below his mask, and pointed at the notebook opened in front of him.


    ¡°A-Anyways, it is rare for you to be writing something. What are you writing about?¡± (Souma)


    When I threw that topic to him, he puffed his chest out a bit and faced the notes towards me.


    ¡°Can¡¯t be helped. If you want to know that much, I don¡¯t mind showing you.¡±


    I didn¡¯t say a single word about wanting to see it, but well, it would be a pain to have a quarrel here, so I grab the notebook while going ¡®yeah yeah¡¯.


    The notebook looks the same as the ones used in Japan and doesn¡¯t seem to have anything special to it.


    No, a notebook existing in a medieval world setting is already weird in itself, but aside from that, there¡¯s a number of entries emphasized with circles.


    ¡°I have summarized in an easy to understand way the information of the Evil God we got from the recording.


    It is actually information that could be considered top secret, but you were a big contributor in being able to write this down. And so, I-I am making a special exception here and showing o-only you.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Is that s¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I thought he was being hardworking here despite appearances and peeked at the notebook, and then froze in place.


    ¡°Well, uhm¡­what¡¯s this?¡± (Souma)


    Sazan snorted at my questioning look.


    ¡°Hm? What, you were not watching that recording properly?


    These are obviously all the special abilities that the Evil God was using!!¡± (Sazan)


    Being told this, I looked at the names of the special abilities again.


    The Slaughterer Flash, Kill Beam.


    The Annihilator Roar, Genocide Wave.


    The Dimensional Destroyer, Dimension Breaker.


    The Memories of the Remaining, Deadly Memory.


    The Omen of Destruction, Disaster Sign.


    The Isolation Density, Shutter Mist.


    The special ability names that really show half-assed knowledge of English have a lot to retort about, but more importantly¡­


    ¡°How did the skill names turn chuunibyou-like?!¡± (Souma)


    Now that I think about it, I feel like the Evil God was shouting the names of the abilities, but there¡¯s no added voices to the recording, so the ability names are not shouted by a narrator dramatically with letters showing on the screen.


    Or more like, what¡¯s this Slaughterer Flash?


    Can¡¯t it be Kill Beam like normal?


    But well¡­I do admit it is cool.


    ¡°Good grief, you really don¡¯t get it.¡± (Sazan)


    I threw a totally normal question here, but Sazan responded with a mood as if telling me I am an idiot.


    ¡°It is obviously the image.


    Or more like, weren¡¯t you watching the recording?


    Weren¡¯t letters shining in your head when the Evil God used the special abilities?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Stop it! I will end up imagining it the next time I see it, so stop!¡± (Souma)


    How are you going to take responsibility if in the last chapter we watch today, I will imagine the words [The Annihilator Roar] or something like that!


    The serious scene will turn into a gag in an instant.


    ¡°Of course, the extra text is my original.


    I would actually be charging for the use of them, but if it is you, I don¡¯t mind if you use them for free¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°I won¡¯t! If I do, it will only be for a little bit in my mind!¡± (Souma)


    After shouting it all out, I sighed.


    It always ends up going in a weird direction when I talk to this guy.


    I calmed myself down and gave back the notebook.


    ¡°At any rate, you¡­you really still intend to fight the Evil God even after seeing that?¡± (Souma)


    Seeing that recording where even deaths showed up, it is probably commendable that he hasn¡¯t lost his fighting spirit.


    ¡­No matter how you think about it, I doubt Sazan would be able to win against that with his power.


    ¡°Obviously. Defeating an Evil God Fragment has been my goal since way back.


    Also, I have told you I have memories of fighting the Evil God even if they are faint, right?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Aah, the memories of Nameless that were left in the bracelet, was it?¡± (Souma)


    Sazan lowered his gaze to his own bracelet at my words.


    ¡°Yeah, but I barely have any memories of the time when he called himself Nameless.


    Nameless is the post name at the time when he threw away his name and became a mage under the service of the royal family. He received a new name from the hero worthy of his duty after the Evil God Great War.


    What remains in the bracelet is mostly the events that happened after that, and most of the memories related to the Evil God are missing from the bracelet to a point where you would think it was on purpose.¡± (Sazan)


    Was it a battle he wanted to erase from his memories?


    Or was there another reason?


    ¡°But there¡¯s one thing. It seems like he left some words regarding the Evil God to us descendants.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Hoh, what did he say?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this, Sazan said with a serious face that didn¡¯t suit him.


    ¡ª¡°You must not fight the Evil God at any cost.¡±


    I gulped.


    From what I could see in the recording, Nameless is the strongest mage in the Nekomimi Neko world.


    He specialized in fire and light, and comparing the power of the spells, he most likely had way more ability in magic than Sazan.


    Even someone like that left words about never trying to fight it, so the Evil God really must be an unbelievable opponent.


    ¡°I tried writing down the abilities of the Evil God, but I think it still has hidden abilities.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°¡­Is it okay to fight an enemy that your ancestor told you not to fight?¡± (Souma)


    When I said this, Sazan laughed it off.


    ¡°Hmph! I am the descendant of an eminent family, the world¡¯s strongest dark magic user, and the Great Mage Sazan-sama!


    ¡­Also, if I feel like I definitely can¡¯t win even after researching about it, I can just not do it.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°You¡­¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s pretty pathetic, but I was instead relieved by his usual behavior.


    ¡°Today will be the last chapter.


    The hidden ability might be made clear with that, and you might be able to see the unknown past of my ancestor.


    For you, it would be a chapter that you definitely must not miss.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± (Sazan)


    But the energy of Sazan suddenly got weaker.


    He looked down as if something bothered him.


    ¡°What, aren¡¯t you happy?


    Weren¡¯t you really into watching the recording?


    We are finally hitting the climax and all¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°It is not like I am not looking forward to the last chapter.


    I do want to watch it.¡± (Sazan)


    I tilted my head at Sazan who seemed to be sulking.


    ¡°Then, why are you giving such a lukewarm reaction?


    In order to show you this I have¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I was about to continue what I was saying, but Sazan suddenly stood up.


    He violently spoke as if pissed off.


    ¡°You really are one dense guy!


    There¡¯s no way I can just be happy about it!!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Sazan¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I was taken aback by the sudden threatening attitude, and he spoke in one go.


    ¡°Once we finish watching the last chapter today, my promise with you will end.


    When that happens, you people¡­you will be returning to your original world.


    That¡¯s why I¡ª!¡± (Sazan)


    But at that moment¡­


    The words of Sazan that were increasing in passion were suddenly cut off.


    Sazan made an even more dumbfounded face than mine as he looked to the side.


    I naturally faced in that direction and¡­


    ¡°Ringo¡­¡± (Souma)


    Ringo was standing there with the key of the mansion in hand.


    ¡°Ah, n-no, that just now was¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan seemed like he was about to make an excuse, but it didn¡¯t turn into any meaningful words.


    ¡°¡­Key. I thought¡­about giving it¡­back.¡± (Ringo)


    She spoke with a lot of pauses and a pale face while walking all unsteadily my way.


    This behavior¡­there¡¯s no doubt about it.


    It is clear that Ringo heard Sazan talk about how I am going to be returning to my world.


    I doubt we will be able to hide it here anymore.


    I took a deep breath and looked straight at Ringo.


    Ringo shook as if scared for some reason once we made eye-contact.


    ¡°Sorry for keeping it a secret until now. Uhm, I¡­¡± (Souma)


    I tried to tell everything to Ringo.


    But I couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Ringo?!¡± (Souma)


    Ringo did something I couldn¡¯t even imagine.


    The moment I spoke, Ringo closed her eyes tightly and shook her head, grabbed the stone slate on top of the table, and ran off with it.


    ¡°P-Please wait!¡± (Souma)


    I shouted this and her shoulders quivered for a moment, but Ringo ran off the room just like that.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± (Souma)


    I hurriedly chased after her.


    I have more Agility than her.


    I should be able to catch up to her if I chase after her right now.


    ¡°R-Ringo-san?! Souma-san too?!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Sorry, Ina! Later!¡± (Souma)


    I passed by Ina who opened her eyes wide in the corridor, and single-mindedly chased after Ringo.


    Ringo looked back and noticed my chase, but she didn¡¯t stop even with that and went up to the 2nd Floor¡­


    ¡°Wait, hear me o¡ª¡± (Souma)


    Jumped into a certain room that has the door open, and closed the door.


    I chased desperately after her but I was one step late.


    ¡°¡­Damn.¡± (Souma)


    I scratched my head in front of the room.


    When I did, Sazan and Ina caught up to me.


    ¡°Souma!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Souma-san!¡± (Ina)


    I waved lightly at the two who shouted, and I once again faced the door in front of me.


    ¡°This place is¡­¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± (Souma)


    The room Ringo entered is the Thief Shoo Shoo room that Sazan and I have been in before.


    It is a trap for intruders, so you can¡¯t open the door from the inside or the outside without the mansion key that Ringo has.

 CH 195

    Author: I wonder why, even though reading tragic developments or tragic ends makes you want to go ¡®damn it, dieeeeee author!!!¡¯ Writing them is super fun.


    Ah, so that¡¯s why tragic ends don¡¯t disappear from society.


    ¡ª¡ª¨C


    ¡°Ringo, please come outside for now. Let¡¯s have a proper talk.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°R-Ringo-san! I will hear you out if you have any worries!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°If you don¡¯t come out quickly, I will eat your breakfast too!¡± (Sazan)


    Me, Ina, and Sazan called to her facing the trap room¡¯s door in that order, but to no effect.


    It is impossible to come in or out of this room without the key, but there¡¯s no doubt the sounds from the outside do reach the inside.


    Judging from this, the chances of Ringo coming out by her own volition is low.


    ¡°¡­What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    While we were making a ruckus in front of the room in that fashion, even Mitsuki appeared.


    ¡°Aah, actually, just now¡­¡± (Souma)


    I hesitated for a bit there, but I quickly explained the situation without hiding my promise with Sazan.


    ¡°I see, so that¡¯s how it was.¡± (Mitsuki)


    I was wondering what to do if she were to lose it like Ringo, but her reaction was unexpectedly light.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t that surprised.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yeah, I imagined that would be the case after all.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki said this easily.


    So it really was obvious.


    ¡°Actually, Ringo-san also noticed this.


    No, I think she was the one that was the most aware of this.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Ringo did¡­¡± (Souma)


    It is true that the one who has acted the most differently lately has been Ringo.


    But then why did she get that flustered?


    I tilted my head and Mitsuki said with a gentle tone.


    ¡°Ringo-san most likely didn¡¯t do this just to trouble you.


    Why did she get this cornered?


    ¡­You know why, right?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Ringo, who always prioritized me more than herself, has taken such a drastic action like this.


    Even I can tell that there must be something big here.


    ¡°In that case, please be kind to her. Because she¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki paused for a moment there, looked straight into my eyes, and said with a serious face¡­


    ¡°¡­She is your one and only little sister after all.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡° No, that¡¯s not true though.¡± (Souma)


    Or more like, that misunderstanding was still there?


    I told them about my meeting with Ringo when I explained to them about this world being a game, so I thought the misunderstanding that we are siblings was cleared.


    However, Mitsuki already had a feeling that Ringo and I were not blood-related siblings.


    No, we had zero sibling factors on us, but anyways, it seems like a story about me making Ringo my step-sibling because she was all alone in the world had unfolded in the mind of Mitsuki¡­


    Mitsuki spoke such a terrible misunderstanding with such a confident face, so after that, her cat ears folded as if saying ¡®Don¡¯t look~! Don¡¯t look at me~!¡¯.


    Well, leaving aside the misunderstanding of Mitsuki.


    ¡°¡­Yo.¡± (Souma)


    I raised a hand and did a greeting after entering the room, and Ringo, who was curled up in a corner of the room, stood up as if taken aback.


    She took distance from me all flustered, but there¡¯s no way there would be anywhere to escape to inside this room.


    She escaped all the way to the window of the room, and after finding no other means to do anything, she sat in place while hugging the stone slate.


    Her face was the very definition of expressionless when I first met her, but right now there were various emotions showing in her face.


    Unease, fear, guilt, and a bit of relief.


    Is this thanks to the growth of Ringo? Or is it because I can now read the emotions of Ringo?


    Thinking back on the short but dense time I have spent with Ringo, I ended up getting emotional for a moment.


    ¡°I wall-jumped with Infinite Mirage Prison. I can¡¯t use skills here, so that means I am trapped here too though.¡± (Souma)


    If at the time when you use Infinite Mirage Prison, the place you teleport to is a space where skills are nullified, the skill is immediately canceled, and you can move to that place just like how I did in the library.


    Entering a space where skills are nullified is fine and all, but that¡¯s obviously a one-way method.


    You can¡¯t use Teleport Stones in places where there¡¯s no mana or the mana is in disarray, so in the end, in order for me to come out of this room, I need to use the mansion key Ringo has.


    ¡­Well, I am honestly not that worried though.


    ¡°Can I?¡± (Souma)


    I try my best to not startle Ringo by slowly approaching her, and sit by her side.


    When I sat by her side, her shoulders shook as expected, but she didn¡¯t raise her lowered head.


    ¡°¡­Good grief, you are unexpectedly thoughtless, Ringo.


    You have to properly bring food when shutting yourself in a place like this.¡± (Souma)


    I said this with as much of a bright tone I could muster, brought out a gem from my pocket, and chant [Magical Pocket] and a dimensional tear appeared.


    ¡°See, this Magical Pocket gem is convenient because you can bring out tools even in a magic nullification space.


    You should have one on your person the whole time, Ringo.¡± (Souma)


    I forcefully put a Magical Pocket Gem in the pocket of Ringo, who didn¡¯t even spare a glance at the steaming breakfast and had an expressionless face as always.


    Ringo didn¡¯t react at all even with that.


    (Good grief¡­) (Souma)


    I was troubled in front of the recently made breakfast for two.


    I thought the breakfast and this gem would serve as an icebreaker, but it seems like mix-ups won¡¯t work on Ringo in her current state.


    It seems like there¡¯s no way of getting out of this situation aside from speaking my heart out here.


    ¡°¡­Sorry about that.¡± (Souma)


    The moment I apologized, Ringo, who didn¡¯t move an inch until now, suddenly raised her head and shook it.


    It seems like she wants to say I am not the one at fault.


    But that¡¯s not true.


    ¡°I should have told you properly that I am searching for a method to return to my original world.


    That¡¯s why¡­I am sorry.¡± (Souma)


    I lowered my head and a slender and cold hand was placed on my cheek.


    Ringo opened her mouth with outstanding energy.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s not it! Souma¡­is not at fault!¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Ringo¡­ But¡­¡± (Souma)


    Ringo finally spoke after seeing I still wasn¡¯t convinced about this.


    ¡°¡­I actually¡­noticed. The fact that Souma and Sazan¡­were searching for a way¡­to go back.¡± (Ringo)


    It seems like the read of Leila and Mitsuki was right.


    Looks like my secrets are completely see-through to my comrades.


    Well, I have already told everyone that I am searching for a way back.


    It isn¡¯t something I could keep hidden from Ringo and the others forever.


    ¡°¡­Even if Souma¡­goes somewhere far away¡­I will just search for Souma¡­until I find you.


    That¡¯s why I thought¡­about supporting you¡­so that you could return.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± (Souma)


    If I remember correctly, it was soon after coming to this mansion.


    When I asked Ringo what she would do if I returned to my homeland and she couldn¡¯t find me, she answered with ¡®I will search until I die¡¯.


    The emotions of Ringo hadn¡¯t grown to this point at that time, and I didn¡¯t take that answer seriously either.


    But being told this answer again, I was overwhelmed by the depth of the emotions thrown at me in those words.


    ¡°But¡­¡± (Ringo)


    It seems like that wasn¡¯t the end of Ringo¡¯s response.


    Ringo grabbed her clothes tightly to the point of wrinkling them as if enduring pain, and held her own chest.


    ¡°Thinking about the possibility of Souma leaving¡­I couldn¡¯t accept it.


    My chest hurt¡­I couldn¡¯t breathe properly¡­and I could only think¡­about not wanting Souma to leave¡­¡± (Ringo)


    Could it be that ¡­Ringo not feeling well since before the matter of the Mage Guild was because of the mental stress of me returning to my original world?


    I looked at Ringo in surprise, and something flowed on her beautiful face.


    It trailed its way to her chin, and fell as droplets.


    ¡°Ringo¡­¡± (Souma)


    Ringo is crying.


    But she still moved that small mouth of hers as if pushed by a sense of duty even while crying.


    ¡°I actually¡­had no intentions of¡­troubling Souma.


    And yet¡­but¡­that¡¯s why¡­¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo spoke messily in an uncharacteristic way of hers, and then, at the end¡­


    ¡°¡­I am sorry.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo lowered her head truly deeply with her beautiful blue hair trickling down.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t say anything.


    No, there¡¯s no way I could.


    Ringo was troubled and suffering to the point of literally affecting her body.


    Her taking the stone slate and running away must have been the result of those emotions losing their destination and exploding.


    In the first place, it is not like my way of going back will be lost without the stone slate.


    I might get a bit troubled by it, yeah, but Sazan would most likely help me out even without the stone slate, and -putting it bluntly- there¡¯s no point aside from buying time.


    Now that I think about it, Ringo taking the stone slate might be the first really small selfishness she has shown to me.


    There¡¯s no way anyone could blame her for that.


    Even so, Ringo apologized to me in tears, saying she got in my way, that she troubled me.


    What can I say to Ringo when she is like this?


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­


    I take a deep breath.


    And then, exhaled heavily.


    I am done delaying my decision.


    There¡¯s no need for excuses like the last chapter of the Evil God Great War or the way of going back not being certain.


    That¡¯s the only option to respect the feelings of Ringo who has laid herself bare to this extent.


    And now that I have resolved myself, for some mysterious reason, the answer that has been bothering me all the time until now slid its way to the surface.


    ¡°¡­Ringo.¡± (Souma)


    I spoke to Ringo who still had her head lowered.


    ¡°I really will be going back to my original world with Maki.¡± (Souma)


    Those words made Ringo¡¯s body tremble with shock that couldn¡¯t be hidden, but even so, she didn¡¯t raise her head.


    And then¡­


    ¡°But¡­¡± (Souma)


    I took that trembling of hers and everything else¡­and hugged the body of Ringo.


    ¡°¡­I will definitely return to this world.¡± (Souma)


    The slender body within my arms quivered.


    I prayed that it wasn¡¯t due to fear while I continued speaking.


    ¡°I have been worrying the whole time about this world or that world.


    Both worlds are important, so I can¡¯t make a decision, and I didn¡¯t want to.


    ¡­But I noticed that hesitating in itself is not like me.


    Choosing both is what a Nekomimi Neko player would do.¡± (Souma)


    I rouse up courage and look at the blue eyes down at my chest.


    ¡°Sou¡­ma¡­¡± (Ringo)


    The eyes of Ringo shaking with tears reflected my face.


    My eyes must be showing her figure too.


    ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t think it will be easy.


    It might take time, and there¡¯s no assurance that I can definitely return.


    Even so¡­¡± (Souma)


    I squeezed out all the emotions I could and asked Ringo.


    ¡°¡­Can you please believe in me and wait?¡± (Souma)


    New tears came out from Ringo¡¯s eyes.


    But they were wiped away by Ringo¡¯s own hand before they fell down her face.


    The clear eyes with no haziness anymore were looking straight at me.


    ¡°¡­I¡­will believe in Souma.¡± (Ringo)


    I was relieved from the bottom of my heart.


    My hands that were tightened at some point in time at the back of Ringo loosened.


    ¡°¡­Thanks.¡± (Souma)


    I am aware that I am saying something selfish here.


    It really might end up making Ringo suffer.


    I think so. I really do, but¡­


    ¡°But if you take too long, I will be the one going there.¡± (Ringo)


    While I was watching those clear eyes that had no hesitation or fear, I honestly believed that this was the best method for me and Ringo.


    ¡°¡­Souma, this¡­¡± (Ringo)


    Saying this, Ringo gave me the mansion key.


    If I use this, I can open the door of the trap room and meet up with everyone.


    That will wrap things up here.


    I hesitated for a moment, took the key from Ringo¡¯s hand, and then with the key¡­


    ¡°Oops, my hand slipped.¡± (Souma)


    I threw it to the corner of the room while saying this in monotone.


    ¡°¡­Souma?¡± (Ringo)


    My sudden weird action surprised Ringo and she looked at me.


    I escaped from that judging gaze of hers and said this.


    ¡°You are more stubborn than appearances tell after all.


    It can¡¯t be helped if it were to take time to convince you.¡± (Souma)


    Ringo still had a dumbstruck face even after I said this, so I laughed.


    ¡°That¡¯s why¡­let¡¯s stay here for a bit more.¡± (Souma)


    Ringo finally understood after those words.


    ¡°¡­Hn!¡± (Ringo)


    She responded with a bright and honest tone fitting her age, and jumped onto me.

 CH 196

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    We spent quite a decent amount of time inside the room just the two of us.


    But we can¡¯t just stay holed up for several hours either.


    ¡°¡­It is about time we go.¡± (Souma)


    I said this and Ringo made a slightly sad face, but she nodded obediently.


    And then¡­


    ¡°¡­Souma.¡± (Ringo)


    She nervously gave me her hand while speaking in an uneasy voice.


    It took me a while to notice that that meant she wanted me to hold her hand.


    From what I know, she wouldn¡¯t do it herself in situations like this.


    But today¡¯s development might have changed Ringo a bit.


    ¡°¡­Yeah, let¡¯s go together.¡± (Souma)


    I held that hand of hers and she nodded with a face as if energy had returned a bit.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± (Souma)


    I told her just that and used the key that we retrieved to open the door and leave the room while holding Ringo¡¯s hand.


    It won¡¯t be long until I won¡¯t be able to pull the hand of Ringo in this fashion.


    Until then, in order to not let go of that hand of hers for as long as possible, I¡­


    ¡°¡­You are finally out.¡±


    ¡°Ukyaaaaa!!¡± (Souma)


    I hurriedly threw away the hand of Ringo at light speed when I suddenly heard the voice at my side.


    ¡°W-What, it is just you, Mitsuki.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Who in the world did you think I was? You seemed awfully surprised there.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°N-No, it is not like I was expecting a specific person.¡± (Souma)


    For some reason, the face of a blonde girl holding a knife flashed in my mind for a second.


    ¡°More importantly, why are you here, Mitsuki?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this, Mitsuki dropped her cat ears to the side as if baffled by this.


    ¡°I saw that you two moved with my Explorer Ring, so I came to meet up with you.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°I-I see.¡± (Souma)


    She is overpowered in a lot of ways as always.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t worried, but from what I can tell, it seems like it went well.


    ¡­You two have nice faces on you right now.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki made a kind face, and I remembered I had to say something straight away.


    When I told her that I plan on returning to this world once again after going back to my world, Mitsuki answered with a calm voice.


    ¡°¡­I see. We are talking about you who always solves things with out-of-the-box methods. I imagined you would answer like that.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°R-Really¡­?¡± (Souma)


    As for me, I feel like that was the only answer I could bring out.


    ¡°Sorry for not being able to entertain you with a surprised reaction, but I am actually happy despite appearances.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°N-No¡­I can¡­tell that you are happy by looking at you.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s great then.¡± (Mitsuki)


    I nodded in order to hide my stiffened face at Mitsuki who was acting all cool here, and stealthily averted my gaze from her cat ears that were waving vigorously as if saying ¡®Yahoooooooooo! Booyaaaaaaaah!!¡¯.


    ¡°Ringo-san too, it seems like your worries have disappeared too.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­.Hn.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo nodded at Mitsuki and she held my hand tightly again.


    ¡°R-Ringo?¡± (Souma)


    I was surprised by this and unconsciously checked the reaction of Mitsuki, but Mitsuki simply laughed wryly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it matters. It would instead be strange to be bothered by just this much. It is not like you are siblings anyways, so¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­Hn?¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo tilted her head at the mysterious words of Mitsuki.


    Yeah, it is clear that the one who is bothered too much by this is Mitsuki, or more like, was that misunderstanding so damaging for her?


    ¡°Right. All three of us are here, so how about we put that together?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki said this and placed her hand on her chest.


    My heart began racing for a moment there wondering what was about to begin here, but what Mitsuki brought out was a pocket watch: the chronos watch I gave her.


    ¡°¡­Souma too.¡± (Ringo)


    I looked at the side where the voice hurrying me rang, and Ringo was holding her own Chronos Watch in her hand.


    Looks like I was the only one who couldn¡¯t tell just from the word ¡®that¡¯.


    I hurriedly bring out my own clock too, and bring it forward just like the two.


    The 3 clocks that have a scratch touched each other and made a nice clinking sound.


    Mitsuki spoke while looking at that with peaceful eyes.


    ¡°Please listen to the sound of this watch when you are on the verge of being crushed.


    Even if we are far apart, my heart will always be by your side.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Mitsuki¡­¡± (Souma)


    The words of Mitsuki that seeped in me almost made tears come out and I hurriedly held my breath.


    The iron masked face that had thrown away all concern aside from battle was not there.


    Mitsuki tied up words that were warmer than anyone else with a very human expression.


    ¡°Also, I won¡¯t be satisfied with just being by your side in heart, so I will use any means possible to be by your side physically too.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡± (Souma)


    I looked at Mitsuki in surprise, and the cat ears that were showing warm and human-like expressions were shaking up and down haughtily.


    ¡°Did you think I was an understanding person that would just obediently wait for your return?


    I have already finished saying my farewells to the people close to me and my father, and have wrapped up matters in my surroundings.


    Let¡¯s first try out if we can return to your world together.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Wa, eh, wait, Mitsuki¡­?¡± (Souma)


    My brain couldn¡¯t keep up with the sudden confession.


    Mitsuki grabbed my arm while I was standing still from the confusion, and held it tightly into her arms.


    ¡°S-Sof¡ªno, what do you mean¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Souma, let¡¯s go.¡± (Ringo)


    And then, Ringo said this with a slightly angered tone and pulled my hand.


    ¡°Eh? Wait, this, wa¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I couldn¡¯t tell left and right anymore. I did a round-trip between the gazes Ringo and Mitsuki, and Mitsuki giggled while still hugging my arm.


    ¡°Ringo-san!¡±


    ¡°Good grief, you have finally come out, huh!¡±


    For now, I had Mitsuki stop sandwich¡ªhugging my arm, and with her leading the way, we headed to the dining room where all of my comrades were gathered aside from Maki who is still holed up in the castle.


    I felt a bit bad about having them wait more than necessary, but I have no regrets.


    ¡°Everyone, please listen.¡± (Souma)


    It is not like this is to make up for that, but I once again tell everyone my decision.


    I told them I will bring Maki back to my original world, and then I will definitely come back to this world.


    The reactions of my comrades were varied.


    Sazan went ¡®Hmph! Obviously!¡¯ and looked away.


    Ina said ¡®Yes! Yes!!¡¯ as if moved while nodding.


    Leila held my hand and said ¡®I¡­I will be waiting forever!¡¯.


    Mitsuki simply smiled silently.


    And then, when the basking on the emotional moment ended, Ringo stepped forward.


    ¡°¡­I am sorry.¡± (Ringo)


    She stood in front of Sazan with unfaltering steps and gave him the stone slate.


    But Sazan shook his head at the stone slate offered to him.


    ¡°Please give this to Souma.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°¡­Me?¡± (Souma)


    It is true that me and Maki are the only ones who can activate the stone slate, but it is surprising to hear Sazan letting go of the stone slate.


    ¡°Got it. Then, I will hold onto it for now and once night comes¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°No, let¡¯s postpone watching the recording.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Postpone?¡± (Souma)


    I directed a dubious look at the unexpected words.


    I looked around, and everyone had puzzled looks.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really mind that, but postpone for how long?¡± (Souma)


    Tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow?


    I thought I had to change my plans depending on this, and Sazan easily said this.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know when.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°You don¡¯t know¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I was confused by the vague words of Sazan who was the most excited about the last chapter.


    But the voice of Sazan was still serious.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know for how long it will be, but¡­¡± (Sazan)


    He looked straight into my eyes from within the mask and said this.


    ¡°¡­It will be when you have returned to this world.¡± (Sazan)


    It was a complete surprise attack.


    I couldn¡¯t tell what Sazan was saying there for a second.


    It means the stone slate will be left be until I return to this world.


    In other words, Sazan won¡¯t be able to see the last chapter of the Evil God Great War ever if I don¡¯t manage to return to this world.


    ¡°Is that okay, Sazan? You were looking forward to watching the recording so much. And yet¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°What a foolish question. Or could it be that you don¡¯t have confidence in coming back to this world?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°¡­No, I definitely will come back to this world.¡± (Souma)


    I answered clearly and Sazan snorted once more.


    ¡°Hmph! Then there¡¯s no issue at all. It simply means that the time I get to enjoy imagining the ending will be longer.


    ¡­Well, I also believe in you, you know.¡± (Sazan)


    My chest heated up despite myself at the words he added in a low mutter.


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t look at me with that face! A-Anyways, I may have stopped it midway, but a promise is a promise.


    I will tag along in your spell acquisition! B-Be grateful!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°¡­Yeah, thanks, Sazan.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°H-Hmph!¡± (Sazan)


    I threw honest words of gratitude at him and, this time around, the shyness must have peaked, he faced away and didn¡¯t say anything more.


    ¡°Ah! C-Could it be that you will be leaving as soon as you get that spell, Souma-san?¡± (Ina)


    Ina was instead the one who let out a flustered voice, and Leila went ¡®E-Eh?! Even though we haven¡¯t done it yet?!!¡¯ drawing all the attention on her, but that was obviously needless worry.


    ¡°Nah. I have told Leila too, but we won¡¯t be able to go back that soon.


    There¡¯s still no assurance we can return with that, so I will experiment little by little.


    ¡­Also, there¡¯s still something I have left undone in this world.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Left undone?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears stood up, most likely curious at the words I added at the end.


    ¡°Yeah, I thought about this when I was talking to Ringo.


    There¡¯s something I want to do in this world no matter what.¡± (Souma)


    Thinking about the fact that Sazan is even restraining himself from doing the thing he wants to do because of his wish to reunite with me, I felt bad.


    But even with that¡­


    I really can¡¯t give up on this one.


    ¡°Before I return to my world, I have to head to the marshland west of here. I have to.


    It will bother me so much I won¡¯t be able to return to my world.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°The west marshland? Could it be¡­?!¡± (Mitsuki)


    I nodded lightly at Mitsuki who seemed to have noticed something.


    That¡¯s right, the marshland west is the unimplemented land in the game.


    The savage land where the real body of the Evil God is sealed and where monsters stronger than the ones in the Demon Lord Castle reside.


    ¡°It could be. I will head to the west marshland from here on and¡­¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s my lingering regret.


    The thing I must definitely do in this world no matter what.


    In other words¡­


    ¡°I will search for the monsters that were not in the game, and hunt hunt and hunt them all down!!¡± (Souma)


    The moment I announced this, Mitsuki and everyone else made questionable looks as they said ¡®okay¡¯.


    Within all that, Ringo muttered from behind ¡®¡­Outside the box¡¯ and that for some reason stabbed my heart.


    ¡ª¨C


    Author: Watch out, despair ahead.

 CH 197

    I want to go to the unimplemented land as fast as possible and search for new monsters, but there¡¯s something I have to do before that.


    Explain the situation first.


    Maki had come to the mansion past noon and made a ruckus going ¡®Eh?! We won¡¯t be watching the last chapter?!¡¯, but I somehow managed to convince her.


    After that, I once again told everyone aside from Sazan that I will be using a fused forbidden spell, Death Flash, which is a forced logout, in order to return to my world.


    I also explained to them that, aside from the Bubble Chain spell that I got from Leila¡¯s event, I also need to get the Stardust Flare that can only be obtained in Sazan¡¯s event.


    It goes without saying that Stardust Flare is a super wide range AOE and high power destruction spell.


    The bubbles that show up in the Bubble Chain spell will increase in their numbers when hit by a magic spell after its activation which is a nonsensical trait to have.


    If you use both of these spells at the same time, your vision will be filled up with bubbles and the sound of explosions, and the safety system of the VR machine gets activated.


    Well, to be more precise, a Death Flash happening is simply more certain if you use both Stardust Flare and Bubble Chain. I have heard that you can get a forced logout if you use two spells with intense effects.


    However, not only is it not an assured method, those spells are hard to obtain, so I thought about just going for the standard two this time.


    ¡°Can you two really return to your world if you use that?¡± (Mitsuki)


    The question Mitsuki brought straight out was sharp.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± (Souma)


    I have no way to tell if the will that created this world has taken the forced logout of Death Flash as a phenomenon in the game.


    And if it did take it as a phenomenon in the game, how will it be replicated in this world? That¡¯s the kernel of this plan.


    There¡¯s a high chance that this bug that included even the VR machine might have been judged to be an outside factor of the game, and doesn¡¯t exist in this world.


    I can¡¯t deny the possibility that even if it did exist, the forced logout could be judged as death, and we end up dying the moment we use it.


    Or¡­


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there the possibility that this world will disappear at that instant?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki makes a sharp statement.


    That¡¯s what bothered me the most.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say the chances are not there. However, I think that won¡¯t be happening.¡± (Souma)


    Different from the cases where the game is forcefully closed, in the case of a forced logout, the actions until then will be saved to a certain degree.


    I have not actually tried it myself, but if you choose ¡®continue from the previous interrupted instance¡¯, you can go back to the game screen¡­apparently.


    I am worried about what happens with the magic effects at that time and whether there¡¯s any issues when resuming, but the risks of forced logout ¡ú world destruction shouldn¡¯t be that high.


    ¡°But it is also true that the game will stop unless the player resumes it, so if that part is replicated ¡®the time in this world won¡¯t move unless I return¡¯.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­That would be¡­ideal.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo cut into my hesitant words with strange confidence.


    ¡°Ideal?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Cause Souma¡­will definitely return.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡®It would be easier instead since there¡¯s no need to wait¡¯ -is what Ringo said after.


    I could only fall silent in the face of those words that didn¡¯t have a shred of doubt.


    But it is true that if time doesn¡¯t advance no matter how many years pass, this certainly would be a convenient world transfer method.


    But the moment my thoughts reached that far, the ending of a certain SF story I read a long time ago showed up in my mind and I shook my head.


    No no, I don¡¯t think something like that can happen, so there¡¯s any need to worry, but if I take it too easy¡­


    ¡°¡­But there¡¯s still the possibility of losing your life the moment you use it.


    Now that we have come this far, I don¡¯t really want to be too negative about it though.¡± (Mitsuki)


    That¡¯s when Mitsuki adjusted my slightly deviated thoughts.


    But the real body-san on top of Mitsuki¡¯s head was shaking as if showing it is against this.


    ¡°Souma-san¡­¡± (Ina)


    Ina and Ringo were also looking over here, worried.


    ¡°It is okay~, it is okay~. I will test out this Death Flash first.


    Well, if that does destroy the world, the order wouldn¡¯t matter though~.¡± (Maki)


    The one who came in with a light mood was Maki.


    But what she said was something I didn¡¯t think of.


    ¡°No, what are you saying? The first one to test out this type of bugs is¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Muuh, you must not¡­ You are going back because I am here, right?


    In that case, at least let me do the most dangerous stuff.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Maki¡­¡± (Souma)


    I was left speechless when she looked at me with eyes filled with strong determination.


    Feeling that I would be overwhelmed here at this rate, I decided to put this matter on hold.


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s talk about that later. We should prioritize getting the Stardust Flare first.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Got it. But I won¡¯t be backing out from this one, okay?!¡± (Maki)


    With the strong words of Maki as the wrapping statement, we decided to move on to our plan for today.


    There was the suggestion of everyone heading to get the Stardust Flare, but this is honestly not an event where numbers are necessary.


    And so, we ended up doing our own respective things for today. We are moving separately on the afternoon. Sazan, Maki, and I decided to go get the Stardust Flare.


    As for why Maki is together with us, if a player is present when Sazan obtains the spell, the player can obtain the Stardust Flare too.


    There¡¯s the question of whether there¡¯s an opportunity for us to use that spell, but it is a spell that you can only learn in this event.


    And so, we concluded that it would be better for me and Maki to learn it since we both have the player attribute.


    ¡°Well then, I will go to Lamurick.


    Uhm, Mitsuki-san, thank you so much for the Teleport Stones!¡± (Ina)


    Ina got 3 Teleport Stones from Mitsuki and headed to Lamurick.


    She is going to go meet her savior, comrade, and healer, Thiel.


    She said she will stay there until night, and if Thiel wishes to, she will come back to the capital together with her using the Teleport Stone.


    Ina doesn¡¯t know, but Thiel is the only character that I wanted to marry in the game of Nekomimi Neko.


    I honestly do have lingering feelings, but I barely have any interaction with Thiel in this world.


    I told myself to be careful not to take a weird attitude even if I were to meet her.


    ¡°Then, me too.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°I-I will be going. I will learn a whole lot of dishes that give energy!¡± (Leila)


    ¡°B-Be lenient.¡± (Souma)


    Leila and Mitsuki went to the Hisame Dojo.


    It seems like Leila has had an interest in the cooking of Mitsuki¡¯s family, and she is using this opportunity to learn.


    ¡­I can only pray she doesn¡¯t learn more weird stuff.


    And the last one is the Ringo and Bear pair.


    ¡°¡­Hn.We are leaving too.¡± (Ringo)


    It seems like they will be heading to the castle to meet the king and queen.


    When it was decided that we would be moving freely in the afternoon, Maki said ¡®then come to the castle and meet Father and the others¡¯.


    It seems like the Rihito king told her ¡®how about bringing Ringo here?¡¯ today too.


    Ringo hesitated because of the sudden invitation, but if we are to believe the setting of the game, the king and queen of Rihito are good people, and they are the parents of Ringo.


    Also, there will be the need to increase the personal connections of Ringo for the time when I am gone.


    I pushed the back of the hesitating Ringo and she decided to visit the castle with that little push.


    That said, it seems like they have already been notified by Maki, and Ringo has a reliable bodyguard sitting on her shoulder.


    With this, there should be no worries for Ringo who doesn¡¯t talk much¡­though the more I think about it, the more I worry.


    Anyways, it is the mindset of letting a cute girl go on a journey.


    ¡°Well then, Ringo, be careful. Bear, counting on you with Ringo.¡± (Souma)


    When I said this, the Bear that was on the shoulder of Ringo made a reliable grin.


    Just when I was about to return to Sazan and Maki, relieved¡­


    ¡°¡­W-Wait!¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo¡¯s strangely high voice rang from my back.


    I wondered if she was nervous here, so I turned around, and Ringo jumped at me¡­


    ¡ª*Chu*


    I felt a soft sensation from my left cheek.


    ¡°Wa, eh¡­?¡± (Souma)


    Even though I know what was done to me, my brain couldn¡¯t keep up.


    I placed a hand on my cheek by reflex, and Ringo blushed bright red just like her name, and¡­


    ¡°¡­S-See you later.¡± (Ringo)


    She waved her hand lightly and ran off after saying those words that, depending on how you hear it, could be taken as having a hidden meaning.


    The acquisition of the Stardust Flare went shockingly smooth.


    Maki was in a bad mood at first for some reason, and was throwing complaints like ¡®good grief, what a stupid grin you have there¡¯, and Sazan seemed to be annoyed too. He gave me a weird sermon, telling me ¡®you have been salacious lately¡¯ or something. But both of them are people that live on the moment.


    By the time we arrived at the small shrine where the Stardust Flare was sealed, they had completely forgotten that they were in a bad mood, and were having fun.


    Nothing especially unexpected happened when we arrived at the shrine. With the medals that we got from the trials and the dark magic affinity of Sazan, we properly managed to go in, we managed to get inside, we half-listened to the awfully long story of the old mage that created the Stardust Flare, and we 3 safely obtained the spell.


    The problem was actually after learning the spell.


    ¡°We are done. Hmm, but I feel like it would be a bit too soon to return.¡± (Maki)


    The ones who went to the castle, the ones who went to the dojo, and Ina who went to Lamurick said that they would be returning late at night.


    But our business is over here.


    If we went straight back here, we will most likely be the fastest ones back.


    We coincidentally finished our business quickly, and we would end up returning faster than everyone else to the mansion.


    That¡¯s right, by coincidence!


    ¡°Then, since there¡¯s the opportunity, how about we go check out the marshland?¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s why I calmly proposed this with a mood like that of having thought about it just now.


    ¡°That¡¯s just you wanting to fight new enemies¡­¡± (Maki)


    ¡°I am also against fighting unknown enemies with these members.


    I prefer engaging in battle when there¡¯s an overwhelming advantage to trample on the enemies.¡± (Sazan)


    Maki showed her disapproval as expected.


    Sazan doesn¡¯t seem too into the idea either.


    But I can¡¯t withdraw here.


    I don¡¯t think I would be allowed to do too dangerous things with Ringo or Mitsuki around, so this is my chance.


    ¡°B-But you know, we¡¯ve got the time.


    R-Right! You would also want to test out the Stardust Flare, right, Sazan?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­true¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Seeing Sazan nod, I grin internally.


    It is two on one now.


    We are on the advantage here if it is by majority vote.


    I looked at Maki as if to say ¡®how¡¯s that?¡¯ but Maki showed a grin.


    ¡°Haah, but there¡¯s no need to worry that much.


    I thought something like this would happen, so I brought an amazing thing.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Amazing?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Tadah!¡± (Maki)


    What Maki brought out while making a sound effect was a way too familiar stone slate.


    ¡°Wa, that¡¯s¡­!¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s without doubt the stone slate of the Evil God Great War.


    It is the stone slate I said I would take care of, but it would be troubling if the item were to be gone when I move through worlds, so I decided to leave it at the mansion.


    Why does Maki have it with her?


    ¡°You see, I have had a thought.


    Sazan-chan believes that you will definitely return and has decided not to watch the last chapter, right?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s true¡­but don¡¯t call me Sazan-chan.¡± (Sazan)


    Unknown whether she actually heard Sazan who sounded displeased, she nodded and said this.


    ¡°If you believe he is going to come back anyways, watching it now would be the same!!¡± (Maki)


    This is what¡¯s called an unstoppable mouth, huh.


    ¡°N-No, but that¡¯s¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan seemed to be troubled by this too and muttered his disapproval.


    I do understand that way of thinking that if we are going to be returning here anyways, there¡¯s no need to go out of our way to leave things undone in this world.


    But it is more about the message here, or like, wouldn¡¯t this be a situation where we should respect the rare beautiful resolve of Sazan here?


    ¡°Right? So let¡¯s watch it secretly. Aren¡¯t you curious about it too, Sazan-chan?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Uh, it would be a lie if I were to say I am not curious¡­¡± (Sazan)


    It seems like the words of Maki have surprisingly shaken Sazan¡¯s heart.


    Moreover, the stars strangely aligned here and the light of the stone slate¡¯s letters have already returned most likely because we watched the video yesterday at a pretty early time.


    ¡°Y-You shouldn¡¯t. If we are going to be watching it, it should at least be at a place where everyone is present.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eeh, you are so stingy~!¡± (Maki)


    ¡°This is not a matter of being stingy. Come on, give it here.


    It would be terrible if you were to push the last chapter button by mistake, right?¡± (Souma)


    I say this and stretched my hand towards the stone slate, but Maki is not giving it back.


    She instead raised it high as if to get it away from me and¡­


    ¡°Muuh, you are such a worrywart, Souma. There¡¯s no way such a coincidence would¡ªah!¡± (Maki)


    At that moment, the stone slate slipped from Maki¡¯s hand.


    The stone slate slid in such a miraculous fashion that her fingers ended up touching the letters for the last chapter, the 15th Chapter.


    ¡°Aah, geez, I told you.¡± (Souma)


    I held my head and just when I was thinking about what to say to Maki for watching the last chapter on her own volition¡­


    ¡ª*Clack*


    The stone slate fell on the ground.


    ¡°Ma¡­ki¡­?¡± (Souma)


    The state of my cousin, who was standing there without noticing that she let the stone slate fall, was clearly strange.


    Her mouth that was smiling happily just now had grown pale from the lack of blood and was shaking faintly.


    Her eyes that were shining as if having fun were opened widely in disbelief, and were blank.


    I have never seen Maki this scared before.


    ¡°What do we do, Souma? This might be terrible.¡± (Maki)


    I thought that the last chapter of the stone slate was tragic. But would Maki be shaken this much just from that?


    This looks as if she were not scared about a past happening, but a threat of the present¡­


    ¡°Calm down for now. What did you see?¡± (Souma)


    I hold back my own agitation and asked this, and Maki began speaking with a trembling voice.


    ¡°Alex and his group couldn¡¯t defeat the Evil God. That¡¯s why they sealed the main body and the 4 divided fragments.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°¡­And?¡± (Souma)


    The Evil God being divided in 5 and sealed is knowledge that was told in the game too.


    That alone wouldn¡¯t merit surprise.


    But Maki shook her head intensely and said ¡®that¡¯s not it¡¯.


    ¡°The 2 small fragments were sealed underground Lamurick and the Sacrifice Altar.


    The second biggest one was sealed at the south solitary island.


    And the biggest one that couldn¡¯t be sealed with normal means¡­was sealed with a special method.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°A special method?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°They made it so that the fragment that was now only its core part would have its movement sealed by hitting it with constant holy power!¡± (Maki)


    If you hit it constantly with attacks that are as strong as its regeneration speed, you can stop it from moving.


    But power that can continuously attack a big fragment of the Evil God¡­?


    Thinking that far, I noticed one possibility.


    ¡°Could it be¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Hero Alex made a magic circle on top of the biggest fragment, and created a city in order to continuously feed the magic circle with power!


    That magic circle in Rihitel, the light of the Grand Church; they were in order to seal the Evil God Fragment!¡± (Maki)


    The loud distressed scream of Maki.


    But I have no reasoning to deny this.


    That¡¯s right.


    In order to create a magic circle that uses the whole city, you will need the cooperation of the people.


    That¡¯s way too massive of an enterprise just for the sake of increasing the authority of the church.


    ¡°Wait, wait, if that¡¯s true, what would happen?¡± (Souma)


    The Mage Guild moved the magic circle for their own selfish reasons even if it was only for a small period of time.


    And then, the ruckus with the Grand Church and the people saying they weren¡¯t feeling well.


    If those were not issues that came from the mind, and was instead the effect of the miasma that the Evil God releases¡­


    ¡ªDoesn¡¯t that mean that the seal of the Grand Church is about to be undone?


    ¡°What do we do? This must be what Father was worrying about.¡± (Maki)


    What Maki is muttering here is most likely correct.


    King Rihito immediately fixed the magic circle that you would normally assume only brings harm to the people.


    That must be because the king knew about the Evil God Fragment sealed at the Grand Church¡­


    ¡°I-Is this the time to be talking here?! A-Anyways, wouldn¡¯t it be better to go back to Rihitel?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°R-Right. Maki, got a Teleport Stone?¡± (Souma)


    I snapped back at the words of Sazan.


    I can think at any time.


    What we must do right now is act.


    ¡°I-I do. I will go talk to Father first then!¡± (Maki)


    Saying this, she quickly took a Teleport Stone from her back, but¡­


    ¡°E-Eh? I can¡¯t¡­teleport¡­¡± (Maki)


    Maki couldn¡¯t properly make an expression and looked over here with a face on the verge of tears.


    ¡°Give it here!¡± (Souma)


    I test it out just in case, but the teleport to Rihitel is not going well for some reason.


    This is not a place where you can¡¯t teleport.


    In that case, the problem lies in¡­


    ¡°¡­We are running. Sazan, I will carry you.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh? W-wait, y-you are¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°We are in a hurry here!¡± (Souma)


    I carried Sazan, who was resisting, under my arm, and ran off without even confirming whether Maki was following.


    I did want to say something to give Maki peace of mind.


    But my mouth betrayed my feelings.


    I have nothing but a bad feeling about this.


    It was getting late and the path was gradually getting darker, but we ran at full speed.


    We got close to Rihitel with almost no breaks, and what we saw there was¡­


    ¡°What is this¡­?¡± (Souma)


    The capital completely covered in mist.


    I have never seen something like this even in the game.


    Just what happened to end up like this?


    ¡°¡­You came back pretty fast.¡±


    I heard a familiar voice from the back.


    ¡°Mitsuki! What a relief!¡± (Souma)


    I sighed at the appearance of the cat ear girl that looks as firm as always.


    The heavy feeling in my chest softened slightly.


    ¡°What happened?¡± (Souma)


    The reason Mitsuki came here must be because she saw that we had come back with the Explorer Ring.


    If she was in the dojo, she should have an idea of Rihitel¡¯s situation.


    I asked her this and¡­


    ¡°¡­The Evil God Fragment resurrected, and the city of Rihitel was wiped out.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki answered this way too bluntly.


    ¡°Wiped out, you say¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Exactly as I said. You can¡¯t make calls or teleport inside the mist, but I could confirm the location of people with the Explorer Ring.


    There should have been thousands of people in the capital, but it seems like it instead bit them back that they took refuge in the same place.


    Also, I think the Evil God Fragment has a way to accurately detect the location of the people.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki spoke indifferently with a voice that had no emotion in it.


    I can¡¯t believe that.


    There¡¯s a lot of acquaintances of mine and Mitsuki.


    Poison-tan who has a poisonous tongue, but I can¡¯t bring myself to hate; the hearty greengrocer old lady; the determined item shop clerk; the king, queen, adventurers that looked after me in my game days, and¡­and¡­


    ¡°Anyways, I will go. Mitsuki, get Maki and the others somewhere el¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I was going to take a step forward and Mitsuki grabbed my arm.


    ¡°Stop it.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Emotionless eyes.


    Those emotionless words tried to stop me.


    ¡°¡­What are you trying to do?¡± (Souma)


    I ended up speaking with a threatening tone.


    ¡°I have a lot of acquaintances and important people there.


    I am the only one who has the chance to defeat the fragment of the Evil God.


    That¡¯s why I have to go at once¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I know. But¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    She admits it.


    But that¡¯s not it.


    It is not that.


    ¡°You don¡¯t get it! It is not only my acquaintances there!


    In that place¡­there¡¯s also Ringo!¡± (Souma)


    That figure of hers waving her hand lightly and saying ¡®see you later¡¯ as she went off to the castle with her blue hair disappearing in the distance surfaced in my mind.


    ¡°She said ¡®see you later¡¯!


    That¡¯s why I have to see her again¡­I have to go get her!


    If I don¡¯t, that would be¡­!¡± (Souma)


    The emotionless face of Mitsuki warped for a moment at my desperate shout.


    But that wasn¡¯t the change I was hoping for. My emotions that I was holding back reached a breaking point¡­


    But in the end, Mitsuki didn¡¯t falter.


    ¡°I understand how you feel. But that¡¯s pointless.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Pointless? What do you mean by pointless¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I was thinking of shouting again.


    I was thinking about complaining, that that¡¯s not the case, that it is a lie¡­


    And yet, my mouth didn¡¯t move.


    I couldn¡¯t move as if I actually already knew what Mitsuki meant when she said that.


    ¡°I meant wiped out in the literal sense of the word.


    The reaction of the last person in the city disappeared around 10 minutes ago.


    In other words¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    Even though I was shouting in my heart to stop it already, my tongue was tied and couldn¡¯t speak.


    That¡¯s why Mitsuki¡¯s mouth moved slowly and¡­


    ¡°¡­Ringo-san¡­has died.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Strength left my legs.


    ¡°¡­Wa?¡± (Souma)


    It is only after seeing the ground close to me that I noticed that my knees were on the ground.


    I have to stand.


    This is not the time to be resting here.


    But why can¡¯t I stand up?


    My head was completely blank and I couldn¡¯t think about anything.


    What am I doing right now?


    What should I do?


    Everything¡­everything is a blank.


    But a low voice rang inside my blank mind.


    ¡°Transcendent Souma, I shall give ye a prediction!¡±


    The words I heard before were circling my mind.


    ¡°Ye will lose something irreplaceable in the near future!¡±


    Circling¡­and circling.


    ¡°That¡¯s fate! An unavoidable future!¡±


    And the prediction¡­fate caught up to me.

 CH 198

    ¡°Souma, are you okay?¡±


    By the time I came back to my senses, there was Maki and Leila looking worried at my face.


    ¡°¡­Sorry for worrying you. I am¡­okay.¡± (Souma)


    There¡¯s no way I am okay.


    Ringo has died.


    There¡¯s nothing to be okay about.


    Even so, I must not worry them.


    I have somehow recovered enough to think that.


    I feel as if I had a bad dream.


    But Mitsuki ordering the disciples busily proved to me that it wasn¡¯t a dream.


    ¡°This is¡­the Hisame Dojo, huh.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Y-Yeah. You seemed to be¡­troubled¡­so we both lent you a shoulder¡­¡± (Maki)


    It seems like they carried me when I was completely useless.


    I bothered Leila and Maki without my knowing.


    I was about to thank them again and then noticed something strange.


    Why is Mitsuki the one commanding at the dojo?


    ¡°¡­Hey, you two, where¡¯s Asahi-san right now?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°About that¡­¡± (Leila)


    Leila found it hard to say.


    A clear voice rang from her back as if to take over for her.


    ¡°My father entered the city alone soon after the city was covered in mist.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Mitsuki¡­¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki came here with the same strained atmosphere as before.


    ¡°According to what we agreed beforehand, he was supposed to come back soon after entering the city, but it seems like he couldn¡¯t.


    I had a grasp of his location with the Explorer Ring for around 5 minutes, but the location moving suddenly turned vigorous, and a few seconds after, his reaction disappeared.


    He most likely fought the fragment of the Evil God.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°That means¡­¡± (Souma)


    He was killed by the Evil God Fragment?


    But I didn¡¯t have the courage to say it clearly.


    ¡°But we obtained information thanks to that. The mist must be the special ability of the Evil God just as shown in the recording.


    The effect is most likely to block you from escaping the field.


    You may be able to enter the city, but can¡¯t get out unless you defeat the fragment.¡± (Mitsuki)


    After that, Mitsuki paused slightly before continuing.


    ¡°The Evil God Fragment is strong. Strong enough for my father to be killed in just 10 seconds of encountering it.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Mitsuki¡­¡± (Souma)


    She clearly said the words that everyone was trying to avoid saying.


    I didn¡¯t know what I should do for Mitsuki, who had lost her expressions, no¡­who was stifling down her emotions.


    ¡°U-Uhm, I watched the last chapter of the stone slate¡­¡± (Maki)


    That¡¯s when Maki raised her voice and gathered attention.


    Maki was trying to tell us information we do not know with an uncharacteristic desperate face.


    ¡°The Evil God Fragments kill each other.


    The one that wins absorbs the power of the one that loses.


    That¡¯s why, if we go to the place where the main body is sealed¡­¡± (Maki)


    ¡°It would mean that the main body would recover¡­no, a stronger Evil God Fragment would be born with the fused power of the fragment and the main body, huh.¡± (Souma)


    I don¡¯t understand the modus operandi of the Evil God Fragments.


    But now that it has¡­wiped out the people of the city, there should be no reason for it to stay there.


    If the Evil God Fragment heads to where the main body is, the world will really be done for.


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s defeat it.¡± (Souma)


    Those words came out from my mouth all too naturally.


    Obviously.


    Those are the words I have been wanting to say this whole time since waking up after all.


    ¡°We have to defeat the Evil God Fragment. If we don¡¯t, this world will¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Is it really for the sake of the world?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki¡¯s cold words pierced me as if she were throwing cold water at what I said while bracing myself.


    ¡°If it is not for the sake of the world, for what sake would it be for?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Is there even the need for me to spell it out? You should know that better than anyone.¡± (Mitsuki)


    I could only fall silent.


    ¡ªRevenge against the one who killed Ringo.


    I can¡¯t deny that motivation.


    Denying that would mean that I am dyeing away the pain of having lost Ringo, and I didn¡¯t want to say that even if it is a lie.


    ¡°Is it not mortifying for you too, Mitsuki? Ringo¡­and also Asahi-san¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°There¡¯s no way I am not. But I have something even more important.¡± (Mitsuki)


    No matter what strong words I threw at her, she wasn¡¯t faltering.


    This is most likely the difference between a fake and a real one.


    The difference between a plain commoner and a seasoned warrior that has walked the battlefield and found her meaning of life in protecting the weak.


    ¡°That was clearly stronger than the fragment that you said you fought underground Lamurick inside your entertainment.


    Can you win?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­I will. No matter what.¡± (Souma)


    I said that, but my preparations and my equipment are clearly lacking.


    The Evil God Fragment is not an opponent that you can win against with brute force.


    You can¡¯t even stand in the same stage as that without proper preparation.


    But even with that, I have to win or¡­


    ¡°It is impossible.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Cleanly.


    Mitsuki cut off my bravado cleanly in half.


    ¡°O-On what basis are you¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Even I can tell whether you are seriously saying something and when you are not.¡± (Mitsuki)


    It is at times like this when the sharpness of Mitsuki and the length of my relationship with her hits me in the back.


    I don¡¯t feel like I can hide anything from her.


    ¡°Then what should we do?


    At this rate, this world will¡­¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki didn¡¯t move a single brow at me who was shouting in anger and answered calmly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s run away.¡± (Mitsuki)


    But I couldn¡¯t understand.


    We don¡¯t have any way to stop even an Evil God Fragment.


    And yet, we are going to ignore the recovery of the main body and run away?


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible. Run away, you say? Where¡­?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°To your world.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Wa?!¡± (Souma)


    The words that followed really went beyond what I imagined.


    But that¡¯s impossible.


    ¡°That¡¯s not possible. You don¡¯t get it, Mitsuki.


    Death Flash is a bug that forces the player to logout.


    That¡¯s why, even if it succeeds, it would only affect the people with the player attribute¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°That¡¯s why I am telling you and Maki-san to run away.¡± (Mitsuki)


    This really made me open my mouth wide.


    ¡°You are the one who doesn¡¯t get it.¡± (Mitsuki)


    By the time I noticed, Mitsuki¡¯s face was extremely close.


    That handsome face of hers got even closer and she placed her hands on mine.


    ¡°The important thing I want to protect no matter what is you.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°What¡­¡± (Souma)


    Strength was put in her held hand.


    The temperature of both hands transmitted to each other, and our cold hands warmed up.


    ¡°My family, my friends, the people of the dojo; even within this situation where a lot of casualties are happening, what am I even saying, right? Please laugh at me.


    But for me¡­you dying is the only thing I wouldn¡¯t be able to bear.


    Even if I can¡¯t see you ever again, just being able to believe that you are out there alive would allow me to do anything.


    Even if I were to lack the strength and fall, I wouldn¡¯t have regrets.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡ª¡°That¡¯s why, please, return to your world.¡±


    Mitsuki¡¯s plead.


    The gears inside me snapped in place, and I could tell my heart shook.


    ¡°Return¡­ I see¡­ We can return¡­huh.¡± (Souma)


    The possibility that I didn¡¯t take into account until now.


    But it is true that the conditions are there.


    ¡°But¡­¡± (Souma)


    But doesn¡¯t that mean that I would be abandoning Mitsuki, Leila, Sazan, Ina and Thiel who are in Lamurick, and all the other humans living in this world?


    ¡°I really¡­can¡¯t¡­¡± (Souma)


    I at the very least¡­have to do something about the fragment of the Evil God in the capital¡­


    ¡°¡­Wait.¡± (Souma)


    My thoughts that were on the verge of entering a labyrinth converged into one direction.


    It would be difficult to defeat the Evil God Fragment in the capital with normal means.


    It is an enemy that wiped out the people of the capital after all.


    It is not an enemy that I can defeat without any countermeasures.


    But turning that around¡­


    There would be no issues in using that in this despairing situation.


    No, if we were to purposely utilize it¡­


    ¡°The forbidden ritual of the Mage Guild.¡± (Souma)


    I unconsciously stood up while saying this.


    ¡°Souma?¡± (Maki)


    Maki looked over here surprised.


    She must have thought I have finally broken after speaking out words that have no correlation.


    But I am unfortunately sane.


    I am about to do the most stupid thing while sane.


    ¡°Mitsuki, the ritual of the Mage Guild was stopped midway.


    Let¡¯s complete that event with our own hands.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°The event of the Mage Guild? Could it be¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki really is perceptive.


    I tell the surprised Mitsuki with a smile.


    ¡°Yeah, the forbidden ritual that destroys the city.


    With that, we could destroy the Evil God Fragment in the city.¡± (Souma)


    A careless plan.


    The roofs of the city that serve as the magic circle might have been destroyed with the Evil God rampaging, and there¡¯s even the possibility that the event isn¡¯t working anymore because it was stopped.


    Also, there¡¯s no assurance that the success of the ritual that wipes out all the people will be able to defeat the Evil God.


    ¡°Even so, it is still worth the gamble¡­right?¡± (Souma)


    My words shook Mitsuki for the first time.


    ¡°But your original world¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°We can return after defeating the fragment.


    ¡­Also, I have noticed.¡± (Souma)


    I threw away my shyness and say something I normally wouldn¡¯t say in a super serious tone.


    ¡°The place I will be returning to at the end isn¡¯t my original world.


    My place really is where Mitsuki¡­where my friends are.¡± (Souma)


    The answer I understood for the first time after losing something important.


    But I don¡¯t think it is too late.


    Even if it is just the ones here, I¡­


    I¡­


    ¡°Souma-saaaaaaaaaaaaan!¡±


    But my quiet resolve was destroyed by the sudden intrusion.


    A single girl lunged at me with incredible speed.


    It is a girl in a maid outfit that doesn¡¯t fit this place at all.


    Or more like, she is the one who took care of us in the Akken Manor incident¡­the culprit of stealing the ring¡­


    ¡°Your name was, uhm¡­clumsy maid?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Rirumu! Please remember it properly.


    Geez, even though I went through the trouble of delivering something to you.¡± (Rirumu)


    ¡°No, this isn¡¯t the time for a delivery¡­¡± (Souma)


    I was about to finish what I said, but my words stopped after seeing what Rirumu gave me.


    My heart also stopped for a bit there.


    ¡°Bear?!¡± (Souma)


    What Rirumu gave me was that Bear.


    Why is the Bear here when it was supposed to be together with Ringo at the castle?


    My doubts and confusion made me look at her with eyes of undeniable excitement, and Rirumu smiled.


    ¡°Ehehe, you see, I used the spell Magical Pocket around 1 hour ago, and when I did, this little one jumped out suddenly from it.


    It wrote to me to bring it to you¡­¡± (Rirumu)


    Bear, you could write? -is something that doesn¡¯t matter right now.


    ¡°Bear, what about Ringo? What happened to Ringo¡­¡± (Souma)


    I asked while panting and the Bear gave me a single paper.


    {King is safe.


    Sorcery Tower.}


    A line of words that felt as if a machine wrote it.


    Concise words that you could consider lacking in words.


    But¡­


    ¡°What¡¯s this? Aha¡­ahahaha¡­¡± (Souma)


    I couldn¡¯t stop laughing.


    Even when I tried to, the grinning and laughing just welled up and took over.


    ¡°S-Souma? W-What¡¯s the matter?¡± (Maki)


    Maki, who was watching me from afar for a while now for some reason, asked me this nervously.


    But I am okay.


    ¡­I really am okay now.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you get it? This is a notebook.


    And the only ones who can type in this notebook¡­there¡¯s only 3 people in this world who can do that.¡± (Souma)


    Not writing in the notebook, but typing them. This requires the technique of our world, Order.


    The ones who have learned this Order are¡­


    ¡°¡­Me and Maki who came from that world, and¡­Ringo.¡± (Souma)


    My head that was all hazy until now was clearing up now all self-interested.


    And then, I thought of a single possibility.


    There¡¯s one location in the city of Rihitel¡­where you can escape from the eyes of the Explorer Ring of Mitsuki and is an isolated area.


    ¡°¡­The Mage Guild¡¯s headquarters, also known as the Sorcery Tower.¡± (Souma)


    In order to enter that tower that is isolated in terms of the data, you have to do so from the hidden door. Also, in the incident before, Ringo learned the way of opening the hidden door after threatening an executive of the Mage Guild.


    If it is inside that Sorcery Tower where everything is isolated, it might not be impossible to hide from the Evil God.


    And in that place where all calls are impossible, there¡¯s one method¡­communicating through items by using Magical Pocket.


    And¡­and¡­!


    The Magical Pocket Gem should still be in her pocket from when I gave it to her in the trap room!


    All dots are connected.


    There¡¯s absolutely no reason to hesitate now.


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go¡­to the Sorcery Tower.


    We will defeat the Evil God Fragment, and then¡­meet our friend.¡± (Souma)


    Just you wait, Evil God Fragment. It is our turn to fight back.

 CH 199

    I now have a view of the direction to take.


    I would like to head there at once, but there¡¯s a number of things I have to prepare.


    The Mage Guild¡¯s guild event was forcefully stopped in the middle.


    The compulsory power of game events is strong.


    If I go to the magic circle of the Sorcery Tower and use the Nekuranomikon, I think I can do the ritual even without the other conditions in place.


    But I would like to fill up the conditions as much as possible to increase the success rate.


    There¡¯s 3 things necessary for the ritual.


    Mithril, the Nekuranomikon, and the magic circle.


    ¡°If I remember correctly, the mithril that Iaski gathered for the ritual should have been destroyed. What do you plan to do about that?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Thinking about it normally, it would be impossible to gather a massive amount of mithril right now.


    If it were in the game, that certainly would be the case.


    But¡­


    ¡°I have an idea about that.


    Can I borrow the facilities here?¡± (Souma)


    This world has even more freedom than in Nekomimi Neko.


    And Nekomimi Neko players shine the most at those times.


    ¡°¡­I am in disbelief. You really can do anything you decide to do.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Anything is too much of an exaggeration though.¡± (Souma)


    But it is true that my plan went well this time around.


    ¡°Muuh, I can¡¯t really accept that a lump of mithril can be made from that carving chisel though.¡± (Maki)


    Just as Maki said while pouting as if she wasn¡¯t convinced, I used a carving chisel this time around.


    This carved chisel that I found exploring the mansion has a skill called Set that can create material that is of the same properties.


    That said, there was no mithril carving chisel in the game, so it wasn¡¯t possible to create mithril with this skill.


    But it seems like you can synthesize any weapon items in the weapon synthesizer.


    Then the rest is simple.


    I can just mix the single mithril sword I got from the Mage Guild incident and the carving chisel.


    The mithril that¡¯s created from the Set skill costs a lot of money most likely because the material I was calling is rare, but that isn¡¯t too big of an issue for me.


    ¡°Next would be the Nekuranomikon¡­ Leila.¡± (Souma)


    I directed my gaze at Leila who has the Nekuranomikon, and she shook her head with a stiff face.


    ¡°I-I want to go together with you, Souma!¡± (Leila)


    Leila stated this strongly with a trembling voice.


    I am happy with the sentiment.


    But no.


    ¡°I am sorry, but I can¡¯t bring you with me, Leila.


    In the worst case scenario, I might have to fight the Evil God Fragment or run away.


    That¡¯s why only me and Mitsuki will be going this time around.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°N-No way!¡± (Leila)


    Leila raised a bitter voice at my verdict.


    ¡°I actually wanted to go alone.


    But I don¡¯t know how to open the secret door of the tower.¡± (Souma)


    The only ones who know how to are Ringo and Mitsuki who came to save me.


    And if I am going to be bringing someone with me, there¡¯s no one aside from Mitsuki in terms of ability.


    I think that¡¯s the logical decision.


    But Leila wasn¡¯t the only one who couldn¡¯t accept it.


    ¡°Souma, me too¡ª!¡± (Maki)


    ¡°No!¡± (Souma)


    Maki spoke out as if following Leila, but I immediately shot it down.


    ¡°Why?! I may not be on the level of Mitsuki-san, but I am strong!


    I won¡¯t be deadweight, I definitely won¡¯t¡ª¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Even if so¡­ Please, Maki.


    I must not lose you.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°That¡¯s not fair. Such a reason¡­¡± (Maki)


    I lowered my head, and Maki bit her lips vexed and faced away.


    ¡°¡­Leila, I am counting on you with Maki.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Souma¡­ Okay.¡± (Leila)


    She is probably having mixed feelings here.


    Leila had an unconvinced face, but even with that, she still nodded.


    ¡°Also¡­¡± (Souma)


    After confirming that Maki was not looking over here, I stealthily pass a notebook page.


    ¡°It is a page that has the way of returning to my world.


    If I don¡¯t return here, please give it to Maki.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Souma!¡± (Leila)


    I am aware that I am asking her for something harsh here.


    But considering the possibility, this is something that must be done.


    ¡°¡­Please.¡± (Souma)


    I once again said this, and Leila looked up at me with tears in her eyes.


    ¡°I am just going to be holding onto it.¡± (Leila)


    She took the paper reluctantly.


    And then, she pushed the Nekuranomikon on me.


    ¡°Souma, you definitely must survive and come back to me.


    ¡­No, you don¡¯t have to come back. Just¡­you definitely must not die.¡± (Leila)


    ¡°I will do my best to return¡­¡± (Souma)


    I said at least that much and received the Nekuranomikon.


    Thinking about how I was going to be betraying Leila and was really going to run away as she said, my chest hurt.


    Seriously, my comrades are way too soft.


    ¡°Well then¡­¡± (Souma)


    Anyways, preparations should be done now.


    I glanced at Mitsuki, and just as we were about to depart¡­


    ¡°¡­I will go too.¡±


    The one who stopped me was an unexpected person.


    ¡°Sazan? But you¡­¡± (Souma)


    Honestly speaking, Sazan is even weaker than Leila.


    Also, the Evil God Fragment¡¯s core should have an element nullifier trait.


    There¡¯s no reason for us to bring Sazan for the battle against the Evil God.


    ¡°I have knowledge in magic circles. Can you people remake the magic circle on your own?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± (Souma)


    The magic circle¡¯s mana should be gathering in the Grand Church now that King Rihito fixed it.


    That¡¯s why there¡¯s the need to rearrange the mithril roofs in the same way as the Mage Guild event after we go into the city.


    It should be fine to just take out the mithril of the house breaking event, but it is true that having Sazan give us instructions about the magic circle¡¯s positioning is tempting.


    ¡°But you might die. There¡¯s no reason for you to¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I heard from Mitsuki just now. The reaction of Alex and the others from the Explorer Ring is gone too.¡± (Sazan)


    When I asked this with my eyes, Mitsuki nodded lightly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if they are in the Sorcery Tower or not.


    But even if I have left the party, they are my¡­comrades.


    I want to do everything I can for them.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Sazan¡­¡± (Souma)


    I think those feelings are wonderful.


    His usual behavior is questionable, but I do want to respect his will when it comes to the times when he is worried about his comrades.


    I was hesitating here and¡­


    ¡°Got it.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki answered positively at my side.


    ¡°Mitsuki?!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°We need someone to adjust the magic circle. Our maneuverability won¡¯t drop much if I carry him, right?


    In exchange, if bringing him along becomes a burden, we will abandon him.


    Do you have that resolve?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­I do! Please bring me along!¡± (Sazan)


    Mitsuki and Sazan¡¯s eyes were directed at me.


    I can¡¯t even refuse if they say that much.


    ¡°¡­Got it. I am counting on you two.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Okay.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Yeah!¡± (Sazan)


    The members that will be charging in have been decided.


    Mitsuki, Sazan, and me.


    It is quite the ragtag group, but there¡¯s no choice but to believe and tread on.


    ¡°U-Uhm, please take this. Be careful!¡±


    At the end, the clumsy maid of the dojo gave me mitarashi dango.


    ¡°U-Uhm, I don¡¯t really get it, but do your best!¡±


    After getting the aimless cheer of the clumsy maid-san, we departed from the dojo.


    With the situation being unclear, we can¡¯t just take our time.


    After exchanging farewells with Maki and Leila, we ran at high speed to the entrance of the city.


    ¡°¡­Waa, is there really anyone alive in here?¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan spit out such weak hearted words before stepping into the mist city.


    It is true that Ringo tried to contact us with the Magical Pocket 1 hour ago.


    There¡¯s nothing assuring us that Ringo and the others are okay.


    The one who responded to Sazan when I couldn¡¯t answer immediately was Mitsuki.


    ¡°¡­This may be optimistic, but Alex, Raiden, and Baccarat are outstanding adventurers.


    There¡¯s also Spark Hawk who is called the Holy Knight, Silvia who is the only one who matches me in strength in the capital, and there¡¯s also my father who entered faster than anyone else.


    I don¡¯t think they would be defeated just like that. A fitting number of people must have taken refuge in the Sorcery Tower.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Right¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan sounded relieved by this.


    I was also saved by the words of Mitsuki a bit.


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go.¡± (Souma)


    I can only move forward while believing this.


    I was the first one to step into the mist city.


    ¡°¡ª!¡±


    A hard to describe sensation as if going through a boundary.


    I noticed that I have stepped into a place where I can¡¯t go back to.


    I looked around, but there¡¯s no sight of the Evil God Fragment.


    I was also worried about the mist, but the mist is simply shrouding the border of the field, and there doesn¡¯t seem to be any effect once you enter.


    I take a breath for now.


    ¡°¡­There¡¯s no one.¡± (Souma)


    I calm down and observe my surroundings, but there¡¯s really a severe lack of liveliness.


    The city is less destroyed than I thought.


    I am happy that the roofs serving as the magic circle are okay, but thinking about the reason why that hole was opened, I couldn¡¯t feel relieved.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki, who had at some point gotten to my back, quietly urged me on.


    Right, we are already in enemy territory.


    There¡¯s no time for idle talk.


    I nodded silently and began to run to our target location.


    We moved at full speed through the city and tore off the first mithril roof without any issues.


    It went as planned until then.


    We entered through the gate that was the closest to our objective to make it easier to reach.


    I did think it would be pretty rare to encounter the fragment unless we were really unlucky.


    ¡°There!¡± (Souma)


    We safely arrive at the second point.


    It is an empty city anyways.


    We can use my stupidly high strength to forcefully tear it off.


    ¡°Toryaaaaaaaaaaaah!!¡± (Souma)


    I tear off the mithril while raising a hearty shout.


    ¡°Sazan, how is it?!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­No issues with the location! Moreover, from what I can see, there¡¯s much less of an effect on the magic circle than I thought.


    I don¡¯t know about the places we haven¡¯t seen, but this should be fine!¡± (Sazan)


    We got the stamp of approval from the specialist.


    It is not like we went through the whole city, so there might be destroyed locations we haven¡¯t noticed yet, but the compulsory effect of events is strong.


    Let¡¯s believe that it will work out the small imperfections.


    Now, if only we could run all the way to the Sorcery Tower just like this¡­


    ¡°¡­It is here.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Just when I was thinking something so naive, Mitsuki said this with a stern voice while carrying Sazan.


    I reflexively look at the direction of her voice.


    ¡­And then, I regret seeing it.


    ¡°Oi oi, I heard nothing about this.¡± (Souma)


    What wriggled its way out from the shadow of a building was the same as the one I saw in the game¡¯s hidden dungeon, the sacrifice altar, and maybe even the one in the recording of the stone slate.


    But there¡¯s one drastic difference.


    ¡°How come it is bigger than even the main body of the Evil God in the recording¡­?¡± (Souma)


    It had grown gigantic to the point that all other fragments couldn¡¯t even compare.

 CH 200

    Light


    Dark


    ¡°To think it would be to this degree¡­¡± (Souma)


    I gulped at the Evil God Fragment that appeared from the shadow of the building.


    It is definitely more than 2 times the size of the one underground Lamurick.


    If size is proportional to strength, even if I were to use the data from the game, it will most likely be impossible for me to win against it.


    Even considering the possibility of fighting it normally is absent from my mind.


    ¡°Mitsuki, move to my back with Sazan still on your back.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°But¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Quick!¡± (Souma)


    I raised my voice and I could feel that Mitsuki moved to my back.


    But I don¡¯t have the time to confirm that.


    Taking my eyes off the fragment for even a second might spell my death.


    I was burning with impatience here and moved my left arm restlessly.


    ¡°W-We have to run away¡­!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan said with a scared voice, but that would be a bad idea.


    Its tentacle attack has quite the speed and range, so this place is most likely already within attack range.


    You will get stunned if you get hit once, and considering its size, there¡¯s even the possibility of instant death with just one hit.


    Also¡­


    ¡°¡­Found you.¡±


    A metallic ear-ringing sound echoed as if to stir my thoughts.


    It was only after a while that I noticed that that voice came¡­from the Evil God.


    (So it really can talk.) (Souma)


    Considering the recording, this is not strange.


    But that also means that it has comparable or even more power than the main body of the Evil God in the recording, and has high intelligence on top of that.


    Even if we were to fight, it would be more troubling than just plain strength¡­no, I had no plans of fighting it normally to begin with.


    That¡¯s why, no matter the case, it won¡¯t be much of a difference ¡ªis what I want to believe.


    ¡°You two, run in one go to the Sorcery Tower at my signal.¡± (Souma)


    I instruct the two in a low voice.


    I didn¡¯t even have the time to hear their response¡­the Evil God moved.


    There¡¯s no change to the wriggling tentacles and the giant arms.


    But an ominous light gathered in the red core at the center of the Evil God¡¯s chest, and¡­


    ¡°¡ªBeam.¡±


    Before the light was shot as the ear-ringing voice echoed¡­


    ¡°RUN!!!¡± (Souma)


    I shouted loudly and waved my arm.


    One instant later, an eye-scorching beam was shot.


    ¡ªGyaaaaaaa!!!


    A chilling scream came from my back after I ran off.


    But I didn¡¯t look back.


    I move away from that place at full speed.


    ¡°O-Oi!¡±


    I was running parallel to Mitsuki towards the Mage Guild, and Sazan spoke to me from the back of Mitsuki.


    ¡°Y-You, what did you do just now? What it shot was the Flash of the Annihilator, Kill Beam, right?!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Stop it! I end up understanding it despite not wanting to, so stop that! ¡­I reflected it with this.¡± (Souma)


    I showed the gear I had equipped on my arm as I was on the verge of being polluted by the chuunibyou of Sazan.


    This thing that is shining silver is the gear that I got from the treasury room of the castle just before defeating the Demon Lord as a countermeasure for the Evil God.


    The equipment that reflects light element attacks by itself: the Mirror Gauntlet.


    This is a special piece of gear, and different from the other resistance equipment, it has the special trait of reflecting any light element attacks that hit the gauntlet.


    The Flash of the Annihilator, Kill¡ªno, the Kill Beam is a light element attack with outrageous attack power.


    That¡¯s why you can¡¯t get a big advantage if you reflect that and hit the enemy.


    It would be nullified if it were to reflect it to the core, but it has outstanding power to the point of being able to destroy one part aside from that in one hit. In the fragment battle of the game, it is a basic strategy to reflect the Kill Beam that has a high chance of being shot in the beginning of the battle and destroy the head with that.


    The fragment of the Evil God has a high regeneration, so it will regenerate no matter where you hit aside from the core, but if you destroy the face, you can seal the fearsome Genocide Wave, and you can also immobilize it temporarily with the damage.


    ¡°You normally do that after you have gotten the safeguard of light element nullification armor though.¡± (Souma)


    Even if the size is different, it seems like this action I am used to doing in the game helped me out here.


    The Evil God Fragment always aims its Kill Beam at the center of your chest.


    That¡¯s why, if you place the gauntlet at the correct angle, it will definitely go well, is the logic here, but¡­


    ¡°It really is bad for the heart.¡± (Souma)


    I definitely wouldn¡¯t want to do it again even if told to.


    I would like to tear myself away from the Evil God if possible for the sake of that.


    ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s hurry! [Step], [High Step], [Ground Compression]!¡± (Souma)


    I ended the conversation and ran through the empty city.


    We arrived at the Mage Guild in the blink of an eye.


    Fortunately, I don¡¯t feel the Evil God Fragment chasing behind us.


    We ran into the guild, and entered the reception room at once.


    ¡°Mitsuki!¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki is the only one who knows how to open the secret door here.


    Mitsuki threw down Sazan from her back before even hearing my words, and jumped onto the panel that opens the door.


    ¡°Guh! Y-You, be a bit more gentle¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan complained after being thrown onto the ground, but there¡¯s no time to care about him.


    I picked Sazan up instead so that we can enter immediately after the door opens.


    ¡°Ah, h-hey¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan rampaged again in my arms, but¡­


    ¡°Be still!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­O-Okay.¡± (Sazan)


    I scolded him strongly, and he got unexpectedly obedient.


    I glanced at the back.


    The Sorcery Tower being okay is because there¡¯s no way to enter aside from this secret door.


    Putting it in another way, if we were to allow the Evil God Fragment to enter when we are entering, the people inside won¡¯t be safe.


    I pray ¡®hurry hurry¡¯.


    ¡°It is open!¡± (Mitsuki)


    The voice of Mitsuki that had relief mixed in it made my eardrums tremble.


    ¡°Sazan, let¡¯s go!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh, feh!¡± (Sazan)


    I forcefully pushed his body into the opening of the wall that was sliding to the side.


    After confirming that Mitsuki jumped in one second later, I immediately operated the panel on the surface of the wall and closed the secret door.


    ¡°¡­Did it go well?¡± (Souma)


    There was no sight of the Evil God Fragment on the other side of the wall even till the end.


    We succeeded.


    And then, after sighing in relief¡­


    ¡°¡­Souma?¡±


    The voice of the person that I wanted to hear the most and wanted to meet the most reached my ears.


    ¡°¡­Ringo.¡± (Souma)


    A blue haired girl was there.


    The irreplaceable comrade that I thought I had lost for a moment was standing there.


    However, there was no emotional reunion soon after that.


    ¡°Sinking Prince-sama! Aah, even Hisame-sama!¡±


    ¡°Souma-sama, thank you for coming to save us!¡±


    We were surrounded by the citizens that had taken refuge there, and were being crushed by them.


    And then, the familiar item shop clerk said¡­


    ¡°Excuse me, I only have this, but please take it.¡±


    She said this and gave me a Fancy Skull.


    ¡­No, I really don¡¯t need it though.


    Or more like, I fail to understand why you went through the trouble of bringing something like this.


    ¡°¡­It is great to see you have come.¡±


    The one who spoke to us at the end was a man with a crown on his head.


    ¡°King Rihito¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I was about to greet him formally, but the King Rihito said ¡®it is fine¡¯ and stopped me.


    ¡°¡­I have lost most of my people because of my own lack of ability.


    I can¡¯t regret it enough. However, we have to save the ones that remain some way.¡±


    I was overwhelmed by the King Rihito who said this with a regretful face and tightened fists, and then looked at my surroundings.


    ¡°So these are the only ones who managed to take refuge.¡± (Souma)


    From what I can see, there¡¯s only a few dozen people in the Sorcery Tower.


    There¡¯s the King, Queen, the greengrocer old lady, the item shop clerk, and the Knight Captain Spark Hawk.


    But putting it in another way, that means that all the other people are¡­


    ¡°Are these the only ones who survived?¡±


    At that moment, Sazan asked in a stiff tone while looking around restlessly.


    ¡°No, there¡¯s one more. There¡¯s someone checking the state of the surroundings from the stairs¡­¡±


    The door deeper inside opened right at the time when the king answered.


    The one who came from there was¡­


    ¡°Hm? Onii-chan?¡±


    A small body.


    An innocent yet poisonous smile.


    A sweet voice like that of boiled sugar.


    ¡­There¡¯s no doubt.


    ¡°Poison-ta¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Silvia!!¡± (Mitsuki)


    My voice was erased by the voice of Mitsuki that rang at my back.


    ¡°¡­Huh?¡± (Souma)


    Silvia?


    Who?


    My question was answered by Poison-tan who ran to Mitsuki.


    ¡°Aah, even Mitsuki-chan is here. Long time no see~!¡±


    ¡°You too¡­ I knew you were alive.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Shocking revelation!


    Looks like Silvia is the real name of Poison-tan.


    Well, thinking about it, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for Mitsuki and Poison-tan to be acquainted.


    Speaking of which, Mitsuki was strangely wary of Poison-tan when I was a wanted person because she was an acquaintance, huh.


    The atmosphere was turning mild from the awkward reunion of the two, but¡­


    ¡°¡ª!!¡±


    There was someone who destroyed that atmosphere completely by dashing off.


    ¡°S-Sazan?!¡± (Souma)


    He ran to the room deep in, and disappeared into the door that Poison-tan -Silvia- came out from.


    I could only be taken aback as I saw him off.


    What in the world happened?


    Mitsuki answered my question by my side.


    ¡°I was inconsiderate. Alex and the others are not here.¡± (Mitsuki)


    I felt as if my head was hit with that.


    ¡­Right.


    I didn¡¯t notice because I was so taken in by my reunion with Ringo and Poison-tan.


    There¡¯s no Alex, Raiden, or Baccarat here.


    In other words, they are¡­


    ¡°I will go talk to him.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Saying this, Mitsuki left.


    I hesitated for a moment and decided soon after.


    ¡°King Rihito, I am sorry, but¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I also ask this of you. Please chase after that child.¡±


    King Rihito asked me instead before I could bring it out.


    ¡°Despite appearances, that child has a lot of burdens.


    No, we were the ones that burdened that child.


    ¡­That¡¯s why, please.¡±


    I don¡¯t know why King Rihito said that.


    No, if Sazan really is the descendant of Nameless and a noble, he might have been close to the King Rihito.


    ¡­No, that doesn¡¯t matter right now.


    There¡¯s no need for a reason to worry about my comrade.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Ringo!¡± (Souma)


    I took the hand of Ringo who was looking over here with bewildered eyes for some reason, and we walked to the door deep in.


    ¡°¡­So, why did you come too?¡±


    There¡¯s a big room on every floor of the Sorcery Tower, so you have to pass the room in order to head to the stairs for the next floor.


    I looked back in front of the door to the second floor, and there was Poison-tan there.


    ¡°Eh?! Do you think there¡¯s any other reason aside from this being interesting?¡± (Poison)


    Being told this as if saying ¡®aren¡¯t you an idiot?¡¯ I was on the verge of exploding even in this situation.


    I endured that and Poison-tan laughed with an evil ¡®nishishishi¡¯.


    ¡°Geez, I am kidding, just kidding. A moving scene will be happening, so it would be a pain if there were interlopers, right?


    That¡¯s why I will be watching over the door~!¡± (Poison)


    No, you are the one getting in the way -is something I couldn¡¯t say.


    ¡°It is okay, I won¡¯t let anyone in, so take your time~!¡± (Poison)


    I was seen off as if implying something as I entered the room.


    ¡°Mitsuki, Sazan¡­¡± (Souma)


    Sazan was leaning on the far-off wall of the spacious room, and Mitsuki was telling him something in front of him.


    It seems like Mitsuki has noticed we have come, but it is not an atmosphere we can go into.


    I returned the mitarashi dango I was about to take out from my bag.


    ¡°Can¡¯t be helped. We will wait here¡ªRingo?¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s when I noticed what was strange with Ringo who I was holding hands with this whole time.


    Ringo was holding my hand without strength, and was facing down as if fearing to meet my gaze.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Was it scary?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this, Ringo shook her head.


    And then muttered.


    ¡°¡­I am¡­sorry.¡± (Ringo)


    An apology again.


    I don¡¯t get it.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing for you to apologize about, Ringo.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°But I have¡­troubled you again¡­¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°You didn¡¯t trouble me at all!¡± (Souma)


    I cut off the words Ringo was about to say.


    I grabbed both of Ringo¡¯s shoulders and said this clearly.


    ¡°I am happy that you are alive¡­and I was able to get to where you are.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Souma¡­?¡± (Ringo)


    I look straight at the beautiful sky-blue eyes.


    ¡°If we are talking about troubling, you being gone is a whole lot more troubling.


    When I heard that you were dead, it really hammered the fact of how important you are to me.


    That¡¯s why, stay by my side from here on too¡­¡± (Souma)


    Just when I said that much with a blushed face¡­


    ¡ª*Dwon!*


    A thunderous sound that shook all the way to my stomach rang and the tower quaked.


    ¡°W-What was that?¡± (Souma)


    I don¡¯t get what happened just now.


    But I had a bad feeling.


    Ringo and I look at each other¡¯s faces.


    Her expression is stiff.


    She must have taken this abnormal situation as a serious matter.


    I glanced deep in.


    Mitsuki was making the flustered Sazan stand up.


    That place should be fine with Mitsuki there.


    But seriously, what happened?


    ¡°Could it be that the Evil God Fragment is attacking the tower from outside?¡± (Souma)


    But this tower is a separate map.


    No matter how much you attack the surface of the tower, it shouldn¡¯t affect the inside.


    But¡­wait¡­


    In the special abilities of the Evil God¡­


    Just when I was about to grasp a hint, the door at the back rang loudly as it opened.


    I readied myself, but the one there was Poison-tan.


    ¡°What, don¡¯t scare us¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I was about to complain, but¡­


    ¡°Onii¡­-chan¡­sorry¡­run¡­¡± (Poison)


    Poison-tan falls forward.


    And before she reached the floor¡­


    That body of hers turned into light and disappeared into the air.


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡± (Souma)


    I couldn¡¯t believe it.


    It was such a sudden ending.


    But just now¡­right in front of me¡­


    ¡ªA person certainly died.


    ¡°You gotta be kidding me¡­¡± (Souma)


    Not just anyone.


    An acquaintance of mine, always laughing, always nasty, but kind, and has meddled with me a lot.


    Strong, reliable, and hateful.


    A person that you would think wouldn¡¯t die no matter what¡­


    ¡°Poison¡­-tan?¡± (Souma)


    I called her again.


    But what showed up instead of an answer was¡­


    ¡ª*Wriggle!*


    A dark red something stretching out from the other side of the door.


    That something hit the place where Poison-tan was just now and bent its tip.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± (Souma)


    The tip of the dark red tentacle had a familiar hair ornament.


    That¡¯s from Poison-tan who was teasing me just now¡­


    ¡°¡­Dimension Breaker.¡± (Souma)


    At the same time as that happened, my way too slow brain led me to this answer.


    An Evil God Fragment that has grown to a certain degree has the ability to travel dimensions.


    The reason why the Evil God Fragment was staying in the city was because it was aiming to slaughter all the survivors remaining in the Sorcery Tower.


    It destroyed the walls of this tower that should be isolated by using Dimension Breaker, and attacked this tower.


    ¡°Souma!!¡±


    I snapped back at the scream by my side.


    At the same time as that happened, muddy air entered from the opened door.


    ¡°Miasma?!¡± (Souma)


    The sudden turn of events slowed my decision making.


    Ringo and I got hit by the miasma that was blown in.


    ¡°Guh!¡± (Souma)


    Fortunately, it seems like I managed to resist the status ailment effect of the miasma.


    The effects of the status ailment defensive ring have shown its utility here.


    ¡°Ringo, we are retreating from here! Ringo?!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Souma, legs¡­¡± (Ringo)


    But that wasn¡¯t the same for Ringo.


    There¡¯s a pitch black effect on the legs of Ringo.


    ¡°Damn it! Shadow Bind!¡± (Souma)


    The status ailment Shadow Bind that seals the movement of the afflicted person.


    It is a status ailment that¡¯s rarely used, but the troublesome part of it is that others can¡¯t carry them until it runs out.


    I stretched my hand to the bag in order to bring out a potion, but the enemy didn¡¯t wait for that.


    ¡°Wa?!¡± (Souma)


    The walls around the door were blown open from the outside.


    What jumped out from there were tentacles, tentacles, and more tentacles.


    They all came at us with their tips and¡­


    ¡°¡­What?¡± (Souma)


    They didn¡¯t attack us, and around 2 meters of distance from us, they instead dropped one thing after another.


    Ring, shield, stick, vegetable, piece of paper, and cloth.


    The dozens of items that didn¡¯t have commonality fell onto the ground.


    And then, the moment I saw the skull and the crown falling at the end, I understood what was going on here.


    ¡°Clerk-san, King Rihito¡­?¡± (Souma)


    They are¡­mementos.


    There¡¯s dozens of articles the Evil God Fragment stole from the people in the 1st Floor.


    In other words, the amount of items that fit the people on the 1st floor were dropped¡­


    ¡°So that¡¯s what this is?¡± (Souma)


    The inside of my head boiled.


    I glared at the horde of tentacles that covered my whole vision and stood in front of Ringo.


    ¡°Souma!¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo raised her voice in protest, but I didn¡¯t stop.


    It is not like I am facing them without a plan.


    They wasted their chance when they didn¡¯t immediately attack.


    Ringo can¡¯t move.


    Mitsuki and the others won¡¯t make it in time.


    There¡¯s many tentacles in front of us.


    Then there¡¯s only one thing to do.


    ¡°¡ªSweep them all!!¡± (Souma)


    The same time as I shouted this, I activated a certain skill.


    ¡ª[Incarnation of Fury].


    This skill that multiplies all my stats for a brief period of time can change even my speed to 3 times more.


    If someone like me with 3 times the average speed were to use it, it would be 9 times the average.


    It is not a speed you would normally be able to control.


    Not even moving, it is impossible to do delicate command inputs like Skill Cancel.


    Even so, it is still possible to use skills as they are.


    That¡¯s why I held Shiranui.


    The skill that I will activate with this weapon that I have cut through many dangers with is obviously¡­


    ¡°¡ª[Midare Sakura]!¡± (Souma)


    This slashing effect that takes 18 seconds to finish was called Instant Samidare Slash because of how unwieldy it is.


    But that¡¯s if it is used normally.


    With a 9 times acceleration that goes beyond the realm of common sense, I can shorten the 18 second slashes into 2 seconds.


    ¡°Aaaahhhh!!¡±


    A sword dance that even my eyes can¡¯t keep up with.


    Countless slashes that would be stupid to count and were far more than the amount of tentacles there were flashing around.


    ¡°How¡¯s that?!¡± (Souma)


    Right after the long but short 2 seconds¡­the mushy sound of flesh being sliced blew up the tentacles that were around without leaving a single trace, and silver lights danced around¡­


    (Silver¡­lights¡­?) (Souma)


    I couldn¡¯t tell for a while what was the meaning of those silver lights dancing in my vision.


    But after searching for the source of that anomaly, I noticed what it was.


    I ended up noticing.


    ¡°¡­Shiranui?¡± (Souma)


    The weapon that I swung after finishing the effect of the Midare Sakura¡­the katana that has fought a ton of enemies together with me since the game days, had the blade of it missing.


    ¡­Right.


    It is true that my attack power reached the Evil God Fragment.


    However, what decides the durability decrease of a weapon isn¡¯t the power of the user, but the attack power of the weapon itself.


    Shiranui was swung against an enemy with a difference in strength, and couldn¡¯t endure the continuous slashes of Midare Sakura.


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡± (Souma)


    And because of the shock of losing Shiranui, I lacked awareness of my surroundings.


    That¡¯s why, deep in the horde of tentacles, at the other side of the broken wall of the tower¡­I didn¡¯t notice that the core of the Evil God was peeking in.


    The heart of the Evil God Fragment.


    An ominous light was gathering on the core that shoots a powerful beam.


    ¡°Ah, my body can¡¯t move¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I tried to escape.


    I tried to place the Mirror Gauntlet.


    But my body was not moving an inch, betraying my will.


    ¡ªSkill Stun.


    No matter how much Agility you increase, you can¡¯t shorten this negative point of activating skills.


    A fatal opening.


    ¡°Kill¡­¡±


    An unpleasant creaking sound.


    I could only listen to the sound that denoted my death¡­


    ¡°Souma!!¡±


    I felt an impact from my back.


    I was pushed by something and rolled on the ground.


    The ominous red light disappeared from my vision.


    ¡°What¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I know what happened.


    Ringo.


    Ringo pushed me.


    ¡°You saved me there!¡± (Souma)


    I desperately raised my body that was too accelerated, and faced my life savior Ringo¡­


    ¡ª-And a streak of light had pierced Ringo.


    ¡°¡­Ah.¡± (Souma)


    The words clung onto my throat.


    I couldn¡¯t speak.


    What must not happen has happened right in front of me.


    The light that should have pierced me has shot through the center of Ringo¡¯s chest, her thin body shook¡­shook and¡­


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡± (Ringo)


    Seeing her own body changing into particles of light, Ringo made a wondering and slightly troubled face.


    And then, she slowly raised her head.


    When she found me, she soon made a happy face.


    And with a raspy voice, she did her best to open her mouth.


    ¡°Souma¡­I love y¡ª¡± (Ringo)


    ¡ªAnd disappeared.


    I desperately stretch out my hand.


    I stretched my hand in order to stop the light particles that were melting into the air.


    But I couldn¡¯t reach it.


    The light that was once Ringo went through my fingers and disappeared in the sky.


    ¡°Ringo¡­?¡± (Souma)


    At that place where Ringo disappeared from, something hard fell on the ground.


    ¡°¡­Aaah.¡± (Souma)


    A partially destroyed watch.


    The Chronos Watch that Ringo held onto the whole time.


    The promised watch that we held on to walk the same time together is no longer moving¡­


    ¡°¡ªUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!¡±

 CH 201

    TLN: Hey guys, this is just a spoiler block for the first line~. Don¡¯t mind me.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    ¡ªRingo is dead.


    That reality rang heavily and deeply in my chest, and I couldn¡¯t breathe.


    That¡¯s why even when several tentacles were crawling out from the hole of the wall again, I couldn¡¯t feel anything.


    ¡°Souma!¡±


    The voice of Sazan.


    It is not like I thought nothing of that shrill voice of his that sounded as if it were on the verge of tears.


    However, when I looked over there by reflex, Mitsuki, who was carrying Sazan, had come to me.


    ¡°We are running.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki said this shortly and held me under her arm while carrying Sazan and moved away from that place in one go.


    The scenery blurred in an instant.


    We reached the opposite door in just a few seconds, went up the 3rd Floor just like that, and¡­


    ¡°Ah, the watch of Ringo¡­¡± (Souma)


    The Chronos Watch of Ringo.


    We left it there.


    ¡°We have to get it¡­!¡± (Souma)


    I was about to get out of Mitsuki¡¯s arm and go back, but my body was not moving.


    ¡ªThe penalty of Incarnation of Fury.


    Those words flashed through my mind for a moment.


    It would be troubling like this.


    I tell Mitsuki desperately.


    ¡°We have to go back! Ringo¡¯s¡ª!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°You are more important than that watch for me.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Her stiffened face seemed to be crying for some reason, and I fell silent.


    I take a deep breath.


    The weight of my chest softened a bit.


    ¡°¡­Sorry.¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki just answered with a short ¡®don¡¯t worry¡¯ at my apology as she opened the door to the 3rd Floor.


    ¡°I have said before.


    Saving the world is a treacherous endeavor, and it is not something that can be accomplished without sacrifices.


    It is not something you have to feel guilty about.¡± (Mitsuki)


    I bit my lips at those words.


    I want to shout that¡¯s not the case.


    I don¡¯t want to admit that Ringo died in order to save the world.


    But¡­now that she has died, there¡¯s no point in such logic.


    ¡°¡­But you are fine the way you are.


    It is because you are like that that I have fallen in love with you.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Mitsuki¡­¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki, who should have a penalty on Agility because she is carrying both of us, was still fast.


    Her eyes were wary of the surroundings even while she was talking, and she had already gotten through the big room of the 3rd Floor, and was going through the stairs to the 4th Floor.


    ¡°Let¡¯s move on for now. So that we don¡¯t lose anymore.


    I will protect you while you can¡¯t move.


    That¡¯s why you¡ªkuh!!¡± (Mitsuki)


    There was no sign of it.


    On the way to the 4th Floor, the wall of the tower was busted open, and several dozens of tentacles came out from it.


    The path was completely closed.


    That¡¯s what I thought.


    But as expected of Mitsuki, she jumped to the front without hesitation and somersaulted while carrying both of us.


    ¡°Guh!¡± (Mitsuki)


    She groaned and lost balance in midair, but she avoided the tentacles rushing, and rolled into the room of the 4th Floor.


    After hearing the sound of the door behind closing, Mitsuki continued falling and she pitched forward at around a little after the middle of the room.


    ¡°Mitsuki?! Uwa!¡± (Souma)


    Sazan and I were thrown ahead.


    The penalty of Incarnation of Fury is still there.


    I rolled on the ground without being able to mitigate the fall.


    But what¡¯s more severe was¡­


    ¡°Mitsuki!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I intended to avoid it, but it seems like it scraped me a bit.¡± (Mitsuki)


    The leg of Mitsuki was dyed bright red.


    Even in my eyes it looked like she avoided it perfectly.


    It dealt that much damage even with that, so I can imagine what would happen if hit fully by it.


    ¡°There¡¯s no issues. More importantly¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki took out a potion from her bag and threw it onto her leg to treat it, and then glared at the door in front.


    ¡°We have been surrounded.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Wa?!¡± (Souma)


    I can¡¯t feel anything strange from the door in front.


    But that must be the case if Mitsuki says it.


    Now that I think about it, it is strange that it hasn¡¯t pursued us from the back at this point in time.


    Looks like I underestimated the intelligence of the Evil God Fragment because of my preconception of the game.


    But in that case, what should I do?


    There¡¯s only one path forward.


    However, going ahead when the Evil God Fragment is waiting for us there, no matter how you think about it, that¡¯s¡­


    ¡°¡­Can¡¯t be helped.


    Sazan-san, I leave the rest to you.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki moved before I could reach a decision.


    ¡°¡­Souma.¡± (Mitsuki)


    She called me with a clear voice.


    The handsome face of Mitsuki was in front of mine by the time I noticed.


    ¡°Leaving the rest? Just what in the¡ªhn!¡± (Souma)


    It was truly a brief instant.


    The face of Mitsuki got even closer, and something warm touched my lips.


    ¡°¡ª!!!¡±


    An instant that felt like an eternity.


    After Mitsuki finished the short yet long kiss, she moved away from my body as if unwilling to part, and showed a gentle smile I have never seen before.


    ¡°Ringo-san might get mad at me for getting all the sweet parts.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Mitsuki¡­?¡± (Souma)


    That smile, that way too sorrowless expression¡­stirred up my unease.


    But Mitsuki was not stopping anymore.


    ¡°I will attract the Evil God Fragment.


    That¡¯s why, please advance after exactly 10 seconds of me going through the door.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Mitsuki! What are you sa¡ª!¡± (Souma)


    I must stop her.


    Even though I thought that, my body couldn¡¯t move freely.


    ¡°¡­Got it.¡±


    And then¡­Sazan nodded by my side.


    Mitsuki began walking as if relieved from the bottom of her heart.


    ¡°Wait! Something like that, I¡­¡± (Souma)


    My shout didn¡¯t reach Mitsuki.


    ¡°¡­I was really happy I met you.


    That¡¯s why¡­even if it is just you, please, survive.¡± (Mitsuki)


    She disappeared to the other side of the door.


    ¡°Mitsuki!!¡± (Souma)


    I tried to chase after that back of hers.


    I whipped my dull body and tried to move forward¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± (Sazan)


    But the one who stopped my movements was Sazan.


    He stopped me with his weak hand and pulled me to the opposite direction.


    ¡°Sazan, what are you saying?! Mitsuki has¡­Mitsuki will¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°There¡¯s no point in chasing after her now¡­ We are moving forward.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°There¡¯s no way I can just accept¡ª!¡± (Souma)


    My mouth stopped in the middle.


    Because I noticed the stream of tears falling from on top of the mask.


    ¡°¡­Because¡­we have no choice but to move forward.¡± (Sazan)


    I couldn¡¯t say anything back at those words muttered in sadness.


    ¡­And then, 10 seconds pass.


    The dullness in my body disappeared as if timed.


    The door was opened.


    There was no ambush from the Evil God.


    I pulled the hand of Sazan and we went up the tower practically dragging him.


    Sazan fell several times because he lacked speed, but he didn¡¯t complain for a second.


    After getting through the 5th Floor, we run to the 6th Floor, get through the 7th Floor, and we have now passed the 8th Floor.


    ¡°A bit more! Just a bit more! After 2 more floors, we will reach the magic circle¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Souma!!¡± (Sazan)


    The scream of Sazan.


    The wall right beside us burst open.


    Before I could see the dark red something, I picked up Sazan and jumped forward.


    ¡°Ugh!¡± (Souma)


    I can¡¯t say I was as graceful as Mitsuki.


    But I did it.


    I jumped over the tentacles and rolled in front of the room to the 9th Floor.


    I tried to enter the room before the tentacles began attacking and¡­


    ¡°Oi¡­¡±


    I noticed what the tentacles were holding.


    ¡°Souma? What are you doing?! At a moment like this¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan spoke.


    But I couldn¡¯t hear him.


    My vision concentrated on what was in front of me, and nothing else was entering my eyes.


    And that fell on the ground¡­with a metallic sound.


    Thin blade, splendid waves, a light katana that only two exist in this world.


    ¡°¡­Tsukikage.¡± (Souma)


    The favored weapon of Mitsuki Hisame that she never let go of had been broken in two.


    There¡¯s no need to even ask what happened.


    But my mouth strung words by itself.


    ¡°You¡­killed her?¡± (Souma)


    The inside of my chest grew hot and my head grew proportionally cold with it.


    The hot yet cold impulse was ravishing my whole body.


    ¡°Souma! You must not, Souma!¡± (Sazan)


    I heard noise from my back.


    But no heed.


    I glared at the tentacles.


    New tentacles crawled out from the wall.


    Growing in number.


    But that doesn¡¯t matter.


    ¡°¡­I will kill you.¡± (Souma)


    I have no weapon.


    Shiranui was broken.


    I doubt I will be able to harm this guy with any other weapon.


    But that¡¯s fine.


    I just have to punch.


    Fists don¡¯t break.


    With my current physical strength, I should be able to deal some damage.


    That should be fine.


    I can kill it with that.


    Fists don¡¯t break.


    If the tentacles are in the way, the tentacles have to go first.


    Then the arms, then the head¡­


    And then, get to the core at the end¡­hit it hundreds or thousands, however many. Punch it, punch it, and continue until it dies.


    I take a step towards the tentacles and¡ª


    ¡°¡ªYOU IDIOT!!¡±


    I felt an impact from the side.


    Having gotten hit unaware, I lost balance and rolled inside the room together with what jumped onto me.


    We rolled on the floor and we stopped with me being the one below.


    The door closed on its own and we couldn¡¯t see the Evil God Fragment anymore.


    ¡°Why did you get in the way?¡± (Souma)


    I just confirmed that and said that to the person on top of me, to Sazan.


    Sazan didn¡¯t say anything.


    I raised my voice.


    ¡°That bastard killed my important people¡­it killed Mitsuki!


    Ringo and Mitsuki¡­at a place like this¡­¡± (Souma)


    Sazan didn¡¯t say anything.


    He simply silently raised his hand to his own face and¡­


    ¡°Wa?!¡± (Souma)


    Placed a hand on his own mask and took it off with force.


    The face that showed up below was¡­


    ¡°You¡­that face¡­but¡­¡± (Souma)


    I got flustered here and¡­


    ¡°Cooled down now?¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan¡­the person who took off the mask said this.


    ¡°Remember what you should do.


    Is going into a frenzy and getting revenge what you should be doing?


    What is it you must do¡­what is it that you want to do the most?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­to activate the magic circle and defeat the Evil God¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°No!!¡± (Sazan)


    A face of Sazan I have never seen before.


    A voice of Sazan I have never heard before.


    ¡°That¡¯s not it. Remember the last words of Mitsuki.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Mitsuki¡¯s¡­¡± (Souma)


    Sazan shook me as if clinging onto me¡­


    ¡°¡ªYou have a place you have to return to!!¡±  (Sazan)


    Those words pierced me.


    ¡°A place to return¡­¡± (Souma)


    A warm place¡­the place I should be¡­


    ¡­That¡¯s right.


    I still have a place to return, a place I want to return to.


    I have what¡¯s necessary already.


    I also know the spells.


    I should be able to return.


    ¡°There¡¯s only a bit more left.


    Just save the world already¡­


    And return to the place where you should be.¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan said this with a trembling voice and stood up.


    And then, instead of the door we should be heading to, Sazan went to the door we entered from.


    I couldn¡¯t move.


    ¡°¡­Sazan?¡± (Souma)


    I asked.


    ¡°What are you doing? Go already.¡± (Sazan)


    A bad feeling welled up in me at the serious tone.


    ¡°Go already. What are you going to do?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°¡­I have things to do.¡± (Souma)


    I realized with just that.


    And I felt disgusted at myself for being able to.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make such a face.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°But¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°There¡¯s no way I would go out of my way to just die, right? I have a real good plan.


    An incredible plan that the Evil God Fragment will have to stop dry on its feet.¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan said this and put up a brave front.


    But I couldn¡¯t stop Sazan.


    Because I want to go back.


    Even when looking at Sazan smiling with false bravado, I still want to go back.


    ¡°¡­Please.¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s why, I said this with a raspy voice and walked off.


    To the front.


    To the opposite direction of Sazan who is facing the Evil God alone.


    ¡°Souma!¡± (Sazan)


    Just before I reached the door, the voice of Sazan stopped me.


    I look back.


    ¡°I¡­I¡­¡± (Sazan)


    I wait for the words of Sazan.


    But in the end, Sazan just shook his head weakly.


    He bit his lips as if bottling up strong emotions and then¡­


    ¡°Souma, I hate you with all of my guts.¡± (Sazan)


    With tears messing his face and pale lips, Sazan said this with a smile.


    Managed to say it.


    And then, that was the last.


    Before I could burn that smile into my eyes, that coward yet brave guy turned around.


    ¡°¡­Souma, I have a single request.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°What?¡± (Souma)


    With his back still turned towards me, without showing me his face¡­


    ¡°¡­You definitely must not look back.¡± (Sazan)


    We advanced through our respective paths.


    Go up.


    Up up up.


    A thunderous sound shook the tower.


    The sound of big powers clashing.


    But I won¡¯t look back.


    I just faced forward and continued climbing.


    I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening.


    Even so, I told myself that Sazan is still alive as long as this sound continues and I moved forward.


    ¡°There!¡± (Souma)


    I arrived at the 10th Floor.


    At the same time as I opened the door, I ran to the magic circle.


    ¡°[Set]! [Set] [Set] [Set]!¡± (Souma)


    I create a massive amount of mithril from the mithril chisel.


    I don¡¯t even have the time to put the chisel back.


    I threw away the chisel after finishing with it and opened the Nekuranomikon at the center of the magic circle.


    ¡°The radical of magic, Souma, desires.


    The guidance of the sublime mana, the realization of the never seen miracle¡­¡± (Souma)


    In the game event, you needed to do a long incantation to activate the ritual.


    Fortunately, the whole incantation was written in the Nekuranomikon.


    There¡¯s no worries of me making a mistake.


    (Quick, quick, quick!!) (Souma)


    But it is long.


    Doing incantations was fun in the game, and yet, this was accelerating my impatience.


    But the incantation was finally close to ending and¡­


    ¡°¡­And thus, here, with that power¡ª?!¡± (Souma)


    Air leaked out from deep within my throat.


    The shaking and thunderous sounds of the tower are still continuing.


    But a single one¡­


    A single tentacle of the Evil God Fragment pierced the ground and came at me.


    ¡ªI think of evading.


    But that¡¯s no good.


    If I move here, all the preparations until now will be wasted.


    There¡¯s no time to redo the incantation again.


    The tentacle approached.


    I prepared myself for death as I chanted the last incantation¡­


    ¡ª*Grin*


    At that moment, a yellow flash sped from inside my bag.


    (Bear?) (Souma)


    A plushie with no equal.


    A reliable comrade that has been with us through thick and thin.


    The Bear clashed against the tentacle with Wakizashi in hand.


    ¡°!!¡±


    A scream was about to come from my mouth.


    The tentacle was intercepted by the Wakizashi that has the power of the Gouging Vajra, and the Bear was instead blown off to the corner of the room.


    Its ear was torn off and the stuffing on the inside flew out.


    The fallen body was not moving an inch.


    ¡ªBut.


    Time was bought.


    There¡¯s nothing stopping the completion of the ritual anymore.


    I was about to speak the last phrase of the incantation and¡­


    Just for a moment.


    I hesitated for just a brief instant.


    What showed in my mind was the grotesque changed figure of Iaski.


    Could it be that I will also¡­


    (As if I care!!) (Souma)


    I shake off my hesitation.


    I shout the last phrase.


    ¡°Show that power here! Nekuranomikon!!¡± (Souma)


    I completed the incantation.


    The magic circle shone at the same time, turning into a light that covered this room¡­this whole city and¡­


    I unsteadily move forward¡­


    Putting my feet down, raising my body, and once that ended, my other leg.


    If I move my legs together, see, I can still move my body properly.


    ¡°Bear¡­just a bit more.


    Once it is over¡­I will heal you properly¡­¡± (Souma)


    At the deep end of the magic circle¡¯s room, I go up the stairs heading to the top floor while talking towards my own bag.


    At the time when the light calmed down, what remained there was me and the Bear who was at the corner of the room.


    I immediately ran there, but even when I called to the Bear who had lost one ear, it didn¡¯t move at all.


    This Bear really loves pranks.


    I am sure it is trying to give me a good scare.


    I put the Bear inside the bag and after leaving the magic circle¡¯s room, I moved to the top floor.


    The sound of wind blowing onto the tower.


    The sound of my footsteps stepping onto the stairs.


    And even the sound of my own heart.


    I could hear all the sounds around me strangely clearly.


    I wonder why? -is what I thought, and reached a conclusion.


    ¡°I see. That sound stopped.¡± (Souma)


    The thunderous sounds that rang endlessly before finishing the ritual, the shaking of the tower, they were all gone now.


    But that doesn¡¯t matter anymore.


    I reached the front of the door to the last floor, and pushed that door.


    What was spreading before me was the exact scenery from the game.


    A big bed and a big window that can oversee the whole city; the outside of the tower.


    ¡°I have to confirm¡­¡± (Souma)


    I whipped my tired body and walked to the window.


    Am I walking or am I fumbling my way? I can¡¯t tell anymore.


    However, I was being pushed by a sole sense of duty as I peeked outside the window.


    ¡°¡­Ha¡­haha!¡± (Souma)


    Seeing that which entered my vision, that was the first thing that leaked out from my mouth.


    What I could see from below the giant window was¡­an empty city and a curled up giant body.


    The sight of the Evil God Fragment slowly turning into light particles and melting into the sky.


    Maybe because I am seeing this from high up, or it might be because it has died; that Evil God Fragment that looked so big before seemed like one to two sizes smaller when seen from here.


    ¡°Haha¡­hahahaha! Won! We won!!¡± (Souma)


    Cheers leaked out from my mouth.


    Tears flowed out from my eyes from the happiness of victory.


    I staggered away from the window and spun around.


    I show my happiness with my whole body.


    ¡°We did it! We did!¡± (Souma)


    In the end, even if it is called an Evil God, it is still just a monster with HP.


    The Evil God Fragment has finally perished after having its power taken away by the forbidden ritual.


    ¡°This is the power of humans! This is our¡­¡± (Souma)


    I raised both hands in order to show my overflowing happiness, and the next instant¡­


    ¡ªMy back exploded.


    ¡°¡­Gagh!¡± (Souma)


    I rolled on the ground.


    I couldn¡¯t mitigate all the impact I received on my back, hitting my hands and legs countless times, and crashed onto the wall of the room at the end to finally halt to a stop.


    ¡°What¡­?¡± (Souma)


    Even though I was feeling good just now.


    Even though I was on the verge¡­of forgetting about it.


    The welling up anger made me not care about the point.


    I supported myself with the bed at my side and tried to get up.


    ¡°¡­Ah?¡± (Souma)


    And then I saw it.


    A giant crystal that shone ominously like blood.


    A strong and giant arm broke and tore open the window.


    A grotesque face and unfocused eyes.


    And then, the countless tentacles stretching out.


    ¡°Evil God Fragment¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I don¡¯t get it.


    Could it be that I am dreaming?


    One of the nastiest nightmares out there.


    ¡°I have to wake up quickly¡­¡± (Souma)


    I whip my weak body and raise my body.


    I crawl onto the bed with strained effort.


    ¡°¡­Sa¡ª me¡­.¡±


    A creaking sound reached my ears.


    The Evil God Fragment is saying something.


    But I couldn¡¯t tell at all what it was saying.


    No, this is a dream, so it can¡¯t be helped that I can¡¯t tell.


    ¡°Right. That¡¯s right¡­¡± (Souma)


    I bring out a pitch black ring from my bag with trembling hands.


    The ring full of memories that I got from my friends in the Aken Manor.


    I put it in my own finger.


    I felt like I was closer to my friends like this somehow and it made me happy.


    ¡°What? Don¡¯t get in my way.¡± (Souma)


    And yet, that red and nasty guy was getting in the way.


    It stretched its red dark tentacles and dropped something in front of me.


    A bracelet with complex ornaments.


    I have seen it somewhere before.


    ¡°¡­Sa¡ªme.¡±


    The annoying noise is not stopping.


    I couldn¡¯t arrange my thoughts because of it.


    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t¡­Sa¡­ve¡­save me¡­ma.¡±


    But right.


    This is something important¡­a really important¡­


    ¡°¡­It hurts¡­I don¡¯t¡­want this¡­ Save me¡­¡±


    The words of the Evil God were growing clearer.


    The Evil God Fragment was asking to be saved.


    I don¡¯t get it.


    This really is a dream.


    ¡°No. I actually¡­don¡¯t wanna¡­ Don¡¯t leave me¡­ I¡­I¡­please save¡­me¡­¡±


    The moment I thought of this, I got the answer.


    This is¡­


    ¡°¡­Save me, Souma!¡±


    ¡ªThis is the bracelet of Sazan.


    ¡°I see¡­ Ahaha. Hahahaha!¡± (Souma)


    I connected the dots.


    Of course.


    There¡¯s no way the Evil God would ask to be saved.


    This is a message.


    It is replicating the words of Sazan just before dying. A message that matches the nasty nature of the Evil God.


    ¡ª¡°You must not look back.¡±


    The last words of Sazan replayed in my mind for some reason.


    My eyes burned hot.


    I put the important bracelet of Sazan inside my bag.


    I was overwhelmed with the desire to scream, but I didn¡¯t know what to say, and ended up letting out a piercing laugh.


    ¡°Aha¡­ahaha! Ahahahahahaha!!¡± (Souma)


    The laughing was overflowing from my mouth and wasn¡¯t stopping.


    It is making me go crazy.


    So crazy, so crazy, I can¡¯t even tell what¡¯s crazy anymore.


    The desire to laugh pushed on and on, and I couldn¡¯t stop.


    ¡°Haha! Hahaha! Ahahahahahahaha!!¡± (Souma)


    So crazy, so crazy, to the point that I can¡¯t tell if it is the world or myself that is crazy.


    But I can tell¡­


    ¡°¡­It is over already.¡± (Souma)


    There¡¯s nothing in this world anymore.


    Everything has been broken and disappeared.


    There¡¯s not even a fragment of hope here.


    Everything was changed into despair by this guy, this Evil God.


    ¡°It is over¡­¡± (Souma)


    At that moment, I decided to truly abandon this world.


    I have no lingering attachments anymore, so I don¡¯t care if it doesn¡¯t go well.


    Rather than living in this done world, I would prefer failing and dying.


    ¡°I am going back.¡± (Souma)


    I will go back.


    To that peaceful place, the place where I should be¡­


    ¡°Have you¡­gone mad?¡±


    The cracking sound stirred my ears.


    But I didn¡¯t answer.


    However, I touched the black ring with a trembling hand, and looked at the monstrosity that was looking at me.


    This will be the last thing I see in this world, so I burned that grotesque figure into both of my eyes¡­


    ¡ªAnd chant.


    The incantation to escape this world.


    The incantation to part from this world.


    The incantation to abandon this world.


    ¡°¡ª[Sleep].¡± (Souma)


    The spell of sleep wrapped me up.


    Heat escapes from my body, growing heavy.


    I could see the dark red flesh whips rushing onto me in my thinning vision.


    But that was a bit too late.


    An instant before death got me, my body fell onto the bed.


    My consciousness sank and the scenery blacked out.


    The event trigger that should have been erased from the patch was flipped and everything reversed silently.


    The world closed and flipped around.


    The flow of time reversed and the needles of fate moved counter-clockwise.


    The fallen water returned to its glass, and the rocks rolling down the mountain climbed up.


    The world rewinded as a whole and¡­


    ¡°Dis Aster. I won¡¯t forget you. I will definitely¡­¡±


    ¡ªAnd it all changed into a midsummer dream.


    The familiar voice hitting my ears brought my consciousness back.


    What I recognized first when I opened my eyes reflexively was the figure of the stereotype mage in a fantasy world, Iaski.


    ¡°¡ª!!¡±


    A sight that should be, but at the same time feels unreal.


    This is deep in the Mage Guild, and I am currently receiving the Baptism Ceremony -is what the calm side of my brain told me.


    My instincts were recoiling at that fact before my calm judgment could take over.


    I unconsciously faltered and moved away.


    ¡°Souma!¡±


    The one who helped me there was the voice of a girl.


    When I looked back at that voice, what came into my eyes was a vibrant sky-blue color.


    The figure of my irreplaceable comrade that I have spent the most time out of everyone in this world.


    ¡°Rin¡­go¡­?¡± (Souma)


    Even though that should be the case, I wonder why¡­that figure of hers that I longed for more than anything¡­blurred¡­fazed¡­and I couldn¡¯t see it clearly.


    ¡°¡­Souma?¡± (Ringo)


    The blue girl ran to me within my blurred vision, and looked at me in wonder.


    That innocent gesture of hers was unbearably nostalgic. I found it endearing, and¡­


    ¡°¡ªKuh!¡± (Souma)


    Unable to bear it, something hot flowed down my cheek.


    It flowed without stopping, and blurred my vision even further.


    I hugged the slender body in front of me instead.


    ¡°¡­Souma, you are crying?¡± (Ringo)


    I don¡¯t know how I answered the question.


    But fragmented words leaked out from me together with sobbing.


    ¡°I¡­am back¡­ I have come¡­back¡­!¡± (Souma)


    The blue hair in my arms tilted forward and a thin hand stretched towards me.


    Those white fingers brushed my cheek gently, and she smiled awkwardly, but with her best.


    ¡°¡­Welcome back, Souma.¡± (Ringo)

 CH 202

    ¡°I would like to get an explanation soon, you know.¡±


    I was hugging Ringo the whole time without letting her go, and a low voice rang from the side.


    A cat-eared girl with her favored weapon Tsukikage in hand.


    There¡¯s no way I would mistake her.


    One of my precious comrades, Mitsuki.


    ¡°Mitsuki, you are also fine¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Fine, you say. If anything, I would say you are the one that isn¡¯t fine though.


    What is the meaning of¡­that?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki looked up and down at me, and then returned back up again.


    I looked at my outfit again, and even though there should have been little instances of me getting hit directly, there were several parts of my gear that were damaged as if I had gotten through an intense battle.


    (I see. This is the reason why Ringo spoke to me in worry, huh.) (Souma)


    The me at that time gave all of my equipment to Ringo and Mitsuki, and I should have been wearing the mage apprentice clothes.


    Of course you would be surprised if that instantly became tattered battle gear in an instant.


    ¡°Yeah, I will explain properly. But before that¡­¡± (Souma)


    I glanced at Iaski and this guildmaster nodded composedly.


    ¡°Umu, ye can go now. I simply called ye for the sake of the entrance ceremony.


    I was surprised by yer sudden change in garments, but that¡¯s probably possible for the rumored Hero-dono.¡± (Iaski)


    Iaski was talking with an amicable tone.


    I can¡¯t see a single trace of the person that tried to kill a massive amount of humans for the sake of a ritual under his deep-rooted delusion.


    (He really has become the ¡®clean Iaski¡¯, huh.) (Souma)


    Just in case, I also confirm the panel that opens the secret door.


    There¡¯s no trace left of the panel, and has changed into just a wall.


    ¡°Now then, excuse our intrusion.¡± (Souma)


    I have no business here after confirming that.


    I brought Mitsuki, who wanted to say something, and Ringo, who still had a worried face, with me and exited the room.


    ¡°And so, what happened?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki asked in a rare impatient state and I answered.


    ¡°To put it simply, 2 weeks from now, an Evil God Fragment will come back to life and things will turn horrible.


    That¡¯s why I used the effect reset of the Mage Guild event and came back from the future.¡± (Souma)


    When I returned to the capital together with Sazan and Maki, and was told by Mitsuki that Ringo died, what I thought about was the time reversal using the Midsummer Night Dream Punchline.


    This will be a bit of a troublesome explanation here, but the Mage Guild event had 3 stages of change through patches.


    Let¡¯s call the first patch related to the Mage Guild event as Patch A, and the next one as Patch B, and so on.


    -No Patch:


    Even if the city is wiped out by the ritual event, there¡¯s no saving. You can go out to the city after the ritual.


    -After Patch A:


    A window and bed were added to the top floor of the Sorcery Tower. Changed so that you can¡¯t go outside after the ritual.


    A mini event was added where the Vice-Guildmaster tells you ¡®this situation might be a dream¡¯ was added.


    If you sleep on the bed after the ritual, you will be rewinded to just before the last event begins.


    -After Patch B:


    The dream punchline was so badly received that the mini event with the Vice-Guildmaster was scrapped.


    By pressing the Effect Reset button in the menu screen after the ritual, you can rewind to right before the last event begins.


    This world has begun with all patches applied, so it is closer to after Patch B was applied.


    Thinking about it normally, you can¡¯t rewind because you can¡¯t use the menu screen.


    What shows up here is the Midsummer Night Dream Punchline Bug.


    This bug which name would anger Shakespeare-sensei is an issue with the patch similar to that of the Forgetful Knight Captain bug.


    Even though the dream punchline should have disappeared with Patch B, the rewind will still happen if you sleep in the bed after the ritual. You could say they forgot to erase that event.


    You probably trigger an event flag like ¡®return to the quick-save point when you sleep on the bed¡¯ the moment you finish the ritual, and the careless developers forgot to erase that one. That¡¯s what the netizens guessed, but who cares about the details.


    Anyways, this bug was a pointless one that wasn¡¯t good or bad in the game.


    Honestly speaking, it would be faster to rewind from the menu screen rather than the bed, and the result wouldn¡¯t change no matter which you choose.


    However, it is different in this world without the menu screen.


    If I used this, even in a world without a menu screen, it is possible to reset the effects of the guild event.


    That¡¯s why I activated the world rewinding using this bug, and reset it all the way to just before my battle with Iaski aside from the player¡¯s state.


    I succeeded in bringing back my dead comrades.


    ¡­However, there¡¯s of course a price for that.


    The small one is the Immortal Oath I am wearing.


    In exchange for blocking Instant Death, you lose the ability to resist all other status ailments.


    I had no choice but to put this ring on to be certain I would fall asleep there with the Sleep spell.


    However, this ring is cursed, so I can¡¯t take it off unless I pay a high fee.


    I will have to be careful about status ailments for a while.


    And the biggest price of them all is¡­


    ¡°You two¡­really don¡¯t have the memories of that time, right?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°That time?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°No, it is nothing. Forget it.¡± (Souma)


    The only one with their stats and possessions brought back is the player.


    I did imagine it, but the 2 weeks I spent with my comrades has been eternally lost from Ringo and Mitsuki.


    The important feelings of Ringo and Mitsuki I was told, and my resolve to answer them; they are all gone from inside their heads.


    By choosing to rewind time, I might have killed the 2 weeks worth comrades.


    (¡­But that¡¯s fine.) (Souma)


    I do feel bad about it, and it is not like there¡¯s no sadness to it, but even if everyone forgets, I remember.


    I can just do those same things as long as we are alive.


    Even my heart was on the verge of being torn apart despite knowing about the possibility of them coming back to life.


    I am doing my best to act the same way as I usually do in front of my comrades, but I might get dragged into that despair in an instant.


    There¡¯s even those within my comrades that have experienced death.


    It would be better for them to forget it all instead of remembering those memories.


    ¡°Reverse the stream of time¡­no, rewinding the world, huh.


    I find it hard to believe, but if it is you, you should be able to do something like that.


    And so, does that mean that the problem has been solved?¡± (Mitsuki)


    The sharp question of Mitsuki dragged me forcefully back.


    ¡°¡­No, the rewinding was just an emergency evacuation.


    The problem still hasn¡¯t been solved.¡± (Souma)


    The direct reason why the Evil God Fragment from the Grand Church came back to life was because Iaski moved the magic circle of the city.


    I don¡¯t know how that affected this event now that it has been reset.


    However, the setting of ¡®if you defeat an Evil God Fragment, the remaining fragments get stronger¡¯ that I learned from the recording is bothering me.


    The underlying cause of the fragment having come back to life might have been because we defeated the fragment from the Sacrifice Altar and the other fragments got stronger.


    It would be better to move with the assumption that the Evil God Fragment will be resurrecting soon.


    Also, because the events related to the Mage Guild are made as if they didn¡¯t happen, I can¡¯t use it again.


    The event of the Warrior Guild itself remains, but there¡¯s no bug in this one, so it really would be impossible to do the same without a menu screen.


    I won¡¯t be able to rewind ever again even if someone were to die.


    ¡°But now that we have decided to fight, we can do the appropriate preparations too.


    This time around, I have no intention of losing any¡ª¡± (Souma)


    Just when I was about to say that, I noticed I had forgotten something big.


    ¡°Crap, time!¡± (Souma)


    I lowered my caution because I saw Ringo and Mitsuki were fine.


    I really was out of myself for forgetting something this important.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Is something¡ª¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°I am sorry, but there¡¯s no time to talk! I have to go at once!¡± (Souma)


    I shook off Mitsuki who spoke to me and jumped out of the guild.


    ¡°Damn it, make it in time!¡± (Souma)


    I shouted this and opened up my way in the crowd of people.


    I went up the roofs midway for a shortcut.


    I go even faster by using Skill Cancel.


    ¡°Hm? Was that the Sinking Prince just now?¡±


    ¡°Uoo, he is crisp today as well.¡±


    ¡°Hey, mom, that person¡­¡±


    ¡°Shh! Don¡¯t look.¡±


    Odd gazes gathered on me, but I have no leisure to worry about that.


    I was so happy about seeing Ringo and Mitsuki alright that I ended up using way too much time.


    It is really close to the time.


    But I am not giving up.


    As if I can.


    ¡°I decided to not lose anything. That I would protect everything!!¡± (Souma)


    I landed on the ground with a shout.


    And then, I opened the door of the Nekomimi Neko mansion by jumping in¡­


    ¡°Well then, I will wash you, Dark Sch¡ª¡±


    ¡°HOOOOOOOOLD IIIIIIIIIITTTT!!¡± (Souma)


    I successfully saved the life of the Fingerless Gloves (Dark Schneider).


    ¡°Aaah, my Dark Schneider!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°It is not yours! Or more like, don¡¯t use water magic to wash the delicate Da¡ªFingerless Gloves.¡± (Souma)


    Well then, it is great that I managed to get the Fingerless Gloves back from Sazan, but¡­


    ¡°How did you know that I would use water magic¡ªwait, you, what¡¯s that?!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Heh? A-Aaah, what do you mean ¡®that¡¯?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­everything! You are suddenly all in tatters!


    How did you end up like that just from heading to the library to get something you forgot?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Aah, about that¡­¡± (Souma)


    I tried to make an excuse for it, but it was impossible.


    Even though I should have been reprimanding Sazan who was lacking in common sense, I am for some reason being interrogated now.


    ¡°And here I was wondering why you were so hurried¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Souma.¡±


    On top of that¡­


    Mitsuki and Ringo, who finally caught up, must have seen through my intent, they looked at me baffled.


    ¡°Souma?! You are back?¡±


    ¡°Ah, Souma-san, wel¡ªwhat happened?!¡±


    Even Leila and Ina showed up from all the noise.


    The residents of the mansion also came as if drawn by this, and the mansion turned into a ruckus in an instant.


    There¡¯s also the Bear with both ears fine wrapped up in a black curtain this time around its body and grinning here.


    ¡­It is annoying, but yeah, that cloak does look cool.


    ¡°It is not like I am finding fault in this, but which is more important to you, us or those gloves¡­?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­Souma, continue the talk of before.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°You see, Souma, I am confident about today¡¯s dinner¡­¡± (Leila)


    ¡°I think it is good!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°As I said, explain to me what¡¯s happening¡­¡± (Sazan)


    My comrades were talking as they pleased even within all that.


    This is an incredibly chaotic situation.


    But I felt as if my chest was getting hotter.


    (¡­I have really come back. I am back.) (Souma)


    That thought naturally surfaced in me.


    I definitely won¡¯t lose this warmth ever again.


    I will protect them at all costs.


    For the sake of that¡­


    ¡°Hey, Mitsuki, there¡¯s something I would like to obtain at once.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Something you would like to obtain?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Yeah, it is a ring that¡¯s in a nearby dungeon¡¯s treasure chest¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. In that case, if you tell me the location, I will go get it at once.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­You really are reliable as always, Mitsuki.¡± (Souma)


    I won¡¯t lose this time around.


    I will make perfect preparations, and then, I will defeat the Evil God Fragment¡­and even its foundation.


    At the moment when I etched that resolve silently in my chest¡­


    ¡°¡ªSouma!!¡±


    The entrance was opened and someone jumped in.


    ¡°Uwa?!¡±


    Someone jumped straight onto my chest and I staggered.


    ¡°¡­Maki?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Souma! Souma Souma Souma!¡± (Maki)


    Seeing my cousin crying in my chest, I was relieved from the bottom of my heart.


    The only person I was seriously worried about.


    Maki who has the player trait.


    Maki is treated as a player just like me, so I expected her to not be affected by the effect reset.


    In the case Maki were to die before the rewinding, I even thought that she might stay dead even if the others were to come back.


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief. So you were also okay, Maki.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Y-Yeah. Even though I should have been waiting in the dojo for you to return, the world suddenly changed, and the Evil God hadn¡¯t come back. I was so surprised and¡­¡± (Maki)


    And my worry seems to have hit the mark.


    Maki alone still has the memories of when the Evil God came back.


    In other words, she has not been affected by the rewind.


    (¡­But this should be fine.) (Souma)


    Maki, who I was the most worried about, is alright.


    All of my comrades are fine, so now all that¡¯s left is to find a way to defeat the Evil God and everything will be¡­


    ¡°Hey, Souma, just what in the world is¡ªeh?¡± (Maki)


    But¡­


    The face of Maki looking up at me stiffened.


    And then, the next instant¡­


    ¡°¡­No.¡± (Maki)


    I was pushed away by Maki.


    I looked at Maki dumbfounded, unable to understand what happened.


    ¡°Maki¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I thought the nightmare was over.


    But that¡¯s not it.


    ¡°No, you are not Souma.¡± (Maki)


    I trembled at that voice that destroyed the fake peace.


    And then¡­


    (¡­Ahh, I see. So that really was the case.) (Souma)


    My cousin showed clear rejection towards me.


    The wariness and suspicion in her eyes, and where she was looking, I understood everything.


    ¡­No, I actually knew for a while now.


    I simply didn¡¯t want to acknowledge it.


    The reason why Ringo looked at me in wonder right after the rewind.


    The reason why the people were directing gazes of curiosity when seeing me run.


    The reason why my comrades were finding it hard to speak.


    And then, the unusual phenomenon that assailed me right after the ritual.


    ¡ªI had no choice but to notice that everything was pointing at one truth.


    ¡°Cause Souma¡­the real Souma¡­¡± (Maki)


    Maki became the merciless executor and pointed at me.


    She was pointing at my mark.


    The despairing remains of my rewind.


    Maki¡¯s finger was pointing at¡­at¡­


    ¡°¡ªDoesn¡¯t have cat ears!!¡± (Maki)


    Big cat ears just like those of Mitsuki had grown on me.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Author: Who was this development for?!!


    Nekomimi Neko Character Introduction


    [Kemona Iaski]


    The guildmaster of the Mage Guild, and an unrivaled cat ears lover just as the name states.


    He apparently fell in love with the strength and beauty of the now deceased mother of Hisame, and has the ideology that ¡®cat ears are power¡¯.


    He was planning on sacrificing all the residents of the capital to activate a forbidden body modification spell in order to ¡®grow his own cat ears¡¯. Of course there would be people against it!


    By the way, you obviously won¡¯t get a power up from getting cat ears, but it is said that the horrendous sight (old man + cat ears) dealt damage to many a Nekomimi Neko player.

 CH 202.5

    Light


    Dark


    TLN: As per tradition, this is an important chapter, not a side chapter, lol.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    ¡°Wuuh. Geez, I am not lucky¡­¡±


    Beginner knight in the royal castle, Jessica, was watching the creepy night city as she sighed.


    ¡°I definitely didn¡¯t want to be a lookout at night alone¡­¡± (Jessica)


    She said this and glanced at the back.


    At that place, there¡¯s a building with a solemn and sacred atmosphere, and a big gate fitting that.


    However, Jessica felt like, inside the ominous atmosphere of the night, that solemnity and sacredness would take a step back, creating a hard to describe pressure.


    What was ordered of Jessica was to defend the Grand Church.


    It is mainly a job of stopping the ones that try to enter this Grand Church, but it is different from a straight theft countermeasure.


    It is actually the opposite. There¡¯s an outbreak of noxious gas inside the Grand Church, and if you enter without knowing, you might lose your life at worst.


    She may only be watching from outside the door, but being that close to something dangerous like that isn¡¯t really a welcome matter for Jessica.


    On top of that, when she took the mission, Captain Spark Hawk told her ¡®if some anomaly happens inside, you don¡¯t have to confirm it, just make sure to come back and report it¡¯ which bothered her an awful lot.


    Does that mean there¡¯s the possibility of something even more dangerous happening aside from the poisonous gas that can even kill you?


    When Jessica began thinking that, she felt her life was being shaved away.


    ¡°At the very least¡­at the very least, let this mission finish safely without anything happening¡­¡± (Jessica)


    Jessica desperately prayed to God, but that prayer was not heard.


    ¡°What¡­?¡± (Jessica)


    Right after pleading for her own safety, someone walked towards her.


    ¡ªA man in black.


    Is it a cloak?


    They have their whole body wrapped around in jet black cloth to the point that even the contour of their body can¡¯t be seen properly.


    The black hood they are wearing low and the black cloth covering their mouth blended into the darkness of the night, making it hard to tell their face too.


    ¡°Evil God cultist¡­?¡± (Jessica)


    That term naturally surfaced in the head of Jessica.


    That¡¯s just how creepy Jessica felt the approaching man was.


    She couldn¡¯t allow a person like this to approach the Grand Church.


    ¡°S-Stop! This place has been forbidden entry by the orders of the king!¡± (Jessica)


    Jessica shouts this after finally remembering her duty, but the black clothed man doesn¡¯t stop.


    He instead increased his speed towards Jessica.


    Jessica bit her lips.


    The Grand Church is already closed at these hours.


    There¡¯s no way any normal person would be coming to a place like this at a time like this to begin with.


    If persuasion doesn¡¯t work, there¡¯s no choice but to do this by force.


    Even if the enemy is an Evil God cultist, she can fight if it is a human.


    She should be able to.


    ¡°I did warn you.¡± (Jessica)


    She couldn¡¯t hold back her voice from trembling.


    Even so, she bravely unsheathed her sword.


    ¡°[Magic Arrow]!¡±


    The first to strike wins!


    Magic arrows were shot from the opposite hand of the sword.


    This is Jessica¡¯s secret move.


    It is a spell that has low power and doesn¡¯t even serve to keep monsters at bay, but it is a different story against people.


    A shining arrow of light was shot in this darkness all of a sudden, so he wouldn¡¯t be able to stay calm.


    Jessica tried to plan her next move with that opening and¡­


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡± (Jessica)


    The next instant, she noticed that the black clothed man had slipped through the magic arrows and was standing in front of her.


    Not avoided, but slipped through them.


    Cold sweat gushed out from Jessica¡¯s whole body.


    She couldn¡¯t even imagine what kind of spell you would have to use in order to achieve something like that.


    ¡°¡­Sorry, but I will have you let me through.¡±


    The moment she heard that voice, she felt as if a cold knife had been pushed onto her stomach.


    Overwhelming fear.


    Moreover, one that she felt she had experienced before¡­


    ¡°Uwaaaaaaaa!¡± (Jessica)


    But that was as far as her calm thoughts could lead her.


    The black clothed man made clanging sounds as he moved forward. Just when he stepped towards Jessica, she swung down her sword with all she had.


    ¡°Wa?!¡± (Jessica)


    But it didn¡¯t hit.


    There was no preliminary motion.


    Even though the man was not in a stance to avoid, he jumped directly horizontal.


    ¡ªAnd then, the sound of an explosion was heard from behind.


    ¡°Why¡­?¡± (Jessica)


    By the time Jessica looked back, both of her eyes were opened wide in shock and despair.


    The man was standing in front of the Grand Church¡¯s door.


    This is not on the level of avoiding by jumping to the side.


    Jessica only lost sight of the black clothed man for 1-2 seconds.


    In just that short span of time, the man had circled to the back of Jessica, and reached the front of the Grand Church that is more than 12 meters away.


    It is unbelievable speed.


    If the man had prioritized killing Jessica¡­just thinking about it sent chills down her spine.


    Was that his way of telling her he would kill her if she were to continue being a hindrance?


    The black clothed man took out a weapon for the first time.


    A dagger made in a peculiar way called a Ninja Sword.


    If he were to sneak in with that speed and her neck were to be cut¡­just thinking about it made her legs lose strength and her body tremble.


    But Jessica¡¯s last bit of pride as a knight made her raise her voice at the black clothed man.


    ¡°Stop it! The inside of the Grand Church is filled with poisonous miasma! In the first place, you can¡¯t enter without the key I ha¡ª¡± (Jessica)


    But the shout of Jessica rang in deaf ears.


    ¡°¡­ge¡­¡±


    The black clothed man muttered something.


    The next instant she thought the black clothed man had muttered something, the man suddenly disappeared.


    ¡°W-What¡¯s going on¡­?¡± (Jessica)


    The consecutive question marks that were assailing Jessica made her fall on her butt.


    And then, she suddenly remembered.


    She has encountered unreasonableness of this degree before.


    It was when an army of monsters attacked the capital.


    The young man that appeared at the back of the monsters at that time¡­


    ¡°¡­Kuh!¡±


    The shadow that suddenly appeared inside the Grand Church frowned at the explosion that occurred inside his body in an instant, but he went down to the marble flooring.


    With just a single Ninja Sword in hand, the black clothed man smoothly managed to infiltrate the Grand Church, and what his eyes were observing was the center of the Grand Church.


    A light pillar that is going straight down from a stained glass in the ceiling.


    The miraculous light of the Grand Church was creating a clear shape and going straight down onto a deep hole whose bottom can¡¯t be seen.


    And then¡­


    ¡°¡­Miasma, huh!¡±


    Just as the man mutters, the hole where the miracle is heading to, there¡¯s currently miasma gushing out from it which could only be described as creepy, and it is warping the air in the Grand Church.


    An anomaly that¡¯s clear to the eye even without peeking into the hole.


    But the man made a smile with his mouth hidden in the black cloth, and jumped inside that hole without hesitation.


    Falling body.


    Fluttering black clothes.


    The metal fixtures on the black cloth were shaking with the air pressure and were making clattering sounds.


    The fall continued.


    The man was falling endlessly.


    The power of the light thinned the deeper into the hole he went, and the miasma was growing thicker.


    However, the jet black cloth covering his mouth was taken off and was now exposed defenselessly to the miasma, but his mouth was still showing a smile.


    The man was falling calmly down the miasma that would kill a normal person ten times over.


    Within the air pressure that was so strong it would be hard to even open your eyes, he finally managed to see the bottom of the hole.


    However, what was awaiting the man there wasn¡¯t just floor.


    The destination of the light pillar was sleeping deep inside the hole¡­no, not sleeping, it was a tied up monstrosity.


    ¡ªA partially destroyed giant crystal.


    ¡ªTied up giant arms.


    ¡ªA grotesque face that was regenerated halfway through.


    Any person who saw it would be able to tell¡­this is the natural enemy of humanity that¡¯s called the Evil God Fragment.


    But there was a problem the man had to solve before that.


    It is the falling speed.


    The man recklessly jumped down without any assistance from magic.


    At this rate, he won¡¯t be able to go against the falling speed and will crash onto the ground, and be turned into a pancake.


    But just before the crash, the man shouted.


    ¡°[Infinite Mirage Prison]!¡±


    At the same time as he did, he disappeared.


    It was like a recreation of when he disappeared in front of the female knight.


    The difference here is that the man didn¡¯t disappear inside a building, but through the same hole.


    The man repeated teleports and slashes inside the narrow hole.


    A repeat of completely pointless attacks, and the body of the man ended up in the same place as where he first used the skill.


    But the falling energy that the man had was erased by that time, and landed on top of the Evil God Fragment lightly as if he had jumped down a small platform.


    At the same time, the hood was flipped over completely by the wind pressure, and there was jet black hair fitting this place, and big cat ears.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, it has been a few hours.¡±


    The cat eared man wearing a black cloak spoke to the Evil God Fragment with a light tone.


    ¡°Hu¡­ma¡­why¡­¡±


    What came back was a low sound like that of creaking metal.


    The man raised a brow at that.


    ¡°Hm? You can talk even when your mouth hasn¡¯t been regenerated huh.


    Aah, you did scream when your face was blown up.


    You are one mysterious creature.¡±


    The black clothed man doesn¡¯t seem to fear the Evil God Fragment.


    He approached the strongest and most horrible being in this world without any fear and¡­


    ¡°¡®Why¡¯ is a hard to answer question.


    You haven¡¯t done anything yet, but I was thinking about shutting you up before you do something.¡±


    The man said daring words, but the tied up Evil God Fragment laughed.


    ¡°Fool¡­ There¡¯s no¡­weapon¡­that can hu¡­rt¡ªgah!!¡±


    An attack from the man pierced the Evil God¡¯s core right after.


    The creaking sound was cut off, and it changed into unintelligible noise.


    ¡°Impo¡­ssible¡­¡±


    The Evil God Fragment leaked out its voice in shock.


    That¡¯s because what the black clothed man used to attack was not a sword, spear, or axe.


    It was just¡­


    ¡°What. So I can deal damage if I just cast Power Up on me and punch you?


    So my idea at that time wasn¡¯t completely wrong.¡±


    ¡ªIt was just a tightened fist.


    ¡°You¡­why¡­pu¡ªguh!!¡±


    The words of the Evil God Fragment were cut off by the fist of the man punching the core.


    Even so, it didn¡¯t reach the point of destroying the core.


    But the man laughed in amusement.


    ¡°Then, just as planned, I will be punching you hundreds to thousands of times¡­until you die.¡±


    That¡¯s when it began¡­


    ¡°You ba¡ªga! Gih! Gah! Guh!!¡±


    He didn¡¯t even give a chance for the Evil God to speak.


    ¡ªHe punched, punched, punched, and continued punching.


    The sound of Order, and the sound like that of a broken record echoed in the deep depths of the hole.


    If the Evil God Fragment were in a perfect state¡­the black clothed man would have been killed in an instant by an attack of the tentacles, the roar, or the beam of the core.


    If not for the light pillar that is coming down¡­the slight damage that the man was dealing would have disappeared cleanly.


    But right now¡­


    The Evil God was completely unable to fight back against the high speed punches, and was being dealt enough damage by the light pillar to seal the self-regeneration.


    And thus, the Order of the man was sapping away the health of the Evil God Fragment slowly but surely like piling up trash, and then¡­


    ¡°No¡­way¡­Sto¡­¡±


    A broken sound was ringing from the core that was filled with cracks.


    ¡°Looks like it is finally close to the end. Tell the main body once you return¡­


    ¡ªI will eventually come to defeat you too.¡±


    The black clothed man mercilessly presents one powerful fist onto the core on the verge of breaking.


    ¡­And that¡¯s the end.


    That fist broke into the bright red gem after a clean hit, and the Evil God Fragment that should have revived and destroyed the capital perished silently without anyone knowing.


    After witnessing the Evil God Fragment changing into light particles once its core was destroyed¡­


    ¡°Hmm, how to say it¡­revenge really doesn¡¯t suit me.


    ¡­Well, it did help me relieve stress, so that¡¯s fine, I guess.¡±


    After achieving something outrageous, the black clothed man simply said this and stretched, and then, his cat ears twitched as if he noticed something.


    ¡°¡­Ah, could it be that the first ¡®why?¡¯ was because it was wondering why I was fine inside the miasma?¡±


    The man asked, but there¡¯s no way to confirm this now that the only being who knows the answer to that has disappeared into particles of light.


    But the man must have some integrity despite appearances, or maybe he simply likes explaining, he faced the chains that were tying up the Evil God Fragment as he spoke.


    ¡°You see, the game balance of Nekomimi Neko is pretty rough, so no matter how well the player prepares their equipment, it is impossible to have perfect resistance to all status ailments.


    But¡­did you know? The biggest priority aside from instant death is¡­petrification, and other status ailments don¡¯t happen when you are petrified.


    That¡¯s why¡­¡±


    The black clothed man brings his hand out.


    What¡¯s there is the pitch black ring that rejects death, and a ring in the shape of a winged gargoyle that allows the wearer to move when you are turned into stone¡­


    ¡°¡ªNo matter how strong your miasma is, you can¡¯t do anything to someone who is already petrified, right?¡±


    The man said in a dramatic manner, and the cat ears that don¡¯t fit the black clothes shook as if amused.


    ¡­But the man didn¡¯t notice.


    It is true that the man had hidden his face completely.


    But the Skill Cancel he used on the Grand Church was seen by many.


    The cloak that was made from the jet black curtain was made well.


    But the metal fixtures used for the curtain were blatantly visible, so many had seen through his identity.


    And then, the next day.


    The rumors began to spread around between the ones with fast ears¡­about the unknown dark hero, the Night Curtain Souma, and the titles of the man had increased by one more¡­


    ¡ªBut that¡¯s a story for another time.

 CH 203

    Light


    Dark


    I was recognized as a fake by Maki because of a small misunderstanding, but I somehow managed to fix the misunderstanding after talking to her passionately.


    We have known each other for more than a decade now, so calling me a fake just because I have cat ears is horrible, but well, I do understand the confusion of Maki.


    Maki has the memories of the city of Rihitel falling, so I can understand that she is confused after time got rewinded without any explanation.


    Most of all, if her cousin she has known since childhood were to suddenly grow cat ears, I might have said something unbecoming because of my surprise.


    Anyways, the next morning after clearing the misunderstanding of Maki, we decided to go out.


    The objective was to buy metal fixtures for the curtain that had broken because of a certain incident¡­no, that is indeed one of our objectives, but it is mostly information gathering.


    I have defeated the Evil God Fragment that was going to destroy this city in 2 weeks.


    You could say the immediate danger is gone.


    But once you defeat the Evil God Fragment, that power is distributed to the remaining fragments and the main body.


    I have destroyed two of the 4 sealed fragments.


    Because of that, the power of the remaining fragments has increased, and that might have led to the breaking of the seal.


    Also, I already don¡¯t have the choice of leaving the Evil God be.


    I decided that when my comrades were killed by the Evil God Fragment.


    ¡ªI will definitely defeat the Evil God.


    It is not for revenge, but to bring peace to the people of this world, to my comrades.


    My comrades falling one after the other in the face of the revived Evil God Fragment.


    Just remembering that time made something dark and muddy assail the inside of my chest.


    Ringo, Mitsuki, Sazan, all the people that were involved with me in this world¡­I don¡¯t plan on letting them forfeit their lives to such a guy.


    I won¡¯t say something as stingy like: All fragments.


    I will kick the ass of all fragments and then crush the source that is the main body until it is dust.


    That¡¯s already a settled matter for me.


    But there¡¯s still a lot of things that I need to learn about.


    Within the two remaining fragments, I still don¡¯t know the location of one of them, and there¡¯s a lot of other mysteries about the Evil God.


    For example; in the world before the rewind, why was the Evil God Fragment bigger than the main body shown in the recording?


    Was it the effect of the ritual spell? The Evil God Fragment managed to attack me right after despite having perished.


    Also, in the recording of the Evil God Great War, why did Alex and his party seal the Evil God instead of killing it?


    One of the heroes that sealed the Evil God, Nameless, said ¡®you must definitely not fight the Evil God¡¯ and that still bothers me.


    The biggest clue to learn what this is about is the stone slate of the Evil God Great War, the last chapter of it, but Maki, who is the only person that watched it, said ¡®it would be better for you to watch it yourself¡¯ and kept silent about it.


    The stone slate that had until the latest chapter was lost because of the rewind of the world.


    Even if we are going to watch from chapter 1, it will take at least 2 weeks to get all the way to the last chapter.


    It is not impossible, but I can¡¯t just wait that long.


    ¡°And so, we are heading to the library again, right?!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Yeah, I was thinking just about the Nekuranomikon before and didn¡¯t properly read the books there.¡± (Souma)


    I nodded at Ina who spoke to me from the side.


    It is the place where the recording was in, and Ina also searched in the library and managed to find information about the Seal Household.


    I can¡¯t say for sure there will be results, but it should be an adequate location to search for clues.


    ¡°We are going to be searching? I will do my best!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°¡­Hn, do my best.¡± (Ringo)


    I heard the motivated voices of Ina and Ringo from the opposite side.


    I told my comrades about the details of the rewind yesterday night.


    I did omit the part about Ringo, Mitsuki, and Sazan being killed, but a massive amount of people dying is a big deal.


    I thought they would be more scared, but when I declared that I would defeat the Evil God before returning to my world, Ringo and Ina were instead filled with motivation as they agreed with me.


    ¡°¡ªma.¡±


    I don¡¯t plan on losing anyone else.


    I will stand in the frontlines, and I plan on fighting the Evil God by myself, but I don¡¯t know what will happen in that battle.


    I am worried about how motivated the girls are, but even so, I still am really grateful for those thoughts¡­


    ¡°Souma! I have been calling you for a while now! Don¡¯t ignore me!¡±


    ¡°Owaaaa!¡± (Souma)


    My thoughts while walking were forcefully cut off by the black thing that jumped onto my back.


    After noticing that that was the body of Sazan, I hurriedly shake him off.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Getting all flustered like that.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t stick to me all of a sudden! I-It is too sweltering!¡± (Souma)


    Sazan tilted his head in wonder, and I responded with unconvincing words.


    I connected with Sazan quite a lot with the Evil God Great War recording and the trial of the Stardust Flare.


    But the memories of those times are completely gone.


    My relationship with Sazan has been reset with this¡­it should have been, but¡­


    ¡°Fufu, you don¡¯t like the heat? I heard something nice there.


    I actually wanted to ask you something when heading to the library, but kukuku.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Wa, hey, you¡­!¡± (Souma)


    Sazan said this happily and tried to stick to me.


    ¡­Actually, the one who got happy when I announced that I would defeat the Evil God wasn¡¯t only Ringo and Ina.


    Maki was still dejected from the cat ears incident, and Leila who is staying back at the mansion was confused from the influx of information, but that wasn¡¯t the case for Sazan.


    The truth is that Sazan has inherited the blood of nobility from the mage Nameless who is one of the ultimate heroes.


    He will take over the household in a few years, and will have to marry someone he doesn¡¯t even love. In order to avoid that, he wants to defeat the Evil God Fragment, and wants his family to acknowledge his strength.


    It is not like he has told me clearly with his own words, but using past information, I can imagine that¡¯s how the circumstances of Sazan are.


    There¡¯s no way Sazan wouldn¡¯t be happy with my declaration to defeat the Evil God.


    Since the time I said I would defeat the Evil God, the mood of Sazan got visibly better, and has been acting even more familiar with me¡­


    ¡°Bah! As I said, don¡¯t stick on me!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Fufufu, is it sweltering? In that case, how about you pay my entrance fee in exchange?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°What are you saying?! Just get off me already!¡± (Souma)


    Sazan himself doesn¡¯t have memories of that because of the rewind, but I have been told that before, and also¡­that face¡­I saw right before the rewind when he took off the mask makes it impossible for me to treat him the same as before¡­


    ¡°Sazan-san, leave it at that.¡±


    ¡°Eh? O-Owa!¡± (Sazan)


    The one who helped me out when I was getting all flustered here was an unexpected person.


    ¡°I will pay your entrance fee. You don¡¯t mind that, right?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­Y-Yeah. Anyone works¡­as long as it is paid.¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan for some reason said this unsatisfied despite his mouth saying otherwise.


    But my mind had already moved to somewhere else.


    ¡°Ah, sorry, you saved me there, Mitsuki.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind it.¡± (Mitsuki)


    This skilled swordsman dressed in a kimono that answered me gently is one of my oldest comrades, Mitsuki.


    That figure of hers brings me back to the past again.


    To the return of the Evil God Fragment and the fall of the capital.


    Within that situation where all of my comrades were showing surprised faces, Mitsuki¡­Mitsuki alone reacted differently.


    Even when I told Mitsuki about the revival of the Evil God, even when I told her about the rewind of the world, she didn¡¯t change her expression at all.


    No, not only that, as the talk continued, she barely moved her trademark cat ears, and simply looked straight at me¡­at only me.


    It is as if she has seen through everything, even what I haven¡¯t told.


    It was as if the talk about the danger the world is in and the people that were killed by the Evil God were just a minor inconvenience.


    No matter what I said, she showed a perfect lack of emotion outside.


    That detached attitude overlapped with the Mitsuki that learned of the revival of the Evil God Fragment and didn¡¯t get flustered by the death of her father, and saw her own life as just a throwaway pawn in order to achieve our objective.


    Mitsuki might have gone as far as seeing through the fact that the Evil God Fragment had killed our comrades and Mitsuki herself.


    Mitsuki is looking at me even now with that penetrating gaze and¡­hm?


    I noticed for the first time after getting close to her.


    It feels as if, rather than looking at me, she is looking a bit higher on my head¡­


    When I noticed where the gaze of Mitsuki was directed at¡­


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Souma)


    The corner of Mitsuki¡¯s lips suddenly loosened.


    It was just for an instant, but it bent into an angle I have never seen before to form a grin.


    ¡°M-Mitsuki?! What happened?!¡± (Souma)


    What happened to that iron face girl?


    When I asked her in surprise, she looked at my face as if she had noticed just now for the first time and said this.


    ¡°No, it is nothing¡­ I just thought¡­we match.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Match?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked her this, Mitsuki simply answered with a short ¡®yes¡¯.


    ¡°Wa?!¡± (Souma)


    She leaned her head against my shoulder.


    The cat ears on top of her head and the ones on top of my head touched, and I flinched for a moment there.


    ¡°See? A match, right?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki showed a loosened smile as if making me question what the expressionless face until now was about.


    That¡¯s when I finally noticed that what I have been seeing until now was a delusion.


    ¡°I have seen a decent amount of people with similar ears to mine until now.


    Even when I spoke to them and saw those ears, I didn¡¯t think anything special about it.


    ¡­And yet¡­this is truly mysterious.¡± (Mitsuki)


    The reason why they looked like clear eyes was because she was way too muddied to the point of erasing all other factors.


    The reason why it felt as if she saw through everything was because she really didn¡¯t care about it in the middle of it.


    ¡°Is it because those ears, their shape, have something that pulls my heartstrings?


    Or is it really because it is you?¡± (Mitsuki)


    I wonder since when was it.


    Now that I think about it, even while I was talking, she was always looking on top of my head.


    ¡°Every time those ears wave or tremble, my heart would stir up and get merrier.


    These welling up emotions, could it possibly be¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    In other words, it is that.


    Mitsuki is currently¡­


    ¡°¡­This is what¡¯s called love.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡ªHas become a complete love-idiot!!


    ¡°U-Uhm¡­Mitsuki?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Yes?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki answered happily for some reason as if in a daze.


    Even though there should be nothing dangerous here, I felt chills.


    An overwhelming pressure I have never felt before.


    ¡°Ah, w-we are already close to the library! L-Let¡¯s go for now!¡± (Souma)


    But we fortunately arrived at the destination before I was swallowed by the pressure of Mitsuki.


    I was relieved and accelerated my steps towards the building in front of us and¡­


    ¡°¡ªHey, Souma, can you stop it already?¡±


    The one who spoke to me from behind and sewed me in place was¡­


    ¡°¡­Maki?¡± (Souma)


    My cousin that¡¯s 2 years younger than me is always cheerful, noisy, and overflowing with energy.


    But I could feel she was tired from her voice and that she was scared.


    That¡¯s when I finally noticed.


    The reason why Maki was silent wasn¡¯t because she said I was a fake.


    She was worrying this whole time.


    Even with that, I responded frivolously on purpose.


    ¡°Stop, you say? Don¡¯t want to go to the library?


    I don¡¯t really mind¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. It is not that, Souma.¡± (Maki)


    She was telling me ¡®you already know what I am saying, right?¡¯ with her eyes shining a dim light.


    ¡°Then, what do you mean by stop?¡± (Souma)


    A raspy voice.


    I have an idea of the answer, but if so, I still tried to bring it out from Maki.


    ¡°About defeating the Evil God.¡± (Maki)


    The answer was exactly what I thought.


    (I see¡­ It hasn¡¯t ended¡­inside of Maki.) (Souma)


    Just like how I still replay the death of my comrades and my chest hurts.


    Maki is also dragging the memories of that hell and couldn¡¯t escape from them.


    ¡°I know that you went outside last night, Souma!


    You went to defeat the Evil God Fragment under the capital, right?!¡± (Maki)


    ¡°You¡­noticed?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been your cousin for more than a decade for nothing.


    I can easily tell what you are thinking.¡± (Maki)


    The stern gaze of Maki got even stronger there.


    She spoke while feeling uneasy.


    ¡°In that case, it should be fine already. There won¡¯t be any danger anymore.


    The seal might break in the future, but that¡¯s definitely in the far future, so¡­so¡­¡± (Maki)


    I could tell that Maki was worrying about our safety¡­my safety, from the bottom of her heart.


    But that¡¯s why I can¡¯t step back.


    ¡°Stopping is impossible. You should know too, Maki.


    When you defeat the Evil God Fragment, their power goes back to the other remaining fragments.


    We have destroyed 2 fragments already.


    There¡¯s already no path aside from defeating the main body of the Evil God all the wa¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°But¡­but the Evil God can¡¯t be defeated.


    It must not be fought. You definitely must not.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Maki?¡± (Souma)


    What in the world did Maki see in that stone slate?


    Her body was trembling in fear, but she soon looked at me with an even stronger gaze and told me.


    ¡°¡­Hey, Souma, this is¡­not a game, you know?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Wa?!¡± (Souma)


    And then, those unexpected determined words hit my heart.


    ¡°If it were a game, there would be a clear goal, and you can definitely arrive there if you work hard.


    But this place is¡­what lies ahead is beyond the boundary of the game.


    There¡¯s no assurance that the goal of defeating the Evil God exists.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± (Souma)


    Maki does have a point -is what my mind is telling me.


    The Demon Lord was made in a way to be defeated in the game.


    The predestined story of the hero defeating the Demon Lord.


    But in this situation where I am trying to challenge the Evil God that surpasses the Demon Lord, we have surpassed the game world.


    This world isn¡¯t assuring us that the Evil God is a being that can be defeated.


    Maybe¡­


    No matter how hard we work, just like how humans can¡¯t fly in the sky with their bodies, there might not be an end where we defeat the Evil God.


    ¡°¡­No.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Maki)


    But I leaked out my disagreement.


    A defined goal line.


    Just having to run towards the promised ending of the epic.


    If this were a normal game, that would be the case.


    ¡°You are the one who doesn¡¯t get it.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Sou¡­ma?¡± (Maki)


    But that¡¯s not it.


    That game¡­our Nekomimi Neko is different.


    There was no set epic in that game.


    There were unpredictable bugs even for the developers, unpredictable random elements blocking the way, and no one knew if it was possible to clear. If unlucky, you really could end up hard locking yourself from clearing the game.


    Even with all that, we moved forward.


    Even if there¡¯s nothing we could believe in, we still walked forward single-mindedly.


    In that case, there¡¯s no way¡­it wouldn¡¯t be possible to achieve the same thing in this world that was born from Nekomimi Neko.


    That¡¯s why there¡¯s only one thing I can say.


    ¡°We Nekomimi Neko players have been creating paths where there¡¯s none.


    That¡¯s why I will simply be doing just that.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Souma¡­¡± (Maki)


    Maki stood there dumbfounded.


    ¡°B-But you might die if you fail!


    Even though you don¡¯t know if you can succeed¡­no, you don¡¯t even know if there¡¯s a chance of succeeding, and yet¡­¡± (Maki)


    I wonder why, the flustered Maki seemed like a crying lost child.


    ¡°¡­In that case, should I prove it to you?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°I am saying if you will be fine with it if I just prove to you that I -a Nekomimi Neko Player- am a person that can create paths where there¡¯s none.¡± (Souma)


    Then, it is my duty to stop the tears of this crybaby.


    I turned away from Maki who couldn¡¯t answer me, and¡­


    ¡°It is dangerous so move away for a bit.¡± (Souma)


    I said this shortly towards my comrades, separated from them, and walked forward alone.


    And then, turned in front of the wall of the library.


    At a position where the wall of the library is at my back, I bring out my favored weapon from my bag.


    The katana with special powers, Shiranui, which I lost once in the Evil God Battle¡­is not the one I took out.


    What I must use right now is not something like that.


    What I took out was a normal Ninja Sword with a lot lower attack power than the synthesized Shiranui.


    But that¡¯s fine.


    No, it has to be this.


    ¡°Souma? What are you doing¡­?¡± (Maki)


    Maki was looking at me with what seemed to even be fear, but I acted as if I didn¡¯t notice and moved.


    I unsheathe the Ninja Sword and¡­


    ¡°Watch, Maki! This is the way of life of us Nekomimi Neko players!!¡± (Souma)


    I raised it as if to show it off to Maki¡­.to everyone there, and speak the keywords.


    ¡°¡ª[Infinite Mirage Prison]!!¡± (Souma)


    My figure disappears the next instant.


    Leaving behind Maki, Ringo, Mitsuki, and all of my other comrades.


    I took the pathless path to teleport inside the house of books with the scent of mold and history¡­


    ¡°¡ªWait, Sooooooumaaaaaaaaaaaa!!¡± (Maki)


    Maki had noticed that she was being used as a distraction to skip the entrance fee, and chased after me in anger just 30 seconds later.

 CH 204

    Light


    Dark


    After entering the library with Infinite Mirage Prison, I was soon captured by Maki, Ringo, and Mitsuki.


    Within them, Maki was the one that was especially angry.


    ¡°Geez, you really always see things like a game, Souma!¡± (Maki)


    She said this and reprimanded my ears off. Ringo looked baffled with her expressionless face.


    ¡°¡­Souma, why are you so Souma?¡± (Ringo)


    And said such a philosophical question.


    On top of that, Mitsuki made a rare excited expression.


    ¡°Good grief, don¡¯t be so distant. I can pay for your entrance fee.


    That¡¯s why¡­can I¡­nibble on those ears a bit¡­?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡­No, I feel like that¡¯s a bit different, but anyways, I want you to wait for a bit.


    Of course, I am not perfect.


    I do end up reflexively entering walls just like how I did in the game, but that¡¯s something any modern person used to games would do.


    Also, I did this after careful thought.


    I was simply playing around a bit with Maki in order to soothe her a bit when she was worrying.


    And yet, being thought of as if I seriously did this just to skip on paying the entrance fee¡­do I really lack that much trust? I feel a bit sad about this.


    ¡°Hey, Maki, it is not like I used the wall jump because I seriously didn¡¯t want to pay the entrance fee¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I said this in order to make her understand, but¡­


    ¡°Too bad. Looks like time has run out.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Before I could finish explaining, Mitsuki was the first one to slide away from me.


    ¡°Aah, it is not my problem~.¡± (Maki)


    And then, Maki.


    ¡°¡­Come back¡­with a clean body¡­¡± (Ringo)


    Even Ringo left some mysterious words as she separated from me.


    ¡°O-Oi?¡± (Souma)


    Just what in the world happened?


    I was confused here, but the next instant, that question melted at the chilling tone that rang from my back.


    ¡°¡ªCan I hear in detail about this?¡±


    I hesitantly look back at this feeling of deja vu.


    ¡°S-Seirie-san?¡± (Souma)


    When I did, there was the bespectacled librarian I imagined and¡­


    ¡°Sagara-sama, I have something to talk with you about, so you don¡¯t mind coming with me for a bit to the room deeper in, right?¡± (Seirie)


    ¡°¡­Okay.¡± (Souma)


    I was taken deeper into the library just as she ordered.


    The place I was brought to was an office room normal people can¡¯t go into.


    ¡°U-Uhm¡­it has been a while, Seirie-san.¡± (Souma)


    I couldn¡¯t endure the silent pressure and spoke a transparent greeting. Seirie-san raised her eyebrow a bit at this.


    ¡°It has been a while? I met you just yesterday though.¡± (Seirie)


    ¡°Eh? ¡­Ah, yeah.¡± (Souma)


    Being told this, I remembered.


    In my perspective, I have not met Seirie-san for more than 2 weeks, but that was erased with the rewind.


    I was internally flustered by this, but Seirie-san soon loosened her expression.


    ¡°¡­Well, if what you meant is that that¡¯s how much you missed me, it doesn¡¯t feel that bad though.¡± (Seirie)


    Looks like she doesn¡¯t mind it that much.


    I sighed in relief, but that was overly hasty.


    ¡°However, please don¡¯t think I will fall with just that degree of cajolery.¡± (Seirie)


    ¡°Y-Yes ma¡¯am!¡± (Souma)


    It figures that Seirie-san¡¯s anger wouldn¡¯t calm down with just that much. She gave me a sharp glare.


    ¡°If you really want me to forgive you, you should spin 3 times and say ¡®Seirie-san, I will treasure you for the rest of my life! Please marry me!¡¯.¡± (Seirie)


    ¡°¡­Excuse me?¡± (Souma)


    That made no sense, but it seems like she is really angry.


    I shrunk my body and waited for her to batter me more, but Seirie-san simply peeked at me every now and then as if waiting for something, and didn¡¯t say anything more.


    ¡°Uhm¡­¡± (Souma)


    When I spoke to her, Seirie-san¡¯s angry face turned even angrier, and after doing an intentional cough, she finally resumed talking.


    ¡°Now that it is your second altercation, this is already not an issue with money.


    I have judged that there¡¯s a 99.3% chance that you lack moral values.¡± (Seirie)


    ¡°I-Is that so¡­¡± (Souma)


    Was there a need to put that in percentage? But going against the angry Seirie-san would be foolish.


    I stop at just retorting internally.


    ¡°I did think of fining you or giving you away to the guards, but there¡¯s no knowing if that will solve the root of the problem.


    And so, I have prepared this for such an occasion in order to fix your morals.¡± (Seirie)


    What Seirie-san brought out after saying this were a few papers.


    It is packed with questions, and they had questions with checkboxes for: yes, no, and inconclusive.


    Is this a personality test? It is a question sheet that I would normally see in official surveys.


    ¡°This is¡­?¡± (Souma)


    Seeing this stack of papers that didn¡¯t match the medieval fantasy setting, I hesitantly asked this, and Seirie-san answered with a glint on her glasses.


    ¡°It is a moral evaluation sheet to judge your moral values.


    I will have you do this first, and have you notice your own issues.¡± (Seirie)


    ¡°I-I see¡­¡± (Souma)


    Looks like I am being suspected of having dangerous morals.


    I was impressed by how a library has something like this and¡­


    ¡°By the way, I made this yesterday.¡± (Seirie)


    ¡°Eh¡­?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°It was an all-nighter. It is the first time in my life that I have done an all-nighter for anything aside from reading books.¡± (Seirie)


    She said this proudly, but what would she have done if I hadn¡¯t come?


    And the reality is that I didn¡¯t come here until the rewind.


    ¡°And so, once I answer these questions and there¡¯s no issues¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I will forget about this incident and you will be released.¡± (Seirie)


    I was surprised by this, but that¡¯s what I wanted.


    I don¡¯t want my comrades to treat me like a weirdo the whole time, and I do want to return to my original objective which is to search for information about the Evil God.


    Honestly speaking, it pains me a bit, but I decided to put on a bit of a mask here and get through this.


    ¡°Understood. I will do it!¡± (Souma)


    I answered energetically and Seirie-san nodded satisfied as she said ¡®that¡¯s what makes you the ultimate hero, the Sinking Prince Souma¡¯ and gave me a pen.


    This has nothing to do with water -is what I thought as I took the pen and scanned the questions.


    ¡°¡­Hm?¡± (Souma)


    Seeing them, I tilted my head.


    I thought for sure there would be difficult stuff in order to test my moral parameters, but that wasn¡¯t it.


    Rather, it is shock full of simple questions like ¡®I think stealing is bad¡¯ and ¡®no matter what happens, I wouldn¡¯t want to pay money to others¡¯ which even an elementary schooler would be able to answer.


    Or more like, those are weird questions to throw from the very beginning.


    ¡õYes    ¡õNo    ¡õInconclusive


    ¡­Man, this is horrible.


    Is there anyone who would fall for this question?


    Even if you are an actual thief, if you were to honestly answer ¡®Yes¡¯ here, forget about morals, you would be an idiot.


    (Could it be that Seirie-san really is an airhead?) (Souma)


    I had my doubts, but that would be convenient for me.


    (If it is like this, I can return to my research.) (Souma)


    I checked the ¡®Inconclusive¡¯ while thinking about this.


    ¡°D-Done¡­¡± (Souma)


    It took me longer than expected, but I have finished answering all the questions.


    It was easy until the middle, but it seems like she ran out of material at the end, there were a lot more questions that had nothing to do with morals, and the choices for Yes, No, and Inconclusive were gone, so it ended up taking more time.


    I lowered my gaze onto the question sheet once more in order to check whether I missed any question.


    ¡õI don¡¯t need ¡õ1-2 ¡õ3-8 ¡õEnough to make a soccer team ¡õMore than that.


    ¡õMetal Frame ¡õCell Frame ¡õHalf Rim ¡õRimless ¡õPince-nez


    ¡õWears glasses ¡õLoves books ¡õLibrarian ¡õName begins with Se


    How is she going to tell my moral compass by asking me what my likes for glasses are?


    I got a bit uneasy about this, but I can just complain if there¡¯s a weird result.


    ¡°Done.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yes, I have certainly received it.¡± (Seirie)


    I felt like the glasses of Seirie-san shone the moment she received the papers and I had a bit of a bad feeling about it, but I just brushed it off as me overthinking it.


    There¡¯s no way she would be able to find a problem from such questions, so I should get a not guilty verdict here.


    ¡°Speaking of which, I heard that you came to the library seeking knowledge related to the Evil God.¡± (Seirie)


    ¡°Eh? Yeah¡­¡± (Souma)


    I did feel like it was a waste of time that my research was not progressing with me being imprisoned here.


    Before I was brought here by Seirie-san, I asked everyone to investigate the Evil God; especially things revolving around the south solitary island and the Seal Tribe.


    Looks like Seirie-san heard that.


    ¡­Also, I asked them to search for Ina and Sazan who apparently got separated in the middle.


    Well, Ina is most likely lost in the library because she couldn¡¯t keep up with the speed of Mitsuki and the others. As for Sazan, he got separated in the library fortunately, so he is most likely digging through the books of the library and enjoying it anyways so I am not worried though.


    Even if there¡¯s a bit of a difference from when it was a game, I can confidently say that I know every nook and cranny of a place where I could go in the game.


    The knowledge I don¡¯t know about is the Evil God and anything deeply related to it, the south solitary island that wasn¡¯t implemented in the game, and the Seal Tribe that¡¯s supposed to be living there.


    While I was thinking back about this, Seirie-san pushed her glasses up and said this.


    ¡°The inside of my head is filled with knowledge about all the books in this library.


    If you have something you are looking for, I might be of help.¡± (Seirie)


    ¡°Aah, I see!¡± (Souma)


    We were just thinking about searching for ourselves, and didn¡¯t even think about asking someone to help.


    This is probably one of the reasons why Maki told me ¡®game perspective¡¯.


    I reflected a bit here and lowered my head at Seirie-san.


    ¡°Please do.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Understood¡­ That said, there¡¯s many stories related to the Evil God.


    Can you please narrow it down a bit more?¡± (Seirie)


    Being told this, I ponder.


    ¡°Uhm¡­in that case, about the south solitary island, the Seal Tribe, and also the priestess¡­


    Ah, as for particular people, ones like Nameless and Neitia!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Nei¡­tia?¡± (Seirie)


    The last words I said made the eyes of Seirie-san shine.


    ¡°There should be a single diary from a long time ago in the archive.


    If I remember correctly, the author of it was Neitia¡­¡± (Seirie)


    ¡°Really?!¡± (Souma)


    The Seal Priestess that lived in the Evil God Great War era.


    If that diary exists, it would be the biggest lead.


    I got excited at the unexpected development and¡­


    ¡°¡ªSouma, I found it too!¡±


    The familiar voice of my cousin.


    Could it be that we have found another important lead about the Evil God?!


    I look back with surprise and expectation, and what was there was¡­


    ¡°Wait, that¡¯s what you found?!!¡± (Souma)


    Maki was standing there all proudly while holding the missing masked mage by the back of his collar.

 CH 204.5

    Light


    Dark


    Important: This story is a story about the past, but it is connected to the main story, so well, as you can see, it is a long chapter which we haven¡¯t had in a while, but please be careful about skipping through this one since you won¡¯t be able to understand the future developments.


    TLN: This is a SUPER long chapter. So keep that in mind , haha.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    Wind that carries the scent of salt blew through the slightly elevated hills.


    That girl was standing alone on that hill where wind whistles.


    ¡°Aah¡­¡±


    As if riding the wind.


    Or maybe as if hiding in the wind.


    A sigh mixed with sorrow and understanding leaked out from the small mouth of the girl.


    ¡ªA frail girl.


    Thin arms and legs that felt like they would crumble with a mere touch.


    Straight and perfectly smooth black hair was easily waving through the wind, and her eyes were of the same black color, but had deep darkness residing in them, oozing a languid atmosphere.


    This girl that felt lost if she had been thrown into this world all alone held her hair waving with the wind.


    As if reacting to this, the mouth below her sorrowful eyes showed a faint smile.


    The real feelings she had been holding back leaked out along with that sigh of hers.


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t¡­want to work¡­¡±


    And once she voiced it out, it was all downhill.


    She fell backwards without a care about her clothes getting dirty, and words overflowed as if a dam had been open.


    ¡°Aaah, if only I could stay like this foooreveeeer without doing anything.


    If I can¡¯t do that, I might as well¡­¡±


    The girl was lying face-up defenselessly on top of the hill with her limbs spread apart.


    But the voice that rang from the other side of the hill spelled the end of that slothful sight of hers.


    ¡°Ojou-samaaa*! Where are you, Ojou-samaaa!¡± <A lady of a high social position>


    Hearing that voice, the girl went ¡®achaaa¡¯ and made a face as if finding this a pain for just an instant, and then reluctantly got up.


    ¡°Ojou-sama!¡±


    The one that showed up was a man in the prime of his life with a tough physique.


    This man that had a calm atmosphere that clashed with his tanned stern face approached the girl looking relieved.


    ¡°¡­Gaius, I told you to stop calling me Ojou-sama.¡±


    The girl turned away after saying that complaint who knows how many times already.


    It did look like a teasing gesture, but Gaius, who is an honest caretaker, shrunk his body as if ashamed.


    ¡°My apologies, Mitia¡­-ojousama.¡± (Gaius)


    ¡°So you still add the ojou-sama.¡± (Mitia)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­you are this generation¡¯s priestess-sama, and I am your caretaker after all.¡± (Gaius)


    Mitia simply shrugged her shoulders at the reserved words of the man.


    ¡°No, more importantly¡­!¡± (Gaius)


    The next one to complain was Gaius.


    He put emotion in his voice as he approached Mitia.


    ¡°Mitia-ojousama, how many times have I told you that it is dangerous to walk around alone?!¡± (Gaius)


    It was the natural reprimand as her caretaker and as the older one here.


    But, even with that, Mitia didn¡¯t break her displeased attitude.


    ¡°You said that you would rush my way to save me no matter where I am.¡± (Mitia)


    ¡°I certainly am of that intention. However, if something were to happen while you are away from me¡­¡± (Gaius)


    ¡°Something, you say. There¡¯s nothing dangerous on this island.¡± (Mitia)


    There¡¯s no dangerous monster on this island, and no person who would think of harming the future priestess.


    Even so, the fact that there exists a personal caretaker and bodyguard for the priestess is telling of just how important a priestess is for the people of this island.


    ¡°But there¡¯s the off-chance!¡± (Gaius)


    ¡°I get it. I am the one in the wrong¡­ That¡¯s why¡­let¡¯s go back, okay?¡± (Mitia)


    Even Mitia understands that.


    Her household simply exists in order to maintain the blood of the priestess.


    She is aware that she is always complaining because she is taking advantage of Gaius.


    ¡°Again with the words you don¡¯t mean¡­¡± (Gaius)


    Mitia ignored the exasperated face of Gaius, and quickly moved to his back.


    ¡°Ojou-sama?¡± (Gaius)


    Gaius raised a questioning voice, and Mitia puckered her lips as she answered.


    ¡°¡­I am tired, so I can¡¯t walk anymore.¡± (Mitia)


    ¡°Huh?¡± (Gaius)


    ¡°That¡¯s why, Gaius, carry me.¡± (Mitia)


    Saying this, she got on the back of Gaius without listening to his answer, and wrapped both arms around his neck.


    ¡°¡­Good grief. You really are a handful, Ojou-sama.¡± (Gaius)


    Gaius muttered this, but his mouth had a smile contrary to his words.


    He is aware that this modest selfishness and rebelliousness is how she acts spoiled after all.


    ¡°It is not my fault if you get a shaky ride.¡± (Gaius)


    ¡°If you do, I will complain to Father that you did horrible things to me.¡± (Mitia)


    ¡°Hahaha, I would want to be spared from that.¡± (Gaius)


    Gaius spoke lightly as she moved his hand to the back and supported the body of Mitia with strength, and went down the hill with firm steps.


    ¡°Your back really is big, Gaius.¡± (Mitia)


    ¡°Is that so? I think it is normal though.¡± (Gaius)


    Mitia was looking at the back carrying her while Gaius was walking his way back fearfully.


    ¡°But it is far bigger than mine.¡± (Mitia)


    ¡°That would make the backs of all men in the village big, Ojou-sama.¡± (Gaius)


    The two were having a peaceful chat, but Gaius suddenly changed his tone.


    ¡°¡­You are a weird one, Mitia-ojousama.


    Even though there should be a lot of people in the village that would want to carry you instead of this old bag here.¡± (Gaius)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± (Mitia)


    Even Mitia could tell that Gaius didn¡¯t say that in the literal meaning of the words.


    Mitia chose Gaius as her caretaker 2 years ago.


    Gaius was referring to that in a roundabout way.


    The chosen caretaker for the priestess candidate is normally a man of the same age.


    She would normally end up together with her caretaker, and that¡¯s actually how Mitia¡¯s father and mother ended up together.


    That¡¯s why Mitia choosing Gaius as her caretaker caused confusion to many a villager.


    There¡¯s no special meaning to that choice for Mitia.


    When it came to choosing her own caretaker, the man that she thought of was the old man that looked after her since childhood.


    However, now that she thinks back to it, she might have been seeking the shadow of a father that she didn¡¯t have because he was always taking care of her mother.


    Or maybe¡­


    (I might have simply wanted to escape.) (Mitia)


    For a priestess candidate, marriage and giving birth is duty-bound.


    Losing the blood of the priestess is not allowed.


    Even if Mitia herself wishes or not, she will have to end up together with someone of the village and give birth.


    (My father and¡­my mother when she was healthy told me that I am free to decide the person I will be together with.) (Mitia)


    If she has to end up with someone anyways, she did want to choose for herself.


    But marrying or even falling in love with someone from the village didn¡¯t feel realistic for Mitia.


    It is by no means that she hates the people of the village.


    But Mitia, who took special education as the priestess apprentice, barely has any connection with the villagers.


    She has been told stories of her great ancestors since childhood, and her only means for entertainment in her house was to read the book collection there where the heroes of those stories would defeat everything in their path. Because of this, the sense of worth of Mitia was heavily different from that of the villagers that are used to the simplistic rural lifestyle.


    She is the daughter of the present era priestess, Nadia, and even when she has the troubling position of being the next priestess, her appearance is that of a frail beauty.


    There have been people who have shown clear interest, but she would feel fear and confusion before feeling happy, and has avoided them all, living a lonely life this whole time.


    ¡®I am sure I will manage somehow when that time comes¡¯ -thinking that¡­no, trying not to think about it, she has been putting it off.


    And then, the time finally came.


    The only thing Mitia felt when standing on top of the podium, exposed to the many gazes of expectation from the men, was fear.


    She couldn¡¯t see the happy future she imagined at all, and only fear and disgust rose from deep in her chest.


    What flickered from the back of her eyelids instead was her mother that grew weaker and weaker as the days passed by, and her strict father that would hide to shed tears.


    Of course, it is not like the person you choose as the caretaker will definitely become your future partner.


    However, once you decide this, your future will be settled too.


    The gray and musty future felt like it had actual mass and crushed her¡­


    ¡°¡ªOjou-sama?¡±


    The mind of Mitia that had flown to the past snapped back to the present with that voice calling her.


    She looked around for a moment and remembered her own situation and the most recent conversation.


    ¡°Do you¡­dislike being my caretaker?¡± (Mitia)


    Mitia unconsciously asked this question in order to not show her agitation, but she was filled with uneasiness to a wondrous degree instead.


    ¡°Not at all. I am truly honored to serve this role, Mitia-ojousama.¡± (Gaius)


    But Gaius was far from what Mitia was worrying about.


    Gaius responded to the question of Mitia with his usual simple honesty.


    Mitia has been saved a lot by his way too honest attitude.


    ¡°But you really should stop walking around all alone.


    Even if there¡¯s no monsters, it is not like there¡¯s zero chance of an accident happening, and if you enter a place with a bad field of vision, you might even get lost¡­¡± (Gaius)


    ¡°¡­Right. I will be careful.¡± (Mitia)


    Mitia did her best to answer with a gentle tone in order to reciprocate her kind caretaker.


    ¡­But he didn¡¯t know.


    It is impossible for Mitia to get lost on this island.


    She looked at the front¡­a little bit above the back of her reliable caretaker.


    What was there was a pillar of light that only Mitia -a person with the traits of a priestess- can see, going straight towards the heavens, stretching endlessly.


    (That¡¯s the Evil Sealing Circle. The place where I stop being ¡®Mitia¡¯.) (Mitia)


    Mitia bit her lips at that majestic sight for a moment, and soon closed her eyes as if giving up.


    Mitia was shaken by the back of Gaius for a while, and by the time the only village in the island was coming to view, Gaius muttered.


    ¡°If you have so much free time¡­¡± (Gaius)


    ¡°Hm?¡± (Mitia)


    ¡°How about finding a hobby you can do in your house?


    You could try stuff like cooking or sewing. Who knows, you might¡­¡± (Gaius)


    Mitia hesitated at that question for a moment.


    She wondered if it would be okay to tell him, but the answer came out soon after.


    ¡°Ah, I do. I already have a hobby I do at home.¡± (Mitia)


    ¡°¡­Really?¡± (Gaius)


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I am¡­writing a story.¡± (Mitia)


    ¡°A¡­story?¡± (Gaius)


    This is a secret she hasn¡¯t told anyone, not even her father or mother.


    That said, the extremely introverted Mitia has no other person to talk with other than Gaius though.


    ¡°That¡¯s impressive!¡± (Gaius)


    ¡°I-Is that so? Isn¡¯t it weird?¡± (Mitia)


    ¡°No, I think it is a wonderful hobby! And so, what kind of story are you writing, Ojou-sama?¡± (Gaius)


    Mitia suddenly got energetic at her first endorser.


    She began talking in one breath unlike that of her usual frail atmosphere.


    ¡°T-The story I am writing is that of adversity!


    A reclusive mage was overwhelmed by a cruel fate -ah, this takes reference from the first generation-sama- but that person goes to the past, defeated the wicked being that defeated him before, and finally took ahold of the happy future that escaped from him before¡­¡± (Mitia)


    ¡°U-Uuh¡­a mage is the protagonist? I-Is there¡­romance¡­in that story?¡± (Gaius)


    ¡°Eh? No. Why?¡± (Mitia)


    ¡°¡­No, it is okay. Please continue.¡± (Gaius)


    She found it strange that Gaius looked dejected there, but she didn¡¯t stop talking.


    ¡°Actually, I am already close to writing the last scene!


    I have thought of a whole ton of cool names for the spell the protagonist will use at the end, but I can¡¯t decide on one!


    Ah, you should choose together with me next time, Gaius¡ª¡± (Mitia)


    Just when she was about to continue in excitement¡­


    ¡°Hngh¡­!¡± (Mitia)


    Mitia cowered at the wave of mana that shook the air.


    ¡°Mitia-ojousama?!¡± (Gaius)


    She didn¡¯t even have the leeway to respond to Gaius.


    She hurriedly directed her gaze at the mountain on the other side of the village, and there was a dark flame tracing the surface of the mountain.


    The dark flame that devoured everything was indulging on the dying mountain.


    It was encroached by the darkness endlessly, and there was already not a single blade of grass in that mountain, even so, the fire that was even darker than black continued burning as if sucking up every drop of life right to the marrow.


    ¡°Has mother¡­used the Release Relic¡­?¡± (Mitia)


    Mitia muttered this dumbfounded when she saw that.


    Gaius saw the same thing and couldn¡¯t hide his surprise.


    ¡°No way¡­ She used it just a few days ago¡­¡± (Gaius)


    He forgot to continue walking, and the two were simply watching the black fire carrying on its destruction.


    The first one to return to their senses was Mitia.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m getting down.¡± (Mitia)


    She jumped down from the back of Gaius and began walking towards the village.


    ¡°O-Ojou-sama!¡± (Gaius)


    Mitia didn¡¯t look back at Gaius who was following from behind flustered and spoke¡­


    ¡°I thought writing a story was a good hobby.


    Because, even after I take over my duties, I could still continue doing it even if I didn¡¯t take a single step into society.¡± (Mitia)


    ¡°Mitia-ojousama¡­¡± (Gaius)


    ¡°¡­But is that true?


    After the inheritance ceremony is over and I become a priestess, can I still continue writing?¡± (Mitia)


    There¡¯s countless family recordings of priestess candidates that couldn¡¯t handle the inheritance ceremony.


    Even if they do, there have been people who have lost their sense of sight or hearing, or have been unable to move their bodies properly¡­


    ¡°It is okay! I am sure it will be okay! Leaving aside the time when my family received its name, if we have the two treasure tools that the founder-sama entrusted us with, I am sure¡­¡± (Gaius)


    ¡°¡­Yeah, you are right.¡± (Mitia)


    The words of Gaius were not just for soothing.


    Due to this person called the Founder-sama, the risk of the priestess¡¯s role dropped down drastically.


    The Founder-sama that Mitia admired more than anyone is -to be precise- not the founder of her family.


    They were a big contributor by entrusting 2 treasure tools to the nameless seal household of that time, and made the king of that time acknowledge the importance of their role.


    ¡°The ones who are truly supporting this world are not the royalty, but you people.


    Even if no one else knows, me¡­and my descendants will know.


    You people are the most precious beings in this world, and the greatest lineage.¡±


    After declaring this, the King gave the title of ¡®Guardian of the South¡¯ to the ¡®Founder-sama¡¯.


    The Seal Lineage has inherited that role and title without fail, and has continued protecting the peace of the world.


    And the treasures that the Founder-sama left have provided undeniable help in fulfilling this duty.


    These two unique treasures were called ¡®Law Relics¡¯ by the family, and the priestesses of each generation would inherit them.


    The first treasure tool is the Seal Relic that assists in the seal of an evil being.


    This thing that is the crystallization of the feelings and techniques of the priestesses of past generations teaches the one who wears it the sealing techniques, and also mitigates the burden of the seal.


    Also, if by some reason the present priestess suddenly passed away, it can become a place where the ¡®evil one¡¯ is sealed for a temporary amount of time until the next priestess is chosen.


    The second treasure tool is one that frees the evil one: the Release Relic.


    No matter how strong of a resistance to darkness the priestess has, it is way too much to have the evil one reside in your body.


    If you let it stay for a long time in your body, the body and mind of the priestess will crumble from the inside.


    That¡¯s where you temporarily release the evil one, have it possess the body, and let out the accumulated power of darkness.


    The priestess wearing the Release Relic will get drunk by the thoughts and powers flowing from the evil one, and become a beast devoid of sanity.


    That¡¯s why, when putting on the Release Relic, the priestess will be tied up on a pillar in the middle of the mountain with a barrier set, and have her rampage until her mana runs out in order to disperse the mana of the evil one that has stagnated inside of her own body.


    The magic fire that Mitia and Gaius saw rising up from the mountain was exactly that.


    The present priestess and mother of Mitia, Nadia, used the Release Relic and let out the dark mana.


    When she was a child, she thought that those black flames were just beautiful.


    She does still find them appealing even now.


    But she couldn¡¯t help but feel fear from the destructive power of that fire.


    That¡¯s why, even though Mitia has the highest affinity to darkness in history, she obstinately hasn¡¯t used dark magic, and preferred fire magic which is the next highest affinity she had.


    She felt that if she were to use dark magic, that abyss devoid of light would swallow her, and would drag her into its own desired fate.


    Also, the current Mitia had another worry.


    (I have a bad feeling¡­) (Mitia)


    The priestess normally would use the Release Relic to let out the dark mana once every few months.


    Moreover, her mother used the Release Relic 2 days ago.


    She did feel like the span of time it took to use the Release Relic was getting shorter, but even if so, this is not normal.


    (Could it be that something has happened to Mother¡­?) (Mitia)


    Mitia hurried to the path of the village while feeling an anxious gaze from behind.


    Mitia was panting as she returned to the village, and the father of Mitia was standing at the entrance with arms crossed.


    ¡°Uhm¡­Father-sama¡­I¡­¡± (Mitia)


    This is something that has never happened before.


    What will she be told after going out on her own whim?


    ¡°¡­I have something to tell you. Come.¡±


    From an outside perspective, Mitia looked pitifully scared. Her father, that¡¯s also the village chief, said this briefly.


    ¡°P-Please wait.¡± (Mitia)


    Even when she spoke in a faint voice, it didn¡¯t seem like her voice reached.


    She could only fix her ragged breathing while desperately chasing after that back.


    ¡°¡ªWe will be performing the inheritance ceremony tomorrow morning.¡±


    The moment she understood the meaning of her father¡¯s words, she felt as if her vision was suddenly covered in deep darkness.


    ¡ªInheritance ceremony.


    The ceremony for another priestess to take over.


    The ceremony where the evil one in the present priestess will be moved to the priestess of the next era.


    She did know that it would eventually come.


    Mitia had the resolve, knowing that she would one day have to become the priestess.


    But that¡¯s not now.


    She thought it would be a lot further in the future.


    ¡°Wait, please wait! This is way too sudden!¡± (Mitia)


    Mitia is timid, tends to retreat in her own shell, and she would be unable to say anything when in front of her strict father, but that wasn¡¯t the case right now.


    She was confused by the sudden verdict, but she held back her cowardly disposition temporarily.


    ¡°R-Right, a child! I still haven¡¯t even married yet¡­¡± (Mitia)


    It is customary for the one that will become the priestess to take the inheritance ceremony after she has given birth to the next priestess candidate.


    It is because, once she has the evil one in her body, there¡¯s no leeway to give birth to children.


    Mitia used that reality that by no means wanted to use as a shield on her father, but he wasn¡¯t fazed at all, and simply shook his head to the sides.


    ¡°Just let someone else give birth to the child. It might end the blood of the direct descendants, but it can¡¯t be helped.


    Also, I heard that you have outstanding dark mana resistance and affinity within the history of the priestesses.


    If it is you, you might be able to give birth to a child even after finishing the inheritance ceremony.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­that¡¯s just¡­!¡± (Mitia)


    Even Mitia got angered by that way of putting it.


    But the mouth of Mitia was sealed by the next words of her father.


    ¡°Nadia¡­your mother¡­is already at her limit.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Mitia)


    ¡°The corrosion of the darkness was far more severe than we thought.


    You must have noticed as well that the interval to use the Release Relic has shortened, right?


    We have been mitigating it by scattering the dark mana more often, but it is already at the limit.


    At this rate, she might not be able to last until tomorrow night.¡±


    Speaking of which, she hasn¡¯t had the chance to meet her mother face to face.


    The priestess normally shuts herself in the Evil Sealing Circle in order to stop the corrosion of the evil one as much as possible.


    Mitia thought that was the reason why she didn¡¯t meet her, but could it be¡­


    ¡°Giving you as much free time as possible was the mutual wish of her and me.


    I am truly sorry that things have turned out like this. But¡­¡±


    The feelings of her parents she didn¡¯t know were there.


    But Mitia was not even given the time for that reality to shake her heart.


    ¡°But you should understand. You and I already have no time for choice.¡±


    The glint in the eyes of her father, the eyes of the Seal Lineage¡¯s head, sewed Mitia in place.


    And then, he spoke as if dealing the finishing blow.


    ¡°¡ªOur everything exists in order to seal the evil one¡­the Evil God Fragment.¡±


    Mitia simply nodded at those words of her father.


    She had no choice but to.


    After that, Mitia didn¡¯t remember how she returned to her room.


    However, just before separating from her father, the ¡®sorry¡¯ her father leaked and Gaius telling her ¡®I will also be present for the inheritance ceremony¡¯ somehow remained at a corner of her mind.


    ¡°Tomorrow¡­¡± (Mitia)


    She will inherit the seal of the Evil God tomorrow, throw away the name of Mitia, and become the Guardian of the Seal.


    She couldn¡¯t feel the reality of it at all.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± (Mitia)


    When she dropped her gaze, what she saw was the story she had written.


    The moment she saw it, tears flowed out from both of her eyes for some reason.


    ¡°Why¡­?¡± (Mitia)


    She remembered the conversation she had with Gaius before returning to the village.


    There was the light of hope in there even if extremely faint.


    But now¡­


    ¡°Scared. I am scared¡­¡± (Mitia)


    Mitia continued trembling while hugging her own body within this dark room.


    ¡ªDrip¡­Drop.


    A rain of tears fell on top of the story that she wrote.


    After a long night where she couldn¡¯t sleep a wink, there was Mitia in the middle of the Evil Sealing Circle.


    The Evil Sealing Circle is just as the name states; a magic circle that controls the power of evil.


    On top of this circle, the power of evil beings is limited, dropping their power to around 20%.


    But the most important trait of this ceremony is that it slows the awakening of the Evil God.


    The seal of the priestess can¡¯t be passed around from person to person.


    The present priestess seals the Evil God in her own body again after the previous priestess frees it.


    That¡¯s the inheritance ceremony.


    In the case the seal is undone on top of this Evil Sealing Circle, the Evil God Fragment won¡¯t wake up immediately.


    If you don¡¯t deal damage to it, it will be dozing on and off for a few minutes.


    At the very least, there hasn¡¯t been a single case where the Evil God Fragment has woken up in the middle of the inheritance ceremony.


    There¡¯s no going back now.


    Mitia looked at the face of her father and the only villager allowed to be present here, Gaius, and she stepped into the circle with trembling legs.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± (Mitia)


    Her mother, the priestess Nadia, was already inside the circle.


    Mitia gulped at that worned out and weakened figure of hers.


    ¡°Mother-sa¡ª¡± (Mitia)


    ¡°I am sorry! I am sorry, Mitia!¡± (Nadia)


    But she was hugged tightly before she could speak words of comfort to her.


    The warmth of her mother she hadn¡¯t felt in a long time.


    Mitia felt pain deep inside her nose.


    ¡°It is¡­okay. I am¡­okay.¡± (Mitia)


    But she pushed down those welling up emotions and separated from her mother.


    It is because she couldn¡¯t worry her worned out mother even more than this.


    ¡°Mitia¡­¡± (Nadia)


    Mitia couldn¡¯t tell what Nadia thought of that sight of hers.


    However, she hugged her once more, and then stood up with a decisive expression.


    ¡°We will be performing the inheritance ceremony now¡­ Is that okay, Mitia?¡± (Nadia)


    ¡°O-Okay!¡± (Mitia)


    She couldn¡¯t stop her voice from shaking.


    Even so, she couldn¡¯t show a pathetic sight in front of her mother.


    Mitia desperately hid her fear and unease, and nodded to her mother.


    Nadia saw this and¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡± (Nadia)


    She announced this and held her right hand up in the air.


    And then¡­


    ¡°¡ªRelease.¡± (Nadia)


    An extremely short incantation of just 2 syllables.


    Just that.


    With just that, the duty of Nadia that spanned decades had come to an end and that showed in the present world.


    ¡ªEvil God, Dis Aster.


    A vicious god that¡¯s said to devour the evil of people, sips on despair, and continues growing endlessly.


    The Fragment of that Evil God that has appeared in the present world lost the lift of the seal and fell on the ground.


    There wasn¡¯t even time to think about whether the Evil God Fragment would wake up from the impact of that.


    ¡°Nadia!¡±


    ¡°Priestess-sama!¡±


    The moment the seal was undone, Nadia collapsed as if she used all her strength. Her father and Gaius shouted, but even that didn¡¯t reach the ears of Mitia.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± (Mitia)


    The wicked ¡®god¡¯ was right in front of her eyes.


    Red like blood, pulsing like a heart, a core that has outrageous mana residing in it.


    Sloppily made arms that look like they were sculpted with clay by a child were stretching out from there.


    And then, the ribbon shaped tentacles that wriggled from here and there in its body.


    All of those created disgust and awe.


    ¡°Something like this¡­¡± (Mitia)


    A part of the Evil God¡¯s body that the hero divided.


    The second biggest fragment of the Evil God.


    She has heard about it before.


    She has seen that figure from drawings a number of times.


    But Mitia hadn¡¯t heard that it would be something this fearsome and disgusting.


    ¡°Mitia? What are you doing?! Seal it quick!¡±


    She heard the voice of her father.


    But it felt like that happened far away, and it didn¡¯t shake the heart of Mitia in the slightest.


    ¡°Impo¡­ssible. It is¡­impossible.¡± (Mitia)


    Even Mitia who is said to have the highest dark affinity in history¡­no, it is exactly because it is Mitia that she understood.


    She could feel in her skin just how evil and gigantic the thing moving in front of her eyes is.


    Thus, she couldn¡¯t move.


    There¡¯s no way she would be able to oppose it, and even less have it reside in her body.


    ¡°Mitia, only you can do it!


    The world that Nadia¡­that we desperately protected¡­you have to¡­!¡±


    The scream of her father hit her ears again.


    Even with that, Mitia¡¯s legs didn¡¯t move, and the only thing ruling her body was fear.


    ¡°I can¡¯t do it¡­. I really¡­¡± (Mitia)


    ¡®It is impossible. Someone please save me¡¯ -the heart of Mitia screamed.


    There was only one person that showed up in her mind at that time.


    ¡°Gaius¡­¡± (Mitia)


    The caretaker that would always be her ally.


    Mitia¡¯s guardian who was more of a father than her own father.


    If it is this kind hearted man with an unfitting big body, he will definitely save her.


    Seeking that last piece of hope, she searched for his figure and¡­


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    The gazes of the two made contact.


    This man that continued protecting Mitia kindly no matter when, the moment his gaze met Mitia¡¯s, his face warped in surprise and¡­


    ¡°¡ªEh?¡±


    ¡ªHe averted his gaze from Mitia.


    She felt as if the world¡­as if her footing was crumbling below her.


    Mitia could tell that something extremely important had died at that very moment.


    And then, by the time she noticed¡­


    ¡°Eh¡­? Why did I think¡­about becoming a priestess?¡± (Mitia)


    Mitia had lost herself completely.


    Why is she standing there?


    What should she do?


    She couldn¡¯t tell at all anymore.


    ¡°Even though¡­I didn¡¯t want to do anything¡­


    Might as well have me and the world¡­perish¡­¡± (Mitia)


    ¡°Mitia!!¡±


    The reprimand of her father resembled a scream.


    But even with that, Mitia¡¯s legs¡­and arms¡­didn¡¯t move an inch.


    ¡°¡­Mitia.¡±


    In this world where no one could move, one person alone stood up.


    ¡°Mother¡­?¡± (Mitia)


    Mitia¡¯s mother, Nadia.


    Mitia was about to defenselessly accept the hand that she slowly stretched out.


    Even though she should have noticed.


    Noticed that she approached Mitia, not with the eyes of a mother, but with those of a priestess.


    ¡°¡ªThe inheritance¡­of the priestess¡­¡± (Nadia)


    The moment the brain of Mitia picked up those words, her hand touched the Seal Relic that Nadia had in her hand.


    ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh!!¡± (Mitia)


    A scream surged out.


    What flowed from the Seal Relic were the memories of dozens¡­no, hundreds of people.


    ¡°Stop it! Stooop iiiittt!!¡± (Mitia)


    She held her head with both hands while screaming.


    Even when she did, the memories didn¡¯t stop flowing into her.


    ¡°No! I don¡¯t want to know this!!¡± (Mitia)


    Memories were inundating her.


    The memories of the dedication of past priestesses and their sacrifices.


    There were even younger children than Mitia there too.


    There were even more lonely girls than Mitia there.


    All of them worried, suffered, but they all became priestesses for the sake of the world, for the sake of their family, and for the sake of the memories they have succeeded.


    ¡°What¡¯s¡­this¡­?¡± (Mitia)


    The motivations, wishes, and deaths of all the priestesses were poured into her, and the flood of memories stopped.


    But those memories were not escaping from inside her head.


    Mitia stood up¡­with her head still pulsing in pain.


    ¡°This is horrible¡­ This is too much¡­¡± (Mitia)


    This is a curse.


    A chain of good will that is more fearsome than anything and hard to get away from.


    They sacrificed themselves for the sake of their role as a priestess, had their lives eaten away, and died pitiful deaths, but no one forced the duty of priestess to Mitia.


    They were telling her ¡®if it is painful, you can run away¡¯, ¡®if you can¡¯t take it, just stop¡¯.


    ¡°There¡¯s¡­no way I can run away. There¡¯s no way¡­I can just stop.¡± (Mitia)


    For someone like Mitia who wishes to do nothing, there¡¯s obviously nothing.


    No motive to go so far as to suffer in order to save the world, or survive through the pain¡­ Nothing.


    And that¡¯s exactly why.


    The motivation of hundreds of people as if she herself had experienced it and felt -their will- she didn¡¯t feel like she could push them away.


    That¡¯s why Mitia walked forward with unsteady feet.


    Towards the Evil God that still hasn¡¯t woken up.


    ¡°This is¡­the worst. Unbelievably so.¡± (Mitia)


    Even though it is painful.


    Even though it is so painful she wants to cry¡­she couldn¡¯t begrudge anyone.


    Because there¡¯s only victims here.


    They all became priestesses by their own will, and they all had their hearts broken by the Evil God.


    No one and nothing can save them, and they will never be rewarded.


    There¡¯s no other path than Mitia taking over the seal and becoming a sacrifice.


    She saw the heart of the Evil God pulsing within her vision blurred by tears.


    A distance that she could reach if she were to stretch her hand.


    Mitia stretched that hand of hers knowing full well that this is a path she can¡¯t go back from.


    ¡°¡ªThis is how it should be, right, everyone?¡± (Mitia)


    There was no answer for her question.


    The tip of her finger simply touched the core of the Evil God.


    ¡­Everything ended.


    Mitia, who had become the new priestess, forcefully shook off the attempts of her father triying to stop her, and returned to her own room.


    There was something she wanted to do no matter what.


    ¡°I have¡­to finish it¡­¡± (Mitia)


    The last thing that remained of her after losing sight of everything.


    The shoddy story that she was writing before becoming a priestess.


    She had to finish this at the very least, is what she told herself as she headed to the desk and¡­


    ¡°Why¡­?¡± (Mitia)


    But she couldn¡¯t.


    Just a bit more.


    If it had been before doing the inheritance ceremony, she would have been able to finish this in just a few minutes, and yet, she couldn¡¯t progress at all.


    It is not that she couldn¡¯t see or that her hands couldn¡¯t move.


    She simply couldn¡¯t write.


    ¡ªThe protagonist that was made to shoulder a cruel fate broke through it and managed to grab hold of a happy ending.


    But Mitia¡­already can¡¯t even dream of that happy ending¡­


    ¡°Something like this¡­! Something like this¡­is completely pointless!!¡± (Mitia)


    She shouted her feelings out.


    Scattering her tears about, throwing stuff around in her rage, she grabbed her own treasure¡­her story.


    ¡°Nothing will change! No matter how much I write something like this¡­nothing¡­!¡± (Mitia)


    This is truly a dream story.


    There¡¯s no fairytale story like this, and even if there were, it has nothing to do with the darkness that Mitia shoulders.


    That¡¯s why¡­


    ¡°I see¡­¡± (Mitia)


    Those words dropped like a boulder in her own chest.


    ¡ªWhat¡¯s no good.


    ¡ªWhat must be done.


    She felt like the answer to the question that was smoldering the inside of her heart this whole time was there.


    ¡°Ojou-sama, that just now¡­¡±


    She heard the footsteps and Gaius jumped into the room.


    He might have entered the room because he was worried about the dejected Mitia, but Mitia had no interest in that right now.


    ¡°Gaius-san, please call father.¡± (Mitia)


    ¡°The family head? But¡­¡± (Gaius)


    Being ordered with a tone of authority he wasn¡¯t used to, Mitia looked at the confused Gaius with cold eyes and declared this clearly.


    ¡°¡ªI will leave this island.¡± (Mitia)


    There¡¯s no way the priestess would be allowed out of the island after finishing the inheritance and having the Evil God Fragment reside in them.


    If the priestess were to die, the Evil God Fragment would come back, and the world might fall.


    Everyone in the village was obviously against this.


    But¡­


    In the end, Mitia¡¯s request was approved.


    There¡¯s no one on this island¡­no, no one in this world who can stop a serious priestess¡­.


    The fate of the world is in the hands of the priestess.


    There¡¯s no one who can go against someone who has the whole world as their hostage.


    The day to depart came faster than expected.


    The restriction placed on Mitia at the end was to contact them once every month, and a time limit of 5 years.


    Chains way too frail to tie up a dangerous person that could destroy the world.


    The villagers might have grown tired of it already -tired of the lifestyle of fulfilling their role as the seal tribe without the knowledge of others and the sacrifice of the priestesses.


    ¡°Are you really going?¡±


    Mitia didn¡¯t hesitate in the slightest to nod at the words of her father that was seeing her off.


    ¡°I noticed that nothing will change if I just stay cooped up in here.


    I will be leaving this island in order to fulfill my true wish.¡± (Mitia)


    ¡°True¡­wish?¡±


    Mitia simply answered with a short ¡®yeah¡¯ at the questioning voice of her father and said clearly.


    ¡°¡ªI don¡¯t want to do anything!¡± (Mitia)


    It took a while before the meaning of those words resonated in the heart of her father.


    ¡°¡­Huh?¡±


    Mitia said slowly as if to add to this onto her father who was making the face of someone that doesn¡¯t get anything.


    ¡°As I said, I want to live a slothful life where I don¡¯t have to do anything and worry about nothing.¡± (Mitia)


    The ¡®I don¡¯t want to work¡¯ that she muttered on top of the hill.


    Those were the unshakeable real feelings of Mitia.


    ¡°But the Evil God Fragment is in the way of that.¡± (Mitia)


    In the memories she saw inside the Seal Relic, there wasn¡¯t a single person who was truly happy.


    Of course there wouldn¡¯t be.


    It was over from the very beginning after all.


    Even if she were to take over the duty of priestess herself, even if she were to push it to someone else, Mitia wouldn¡¯t be able to take it easy without worrying.


    The worst part is that this is not something that would end just because her duty as the priestess ends.


    Within the memories she saw in the Seal Relic, she obviously saw the memories of her mother, Nadia.


    Her and her father were worried about making their own daughter into the priestess, too.


    Mitia can¡¯t imagine it even now, but if she were to give birth to a child in the future, she definitely wouldn¡¯t want to push the duty of priestess to that child.


    ¡°In the end, in order for me to not do anything, I have no choice but to do something about this seal priestess thing.¡± (Mitia)


    ¡°That cart before the horse mentality¡­¡±


    ¡°I know. But I noticed that that¡¯s my wish; the thing that I truly want to do.¡± (Mitia)


    There may be fear in the face of Mitia while saying this, but no hesitation.


    She voiced out her will as if it were natural.


    ¡°That¡¯s why, I will become strong and defeat the Evil God Fragment.


    If that¡¯s impossible, I will find someone who can, and bring them here.¡± (Mitia)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­something like that is¡­¡±


    He must have wanted to say it is impossible.


    But her father shut his mouth.


    Mitia was grateful for that.


    Because Mitia herself thought from the bottom of her heart that that was impossible.


    Even so, Mitia continued putting up a brave front.


    She continued taking on the gaze of her father with chest puffed out.


    ¡°But leaving the island alone is¡­


    You are a girl and you have barely left your own room¡­¡±


    The next one to speak anxiously was her mother, Nadia.


    ¡°I will do something about that.¡± (Mitia)


    It is true that she has written down in her book before that a woman traveling alone is dangerous.


    That¡¯s why she has thought of countermeasures.


    She can¡¯t deny that she knows close to nothing about the outside world, but she has read a whole ton of books to compensate.


    There might be wrong knowledge within those, but she most likely can manage somehow.


    ¡°But¡­¡± (Nadia)


    ¡°Also, I have gotten the introduction letter for the King.¡± (Mitia)


    There¡¯s the introduction letter for the king of the place she will be heading to inside the bag that she slapped.


    This is something Mitia didn¡¯t know, but the Rihitel Kingdom¡¯s royalty and the Seal Lineage still had connections.


    If they know the circumstances, the royal family would want to avoid a situation where something happens to the priestess and the seal on the Evil God Fragment is undone.


    They should be able to help out when it gets truly dangerous.


    Her mother seemed like she still wanted to say more, but Mitia cut off that talk by moving her gaze away.


    The last one she made eye-contact with was the past caretaker of Mitia, Gaius.


    The moment Mitia directed her gaze at him, his stern face warped into regret and suffering, and he lowered his head.


    ¡°Mitia-ojousama¡­I am sorry, I¡­¡± (Gaius)


    ¡°It is okay. I don¡¯t mind it.¡± (Mitia)


    Mitia said this from her heart.


    She doesn¡¯t hate Gaius, and there¡¯s still good will towards him remaining deep within her chest.


    But she also knows that she won¡¯t be clinging to that back of his ever again.


    It is not like something has changed.


    She simply noticed.


    ¡ªFor Gaius, she will always be Mitia-ojousama, and the big back that she spoiled herself with and relied on was simply an illusion.


    ¡°¡­It is farewell then.¡± (Mitia)


    She left those parting words and got on the boat to leave the island¡­or not.


    There¡¯s one last person.


    One she must bid farewell to.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± (Gaius)


    Mitia took that out, and Gaius moved away as if scared.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It won¡¯t turn into what you think, Gaius.¡± (Mitia)


    She silently hid the fact that that reaction had hurt her, and raised that thing to her face as if nothing happened.


    ¡°Release Relic¡­ You really¡­¡±


    This is the last and biggest trump card of Mitia.


    Different from all the priestesses before her, Mitia didn¡¯t lose her sanity even when she put on the Release Relic and released the power of the Evil God temporarily.


    She was attacked by a strong desire for destruction and she spoke differently from normal, but that¡¯s all.


    Not only does she have a strong resistance to darkness, but her personality was languid before, so the effect of the Evil God¡¯s power might not have been that strong on her, is what Mitia assumes, but she doesn¡¯t know how it works exactly.


    What¡¯s important is that Mitia can go on with her life while wearing the Release Relic the whole time.


    The benefits of that are big.


    First, she can suppress the effect of the darkness eating onto her body to the minimum.


    The priestesses would normally have to spend that power in order to go against the dark power eating onto them.


    But if that role is done by the Release Relic, Mitia can move for the sake of her own objective without worrying about anything.


    You could say the Release Relic will be necessary for her journey.


    Also, being able to utilize the power of the Evil God is also an important point even if she can only use a part of it.


    Paired with her natural talent in magic, if she manages to perfectly control that massive mana, Mitia could become the most outstanding mage in the world.


    Defeating the Evil God by using the power of the Evil God.


    That sounds pretty ironic, but Mitia doesn¡¯t hate those types of stories either.


    But the disadvantages for this are also big too.


    Even if she doesn¡¯t lose her sanity, it is not like the effects the Release Relic has on her emotions and personality are zero.


    She gets more aggressive when she has the Release Relic on, and her restraint for many desires is gone.


    Her self-esteem gets inflated, and she will end up feeling a sense of omnipotence without any basis.


    She has only tested it alone and no problems have happened, but maybe if she were to actually leave the island, it isn¡¯t hard to imagine that she might end up causing trouble with that cocky attitude.


    You could say that she would be a different person from that frail and introverted Mitia.


    (¡­But that¡¯s fine.) (Mitia)


    No matter how troublesome of a person she is, no matter how different she is from how she originally was, what she needs right now is the power of a person that can move forward.


    There¡¯s no need for a cowardly girl that trembles in place and can¡¯t do anything.


    There¡¯s no need for a girl that shuts herself in her room writing about her dream stories.


    That¡¯s why Mitia will don the Release Relic, go out on a journey, and has no intentions of taking it off until her objective is complete.


    (I didn¡¯t think something like that would happen at that time though.) (Mitia)


    In the past, Mitia was lamenting the fact that the name of Mitia was gone at the inheritance ceremony.


    But this is already not an issue of names anymore.


    Also¡­


    (¡ªI¡­I will kill Mitia.)


    She has resolved herself to that degree, so she won¡¯t hesitate anymore.


    She made her last resolution as she held the Release Relic that will be her executioner and her lifelong partner while reflecting on herself.


    ¡°Father-sama, Mother-sama, Gaius¡­ Farewell.¡±


    She said those parting words, but even at that time, her hands were trembling.


    At that very moment when the Release Relic was about to touch her skin¡­


    ¡°Mitia!¡±


    Her mother shouted.


    As if hitting her with those overflowing emotions.


    Her mother might have been trying to stop Mitia, her own daughter.


    But¡­


    ¡°¡ªNo, that¡¯s not it anymore.¡±


    That was a bit too late.


    The girl that was once called Mitia shook her head to the sides.


    ¡°Mitia is not here anymore.¡±


    The waves of darkness that surged through her body¡­her heart¡­dyed away ¡®Mitia¡¯.


    The weakling Mitia had died as the feeling of omnipotence welled up -is what she told herself.


    What was drawn in her mind instead was the far ancestor called the Founder-sama.


    The person that she admired since childhood, strived for, and wished to overcome.


    Survived the Evil God Great War, created the seal of the Evil God, and was the greatest mage in the history of humanity.


    ¡°The one here is the newest seal priestess.


    The descendant of the Evil God Great War heroes: the Dark Priestess Neitia and the Light Flame Mage Nameless. The one who will succeed the title of the Guardian of the South.¡±


    As if overlapping the figure¡­the being surfacing in her mind with herself¡­


    As if to imitate not only their appearance, but their way of acting and their way of speaking.


    ¡°I am¡­¡±


    With the hand where she is wearing his legacy, the Seal Relic called the Soul Bracelet, she flutters her big black cloak¡­and introduced herself gallantly.


    ¡°¡ªI am the great mage Sazan!!¡±

 CH 205

    Light


    Dark


    ¡°This is the biggest Evil God clue I have found!¡±


    Maki stood in front of me with arms crossed and chest puffed out proudly.


    Now that I look closely, she has actually grown since way before¡­no, let¡¯s leave that for later.


    More importantly, the ¡®clue¡¯ Maki brought is more important.


    ¡°This is? Is something like this really a clue about the Evil God?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Muuh, why is it that you never believe me immediately, Souma?


    I have been telling you that for a while now.¡± (Maki)


    Maki seems to be displeased by this, but it is not something I can believe so fast.


    Because the ¡®clue¡¯ that Maki brought was¡­


    ¡°Cause no matter how you see it, that¡¯s just¡­Sazan!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Don¡¯t treat a person as an object!¡± (Sazan)


    It is the masked mage that had his back collar grabbed by Maki and was dragged here.


    I thought at first that Maki brought Sazan here because I told them ¡®please search for Sazan¡¯, but it seems like that wasn¡¯t the case.


    Maki thought Sazan had a clue about the Evil God, sequestered Sazan who was buried in a sea of books, and brought him all the way here.


    But how did Maki know that Sazan had information regarding the Evil God?


    That answer was apparently in the last chapter of the recording only Maki saw.


    ¡°The name Sazan means South Guardian. In other words, the title that the Hero Alex gave to the people that protect the seal of the Evil God in the south; the proof of the Seal Lineage¡¯s leader!¡± (Maki)


    Maki said this and explained to me with a smug face.


    I am happy that Maki had returned to her energetic self after she was all sad, but it is honestly a bit annoying.


    To think the Seal Lineage that I used to wriggle out of Ina¡¯s questioning with actually existed.


    Truth that came from a lie.


    But there¡¯s a number of things that would make sense if Sazan is part of the Seal Lineage, in other words, the people that are connected to the sealing of the Evil God.


    For example, Sazan said that the Grand Church where the Evil God Fragment was sealed at ¡®reminded him of his home¡¯, and he knew an awful lot about the magic circle that gathers mana.


    It seems like Sazan didn¡¯t notice, but maybe the magic circle in the Grand Church and the one at Sazan¡¯s home are ¡®magic circles for the sake of sealing the Evil God Fragment¡¯, so it was familiar for him.


    There¡¯s also the ancestor of Sazan being a hero of the Evil God Great War, his strong admiration, and the objective of Sazan¡¯s journey being to ¡®defeat the Evil God Fragment¡¯; if Sazan is of the Seal Lineage, that would make sense.


    The reason for his trademark mask and¡­the bare face below it that I saw¡­might be there.


    I can¡¯t go assuming things just because the dots align.


    No, judging from how obsessed Sazan is about the Evil God, I think it is for sure that he is involved with the Evil God in some way, but I should ask Sazan directly first.


    ¡°Sazan, are you really from the Seal Lineage?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± (Sazan)


    When I asked him this, Sazan¡¯s eyes began swimming.


    ¡°Hm? Aah, right.¡± (Maki)


    When that gaze of his headed to Maki, my cousin, who is considerate in strange fronts, nodded as if understanding and¡­


    ¡°Aah, shoot. I forgot that I had a book I wanted to read.¡± (Maki)


    She said in a monotone voice and walked out of the room.


    ¡°Ah, oi, wait¡­¡± (Souma)


    I tried to stop her by reflex, but Maki glanced at me and said with a self-satisfied look.


    ¡°Cause if you are going to have a talk, it would be better for it to be with Souma alone¡­right, Sazan-chan?¡± (Maki)


    For some reason, she strongly emphasized the -chan, and directed a meaningful smile at Sazan.


    Could it be that Maki noticed the secret of Sazan? -is what I thought, but before I could ask Maki, she already left.


    ¡°U-Uhm¡­¡±


    My gaze drifted to the one other person left, the owner of the room, Seirie-san.


    ¡°It is okay. I am a librarian that can read the room.¡± (Seirie)


    Seirie-san says this with a glint in her glasses, and after saying something that a person that can actually read the atmosphere wouldn¡¯t say, she begins moving to the exit Maki left from¡­to the opposite direction of it.


    ¡°Well then, I will be inspecting the books here, so please have your secret talk to your heart¡¯s content.¡± (Seirie)


    She sat at the corner of the room and began reading from the pile of books.


    ¡°E-Eeeh¡­¡± (Souma)


    It is not like I thought about having Seirie-san leave, but what¡¯s this?


    Despite her self-declaration, she was not reading the room much here.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You are making a face as if saying ¡®even though this woman can read books, she can¡¯t read the room¡¯.¡± (Seirie)


    ¡°N-No¡­¡± (Souma)


    Looks like even when she can¡¯t read the atmosphere, she can read books and minds.


    ¡°This library is a library where anyone can freely read regardless of their age, race, and social standing after all. It is my important duty to select which books to line up there and which to not.¡± (Seirie)


    ¡°Hoh.¡± (Souma)


    I thought she was a peerless booklover, so I thought she would say ¡®no matter the book, reading it is the freedom of the reader¡¯, but it seems like there¡¯s caveats to it.


    Well, it is a world where magic books exist, so dangerous books might actually cause physical harm.


    ¡°Even a book that at a glance isn¡¯t problematic might end up harming normal people if read all the way to the end; conversely, there¡¯s books that look dangerous at a glance, but have deep significance in them. Judging that is our duty as librarians.¡± (Seirie)


    ¡°I see.¡± (Souma)


    I doubt the Nekomimi Neko developers decided the system in those fronts in detail.


    The responsibility of librarians might be unexpectedly big.


    And the reality is that the book Seirie-san is holding has a whole lot of tags.


    That might be a display of this work stance of hers that doesn¡¯t compromise on a single book.


    ¡°And so, you are thinking about whether you should leave that book you are currently reading in the library?¡± (Souma)


    Just what kind of book is she evaluating?


    My curiosity was drawn, and I peeked at the book Seirie-san was reading seriously.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Seirie-san screamed.


    I am the one who wants to raise my voice.


    ¡°¡­¡­Eh?¡± (Souma)


    What¡¯s filling up my whole vision is skin color.


    What Seirie-san was reading was uhm¡­to put it bluntly, an ero book.


    ¡°Aah, uuh¡­¡± (Seirie)


    Seirie-san moved her glasses up and down within the awkwardness, fixing its position, and said with a trembling voice.


    ¡°F-Fumu, I was reading this just in case so t-there were no oversights. Looks like this book really is too stimulating to leave in public access.¡± (Seirie)


    She placed the book inside a box that said ¡®Black Corner¡¯ as she said this.


    No, you can tell at a glance that you definitely shouldn¡¯t.


    ¡°A-Anyways!¡± (Seirie)


    Seirie-san says as if sweeping away the atmosphere that was going in a weird direction.


    ¡°Once I am concentrating on a book, I don¡¯t notice my surroundings no matter what, so please enjoy your secret talk in peace.¡± (Seirie)


    ¡°No matter what, you say¡­¡± (Souma)


    Seirie-san said straight when I was still hesitating.


    ¡°My father has testified that even when an earthquake comes, a lightning, a fire, or an old man comes, I won¡¯t notice.¡± (Seirie)


    ¡°That sounds really convincing! Wait, that¡¯s not it¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°You can test me if you are uneasy about it. Even if you call me, shake me, or even kiss me, I am confident I won¡¯t notice.¡± (Seirie)


    That¡¯s some weird confidence there, but I feel like it wouldn¡¯t be strange for her to do that much as a person called a bookworm.


    ¡°My love and concentration for books increases by the day since getting this job. I would be able to read books even if I was blindfolded.¡± (Seirie)


    ¡°No, you should notice that one!¡± (Souma)


    If you are blindfolded, forget about noticing or not noticing, you wouldn¡¯t be able to read the book.


    ¡°No, I would be using my mind¡¯s eye there.¡± (Seirie)


    ¡°Was the mind¡¯s eye a technique like that?¡± (Souma)


    I threw a retort for now and shook my head.


    She looks like a reasonable person, but she is also crazy in her own way.


    ¡°And so, go ahead and enjoy yourselves. Just to clarify again, I don¡¯t mind you testing me if you still don¡¯t believe me.¡± (Seirie)


    She must have judged that the talk ended there, Seirie-san closed the conversation after saying that.


    ¡°Ah, wait, Seirie-san?¡± (Souma)


    Even when I called her, she didn¡¯t answer me and just took out a chapstick and put it on her lips as she said ¡®today is awfully dry¡¯ and closed her lips together to even it out. For some reason, she began reading a book with her lips slightly protruding.


    What should I even do here?


    I looked at Sazan for help, but the masked mage simply shrugged his shoulders.


    ¡­So useless.


    ¡°Seirie-san? Can you hear me?¡± (Souma)


    Without much choice, I decided to test Seirie-san to see if she really was concentrating on the book.


    For now, no response even when called.


    ¡°Seirie-san, you actually do hear me, right?¡± (Souma)


    I tried shaking her body a bit, but it seems like there¡¯s no reaction from just this much.


    Can¡¯t be helped.


    I resolved myself and said in as much of a hateful-sounding way as possible.


    ¡°Yaaa, glasses~! You black rim glasses~!¡± (Souma)


    There really is no response.


    If Seirie-san were in her normal state, the moment she heard that just now¡­


    ¡°My glasses are not black rim, they are gray!¡± -is what she would say straight at me.


    She really might be concentrating and can¡¯t hear me.


    I am close to believing her here, but just in case as a last confirmation, I approach the ear of Seirie-san as much as possible with my mouth, and¡­


    ¡°Seirie-san, I love you.¡± (Souma)


    Whispered that to her.


    I feel like Seirie-san¡¯s shoulders shook for a moment there, but there was no other reaction aside from that.


    Looks like she really is concentrating on the book and can¡¯t hear me.


    What fearsome concentration.


    (It should be fine then.) (Souma)


    I turned back to Sazan relieved.


    But right after, I think I heard an elated ¡®haah fuuh¡¯ from the back, so I looked back, but there was just Seirie-san reading a book with good posture.


    Must have been the wind.


    ¡°¡­So, are you satisfied?¡± (Sazan)


    That¡¯s where Sazan spoke to me in a bad mood for some reason.


    Is he angry because I left him alone for too long?


    ¡°Ah, sorry about that. As you can see, it seems like it is okay for us to talk.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­You¡­good grief.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Hm?¡± (Souma)


    Sazan let out a baffled tone for a moment, but he soon erased that expression and began talking in a low voice.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether that woman is hearing or not¡­ I have this bracelet after all.¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan showed me his right hand as he said this.


    There¡¯s a familiar bracelet there.


    If I remember correctly, the name is¡­


    ¡°¡­Soul Bracelet. This can seal the owner¡¯s heart, will, and memories. A treasure tool of my lineage.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Seal the memories of the owner?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan nodded heavily and I fell in thought.


    When I heard about it before, he didn¡¯t explain it to me in such detail.


    But if that really is a tool that can seal memories, maybe¡­


    ¡°I am currently the owner of this bracelet. This has my memories and experiences. That¡¯s why, if I so wish, I can show you my memories since I succeeded this bracelet¡­no, even the memories of before I succeeded it.¡± (Sazan)


    I knew it¡­


    After Sazan spoke about what I imagined it would be, he took off the bracelet from his wrist with visible hesitation.


    ¡°If you wish to, I can show them to you.


    There¡¯s also information regarding the Evil God which you want to know about.¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan speaks in an indifferent tone that doesn¡¯t suit him.


    But his voice was shaking faintly.


    ¡°¡­Please. I have to defeat the Evil God Fragment¡­no, the Evil God.¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s why I also answer with a serious tone that I normally would never show to Sazan.


    ¡°Got it. Give me your hand.¡± (Sazan)


    Those feelings must have reached Sazan.


    He said this as if prepared, and offered me the hand that has the bracelet.


    My hand and Sazan¡¯s got closer, the bracelet of delicate design slowly approaching, and finally it touched my hand¡ª


    ¡°On second thought, no!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Heh?¡± (Souma)


    ¡ªBut just before it did, Sazan quickly moved that hand away.


    ¡°Wait, even if you tell me that¡­¡± (Souma)


    What was all that resolve business of before?


    ¡°I-I said no, so no! Cause it is e-embarrassing¡­I mean, I can¡¯t trust you!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Huh?¡± (Souma)


    I couldn¡¯t keep up with the sudden change, and Sazan talked on and on as if in a stupor.


    ¡°Y-You would probably use my secret to blackmail me and do horrible things to me!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°No, what¡¯s this horrible stuff you are talking about?¡± (Souma)


    Even if Sazan had a weakness, he is honestly so useless it is troubling.


    I already got the Stardust Flare, so I can¡¯t think of anything else he could do.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s, you know¡­the stuff G-George does?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Who is George? Anyways, I swear I won¡¯t do something like that, so¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°L-Lies! That¡¯s what George said to Michelle to deceive her and¡­¡± (Sazan)


    No, as I said, who the hell is this George?!


    ¡°He said things like ¡®you are the only one for me¡¯ and in the end, his only objective was her body!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°No, seriously, what the hell are you talking about?¡± (Souma)


    Sazan has completely lost his marbles.


    Or more like, what¡¯s making him this flustered?


    ¡°¡­Haah¡­¡± (Souma)


    I sighed heavily.


    Anyways, there¡¯s no end to it like this.


    If I tag along in this Sazan and George madness, there will be no end.


    ¡°Hey, must it have to be you that pulls out the memories of that bracelet?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh? I-It doesn¡¯t have to be me, but¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan was showing wariness at the sudden change in topic as he answered.


    I deliberately acted as if I didn¡¯t notice that and indifferently piled up the questions.


    ¡°Any special ways of usage?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°No, if the owner of the bracelet simply wishes they want to see the memories¡­¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°I see.¡± (Souma)


    Just by wishing it sounds really fantasy-like. Or like, it is so fantasy-like that I don¡¯t think it would be possible to add it in the game system, but that¡¯s probably proof that this bracelet was unimplemented in Nekomimi Neko.


    In that case, there¡¯s a high chance you can gain information that you wouldn¡¯t have gotten in the game.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know what you are thinking, but it is pointless. Even if you were to tell me ¡®you are the most pretty one in the world¡¯, I would not fall for it like Michelle¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Hey, Sazan.¡± (Souma)


    I cut off the rambling of Sazan, and moved my hand to the Adventurer Bag.


    And then, I bring out a certain piece of gear from inside.


    ¡°¡ªWhat could this be?¡± (Souma)


    What I brought out was the thing I retrieved from the rewinded world¡­the Soul Bracelet.


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan opened his eyes wide, but it seems like he soon realized what this meant.


    ¡°S-Sto¡ª!¡± (Sazan)


    He jumped at me to get the bracelet back, but it was already too late.


    ¡ªLight bursted in my brain in an instant.


    Memories and feelings became a torrent that inundated me.


    What was filled up there were the decades of life of Sazan¡­no, a girl called Mitia.


    The days as a seal priestess¡­the strong pressure.


    Her complicated emotions towards her father and mother.


    The trust and disappointment in her caretaker Gaius.


    The life she lived, her many experiences, were pushing into my brain along with her raw emotions.


    ¡°Uah!¡± (Souma)


    I groaned unconsciously.


    I felt like I had a long journey in the mere blink of an eye.


    ¡°Did you¡­see it?¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan, who was already grappling me, must have felt my change, he looked into my eyes in close range and muttered this.


    ¡°Y-Yeah.¡± (Souma)


    My voice shook when answering.


    I couldn¡¯t avoid the body of Sazan because of the effect of the bracelet, and he is currently on top of me.


    Thanks to Sazan taking off the mask in the rewind world¡­I knew Sazan was a girl.


    But now that I am faced with the clear reality, it is unbelievable that I have been mistaking her for a man until now.


    Her body on top of me is light, and the skin peeking from the black clothes is pristine.


    Even if hidden by a mask, I could see the delicate feminine traits from her face.


    But that girl was currently all flustered right now.


    ¡°E-Even though I told you not to look!!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Aah, yeah¡­sorry.¡± (Souma)


    She reprimanded me with even tears coming out from her eyes behind the mask.


    She hammered my chest and, while still clinging onto my body on top of me, she asked me with her gaze turned away.


    ¡°¡­And so, h-how was it?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°How, you ask?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I am asking you what you thought after you¡­peeked at my memories.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± (Souma)


    I did think they were strong.


    But is it okay for me to tell him¡­no, her?


    ¡°Just tell me already.¡± (Sazan)


    That commanding tone sounded feeble.


    ¡°Can I be blunt?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Just say it already. I am prepared.¡± (Sazan)


    But even with that, I felt like I¡­no, we wouldn¡¯t be able to move on without speaking out about these feelings.


    That¡¯s why I steel myself and face the masked Sazan.


    ¡°I have uhm¡­seen that you are a girl and¡­that you admire Nameless to the point of writing a novel. But even so¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Yeah?¡± (Sazan)


    A meek voice.


    Being given power by this, I muster up courage and speak.


    ¡°I think the ultimate spell Punishment Banishment would do better without so much nishment.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Upyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!¡± (Sazan)


    The scream of the girl that had her dark history of her original novel dug out echoed in the silent library.


    ¡ª¨C


    Author: This is weird.


    Even though I should have been writing a Sazan chapter here, it turned into mostly a Seirie-san chapter.

 CH 206

    Light


    Dark


    ¡°Damn it! Why¡­Why did I give it the name Punishment Vanishment at that time¡­?


    I should have gone for Vanishment Vanisher. Even if I were to use the same Punishment Vanishment, I could have gone for a cooler one like a fancy Peerless under the heavens and God destroyer¡­ Kuuuu!!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan had stolen away my one other Soul Bracelet, but it seems like she still didn¡¯t calm down with that, she was slapping her hand with the other.


    It seems like Sazan doesn¡¯t regret the fact that her ultimate magic stinks of chuunibyou, but the fact that the quality was low.


    That does sound like her, but I want to say that¡¯s not what you should worry about.


    ¡°Hey, I am sorry to say this when you are worrying and all, but aren¡¯t you worrying about the wrong thing?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°About the wrong thing? Are you saying you don¡¯t understand the coolness of Peerless under the heavens and God destroyer?!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°No, as I said¡­¡± (Souma)


    It seems like she seriously doesn¡¯t understand the issue.


    Sazan was looking at me with a glare, and I chimed in as if going good grief.


    ¡°In that case, I will say this without reservations¡­ In the first place, Peerless under the heavens doesn¡¯t translate to Punishment!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Wa?! ¡­Guh, that¡¯s true. My attention was so taken away by how cool looking it was and the image of the protagonist, that I ended up forgetting the connection between the words.¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan dropped her shoulders, dejected.


    But it is nice to see that she is honestly admitting her mistake.


    I continue speaking with the intention of encouraging her.


    ¡°I of course admit the overwhelming potential of the words Peerless under the heavens. I also understand that it fits the image of the protagonist.


    That¡¯s why, how about changing it a bit while maintaining the image and sound of it? Like Providence of the Heavens.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I-I see! I don¡¯t like to admit it, but that¡¯s quite the good suggestion. Providence of the Heavens. Nice words that amplify absolute justice and surpass the constraints of mortality.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Hehe, right? Also, rather than god destroyer, I would say god undoer¡­wait, that¡¯s not it!¡± (Souma)


    I unconsciously ended up acting like an editor there, but that doesn¡¯t matter.


    No, it is not like it doesn¡¯t matter, but that doesn¡¯t matter. I do have to think about a cool name that connects better, but there¡¯s something I have to do first.


    ¡°For now, can you please get off me already?¡± (Souma)


    I would like her to worry more about how she has been straddling me for a while now.


    The situation has not been fixed since the moment Sazan jumped and fell on top of me.


    She was hammering my chest while going ¡®damn it, damn it¡¯ and it hurt, but it is also ticklish.


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t misunderstand. It is not like I forgot because I was so into thinking of a name for the spell.


    It is just that you are at fault, so I am keeping you in place so you reflect¡­¡± (Sazan)


    It seems like Sazan is digging out excuses here, but that¡¯s not the issue.


    ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t matter who is at fault. You are a girl, so that kind of stuff is¡­see?¡± (Souma)


    I thought Sazan would get angry at suddenly being treated like a girl, but she flapped her mouth.


    ¡°Ah¡­A-At this point in time¡­!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Even if you tell me that, I just learned about it recently.¡± (Souma)


    I learned that Sazan was a girl in the rewind world when she took off her mask, so if we are more precise, rather than recent, it is the future, but it is certainly recent in terms of feeling.


    Being told this by me, she must have felt something.


    Sazan was sitting with legs crossed like a girl on top of me, and her legs squirmed restlessly.


    No, I would like to say that you should stop that, but it seems like that doesn¡¯t work for Sazan who has been acting like a man for a while.


    ¡°Well, even if I didn¡¯t know, we even took a bath together, so it might be weird for me to say this, but¡­you should think about your own actions a bit more¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Wait! What are you talking about having a bath together?!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Heh? What, you ask¡­¡± (Souma)


    I was about to say it and then noticed.


    Me having a bath with Sazan was in the rewind world.


    The current Sazan has no memories of that.


    ¡°No, that just now¡­I remembered wrong, or like, a verbal slip¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°W-Wait! Wait a moment! You said you rewinded time¡­ Y-You bastard¡­what did you do to me?!!!¡± (Sazan)


    At the time when I was soothing Maki who was confused by the cat ears, I obviously told the others about the rewind.


    To think it would bite me here.


    ¡°Calm down. I didn¡¯t really do any¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°As if! T-There¡¯s no way I would take a bath with you!


    B-Because you have to get n-naked in the bath!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°W-Well, that¡¯s true, but¡­¡± (Souma)


    You tried to enter the bath with clothes at first, you know.


    No, now that I think about it, it was to hide your own gender.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter! I just have to confirm with this!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan held the Soul Bracelet while saying this.


    Moreover, not the one she had before, but the one she stole away.


    ¡°If there¡¯s one other bracelet, it must mean this is the one that I had on before the rewind, right? I don¡¯t know why you have this, but everything will be solved if I read those memories.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°W-Wait!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Muh?¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan looked at me dubiously at the sudden stop.


    But I can¡¯t let Sazan see those memories.


    I think of an excuse to convince Sazan.


    ¡°Y-You know, it would be one thing to see the memories of others, but seeing your own memories would unnerve you, right?


    You wouldn¡¯t be able to tell which ones are your real memories and stuff¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry about that, it is not like I plan on seeing all the memories.


    Even if the accumulation of memories is indifferent, you can arrange the memories in the bracelet and choose which when watching.¡± (Sazan)


    In other words, if you were to wish to see the memories of the bath, you can see that with pinpoint accuracy, huh.


    Sazan looked at me with a criticizing glare.


    ¡°More like, the capacity of the bracelet is used to seal the Evil God, so you normally delete the personal memories before passing it on.


    And yet, you used the bracelet on your own volition without any proper sorting¡­¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°I-I see¡­¡± (Souma)


    So Sazan was planning on showing me only the memories of her related to the Evil God.


    I might have ended up seeing the parts that Sazan probably didn¡¯t want me to see, but it really must have been out of her expectations that I saw everything, even the unnecessary parts.


    When thinking about that, I do feel like I did something bad here.


    ¡°Anyways, as if I can believe in a guy that deceived me into entering the bath with him!


    I will confirm my own memories to see what happened!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°No, wait! If you put it like that, it would sound like I am like Baccarat¡ª¡± (Souma)


    But my words didn¡¯t have any effect this time around.


    Sazan raised the bracelet with no wasted movements and shouted.


    ¡°Souls trapped in the infinity! Bring back the memories of the soul cleansing room back from the lost world!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Just say bath¡­¡± (Souma)


    The soul cleansing room sounds cool and at the same time doesn¡¯t, but I didn¡¯t even have the time to retort to that and¡­


    ¡°Unya!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan¡¯s body shook as if she had been hit by lightning, and then groaned in place.


    Rather than in place, it is more like on top of me though.


    I hesitantly speak to her.


    ¡°O-Oi, are you okay?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°As if I would be okay! Something like that¡­something like that¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan was in tears when she raised her head.


    Seeing that state of hers, it is clear that she has succeeded in inheriting her memories, but I ended up asking.


    ¡°So, you did see it?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I did! Not only did we enter the bath together, Leila jumped the wall the other day, and even the day when I was thrown into the bath!!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan shouted desperately.


    I thought about it for a bit, wondering what this wall jump of Leila was and¡­


    ¡°The wall jump¡­bath? ¡­Aaah, when you peed yourse¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Unyaaaaaaaaaaaa!!¡± (Sazan)


    I was stopped by the desperate scream of Sazan.


    Looks like she even saw the memories related to the bath.


    It seems like the embarrassment was not letting off even when she shouted, she went ¡®wuuh¡¯ and wriggled on top of me.


    ¡°W-Well, leaving aside the wall jumped, couldn¡¯t you have just refused me when I invited you to the bath?


    If you were embarrassed, even more so, but you should be more aware of your own gender and¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°S-Shut up! I don¡¯t want to hear that from the guy that didn¡¯t notice at all even when seeing my ch¡ªmy body!¡± (Sazan)


    She said with an angered tone.


    Speaking of which, she did cross her arms and hid her chest there.


    ¡°Ah, wait!¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s when I remembered something outrageous there.


    ¡°The Horned Paon at that time! What was that?¡± (Souma)


    When I saw it in the bath, Sazan had a splendid¡­no, a way too splendid Horned Paon.


    Now that I know Sazan is a woman, that¡¯s weird.


    Or more like, it would be weird even if she were not a woman.


    Could it actually be a curse?


    I wondered this and asked, and Sazan instead asked me with a dubious tone.


    ¡°What? You didn¡¯t see that part in the bracelet?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Aah, what I wanted to know was your past after all. I haven¡¯t seen your memories of after you left the island.¡± (Souma)


    Well, I only limited the day, so I clearly saw even unrelated stuff about the Evil God like the Punishment Vanishment.


    When I honestly admitted this, the eyes of Sazan grew even more grim.


    I hurriedly made an excuse.


    ¡°W-Well, even if I say the past, it is just the events that remain in your mind. Yeah!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but uhm¡­t-there¡¯s the times when I went to the b-bathroom you know¡­to pick up flowers¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan grew red all the way to her neck as she asked this while supporting herself countless times.


    I see. I understand her worry.


    But that¡¯s an unnecessary worry.


    ¡°I swear on my name that it is okay on that front. As I said before, I only saw the memories that remained in your mind. The special moments.


    The things that fall into daily life events didn¡¯t really remain in your mi¡ªah!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Oi, what was that ¡®ah!¡¯ just now?!! What did you remember?!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°¡­N-No, it is nothing. It was just my imagination. Yup.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°As if! Just say it already! Say it!¡± (Sazan)


    I lost to the intense questioning of Sazan who was half in tears from even before I said this, and averted my gaze from her desperate eyes.


    And then¡­


    ¡°¡­Water magic on your bed.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Umyaaaaaaaa!!¡± (Sazan)


    The moment I answered, Sazan screamed as if the world was going to perish and grappled me¡­rest omitted.


    A few minutes after I calmed down Sazan who was rampaging on top of me.


    I accidentally said ¡®N-Now, it is normal to wet the bed when you are a child. It is not like you did the same when you grew¡­up¡­¡¯ and a tragedy happened where Sazan went ¡®You are definitely doing this on purpose, aren¡¯t you?!¡¯ and got even wilder.


    But she must have gotten resistance from the dark history incident of before, I managed to calm her down in the end.


    ¡°Anyways, that was true, huh.¡± (Souma)


    And this must have been the fortune within the misfortune.


    Even when we were making this much of a ruckus, Seirie-san continued reading without noticing anything.


    There was the possibility that she was simply acting as if she didn¡¯t notice when I was testing her, but this time around, that shouldn¡¯t be the case.


    Because¡­


    ¡ªHehe.


    ¡ªMugugu.


    ¡ªArgh!


    ¡ªEhehehehe.


    ¡ªHmm?


    Is she matching the scenes of the book?


    The expressions of Seirie-san were changing with every turn of the page.


    ¡°It is like a paper mask performance.¡± (Sazan)


    Seeing the disgraceful behavior of someone else might have cooled her head down, Sazan muttered this in a calm state.


    That¡¯s quite the way of putting it, but I agree too.


    Or more like, this is most likely that. The case where the related party is completely unaware and if you were to point this out, they would end up super depressed.


    ¡°W-Well, for now, let¡¯s talk about our matters.¡± (Souma)


    I do want to see Seirie-san all flustered with her glasses, but it is fine if she is concentrating.


    Right now I don¡¯t have the time to see the individual event of the librarian-san.


    ¡°Hmph, right. And so, what were we talking about?¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan pushed her chest out as if saying there¡¯s nothing she fears anymore.


    Rather than saying she has returned to her usual attitude, it is more like the best bluff she can muster, but well, after hearing about her dark history and then her we¡ªthe water magic incident, she probably won¡¯t have anything to fear anymore.


    ¡°It is about the bath matter of the rewinded world. You saw, right?


    In the end, what was the Horned Paon?¡± (Souma)


    I asked quickly in order to have her forget about my verbal slip.


    But It is true that I am wondering about it.


    Or more like, it was a mystery that such a big thing could be contained in her clothes.


    ¡°Ah, y-you, where are you looking?!¡± (Sazan)


    I unconsciously looked at Sazan¡¯s crotch, and she complained after noticing this.


    She is probably not used to such gazes, she desperately tried to block my gaze by slouching, but that instead made her body stick to mine even more, and I ended up skipping a beat there despite myself.


    ¡°Aah, no, that¡¯s not it. The Horned Paon! What was that Horned Paon?¡± (Souma)


    I forcefully adjusted my thoughts that were about to derail, and asked again.


    She was still slouched as if wary of my gaze, and the masked girl began to speak indifferently¡­or maybe trying to make it sound indifferent.


    ¡°It is hard to make something big look small, but it is easy to make it look like something small is big.


    That¡¯s why the me from that time¡­uhm¡­I couldn¡¯t do anything about my c-chest, so I had to do something about the lower part with magic.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Magic?¡± (Souma)


    Being told this, I remembered.


    Speaking of which, just before entering the bath, I feel like Sazan muttered something while desperately reading a book¡­


    ¡°In other words¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yeah, that Horned Paon was an illusion. There¡¯s a spell called Metamorphosis that lets you transform into a monster, right?


    I used that to recreate the head of a Horned Paon in one part.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Metamorphosis¡­ I see, an unimplemented illusion spell.¡± (Souma)


    As you can tell from the glasses that let me transform in Loic, there was no point in transforming into characters in the game of Nekomimi Neko, or like, there was no AI made to recognize that you have changed your appearance.


    However, it existed in the talks of the citizens and the lore, so it might not be weird that Sazan can use those kinds of spells.


    ¡°You said I couldn¡¯t bring a staff in the bath, so the effect ran out in the middle and it was terrible, you know?¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan must have thought I was convinced with that, she said this as if wrapping it up, but that explanation is not enough.


    ¡°Wait, I still haven¡¯t asked the important point.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Hm? What is it?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Why is it that you showed a Horned Paon in order to fake your gender¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I finished saying that a bit hesitant, and Sazan looked at me with eyes as if saying ¡®what nonsense is this guy asking?¡¯, and answered as if natural.


    ¡°¡ªCause men have Horned Paons growing on their crotches, right?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡­¡­Hm?


    I wonder why.


    I feel like I am encountering a heaven breaking misunderstanding here that surpasses imagination¡­


    ¡°Uuuh, you are kidding¡­right?¡± (Souma)


    It is true that Sazan was raised as the seal priestess and didn¡¯t get involved with many people, so you could say she is extremely oblivious of the outside world, but she apparently traveled by herself, and she is already this old¡­ Could this be¡­


    ¡°Kidding? What part?¡± (Sazan)


    But my faint hope was destroyed by the words of Sazan.


    Yeah well, how to say it, I did think it was weird since the time we took a bath together!


    Cause just imagine it.


    Your comrade had a literal Horned Paon head growing from their crotch, and then they say it is a Paon while waving around its nose.


    Even if you use elephants as a metaphor, if you really were to see an elephant growing on their crotch, you would either bring them to a hospital or bring yourself to a psychiatrist.


    This is the world of Nekomimi Neko, so I didn¡¯t doubt my own sanity, but I did seriously think of the possibility that this was a curse.


    But I didn¡¯t even imagine that such a misunderstanding would be created.


    ¡°Uh, Sazan, do you know about metaphors?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Metaphors?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°You know, men don¡¯t really have Horned Paons growing there¡­


    Speaking of which, didn¡¯t you see it when we went into the bath together?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Didn¡¯t see what¡ªauh!¡± (Sazan)


    It seems like she noticed in the middle of it, and she got confused in an instant.


    She then moved her face closer to me and shouted in excitement.


    ¡°A-As if I would look at it! I didn¡¯t have the leeway to think of anything aside from hiding my own things. I-In the first place, something like that is¡­d-dirty¡­¡± (Sazan)


    So the concept of dirty existed in her head, huh. Leaving aside the shock, it seems like she didn¡¯t see it.


    I am relieved and at the same time troubled.


    ¡°Anyways, think about it calmly. It is weird for the head of a monster to grow from a human, right?¡± (Souma)


    I tell this logic to Sazan who seemed to have had blood rush to her head.


    But it seems like that had the opposite effect on the stirred up Sazan.


    ¡°L-Lies! You must be saying weird stuff for a while now to deceive me!¡± (Sazan)


    Looks like beating around the bush instead created doubts in her.


    I hurriedly explained myself.


    ¡°N-No, it is the truth. In the first place, under what basis are you making this assumption¡­?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I-It was written in the book!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°¡­Excuse me?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°T-That¡­they said stuff like ¡®Michelle-ojousan, the creatures called men all have monsters on their crotches¡¯ and ¡®the Horned Paon of George was already big and standing tall¡¯!


    I remember it clearly!¡± (Sazan)


    She is making an unbelievable misunderstanding as always, but that did make it click.


    ¡°I see, George in the Attic!¡± (Souma)


    The moment I said the name of that book, Sazan showed her surprise.


    ¡°Y-You knew about it?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Rather than knowing about it, it is more like I learned about it just now.¡± (Souma)


    Before I saw the memories of the bracelet, Sazan must have been talking about this book when mentioning George and Michelle.


    As you can tell from this title, George in the Attic, that smells like an old man, it is the only book within the possessions of Sazan that has ero scenes.


    It is about the interactions of a girl called Michelle and the fairy(?) in the attic, George, and it¡¯s a book with plain binding with no illustrations or anything, but that must be why it managed to get through the strict education filtering of her father.


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember the small details though.


    You know, it seems like you were reading it over and over, and you read that book at night mostly inside of the blankets, so¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Unyaaaaaa!!¡± (Sazan)


    The moment I said that much, Sazan raised a scream that was as strong as the time with the dark history¡­no, with slightly more intensity than that time as she used both hands to try and cover my mouth.


    In other words, it wasn¡¯t that fast, but it felt as if she were in a dire situation here.


    ¡°O-Oi, just what¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Forget it! FORGET IIIIITTTT!!¡± (Sazan)


    She tried to cover my mouth with her hands, but I grabbed them and stopped her.


    It is not like I will forget if my mouth is covered, but it doesn¡¯t look like she is in a state where such logic will work on her.


    ¡°Hey, is it really that embarrassing that you were reading that book that mu¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Unyaaaaaaaaaaa!!!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Owah!¡± (Souma)


    She turned into a cat with how flustered she got.


    She has become such a cat she is even competing for the cat spot of Mitsuki.


    ¡°Wa, stop rampa¡ªebuh?!¡± (Souma)


    I was stopping the hands from covering my mouth, but she must be trying to shut me up regardless, she instead used her body to cover my mouth.


    I must understand that this naturally turns into a posture like that of hugging. Even though I normally don¡¯t pay it any mind, I felt like the chest of Sazan being pushed onto my face was kind of soft and it made me flustered.


    Anyways, this position is bad in a lot of ways.


    ¡°G-Got it! I have forgotten it already! I have, so please calm down!¡± (Souma)


    I forcefully pulled her away and declared that I surrendered.


    ¡°R-Really?¡± (Sazan)


    There¡¯s a term called cornered rat, but this is a cornered cat.


    Sazan was looking at me with eyes filled with wariness like that of a wounded cat.


    ¡°You won¡¯t talk about that book anymore?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°I won¡¯t, I won¡¯t.¡± (Souma)


    I nodded profusely.


    When I did, I could tell that Sazan loosened up a bit.


    But the next words were even more difficult to answer.


    ¡°You won¡¯t try to deceive me anymore by saying that you don¡¯t have a Horned Paon?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°N-No, as I said, I am not trying to deceive you here. Really¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie! Even my Mother-sama told me that men have something women don¡¯t have in the days when she was healthy!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°That¡¯s not wrong, but it is not a Horned Paon¡­¡± (Souma)


    I tried to fix the misunderstanding, but it doesn¡¯t work on Sazan whose embarrassment has gone over the limit and is currently losing her mind.


    ¡°Y-You must be trying to deceive me here in that fashion to do something weird to me!


    Just like George! Just like George!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Why did you say that twice?! That¡¯s not it¡­ Aah, geez, this is such a pain!¡± (Souma)


    I grabbed the arms of Sazan and spun her body around.


    ¡°Hya?!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan raised a short scream, and her extended arm shook the table, making boxes fall from above, but I didn¡¯t pay attention to that.


    There¡¯s no way Seirie-san would stop reading her book just from this.


    I switched positions and, this time around, we ended up in opposite positions; me on top and Sazan on the bottom.


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan must not be able to keep up with the change in the situation, she looked up at me dumbfounded for a while, and the moment she understood that her own body was completely restrained by me, fear showed in her eyes.


    And then¡­


    ¡°¡­Souma?¡± (Sazan)


    She called my name uneasily.


    Her normal haughtiness and boyish feeling was not there, and it was the voice of a girl.


    The moment I heard that, something similar to happiness crawled from my back, and at the same time, I thought of something.


    A great idea to have this masked priestess acknowledge her own mistake.


    I open my mouth while pushed by excitement.


    ¡°¡ªIn that case, I will show you.¡± (Souma)


    There was no need to think in the first place.


    There was no need for pointless words.


    The knowledge of Sazan was simply something feeble gained from books.


    If she has wrong knowledge, then I just have to overwrite it with something even more persuasive.


    And the thing that can do that is already here.


    ¡°It might be too stimulating for a shut-in priestess-sama, but you are the one at fault, okay?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°What¡­? What are you trying to¡­¡± (Sazan)


    She must have felt fear from my tone, Sazan struggled below me¡­


    But it is already too late.


    ¡°¡ªConfirm with your own eyes if it  really is a Horned Paon!¡± (Souma)


    I extended my hand that was not holding down Sazan, and¡­


    ¡°How was it? Heard what you wanted to hear?¡±


    The one who entered the room leisurely was Maki.


    It is most likely around 30 minutes since Maki left the room.


    You could say the impatient Maki endured well.


    ¡°In a way, you could say I did get to hear about it, and at the same time didn¡¯t. Anyways, we are taking a small break for now.¡± (Souma)


    I answered this, and Maki finally noticed what was off.


    ¡°Hm? Speaking of which, where¡¯s Sazan-chan?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Aah, if it is Sazan, she is there.¡± (Souma)


    I hid my internal agitation as I pointed to the corner of the room.


    At that place, there¡¯s the masked mage curled up with her back sticking on the wall.


    ¡°What is she doing?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°¡­Who knows.¡± (Souma)


    She is mumbling something with blank eyes, but that¡¯s probably not what Maki is asking here.


    I said in a casual tone while cold sweat rushed out from me.


    ¡°She is going to get scared if I approach her, so can you please speak to her?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Hmm, what¡¯s with that? So weird.¡± (Maki)


    Maki was finding this strange, but it seems like she still intends to follow what I tell her.


    She went to Sazan with light steps.


    ¡°How was it, Sazan-cha¡ª¡± (Maki)


    ¡°¡­¡­It wasn¡¯t a Paon¡­¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Maki)


    Maki spoke to her with a casual tone, but her voice cut off at the weird state of Sazan.


    On the other hand, Sazan didn¡¯t react at all to Maki approaching her, and¡­


    ¡°¡ªThat was even more¡­even more sinister. Like an Evil God. An Evil God Fragment¡­¡± (Sazan)


    She was simply mumbling those words.


    Sazan was mumbling nonsense over and over, and Maki could only tilt her head.


    ¡°Souma, what did you do to Sazan-chan?!¡± (Maki)


    She obviously noticed something was wrong here, she questioned me intensely.


    ¡°¡­Uuuh, I simply showed her a bit.¡± (Souma)


    I felt bad while I tried to dodge the question, but it obviously didn¡¯t work on Maki.


    ¡°Showed? Showed what?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± (Souma)


    Having the topic pursued, my eyes swim.


    That was a mistake.


    ¡°Aaah!!¡± (Maki)


    Maki sharply followed that gaze of mine and raised her voice loudly.


    I tucked it away hurriedly right before Maki came, but I must have been in a real hurry there, now that I look closely, there¡¯s clear skin color from the opening.


    ¡°Could it be¡­Souma!¡± (Maki)


    Maki¡¯s face was filled with anger in an instant, and I covered my mistake with both hands.


    I already have no choice but to tell her everything.


    Because the gaze of Maki was directed at the source of Sazan¡¯s fear.


    ¡°Showing Sazan-chan something like that, you pervert!!¡± (Maki)


    ¡ªThe box that had ¡®Black Corner¡¯ written on it and the many books filled with skin color.


    ¡ª¡ª


    Author: Mindbreak!! (With ero books)


    There has not been a beep about the Evil God (real one) until now!!

 CH 207

    Light


    Dark


    ¡°Sniff. Even though I told him to stop. Souma said ¡®I will teach you what a real man is¡¯ and forcefully¡­¡±


    ¡°There there, it must have been scary¡­ Souma!¡±


    Sazan had recovered slightly from curling up at the corner of the room, and cried to Maki. When she did, Maki glared at me with an incredible face.


    ¡°N-No, listen to my side too!¡± (Souma)


    It is true that I taught Sazan a bit about human biology, but it was mostly in good faith and there was practically no evil intent.


    Even if there were, it would be just a tiny grain.


    Aside from that, I did it with pure good intentions just like the ones in charge of the Nekomimi Neko events.


    But I wasn¡¯t given the time to explain myself.


    ¡°And here I came, wondering what was happening. So it was you.¡±


    ¡°¡­Souma.¡±


    They must have heard the voice of Maki making a ruckus, or a bird told them about it. My comrades that were investigating were coming back one after the other.


    And it obviously turned hectic after that.


    ¡°¡­Sexual deviant?¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo, who seemed to have understood the situation roughly, spoke a pretty nostalgic phrase, and dealt mental damage.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think this is that good of a situation, but there might be room for consideration depending on the circumstances.


    How about replaying the events with me?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki is normally the one serving as the intermediator, but she stared intently at my cat ears for some reason as she made this weird proposal.


    ¡ª*Pomf*


    The Bear punched my stomach with its perfectly cushioned hand, and showed me a manly smile as if saying ¡®I will call it even with this¡¯.


    ¡°Even if I wouldn¡¯t notice, to think you would perform lascivious actions right by the side of someone reading a book¡­


    I see, so this is the peak of a hero¡­ That¡¯s nice too.¡± (Seirie)


    At some point in time, Seirie-san had come back after finishing one book, and casually joined in.


    ¡°Wait! A-About that¡­hm? Speaking of which, where¡¯s Ina?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Aah, if it is her, I saw her while we were coming here, but it seemed like she was doing her best in the investigation.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Ina, who is not especially good with her ears or her instincts, has once again been left behind.


    Because of the details of the story, it is not like I can just talk about it without the permission of Sazan.


    I began explaining things with the supervision of Sazan who had recovered to a certain degree, but when the important parts like George, the Horned Paon, and the bath came up, Sazan would shout ¡®Umyaaaa!¡¯ and would attack me, so I got interrupted. It took quite a good deal of time.


    I did try to avoid the private details, but for the sake of the future, we revealed to them that Sazan is actually the Seal Priestess and that she is actually a girl.


    I thought they would be surprised by this, but the reaction of everyone was unexpectedly low.


    It seems like they were indeed surprised by the part where she is from the Seal Lineage, but we are talking about Mitsuki (expressionless), Ringo (expressionless), Seirie-san (somewhat expressionless), and Maki (who already knew).


    There was barely any reaction, and as for the part where Sazan is a girl¡­


    ¡°I did think that would be the case. It was only clear to me after seeing the recording though.¡± (Maki)


    Maki said this easily.


    ¡°I did have an inkling as well. It seemed like she didn¡¯t want that topic touched on, so I acted like I didn¡¯t know though.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki confessed this.


    ¡°¡­Hn, I did¡­have a feeling¡­¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo said something cool.


    ¡°Yes, of course, of course. I obviously saw through something like that.¡± (Seirie)


    And at the end, Seirie-san fluently spoke the truth with her glasses and voice trembling profusely.


    (Speaking of which, Leila reacted strangely when I was entering the bath with Sazan¡­) (Souma)


    I currently have no means to confirm this since she is staying at home, but we are talking about that girl that has animalistic instincts when it comes to men and women.


    Considering the reactions she has had, it should be safe to assume that Leila has also noticed that Sazan is a woman.


    In that case, that would mean the only ones who didn¡¯t know aside from me would be Seirie-san who doesn¡¯t have much of a relationship with her, and Ina who is not here.


    I was instead surprised by this.


    The theory that Sazan might be a girl has been talked about since a long time ago in the Nekomimi Neko community.


    But the events normally treat her as a man, she didn¡¯t equip female exclusive gear, and there was also the faction that psychologically rejected the possibility of a person like her being a woman, but I did know that there were a number of people who loudly proclaimed this.


    Of course, we are talking about the Nekomimi Neko players that loved verifying stuff.


    There were a number of experiments to confirm or deny whether Sazan is a woman, but because of the robe and mask that she definitely wouldn¡¯t take off, there was no definite proof. Couple that with the fact that there was no marriage event found for a character with this much personality, and it stirred up a big argument that¡¯s said to last for a century.


    (But well, the marriage event was probably unimplemented.) (Souma)


    The homeland of Sazan being the south solitary island would definitely have to do with her event, but it was unimplemented, so I don¡¯t think it would be possible to avoid a battle against the 2nd Evil God Fragment and the main body of the Evil God if you are deeply involved with Sazan, but that was also unimplemented.


    I don¡¯t think they would be able to prepare an event to marry Sazan in that state.


    However, in the publicity before the game came out, there was one that said ¡®The strongest enemy?! Big reveal of the absolutely secret last boss is currently in development!¡¯ and they showed the silhouette of a monster that seemed like the Evil God, and Sazan herself was a character that had a decent amount of effort put into.


    There¡¯s plenty of possibility that the events related to Sazan and the Evil God were planned to be added too.


    Also, it was practically set in stone that a continuation would be made about Nekomimi Neko -or so the rumors said.


    Well, because of how big they messed up, that got scrapped, but it is a different story when it was in development.


    Were they planning on having the Evil God come back with all and main body in the sequel, or¡­I want to think this is not the case, but there were even rumors that they would make a version that has all its bugs fixed and had new elements to it that would be sold for full price. Technically what you would call the Complete Version Pack¡­


    ¡°Geez, Souma, what are you spacing out for?!¡± (Maki)


    Maki slammed the table and made me snap back.


    I was on the verge of having my heart taken away by the darkness of the game industry.


    In the first place, there¡¯s no proof at all that they tried to sell anything like Nekomimi Neko Plus, Golden, F or G, International, Director¡¯s Cut, Returns, Recharged, or Dark-whatever.


    Also, there¡¯s even cases where they would actually end up falling because of a remake.


    I was on the verge of spitting out criticism here, but let¡¯s check the state of things for a bit.


    I don¡¯t want to make everyone panic with my speculation.


    ¡°Souma, continue with what you were saying already!¡± (Maki)


    And so, we would deviate every now and then in that fashion. After I finish telling them everything¡­


    ¡°¡­As I said, I had no choice but to show her that book.¡± (Souma)


    That should have cleared the misunderstanding, but¡­


    ¡°There was no room for consideration.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­Even though you said¡­you would become a decent human.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡ª*Pomf Pomf*


    ¡°I will say this as a librarian, but it is unbelievably reckless to suddenly make someone read that book!


    You first have to draw them in with something soft, and then slowly shift it to more intense directions, training them little by little¡­¡± (Seirie)


    ¡°Ah, so you were all gathered here! I had no progress on my si¡ªhm?¡±


    For some reason, the attitude of everyone didn¡¯t change much, and I received a whole lot of input.


    And then, after the long sermon¡­


    ¡°Ina, listen! Sazan was actually a woman!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eeeeeh?!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Moreover, her identity is actually a priestess that has sealed the Evil God for generations!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eeeeeeeeeh?!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°And the last Evil God Fragment is sealed in the right hand of Sazan!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh?!!¡± (Ina)


    I enjoyed the reactions of Ina that came straight from her heart.


    We did try to investigate with all we had, but the result was zero.


    The diary of Neitia that Seirie-san told me before was actually of someone else that had nothing to do with the Evil God so, in the end, there was almost no progress that day, and we returned to the mansion after passing pointless time.


    ¡°¡­Fuuh.¡± (Souma)


    I collapsed on the bed and looked at the ceiling of the room absentmindedly.


    By seeing the memories of Sazan, we learned the location of the last Evil God Fragment which I wanted to know the most, but it is hard to say that we have enough information.


    In the memories sealed in the bracelet of Sazan, there¡¯s the memories of the first generation Sazan, in other words, Nameless who saw the Evil God. However, there¡¯s only the warning ¡®you must not fight the Evil God¡¯ left in that.


    You apparently can add memories into the bracelet afterwards.


    And yet, the fact that the fight against the Evil God, which is very important, wasn¡¯t left behind means that Nameless for some reason deliberately didn¡¯t leave it behind.


    I once again tried to ask the details of this from Maki who should know the reason why Nameless hid this, but¡­


    ¡°I think it would be better for you to confirm for yourself, Souma.¡± (Maki)


    She simply responded in a stiff tone without giving me an answer.


    While at it, I thought that Sazan might have knowledge of the Evil God that isn¡¯t in the memories of the bracelet, and I tried to ask her in detail, but¡­


    ¡°Hssssss!!¡±


    When I approached her, I was presented with the back of Maki and the hissing of the masked girl like that of a wounded cat.


    It at the very least seems like it will be difficult to have a proper talk with them.


    (The strongest enemy of Nekomimi Neko, huh.) (Souma)


    I remember the advertisement for Nekomimi Neko from before it came out.


    Gamers have a certain type of aspiration towards the word ¡®strongest¡¯.


    Behind those great causes like defeating the Evil God, bringing peace to the world, and not wanting to repeat the tragedy of the past world, I can¡¯t deny that there¡¯s the childish desire to become the strongest existence.


    (However¡­) (Souma)


    The silhouette that was shown in the article was not the exact same as that of the Evil God Fragment even if it did resemble it.


    I would say it is more similar to the original Evil God that Alex and Nameless fought in the recording.


    In that case, it isn¡¯t only the Evil God Fragment, the Nekomimi Neko development¡­no, even if they didn¡¯t develop it, it would mean that that was the monster that they had a framework of.


    The Evil God was so nasty even when it was just a fragment. I can¡¯t even imagine just what kind of unbelievable enemy it will turn out once it is complete.


    I can¡¯t imagine it, but there might be something in that Evil God main body to make even the stalwart Maki falter.


    Was it really not a mistake to choose to fight the Evil God?


    I was thinking that while turning around in my bed and facing the window¡­


    ¡°A-Aaah!¡± (Souma)


    The sight there made me notice the unbelievable mistake I made.


    (Why didn¡¯t I remember¡­?) (Souma)


    Even though I should have had enough time to remember and achieve my objective.


    The gender of Sazan, the harmful books, and the good reactions of Ina had stirred my heart, making me completely forget about my own objective.


    That¡¯s right. In other words¡­


    ¡°I forgot to buy the metal fixtures for the curtain!¡± (Souma)


    So I have to live for a while longer with half of the curtain off, huh. I was lamenting my own mistake and¡­


    ¡ª*Knock Knock*


    The door was knocked in a reserved fashion and I tilted my head.


    ¡°Hnn, who is it?¡± (Souma)


    It is late at night.


    The ones with the highest chance of coming here at this time are Maki or Leila, but the knocking of Maki is more energetic, and Leila¡¯s knock is more¡­sticky.


    I opened the door while tilting my head, and the one there was an unexpected person.


    ¡°Hm? Sazan? Wa¡ª¡± (Souma)


    But I couldn¡¯t speak those words out.


    I staggered from Sazan suddenly jumping onto my chest.


    ¡°What¡¯s¡­the matter?¡± (Souma)


    Sazan has been taking distance from me since that incident.


    It is to the point where,  even at dinner time, she would be completely on guard and run away just from me getting close to her.


    Just what brings this?


    ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s gather everyone and¡­¡± (Souma)


    There¡¯s no doubt this is an abnormal situation.


    I tried to go call our comrades, but she grabbed my chest tightly as if clinging onto me.


    ¡°Sazan?¡± (Souma)


    I can¡¯t see her face because of the mask.


    However, her hands holding me were trembling.


    ¡°¡­it¡­¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Souma)


    She whispered in my chest while I was confused¡­


    ¡°¡ªI saw it. Everything.¡± (Sazan)


    At the left wrist of the girl that said this in a raspy voice, there¡¯s the Soul Bracelet that was brought from the rewinded world.

 CH 208

    Light


    Dark


    ¡°It was scary! So¡­scary¡­!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan had jumped onto my chest and clung onto me as if I am the only tie she has.


    ¡­No, it might not be ¡®as if¡¯.


    ¡°Alex and the others, Ringo, Mitsuki, everyone¡­everyone died¡­


    I¡­I thought I had to do something. But¡­!¡± (Sazan)


    The Soul Bracelet on the left arm of Sazan is the one I brought from the rewind world.


    In other words, that bracelet has the memories of the Sazan from the previous world. The memories where our comrades were killed by the Evil God Fragment, and the last moments where she went with the resolve to die in order to hold back the Evil God.


    ¡°But I was actually scared!


    I didn¡¯t want to be left alone¡­there¡¯s no way I would be able to do something like that.


    But¡­But I had to make you reach there, even if it is only you alone¡­¡± (Sazan)


    I can tell now.


    Sazan must have freed the Evil God Fragment inside herself in order to stop the Evil God Fragment.


    As someone who simply went through a few of the memories, I can¡¯t tell how it works.


    Is it the power of the Seal Priestess, or is it the trait of the Evil God?


    But the result was that the Evil God Fragment sealed in the right arm of Sazan and the biggest fragment in the capital clashed and ended up kept in place.


    ¡°I thought about¡­doing my best until the very end.


    Even if I was no match¡­I would¡­keep it in place for as long as possible¡­


    But once it saw me, it laughed¡­and something flew away from me¡­¡± (Sazan)


    However, I know the end of that.


    After the ritual spell was activated, the fragment that was a size smaller that disappeared in front of my very eyes must have been the one from Sazan.


    The Evil God Fragment sealed by Sazan lost and Sazan¡­


    ¡°My legs grew hot, I couldn¡¯t move, couldn¡¯t tell left from right¡­!


    It hurt, it was¡­scary¡­and I couldn¡¯t do anything!


    I didn¡¯t want to be¡­to be alone¡­that¡¯s why I wanted¡­to be saved¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Sazan!¡± (Souma)


    I instinctively pulled Sazan¡¯s body towards me as Sazan continued confessing with a trembling voice.


    ¡°¡­Ah.¡± (Sazan)


    An absentminded voice.


    The defenseless light body felt pitiful.


    That¡¯s why¡­


    ¡°¡­I am sorry.¡± (Souma)


    Those words leaked out naturally from my mouth.


    ¡°Sou¡­ma¡­?¡± (Sazan)


    I once again hugged tightly that body that had left her heart in that previous world and muttered my name absentmindedly.


    The words I couldn¡¯t say until now.


    I speak those words that I wanted to tell my gone comrades but couldn¡¯t even if I wanted to.


    ¡°I am sorry for not being able to save you.


    ¡­You did well.¡± (Souma)


    The moment I said this¡­


    ¡°Uuh¡­uwaaaaaaah!!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan cried.


    She raised her voice like a young child.


    I supported that small back of hers and whispered once again with a flood of emotions.


    ¡°Thanks, Sazan¡­ Welcome back.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Calmed down now?¡± (Souma)


    When I said this, Sazan closed her eyes embarrassed, and nodded lightly with a ¡®yes¡¯.


    Well, there¡¯s no need to face away. I can¡¯t tell your expression with the mask anyways. But I shouldn¡¯t be saying that.


    ¡°I-I showed you a shameful sight¡­¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Haha, isn¡¯t that always the case?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°It is that part of you¡­aah, geez!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan pouted as if irritated, and said this in one breath without looking me in the eye.


    ¡°However, you did help me out here, so uhm¡­t-thanks.¡± (Sazan)


    Hearing those way too Sazan-like words, I laughed out loud.


    Sazan went ¡®what¡¯s with that reaction?!¡¯ and pouted, but I was relieved by that state of hers.


    ¡°Looks like you are fine now. Well then, it is already late, so¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°W-Wait!¡± (Sazan)


    I was about to wrap it up here, but Sazan raised her voice.


    And then¡­


    ¡°Can¡¯t I¡­sleep together with you today¡­?¡± (Sazan)


    I was flustered by the unexpected proposal.


    I thought about it for a bit, but shook my head.


    It is not like I don¡¯t understand her being uneasy, but that¡¯s not good.


    ¡°I told you before, didn¡¯t I? You might not be conscious about it, but you are a girl too¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°H-Hey you!¡± (Sazan)


    But my words were once again cut off by Sazan in a frantic state.


    ¡°I will say it because it wouldn¡¯t be fair if I didn¡¯t, but¡­I-I saw it¡­a bit.


    Your last feelings before the world was rewinded.¡± (Sazan)


    Aah, I remember.


    Right before the rewind, I picked up the bracelet and put it inside the bag.


    It is true that I picked up the bracelet right before the rewind and put it inside the bag.


    So my memories and feelings were burned into that bracelet a bit at that time, huh.


    ¡°And so, I was h-happy knowing that you treasured me.


    T-That¡¯s why¡­uhm¡­I-I trust you.¡± (Sazan)


    I can only answer with an ¡®ooh¡¯ if I am told that all shily.


    This and that are two separate matters, or like, it is exactly because of that, but it would be insensitive to say something like that in front of such a pure smile.


    Yeah, I just have to keep my wits together.


    It can¡¯t be helped. This can¡¯t be helped.


    ¡°¡­Only for today.¡± (Souma)


    When I gave up and said this, Sazan went ¡®okay!¡¯ and nodded with a cheerful voice.


    ¡°H-Hey, tell me about it.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°About what?¡± (Souma)


    ¡®I-I will be intruding¡¯ -she said deliberately arrogantly, but couldn¡¯t hide her nervousness as she entered the bed.


    The one who broke the strange tension lingering for a while in the air was Sazan.


    ¡°You were in a different world from our own, right?


    I don¡¯t know much about you, so¡­so I would like to hear about that.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°About my world, huh¡­¡± (Souma)


    I was stuck there for a moment.


    In the isekai transfer stories that you see often in Japan, the transferred protagonists would use the modern knowledge they know in order to revolutionize the fantasy world despite most of them being high schoolers or somewhere around that age.


    It is so destructive, it is to the point of the term Modern Knowledge Cheat being born.


    But now that I think about it, even though I was a college student, I only played games, so I barely have knowledge that even normal highschoolers would have.


    The mixture for gunpowder, old martial art techniques, the way to make soy sauce and miso, strategies used in past wars, the forging method of katanas, or even the correct method to make compost.


    I am far from having that Modern Knowledge Cheat. I really only have feeble knowledge in this brain of mine.


    ¡°I-Is that a no? There¡¯s no need to¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan must have taken my silence as refusing, she said this sadly.


    I hurriedly denied it.


    ¡°No, sorry! It is not that I was refusing.


    It is just that I don¡¯t have many interesting stories to tell, you know.


    I only have useless and pointless knowledge¡­¡± (Souma)


    But Sazan only smiled amused once she heard that.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine¡­ That¡¯s what I wanted.¡± (Sazan)


    I don¡¯t really get what she meant by ¡®that¡¯s what I wanted¡¯, but I resolved myself with that.


    I began speaking, carried by the flow without thinking much.


    ¡°Well then, what should I talk about first?


    ¡­Right, I think I have said this before, but there were no monsters in my world, and no magic.


    Science developed in its place and¡­¡± (Souma)


    After that, I spoke to Sazan about Japan and about modern times as much as possible.


    It felt fresh to have Sazan be the listener when she was normally the one chattering away in the game, so my mouth moved smoothly.


    It is to the point that it surprised me there were these many topics sleeping inside me.


    Sazan unexpectedly wasn¡¯t drawn in by the scientific developments like the planes, cars, or even the missiles. She would normally get drawn in by harmless daily life stuff.


    Stuff like washing machines and microwaves.


    Mail order, frozen food, and cup ramen.


    Is her interest mostly tilting to food because of her own personality?


    Also¡­


    ¡°There have been no wars in Japan lately, so I think it is a decently peaceful country, but there¡¯s societal issues and problems that occur exactly due to this peace.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Societal issues?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Uhm¡­how to say it¡­ For example¡­¡± (Souma)


    Would it be rude to say this is unexpected as well?


    Sazan showed interest in social problems like the elder culture, the qualitative difference in society, NEETs** <not engaged in education, employment or training>, and the increase of unmarried people.


    Also, we spoke a bit about game addicts and bottlers in that flow.


    ¡­Of course, I didn¡¯t go too far.


    And so, we were lying on the same bed as we continued talking and passing a harmless time.


    ¡°That¡¯s why the downsides of digital sales were¡­Sazan?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Hnn.¡± (Sazan)


    I was finding it weird that there was no response, so I looked to the side, and our Seal Priestess-sama had at some point in time fallen asleep.


    Judging from that happy looking smile on her face, it should be fine now.


    ¡°Good night, Sazan.¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s why I whispered this, closed my eyes, and fell asleep soon after.


    ¡°¡­¡­Hm.¡±


    I was brought back by the sudden heat I felt.


    I can faintly feel the presence of something in front of me.


    But it was a pain to think about it, and I was about to return to the world of dreams¡­


    ¡°¡ªGood morning, Souma.¡±


    That mysterious voice that I feel I have heard countless times, yet have not heard once before brought me back from unconsciousness.


    I slowly open my eyes and¡­


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡± (Souma)


    I opened my eyes wide at what immediately came into sight.


    ¡°Mi¡­tia?¡± (Souma)


    The face of the girl I know well but have only seen once.


    I muttered this absentmindedly at the bare face of the girl.


    ¡°Yeah. Good morning, Souma.¡± (Mitia)


    She greeted me cheerfully once again.


    But this wasn¡¯t the time for that in my eyes.


    My dozy brain woke up in one go.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? What about your mask?¡± (Souma)


    She pushed her left hand at me as she laughed at my flustered state.


    ¡°This Soul Bracelet can seal souls and memories, so it can serve to support the sealing of the Evil God.


    I have two now, so it is okay for me to take off the Release Relic -the mask- for a bit.¡± (Mitia)


    ¡°I see¡­¡± (Souma)


    Now that I think about it, Sazan did say before that if she had one more of this bracelet¡­


    So that¡¯s what she meant.


    ¡°Uhm, but Saza¡ªMitia.¡± (Souma)


    I was troubled in what to say, and she giggled.


    ¡°You can call me Sazan. It is a bit ticklish when you call me Mitia.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Then, Sazan is fine, huh.¡± (Souma)


    It feels a bit weird to call her Sazan when she has her mask off, but even if so, she really is still Sazan for me instead of Mitia.


    I decided to call her that without reservations.


    ¡°Why did you go out of your way to take off the mask? It is not just to prove that it is okay to take off the mask, right?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this, Sazan tensed her face.


    ¡°It is because I have something important to say. I thought I should be saying this when I am not wearing the mask¡­when I am not in a state where I am influenced by the Evil God.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°I see¡­¡± (Souma)


    The mask of Sazan is used to bring out the power of the Evil God to the outside and release it.


    Your personality is affected while you have it on.


    It is not like you become a completely different person, but it is most likely an important talk that doesn¡¯t allow even such influences.


    ¡°A-Also¡­¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Hm?¡± (Souma)


    Sazan¡¯s serious face then crumbled a bit into shyness.


    ¡°I wanted the first face to see when you wake up to be my true face instead of the masked one.¡± (Sazan)


    I held my breath at the sudden weird thing she said.


    It is unfair to say that with your unmasked face.


    Sazan must be aware that she said something she isn¡¯t used to too, her face went bright red.


    I made a deliberate cough to drive away the weird atmosphere and hurriedly urged her on.


    ¡°A-And so, what was this important talk?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°About that, I¡­I¡­¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°You can just speak in a way that¡¯s more comfortable for you.¡± (Souma)


    Sazan went out of her way to correct her tone, so I tell her that not really because I wanted to get back at her for before.


    Sazan fell in thought for a while.


    ¡°Right¡­ Yeah, it might not just be because of the mask. I have also changed.¡± (Sazan)


    She said this a bit sad, but also a bit happy.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that fine? I would be troubled if the you as Sazan was all a lie after all.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Souma.¡± (Sazan)


    Even if there was the influence of the Evil God, she has been living her life with a completely different personality for several years, so there¡¯s no way that there would be no change in her.


    The current her is most likely the middle point between Mitia and the masked Sazan.


    This is not about this being good or bad, but just how it works.


    Sazan stared at me once again, and after saying ¡®thanks¡¯ she once again made a serious face as she continued.


    ¡°I think you already know after seeing my memories, but the Evil God Fragment is still sealed in my right hand.


    Also, even if you defeat this fragment, the power in that fragment will fly to the main body, and the seal of the main body will be undone.


    In order to truly free my lineage, there¡¯s no other choice but to not only defeat this fragment, but also the completed Evil God.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°¡­¡­Yeah.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°But, unfortunately, I can¡¯t even defeat this one here on my own. That¡¯s why I want you to help me, Souma.¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan lowered her head there.


    ¡°¡ªPlease¡­defeat the Evil God together with me.¡± (Sazan)


    Of course, the answer is already set.


    Sazan is also my comrade.


    There¡¯s no way I could abandon her.


    However, I was a bit embarrassed about telling her that straight up.


    ¡°¡­North from here, far above in the skies, there¡¯s a dungeon called the Sky City.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Sazan)


    I acted as if I didn¡¯t notice Sazan getting confused at the sudden change in topic, and I continued.


    ¡°The Evil God Fragment¡¯s core is located pretty high up, so it would be difficult to fight it without the Pegasus Boots there.


    ¡­That¡¯s why.¡± (Souma)


    Sazan blinked silently.


    I smiled awkwardly at that face of hers.


    ¡°That¡¯s why, you know, I could help you out after that if you want.¡± (Souma)


    My roundabout words.


    But she nodded happily.


    ¡°Thanks!¡± (Sazan)


    And smiled.


    I thought this would be the end of our talk, but there was still more.


    ¡°You see, I actually¡­wanted to tell you one more thing.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Tell me something?¡± (Souma)


    Sazan nodded shily.


    ¡°Yeah. I have gotten an objective and a dream, so I wanted you to hear it.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Dream, you say¡­¡± (Souma)


    I didn¡¯t expect those words to come out here.


    I was surprised at the unexpected development and Sazan began to talk as if having fun from the bottom of her heart.


    ¡°Until now, I didn¡¯t want to do painful things, or wanted to defeat the Evil God to take it easy. All vague things with no clear vision.


    But after hearing about your stories, your world, the stories of your peaceful world, I now have a clear idea of what I want to aim for.¡± (Sazan)


    There was a firm will that wasn¡¯t there yesterday in her decisive and lively words.


    ¡°Of course, even if the Evil God is gone, it is not like the world will immediately gain peace.


    There¡¯s a lot of things that are different from this world and your own, so I do think it won¡¯t go that smoothly.


    ¡­But I have already decided.¡± (Sazan)


    This is probably not her speaking as the seal bearer, but as a single girl living in this world.


    She looked at me with sparkling eyes, spread both arms widely, and¡­


    ¡°I will definitely defeat the Evil God together with you. And then, make the world peaceful, and then¡­and then¡­¡± (Sazan)


    She declared this loudly as if hitting me with those overflowing emotions, as if shaping those leaking feelings.


    ¡°¡ªI will become a NEET!!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡ª¨C


    Author: Modern Knowledge: NEET!!


    With this, we have finally picked up the threads of Sazan. The intermission is over.


    From here on, we will be entering the main story.

 CH 209

    Light


    Dark


    Due to my promise with the NEET¡­I mean, Sazan, I have in the end decided to defeat the Evil God in its perfect form too.


    However, there¡¯s a lot of things I am lacking for the sake of that.


    This is obvious, but I have gotten far stronger than when I came to this world.


    I leveled up, but I also used the Fury of Seed exploit to strengthen myself with seeds.


    My speed and strength are already on a cheat level that would be unthinkable from a normal playthrough.


    In that case, is the current me  already stronger than in my game days¡­? I can¡¯t really say that for sure.


    If I were asked whether I can defeat the Evil God Fragment in the hidden dungeon which is the strongest enemy of the game, I would say it is difficult.


    One of those reasons is the skills.


    Because of the drastic increase in speed, the Skill Cancel¡¯s timing has gotten even tighter, and I still can¡¯t use all the skill combos I specialized in on my gaming days. That has been confirmed in the training before the battle against the Demon Lord.


    It is not like I have been negligent in my training since then, but because of relaxing after defeating the Demon Lord, the current state of things is that I haven¡¯t really made much progress.


    I do think my success rate with the difficult combos has increased bit by bit, but I can only fall silent when asked about the difference of when it is an actual battle.


    But the biggest reason really has to be the lack of gear.


    Thanks to the gear limitation of accessories being gone, I have a big advantage in terms of elements, but it is still hard to fill up the difference in personal strength.


    For example, my main weapon is the Shiranui that¡¯s synthesized with the Meat Cleaver.


    This is one of the so-called broken weapons that have outstanding attack power even in the late parts of the story, but we are in the world of Nekomimi Neko where the balance itself is a complete mess.


    If it were until defeating the Demon Lord it would be one thing, but there would be a lot to desire if it is your final piece of gear.


    There¡¯s some gear with outrageous abilities in Nekomimi Neko, and just like the Mirror Gauntlet, there¡¯s also absolutely necessary items to defeat a powerful enemy.


    And there¡¯s one absolutely necessary piece of gear necessary to defeat the Evil God Fragment¡­


    ¡°The leg gear, Pegasus Boots, that¡¯s in Sky City.¡± (Souma)


    When I wrap it up like this, Mitsuki, who was stealthily stretching her hand towards my cat ears, went ¡®fumu¡¯ and nodded as if pensive.


    ¡°I see. In other words, we will be heading to this Sky City in order to obtain the necessary equipment to fight the Evil God.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right, but¡­you, just now¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I tried to pursue the topic of the cat ears, and Mitsuki speaks as if cutting me off.


    ¡°But will it be alright? I have not gone there yet either, but I have heard that you can only enter Sky City from the highest floor of the Spectral Tower that¡¯s said to be a tower with infinite shapes.


    Rumors say the Spectral Tower has 1,000 floors.


    It would be a pretty long journey, and the monsters in that place will have strength fitting the location.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki said this as she looked at Ina and Sazan.


    It is not like I don¡¯t feel as if the topic was diverted, but that worry of hers is grounded.


    The next destination is north. Now that we have set our sights on the Spectral Desert, me, Mitsuki, Ringo, Maki, Sazan, and Ina advanced in a large group through the field.


    It is true that there¡¯s no assurance that these members can fight in a high level area.


    But¡­


    ¡°No, that¡¯s a misunderstanding.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Misunderstanding?¡± (Mitsuki)


    I deny the mistaken knowledge of Mitsuki.


    The cat ears of Mitsuki withered down in wonder.


    I faced straight and stated this clearly.


    ¡°Yes, an unbelievable misunderstanding!¡± (Souma)


    It must be because she has not gone there herself.


    Just like in the past, she has a fatal misunderstanding of the Spectral Tower.


    I raised my voice in order to blow away that fallacy.


    ¡°It has been advertised in an exaggerated manner that it has infinite shapes, but it is just that the interior and the monster spawn table is random. The reality is that the Spectral Tower has 60 map patterns¡­no, if you exclude the maps reversed up and down, left and right, there¡¯s only 16 different patterns!!¡± (Souma)


    Is it really okay for such a scam to be allowed?!


    Even though I was all excited when I challenged it, it was a total scam!


    I won¡¯t ask for a special gimmick in every pattern, so I would have at least wanted procedural generation.


    Don¡¯t think you can deceive your players by just copy+pasting your walls and tile designs!


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not the issue here¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    But Mitsuki seemed to be baffled by my passionate talk.


    ¡°Ah, by the way, the 1st floor of the tower is the entrance, and there¡¯s 1,000 dungeon floors on top of that, so the top floor is actually floor 1,001.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°That¡¯s even more unimportant¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki finally placed a hand on her forehead with her cat ears swinging to the side as if saying ¡®good grief¡¯.


    Maki must have judged that there would be no end to this, so she poked her head out from the side and spoke.


    ¡°Geez, just give that stuff a break already! And so, what kind of devious method are you going to use to head to Sky City?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Y-You¡­¡± (Souma)


    It seems like she is not feeling down anymore, but why is her mouth so dirty?


    ¡°Don¡¯t go making weird assumptions! Or more like, since when have I done devious things?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°You always do weird stuff like ¡®bugs¡¯ and ¡®hidden techniques¡¯!


    On the contrary, I have not seen you do anything aside from devious things!¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Just what kind of person am I inside that head of yours¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I am dumbfounded by Maki¡¯s prejudice on me, but I now understand that opinion of hers somewhat.


    The efficient clear methods that are peculiar to gamers may look inhuman for people who normally don¡¯t play games. This is something I have learned in my journey until now.


    I think it is normal in Nekomimi Neko, but this might be me ¡®not shedding off my game perspective¡¯.


    But there¡¯s no need to worry about that on this occasion.


    ¡°Just saying here, but I won¡¯t be exploiting bugs here. We will be entering Sky City with a proper method.¡± (Souma)


    I said this resolutely, but the reaction of everyone is dull for some reason.


    Maki is looking at me with eyes of suspicion¡­


    ¡°¡­Proper, huh. I feel like I have heard that before.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki muttered this while having distant eyes, and it doesn¡¯t seem to have resonated at all with my other comrades either.


    No, just how little do they trust me?


    Just when I was about to lose my confidence here, something blue entered my vision.


    ¡°¡­Hn.¡±


    It was Ringo.


    She stood in front of me as if challenging me, and after stretching her body as much as possible¡­


    ¡°¡­Good boy, good boy.¡± (Ringo)


    She suddenly patted my head.


    ¡°U-Uuh¡­¡± (Souma)


    I was confused here, but Ringo didn¡¯t say anything more.


    She nodded satisfied all alone, and with an aura of ¡®I have finished my job¡¯ while expressionless, she returned to her previous position.


    ¡°Uh, Ringo-san? What was that just now?¡± (Mitsuki)


    It must have piqued her curiosity, Mitsuki asked this in my stead.


    ¡°¡­Hn, the policy of praising¡­to promote growth.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo puffed her chest out confidently at the question of Mitsuki.


    ¡°I-I see. Do your best¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­The path to greatness¡­starts with one step.¡± (Ringo)


    Saying this, Ringo tightened her fist with strength.


    I don¡¯t get it, but it seems like Ringo¡¯s internal education plan for me seems to be going well.


    ¡°Uuh, and so, about Sky City¡­¡± (Souma)


    I feel like the tension was cut off here, but considering the future, I have to properly talk about the dangers of Sky City.


    However, I feel like talking about this in this atmosphere will be kind of hard.


    ¡°T-That! Isn¡¯t that the Spectral Tower?!¡± (Ina)


    Ina suddenly raised her voice loudly.


    What she pointed at was a tower shining rainbow, the sham random dungeon that has 1,000 floors, the Spectral Tower.


    Each floor is like a dungeon, so the tower is pretty big. Moreover, the height of this tower with 1,000 floors is obviously abnormal.


    It is to the point that the word piercing the heavens really fits it.


    And then, far above that, there¡¯s Sky City floating there¡­or should be.


    Unfortunately, around the top of the tower where the Sky City is located, there¡¯s big clouds covering it, and it can¡¯t be seen.


    ¡°Aah, yeah, it is that one! Alright, everyone, let¡¯s head there for now.


    I have to tell you all in detail about the Sky City, but well, we can do so once we get there!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Ah, wait, Souma!¡± (Maki)


    I raised my voice more than necessary in order to dispel the weird atmosphere, and ran off to the tower.


    We managed to get close to the tower without any issues.


    Once we go up the Spectral Tower and the Sky City, the monsters will get decently strong, but there¡¯s no enemy to be wary of around the tower.


    They are at least no enemy of ours as a group that can easily clear the last dungeon.


    The desert has buried ruins and mysterious constructions set around aside from the Spectral Tower, but we ignored them all and just head to the tower.


    But while we were heading to the tower in excellent condition, I saw that Ina alone was making a stiff expression.


    ¡°Ina, are you okay?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Souma-san¡­ Yes. But I get nervous when thinking about the Spectral Tower.¡± (Ina)


    Her gaze was directed in front of her, at the rainbow tower that stands far and above.


    ¡°I think you also know this, Souma-san, but this is an incredibly difficult dungeon that no one -not even Mitsuki-san- has been able to reach the top.


    When I remember that, I kind of¡­¡± (Ina)


    We are talking about the extremely diligent Ina.


    She must be worrying that she will be hindering us here.


    Even though there¡¯s no need to worry¡­ My chest hurt thinking about it.


    That¡¯s why I ended up saying something unnecessary, something that was pointless to say.


    ¡°I have not cleared this tower till the end either.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh? But¡­¡± (Ina)


    Ina blinked dumbfounded, and I say this as if reminiscing.


    ¡°It is not like I haven¡¯t gotten to the highest floor. But there¡¯s a technique called the ¡®Cartwheel Method¡¯.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Carwhat method?¡± (Ina)


    Ina made a confused face as expected.


    I would like to explain it to her, but it would be a pain if Maki were to hear this.


    ¡°It means that there¡¯s no real need to advance from the inside in order to reach our destination.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°What does that¡­¡± (Ina)


    I said this quickly to get out of it, and looked forward as if running away.


    By the time I noticed, the tower was closeby, and there were also ruins buried in sand in the vicinity.


    There doesn¡¯t seem to be any monsters around from what I can see.


    ¡­Maybe because we are close to the tower, Mitsuki turned around right then and our eyes made contact.


    ¡°Shall we charge into the tower just like this?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki asked me this probably as a lifeboat of sorts, but I shook my head.


    I don¡¯t really feel like it, but there would be no point in delaying it too much.


    We can see our destination, so it is about time to begin.


    ¡°¡ªNo, I will be going alone from here on.¡± (Souma)


    Ina shouted in surprise with a ¡®Souma-san?!¡¯ at my words, but that didn¡¯t change my decision.


    This is something I had decided on from the very beginning.


    ¡°I will have everyone stay on standby here. I would like everyone to go up once I have suppressed the Sky City.¡± (Souma)


    When I said this, my comrades raised their voices in disapproval.


    ¡°Don¡¯t joke around! You and I are one in body and mind since that promise! Conquering a tower with 1,000 floors? Hmph, that¡¯s nothing for the great mage and future NEET!¡± (Sazan)


    The one that objected first was unexpectedly Sazan.


    Ina stepped forward from the side after her.


    ¡°Is it¡­Is it because I showed weakness back then?!


    But I also can¡¯t let Souma-san alone go to a tower that has 1,000 floors¡­¡± (Ina)


    I lowered my head.


    I had no choice but to apologize.


    ¡°Souma-san¡­¡± (Ina)


    Ina looked at our comrades with a tearful face.


    I regretted from the bottom of my heart that I have worried them pointlessly.


    ¡°¡ªIn the first place, I don¡¯t plan on entering that tower.¡± (Souma)


    Silence hit for a few seconds.


    And then¡­


    ¡°¡­Fueh?¡± (Ina)


    It goes without saying that Ina let out the dumbfounded sound with tears in her eyes.

 CH 210

    Light


    Dark


    ¡°¡­Haah, finally here.¡± (Souma)


    I sighed in front of the giant monolith.


    The place I am in is the entrance to the Sky City that¡¯s called the sky dungeon.


    My comrades are obviously not here.


    There¡¯s a reason aside from me being a solo player.


    First is that it is impossible for me to come here with the method I used if I am not alone.


    The Spectral Tower has 1,000 floors.


    It is like a Pandora Box.


    It is said that the patterns of the maps are less than what¡¯s shown, but there¡¯s a variety of random gimmicks.


    There¡¯s missions and gold and silver treasure chests set if you achieve the conditions, there¡¯s also some where you need to defeat a number of small fry in order for the boss that protects the stairs to the next floor to show up, there are bonus stairs that let you skip several floors, also traps with a lot of personality are set; a mix of many game elements are stuffed in this place, so you could say it is fun in its own way, but there¡¯s a problem with that too¡­


    The item table for the treasure chests over floor 800 for some reason will become that of the 1st floor; you can get transformed into a pig because of a trap and won¡¯t be able to pick up the key anymore, so if you get the pig trap RNG, there¡¯s the possibility of getting locked; if a floor where the boss shows up overlaps with a bonus floor where enemies turn into items, you can¡¯t defeat the small fry, so the boss won¡¯t come out ever and you won¡¯t be able to progress; If you enter a 5 floor bonus stair in floors like floor 299 and floor 699, you could end up returning to floor 204 or floor 604; if you fulfill the conditions for a gold chest to show up before a silver chest, you won¡¯t ever be able to get the contents of the silver treasure chest¡­anyways, a lot of bugs.


    Of course, there¡¯s no way I would go and clear that normally.


    That¡¯s where the ultimate technique that the Nekomimi Neko players created comes into play: the Cartwheel Method.


    If progressing from the inside of the tower is a pain, why not climb it from the outside? -is the idea behind it. Putting it simply, you would climb from the outer walls of the tower, and when you reach the highest floor, you use Infinite Mirage Prison to wall jump and enter.


    But even if it is easier than progressing from the inside, climbing a tower 1,000 floors tall (there¡¯s information that, judging from the outside, the height isn¡¯t worth 1,000 floors, but it isn¡¯t certain) it would still be pretty hard.


    Even if it is a game body that doesn¡¯t get tired, it still takes several hours. And in the middle of it, I ended up looking down and my legs trembled.


    Also, there¡¯s the possibility that you will get warped outside the tower when you are using the Infinite Mirage Prison at the top floor, and end up falling without any means to stop it, so it is pretty rough.


    Or maybe if I were to jump from the outer walls of the tower straight to the Sky City -is what I thought, but the Sky City is unfortunately even higher than the topmost floor, hidden inside the clouds.


    There¡¯s no point in pointlessly being obstinate here.


    I obediently used Infinite Mirage Prison to enter the tower.


    And then, when I touched the mysterious floating object in the last floor of the tower, my body was suddenly wrapped in a white film like a soap bubble, slipping through the walls with the bubble and my whole body with it. By the time I noticed, I had already arrived in the Sky City.


    ¡°Or more like, this is that, isn¡¯t it?¡± (Souma)


    I once again looked at that room and spoke to myself.


    Meters and gauges that had weird letters written on them.


    At the surface of the metallic wall, there¡¯s pointlessly sparkly strings of light of many colors.


    And the most decisive thing is what¡¯s at the corner of the room. A door with a modern design that I can only think of as an automatic door.


    This is totally more sci-fi than fantasy.


    ¡°A futuristic city. No, this is more like¡­¡± (Souma)


    I remember the panoramic view I got of the Sky City for a brief instant when I was in the soap bubble.


    Maybe because it is old, there were places that were missing, but I managed to see the whole picture pretty decently.


    If I were to describe this place in an easy way with that information in mind, this is not a city, but more like¡­


    ¡°A space battleship¡­right?¡± (Souma)


    It seems like the Nekomimi Neko staff has completely thrown away the unity of the world setting here.


    ¡­Well, this is a place where enemies on the level of the last dungeon show up. Basically an extra dungeon.


    Now that I think about it, terms like spacecraft and space battleship shouldn¡¯t be in the vocabulary of the residents in this fantasy world.


    In that sense, you could say that this place being called a Sky City is loyal to its world setting.


    Well, I am more of an efficiency buff and not much of a lore buff.


    So I decided to enjoy clearing it without thinking too deeply about it.


    I try my best not to check the walkthrough of a place I have not been to before aside from checking if there¡¯s a fatal bug.


    Information of places where I frequent enter my ears even when I am not conscious of it, but maybe because not many have reached this Sky City, there wasn¡¯t much information about it.


    Even when I put all the information I have together, the only thing I know is this:


    -There¡¯s no fatal bug (where you would get hard stuck if you save or the save data or machine breaks).


    -The level of the enemies in the Sky City is high, and there¡¯s even a boss that¡¯s said to be the strongest in close quarter combat before the last floor.


    -There¡¯s an energy core inside the boss room, and you can reduce the functionalities of the Sky City by flipping that switch. The small fry will also disappear.


    -Once you activate the energy core, the escape mechanism can be used, and by switching that on, you will be able to move freely from the surface to the Sky City and vice-versa.


    -You definitely need items or spells to counteract falls.


    Basically, this means that the enemies here are strong, but it is a decently proper dungeon. If you somehow manage to flip the energy core of the boss, you can manage somehow after that. That¡¯s my opinion.


    Also, there¡¯s a reason why I didn¡¯t bring anyone here.


    Leaving aside Hisame who might still be stronger than me even now, I would just have the others die pointlessly if I bring them with me.


    I have the confidence of dealing with a certain degree of danger if I am alone.


    That said, the world of Nekomimi Neko is one where you can easily die if you get overconfident.


    I won¡¯t get excessively tense, but I will by no means lower my guard.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go!¡± (Souma)


    I encourage myself by saying this and stand in front of the automatic door while prepared for anything that might happen.


    ¡°¡­Hm?¡± (Souma)


    The door didn¡¯t open.


    After around 15 minutes of turning my gears intensely, I discovered that you have to hit the gray color glass at the side of the door with light element magic to activate it and finally open the door.


    No, let me explain here. I did think that might be the case at first so I used the light element spell, Light Bullet, but that isn¡¯t actually light element, so it took me this much time.


    You might be wondering what kind of nonsense I am saying here, but Light Bullet is actually a light spell that has fire element¡­it really doesn¡¯t make sense.


    Could this game possibly be trash?


    But thanks to that, I somewhat understand how this dungeon works.


    It seems like you have to hit the gray switches with light magic to move the gimmicks and advance.


    It does serve as switches for the automatic doors, but most were like the one in the last floor of the tower that brings out a soap bubble to move.


    If you light up the fire of the switch at the side of the sphere with light magic, the sphere floats, and when you touch that sphere, a soap bubble is created and brings me somewhere -is how this works.


    When I am enveloped by the soap bubble, I am brought somewhere regardless of gravity, walls, and ceiling, but this was incredibly problematic.


    Because you can see the view from the outside when inside the soap bubble, it would sometimes float outside the city and the outrageous altitude made my legs tremble. But that¡¯s not all.


    There¡¯s no way no problems would happen in Nekomimi Neko.


    I am fine with being brought back to a place I had gone to a long while ago.


    The worst part was that there would be times when I would be brought to complete dead-ends with nowhere to progress. Places that would make you scream ¡®you definitely forgot to set a path here¡¯.


    It couldn¡¯t be helped, so I used the wall jumping of Infinite Mirage Prison, and had no choice but to test out my luck by blindly popping up on the other side.


    At that time, I fortunately managed to return to a different corridor, but there¡¯s the possibility that I would have ended up outside the city with one wrong step, so I can¡¯t just use wall jump as I please.


    It has a scale that doesn¡¯t bring shame to its name of ¡®city¡¯, and because there¡¯s what¡¯s technically warping devices on top and is a 3d map, it is hard to map it out.


    Clearing this was more difficult than I imagined.


    And the ones that gave a really nasty color to this long exploration were the enemies filled with peculiarities.


    Robots that completely forgo the world building until now.


    Some would have sketchy laser guns that shoot stunning beams that ignore resistance.


    The next attack comes right after it wears off, so I couldn¡¯t move at all.


    Some enemies would shoot mysterious beams that were deliberately aimed at my weapon or armor instead of me.


    When I hurriedly inspected myself, the durability of my gear had gone down close to half.


    Other enemies would shine after a certain amount of time passes in battle, and I would be back to the starting point by the time I noticed. My 4 hour exploration had turned into bubbles and scattered.


    A certain enemy would transform the moment it sees me, and if I were to attack it in the middle of that transformation, it would transform again, and while it did that, I would finish it off and it would die in the middle of transforming.


    What in the world did it want to accomplish there?


    Some enemies would make a sound like that of scratching a blackboard the moment it enters battle mode, attacking the player directly instead of the character.


    Isn¡¯t that just weird as a game?


    Those kinds of annoying monsters were coming endlessly in the middle of the long dungeon exploration.


    Even if you don¡¯t want to fight them, the corridors of the Sky City are too narrow to avoid battle. I can¡¯t ignore the enemies that decrease the durability of my equipment, or the ones that force warp you.


    Even if I have leeway in HP and MP, it shaves away at my mental strength.


    And the reality of the world is that mental issues will spread to the physical side too.


    I was attacked by an army of robots after I lowered my guard in a long journey through the soap bubble, and just when I managed to fight them all off¡­


    ¡°Ah, my HP¡­¡± (Souma)


    I self-diagnosed myself to having more than half of my HP remaining, but I am now in a critical state.


    It is incredibly bad to not have a grasp of my own state in these kinds of situations because of how engrossed I get.


    I was shocked that I had been cornered to this degree without me noticing.


    The exploration was painful, but that wasn¡¯t all it was.


    I am a gamer to the core to begin with.


    Sci-fi gimmicks felt fresh for me who has been stuck playing Nekomimi Neko for long, so I ended up getting stuck with just a single automatic door, and I enjoyed wasting several hours in the monitor room that can observe the whole lower bounds.


    I got a weapon called a Light Sword on the way and it was literally that. I waved it around pointlessly and even laughed while at it.


    But that smile only lasted until the despair.


    ¡°Don¡¯t joke around! How are you telling me to defeat that?!¡± (Souma)


    I was scared at that thum thum sound coming from the back as I desperately ran through the corridors.


    ¡°Invisible when moving? That¡¯s definitely cheating!¡± (Souma)


    I said this as I looked back once again.


    ¡­It is there!


    When the player is far away, that guy is half-transparent, and it is as if it were wrapped in that soap bubble the whole time.


    It moves slowly, but it is impossible to shake that guy off when it is always moving through the shortest route.


    ¡°It should be close. Really close!¡± (Souma)


    My only hope is the escape device.


    I somehow managed to slip past the eyes of that guy -the boss of the Sky City- and activate the energy core.


    Now, if only I could find the escape device¡­


    ¡°It must be that!¡± (Souma)


    The door I couldn¡¯t open no matter what at the lower bounds but had kept tabs on.


    It opened after activating the energy core.


    Inside of it, there was a familiar switch and a sphere that¡¯s a moving device.


    90% sure that¡¯s the escape device.


    I am saved with this -is what I thought and was briefly relieved, but that was a bad move.


    ¡°¡ªWa?!¡± (Souma)


    A robot arm suddenly phased through the wall in front of me and flew right at me.


    ¡°No way¡­¡± (Souma)


    A heroic form that you would see in justice rangers at holiday mornings.


    A handsome humanoid machine that screams ¡®protagonist robot¡¯.


    But that right now is the symbol of fear for me.


    ¡°DAMN IIIITTTTT!¡± (Souma)


    The corridors of this Sky City are narrow.


    Even so, this guy has not completely appeared in the corridor, so there¡¯s still enough space.


    ¡°[Ste¡ªno, charge!¡± (Souma)


    I was about to use a skill by reflex, but stopped.


    I bet on this do or die, and slip through the side of the boss raw.


    ¡°¡ª?!¡±


    The sword of the boss passed right on top of my head I had lowered by reflex.


    I barely managed to get out of that one.


    Slip by!


    The transportation device and the switch appear in front of me.


    ¡°Make it¡­in timeeeeeee!!¡± (Souma)


    I shoot a light spell towards the switch and stretch my hand towards the sphere that still hasn¡¯t lighted up.


    The sphere lit up at the same time as my hand touched it, and the soap bubble was made.


    But that guy was already heading here by that time.


    That guy had raised its only weapon, the sparkly sword, and was about to swing it down¡­


    ¡°¡ªSee ya, handsome. Let¡¯s meet again.¡± (Souma)


    But it didn¡¯t have the time.


    My body was carried away by the soap bubble, and it flew down at incredible speed.


    ¡°Hya, that was close.¡± (Souma)


    I sighed in relief inside the soap bubble that was heading down to the surface.


    I couldn¡¯t win against the boss, but I at least had the bare minimum results.


    I can go to the Sky City anytime now, and I can have my revenge match once I have become stronger.


    ¡°But what¡¯s the logic that allows it to take shortcuts?¡± (Souma)


    I tilted my head as I saw the soap bubble go through the clouds.


    This transportation device is mostly a one-way ticket.


    In order to return to the Sky City, you need to use a device similar to this one on the surface.


    But there¡¯s no other sci-fi-like place in this world aside from the Sky City and the Spectral Tower.


    ¡ªHm?


    When my thoughts reached that far, something bothered me.


    Somewhere before¡­


    ¡°O-Ooh!¡± (Souma)


    My thoughts were forcefully cut off.


    The soap bubble approached the surface in an instant, and was steadily slowing down.


    And then, I discover that this soap bubble¡¯s destination is not simply the surface.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± (Souma)


    This soap bubble is heading to the side of this tower.


    ¡ªAt the ruins buried in the sand.


    Now that I think back on it, it is a place that¡¯s close to the tower but I have never stepped into it.


    ¡­Speaking of which, I heard about this a long time ago.


    The story of strange ruins close to the Spectral Tower that have no treasures or devices that you can operate, and yet, there are awfully strong robots showing up.


    It is a story from when it was still the dawn of Nekomimi Neko, at a time when it was the most chaotic, so I only thought of it as a map of a discarded event they must have left behind.


    But maybe¡­


    I didn¡¯t have the time to think.


    My body was descending to these ¡®ruins¡¯ at outstanding speed, phasing through sand and ceilings, and entering these ¡®ruins¡¯¡­


    ¡°The inside is¡­!¡± (Souma)


    The familiar atmosphere inside the ruins, the weird metallic design walls, the narrow corridors; my doubts turned into certainty.


    And so, at the same time I strained my eyes to earn more certainty, both of my feet had touched the ground, and¡­


    ¡°Right! I knew¡ªfugeh!¡± (Souma)


    I was crushed and died.


    ¡°¡­And that¡¯s what happened.¡± (Souma)


    I wrapped it up like this and finished talking about my game days.


    ¡°Aah, yeah. The usual.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki gave me a throwaway response.


    I feel like her attitude towards me is steadily getting more crude.


    ¡°A-And so, why did this Souma-san from the game(?) suddenly die?¡± (Ina)


    Ina said this as if mediating and I faced her as I answered.


    ¡°I will tell you when the time comes. Let¡¯s move for now.¡± (Souma)


    Saying this, I began moving.


    Heading towards the Spectral Tower that pierces the heavens¡­45¡ã from that place.


    ¡°Eh? U-Uhm, what about the tower? Aren¡¯t you climbing the wall¡­?¡± (Ina)


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡± (Souma)


    Ina for some reason asked me this surprised, but I am the one that¡¯s surprised by the question.


    ¡°No, what are you saying? I told you just now that I am not going to the tower, right?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°E-Eeeeeh?! B-But! Eeeh?!¡± (Ina)


    Think about it logically -is what I thought, but it seems like she is confused due to a weird assumption.


    I explain to Ina as if admonishing her.


    ¡°I just walked using the tower as a landmark. It would take several hours to climb the tower, you know?


    In the first place, I would have to use the wall jumping bug at the end in order to enter the tower.


    I told you I wouldn¡¯t be using bugs this time around, right?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh, no, wa¡­ueeeh?!¡± (Ina)


    Ina flapped her mouth and couldn¡¯t say anything.


    It was Mitsuki instead who asked me while looking slightly tired.


    ¡°Then, the place we are heading to is¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki¡¯s eyes were directed at the ¡®ruins¡¯ at the front while saying this.


    No, ¡®the construction that looks like ruins¡¯.


    I nod.


    I gave a big nod and declared.


    ¡°We are heading to the one other ¡®entrance¡¯ of the Sky City. The terminal point of the escape device.


    Popularly known as the Stairs to Heaven, it is a shortcut in the ¡®ruins¡¯¡­no, in the part of the Sky City that had dropped down.¡± (Souma)

 CH 211

    ¡°I had a faint feeling that would be the case, but I really praised you for nothing.¡±


    ¡°¡­Hn, that¡¯s not¡­true.¡±


    After moving away from the tower, we headed to the ruins of the Sky City, and I heard the voices of my comrades from behind.


    When I glanced back, there was Mitsuki, who seemed somewhat tired, and Ringo talking to each other.


    ¡°¡­He said¡­he wouldn¡¯t use bug techniques. One step¡­forward.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°How to say this¡­that sounds like an endless path.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Ringo tightened her small fists just like before at the words of Mitsuki.


    ¡°¡­The path of enlightenment¡­is one step at a time!¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Aah, so that¡¯s what it meant. It is pretty deep¡­might even be tragic.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki responded as if impressed and as if baffled. Ringo tilted her head.


    ¡°¡­No, it is fine to not understand.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­Hn. I will do my best¡­little by little.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°But if you take too much time, he will return to his wo¡ªah.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Remembering what happened before, she must have thought she messed up here, her cat ears jumped, and she closed her mouth as if feeling awkward.


    But there was no change with Ringo.


    ¡°¡­No¡­worries.¡± (Ringo)


    She said this with a face that had no hesitation.


    ¡°Ringo-san¡­?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki was so surprised her cat ears stood upright. Ringo looked up happily at her¡­


    ¡°¡­He¡­promised¡­after all.¡± (Ringo)


    That clear gaze of hers was directed at me for an instant¡­I think.


    I somewhat couldn¡¯t stay put and went ahead to the ruins.


    ¡°Hmm, it is probably around here¡­¡± (Souma)


    The switch to activate the shortcut is in the Sky City, but if it is just entering, we don¡¯t have to head to the Sky City.


    Even though half of it is buried in sand, I somehow managed to find the part that seems like an automatic door and investigate the surroundings.


    ¡°¡­This, huh.¡± (Souma)


    What was there was a light switch of familiar color.


    I bask that switch that¡¯s half buried in sand with light magic.


    When I did, the mechanism reacted soon after, and the door by the side opened.


    ¡°Alright!¡± (Souma)


    I pumped my fist, but here¡¯s where the real deal comes.


    ¡°First, I will give you this.¡± (Souma)


    I gave each of my comrades one magic gem.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± (Ina)


    I explained to Ina who tilted her head.


    ¡°This is an Angel Fall Gem which is a higher tier Feather Fall spell.¡± (Souma)


    The name technically implies falling from heaven, is that okay? -is what you would think, but everything is okay aside from the naming sense of the Nekomimi Neko staff.


    Feather Fall is a spell that lowers the falling speed and fall damage for a set period of time, however, Angel Fall keeps the fall speed but completely negates the fall damage.


    The difficulty to obtain it is proportionally high because of this, but it was within the pick-up items of the item store.


    ¡°I am planning on having everyone use a device that will allow you to directly go to the depths of the Sky City. But there¡¯s the need to use this gem.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Ah, I see! If something were to happen and we were to fall, it would be terrible after all!¡± (Ina)


    Ina nodded, convinced after listening to me.


    Well, it is normal for you to think that.


    I also wanted to think like that, but¡­


    ¡°No, it is not that. The other names for this shortcut are ¡®Heaven¡¯s Door¡¯ and ¡®Angel Ladder¡¯.


    That¡¯s not simply because we are heading above the skies to the Sky City.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Could it possibly be¡­¡± (Maki)


    I reluctantly nodded at Maki who seemed to have noticed something bad here.


    ¡°Yeah, in the times when you use this shortcut, you have to take countermeasures when getting down and even when going up. It really is the steps to heaven in the literal meaning.¡± (Souma)


    The other dungeons of Nekomimi Neko aside from the Sky City also have a number of first-timer killer traps.


    That goes the same for the monsters that are more nasty than vicious. The robot boss with fearsome capabilities being in the same ballpark.


    However, the biggest trap in this Sky City is the escape device.


    No, not only the escape device, but the transportation device in the form of that soap bubble that served as the biggest ally of the player is the biggest trap of the Sky City.


    ¡°As I said in the story before, my HP must have been a lot lower than I imagined.


    I thought that was because I was tired from the many battles and wasn¡¯t keeping tabs on my HP, but that wasn¡¯t it.¡± (Souma)


    The soap bubble transportation device that is located in several locations of the Sky City, it is a soap bubble that lets you float your way to your next destination and there¡¯s no fall damage¡­or so you would think.


    However, that in itself is a trap.


    It seems you are actually mid fall while inside that soap bubble, and the distance traveled becomes fall damage.


    ¡°In other words, the damage I couldn¡¯t keep tabs of was the movement damage. Every time I used the transportation device, I was getting dealt fall damage unaware.¡± (Souma)


    A nasty bug that takes advantage of your lenience that there¡¯s no way there would be fall damage when you are visually floating so gently.


    You get visibly affected even with the transportation devices that move you a short distance.


    It goes without saying what would happen with the escape device that moves a distance worth the whole Sky City.


    This is why the guide for the Sky City had written ¡®it is absolutely necessary to have magic or items to deal with falls¡¯.


    Moreover, a number of ¡®skills with movement¡¯ like Infinite Mirage Prison can negate the accumulated fall damage, but you can¡¯t use skills inside the soap bubble.


    It is actually even safer to just jump down instead of using the escape device.


    ¡°But! That¡¯s not the only nonsense!


    You get hit with fall damage even when you are going up!¡± (Souma)


    The calculation for fall damage is a black box, so I don¡¯t know the particulars about it, but you are probably being dealt percent damage depending on the distance traveled in the middle of the fall. That¡¯s the hypothesis of the Nekomimi Neko players.


    That¡¯s why, even when you unlock the direct transportation device to the Sky City, you will die instantly if you don¡¯t prepare for it.


    It makes so little sense, it makes you wonder just what is fall damage.


    ¡ªThe player¡¯s HP is slowly chipped away inside the Sky City.


    ¡ªAfter overcoming a harsh boss battle, you will reach your most desired escape device, but die suddenly.


    ¡ªAfter making you think everything is over, you would use the shortcut without any idea, and you will once again die a fall death.


    Like, seriously, you would have been able to detect such a bug if you test play it just once, right?


    You guys definitely didn¡¯t use this thing even once, right?


    That¡¯s how I complained for 1 whole hour at that time.


    ¡­But well, even though you can¡¯t put monsters in this, there¡¯s nothing as good as this to kill an NPC.


    You would bring an annoying character here and you would literally have them experience ascension.


    I have not done it before, but I have thought several times ¡®aah, I want to bring this guy to the Sky City¡¯¡­


    ¡°U-Uhm, then, we just have to use this just before we use the transportation device, right?¡±


    Looks like the dark thoughts in my heart leaked out.


    I nodded to Ina who seemed to have a stiff face.


    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s spare time in its duration, so there¡¯s no issue to use it just before moving. However, just like I said before, the Sky City is dangerous in a variety of ways, so I will go alone first, gain total control of the inside, confirm the safety of the escape device¡ª¡± (Souma)


    Just when I was about to say that, Mitsuki and Ringo cut in.


    ¡°If it is dangerous, even more the reason to bring us with you.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­Hn. I will¡­go too.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡ªGood grief.


    I was troubled by the claim of the two.


    The enemies have quite the strength, and because of the forced stun and the aggro management, I think it would definitely be better to do this alone.


    If it is just about my own safety, it would of course be better to have more people, but if someone were to die from a stray bullet and die, I wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep at night¡­


    When I looked around, it wasn¡¯t only Mitsuki and Ringo.


    Maki, Sazan, and even Ina were also looking at me as if they won¡¯t be backing off a single step.


    It seems like it will be one hell of a job to convince them here.


    ¡°¡­Anyways, let¡¯s talk after going in.¡± (Souma)


    I was a bit overwhelmed by this and decided to delay the decision.


    If it does come to it, it might be an option to go to the Sky City alone when I see the opportunity.


    I was thinking that and took a step into the remnants of the Sky City.


    I don¡¯t know if to call this fortunate or not, but there were no enemies within sight.


    No one should have entered even if left be for a long time, so I doubt no monsters have spawned.


    There¡¯s only one monster group spawning here, so it is most likely making its rounds at a different location.


    ¡°Listen here. Be careful from here on. No matter what happens, follow my instructions. Also, even with my instructions or not, when you are using the transportation device, always use a gem beforehand.¡± (Souma)


    When I said this, everyone nodded.


    Considering what happened before, it is not like I don¡¯t feel a bit bad about this, but the enemies here are dangerous.


    I can¡¯t have casualties for something like that.


    ¡°We are heading there in one go. Over here.¡± (Souma)


    It feels like a stealth mission.


    I brought all my comrades and headed to the deep part of the scifi-like corridor.


    That said, this place is a fallen part of the Sky City.


    We arrived at our destination in just a few minutes.


    ¡°Fumu. The aforementioned transportation device is this one?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Because the switch had not been flipped, there was a spherical machine on the ground without any light.


    I am a novice, so I don¡¯t know much about it, but there doesn¡¯t seem to be any broken place anywhere in my eyes.


    Everything has gone well until now.


    ¡°This may be obvious, but it doesn¡¯t seem like the mechanism to move this isn¡¯t anywhere around here.¡± (Ina)


    You have to activate the switch in order to move this transportation device.


    That switch is not here but in the depths of the actual Sky City.


    ¡ªNow then, this is where the real deal begins.


    I have to somehow manage to go alone to the Sky City.


    I ignored Mitsuki, who seemed to want to ask me something, and speak.


    ¡°I am going to say this again. Please let me go alone this time around.¡± (Souma)


    The eyes of my comrades turned dangerous when I said this.


    I continue trying to convince them without faltering.


    ¡°It is in part because of the boss, but the enemies until now are far stronger, and they even have a lot of troublesome special abilities. They show up here as well, but those guys¡ª¡± (Souma)


    Just when I got to that part, my sharp ears twitched, and I detected the approach of something aside from us.


    And then, the next instant¡­


    ¡°Nya!¡±


    ¡­A really weird voice came, not from the corridor where the enemy was coming, but from my comrades. An incredible voice like that of a cat who was in front of the thing it likes the most, or a girl that has seen something cute.


    ¡°Mitsuki? Did you say something just now?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°No. More importantly, it is coming.¡± (Mitsuki)


    It doesn¡¯t click with me, but this is an opportunity.


    ¡°¡­I will go.¡± (Souma)


    I stop Mitsuki and the others who readied their weapons and take a step forward.


    ¡°But¡­!¡±


    ¡°Listen here, the enemies that show up here are the same as the ones in the Sky City, and they all have special abilities.


    The beams are fast, so they are hard to avoid. There¡¯s even the possibility for Mitsuki to be force stunned despite having high resistance.


    Also¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Souma!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan shouted in panic.


    When I looked, a short and stout robot appeared from a corner a few meters away.


    ¡°That guy is¡­!¡± (Souma)


    I don¡¯t know if this guy showing up first is a jackpot or not.


    I shouted this while running towards the robot that was brandishing its stun rod.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t move from there until I come back! I will go to the Sky City at once!


    Even if the switch is flipped, don¡¯t forget to use the gem before moving!¡± (Souma)


    I said this roughly and made it to where the robot is.


    ¡ªI can do this, right?


    I asked myself this.


    My attack power and speed has increased compared to the game days, but my endurance has clearly gone down.


    Even if the enemy is small fry, they have stats that are comparable to that of the last dungeon.


    It is by no means an enemy I can take lightly.


    Because I haven¡¯t been to the Sky City for a long while, I only have a hazy memory of the attack motions of this enemy.


    Do I have the power to face this guy as I am now?


    ¡°Intruder detected! Intruder detected!¡±


    But the enemy didn¡¯t wait for me to reach a decision.


    It swung down its stun rod while letting out an ear piercing voice.


    ¡°Kuh!¡± (Souma)


    I was about to reflexively take that attack with Shiranui, but pulled my hand back in a hurry.


    I barely managed to avoid it thanks to my 3x speed.


    ¡ªThat was close.


    I almost forgot about the special ability there and was about to put Shiranui up there.


    Seeing the robot readying its stun rod for a follow up attack, I immediately do a backstep.


    I take a tiny bit of distance.


    ¡°¡­Fuuh.¡± (Souma)


    I shouldn¡¯t fight as usual.


    I can¡¯t block the attack with Shiranui even if I think it is dangerous, and if I get too far away, it might shoot a long range attack.


    I could avoid it, but if I do, it might hit a comrade of mine in the back.


    ¡°This is pretty rough.¡± (Souma)


    If it had been in a game where there¡¯s no threat of death, I wouldn¡¯t have found such handicaps as painful at all.


    But even in such a small battle like this one¡­no, it is precisely because it is a battle like this one where I have leeway to think that I end up getting even more pressured.


    ¡°Even so¡­¡± (Souma)


    I will do this!


    I have to show them I can!


    That¡¯s my pride as a Nekomimi Neko player!


    ¡°Hostile action, confirmed. Entering elimination sequence.¡±


    ¡°Just what I wanted! Try if you can!¡± (Souma)


    I charged onto the robot holding a stun rod while making that energetic shout.


    A few seconds after.


    ¡°Eliminating intruder!¡±


    I continued parrying the stun rod held in both hands of the robot, and the light sword held by the hidden hand that extended from its back, with my 3x speed.


    ¡ªIt is okay. I am slowly getting used to it.


    3x speed really is a big advantage.


    Even when I act late, I still make it, and that also leads to more composure in my heart.


    It is extremely hard to Cancel the Side Slash, but I should be able to manage somehow like this¡­


    ¡­I shouldn¡¯t have lowered my guard like that.


    ¡°A-eh¡­?!¡± (Souma)


    Just when I jumped back, my leg got caught in a small hole, and I lost my balance.


    ¡°Crap!¡± (Souma)


    It is like straight out of a comedy, but this is not the time to laugh.


    ¡°Souma!¡± (Ringo)


    I heard the voice of Ringo from behind, but I am blocking the trajectory of any ranged attacks.


    It would be impossible for her to assist me with her Lightning Strike.


    And then, the stun rod was mercilessly swung down.


    I won¡¯t be able to escape unscathed if that hits.


    ¡°Yoooou¡­!¡± (Souma)


    I forcefully get back up and activate Step.


    My body moved to the side even with that bad posture, and I stopped after crashing onto the wall.


    The stun rod passed by with a paper-thin difference as if it licked my body.


    ¡°Souma!¡±


    I look deep at the corridor with that call.


    Sazan and Ringo were running here to help me.


    ¡°Y-You idiots. What are you¡ª¡± (Souma)


    No, leaving aside Ringo, what is Sazan planning on doing by stepping forward when she is a mage?


    That one second when my attention was deviated¡­


    ¡°Elimination sequence. Last process.¡±


    The words announcing the worst came from the back, but this voice that must not have rang at all cost echoed.


    ¡ªThis is bad!


    It was already too late when I thought about this.


    ¡°You two, run aw¡ª!¡± (Souma)


    Faster than I could finish¡­


    ¡°Intruder, eliminate!!¡±


    That robot that had surpassed the critical point released way too dazzling light.


    ¡°Wa?!¡±


    ¡°¡­Hn?!¡±


    That light swallowed not only me but Ringo and Sazan who were heading my way.


    ¡°¡­Haah, so it really ended up like this, huh.¡±


    ¡ªThe next instant, we 3 were standing in front of a giant monolith.


    ¡°Wa¡­eh? W-Where is this place?! What about the robot just now?¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan was confused by the sudden change to an unknown location.


    Ringo must have been more worried about my safety than the abrupt situation around, she ran to me and touched my body here and there.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I told you not to move.¡± (Souma)


    This wasn¡¯t my intention, but it can¡¯t be helped.


    Sazan approached me while I was sighing.


    ¡°O-Oi, Souma! Just what has happened he¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°It is a special ability of that guy. You get flashed back to the starting point.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Hah? Starting point? Does that mean¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Isn¡¯t that obvious?


    It seems Sazan still didn¡¯t understand the situation, so I said what I had to say.


    ¡°Welcome to the Sky City.¡± (Souma)

 CH 212

    Light


    Dark


    There¡¯s something called ¡®flavor text¡¯ which is a term used originally in card games, but it has been brought over to other games.


    For example, the item called ¡®handmade bento of Ina¡¯ has written in its description ¡®it recovers 50 HP, but it tastes really bad¡¯.


    The ¡®recovers 50 HP¡¯ is a required explanation as a game, but Nekomimi Neko doesn¡¯t have the function to feel the taste, so there¡¯s absolutely no point in the ¡®tastes really bad¡¯. However, it can make players go ¡®aah, so Ina sucks at cooking¡¯, ¡®the food tastes bad so it only heals 50 HP, huh¡¯ and has the effect of immersing you in the world.


    Just like this, even if there¡¯s no direct correlation to the game, it gives flavor to the world, so it is called flavor text.


    With the world of Nekomimi Neko becoming real, there will be times when those flavor texts with no actual practical meaning in the game days will hold meaning now.


    In this world where senses do work, if the ¡®handmade bento of Ina¡¯ were to exist as an item, it would reference the text set, and the chances of it really being bad are high.


    You could say such flavor texts would become pretty important now compared to before.


    And so, the Sky City we are in is famous for being filled with such flavor texts that have vague lore and hidden story.


    When you access the computer terminals that can be found here and there in the Sky City, you will find stuff like ¡®the Sky City is actually a spaceship that an ancient civilization used for interstellar travels¡¯ and ¡®the ancient civilization perished from the long sail and only the guard robots remain¡¯ and ¡®because there¡¯s no orders from the crew, the robots are not getting maintained properly, so they endlessly continue to protect the Sky City, and have been wandering this world in the sky in standby state without reprieve¡¯, ¡®if you input the emergency code and reactivate the system, you can seize the functions of the city¡¯ is the kind of important sounding information there is, and there¡¯s also stuff like ¡®the AI core of the boss here is composed of organic brain parts¡¯ and ¡®the 5 people that served as the core of this: Knight, Army, Ranger, Executioner, and Ninja. By taking the initials, there¡¯s apparently a device called KAREN¡¯.


    ¡®This Sky City (spaceship) was on the verge of being given the function to transform into a humanoid form, but there was opposition claiming what¡¯s the point of going out of their way to make it humanoid, so it was tearfully trashed¡¯.


    ¡®When you access the computer terminal, there will always be a logo of the captain¡¯s pet as the motif showing up¡¯ which was pretty unimportant info.


    They would always come at you by saying ¡®did you not know?¡¯.


    In other words¡­


    ¡°¡ªAs for what I want to say here is, because of the setting that many of the robots have not been maintained and haven¡¯t had their systems updated, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for the robots at the fallen portion to teleport you to the entrance of the Sky City. Thus, the teleport of just now was a feature and not a bug¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°As if I care about such personal ruuuuuuleeeessss!!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°¡­You asked ¡®wasn¡¯t that teleport just now a bug exploit?¡¯, so I simply answered.¡± (Souma)


    Even though I simply answered her question, Sazan for some reason snapped and began to make a ruckus.


    I frowned at that while thinking back on the current situation.


    We -me, Sazan, and Ringo- were teleported all the way to the entrance of the Sky City.


    This bug explo¡ªthis slightly special unique technique is called Backdoor Ascension. It takes advantage of the many nasty traits of the Sky City monsters, and it allows you to get in an instant to the Sky City which is normally impossible to get to unless you climb the outrageously tall tower.


    I explained this to my comrades down there while mixing in my personal experience, but the monsters in the Sky City are filled with individual traits compared to other Nekomimi Neko dungeons.


    Some enemies would shoot you with paralyzing beams that ignore resistances with their questionable lazer guns.


    Other enemies would shoot mysterious beams on your weapons and armor instead of the player.


    There would be some who would begin to shine after a certain amount of time passed, and by the time you notice, you are returned to the starting point.


    Others would transform depending on how much damage they have received, and it would instead make the player go ¡®Eh? What is this guy trying to achieve?¡¯.


    And then, there¡¯s also enemies that would make sounds of scratching a blackboard, attacking the mind of the player directly instead of the character.


    Anyways, how to say it, it is very easy to tell that there¡¯s a lot of nasty gimmicks here that scream ¡®it would be mortifying if you were to clear it easily, right?!¡¯ by the Nekomimi Neko developers.


    But the more nasty those gimmicks are, the more the Nekomimi Neko players will wring their brains out to take advantage of them.


    The one that got their attention was the ¡®begin to shine after a certain amount of time passed, and by the time you notice, you are returned to the starting point¡¯. It is a special ability that really only smells like giving a bad time for the player.


    The Sky City is not only long, but there¡¯s no proper shortcuts aside from the end, so if you were to be hit in the middle of your exploration with that, you would seriously get depressed. But the story is different if it is before your exploration.


    The fallen part of the Sky City right below the Sky City has the same enemies showing up.


    If you fight that teleporting enemy and have it activate its ability, you can get returned to the Sky City without even having to take a step into the Sky City once before.


    The balancing stance of Nekomimi Neko is kill or be killed, so there¡¯s a lot of enemies that would hit you hard if you buy time without defeating them.


    Anyways, I somehow managed to get through that safely.


    The reason why I didn¡¯t tell Mitsuki and the others about this teleport method was because I planned on coming here alone.


    Ringo and Sazan coming was not in the plan, but blaming them when they simply ran to me in worry would be wrong.


    When I told the two that I used the monster just now as a shortcut, Sazan began to accuse me with ¡®you said so much you wouldn¡¯t be using bug exploits!¡¯, and Ringo seemed to be frozen as if she was shocked.


    After a while passed, when Sazan¡¯s anger had finally calmed down a bit, Ringo resumed operation.


    ¡°¡­Souma.¡± (Ringo)


    She has her usual expressionless face¡­but I feel like her complexion is a bit bad, however, she stood at the front with what seemed to be a decisive atmosphere and stretched her small body as much as possible.


    ¡°¡­Good work. Good¡­work¡­¡± (Ringo)


    She suddenly patted my head.


    It looks a bit weird, but¡­


    ¡°O-Oi, your hands are trembling, and your lips have become purple! A-Are you okay?!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­I-I am¡­okay¡­ M-My¡­po-po-policy is¡­to raise¡­raise¡­by p-praising¡­!¡± (Ringo)


    No, I don¡¯t really get it, but turning into a broken robot wouldn¡¯t exactly fall into the category of being okay.


    For now, I somehow managed to convince Ringo to stop the petting that she tried to continue on with bloodshot eyes, and she eventually recovered.


    According to Ringo¡­


    ¡°¡­I simply¡­got a bit of a negative¡­reaction to it.¡± (Ringo)


    Basically, issues happened because of the stress of trying to praise me.


    ¡°Obviously! If I were to praise something like that, blood would spurt out from my whole body and die!¡± (Sazan)


    Leaving aside Sazan who was spitting that out while pointing at me, just how stressed can you get that even the normally unfazed Ringo would turn into a broken robot?


    Is praising me such a high level endeavor?


    ¡°Uuh, I don¡¯t really get it, but it is okay to not push yourself to praise me, you know?¡± (Souma)


    When I said this, Ringo shook her head to the sides as if she resolved herself.


    ¡°¡­I have decided¡­to make you¡­a decent human¡­Souma¡­¡± (Ringo)


    If not for the context of it, that just now could sound cool.


    In the first place, leaving aside the fact that I am a bit of a game addict, I am a normal person.


    ¡°B-But was there even any decent human factor in that action of his just now? I feel like he acted the complete opposite way like usual.¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan asked truly in wonder.


    I don¡¯t really want to be told about being a decent human by an actual chuunibyou though.


    ¡°¡­What¡¯s important is¡­the intention that he won¡¯t be using¡­bug exploits¡­¡± (Ringo)


    On the other hand, Ringo was as always.


    It seems like Ringo is the only one who is properly looking at me.


    Ringo was looking at me with a strong passion that didn¡¯t lose to mine while she said this with resolve.


    ¡°¡­No matter¡­how weird of a conclusion¡­it is!¡± (Ringo)


    Am I¡­really being praised here?


    Sazan sighed as if she had given up.


    ¡°¡­Do you think you can make this guy a decent human like that? Just how long will that take?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°¡­Hn. The ¡®Souma Decent Human Plan¡¯ is a¡­10 year plan¡­¡± (Ringo)


    10 years¡­


    That¡¯s an awfully long time.


    ¡°No, do you really think the personality of this guy can be fixed in 10 years? It is on a whole other level, you know?¡± (Sazan)


    It seems like Sazan has a different opinion.


    I may have said this countless times already, but my personality is not as crazy as Ringo or Sazan, you know?


    ¡°¡­If it is not fixed¡­I just have to work for the rest of my life.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°R-Right. B-By the way, if it is not fixed?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°¡­Hn. I will stay by his side for the rest of my life¡­so he doesn¡¯t return to being a deviant.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo answered without hesitation and Sazan moved back as if overawed.


    Am I being treated as a deviant all so naturally by Ringo here?


    Sazan approached me while I tilted my head here, and she whispered to me with uncharacteristic fluster.


    ¡°¡­You might have been targeted by one outrageous person.¡± (Sazan)


    Yeah, it is not like I don¡¯t understand what she is saying here, but¡­you are the only one I don¡¯t want to hear that from!


    Time was eaten up by the unexpected situation, but the process doesn¡¯t change.


    I move to the deepest part of the city to retrieve the Pegasus Boots which is our biggest priority. We will be heading to the energy core at the end.


    If we reach the energy core and activate it, the small fry monsters will disappear, and the shortcut to land will be activated too.


    I am worried about the one left below, but Mitsuki is still there, so there shouldn¡¯t be anything to worry about.


    But they might end up doing something if we take too long, so we should clear the Sky City quickly, and open the shortcut.


    Considering our members here, the physical defense is a worry, and teamwork is incredibly worrying with Sazan, but Ringo should be able to protect her with her well balanced high stats, cheat level Lightning Strike, and her basic Skill Cancel.


    On top of that, even if it is not the whole map, I remember most of the routes of the Sky City.


    I lightly confirm the actions we will take if enemies show up. After I thoroughly told Sazan to take special care in not using area of effect spells, and if possible to not use single target spells either since it would turn messy, we headed to the depths of the dungeon.


    ¡°Well, it has been a while since we have explored with 3 people, but there¡¯s no issue in terms of our abi¡ª¡± (Souma)


    Just when I was about to say that, I saw something moving around my waist all of a sudden¡­


    ¡°¡­Looks like we are 4.¡± (Souma)


    When I looked down, there was the Bear with only its upper half out of the adventurer bag, pointing a sewing needle at me as if threatening me, and grinned.


    The exploration went extremely well with one more unexpected member(?) joining in.


    My attack power had increased enough to defeat a King Butcher in just a few seconds at the time when training to fight the Demon Lord.


    Even if it is the Sky City, it wouldn¡¯t be difficult to defeat small fries.


    Ringo can hold them in place with her Lightning Strike if enemies come from behind, and the Bear that was being carried by Ringo has unexpectedly high enemy detection skills, so it contributed to the party.


    As for Sazan¡­she is contributing in increasing the number of party members.


    What was a bit dangerous was when I mistook the spawn point a bit and the robot that lets out a blackboard scratching sound activated its ability.


    ¡°M-My ears!!¡± -Sazan said while rolling on the ground.


    ¡°¡­This is¡­kind of nice.¡± -Ringo said normally.


    Sazan was on the verge of casting a big spell on the robot behind¡­and me.


    At that time, I scratched the metallic wall with my nails and hit Sazan with my own ¡®blackboard scratching sound¡¯.


    ¡­It is a secret that this dealt damage to me as well though.


    We continued our exploration with decent leisure like that, safely obtained the Pegasus Boots, and equipped them.


    A number of skills can be used in midair with this now, so my strategies in battle will increase greatly.


    Not only does it make it easier to float in the air, but I will also be able to use skills just before my feet touch the ground, so skills that I couldn¡¯t combo without the boots will now be comboable. By comboing a skill in midair and using the landing as a Cancel, I can get an effect similar to KB Cancel without using magic.


    ¡°It is about time.¡± (Souma)


    If we look at the Sky City as a big ship, then the entrance and the bridge would be the prow, and the place where the energy core and the escape device are at would be the stern portion.


    We are advancing slowly with the soap bubbles, but we are definitely getting closer to the stern.


    There wasn¡¯t anything worrying happening on the way there and the atmosphere was peaceful, but strength entered my body as we approached the goal.


    Ringo and Sazan must have felt that tension, they also looked more serious.


    ¡°¡­It is here.¡± (Souma)


    What we found was the hatch that leads to the upper area of the Sky City. In other words, the deck.


    It is called the Sky City, but it is actually a spaceship.


    The upper area has little even ground and it is mostly curved areas, so it is a place that¡¯s not suitable for walking.


    The bow and the stern are the only places made for human passage.


    In other words, the hatch being here means that we are already close to the goal: to the deepest area.


    I look back at the two plus the Bear before going out.


    ¡°We are close to the deepest area. However, a bit further from this hatch, there¡¯s the boss of the Sky City.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­It is strong, right?¡± (Sazan)


    I answered seriously at the nervous words of Sazan.


    ¡°Yeah. In terms of just raw stats, it isn¡¯t that big of a deal compared to other endgame bosses.


    However, it has a cheat-like ability to slip through walls freely in the narrow corridors, has a charge attack in a form that¡¯s hard to avoid, and has a counter skill, so it is not easy to defeat it upfront.¡± (Souma)


    I don¡¯t know how many dozens of times I have been killed by that guy before I managed to understand the special traits of its skills.


    Even so, the area it loiters around is the only path leading to the door of the deepest area.


    We definitely can¡¯t get there unless we get through that guy.


    ¡°In the end, I couldn¡¯t beat that guy in close quarters even in the game.


    The only time I managed to win was when I fought it at long range which it is not suitable for.


    Moreover, I had to tailor my gear for the sake of that, and it still took 1 hour to win.¡± (Souma)


    I still haven¡¯t secured a long range attack.


    It is hard to say whether I could win if I were to challenge it to a long range battle here.


    That¡¯s why¡­


    ¡°I see. I get it now. There¡¯s no chance of winning close range. That said, you don¡¯t have any means for long range attacks.


    That¡¯s why you are¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan seems to have noticed what I want to say. And so, I looked at Ringo who opened and closed her hand filled with motivation for some reason, and nodded with strength.


    ¡°Yeah! I will be using these boots to move in midair and get to the door without being found!¡± (Souma)


    For some reason, silence fell down on my passionate declaration.


    A few seconds after, Sazan muttered ¡®aah, this is definitely the lifetime course¡¯ which strangely remained in my ears.

 CH 213

    Light


    Dark


    ¡°¡­Hn. I will go¡­too.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo proposed¡­no, pleaded this on top of the deck where wind blew as she held the Bear on her chest.


    I smiled wryly at those words she said who knows how many times now.


    What Ringo is looking at is the door leading to the corridor where the energy core is at.


    And also the robot that is the boss of the Sky City.


    The deck of the stern portion is divided in two. The round open space has an opening where the two are lined up just right.


    The inner circle is where we are standing in, and the outer circle is where the door leading to the deepest part and the dungeon boss are in.


    I thought Ringo would also show her disapproval in my plan to head to the door without fighting the boss just like Sazan, but she unexpectedly accepted the idea itself.


    ¡°¡­Safety is most important.¡± (Ringo)


    Apparently.


    Looks like she is prioritizing me not being in danger rather than me being a decent human.


    I don¡¯t know if to call that obedient or in character.


    Anyways, it worked fine until that point, but this time she instead said she would be coming with me which is troubling.


    But I can¡¯t accept that one.


    ¡°You coming with me is dangerous so it would be troubling, but how are you going to get to the other side?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­With my¡­skill combo¡­¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°You can¡¯t activate movement skills in midair, and you can¡¯t cover enough distance to begin with.¡± (Souma)


    It is true that Ringo can now use Skill Cancel after her training against the Demon Lord.


    But it is impossible for her to get to the other side with that alone.


    Because there¡¯s a decent distance between the deck here and the deck there, you would normally need to activate the mechanisms here and open the bridge.


    If you want to get to the other side without the bridge, just the combo of Step, High Step, and Ground Compression wouldn¡¯t be enough at all.


    Also¡­


    ¡°No matter how well you use your skill combos, ¡®you must not use offensive skills¡¯ close to that guy. It is unfortunate, but you can¡¯t get there unless you have the Pegasus Boots.¡± (Souma)


    ¡ªDecisive Battle Weapon Humanoid Form for Decisive Battles: Barnis V.


    That¡¯s the name of the boss in this Sky City.


    Leaving aside the retort of ¡®Why did they use decisive battle twice in its name?¡¯, its battle power is fearsomely high.


    It may not have projectiles, but for enemies that are in the sky or are faraway, it would take the Bird Form to charge at you; when moving, it will turn half-transparent and phase through any obstructions.


    That mysterious mechanic is also on the sword. Even though it is such a big sword, it phases through the wall and deals damage to the player. That¡¯s so unfair.


    Because it is equipped with verniers, it can return immediately even if you manage to drop it from the Sky City.


    We have to challenge it to close quarters combat since you can¡¯t shake the boss off no matter what, but because of its giant size of more than 2 meters, its varied attacks that make it hard to think it is an enemy in Nekomimi Neko, and the effect of the KAREN device that reacts fearsomely fast, it corners the players.


    But the reason why Barnis V is feared is because of its overwhelming counter skill.


    ¡°Barnis V reacts to ¡®Offensive Skills¡¯, ¡®Offensive Spells¡¯ and ¡®Offensive Items¡¯ that are used nearby and will throw a super high speed counter.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Cawn¡­tar¡­?¡± (Ringo)


    I was seriously surprised when it happened the first time.


    The moment I used Side Slash at a decent distance to check, it suddenly teleported to the very front as if saying ¡®don¡¯t you dare use skills in my presence!¡¯ and the moment I saw the flash of a slash, it was already game over.


    ¡°Huh? Geim Obah? That means you died, right?¡± (Sazan)


    I nodded at Sazan who made a shocked face.


    ¡°Yeah. Just saying, but my HP and defense was higher then than it is now.¡± (Souma)


    And yet, I was killed in one hit.


    It goes without saying what would happen if I were to be hit with that as I am now.


    This is just a possibility, but even Ringo might die instantly.


    The only one with a chance to survive would be Mitsuki, but even that might have little hope.


    ¡°B-But if you use your special skill combo to avoid it¡­¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°That would be difficult too.¡± (Souma)


    The next time I encountered it, I thought it was a bad move to have attacked it, so I first used Godstep Cancel to move and gauge its state.


    But the result was the same as before.


    Godstep Cancel is a combination of Step, Slash, and Short Cancel.


    Well, in my case, I would use Side Slash instead of Slash, but the core is the same.


    The condition to activate the counter is ¡®use Offensive Skills¡¯ so it hit me with a counter after reacting to the Slash, but what you have to concentrate on here is that I couldn¡¯t escape from it even with my Godstep Cancel speed.


    Even if there may be some small differences, the Short Cancel of offensive skills normally means ¡®move to the next skill before the damage registration window comes in¡¯, so the moment you raise your weapon with Slash, Step is already activated.


    In other words, only a few seconds have passed since the activation of Slash to Step.


    That would mean the counter of Barnis V managed to cut me down even when I immediately moved with Step.


    Even if my speed wasn¡¯t 3x like in this world, that¡¯s still fearsome speed.


    Well, you could say it is still better that it just counters offensive skills and spells and not healing magic and movement skills¡­probably.


    Ah, by the way, I was mainly solo, so I haven¡¯t tested it myself, but it apparently uses the counter when your party members use offensive attacks too.


    ¡°T-Then, that means you have to defeat it without using skills and spells?¡± (Sazan)


    I once again shake my head at the scared Sazan.


    ¡°No, Barnis V is crazy strong even without the counter.


    I at the very least have not heard any stories about someone winning against it in close quarters without using skills.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°No way¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan was making a dark expression I could tell even with a mask on and Ringo grabbed my arm as if worried.


    I hurriedly spoke.


    ¡°Ah, it is not like there¡¯s no way to defeat it. I did defeat it once after all.¡± (Souma)


    Barnis V was thought to be invincible, but for good or for bad, there¡¯s no way the Nekomimi Neko developers would make such a perfect job.


    The only weak point of Barnis V is when it is entering battle mode.


    It seems like this action pattern is the only place where the developers skimped on, and it is a big opening you can take advantage of.


    To be more precise, when it gets hit from outside its range of vision, it will first look at where it received the attack, and after a while of not being able to confirm the enemy, it will return to its initial state.


    That¡¯s why you can hit Barnis V when it faces its back towards you, and then quickly hide behind a wall.


    You continue hiding when Barnis V is cautious, and after that¡¯s done, you attack it from behind again. Rinse and repeat.


    That said, you may have to wait more than 3 minutes between each attack.


    You will get countered mercilessly if you use offensive attacks at too close of a range even if it is before entering battle mode, and even if not, if you were to hide late or peek your head out when it is not facing its back, you are done for.


    If you get caught once and it enters battle mode, it is over.


    It won¡¯t ever go back to normal mode again, and as long as the player and their party members are in the Sky City, it will chase you till you are dead with its phasing ability.


    I have actually been found countless times and killed.


    Doing such a stressful thing when my life is actually at stake here would be bad for my heart.


    But that¡¯s why I am bringing out this plan.


    ¡°There¡¯s actually one more weak point for Barnis V before entering battle mode.


    It seems to be patrolling the deck over there, but it is only wary horizontally.


    It can¡¯t find people that are at a certain altitude.¡± (Souma)


    I told this to Ringo, who still seems to be uneasy, and made an even brighter face.


    ¡°That¡¯s where these Pegasus boots come in. I said I can use skills in midair, but when I use skills like Jump, I can do pretty interesting stuff.¡± (Souma)


    In the first place, Jump is a skill that lets you move in the opposite direction from the ground when you are on land.


    What happens when the restriction of the ground goes away?


    ¡ªThe answer is that you can move 360¡ã in the air.


    On top of that, jumping skills are easy to connect to the point where they are commonly used to Cancel attack skills, so with the restriction of only being able to activate them on ground being removed, the application of it has vastly increased.


    Jump and High Jump can be comboed, so you can freely move in the air by just connecting both of them.


    They are obviously inferior in distance traveled and speed compared to pure movement skills like Step, and it is difficult to adjust the direction you move until you get used to it, but if you master the movement, you can pull off tight turns and maneuverability that doesn¡¯t lose to the others.


    ¡°Also, once we activate the energy core, we can use the bridge of the ship.


    If we operate the computer terminal there, not only the small fries, even Barnis V and the batteries on the outer walls will stop.


    Considering everything as a whole, that¡¯s the safest method.¡± (Souma)


    When I said this without much hope, Ringo seemed to fall into thought a bit, and then reluctantly let go of my arm.


    ¡°It has been a while since I have flown in the sky with this.¡± (Souma)


    Seen off by Ringo who was worried until the very end and Sazan who said ¡®Y-You see¡­be careful, okay?¡¯ as she looked away, I used Jump towards the deck.


    Just when Jump finished, I connected it with High Jump and got even more distance.


    ¡°I feel like I will be able to manage somehow with this.¡± (Souma)


    I didn¡¯t say this because it might worry Ringo again, but this is my first time using the Jump and High Jump combo in my 3x speed state.


    I was worried about what to do if I failed, but there doesn¡¯t seem to be any issues right now.


    But I can¡¯t lower my guard.


    If I mess up even once in my Skill Cancel and fall into an altitude where Barnis V can detect me, the chances are high that I will be killed.


    No, that¡¯s not all.


    Barnis V¡¯s battle mode doesn¡¯t get undone after entering it, so if I get defeated, the next ones are Ringo and Sazan.


    The first time I got to this Sky City, I thought I could just use fall damage mitigation magic and could run away at any time by just jumping down, but the developers weren¡¯t so soft.


    When you try to move out from the Sky City by other means that are not the soap bubbles, you will get shot down by the batteries that are at the outer walls.


    Ringo and I might be able to barely manage to deal with those, but Sazan, who has no skills she can use in midair and has practically paper physical defense, won¡¯t be able to endure it.


    This is probably a countermeasure for when you are trying to take shortcuts in the exploration of the Sky City or when you try to come in from below to get here with skills. How thorough.


    Also, the escape device that¡¯s the only safe way to move to the surface can¡¯t be moved unless you activate the energy core.


    I told Ringo and Sazan about the location just in case, but I have to at the very least reach the energy core in order to use it.


    ¡°I really have a lot on my shoulders!¡± (Souma)


    I monologue as I link the skills rhythmically with a set tempo.


    I try not to look down as much as possible and just advance with my destination in sight.


    There were chilling moments, but the difficulty of the Jump combo is not high.


    I got a bit of leeway, and when I felt a bit more relaxed in the 70% mark¡­


    ¡°¡ªSouma!!¡±


    The scream of Ringo cut through the air.


    A bright red mechanical doll was right below me.


    I felt like my eyes made contact with Barnis V.


    ¡°!¡±


    I felt instinctive fear and tried to forcefully twist my body even when my body couldn¡¯t move freely in the middle of an activated skill.


    Right after¡­


    *Whoom!*


    After an ominous wind cutting sound, a red something passed by at super high speed with paper-thin difference.


    ¡°Cra¡ª!¡± (Souma)


    No, it wasn¡¯t paper-thin difference.


    The string I had on was cut and my adventurer bag slid off from my waist.


    I reflexively stretched my hand out, but that decision was one second too late and the bag dropped all the way to the deck, close to the door.


    ¡°Wa?!¡± (Souma)


    It wasn¡¯t the time to be distracted by the bag.


    The red something that passed me by -Barnis V in its bird form- turned in the air and directed its nose at me.


    ¡°[Ground Compression]!¡± (Souma)


    I reacted on the moment and activated Ground Compression to the back instead of Jump.


    The bright red machine once again roared.


    The bright red bird passed right in front of my eyes with a speed far above that of 3x speed.


    ¡ªThat was close.


    According to the info I gathered in my game days, the true value of the KAREN device is the elevation of reaction speed and the strengthening of the FCS (Firearms Control System).


    Of course, that¡¯s just the lore, but that has heavily influenced the conduct of Barnis V in the game.


    The battle AI of this guy is especially good within Nekomimi Neko, and it even competes with the most seasoned Nekomimi Neko players when it comes to predicting the actions of its enemies.


    The charge of the bird form just now calculated my next location and added extra corrections to that.


    I don¡¯t know if I would have been able to escape if I had continued moving forward with Ground Compression.


    I was internally getting cold sweat here as I activated Jump downwards and hurried to land.


    Thanks to the Jump, my maneuverability increased in the air, but it is not to a degree where I can deal with the bird form.


    Any further air battle will cost me my life.


    I hurriedly went down after reaching that conclusion.


    When I did, Barnis V made mechanical sounds as it returned to humanoid form.


    With this, there¡¯s no need to be wary about the speed of the bird form, but this isn¡¯t a good situation even when trying to look at it positively.


    (¡­Damn it. Even when it was on the spur of the moment, the location I landed on was bad.) (Souma)


    Me, Barnis V, the adventurer bag, and the door leading to the deepest area; that¡¯s the positioning right now.


    With this, if I don¡¯t evade Barnis V, I won¡¯t be able to get the bag or reach the door.


    The door is bad, but dropping the bag is also painful.


    I have a number of potions in there for emergencies in my pouch, but the amount is worrying.


    Also, considering the countermeasures for the Evil God and everything else, I must retrieve my bag no matter what, so it is now harder to choose to retreat.


    (No point crying over spilt milk. I should evacuate Ringo and Sazan for now and¡­) (Souma)


    I looked back to give orders and was shocked.


    Ringo is pointing her palm at Barnis V, and the Bear is lifting the Gouging Vajra as if it were to throw it at any moment.


    Sazan was all flustered here, but she is beginning to chant after seeing Ringo¡¯s state.


    ¡°You idiot! Don¡¯t shoot!! If you do, its target will switch to you! If that happens, I won¡¯t be able to do anything!¡± (Souma)


    My lack of composure was showing in how violent my tone was.


    Sazan froze at that strong tone and the Bear also lowered the Gouging Vajra, but Ringo wasn¡¯t lowering her hand.


    ¡°Sazan, grab Ringo and go to the escape device!¡± (Souma)


    I shouted behind me while keeping an eye on Barnis V on the corner of my vision.


    ¡°Uh¡­Ah¡­¡± (Sazan)


    But Sazan was not moving.


    It seems she is still confused, but I have no time to wait for that.


    ¡°Get on with it already, Sazan!!¡± (Souma)


    When I shouted again, Sazan quivered and trembled, but she shook her head in the end.


    ¡°N-No! As if I can leave you!¡± (Sazan)


    Aah, damn it!


    Why is it that this girl is so manly only in situations like this?!


    I wanted to scratch my head off here, but I told myself to calm down.


    Ringo and the others have no means of escape unless I reach the energy core anyways.


    Even if they are there or at the escape device, the situation won¡¯t change.


    I once again felt the pressure of 3 lives being on my shoulders as I glared at Barnis V.


    That dignified stance was truly like that of a hero robot in those TV programs.


    The trauma of being killed tens of times by this guy resurfaced, and the reality that I have never defeated it once in a proper battle made the weight of my weapon heavier.


    Even with the 3x speed and the strength up from the seeds, I don¡¯t feel like I can win.


    My specialty is battling with skills, but I am honestly not good at moving my body.


    I don¡¯t think I would be able to slip through the attacks of this guy without skills and deal a hit, and I don¡¯t know how many shots it would take to defeat this guy without skill modifiers.


    On the other hand, if this guy has the same attack power as in the game, I will easily be killed with one clean hit.


    Every thought that crosses my mind reminds me of the overwhelming difference in power, and I bite my lip.


    ¡­But it is alright.


    It is not like I am being forced to defeat it.


    If I avoid this boss and activate the energy core, we just have to escape.


    It is dangerous, but I could also jump down the deck, and I could also try a gamble of jumping through a wall with Infinite Mirage Prison.


    It would be a gamble of whether my Infinite Mirage Prison gets through first or its counter, but it just means I still have cards.


    I calmed down a bit and confirmed the terrain.


    There¡¯s a big bridge on the deck here.


    No, it might be some sort of device for the space battleship, but that doesn¡¯t matter.


    If I manage to draw that guy there and make a turn around the bridge, our positions would be reversed.


    I can then run at full speed to the door and activate the energy core.


    Ringo and the others should head to the escape device if they know that the energy core is moving.


    Or more like, I hope that¡¯s the case.


    The moment I glanced at Ringo¡¯s direction for a second, Barnis V moved.


    A gesture of pushing out the giant sword it is holding in its right hand.


    ¡°¡ªGuh!¡±


    I jumped to the side with Step one breath late, and in that instant, Barnis V¡¯s back burned with fire.


    No, it activated the verniers on its back at full power and came at me with a thrust.


    <<Barnis Jet!!>>


    A joke-like robotic voice declared the name of the technique, and I felt an impact on my body at the same time.


    I managed to avoid the sword of Barnis V after jumping to the side, but I couldn¡¯t avoid its big body.


    ¡°Guah!¡±


    An impact as if I had been run over by a car.


    I don¡¯t even have the leeway to see just how my body is.


    The sky and the ground were switching places over and over, and I couldn¡¯t tell up and down for a moment.


    Just when I shook my head and was trying to raise my head, what I saw in front of my eyes was a giant sword letting out sparks and a steel colossus.


    ¡°Guh! [High Jump]!¡± (Souma)


    I activate my skill while still down.


    A breath later¡­


    <<Barnis Victory Slash!!>>


    A sword releasing light was swung down at a speed faster than the naked eye.


    A sword trace so intense it can draw a V in the air.


    I practically licked the floor, barely escaping from the attack.


    I somehow managed to escape from the range of the slash, but my skin was burning just from the shockwave of that ultimate slash.


    ¡°Don¡¯t joke around.¡± (Souma)


    I would have died without the Pegasus Boots.


    I got shivers seeing the floor letting out smoke while melted into an unknown liquid from the fearsome heat.


    ¡°Ah¡­?¡± (Souma)


    At that moment, a square stick stretched out from the mysterious smoke way too naturally.


    No, that¡¯s no stick, but Barnis V¡¯s left arm¡ª


    ¡°¡ªHah!¡± (Souma)


    I didn¡¯t have the leisure to get ready.


    The tip of the shield wrapped around the left arm had a thick stake protruding from it and was shot at me.


    ¡°Wa?! Say the name of the ability!¡± (Souma)


    I take distance while accusing it unfairly.


    Fortunately, the range of the stake protruding from the shield wasn¡¯t that big of a deal.


    I clumsily combo skills and get into the shadow of a pillar I saw.


    ¡°Damn it! Not being able to use offensive skills or magic is¡­¡± (Souma)


    I complain with my back on the pillar.


    Most of my skill combos and the KB Cancel can¡¯t be used, so not only my attack power, even my mobility is greatly decreased.


    ¡°I did know, but¡­¡± (Souma)


    It really makes me realize just how much I relied on skills.


    Feeling like my hands and legs are tied is fine and all, but there¡¯s also that unpleasant feeling as if the air around me has gotten heavier and is wrapping around me.


    In a situation like this where lives, especially the ones of my friends, are at risk, I will obviously want to complain.


    I keep an eye on my sides while entrusting my back on the pillar to cool down my stirred heart.


    What was currently running in my head right now in this momentary break was a way to solve this¡­no, what brought this situation.


    (Why did it manage to find me when I was high up?) (Souma)


    The player wouldn¡¯t get found in the game when you were at that altitude. Did I remember wrong?


    ¡°¡­Oops.¡± (Souma)


    It is my bad habit as a bug gamer to immediately begin thinking about how it happened when something is different.


    Anyways, everything can come after I have gotten through this.


    Reconsidering this, I take my back off the wall and¡­


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡± (Souma)


    A light passed on top of my shoulder.


    No, the moment I noticed that it wasn¡¯t light but a polished blade, I rolled to the front, pitched forward.


    ¡°That¡­that just now¡­¡± (Souma)


    If I hadn¡¯t gotten off just now, that blade would have pierced my head.


    That danger of death that rolled so close yet so naturally made my heart rampage.


    I don¡¯t even have the leeway to use skills as I shamelessly take distance and look back. That sword was protruding from the pillar where I had my back on.


    No, not only the pillar.


    As if being birthed from the pillar, the sword, the robotic right arm, and the majestic metallic form began to show themselves.


    ¡°Oi oi, it attacked directly from the wall? Such an action wasn¡¯t in the game¡­no!¡± (Souma)


    An idea suddenly came to mind.


    Even though it is a situation like this, I ended up shouting.


    ¡°The KAREN device!¡± (Souma)


    The action patterns of the monsters in this world are not different from that of the game. But NPCs -in other words, human characters- showed incomparable growth from monsters.


    This Barnis V is using organic brains in its AI.


    There¡¯s simply the possibility that the Nekomimi Neko developers gave it preferential treatment and gave it a special AI, and it is also possible that the device has increased in intelligence when it turned real.


    ¡°¡­Haha, so this is the importance of flavor text, huh. I am the one who mentioned it, yet I missed it.¡± (Souma)


    Even when I muttered this in self-deprecation, the situation won¡¯t change.


    The silly *thuwoom thuwoom* sound effect of its footsteps sounded like the footsteps of an executioner.


    (¡­What do I do? What can I do?) (Souma)


    The situation worsened even more.


    I was cornered to the end of the deck, and the door was even further away from me now.


    On top of that, considering how high the intelligence of the other party is, even if I managed to get out of here nicely, I doubt it would let go of the defenseless moments when I open the door or activate the energy core.


    ¡ªCornered on all ends.


    Those words surfaced in my mind.


    No matter how much leeway I think I have, irregulars can easily invite death with just one small mistake.


    Even though I understood that harshness and danger of Nekomimi Neko the most, I wasn¡¯t prepared properly.


    Barnis V was slowly approaching me, as if mocking me while I was paralyzed, and¡­


    ¡°¡­Souma.¡±


    A clear voice rang from my back when my mind was completely elsewhere.


    I forgot my caution towards Barnis at this unexpected development and ended up turning around defenselessly.


    There was Ringo with her palm directed at Barnis V with that exact same posture and¡­


    ¡°¡­Run immediately once I shoot.¡± (Ringo)


    I for some reason heard that voice clearly even within the raging wind of the deck.


    Even with that, my brain needed a bit of time before it understood the meaning of that.


    Why did she direct her hand at Barnis V from the very beginning without moving at all?


    Even if Ringo were to shoot her Lightning Strike, she wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat Barnis V. Not only that, it would simply switch the target to Ringo¡­


    ¡ªWhen my thoughts reached that possibility, chills ran down my spine.


    That was her objective from the very beginning.


    She didn¡¯t think about defeating Barnis V from the very beginning.


    She intended to draw its attention and become bait.


    So that I can get to the energy core.


    But that¡¯s reckless.


    Even I am unable to deal with it when I have 3x speed. There¡¯s no way Ringo would be able to do it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± (Souma)


    I shouted with overflowing emotions, but Ringo didn¡¯t lower her hand.


    Not only that. She looked at Barnis V with heightened resolve and¡­


    I can¡¯t let her do that!


    Now that it has come to this, I will gamble on an attack skill and¡­


    *Gwoooooooooooooooooonnnn!!!*


    A creepy sound echoed from below at that moment.


    ¡°Wa?! This is¡­!¡± (Souma)


    The sound of something gigantic waking up.


    I reflexively look at Barnis V.


    This situation must be incredibly unexpected for it too. It stopped moving as if it were confused by this.


    When I looked back, there was Ringo hugging the Bear while still in her stance to shoot the Lightning Strike but unsure of what to do.


    ¡°What is it?! What¡¯s going on now?!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan shouted with a teary voice, but I know what¡¯s happening.


    I have experienced this before, so there¡¯s no doubt about it.


    ¡ªSomeone activated the energy core.


    But who?


    All my comrades should be on the surface.


    Is there a character with enough intelligence to activate the energy core in this Sky City?


    No, the chances of that are¡­


    I desperately turn my gears, but the time limit came.


    ¡ª*Kiiii*


    I raised my head at that jarring noise.


    When I looked, even further in from where the adventurer bag is, at the door leading to the deepest area, the door opened slowly from inside.


    Everyone including Barnis V was observing this, and the one who showed up was¡­


    ¡°¡­Huh?¡±


    There it stood with one ear alone seemingly patched with a bizarrely flashy flower pattern cloth; a really familiar bear plushie.

 CH 214

    Light


    Dark


    ¡°W-Why are there two Bears?!¡± (Souma)


    I looked back and forth between the Bear that is being carried by Ringo, and the Bear that has only one ear in a flower pattern at the door leading to the energy core.


    Two of the same.


    Thinking about it normally, you would assume one is real and the other is fake, but¡­


    ¡°Could it be that you are¡­the Bear from the previous world?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this hesitantly, the one eared Bear grinned happily.


    Seeing that priceless smile, I was certain this wasn¡¯t a fake but the actual Bear.


    At the time when the Evil God Fragment resurrected in the capital, my friends fell one by one, and the Bear didn¡¯t move after getting hit by the Evil God Fragment.


    That¡¯s why I placed the injured Bear missing an ear inside the adventurer bag and used the dream punchline bug to rewind time.


    With the rewind, my friends including the Bear were turned back to the state before the Evil God Fragment resurrected, but there was an exception.


    The equipment me and Maki have on as players.


    That includes the injured Bear that was inside the adventurer bag.


    I left my adventurer bag and everything inside to my comrades when the rewind save was made, so aside from Shiranui and the Dark Schneider that were broken in the previous world, you could say almost all of my gear and items have increased.


    That said¡­


    ¡°To think even the Bear would be duplicated¡­¡± (Souma)


    I am happy that it is alive, but considering this mysterious being has doubled, I even feel vague fear.


    Speaking of which, when the Bear on Ringo¡¯s side came out from the bag, it was holding a sewing needle.


    It seemed to be cooping up in the bag lately, so maybe it was mending the other one inside the bag.


    ¡­Anything goes with the Bear, huh.


    But that¡¯s as far as I could take it easy thinking.


    Barnis V, who was standing in place until now, began moving.


    Moreover, to the direction where the Bear at the door is!


    ¡°Wa?!¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s clearly an action outside the sphere of its action patterns when it was a game.


    That¡¯s why it caught me off-guard.


    ¡°Bear!!¡± (Souma)


    I shouted, but I can¡¯t get in between them at this distance.


    But contrary to my agitation.


    ¡ª*Grin*


    The Bear showed a leisurely smile despite standing in the face of a colossal enemy.


    It quickly took out something from the adventurer bag and smashed it on the ground.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­a Magic Gem?¡± (Souma)


    I worried for a moment there since it would activate a counter if it were an offensive spell, but that wasn¡¯t it.


    ¡°Magic Pocket!¡± (Souma)


    What appeared was a pitch black space rift.


    A pocket dimension that has the same effect as the adventurer bag.


    I thought it was going to bring out something again, but the Bear jumped into it with the adventurer bag.


    Having lost its target, Barnis V stood in place close to where the Bear was.


    ¡°¡­Aah, I see.¡± (Souma)


    If it can enter the adventurer bag, it can enter there as well.


    Or more like, it did bring me a message in the previous world through the Magical Pocket.


    ¡°¡­Souma!¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo¡¯s voice brings me back.


    I ended up staring, but this is the chance of a lifetime.


    There¡¯s distance between us and Barnis V now.


    If it is now, I could use Jump to move through the deck and not be caught easily.


    If we are going to run away, now¡¯s the moment.


    ¡°You really did a good job!¡± (Souma)


    I look back at the disappearing pocket dimension once and activate the skill.


    I followed Ringo who grabbed the back collar of Sazan and rushed into the battleship.


    Even when I seal my attack skills against Barnis V, my movement speed really is still higher than Barnis V.


    ¡°Ringo, Sazan! ¡­Uwa!¡± (Souma)


    I called from behind, and Sazan, who was walking ahead, jumped at me.


    ¡°Y-You idiot! D-Don¡¯t meguh me worry!!¡± (Sazan)


    She said half in tears as she clung to me.


    ¡°M-My bad! My bad, okay?!¡± (Souma)


    I am happy that she worried about me, but the opportunity the Bear gave us would be wasted if it catches up to us.


    I pick up Sazan, move to the front of Ringo with movement skills, and lead the way to the escape device.


    I have properly confirmed the path before encountering Barnis V, so we advance faster thanks to the mobs also stopping.


    I do wish the boss and the batteries were to stop as well, but well, it is most likely kept that way to increase the difficulty of the escape.


    The Nekomimi Neko developers have an awful personality.


    ¡°Ringo and Sazan, use Angel Fall now! Uhm, also the Bear¡­¡± (Souma)


    Now that I think about it, I didn¡¯t prepare the gem for the Bear.


    While I was wondering what to do, the Bear moved deftly on the body of Ringo, and entered her adventurer bag.


    ¡­Man, it really is handy, but¡­


    While having mixed feelings about that, I used the Angel Fall Gem on myself.


    With this, I won¡¯t receive fall damage from the escape device.


    ¡°Souma, that!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan, who used the gem while being carried by me, pointed ahead.


    A familiar yet slightly different transportation device.


    No doubt about it.


    I sighed in relief while running.


    ¡°We have somehow managed to reach sa¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I must have jinxed it with that. I saw Barnis V chasing after us while ignoring the walls and ceilings.


    ¡°Moreover, it is the bird form?!¡± (Souma)


    It is even more ruthless than in the game.


    But I am also faster than when it was a game.


    I casted light magic on the switch, and Ringo and I used a skill combo as the last bit of acceleration to jump into the escape device.


    The light spell hitting the switch and us getting into the spherical device happened at the same time.


    A soap bubble was formed around us as if enveloping us.


    ¡°See ya, handsome -forever.¡± (Souma)


    We were carried to the surface, leaving behind Barnis V, who was standing there dumbfounded.


    ¡°Fueeeeh! Souma-san?! Ringo-san! And even Sazan-san!¡±


    Ina raised her voice in surprise after seeing us return to the surface with the escape device.


    That somewhat silly voice made me feel ¡®I am back¡¯ and was on the verge of losing strength, but I can¡¯t just yet.


    I made eye-contact with Mitsuki, who was cautious unlike Ina, telling her with my eyes to stay on guard. After confirming with a cursory glance that Ringo and Sazan are okay, I look at the transportation device that brought us all the way here.


    ¡°¡­They are gone, huh.¡± (Souma)


    The transportation device¡¯s light is gone.


    There¡¯s no reaction even when I touch it.


    ¡°¡­Fuuh.¡± (Souma)


    I finally take a breath.


    When you use a transportation device -including the escape device- you must wait around 5 minutes in order to use it again. This is most likely in order to not be able to escape the moment you enter a trap floor.


    It is a feature that annoyed me when I was exploring, but I am grateful for it in instances like this.


    I finally lower Shiranui and faced Mitsuki, Ina, and Maki who had stayed behind.


    ¡°That¡¯s horrible, Souma-san! To think you would leave us behind!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°You have been like that since way before, Souma!¡± (Maki)


    I dealt with Ina and Maki, who immediately came at me angry, halfheartedly and looked at Mitsuki.


    ¡°Judging from your state, it seems you had a pretty rough battle up there.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Yeah, it was a really dangerous one. It is an enemy that would unleash an instant death level counter if you use skills.


    If not for the hard work of the Bear, it would have been dangerous.¡± (Souma)


    I said this partly as self-reflection, and the Bear poked its head out from Ringo¡¯s bag.


    Being reminded of this, I used Magic Pocket and the Bear with one ear of different color jumped out.


    ¡°E-Eh?! W-Why are there two Bear-sans?! Shadow clone jutsu?!¡± (Ina)


    I laughed at the expected reaction of Ina and speak to everyone.


    ¡°I was actually planning on using that device to go to the Sky City together, but sorry. Change of plans.


    For now, let¡¯s move away from this place just in case while that device is not working¡­¡± (Souma)


    Just when I began moving as I said this in order to take distance from the escape device, that happened.


    ¡°¡ªMove back!¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki suddenly shouted this with her ears twitching, and pulled me back from the front of the group.


    The next instant¡­


    ¡ª*Dwooom!*


    A bright red silhouette pierced through the ceiling¡­no, phased through it and landed in front of our very eyes.


    ¡°You¡­gotta be kidding me¡­¡± (Souma)


    A despairing groan leaked out from my mouth.


    The masked mage standing by my side speaks out the name of that despair.


    ¡°¡­Barnis¡­V.¡± (Sazan)


    The one standing proudly on the corridor as if telling us it won¡¯t let us escape is without doubt the boss of the Sky City.


    The quick wittedness of the Bear, our utmost attempts to draw out wisdom; it is only after wringing out our all that we managed to escape from the steel hero, Barnis V.


    Looks like I was still underestimating this guy.


    It couldn¡¯t get out from the Sky City in the game and we can only escape from the Sky City through the escape devices, so I just assumed that would be the case for this guy as well.


    Even though I knew plenty well this robot is not a normal enemy.


    ¡ªWhat should I do?


    It was standing at the exit as if wrapping us up in a bag.


    There¡¯s only the transportation device even if we move further back, and we can¡¯t use it for a few minutes more.


    It is a narrow corridor for the big body of Barnis V, but it doesn¡¯t matter when it can phase through things.


    It instead makes it better for this guy since it restricts our movements.


    ¡ªNo good. The situation is worse than before¡­


    Even while we are thinking here, Barnis V is slowly closing the distance.


    We can¡¯t rely on the help of the Bear anymore.


    Is there something I can¡­


    ¡°¡ªI will do it.¡±


    A cold hand touched mine who was frozen in this terrible situation.


    The owner of that hand is Mitsuki who is smiling gently even in this situation.


    ¡°Mitsuki?! But that guy is¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°It is okay. I am the most appropriate when it comes to battles without skills.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki said this to comfort me, and stepped to the front of Barnis V with her sword.


    It is true that Mitsuki is stronger than me when it comes to battles without skills.


    The only one with a chance of winning against this guy is Mitsuki¡­


    ¡­No, we can¡¯t!


    It would be one thing if it had been in the deck, but this corridor is narrow.


    It is disadvantageous for Mitsuki who specializes in mobility.


    On top of that, it has high intelligence.


    If it were to choose to not fight Mitsuki and target someone from the back instead, there would be no escape.


    There will be deaths.


    ¡ªIn that case!


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    I grabbed the shoulder of Mitsuki who was stepping forward.


    And then¡­


    ¡°¡­I will go.¡± (Souma)


    I stand ahead to switch places.


    ¡°But fighting without skills¡ª¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°No, I will use skills. I will hit it with skills faster than its counter and defeat it.¡± (Souma)


    I cut off the words of Mitsuki.


    ¡­I do have one.


    A super fast attack that¡¯s faster than the counter of this guy, and holds the possibility of defeating this guy in one go.


    It is one of the 4 main combos I used in my game days.


    I haven¡¯t used it since coming to this world because of Stamina issues, and because it is not suitable for long battles, so I haven¡¯t had chances to use it in actual combat, and the difficulty to use it increased even further because of the 3x speed.


    But if I manage to pull this combo off, I will most likely¡­no, definitely defeat this guy.


    ¡°I can¡¯t let something like that lead me by the nose when I am going to be defeating the Evil God.¡± (Souma)


    Even when talking all big here, my legs were trembling with each step.


    Of course, this is a gamble with bad odds.


    If I fail, I will definitely be killed.


    I would just be dying pointlessly without even injuring Barnis V.


    And the possibility of me failing is extremely high.


    Even in the game days when my speed was normal, the timing was like that of passing through a needle hole, and yet, that difficulty has increased drastically.


    In my current state where I haven¡¯t even practiced it, I don¡¯t know if I would manage to pull it off once every ten attempts.


    ¡ªEven so, it is possible.


    ¡ªThere¡¯s certainly that brief frame that can make the impossible possible.


    In that case, rather than sacrificing someone, I will take grasp of that instant, and kick this guy¡¯s ass.


    It is that simple.


    ¡°Please wait!¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki shouted at me to stop from behind.


    But I won¡¯t.


    I look at the majestic figure in front of my eyes and concentrate.


    ¡°Even I know! The attack the monster unleashes won¡¯t stop even when the monster itself has died!


    Even if you defeat the monster faster than that slash comes, you yourself will¡­!¡± (Mitsuki)


    I could feel gulping from behind.


    Of course, I know that.


    Even so¡­!


    ¡°Souma!!¡±


    Who was the one who raised that hysterical voice?


    But it is already too late.


    (¡ª[Step]!) (Souma)


    I was already within the range of that guy by the time that shout rang.


    My eyes met the steel hero.


    I smile boldly at those inorganic eye cameras.


    ¡ªIt may be absurd.


    ¡ªIt may be reckless.


    Even so, I have absolutely no intention of losing.


    And so, I shouted in my heart.


    The Order that might be the last one in my life.


    The name of the skill to bring the end of this steel hero!


    (¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C!!)


    Everything looked clearly to me within this window of ultimate concentration.


    The body of Barnis V moving at high speed, my own body moving at an inhuman 3 times speed with the effect of the skill; I had a clear grasp of them.


    The moment the skill activated, my body began moving on its own.


    I obeyed the programmed motions, lowered my waist, pulled back my right arm to my left waist¡­into a sword draw stance.


    A stance filled with explosive power within this silence, as if it were going to release a powerful slash at any moment.


    ¡ªBut I realized.


    Barnis V¡¯s giant body was already right before my eyes.


    No, that¡¯s not all.


    The giant blade was raising a thunderous sound, aiming to sever my life.


    ¡ªMy slash won¡¯t make it in time.


    Barnis V¡¯s sword will split me in two before I draw Shiranui.


    As if to ascertain this, the thick blade approached me¡­


    (¡ª[Ground Compression]!) (Souma)


    I jump to the back with all I can.


    ¡ªAnd then, an explosive sound rang.


    That scattered my focus and the world regained its speed.


    ¡°Guh!¡±


    My body jumped back without considering the consequences, but something soft caught me.


    ¡°¡­Sou¡­ma?¡±


    The one that caught me when I jumped back further than necessary with Ground Compression was Ringo.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± (Souma)


    I thanked her and unconsciously moved my hand on my neck.


    (¡­That¡¯s a relief. It is still there.) (Souma)


    It was really close.


    Just before I activated Ground Compression, I saw how the sword of Barnis V had entered the area where my neck was.


    The moment I thought I was cut, my body was pulled back, and the explosive sound that happened made my consciousness fly for a second.


    Even when my mind understands that I managed to avoid it, I couldn¡¯t believe it until I actually touched it.


    ¡°Ah, speaking of which¡­¡± (Souma)


    I look at Shiranui on my right hand.


    I feel like it has gotten battered, but it seems to be okay too.


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s a relief.¡± (Souma)


    I finally let out a sigh of relief.


    The moment I was about to relax¡­


    ¡°It is not a relief, Souma-san!¡± (Ina)


    Ina came at me with a shrill voice in confusion.


    And then, when she pointed back¡­


    ¡°¡ªJust what in the world is this?!!¡± (Ina)


    She pointed at¡­what was once the corridor of the Sky City but is now an open-air space.


    The place where Barnis V was standing before had been destroyed into a mess. Both sides of the walls and even the ceiling was blown up, and they are not just a pile of rubble.


    Barnis V itself already didn¡¯t maintain its former shape. The torn up parts that were disappearing into light particles are now the only proof of the existence of that robot.


    ¡°J-Just when I thought you headed towards that weird robot, an explosion suddenly rang and¡­¡± (Ina)


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t an explosion.¡±


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡± (Ina)


    The one who poured cold water on the heated Ina was Mitsuki.


    But her voice was not clear as usual, it was trembling slightly.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it. I can¡¯t, but the traces of this destruction point out that this is without doubt the result of a sword.


    But¡­But I not only didn¡¯t see a slash¡­I didn¡¯t even see the moment he unsheathed his sword!


    Just what happened¡­no, just what did you do at that instant?!¡± (Mitsuki)


    It is exactly because it is about fighting that Mitsuki threw away her usual calm mask and was waving her cat ears around in agitation.


    I gently declare to her who was past the point of confusion and already looked like she was on the verge of tears.


    ¡°The ultimate technique of the Nekomimi Neko Style: [True Instant Samidare Slash].¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki tilted her cat ears to the side at this, but it seems like she still doesn¡¯t understand, she shook her head.


    ¡°I-Instant Samidare Slash¡­ If I remember correctly, it is the technique you used in my dojo, right?


    But it took more time then, and no matter if it is now 3 times the speed, it isn¡¯t to the point where those slashes couldn¡¯t be followed with the eye¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°No, it is natural that you couldn¡¯t follow it with your eyes. Because this technique¡­¡± (Souma)


    Different from the Instant Samidare Slash where you just use Midare Sakura, you Short Cancel Midare Sakura¡­making the True Instant Samidare Slash into the fastest activation, largest AoE, and highest number of hits within all the techniques of Nekomimi Neko. The ultimate combo technique¡­


    ¡°¡ªIt is the strongest technique that showers the enemy with hundreds of slashes that you haven¡¯t even unleashed after all!¡± (Souma)


    The invisible slashes!!

 CH 215-216

    Light


    Dark


    [Summary of events until now]


    Having set their sights on their next destination, the untrodden flying city <<Sky City>>, Souma and his group found a part of the Sky City that had fallen to the surface. With the help of the doll robot that was left there, they successfully managed to teleport to the Sky City.


    Because of an unforeseen accident, they were now exploring with 3 people, but the defense mechanisms of the ancient civilization were no enemies of the heroes that even defeated the Demon Lord.


    However, the one who stood in the way of their breakneck invasion was the guardian of the Sky City, Barnis V!


    Due to the fearsome power of Barnis V, most skills of Souma had been sealed, and ended up being cornered.


    But the one who came to their aid in such dire straits was the Bear who was thought to have died in the past battle against the Evil God!


    Souma and the others barely managed to escape from the Sky City thanks to the help of the Bear, but celebrating the reunion with their friends was short-lived. Barnis V caught up to them from the Sky City, and they had fallen into the pits of despair once again.


    Within those, Souma was moved by Mitsuki who stepped forward with her life on the line to protect her comrades, and resolved himself to undo the seal of the True Instant Samidare Slash which he still hadn¡¯t mastered yet.


    Souma shook off the pleas to stop from his comrades and faced Barnis V in a one on one with the resolve to die. He miraculously managed to pull off the True Instant Samidare Slash, and finally, Barnis V fell!


    ¡ùNekomimi Neko is your regular hotblooded shounen manga!


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    ¡ªTrue Instant Samidare Slash.


    That is the ultimate attack that I managed to reach in my Nekomimi Neko game days.


    It is an outrageous technique that presents hundreds of slashes onto the enemy in one instant, but in order to explain how this happens, there¡¯s the need to understand the timing of Cancels in attack skills.


    Cancel is to use a skill in the middle of an activated skill, the activated skill will forcefully end, and the next skill will immediately come in.


    However, you can only use Skill Cancel in timings called Cancel Points, and as for where those skills are located, let¡¯s take Slash for example since most offensive skills work in the same fashion.


    If you Cancel, the skill ends at that very moment, so if you Short Cancel, you will simply end the skill with brandishing the sword with no damage and move to the next skill.


    On the other hand, if you do the Long Cancel, the skill will go until point 3, so in the case the slashing motion hits the enemy, it will go into damage calculation and damage dealt, but the remaining motion and skill stun of 4 and 5 will be skipped and you will move to the next skill.


    Now then, that¡¯s how skills normally work, but Midare Sakura had the mindset of ¡®it is a hassle to place a hitbox on every single one of the hundreds of slashes!¡¯ from the developers, so the weird thing they did was ¡®have the hit calculation and damage calculation of hundreds of slashes happen right before the slash effects¡¯ and by the time the skill ends, the ¡®the calculated damage beforehand¡¯ will happen all at once.


    The point is that hit calculation is being done in point 2, so point 3 where slashing motions are being done have nothing to do with whether the attack hits.


    And so, if there were no enemies nearby when 2 happens, no matter how much the enemy looks like it is being sliced, not a single one is landing which is unbelievably unreasonable.


    You could say it is quite the weird skill with just this.


    But¡­


    The Cancel Point -basically, the time when it receives the input for the Cancel- is made in a way so that it has a longer frame of input the longer the skill is.


    Within those, Midare Sakura¡¯s default speed is 20 seconds which is an overwhelmingly long time. It is the longest Cancel Point from the ones I know.


    The Cancel Point being long means you don¡¯t have to measure the timing too much and can manage the Skill Cancel. Midare Sakura is known as a terribly easy to Cancel skill, and I agree with that too.


    I myself used Midare Sakura¡¯s Long Cancel as training when I got 3x speed, so if it is just a Cancel, Midare Sakura is the one with the lowest difficulty.


    This is where the meat of the topic is.


    Because the Cancel input time of Midare Sakurai is long, ¡®if you do Short Cancel soon after the input time¡¯ and ¡®if you do the Short Cancel after waiting a long time¡¯ change the results.


    Then, what would happen when you Short Cancel just barely when the input time is at the end?


    Yeah, uuuh, that Short Cancel point is sticking out where it definitely shouldn¡¯t.


    What I imagine here is that the Cancel system was made separately and attached to the game. So bad.


    As for what this changes, you obviously get the damage if you Short Cancel after point 2.


    That¡¯s why, if you Short Cancel just barely before the input time ends, an unbelievable thing will happen where ¡®the damage of hundreds of slashes will be dealt even though you don¡¯t swing your sword once¡¯.


    It can¡¯t be described with something as cheap as the attack speed being super fast.


    In the perspective of the enemy, it would go like ¡®ah, this guy took a stance with his weapon! Is it coming?¡¯ but the next instant, you get hit with the damage of hundreds of slashes even though you haven¡¯t been cut, so they wouldn¡¯t even know what happened.


    Or more like, I was also really surprised when I succeeded on the True Instant Samidare Slash.


    I was increasing the proficiency of Midare Sakura with Short Cancel, but a Stray Slime bouncing around was sliced to pieces all of a sudden, so it would be impossible to not be surprised by that.


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s how it works, so it wouldn¡¯t be weird at all for you to not see the slashes, Mitsuki!


    No, if you actually saw them, you would have to check your eyes or brain!¡± (Souma)


    Invisible slashes existing must be shocking for Mitsuki.


    I told this to Mitsuki to comfort her, but she placed a hand on her forehead, and swayed as if she lost strength.


    ¡°A-Are you okay?!¡± (Souma)


    I hurriedly spoke to Mitsuki and she immediately recovered.


    But her complexion was still bad, and her cat ears were drooped as if saying ¡®I can¡¯t take this anymore~!¡¯.


    But Mitsuki skilfully managed to respond to me.


    ¡°Y-Yeah, I am okay. My head just hurt a bit¡­when I heard that.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°I see. Sorry, it must have been a bit complicated.¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki is a battle junkie and charges into battle often, so she is often mistaken for a muscle-head, but she is quick witted and is intelligent.


    Even so, the weird stuff in this world, especially stuff like games and programs, must be hard to follow.


    I checked the others, wondering how they were doing, and Ringo was expressionless as always.


    ¡­No, that¡¯s¡­hm?


    It feels like her eyes are empty¡­ Her expressionless degree seems to be higher than normal, but it is most likely me imagining things.


    Maki is also the same as usual.


    She is shrugging her shoulders as if saying ¡®well, that¡¯s Souma¡¯.


    That¡¯s kind of irritating.


    The one who praised me honestly within all that was Ina, who was all flustered just recently.


    She directed sparkling eyes at me and went ¡®U-Uuh, it means you used a smart technique, right?! You are incredible, Souma-san!¡¯ praising me to high heaven.


    Yeah, Ina really is a good girl.


    I nodded at this and then saw the Bear facing the Bear.


    They were ignoring the atmosphere around and playing rock-paper-scisso¡ªno, they are doing something similar to that, but it would be impossible for them to throw scissors or rock with their hands.


    My head was beginning to hurt too, so I looked away to Sazan. She was drenched in tears until not that long ago, but was now holding her mask and writhing.


    Did I touch a nerve or something?


    ¡°A technique that twists fate, unleashing slashes before being unleashed. Kuh! So it is the Invisible Sword Dance, huh¡­ Ah, no, Sword Rain is also hard to give up!¡± (Sazan)


    She seems to be having fun.


    But I personally can¡¯t give up the name True Instant Samidare Slash.


    Actually, this True Instant Samidare Slash is a technique I discovered, so it is a name thought of together with the Instant Samidare Slash.


    Or more like, something like that happening when doing the Cancel of Midare Sakura was nowhere to be found in the Wiki, and the first time I discovered the True Instant Samidare Slash, the Nekomimi Neko community was dying out all around, so I had no choice but to confirm it myself.


    It is not like I don¡¯t wonder why such an incredible technique had not even been discovered until then, but that might be understandable.


    Midare Sakura is the 3rd condition to be considered an addict player. Also called the Industrial Waste Conditions. That¡¯s just how difficult it is to obtain and to use.


    It is the last skill of the Otachi, and it is really hard to learn unless you increase the proficiency with the Master Torch.


    Also, you can only get to the entrance of the Hidden Dungeon after you clear the game unlike this world, so in order to learn Midare Sakura with the Master Torch, you need a decent level and defeat the Demon Lord.


    And even if you learn Midare Sakura, the stamina consumption being twice that of your initial stamina was a big wall to overcome.


    Stamina doesn¡¯t go up even if you level up, so it wasn¡¯t something you could use easily.


    On top of all that, even if there¡¯s a person who raises the proficiency of such a capricious skill with Short Cancel, they wouldn¡¯t do a Short Cancel just barely at the end of Midare Sakura that¡¯s so forgiving in its timing.


    To add even more to that, even if they did manage to pull the True Instant Samidare Slash while they were raising the proficiency, the chances of noticing that are low.


    I destroyed the walls and ceiling of this narrow corridor in this real world, but objects in the game like walls are indestructible.


    You normally increase your proficiency where there¡¯s no one around, so there¡¯s no target to deal damage even if they did pull off True Instant Samidare Slash.


    I am most likely an irregular case with me being in the middle of the Deus Plains to raise my skills for a change of pace, moreover, there was coincidentally a monster in front of me when I pulled it off.


    And so, True Instant Samidare Slash is an original technique of mine.


    I was thinking about eventually updating this information in the Wiki as my own ultimate technique (probably), but I was thrown to this world while I was postponing this, so I am most likely the only one who knows this technique.


    If I manage to return to my world safely, I should post this in the comments of the Wiki¡¯s Midare Sakura article.


    While I silently resolved to do this, Mitsuki, who seemed to have recovered, asked me.


    ¡°It is extremely hard to accept this, but I understand how that technique works and its power.


    But then why didn¡¯t you use that outrageous technique until now?


    You would be the last person to have common sense bar you from doing something after all.¡± (Mitsuki)


    I feel like her words are a bit thorny there, but that¡¯s a good question.


    ¡°First, this skill consumes a lot of stamina, so it is not suitable for long battles.¡± (Souma)


    Even if it lowers a bit after increasing its proficiency, its initial cost is 200 which is twice that of the initial max stamina of a player.


    I have doubled my stamina with the Fury of the Seed Death Bug, but if you were to use it normally, your stamina would be drained in one use.


    If you use it when you are surrounded by a lot of enemies, you might be able to reduce their numbers by half if it goes well, but you would get beaten up from the enemies remaining behind you.


    ¡°Also, it lowers the durability of the weapon a lot and the area of effect is big, so it would be scary to get someone dragged into it. However, the biggest reason really is because the timing is difficult.¡± (Souma)


    Even just Skill Canceling is already difficult to pull off unless you practice.


    Midare Sakura turning into True Instant Samidare Slash is a mere instant.


    You would have to aim for a frame that¡¯s even shorter than your regular Skill Cancel.


    If you are too fast in your Cancel, the Cancel itself will succeed and you will simply not get the damage of it, but if you are too late on the input, you will be failing on the Cancel itself.


    You would be exposing yourself to your enemies with the damn long slashing motion of Midare Sakura.


    It is honestly suicidal.


    Just when I explained this to her, my head was smacked from behind.


    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t¡­be reckless.¡± (Ringo)


    It seems like her expressionless face has returned to the usual one, so she is now in a normal state.


    ¡°W-Well, I could do it in the game in a state where I wasn¡¯t in 3x speed, and I did succeed in this one.


    I will have to make it a certainty with practice from here on.¡± (Souma)


    I washed it off like that and moved to the dead end as if escaping.


    ¡°Ah, Souma! This is shining again.¡± (Maki)


    Maki, who has been ignoring our talk completely until now, showed me the shining transportation device joyfully.


    I nodded and looked back at my comrades.


    ¡°Now then, let¡¯s have a city tour as planned.¡± (Souma)


    I brought my comrades that were looking around curiously, and headed to the bow side, the bridge portion of the space battleship.


    The mobs have stopped moving, and the only threat which was Barnis V is dead, so there¡¯s no danger.


    ¡­That sounds like a flag for a dangerous enemy to appear, but nothing really happened on our way to the bridge.


    Once we arrived at the bridge, I operated the panel, and the first thing I did was turn off the batteries outside.


    I can turn on and off the defense mechanisms from this bridge, but I unfortunately can only do that. I can¡¯t do something like moving the mobs and batteries as if they were my own allies.


    Well, it would be weird for Nekomimi Neko to put effort in giving such an advantageous thing to the player, so this is pretty in-character.


    ¡°U-Uhm! And so, what are you going to do here, Souma-san?


    You already got the Pegasus Boots which were the objective, right?¡± (Ina)


    Ina asked while tilting her head.


    ¡°Yeah, but if my objective was only the Pegasus Boots, I wouldn¡¯t have come here with such a big group. In the first place, the moment I got the boots, I could have just jumped off from the tower side without going to where Barnis V was.¡± (Souma)


    There¡¯s 2 reasons why I came to this Sky City.


    First one being the Pegasus Boots, and the other one is¡­


    ¡°H-Hey, isn¡¯t the ground shaking a bit?¡± (Sazan)


    I grinned at the flustered Sazan.


    ¡°That¡¯s not all. Check the monitor.¡± (Souma)


    Everyone looked at the monitor of the bridge that¡¯s showing the scenery outside.


    ¡°The scenery¡­is moving? ¡­Could it be¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears jumped and I nodded.


    ¡°Yeah! Right now this Sky City is receiving my orders and moving!¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s right, this is the one other reason why we came to the Sky City.


    We can¡¯t go to space, but when you clear this Sky City, you can use this as a ¡®ride you can freely fly with¡¯ which is a development you can find normally in the second half of games.


    ¡°Alright. The test drive is over. Looks like we can head to our destination with this.¡± (Souma)


    I increased the speed.


    With this guy that can go over the ocean, we can go to places we couldn¡¯t until now.


    ¡°S-Souma! Where are we going?!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you, Sazan? That I would help you after we go to the Sky City.¡± (Souma)


    After smiling at Sazan, I pushed the button of the panel once again.


    ¡°¡ªSky City, onwards! To the home of Sazan, the South Solitary Island!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡ªIt is finally time.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yeah.¡±


    At the bow of the Sky City.


    I was standing on the bow together with Sazan who had taken off her mask.


    ¡°Sorry for making you tag along with me all the way here.¡± (Sazan)


    She said with a fickle voice unlike her usual self.


    When we arrived above the solitary island, Sazan said she wanted to go out to the deck and I followed after her, understanding her intentions.


    ¡°The subjugation of the Evil God Fragment is my¡­no, my lineage¡¯s deepest desire.


    When I thought about that, I suddenly got scared¡­¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°I told you I would lend you my strength.¡± (Souma)


    I responded to her as if cutting her off. She smiled with a ¡®thank you¡¯ and then looked down at her home with a sad expression.


    ¡°The light of the demonic seal circle, even though I hated it that much in the past, it all somehow feels nostalgic.¡± (Sazan)


    Her trembling hand was stretching towards a light that only she could see¡­ I gently intertwined my hand on it.


    ¡°S-S-S-Souma?!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°I told you I would lend you my strength.¡± (Souma)


    When I said that once again, she turned bright red and looked down.


    I deliberately speak in a light tone in order to undo her tension.


    ¡°Come on, take deep breaths.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­O-Okay.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Stretch out your right hand.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Okay.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Undo the seal of the Evil God~.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Okay¡­ Eh?¡± (Sazan)


    And then¡­


    The Evil God Fragment that had its seal undone at the edge of the deck dropped down, hit the demonic seal circle, and splattered.


    I smacked the shoulder of Sazan as she watched the disappearing corpse, dumbstruck, and told her ¡®well done!¡¯.


    She began crying just like that, most likely overwhelmed by happiness.


    ¡ª


    Author: Wish fulfilled!


    Souma: ¡°Man, it feels good to do something good!!¡±

 CH 217

    Light


    Dark


    ¡°¡ªSorry. Could you please repeat that?¡±


    At the bridge of the Sky City where all of my comrades aside from Sazan are gathered.


    Mitsuki asked me something strange with her cat ears lying flat.


    I enunciate each and every word so that, this time around, she hears me clearly.


    ¡°As I said¡­when we summoned the Evil God Fragment at the edge of the deck, it dropped, and splattered on the ground. Splush.¡± (Souma)


    I even gave that at-home feeling by mixing in sound effects. I think it was a wonderful and easy to understand explanation.


    ¡°Haah¡­¡±


    But the reaction of my comrades is not good.


    Or more like, isn¡¯t it cruel to sigh after you were the one who asked?


    ¡°Eh?! B-By Evil God Fragment, are you referring to the Evil God Fragment?! It d-died?!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Yeah.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Moreover, it went hyuuun and dropped down?¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Yeah.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°A-And it went splat on the ground?¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Yeah.¡± (Souma)


    I was answering Ina who was parroting my words for some reason, and she fell on her knees right there.


    Good grief, my comrades are weirdos as always.


    In the first place, I am explaining this situation alone here because of my chuunibyou comrade.


    As I explained just now, right after we moved to the south solitary island with the Sky City, I moved to the deck with Sazan, summoned the Evil God Fragment there, and had it drop on the ground.


    There wasn¡¯t really anything unexpected there. We literally managed to kill it in an instant, so I actually wanted us both to report our victory, but Sazan must have been distraught with joy, she curled up at the corner of the deck, and didn¡¯t move at all.


    Well, she fulfilled her lifelong desire, so she must be basking in the moment.


    That¡¯s why I thought of leaving her be for a while, but I didn¡¯t expect I would be battered with questions like this by my comrades.


    Moreover¡­


    ¡°Aaah, I feel bad for Sazan-chan. Wasn¡¯t it super shocking?¡± (Maki)


    Maki threw in the final blow and said this as if baffled.


    But she couldn¡¯t be more wrong.


    ¡°Listen here. This was actually what Sazan suggested.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh?!¡±


    The moment I said this, the groaning Ina and all my other comrades made surprised faces.


    Was it that unexpected?


    I instead puffed out my chest at the dubious gazes.


    ¡°In the first place, dropping the Evil God Fragment from the Sky City was a settled matter between me and Sazan.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eeeeeh?!¡±


    This raised even louder voices.


    They are already screaming at this point.


    ¡°I-Is that true?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Even that Mitsuki had her cat ears trembling, and asked with a tone devoid of her usual composure.


    But that doesn¡¯t change reality.


    ¡°Yeah. You all might not know since you were not there, but the reason why I noticed that the Evil God Fragment could be defeated with fall damage was because I saw the memories of Sazan using her bracelet.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Sazan-san¡¯s memories? The time when she was the Seal Priestess¡­?¡± (Ina)


    I sometimes almost forget about it, but even though Sazan is like that, she was actually the priestess-sama that protected the seal of the Evil God in the south solitary island a few years ago.


    With the power of the bracelet that shows memories, I alone know what Sazan saw at that time, but my comrades simply heard about it.


    It isn¡¯t strange for them to not understand why the Evil God Fragment died from this.


    ¡°There¡¯s a reason as to why the Evil God Fragment was defeated after dropping it from the Sky City.¡± (Souma)


    First, in Nekomimi Neko -the system of this world- fall damage is percent damage.


    After defeating the Demon Lord, I fell and got hit with quite a lot of damage when I was running through the roofs of the capital. The logic is the same as that.


    I have become strong enough to defeat the Demon Lord even if it was through drowning, but why did I get damaged just from falling down a roof?


    It is because the damage when falling is calculated by the fall distance and a percent of your max HP.


    No matter how high your defense, or how high your max HP is, it holds no meaning against percent damage.


    In other words, no matter if you are level 1 or a 1,000 or an Evil God Fragment that¡¯s stronger than the last boss, if you fall a certain distance, it can still die by getting hit with more than its max HP.


    As far as I know, it is a factor that has no resistance just like drowning, and it is effective even on bosses.


    However, there¡¯s almost no bosses where you can pull a fall death.


    Most bosses would only appear in set rooms, and there¡¯s nothing in those places that would cause a fall death, or even elevations that would deal fall damage.


    There¡¯s enemies in places like the Sky City where they would receive heavy damage if they were to fall, but they would mostly have flying abilities like Barnis V.


    Even though I was flying in the air, I died when I landed for some reason -is a plausible thing happening in Nekomimi Neko, but there¡¯s no such reports until now.


    It is possible to paralyze enemies that can fly and have them fall, but most bosses have resistances to those status ailments, so it is normally not done.


    The Evil God Fragment is normally not an enemy that shows up in the sky, but the one in the Hidden Dungeon seemed to be floating.


    Unfortunately, when they are in flying or floating state, the fall distance is reset, so you can¡¯t kill the Evil God Fragment by dropping them¡­or at least that¡¯s how it should be, but that¡¯s where the memories of Sazan come in.


    That¡¯s right. The second point is: ¡®the Evil God Fragment sealed in her right hand appears in a sleeping state when summoned on top of the demonic seal circle¡¯.


    This demonic seal circle is apparently the magic circle used to seal the Evil God that Nameless and the past heroes created.


    If the Evil God Fragment is called within the sealing light extending from it, the Evil God Fragment won¡¯t wake up unless a good amount of time passes or you hit it once.


    And then, the Evil God Fragment made a sound when it landed on the ground in a sleeping state. In other words, it wasn¡¯t floating, and it appears at the place where the seal was undone. This is the info I got from seeing the memories of Sazan.


    The remaining problem is whether the power of the demonic seal¡¯s power reaches all the way into the sky, but seeing the memory of Sazan where ¡®the light of the demonic seal circle reached high in the sky¡¯, I reached the conclusion that there wouldn¡¯t be any issues.


    ¡°That made things easier. If we had Sazan undo the seal of the Evil God on top of the demonic seal circle, the Evil God Fragment won¡¯t be able to fly in the sky in a sleeping state, will fall straight onto the ground, and die from percent damage.¡± (Souma)


    Of course, this method only works on a sealed Evil God Fragment.


    An unsealed Evil God Fragment won¡¯t be in a sleeping state, and it would be difficult to bring them on top of the demonic seal circle.


    This solution only works this time around.


    After I finished the long explanation, Mitsuki nodded with her eyebrows furrowed.


    ¡°¡­I see. I was wondering what you two were doing heading to the deck, but that¡¯s what was going on, huh.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki was nodding with her cat ears, but something bothered me.


    ¡°Hm? You knew we were at the deck, right? Why didn¡¯t you come?¡± (Souma)


    If enough time passed it even stirred up the others, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for her to come get us¡­


    When I asked this, Mitsuki sighed as if baffled.


    ¡°Listen here¡­ There¡¯s no ground in the sky, you know?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Huh?¡± (Souma)


    I was wondering what she said all of a sudden, and after thinking about it, it clicked.


    ¡ªSpeaking of which, Mitsuki has a fear of heights¡­


    She has been speaking less since we began moving. In the first place, Mitsuki should have been able to tell that Sazan had gone to the deck.


    The reason she didn¡¯t do anything was because she was scared of how high it is?


    ¡°I understood after coming all the way up here. People really don¡¯t belong in the sky.¡± (Mitsuki)


    She said something cool there, but what it basically means is she is scared of high places.


    Now that I look closely, her cat ears are shaking faintly.


    It is not showing in her face at all, but it seems like she is still scared.


    When you consider that, coming all the way to the Sky City in the escape device must have been the very definition of horror for her.


    That¡¯s pretty much reverse free fall after all.


    ¡°W-Wait! Then, does that mean Sazan-chan came all the way here to drop the Evil God?¡± (Maki)


    I nodded at Maki who returned to the topic.


    I was certain of it when Sazan came to me and said ¡®I will go to the deck (to drop the Evil God) so please come with me¡¯, but Sazan must have been cooking up this plan since way back.


    Just like how I thought of how to defeat the Evil God Fragment after seeing the memories of Sazan, Sazan also understood my plan after hearing about the Sky City.


    No, Sazan might have reached that possibility since she was the one originally with the memories.


    She would have noticed my objective since the moment I said we should go to the Sky City after declaring we will defeat the Evil God Fragment.


    In the first place, when you talk about defeating someone at the Sky City, 100 out of 100 Nekomimi Neko players would answer ¡®Ah, fall death, huh. Gotcha¡¯.


    No, you could even say it is rude to the Sky City senpais if we were to go to the Sky City and not drop monsters from there.


    It is like being twins and not switching places, or not having frequent contact with the outside despite being a solitary island. That¡¯s how sacrilegious it would be to not use the fall death after going all the way up the Sky City.


    Seeing my comrades looking like they had understood, I felt relieved, but then Maki began to make a ruckus for a different reason.


    ¡°Ugh, so distant! Souma¡­you always lack explanation on a lot of fronts, but Sazan-chan could have consulted us as well!¡± (Maki)


    Maki said this and looked back, but that¡¯s wrong.


    ¡°No, the reason why Sazan purposely didn¡¯t tell you guys was out of consideration for you guys.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± (Maki)


    I tell this to the dumbfounded Maki in a dignified manner.


    ¡°The memories Sazan and I inherited were not only from the time as priestess.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± (Maki)


    My party was wiped out by the Evil God Fragment in the past.


    At that time, I activated the guild event to turn back time and made it so nothing happened, but there¡¯s two people who have those memories.


    The very person who triggered the event and Sazan who remembered those memories through the bracelet.


    ¡°This time¡¯s matter did go well and we managed to defeat the Evil God Fragment, but there¡¯s no assurance it would succeed.¡± (Souma)


    Undoing the seal of the Evil God Fragment and dropping it to kill it with fall damage was not in the game after all.


    I thought it might be possible, but even I wasn¡¯t 100% certain.


    ¡°If something didn¡¯t go well, there¡¯s the possibility of a battle happening right then and there.


    That¡¯s why she probably didn¡¯t want to drag everyone into that battle.¡± (Souma)


    The pain of losing all your comrades.


    Being told it was out of such feelings, they couldn¡¯t say anything back.


    They all fell silent in the face of that weight.


    But¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­something like that is¡­way too sad.¡±


    The one who said that was Ina.


    ¡°It is true that I am totally weak and I wouldn¡¯t be of help at all.


    But, even if so, not telling us at all and simply pushed us away from the danger¡­ That¡¯s sad.¡± (Ina)


    She said that weakly, as if muttering the words leaking from her heart.


    ¡°I do think this is selfish. But we are comrades.


    That¡¯s why, even when it is harsh, even when it is painful, I would like to overcome them together.¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Ina¡­¡± (Souma)


    But it is exactly because of that that those words hit my chest.


    And then¡­


    ¡°Nicely said, Ina-san. I feel the same way.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°I-I also would fight when Sazan-chan is in trouble!¡± (Maki)


    The next ones to react were Mitsuki and Maki.


    Ringo was also silently nodding, and the double Bears jumped out from the bag as if saying ¡®it would be troubling if you were to forget about us¡¯ and clung onto both of my legs.


    ¡°No, you may be having a face as if it is not your business, but you were also as guilty in keeping silent.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­Hn. The worst one is¡­Souma.¡± (Ringo)


    Then, Mitsuki and Ringo stabbed that in.


    The strict but kind feelings of the two warmed my heart.


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s¡­true.¡± (Souma)


    It is exactly because I know the past tragedy that I should tell my comrades and avoid that future.


    I felt like I was once again taught that there¡¯s such a path.


    ¡°Haha¡­¡± (Souma)


    I am always messing up, and always reminded.


    But that¡¯s fine.


    There¡¯s no human who doesn¡¯t make mistakes.


    But it is when you mess up that you are reminded of how important people supporting you are.


    ¡°I¡­no, we really have good comrades¡­¡± (Souma)


    I mutter this in a way so that no one hears.


    And there¡¯s someone I have to tell this to.


    ¡°Now then, let¡¯s go.¡± (Souma)


    I stealthily wipe the corner of my eyes and begin walking.


    ¡°Eh? Where are you going?¡± (Ina)


    I simply turned my head back at Ina who hurriedly followed behind me, and grinned.


    ¡°¡ªTo welcome our comrade who is stupid and cool-acting chuunibyou but is endlessly kind.¡± (Souma)


    After that, we all went to get Sazan at the deck, and they all went ¡®Geez, why leave us in the dark?!¡¯, ¡®If you had a plan to drop the Evil God, you should have told us¡¯, ¡®We are comrades!¡¯, but¡­


    But the person herself began to make incoherent excuses like ¡®I knew of no such plan!¡¯, ¡®I simply wanted a change of pace outside¡¯ and then said ¡®More importantly, Souma! The Evil God! Hyuun and splat! Uwaaaan!¡¯ and began to bawl.


    I for some reason ended up being scolded by my comrades in band.

 CH 218

    Light


    Dark


    [Summary of what has happened until now in Nekomimi Neko]


    The Nekomimi Neko world should have attained peace after defeating the Demon Lord, but the resurrection of the Evil God Dis Aster, which was unimplemented in the game, finally began.


    While investigating about the Evil God, they discovered that the masked chuunibyou mage Sazan was the Seal Priestess, and after Souma learned about her environment and resolution, followed her plan, and dropped the Evil God Fragment from the Sky City, going splat!


    Having the lifelong desire of her family fulfilled, she fell into tears.


    But just when they thought their Evil God Fragment subjugation started well, the author suddenly went missing right after!


    Just what awaits Souma and his party¡­!!


    ¡ª¡ª¨C


    We were extremely troubled by Sazan who wouldn¡¯t stop crying after that, but we discovered that she can switch personalities when she puts on the mask or takes it off.


    By quickly putting on and taking off the mask, we destabilized her mental state to have her forget about the Evil God Fragment, and she finally stopped crying.


    No, now that the Evil God Fragment has died, there should be no effect like changing the personality with the mask, but because she has had that on for years, she ends up slipping into a Sazan-like personality.


    Well, I myself feel closer to the haughty Sazan than Mitia who acts decently femenine as the Seal Priestess, so I would endorse it instead.


    Anyways, Having succeeded in diluting the matter of the Evil God Fragment¡¯s fall death, I immediately suggested to land on the south solitary island which is the home of Sazan in order to divert the topic even further.


    The eyes of my comrades when I was talking about that felt like they changed into cold ones as if they were looking at an Ugly Stray Slime at the side of the road, but it is most likely my imagination.


    ¡­Also, it happens pretty often recently, so it is okay!


    Having obtained strong mental fortitude from the long days of battle and the heated battles against strong enemies, I decisively decided to move on without faltering at the cold gazes of my comrades, and landed the Sky City.


    That¡¯s right. I have finally arrived at the south solitary island which has been the dwelling of the Seal Lineage that has sealed the Evil God Fragment for generations.


    We got down from the Sky City, and we immediately were welcomed by a whole lot of residents from the island.


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t move! Drop your weapons!!¡±


    ¡°N-Not a single step further! If you do, we will judge you as hostiles!¡±


    We were surrounded by a number of brawny residents, pointing their spears at us to show their warm reception.


    ¡­Yup.


    Let¡¯s stop averting my eyes at reality.


    They are totally on guard against us.


    Regardless of methods, we are the ones who have fulfilled their lifelong desire, so taking such an attitude is pretty horrible, but I do get how they feel a little bit.


    I just have to look at this from their perspective.


    Everyone would be worried if a weird island were to float on top of them all of a sudden, and the Evil God Fragment that was the reason for them living in this island went hyuun and splat, so they would obviously get surprised, huh.


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t joke around! This is not only on the level of being surprised! You¡­! Do you even understand the effects of what you have d¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    My thoughts leaked out from my mouth, and Sazan began making a ruckus in her still agitated state.


    This caused a change to the situation.


    ¡°You¡­are Mitia?¡±


    The one who said this with eyes wide open was a man with a rock-like strict face.


    The head of the family that I saw in the memories of Sazan.


    ¡ªThe father of the Seal Priestess Mitia.


    From there, Sazan and her father, Shud, mediated the situation and things somehow calmed down.


    Well, Sazan is in a way the reason for this island¡¯s existence, and what Sazan is wearing are the treasure tools of this island.


    Things were smooth sailing after she took up the stage.


    Seeing Sazan talking all haughtily while wearing the mask, the residents whispered stuff like ¡®that mask is¡­¡¯, ¡®her mind has been taken over¡¯, ¡®Dear lord¡­¡¯, but let¡¯s just act as if I didn¡¯t hear it.


    I don¡¯t know which is more cruel, to tell them that that¡¯s not the fault of the curse, or that that¡¯s actually her real self now.


    Well, the former priestess Nadia is truly the mother of Sazan. She was looking at Sazan who was making poses and laughing with pained eyes different from those of the residents, and at the same time was honestly happy that Sazan had come back.


    Moreover, when we told them that Sazan had defeated the sealed Evil God Fragment, the island residents cheered.


    But why did she leave it vague how we defeated the Evil God Fragment?


    There should have been people who saw it drop, so she could just tell them as it is.


    It did bother me a bit, but we turned from suspicious intruders into welcomed guests and were received extremely warmly.


    ¡­Excluding the head of the island and father of Sazan, Shud.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°E-Excuse me¡­?¡± (Souma)


    Shud was all stern and didn¡¯t say anything.


    Could it be that he noticed that we made her daughter cry?


    I was worried about that¡­


    ¡°I thank you for saving my daughter. But¡­¡± (Shud)


    It seems like that wasn¡¯t the case.


    No, you could even say it was even worse.


    ¡°¡­But in the tradition passed down in this island, it is pointed out insistently ¡®you must not face the Evil God at all cost¡¯.


    I feel like that warning holds an even deeper meaning than just being a warning to the strength of the Evil God.¡± (Shud)


    ¡°Even deeper meaning¡­¡± (Souma)


    Shud¡¯s face turned more severe and said this with heightened intensity.


    ¡°When I saw ¡®that¡¯ falling from the skies, I was also there. I saw it. When it changed into light particles, they drifted to the north.¡± (Shud)


    ¡°North¡­meaning¡­¡± (Souma)


    Shud nodded heavily.


    ¡°It is most likely as you suspect, Hero-dono.¡± (Shud)


    ¡°The remaining fragment¡­¡± (Souma)


    The north has the Evil God Fragment and the main body which is sealed in the swamps.


    If the light drifted there, the remaining Evil Gods must have strengthened even more.


    It is just as it was written in the book.


    And if that¡¯s true, the resurrection of the Evil God¡­


    ¡°Hero-dono, it is true that you have fulfilled our lifelong desire. But this is not the en¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡­!¡± (Souma)


    Even though I understand this is disrespectful, I cut off the words of Shud.


    I looked straight into his eyes and declared this.


    ¡°I intend to defeat the Evil God completely.¡± (Souma)


    Shud opened his eyes wide at my sudden words, but he eventually showed me a broad smile.


    ¡°¡­I see. I thought she was a careless daughter, but it seems like she had a good eye for people.¡± (Shud)


    And then, he fixed his posture and lowered his head at me.


    ¡°Hero-dono, I entrust my daughter to you from here on.¡± (Shud)


    ¡°Eh, ah, yeah. Leave her to me.¡± (Souma)


    Now that she has defeated the fragment sealed on her right arm which was her biggest objective, I don¡¯t know what choice she will take, but she is already an important comrade of mine.


    I naturally nodded at those words.


    ¡°Wait, Father!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan was flustered by this and rushed at her father, forgetting even that she is in mask mode, and the talk ended like that.


    After that¡­


    We decided to stay on the island for a while.


    It was in part because we wanted to give Sazan time to spend with her parents since she decided in the end to go with us to defeat the Evil God, and also in part because Mitsuki said with trembling cat ears: ¡®I don¡¯t want to go back today (own translation)¡¯.


    But to be honest, there¡¯s also a different reason. That is¡­


    ¡°Iyahooooooooo!! A new maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaapppp!!!¡± (Souma)


    I wanted to explore the unimplemented zone, the south solitary island, to my heart¡¯s content!


    I should explore every nook and cranny to map it out!


    And so, this exploration will not be done with just me, but with reliable assistants.


    ¡°Mitsuki, Ringo, have you prepared your maps?!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°N-No, it isn¡¯t to the point of calling it preparation, so there¡¯s no problem there, but there¡¯s no need to be so excited about it¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­Hn. Perfect!¡± (Ringo)


    I look back and call the two, and the two gave me contrasting responses.


    The ones I asked for cooperation in mapping this time around were Mitsuki, who can tell the location of characters with the power of the Explorer Ring and has the special ability to tell the distance by instinct, and Ringo who has an advantage in writing on the map since she has learned the Order technique from my world.


    Mitsuki isn¡¯t carrying anything aside from her ring, but Ringo was holding a graph paper used for mapping that we got from the item shop, and she tightened her opposite hand tightly to show her motivation.


    ¡­I asked them if they were ready, but the two of them have their share of peculiarities and lack common sense in some areas, so I am a bit worried.


    Let¡¯s tell them just in case.


    ¡°Aah, this exploration is to investigate the island, but there¡¯s obviously people living in it, so we can¡¯t go troubling them.


    First, Mitsuki, even if you see a stranger, don¡¯t challenge them to a duel, okay?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°So rude. Even I wouldn¡¯t just challenge a random person to a battle.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears stood up and waved around as if showing her displeasure, but I want you to remember when we first met.


    I then looked at Ringo who was showing enough determination  she was pretty much crumpling the graph paper.


    ¡°Also, Ringo, there¡¯s a number of points I want to warn you about when mapping.¡± (Souma)


    She has recently begun to speak in a reasonable manner, but her outstanding lack of life experience of just a few months really is an issue.


    I should warn her properly as her senpai in life.


    ¡°First, don¡¯t enter the houses of others without permission and check their drawers, or break their vases.


    Entering locked houses is also a no! Let¡¯s only check the houses that are not locked!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Hn. Got it.¡± (Ringo)


    I feel like I was a bit too strict there, but I was relieved by the unexpectedly honest response.


    ¡°Right. If you are worried about holes in the map, I can use Infinite Mirage Prison to¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I felt good at her receptive response and was about to continue speaking, but¡­


    ¡°No no, wait, you! Even if it is not locked, you can¡¯t just enter!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Eh?!¡± (Souma)


    Sazan suddenly came in and spoke nonsense.


    ¡­Now that I think about it, she is just as weird as Mitsuki and Ringo¡­no, even weirder.


    I tell Sazan who doesn¡¯t have common sense.


    ¡°Listen here, Sazan. The breaking and entering verdict is only triggered when you enter a locked building without permission.


    That¡¯s why not being locked means it is okay to enter¡­no, it is recommended to explore it!¡± (Souma)


    I spoke with such strength a bass drop sound effect might have fit me at that moment, but Sazan for some reason groaned.


    ¡°T-This guy is hopeless¡­ We have to do something about him quickly¡­¡± (Sazan)


    She began to mutter this.


    When she did, the parents of Sazan who were watching from afar began laughing.


    ¡°Hahaha, my daughter has been introverted since long before, so we were worried that she would be shut inside the house and write weird stuff the whole time, but she becomes like that in front of him, huh.¡± (Shud)


    ¡°Fufu, this is the first time I see Mitia being thrown about like this and showing so much emotion.¡± (Nadia)


    I personally have the image of Sazan, so it didn¡¯t look weird for me, but for the two who only know Sazan in her priestess days, it looked different.


    Also, this father of hers just said it all casually, but he just exposed that he knew about the dark history note of Sazan.


    ¡°Ah, uuh¡­a-as I said, I¡­t-that¡¯s not it¡­!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan was completely having trouble with her two personalities here, and for some reason, Ringo stood before Sazan¡¯s parents instead.


    ¡°¡­Hn. Sazan is¡­weird. But¡­¡± (Ringo)


    And then, she showed pride within her expressionless face and puffed her chest out.


    ¡°Compared to the weirdness of Souma¡­she is just¡­small fry!!¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°No, wait! That logic is weird!!¡± (Souma)


    I am the most normal amongst you guys!!


    And well, we used around half of our stay on the island to explore the place.


    That said, it is a place where the initial Sazan with her low stats could take morning naps.


    Only enemies that even Ina could defeat easily were showing up, and there were no difficult enemies, but there was a species of Stray Slime I have not seen before (one that was really uneven and one that had its body turned into a machine. I named them Uneven Slime and Slime Vogue), and I had a good amount of fun.


    There were also unexplored dungeons deep in the island, and you could say I managed to have an orthodox adventure in a long while.


    We enjoyed our time in the island in that way, but my comrades really are peculiar, so there were cases where the residents would be surprised (mainly because of Sazan). According to Sazan¡¯s father, there were apparently a number of complaints.


    ¡°I know you are the priestess-sama, but it is scary to have a masked person in black clothing walking around.¡±


    ¡°There was a weird masked man hugging weird gloves and going ¡®fufufu¡¯. Please do something about that.¡±


    ¡°When I was cooking dinner, an unknown man was standing in front of me. He muttered ¡®ah, wrong place¡¯ and disappeared like a mirage the next instant. What was that? Have I gone crazy?¡±


    ¡°I have been seeing a mysterious shadow moving fearsomely fast recently. That abnormal speed is definitely not a creature from this island. What was that?¡±


    ¡°I saw a person running outside. No, those weren¡¯t the movements of a human! T-That is definitely the incarnation of the Evil God! The Evil God really didn¡¯t die!¡±


    ¡°I peeked out my window and was surprised. To my surprise, there was a super giant¡­G <cockroach> moving around. But¡­no, it is nothing. There¡¯s no way there would be such a giant G. Just what in the world¡­A-Aaah! At my window! My window!¡±


    There¡¯s some hard to decipher ones, but the common denominator is masked and black clothes, so it should be safe to judge them as all being Sazan.


    It is pretty interesting how, within the many party members, the one who is being feared the most is the resident of this place, Sazan.


    Or more like, ¡®not the movements of a human¡¯? Just what were you doing, Sazan?


    I should warn her quickly.


    That said, the exploration of the island and even the stay in the island was in a way just an extra.


    It really didn¡¯t matter where as long as time passed.


    Our real target is in a different place.


    ¡ªThe Evil God Great War recording.


    The record where the whole truth of the battle between the heroes against the Evil God, the sealing of it, and the truth of the Evil God were laying at.


    Because the rewind happened right before I could see the last chapter, the stone slate has returned to its initial state.


    I have continued watching this thing that I can only watch once a day, and our current objective is to watch the last chapter which has the most important information.


    Fortunately, by seizing the Sky City, we can now teleport to the Monolith at the entrance of the city.


    By using that, we called Leila who was staying at home as well, and we were once again watching the recordings from the beginning.


    And then, 2 weeks passed in the blink of an eye while exploring and watching the recording.


    And finally, that time came.


    ¡°I-It is finally time.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yeah. That¡¯s true.¡±


    Even though Sazan is always late, she was the very first to show up to the rendezvous point.


    Moreover, she was wearing her priestess uniform for some reason.


    ¡°Y-You, that appearance¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Fuh! We are going to be witnessing a historical moment of the past, so we can¡¯t be rude here.


    Ah, it is okay! I have also bathed already, so there¡¯s no mis¡ªachoo!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan sneezed while saying that and her body trembled.


    However, her eyes were blazing.


    ¡°J-Just how motivated are you just for watching a recording? Or more like, at least dry your hair¡­¡± (Souma)


    Being baffled by this, I wiped her hair, and our comrades appeared one after the other.


    It seems like Maki didn¡¯t like how I have been overprotective of Sazan lately, she was making ¡®hmm¡¯ ¡®hooh¡¯ sounds in a bad mood, but there was something that bothered me more.


    ¡°¡­Hey, Maki, you were the only one that watched the last chapter before the rewind. How was the battle against the Evil God?¡± (Souma)


    The moment I said that, all the expressions on Maki¡¯s face disappeared.


    ¡°¡­Even if you ask me, I don¡¯t know how to tell you.¡± (Maki)


    She told me this expressionless.


    It felt like she was trying to hide any emotions she might end up showing here.


    ¡°Argh, geez! It would be faster to just watch it! Come on!¡± (Maki)


    That¡¯s when Maki raised an unnaturally cheerful voice and forcefully grabbed my finger, moving it towards the stone slate.


    ¡°I-I get it! I got it, so no need to hurry me that much!¡± (Souma)


    It may bother me a bit, but it would be bad to start like this.


    I give up pursuing the topic, and look at my comrades around.


    ¡°N-Now then, everyone, ready?¡± (Souma)


    Everyone there nodded at my words.


    After confirming this, I moved my finger close to the last chapter button of the record.


    Then, just before my finger touched the letters of the stone slate¡­


    ¡°¡ªSouma, please¡­don¡¯t despair because of this, okay?¡±


    That whisper of Maki jumped into my ears, and¡­


    ¡ªWe faced the truth of the Evil God.

 CH 219

    Light


    Dark


    The Evil God Great War recording¡¯s last chapter began from the continuation of the last battle against the Evil God.


    Not the fragment we fought, but the actual Evil God.


    The one standing at the front is Hero Alex.


    He was brandishing two swords in both hands. The weapon with the highest specs in Nekomimi Neko, the absolute Divine Sword Ultihate, and the sword that his most beloved person, the Light Princess Ciel sacrificed her life to create, the Knight Sword Ciel.


    The heroes called the Top Ten: master swordsman Luden, Reaper Fin, and God Archer Loden have fallen, and the Light Princess Ciel transformed into a sword, so they are now half their numbers.


    But even with that¡­no, it is exactly because of that that the human side was overwhelming the Evil God.


    ¡°¡­Fall.¡±


    Horrendous tentacles extend towards the heroes as that cracked voice echoed.


    But¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate me!!¡± (Alex)


    Just from Alex raising the Knight Sword Ciel in his right hand and swinging it, the tentacles were sliced like paper.


    But that¡¯s a given.


    The Knight Sword Ciel he is swinging has two lives -that of the demon Richter and the Princess Ciel- and has the power of two high level characters in game terms.


    The weapon attack power should be proportionally high, and the main stats of Alex with the Knight Sword equipped are at least double because of the modifiers.


    And¡­


    ¡°I will use the trump card! Assist me!¡± (Nameless)


    The tides turned again.


    The great mage Nameless, who maintained silent until now, began to chant.


    Of course, the Evil God wouldn¡¯t allow that.


    It turned to Nameless immediately and looked at him with its wicked eyes.


    ¡°Kill Beam.¡±


    The one-hit kill attack, Kill Beam, was shot as the name was chanted.


    That light of death traveled straight towards Nameless, but it didn¡¯t reach his body.


    ¡°As if I will let yooooouuuu!!!¡± (Alex)


    Hero Alex got in between it while raising a war cry.


    The beam hit him and scattered as if it didn¡¯t exist to begin with.


    That¡¯s the special ability of the Ultihate in his right hand.


    An overpowered ability that nullifies all the long range attacks against the wielder.


    It is ironic that Alex can now bring out his full potential thanks to his comrades falling and there being less targets to cover.


    I shuddered at the hectic exchange that didn¡¯t leave room to breathe.


    I also trembled at how my mind dropped the dramatic letters Slaughter Flash when the Kill Beam showed up because of Sazan.


    And finally¡­


    ¡°Excuse the wait! [Time Stop]!!¡± (Nameless)


    The incantation of Nameless ended.


    A pyramid field was created as if sealing the Evil God inside, and the movements of the Evil God stopped clean within that transparent space.


    ¡°This spell only lasts 10 seconds! Within that time¡ª¡± (Nameless)


    Nameless shouted this while his hand faced the Evil God.


    The one who moved with those words was Alex.


    ¡°10 seconds is enough!¡± (Alex)


    He fixed his stance with his two swords, and looked back at his comrades.


    ¡°Luna, please give me the best support you got!


    Giyamon! Shizuru! We are attacking all at once the moment the spell dissipates! Match my timing!!¡± (Alex)


    And then, he rushed towards the Evil God without looking back.


    ¡°L-Leave it to me! [All Rise]!!¡± (Luna)


    The Moonlight Princess Luna¡¯s support magic rained on him as if chasing after him.


    ¡°Oh my, even though I am a backline. You are one slave driver Hero-sama.¡±


    ¡°Fuh, I will show you the true form of the Hisame Sword Style.¡±


    The macho healer Giyamon and the cat ear swordsman Shizuru follow after that back of his.


    ¡°Guh! The spell is about to get undone!¡± (Nameless)


    The field imprisoning the Evil God dispersed just as Nameless said this, and 3 shadows jumped in right then.


    ¡°I will be taking the first hit!¡± (Giyamon)


    The giant body in midair tore off the tentacles that barely managed to react, and created a path to the core.


    The one who slipped into that opened gap like a cat was the swordsman Shizuru.


    ¡°It is not over yet. Hisame Sword Style: [Clear Stream]!!¡± (Shizuru)


    The sword trail slipped through the tentacles and gouged the Evil God¡¯s core with precision.


    ¡°¡­Too shallow, huh. But the path has been created.¡± (Shizuru)


    And then, the one who jumped in from the shadow of Shizuru was of course¡­


    ¡°This is¡­the end!!!¡± (Alex)


    The hero brandishing two swords, Alex.


    ¡°This is the power of us humans! [Eternal Heaven Soaring Blade]!!¡± (Alex)


    Alex hit the center of the Evil God with his two swords, the core pulsing bright red!


    The bright red core and Alex¡¯s swords clashed but just for a moment.


    ¡°Good job.¡±


    Cracks formed on the core and¡­


    ¡°Tha¡­nks¡­¡±


    And the core broke into pieces.


    The body of the Evil God crumbled as if mirroring it and changed into light particles.


    And then, by the time a few seconds passed, only the fragments of the broken red core were left.


    ¡°We¡­defeated it¡­ The Evil God¡­¡± (Alex)


    Alex muttered with a lethargic voice.


    Of course he would be.


    Even though they won, what they lost was big.


    Close to half of their comrades were killed, the city was destroyed, and he even lost his most beloved person.


    But even so, they won.


    They defeated the Evil God.


    ¡°¡­You saved us there, Nameless. Is that the new spell you created?¡± (Alex)


    ¡°Yes. All status ailments didn¡¯t work on the Evil God after all.


    And so, I decided to create a spell to stop time instead.¡± (Nameless)


    ¡°Haha. That¡¯s crazy.¡± (Alex)


    They forced themselves to smile and congratulated each other¡¯s contributions.


    They most likely believed that would also serve as an offering for the fallen.


    ¡°Well, this spell heavily relies on the personal mastery of magic, so I doubt anyone else aside from me can use it.


    It may be possible if you do it with the assistance of a magic tool, but it doesn¡¯t seem to be needed anymore.¡± (Nameless)


    ¡°Then you could use it in a peaceful manner. For example; maybe a Cooler Box that stops time and preserves food?¡± (Alex)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­nice. It sounds like that would sell, and most of all, it is nice how it doesn¡¯t hurt anyone.¡± (Nameless)


    The two were laughing despite being injured.


    The one who poured cold water on that peaceful atmosphere was the cat-eared swordsman, Shizuru.


    ¡°Please wait, you two. Isn¡¯t it weird?¡± (Shizuru)


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    What Shizuru pointed at was the fragments of the Evil God¡¯s core scattered on the ground.


    ¡°It is the fragments of the Evil God¡¯s core, right? What about it?¡± (Alex)


    The bright red fragments had completely lost their color and it doesn¡¯t seem like anything will happen.


    But Shizuru shook his head.


    ¡°We should have defeated the enemy, and yet¡­why is it not turning into light and staying there?¡± (Shizuru)


    The moment I heard that, I felt as if chills ran down my spine.


    That must have been the same for Alex and his group.


    Their eyes turned sharp in one go.


    But that was too late.


    ¡°The fragments of the core are¡­¡±


    The core fragments scattered on the ground.


    They were gathered towards one point.


    ¡°Be careful! It is still not over!!¡±


    The fragments of the core stuck together and were forming an even bigger cluster.


    The fragments were spinning as if it were a rubix cube, would at times create a shape similar to that of before, and¡­


    ¡°There¡¯s no time to be dumbstruck here! Attack!¡± (Nameless)


    The heroes snapped back at the words of Nameless.


    ¡°Roar, [Lightning Rush]!¡±


    ¡°Hisame Sword Style: [Clear Stream]!¡±


    ¡°[Cross Break]!!¡±


    The core that continued restoring itself had no means to resist the attacks of the heroes unleashed at the same time.


    After some time of overlapping their attacks, cracks began to form, and it broke the next instant.


    Seeing this, Alex and his group sighed again.


    ¡°What was that just now? So creepy¡­¡± (Alex)


    The face of Nameless contrasted that of the relaxed Alex, his expression not loosening one bit.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t relax. If my guess is correct¡­¡± (Nameless)


    And then, the fragments scattered on the ground began to gather again as if supporting those words.


    ¡°Just what is going on?!¡± (Alex)


    Alex cursed but didn¡¯t hold back and attacked the fragments of the core again.


    But¡­


    ¡°Hard¡­?¡± (Shizuru)


    ¡°This is weird. This is weird, Alex!¡± (Giyamon)


    The attack of Giyamon that had violent degrees of power and the slash of Shizuru that prides on having outstanding sharpness, and even the Knight Sword Ciel that possesses peerless power couldn¡¯t deal enough damage to the restoring core.


    ¡°It is even bigger than before?¡± (Shizuru)


    Shizuru muttered this dumbfounded.


    That¡¯s most likely bull¡¯s-eye.


    I can tell clearly as a spectator.


    The Evil God core shaping up here is getting one size bigger, and it is most likely getting harder too.


    ¡ªSecond form?


    Those words surfaced in my mind.


    Even though it wasn¡¯t implemented most likely for the sake of a second entry on the series, even the Evil God should have been a boss that the Nekomimi Neko developers thought of.


    In that case, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for the Evil God to have the special trait often found in last bosses, a second form.


    ¡ªNo.


    The gamer inside of me was whispering to me this is somewhat different.


    It is more like¡­


    ¡°I have a bad feeling! Use all your power! We have to destroy that thing once more!¡± (Nameless)


    The words of Nameless snap me back.


    When I looked, there was Alex and his group trying to destroy the regenerating core while wringing out everything they have.


    But it isn¡¯t going well.


    Even though it is an enemy that can¡¯t even fight back, it is plain hard.


    The attacks that went in easily were being repelled, and even the attacks that worked in the battle of before were being bounced off too.


    And then, after a few seconds of not being able to deal a decisive blow¡­


    Right after the red core pulsed heavily in a creepy manner¡­


    ¡ªThat rang.


    ¡°¡ª[Absolute Dis Aster].¡±


    That was certainly a voice.


    There¡¯s nothing like a mouth anywhere around, with only a tattered orb remaining, and yet, I could clearly tell that was the ¡®voice¡¯ of the Evil God.


    ¡°A-Aaah¡­¡±


    ¡°No way¡­¡±


    Groans of despair leak out from the heroes standing in place.


    But that should be obvious.


    Change happened from the bright red core.


    A part of the bright red orb swelled, transformed, and created a head.


    A protuberance was born as if breaking through the shell of an egg, and that changed into an arm, then tentacles one after the other.


    After a few seconds of this, ¡®that¡¯ ended.


    What floated in front of Alex and his group was not the Evil God¡¯s core.


    ¡ªWhat was in front of their eyes was an Evil God with head and arms without a single wound, lording over the world.


    ¡ª-


    Author: There¡¯s probably people who already got it from this, but the Evil God is what you would find rarely on hidden bosses of RPGs.

 CH 220

    Light


    Dark


    Alex roared at the Evil God that has regained its shape completely.


    ¡°Are you saying it has revived?! From that state?!¡± (Alex)


    It can¡¯t be helped that he would want to shout that.


    The enemy that they fought so hard to defeat has revived, so it is natural to be astonished.


    ¡°It is over.¡±


    The revived Evil God didn¡¯t let go of that opening.


    A regenerated tentacle approached Alex who was standing dumbfounded and¡­


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you!¡±


    But the one who was composed in this abnormal situation was the great mage Nameless.


    ¡°[Time Stop]!!¡±


    He most likely finished the incantation while the Evil God was regenerating.


    Nameless once again set the time stop field and nailed the Evil God in place.


    ¡°N-Nameless¡­¡± (Alex)


    ¡°I understand getting agitated by this, but right now¡­what?¡± (Nameless)


    But something impossible happened at that moment.


    ¡°¡ªToo¡­bad. It won¡¯t¡­work again.¡±


    The Evil God that should be in a space he shouldn¡¯t be able to move by no means had moved its tentacles even if slower.


    And then, a single tentacle finally managed to jump out from the time stop field.


    ¡°Impossible! Time Stop should have properly acti¡ªguh!¡± (Nameless)


    It sent Nameless flying while he was unable to move with the spell active.


    ¡°Nameless!!¡± (Alex)


    Alex reflexively ran to him, and the remaining members that finally managed to regain their bearings moved to restrain the Evil God.


    ¡°Nameless, oi, are you o¡ª¡± (Alex)


    ¡°I got it¡­! That is the reason why it is called a God!¡± (Nameless)


    ¡°What?¡± (Alex)


    Nameless was finding difficulty to even breathe, but he didn¡¯t even pay any attention to his own wounds and looked at Alex and the Evil God further back with glaring eyes.


    But that intensity of his didn¡¯t stop the words of Alex.


    ¡°Do you remember how all the status ailments didn¡¯t work on it?


    That¡¯s the same this time around. The Time Stop that certainly worked at first is now not showing enough effect.


    That¡¯s most likely because of its special trait.¡± (Nameless)


    ¡°Special trait¡­?¡± (Alex)


    Nameless answered the question of Alex as if shouting.


    ¡°Yeah, that guy¡­the Evil God¡­is most likely getting stronger every time it dies!


    It learns of the attacks before it dies, gets resistance to them, is reborn with even more power, and destroys everything! A monstrosity!¡± (Nameless)


    Nameless didn¡¯t stop shouting even when faced with the dumbstruck Alex.


    ¡°It is possible to win, but we can¡¯t achieve complete victory!


    That¡¯s the kind of being that is!!¡± (Nameless)


    ¡°Im¡­possible¡­¡± (Alex)


    I was also as surprised as Alex who was shocked here.


    And then, something fell into place in my head.


    I learned that my instinct was right.


    ¡ªThis is the truth behind the words of Nameless about ¡®you must never fight the Evil God¡¯ that he left to the Seal Lineage.


    That¡¯s right. I thought this was the second form you see often in last bosses, but that wasn¡¯t it.


    The Evil God is not a last boss but a hidden boss.


    In a way, it is end content of Nekomimi Neko.


    Then, what is the endgame content that the Nekomimi Neko developers would like? The type that would create the most pain for the players without much work?


    ¡­The answer is the Evil God, Dis Aster.


    Every time it is defeated, it will endlessly grow, and thus, it is content you can waste your time in endlessly.


    This is just an assumption here, but things like HP and attack power will increase by default, and as for the other status ailments and elemental attacks, it will have resistance to the attacks that you used before.


    For example; the Time Stop used this time around. The first time worked normally, but the second time was halved.


    In the next one or the one after that, it will most likely be completely negated.


    You could say it is fortunate that it doesn¡¯t get resistance to physical attacks which have no elements.


    If that ended up not working either, it wouldn¡¯t be able to maintain itself as a game, so that¡¯s a given, but even if so, the parameters will be increasing, so they won¡¯t be working properly eventually.


    ¡­That¡¯s right.


    You might be able to defeat it once, twice, or even three times.


    But as players pile up their wins, it becomes stronger, your effective attacks will be decreased, and you will eventually be defeated.


    It is the worst design for a boss!


    ¡­No, I could even permis that.


    You could say it is a decently common type of enemy in the game.


    You could even say it is pretty subdued for the Nekomimi Neko staff.


    There¡¯s even people who would accept it depending on taste.


    ¡­But that¡¯s only if it doesn¡¯t become a real being.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?! Don¡¯t joke around!!¡±


    The one who shouted was Alex who learned of the reality.


    ¡°How many sacrifices do you think we have made to defeat this guy?!


    Luden, Fin, and Loden died, and even Ciel sacrificed herself to become my strength¡­


    And the result is this?! Nothing has changed! No, even worse¡­¡± (Alex)


    Alex cursed as if vomiting blood.


    The one who reacted was the Evil God who should be the enemy.


    It faced Alex slowly and with that ugly face, it formed a grin and said with a grinding voice¡­


    ¡°¡ªTha¡­nks¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­What¡­?¡± (Alex)


    Alex raised an eyebrow, but the Evil God didn¡¯t pay it any heed.


    It simply spoke as if having fun¡­as if happy.


    ¡°Thanks¡­for fighting me¡­to make me¡­stronger¡­


    Thank you¡­for dying a whole lot¡­for my sake¡­¡±


    ¡°Wa¡­?¡± (Alex)


    The Evil God spoke its last words towards the speechless group of Alex.


    ¡°¡ªYou people¡­were¡­wonderful toys¡­for me¡­¡±


    Those utterly vicious words¡­


    ¡°Y-You¡­You are¡­!!¡± (Alex)


    Alex raged.


    Even if he had been heated until now, he wasn¡¯t reckless, but there was no shadow of that now.


    He charged straight to the Evil God with plain honesty.


    If it had been the initial state of the Evil God, he would have been able to overcome this.


    But the powered up tentacles were not easily shaken off by even an attack of the Knight Sword Ciel.


    He slowly¡­couldn¡¯t deal with the attacks of the tentacles, and the moment an attack of the tentacles was finally about to hit the body of Alex¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s distant, Hero-chan.¡±


    ¡°It would be troubling if you were to forget about me too.¡±


    In that very close instance, Giyamon and Shizuru joined the fray.


    Alex, who somehow managed to escape from his dangerous position thanks to the help of the two, gripped his sword tightly and spoke as if finding it hard to say.


    ¡°¡­I am sorry, you two. But thanks to that, my head has cooled down. I won¡¯t be showing such an unsightly self anymore.¡± (Alex)


    Alex looked clearly at the Evil God with subdued anger.


    The muddy color of before was not there anymore.


    ¡°Ufufu, they do say children are cuter when they are a handful.¡± (Giyamon)


    ¡°Words are unnecessary. Please show that resolve with your sword.¡± (Shizuru)


    The 3 line up in front of the Evil God again.


    The one who spoke there was Nameless.


    ¡°Alex, there¡¯s no time for you to regret or wallow in despair!


    The world will end if we leave that be! In that case¡­¡± (Nameless)


    Alex answered with action at the implicit tone of Nameless as if saying ¡®you get it, right?¡¯.


    ¡°This is the end. Let¡¯s go, you two!¡± (Alex)


    ¡°Can¡¯t be helped.¡± (Giyamon)


    ¡°Goes without saying.¡± (Shizuru)


    The 3 match their breathing and jump into the space of death again.


    ¡°Wasted¡­effort.¡±


    What was assailing them was a rain of tentacles that were incomparably tougher and more ferocious than before it resurrected.


    The first one to withdraw was Giyamon who served as the wall, the next Shizuru who had lower endurance, but¡­


    ¡°Wh¡­at¡­¡±


    Even with that, Alex¡­the hero arrived in front of the Evil God.


    He instead used the tentacles as footstools and swung the Knight Sword Ciel in his right hand with his utmost limit.


    ¡°¡ª[Final Break]!!¡± (Alex)


    He unleashed the strongest sword skill.


    ¡°This¡­light¡­!¡±


    The light that extended from the Knight Sword Ciel sliced through the tentacles protecting the face and severed the repugnant face.


    But at the same time¡­


    ¡°¡­Goodbye, Ciel, Richter.¡± (Alex)


    The Knight Sword Ciel crumbled to pieces, and disappeared, only leaving the handle.


    ¡­Final Break is a big technique that prides on having the highest power within the sword skills.


    That attack not only has high attack power, it also includes all the modifiers of the sword, so it creates destructive power incomparable to other skills.


    But just as the name implies, it is a double-edged sword.


    It has the big downside of the weapon always breaking after use.


    ¡°But¡­defeating me¡­is¡­¡±


    Even when going that far, it was still impossible to completely defeat the strengthened Evil God.


    The Evil God said this with leeway in its voice, but¡­


    ¡°Now!¡± (Nameless)


    The voice of Nameless moved the body of Alex that was dulled from the sad parting.


    ¡°We can¡¯t defeat you! But¡­!¡± (Alex)


    ¡°Could it¡­be¡­¡±


    Alex pointed his one other sword -Ultihate- onto the core with the path that his comrades¡­and his most beloved person created.


    ¡°[Soul Divide]!¡± (Alex)


    The special ability of the Absolute Divine Sword Ultihate.


    An ultimate technique that divides the existence of the way too powerful Evil God into fragments together with soul and all.


    ¡ªAnd that was the attack that decided the end of the intense battle.


    The development from there was pretty much what we know.


    Alex and his group paid even more to seal the divided and weakened Evil God.


    They sacrificed the power overflowing in the land and sealed the main body in what was once the capital where the battle took place.


    That land paid the price to restrain the power of the Evil God and became a marshland where people can¡¯t live in.


    But if they were to use the same method for the remaining fragments, there would be no place for people to live in.


    That¡¯s where Hero Alex abandoned the land where people couldn¡¯t live in anymore and headed to the far east land, creating a new capital and naming it after his lost comrades, the capital of Rihitel.


    He then gathered the power of everyone there and decided to seal the biggest fragment under that place.


    But he couldn¡¯t tell the truth to the remaining citizens of the Evil God Great War.


    That¡¯s why he made a fictional god by rearranging the letters of Dis Aster and the religion of Redistas was born. He created a religious facility in the place where the Evil God was sealed, and named that building the Grand Church.


    The second biggest fragment was sealed on the right hand of the Seal Priestess Neitia. Neitia had obtained freedom temporarily, but ended up having no choice but to live in the south solitary island.


    Nameless must have felt bad about it, he decided to go with Neitia, received the title of the Guardian of the Seal Sazan, and journeyed off to the south island.


    The special ability of the Evil God is apparently restricted when the fragment is small to a certain degree.


    They managed to seal the two small fragments that couldn¡¯t use Dimension Breaker simply by creating exclusive facilities in Lamurick and the place that would eventually be called the Sacrifice Altar.


    These would be the Evil God Fragment we found at the Sacrifice Altar and the hidden dungeon of Lamurick in the game.


    And then, the last moment of the recording ended with the monologue of Alex.


    ¡°¡­We sealed the Evil God and were called heroes.


    But we¡­we are the only ones who know.


    That battle called the Evil God Great War was just a losing battle.


    The seal won¡¯t last forever. The Evil God will definitely come back one day.


    This record¡­this shame¡­the record of our defeat¡­


    I pray that it will be a guiding light for the one who will eventually come that has the makings of a hero¡­¡± (Alex)


    My vision stabilized and I returned to reality, but even after that, no one spoke for a while.


    Everyone had their faces down seemingly in shock.


    But that¡¯s a given after being shown something like that.


    My comrades are not the only ones flustered by this.


    I was also in the same state.


    I desperately held my trembling hands, and hid my face that was on the verge of warping with one hand.


    A painful silence continued.


    But eventually everyone began to mutter their feelings.


    ¡°That was¡­unexpected.¡±


    The first one to speak was Mitsuki.


    She muttered this with her cat ears hanging down.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t want to say it.


    Cause you know, that¡¯s just unfair.¡± (Maki)


    Maki was the next one to say this powerlessly.


    ¡°But we can¡¯t back down here anymore.


    We have already defeated 3 of the Evil God Fragments.


    If that power were to go to the remaining fragment and the main body, the balance of the seal must have crumbled.


    It is only a matter of time before the Evil God comes back.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Silence fell onto the place once again at the words of Mitsuki that could be taken as ice cold.


    The one who raised her voice as if to erase this was Ina.


    ¡°B-But there should be a way!


    Right! Like smashing the core to dust or hiding them somewhere¡­¡± (Ina)


    But Mitsuki immediately denied the words of Ina.


    ¡°The size of the destroyed core was bigger afterwards. Meaning that that process was not simply gathering up the broken parts.


    If that phenomenon is like a spell activated with the death of the Evil God, I don¡¯t know if we would be able to stop the regeneration even if we were to not leave a single trace of it behind.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°No way¡­¡± (Ina)


    Ina seemed to be defeated by the words of Mitsuki, but she must have thought she had to change the atmosphere despite that, she spoke cheerfully once again.


    ¡°T-Then, if we seal it once more¡­!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°That in itself is unrealistic. The Evil God has become stronger than the one we saw in the record.


    Who knows if we would have the spare energy to seal it¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    Being promptly denied, Ina finally drooped her head.


    ¡°Then, is there really nothing we can do?


    ¡­An enemy we definitely can¡¯t defeat no matter what we do is just¡­!


    An enemy that becomes stronger and stronger every time we defeat is just¡­¡± (Ina)


    The despairing shout of the usually openhearted Ina.


    Hearing this, I¡­


    ¡°¡ªIs there really no limit?¡± (Souma)


    I spoke those words by the time I noticed.


    ¡°Souma-san?¡± (Ina)


    Ina looked at me with a surprised face.


    My face is most likely looking horrible here.


    My hands can¡¯t stop trembling.


    I can¡¯t stop my face from warping.


    ¡°E-Excuse me, Souma-san?¡± (Ina)


    My heart was still stirred up even after hearing the worried voice of Ina.


    Messy thoughts swirled in my head.


    Cause, isn¡¯t it obvious?


    This is not a game.


    It is honest to face reality.


    ¡°Souma-san, why are you¡­¡± (Ina)


    And yet, this¡­this¡­


    ¡°¡ªWhy are you smiling?¡± (Ina)


    To think a chance like this would come!!


    ¡°S-Souma-san?¡± (Ina)


    Ina let out a completely shocked voice, and I finally returned to my senses.


    I desperately erased my smile and made as serious of a face as possible.


    I know.


    I know that it is improper to smile in a situation where the world might perish.


    But it can¡¯t be helped to a certain degree.


    ¡­Because I thought of it.


    It might be a convenient idea¡­no, a delusion even.


    A flimsy possibility like walking on a thin string.


    ¡ªEven so, I have noticed the possibility of defeating that guy.


    And not only that.


    ¡°Mitsuki, what do you aim for when fighting?¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki froze for a moment there at my sudden question, but she answered honestly.


    ¡°The number one reason would obviously be¡­because it is fun to fight a strong enemy.


    Let¡¯s see¡­ The other one would be to become¡­stronger than everyone else, I guess.¡± (Mitsuki)


    I could feel my face make a smile at the answer I wished for.


    The reason why I played Nekomimi Neko was of course because it was fun to crush those unreasonable events. But the number one reason was because it was fun to raise my character -my other self.


    Go ahead and laugh at me for having a childish dream.


    But this is what I think.


    Raising your level over anyone else¡­


    Learning techniques and combos that no one else has¡­


    Obtaining a weapon stronger than anyone can imagine¡­


    Becoming the strongest being of all.


    I think that¡¯s the dream all gamers have.


    It may sound cheap when put to words, but it is not that simple.


    I was more passionate about Nekomimi Neko than anyone else, but I wouldn¡¯t be confident to say I am the number one in the world.


    I was totally into Nekomimi Neko, but there were a lot of other people that cleared the game faster than me.


    Even if I have the confidence that I poured time endlessly in the game and even created the True Instant Samidare Slash at the end, it really is still questionable whether I became the strongest amongst the Nekomimi Neko players.


    But¡­


    ¡°Even if I were to say stuff like capping and overflow, you wouldn¡¯t be able to get me, right?


    But there¡¯s always a limit to the numbers in games, and there¡¯s an end to all content no matter what it is.


    That¡¯s no exception for Nekomimi Neko.¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s right.


    There¡¯s no endless game.


    In that case¡­


    ¡°If there¡¯s an end to this Evil God, what do you think it will be? When would it be?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Could it be¡­!¡± (Mitsuki)


    The first one to react to my words was -as expected- Mitsuki.


    ¡°It is most likely that.


    After defeating the Evil God, over, and over, and over, and over, making it stronger, and stronger, and stronger, a limit will come where it can¡¯t become any stronger.


    ¡­That is the end point of this world¡­of the Evil God.¡± (Souma)


    Of course, just reaching the end point won¡¯t be enough.


    What I am looking at is what comes after.


    In other words¡­


    ¡°If there¡¯s an end to the growth of the Evil God, and I were to defeat that completely matured Evil God¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­The Evil God might perish?¡± (Mitsuki)


    I opened my eyes wide at the words Mitsuki interjected with.


    I was surprised by Mitsuki who would be one or two steps ahead of the issue¡¯s essence, and shook my head to the sides.


    ¡°I honestly¡­can¡¯t say that.


    It might end with that, maybe it won¡¯t.¡± (Souma)


    The Nekomimi Neko developers would normally set a goal instead of setting impossible to clear obstacles. They really liked provoking the players who can¡¯t clear it by doing that.


    That¡¯s the biggest good news in this Evil God battle and the recipe of unease at the same time.


    At worst, the numbers might overflow and reset which would be horrible.


    But well, we would be able to do something if the Evil God were to be weakened, so that¡¯s fine in itself.


    ¡°With such uncertain elements¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    I understand how Mitsuki feels.


    ¡°I know that¡¯s reckless.


    It is uncertain whether everything will go well.


    ¡­You could even say the chances are low.¡± (Souma)


    This can¡¯t even be called a challenge.


    Not even sure if it is a gamble.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if there really is a cap to it, and no one knows what will happen when you defeat a capped Evil God.


    But I want to try.¡± (Souma)


    I don¡¯t know if the concept of capping exists in this world that¡¯s real now.


    But if it exists¡­


    ¡°Cause if that guy has all of its stats at cap and raised to the very limits¡­


    It would be the ¡®strongest¡¯ no questions asked, right?¡± (Souma)


    The ¡®strongest¡¯ in my world was at a place my hands couldn¡¯t reach.


    I honestly couldn¡¯t even find the ¡®strongest¡¯.


    ¡°The strongest Evil God that no one could match, and no one could doubt is strong¡­ The best strongest you can find¡­


    If I could defeat a being like that¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡ªI had given up on the title of ¡®strongest¡¯ or ¡®number one in the world¡¯ because I thought they were far from my reach.


    ¡ªEven so¡­!


    ¡°When that happens, I will become the unquestionable strongest¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡ªThe pure dream I yearned for in the past.


    ¡ªThe ideal personification of the ones that fight.


    ¡ªOne of the ending points of a gamer.


    ¡°¡­I might be able to achieve that here. Just kidding.¡± (Souma)


    ¡­Because I said that, I finally noticed that my comrades were making dumbstruck faces.


    ¡°Ah, n-no, that just now was¡­¡± (Souma)


    I got too heated and ended up saying too much.


    ¡°S-Sorry. I am the worst, right? Even though the world¡¯s fate is at risk here, I am being so selfish here¡­¡± (Souma)


    Just when I scratched my head and spit out those words in self-derision¡­


    ¡°Fu¡­fufu¡­Ahahahaha!¡±


    ¡°M-Mitsuki?!¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki laughed.


    Mitsuki, who was called iron face and barely showed her emotions aside from her cat ears, was laughing out loudly.


    Mitsuki raised the corner of her lips into a smile while we were dumbfounded.


    ¡°Selfishness that will decide the fate of the world; isn¡¯t that fine?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Souma)


    Even though I was the one who said it, I was taken aback by this.


    ¡°Rather, what is it you are hesitating for?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°C-Cause you know, we don¡¯t know at all if it will go as planned. We might not have enough strength in the middle of it and won¡¯t be able to defeat it, or if we do get to the cap¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I was cut off by Mitsuki who smiled sweetly.


    ¡°It is too late to be worrying about that at this point. The world would perish without you, so no one would blame you if you were to fail and the world is done.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous¡­¡± (Souma)


    I feel like the logic is there and at the same time not.


    ¡°Also, I would like to see it too¡­that gallant figure of yours when you defeat the ¡®world¡¯s strongest¡¯ and take that title for yourself.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡®Of course, I will be defeating you after that and become the world¡¯s strongest though¡¯ -is what Mitsuki added which is truly like her.


    W-Well, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case though.


    And then, as if gaining strength¡­


    ¡°You would definitely be able to do it, Souma!¡± (Leila)


    Leila gave me strong words without much basis.


    ¡°Hmm, well, I do think Souma would pull off something though.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Fuh, you are my lifelong rival after all.¡± (Sazan)


    Maki said in a baffled mood and Sazan in her masked mode. Moreover¡­


    ¡ª*Grin*


    The Bear came out from the bag, showed me a smile, and immediately returned inside the bag.


    Leaving aside the Bear, almost everyone here unexpectedly supported my selfish plan filled with holes.


    ¡°¡ªP-Please wait!¡±


    The one who was the most composed here was unexpectedly Ina.


    ¡°B-But it will get stronger and stronger as it revives, right?


    Even though it is already that strong, it will get even stronger than that, and might end up fighting several times¡­maybe even dozens of times¡­¡± (Ina)


    Ina muttered this, worried from the bottom of her heart.


    But I already have a plan for that.


    ¡°No, as long as we have enough attack power, we just have to fight the Evil God in perfect form just once.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Don¡¯t you remember? When Alex and his group destroyed the core of the Evil God that was restored from the fragments, the Evil God¡¯s core regenerated again, but it was one size bigger.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°T-Then¡­¡± (Ina)


    Ina noticed what I meant there and I nodded with strength.


    ¡°¡ªYeah, we beat up the core with our highest firepower before the resurrection skill activates!


    If the broken core regenerates again, we will unquestionably beat it up again!


    By doing this, we will be able to make the Evil God get to its strongest form without even receiving a hit¡­no, we will be able to defeat the Evil God in its strongest!!¡± (Souma)


    I would say that¡¯s an outstanding plan despite myself¡­


    But my comrades answered me with the 3rd silence this day.


    ¡°¡­Haah, Souma, you¡­really are, you know¡­¡± (Maki)


    Maki sighed, exasperated, for some reason.


    ¡°Y-You can proudly call yourself the ¡®strongest¡¯ by winning in such a manner¡ªaah, no.


    You are that kind of person. Please forget about it. It was a stupid question.¡± (Mitsuki)


    The rare smile of Mitsuki went back to her usual iron face¡­no, she was directing a cold expression.


    On the other hand¡­


    ¡°¡­Hmm, well, what was weird was that he would say he is going to aim to become the strongest in a fight fair and square.


    You could say he is back to his usual self.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°¡­Hn. I am¡­a bit relieved. Souma¡­is really¡­Souma!¡± (Ringo)


    Sazan and Ringo should be saying supportive words here, but I wonder why¡­what they said stabbed my heart more than the others.


    ¡°¡­A-Anyways!¡± (Souma)


    It would be difficult to defeat the Evil God as we are right now.


    In order to defeat the future ¡®strongest¡¯, we also need to prepare the strongest spear and shield.


    There¡¯s something I need for the sake of that¡­


    ¡°It seems like I really do have to go get it.¡± (Souma)


    The weapon called the strongest misfortunate weapon sleeping in the Hidden Dungeon, Soul Eater, and¡­


    ¡°¡ªThe ultimate weapon against the Evil God that was impossible to obtain in the game, Ultihate!!¡± (Souma)


    ¡ª-


    Author: While I was writing this chapter, I thought: ¡®Souma is actually a pretty dangerous guy?¡¯.

 CH 221

    Light


    Dark


    ¡ªUltihate is basically the sword of the hero that was held by Hero Alex.


    Its history isn¡¯t anything to scoff about, but it is said to exist since before the Evil God Great War, the Seal Priestess is needed to obtain it, and when the priestess speaks the password at the fortress called the Old Castle, you will be able to take the Trial of Gods. By overcoming this, you will get the Absolute Divine Sword, Ultihate.


    If the info leaked before the game was released is true, it has attack power that surpasses others at an impressive 999.


    The second one with the highest attack power is the Soul Eater with its 666, so you should be able to tell just how incredible it is in comparison.


    But what¡¯s more incredible about it is the special ability.


    It nullifies the long range attacks towards the wearer, and depending on how many friendly NPCs are within that field, you will get a 1% increase in your base stats for each one, so it is an unbelievably broken weapon.


    Well, in reality they simply announced it and it wasn¡¯t implemented in the game though. Being able to obtain that is truly moving.


    However, this Trial of Gods for the sake of obtaining Ultihate is pretty nasty in nature.


    With the priestess speaking the key words, a teleportation gate appears for a special map.


    When you cross that gate, you will definitely show up in the map where the Ultihate is enshrined.


    There you will find a light path of around 30 meters and the Ultihate in sight.


    That¡¯s as far as the companions can go with you. The only one who can take a step on that light path is the one person taking the trial.


    If you try to proceed with more than two people, the light path that serves as your footing apparently disappears.


    The trial consists of light blades assailing you from all sides. You would have to avoid them as you advance through the light path, and if you touch Ultihate, you win¡­but the stats of the person doing the challenge will be restricted to that of a normal person, and you won¡¯t be able to use skills, spells, and items either.


    If we talk about it in game terms, it is a map where the skills of the player dictate the result and not the level.


    It becomes a complete action game where stats don¡¯t matter, so for me who has been going ham with skills and stats, this is a pretty tough challenge.


    But even if I am no good at it, it doesn¡¯t mean I can leave this trial to the others.


    The only one who can use Ultihate is the one who did the trial.


    It apparently becomes an exclusive weapon for the one who overcomes the trial and touches Ultihate.


    At least there¡¯s the positive factor that when I said I would be heading off to get Ultihate at the Seal Lineage village, Sazan¡¯s father -Shud- told me information that could be of use.


    According to him, there have only been around 5 priestesses in recorded history to have activated the Ultihate altar.


    Within those, there was one that simply confirmed the existence of Ultihate and was satisfied, but for the remaining 4, they would bring their respective partners, and actually challenged the Trial of Gods.


    In summary¡­


    The first one was apparently the number one most confident in his strength.


    However, being strong won¡¯t be of any help in this trial.


    He apparently judged it was impossible for him and withdrew after just advancing a few meters.


    The second one was a man whose bragging point was his nimbleness.


    But that body of his was restricted in the trial.


    An arm was severed from him after advancing around a third of the way and he desperately returned.


    A light blade appeared on his way back and he injured his leg as well, but he somehow managed to return to the starting point, was healed by the priestess, and somehow managed to survive.


    The third man was a smart one.


    He casted every type of support spell on him and challenged the light path¡­


    But all of them were negated the moment he entered the light path, and died in just a few seconds.


    And then, the fourth one that reached the furthest was a careful man.


    He challenged the trial over and over, and by retreating without overexerting himself, he was slowly measuring the timing and location where the light swords were flying from.


    ¡°It is possible! It can be done!


    It is true that it is hard to get through here at your first try, but there¡¯s a fixed pattern to these light swords!


    I think I will be able to get through it if I take my time and practice!¡±


    After challenging it dozens of times, the man said this when he had reached around the half point, and then, in his next challenge, he never returned again.


    It is results that made me lose my fire, but there¡¯s a number of things I got from this.


    Even if you fail the trial, you can redo it.


    The light path not only nullifies the activation of skills, but also the buffs you have on.


    If you return to the start, you can use magic and skills, so you can recover without issues.


    And most likely¡­


    After further than half of this trial passes and the challenger gets used to this gimmick, ¡®something¡¯ will happen.


    I don¡¯t have the time to get cold feet.


    After hearing the stories, we wrapped it up and departed. We returned to the Sky City while dragging Mitsuki whose cat ears were trembling and didn¡¯t want to, and we all headed to the Old Castle.


    Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t that difficult to get all the way there.


    We have our midgame ally, the flying ship¡­I mean, the Sky City.


    The altar of the Old Castle is completely exposed outside, so we moved to the Old Castle from the sky, and simply by going down with the escape device, we managed to arrive at the altar without fighting once.


    We managed to reach this hidden map thanks to the cooperation of Sazan, and if I can just touch that sword, it will all be done.


    ¡°If this wasn¡¯t an isolated map, we could have done stuff like dropping to the goal with the Sky City though.¡± (Souma)


    I muttered this unconsciously, but shook my head.


    I don¡¯t plan on doing such petty tricks here.


    I will just go straight ahead, touch the sword, and come back.


    That¡¯s all there is to it.


    Of course, there¡¯s the possibility of me dying if I fail.


    But¡­


    ¡°I am trying to get my selfishness through with the fate of the world at stake after all.


    I should be gambling my life here a bit too.¡± (Souma)


    This is the least I can do to take responsibility.


    ¡°H-Hey, Souma, are you really going to be doing this?¡± (Maki)


    The one who interrupted my thoughts was the uneasy voice of Maki.


    ¡°I told you about the specs of Ultihate, right?


    That weapon is absolutely necessary to defeat the Evil God.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Y-Yeah, I get that, but¡­but Souma, you are really completely hopeless when it comes to physical stuff. Can you really clear this without skills and magic?¡± (Maki)


    I smiled at Maki who was still worried.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It is not like I am going to go straight on to the goal.


    I have come here today just for a taste test.¡± (Souma)


    Putting my life on the line doesn¡¯t exactly mean to throw my life away.


    Different from the sudden troubles we have had, I am planning on challenging this trial with perfect preparations.


    ¡°Ringo, I am sorry, but prepare healing items just in case.¡± (Souma)


    After confirming that Ringo had run to my side in the starting point, I moved towards the light path.


    Maki seems to be worried, but I do have my plan.


    I may not have any athletic skills, but I have a big ¡®weapon¡¯ other challengers didn¡¯t.


    ¡°Now then, shall we refresh for a bit.¡± (Souma)


    I take out the stone slate and touch the 12th Chapter.


    I was shown the gallant figure of Alex challenging the Trial of Gods.


    ¡ªThe 12th Chapter starts just when Alex arrives at the altar. When he is just about to challenge the Trial of Gods.


    The moment Neitia chanted the incantation and the view moved to that of the trial, I internally cheered when I saw the scenery spreading before me.


    Because the scenery I see in the recording wasn¡¯t one bit different from that of the trial I am in at the moment.


    I couldn¡¯t say for sure just from memory, but when comparing both like this, the length and width of the light path, and the distance to the goal which is Ultihate, it should be safe to assume they are all exactly the same.


    It should be safe to assume my chances of winning have increased with this.


    If I just rely on the recording to practice, it should work plenty well in my trial.


    (Woops¡­) (Souma)


    There might be some sort of pitfall if I get all confident like this.


    I carefully observe the performance of Alex in the trial even more seriously than when I saw it before.


    He jumped the first light blade created flying in an angle as if cutting off the ankle, and that jump served as the beginning of Alex¡¯s trial.


    I was impressed by his acrobatic movements, but when I tried thinking ¡®if I was the one standing there¡¯, I understood something new.


    (I¡­see¡­) (Souma)


    The movements of Alex are truly incredible.


    Even though his physical strength is being restricted, with his unbelievable physical reflexes and his ability to deal with things on the spot, he was avoiding each and every pinch he fell into.


    It is not only simply because his ability is high, but because he has mastered how to use his own body.


    I doubt I would be able to pull off the same thing as him in my first try.


    But that¡¯s if the amount of knowledge we have is the same.


    Even if I can¡¯t match him in his speed to react to things and the sharpness of his decisions, if I simulate beforehand where the next blade comes and how to move at that time, it may not be the same, but I feel like I would be able to move in a way that wouldn¡¯t lose to him.


    (I am somewhat good at memorization games.) (Souma)


    I watched while thinking this, and Alex finally arrived two meters before the goal.


    But then¡­


    (U-Uwa!) (Souma)


    Without any sign of it, a light blade was created right at the feet of Alex and flew at him.


    The amount of time it took to appear and fly was just a mere 0.5 seconds.


    I don¡¯t know if it was wild instinct or the protection of the gods, but Alex was coincidentally looking down, so he noticed the blade just in time, and bend his body to avoid it, but I doubt anyone would be able to avoid it without knowing about it.


    ¡­That¡¯s right. If you don¡¯t know about it.


    (Did the 4th man fall for this and die?) (Souma)


    But if the ¡®pitfall¡¯ of this trial is just that, it won¡¯t reach me as someone who holds the stone slate.


    It shouldn¡¯t pose that much of an issue.


    (I should try testing out the activation of the traps later.) (Souma)


    I think this while Alex overcame the trial and was happily looking at the Divine Sword, as I myself couldn¡¯t hide my own happiness.


    ¡°¡ªSouma!!¡±


    A shout hit my ears.


    That wasn¡¯t a voice created from the recording but the voice of Ringo notifying me of danger.


    The reason for that shout was clear.


    The light blade created from around the area where Ultihate is flew at me at high speed.


    ¡°Woah there.¡± (Souma)


    I let out a languid voice and jumped to the side in an exaggerated manner.


    The light blade passed by my side and disappeared into nothingness.


    ¡°Here is¡­¡± (Souma)


    I got shivers at the blade I saw on the raw for the first time.


    But there¡¯s no doubt about it.


    This place is completely the same as the one in the recording, and the light blade that showed up just now is exactly like the first trap of the recording.


    It is true that I am not good in all facets of athleticism.


    But if it is just advancing 30 meters, I should be able to do it as long as I practice over and over!


    Feeling some faint hope in this, I tightened my fist.


    ¡°It is possible! It can be done!


    I think I will be able to get through it if I take my time and practice!¡± (Souma)


    Seeing me all merry, my comrades that were tense until just now directed soft smiles at me.


    Just one person¡­


    ¡°¡­It is okay to believe in you, right, Souma?¡±


    Excluding my cousin who is still looking at me with worry¡­


    ¡ª-


    Author:


    Q. It is okay to believe in you, right, Souma?


    A. There¡¯s no way it is okay to believe in Souma.

 CH 222

    Light


    Dark


    ¡ªIt has been 3 days since I challenged the trial of gods.


    I am just a normal person, so it is necessary for me to practice a lot in order to get through that trial with certainty.


    However, I thought it would be difficult to prepare the appropriate environment for it, but that¡¯s when Mitsuki showed her overpowered technique.


    ¡°That path in the sky? The width is around 1 meter and 92 centimeters.


    The distance to the sword is a bit more than 32 meters.¡± (Mitsuki)


    I still can¡¯t forget how Mitsuki answered nonchalantly like that.


    Her spatial awareness is so high, or like, as she polished her ability to measure distance, she managed to be able to measure distance with a margin of error of just around a few centimeters if it is within 100 meters.


    What kind of superhuman are you? -is what I want to say, but I am actually thankful.


    Behind the coaching of Mitsuki, we managed to recreate a facility after the trial of gods, and I repeated my training there for the trial.


    That said, it is absolutely necessary to watch the recording in order to increase the accuracy of the training.


    I can only use that once a day, so I can¡¯t just bring out results in one go.


    ¡°And so, how¡¯s the progress of the training?¡± (Maki)


    When Maki asked me in the Nekomimi Neko Mansion while we had dinner, I ended up quivering a bit.


    ¡°I-It has gotten a lot better than the first time. I am working hard.


    Or more like, you have a splendid house¡­I mean, castle, so at least go back when it is dinner.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Too bad~! I have already gotten permission from Father~.¡± Maki)


    Maki spit that out as if saying ¡®as if I will let you throw me out¡¯.


    It is annoying, but this livened up the conversation.


    I was relieved by this and¡­


    ¡°¡­And so¡­the training¡­?¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo joined in and returned the topic.


    We are talking about Ringo who looks as if she is spaced out, but is actually sharp.


    She probably saw through my lack of confidence.


    ¡°U-Uhm¡­as I said, I am doing my best.


    J-Just now, I was practicing for the real deal, you know.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­And?¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo continued pursuing the topic.


    I gave up and finally spoke.


    ¡°Uhm¡­I fell.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh?!¡± (Ina)


    When I confessed this, Ina, who didn¡¯t react much until now, leaned forward.


    ¡°W-What do you mean by you fell?¡± (Ina)


    ¡°A-As I said, I¡­fell down to the outside of the training spot.¡± (Souma)


    The gaze of Maki as if saying ¡®I knew it¡¯ pierced me.


    ¡°N-No, it can¡¯t be helped!


    I didn¡¯t know it would be that hard until I actually tried it¡­¡± (Souma)


    Even I could tell this is a pretty unsightly excuse, but¡­


    ¡°U-Uhm, is it really going to be okay?


    In that trial, level and all that stuff is pointless, right?


    If you were to fail, even if it is you, Souma-san¡­¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± (Souma)


    Those words of Ina that showed heartfelt worry for me made me fall silent.


    If you are going to make fun of me, I can still respond to it, but if they show me such serious concern, I can¡¯t even come strong at them.


    I raised my voice as if trying to escape from that uncomfortable atmosphere.


    ¡°A-Anyways, I have good news for everyone!¡± (Souma)


    The timing feels as if I am trying to divert the topic, but I don¡¯t mean anything bad from it.


    As long as there¡¯s the issue of the stone slate, there¡¯s no point in getting so worried about the practice of the trial.


    More importantly, it would be a waste of time if everyone aside from me doesn¡¯t have anything to do. And so, I had everyone gather ¡®certain items¡¯ as training, but it seems like they have finally gathered them all.


    I lined up the gathered items on the table.


    What was lined up there was the Sunlight Pyroxene and the items used to open the Hidden Dungeon¡¯s entrance.


    It was a whole trove of issues to place them in the proper order in the game, but the fortune within the misfortune is that, because of how much of an impression it left in me when searching for the correct pattern, I still remember clearly where I should be placing those items.


    In other words, now that we have these items¡­


    ¡°Finally, we can enter the Sealed Magic Dungeon, huh.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Yeah, the Soul Eater in that dungeon is absolutely necessary to strengthen our battle power.


    I am thinking of making preparations and challenging it tomorrow.¡± (Souma)


    When I declared this, the atmosphere of my comrades turned tense in one go.


    ¡°Then, will we all be going there tomorrow?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°No, the Sealed Magic Dungeon is a high difficulty dungeon. If we go with a lot of people, the risk of dying increases.


    I am thinking about going with one more person. So two people.¡± (Souma)


    I could tell the room grew even more tense.


    Looks like they are worried about who will be chosen for the biggest job this time around.


    I felt those gazes to a painful degree while designating a certain person.


    ¡°¡ªSazan, I want you to come with me.¡± (Souma)


    When the masked mage heard this, she nodded in her usual haughty fashion.


    ¡°Fuh, me, huh. Knew it. In such important moments¡ªeh?! M-Me?!¡± (Sazan)


    And then, she got so surprised to the point where her mask tilted to the side.


    ¡°Yeah, I would like Sazan to come with me to the Sealed Magic Dungeon.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh, ah, i-isn¡¯t stuff like this given to people like Mitsuki or Ringo¡­?¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan was panicking here unlike herself.


    It is amusing to see her like that, but the Sealed Magic Dungeon is the highest difficulty dungeon.


    Of course, your life will be in danger too.


    I shouldn¡¯t be teasing her here.


    I invited Sazan with as much sincerity as possible.


    ¡°I need your strength¡­ Can you come with me?¡± (Souma)


    Sazan must not have expected me to speak to her seriously here, she pointlessly waved her hands in panic, and after looking to the sides for no reason¡­


    ¡°Ah, uhm¡­if you are okay with m-me¡­


    ¡­I-I will be in your care.¡± (Sazan)


    She gave me her hand for some reason.


    I don¡¯t really get it, but I shook her hand for now.


    ¡°¡­Then, does that mean the other ones will be on standby at the mansion?¡± (Mitsuki)


    I couldn¡¯t tell when to stop, so I ended up in a handshake with Sazan for quite a while, but I snapped back at the somewhat cold voice of Mitsuki.


    It is not like we were doing something bad here, but I felt like I was being judged, and I hurriedly spoke.


    ¡°Ah, no, I of course have things I would like you all to do as well.


    There¡¯s a lot of things I would like you to gather aside from weapons, so I want you to divide the work and gather them.¡± (Souma)


    I faced Mitsuki.


    ¡°First, I would like Mitsuki to hunt Butchers in the Deus Plains.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Butchers¡­ I see. To gather up Power Seeds.¡± (Mitsuki)


    It really helps that Mitsuki is quick on the uptake.


    ¡°I think you will be able to defeat the King Butchers alone without much trouble.


    Butchers definitely drop Power Seeds when defeated, so I would like you to gather them, Mitsuki.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Got it.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki is an all-rounder, so I was a bit worried about what to have her do, but when it comes to someone who can defeat a Butcher without risks, it would be none other than her.


    And the next important job is¡­


    ¡°Then there¡¯s Maki and Ringo. It is a bit dangerous, but I would like you two to head to the Demon Lord Castle.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°The Demon Lord Castle? But that place is¡­¡± (Maki)


    I know what she is trying to say.


    That place is submerged and the Demon Lord has already died from that.


    Of course, there¡¯s no way the weak monsters inside the castle would be fine either¡­


    ¡°I had Mitsuki go get the Sunlight Pyroxene the Demon Lord had, but most of the monsters there either died from drowning damage or were in a critical state.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°But the dropped items of monsters will remain for a while after they die.


    There were items here and there inside the castle when I went there.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki follows up after me.


    Maki tilted her head at that.


    ¡°Eh? You didn¡¯t pick the items up even though they were there?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°No, that¡¯s¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears were flapping about as if feeling bad about it.


    Cute¡­no, that¡¯s not it.


    ¡°Aah, about that¡­Mitsuki has a Demon Lord Castle allergy.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Heh?¡± (Maki)


    Being told an absurd disease name, Maki¡¯s eyes opened wide.


    ¡°I thought I managed to overcome it when the Demon Lord fell, but even now, I would be assailed with symptoms like: my pulse would rise, be out of breath, feel dizzy, have a dry throat, and would be compelled to fight a strong enemy.


    And so, I just secured the Sunlight Pyroxene and came back.¡± (Mitsuki)


    It kind of sounds like the symptoms of a cold, but this is because of the setting of the Nekomimi Neko developers who felt the battle against the Demon Lord would be too easy with Mitsuki accompanying the player.


    The last one felt a bit off, but that¡¯s surely because of Nekomimi Neko.


    It must be.


    ¡°A-Anyways, there¡¯s still items left there in the Demon Lord Castle.


    That¡¯s why I want you two to collect them.¡± (Souma)


    When I said this, Ringo hammered her hand as if a light bulb had turned on on top of her head.


    ¡°¡­Hn, got it! Corpse scavenging!¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Y-You are not wrong, but let¡¯s consider the phrasing, okay?!¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s the last dungeon after all.


    The enemies showing up there are strong, so the quality of the items is also high.


    ¡°But the enemies in the Demon Lord Castle are strong, so be careful, okay? If you think it is getting rough, return with the Teleport Stone.¡± (Souma)


    I think Ringo and Maki should be able to manage somehow with their strength, but it would be terrible if they were to die from this.


    When I warned them like this, the two nodded clearly.


    ¡°What I want you to gather up more are consumables rather than gear.


    The enemies there drop expensive potions and healing items. Also, there¡¯s the highest rarity potions within the rare drop loot table, and even the Dragon¡¯s Treasure which showed up in the record¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh?!!¡±


    The one who reacted the most at my words was not the two but Ina.


    I wondered why Ina raised her voice like that and she looked at me with a serious expression.


    ¡°W-What¡¯s the matter? Shouting loudly like that all of a sudden.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Ah, no, uhm¡­I just thought you and the others really did conquer the Demon Lord Castle¡­¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Eh? Y-Yeah, now that I think about it, you weren¡¯t there.¡± (Souma)


    I don¡¯t know if to call it conquer, but I can see why she reacted like that¡­I guess?


    ¡°U-Uhm¡­Can I go to the Demon Lord Castle too?¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Souma)


    While I was flustered by this, Ina hesitantly said this.


    ¡°I would like to see the Demon Lord Castle once at least, and¡­I also want to be of use to you, Souma-san!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I am happy with your enthusiasm, but you don¡¯t have a Water Dragon Ring.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Uh, that¡¯s¡­¡± (Ina)


    A Water Dragon Ring is necessary when fighting in an underwater place.


    But that¡¯s bugged gear, so we can¡¯t give it to someone who doesn¡¯t have it.


    ¡°I-I have something else to ask.


    The Evil God is sealed in a marshland, right?


    I would like you to get an item called Float Ring so that we can stand on top of water.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°B-But¡­¡± (Ina)


    Ina seemed to still be insistent, but¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s in a dungeon in Lamurick.


    You are more knowledgeable if it is Lamurick, right?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­yeah, I will do my best.¡± (Ina)


    She yielded when I insisted.


    I quickly gave the instructions before she changed her mind.


    ¡°Then, Leila, please go together with Ina to search for the Float Ring.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Okay! I will achieve this even if it costs me my life!¡± (Leila)


    ¡°N-No, you don¡¯t have to pay with your life for this.¡± (Souma)


    The dungeon where the Float Ring is in isn¡¯t life threatening in the first place.


    I was bothered by Ina who seemed to not be convinced yet, but all our jobs have been decided with this.


    At the end, I decided to speak to Sazan who will be going with me tomorrow.


    ¡°Then, Sazan, counting on you tomorrow.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Fuh! Don¡¯t worry. With me accompanying you, no matter how difficult of an ordeal, it is practically solved.


    That¡¯s why, uhm¡­I definitely¡­won¡¯t make you regret choosing me.¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan said this in a low voice in the latter half, but it seems like she is motivated.


    We dispersed that day while thinking I can look forward to this.


    And then, the next day.


    ¡°Then, Sazan, I am counting on you.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I-I knew it was something like this! [Tidal Wave]!¡± (Sazan)


    There was me and Sazan filling up the Sealed Magic Dungeon with water all cheerfully.


    ¡°Kuuuuh! I didn¡¯t learn magic for the sake of something like this!!¡± (Sazan)


    Submerging a dungeon is incredibly effective against closed dungeons. I learned this from the Demon Lord Castle.


    I couldn¡¯t implement this in the tower, the Sky city, and the mysterious space, but we should be able to submerge the Sealed Magic Dungeon with this.


    If it is a sunk place, we can defeat them without doing anything with the water damage, and even if that¡¯s not the case, we can restrict their movements inside the water.


    It really is two birds with one stone.


    ¡°I-In the first place, you can use Tidal Wave too!


    You could have come alone!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°I don¡¯t have high MP because I am a warrior type.


    Also, it would be safer for one to keep watch while the other is using magic, right?¡± (Souma)


    Sazan is a mana monster and has the Water Dragon Ring, so there¡¯s no issue with her acting underwater.


    You could say she is the best for the job.


    ¡°Damn it! Damn iiiiitt!! Even though I was so nervous yesterday I couldn¡¯t sleep! Uuuuuh!¡± (Sazan)


    I felt like there¡¯s no need to get so worked up, but being unexpectedly timid despite being so haughty is the nice part of Sazan.


    But contrary to the dissatisfaction of Sazan, the exploration went extremely well.


    It is a dungeon I have gone to countless times, so I know where the treasure chest of the Soul Eater is at.


    The enemies along the way were almost all unable to fight, and we managed to get it easily to a baffling degree.


    ¡°A-Are we done with this?¡± (Sazan)


    It seems like Sazan thought this too, so she said this with a slightly tenseless voice.


    But¡­


    ¡°¡­Actually, I didn¡¯t tell everyone, but there¡¯s actually one more reason why I came here.¡± (Souma)


    When I said this, Sazan was surprised and then directed eyes of doubt at me.


    ¡°N-No! When you open up at a moment like this, it is definitely something I must not hear!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°O-Oi oi¡­¡± (Souma)


    I would say it is actually good news for Sazan though. What a rude person.


    Well, fine.


    ¡°We are all the way here already anyways, you know.¡± (Souma)


    I forcefully tear away the hands of Sazan covering her ears while going ¡®no no no¡¯.


    ¡°¡ªWhile at it, let¡¯s go deeper in and drown the Evil God too!¡± (Souma)


    I proposed this with a smile.

 CH 223

    Light


    Dark


    ¡ªAnd so, the Evil God Fragment drowned and died.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®and so¡¯ me! Don¡¯t try to wash it off all nonchalantly!


    Ugaaaaah! I was so worried about the Evil God Fragment until now! Aaaah!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan was making a ruckus on her own and worrying on her own.


    What an emotionally unstable girl.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really get it, but cheer up.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Y-You! You telling me thaaaat!!¡± (Sazan)


    Even though I tried soothing her, she instead got even more altered.


    I really don¡¯t get the mind of a weirdo.


    Sazan made a ruckus for a while after that, but when she finally calmed down, she asked me with a serious voice.


    ¡°¡­But is that okay?


    This should have accelerated the resurrection of the Evil God¡¯s main body, and we might not be able to drown the Evil God anymore.¡± (Sazan)


    The death of the fragment strengthens the remaining main body and promotes the resurrection.


    But I am prepared for that.


    ¡°Worrying about that at this point? We already defeated 3 fragments before this, so there was no escape anyways.


    Now that we are here, we might as well rush all the way to the end.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°You¡­really have a strong heart.¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan said this as if looking at something dazzling, but that¡¯s a bit different.


    ¡°¡­I am also aware we are doing something outrageous here.


    If it were just me, I might not have been able to take that step.


    But I have comrades supporting me even in this outrageous endeavor.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Y-You¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan¡¯s eyes opened wide at my true feelings I rarely voice out.


    I added.


    ¡°Also, the drowning is fine already.


    This might give the resistance from drowning to the main body of the Evil God. But we would only be able to kill it once or twice with this method anyways.


    I wasn¡¯t aiming for that from the very beginning.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°You¡­You really are¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan shook her head once, twice and showed a smile.


    ¡°¡­Even though I thought I knew you were an incredible guy.


    A bit¡­no, sometimes¡­ah, always, maybe? There are parts that I can¡¯t follow, but even that Soul Eater weapon has some sort of crazy ability, right?¡± (Sazan)


    Those words of Sazan mixed with 50% baffled, 40% resignation, and 10% admiration¡­made me feel like the explanation switch inside me had been flipped.


    ¡°Ooh! You are asking? Aren¡¯t you?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh, no¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan was making a disagreeable face, but it was already too late.


    I have been waiting to say this so much, so much, so much, it was unbearable.


    ¡°Then, listen! This Soul Eater¡¯s sad history!


    To the fate of the endless strife between the Nekomimi Neko developers and the players¡­!¡± (Souma)


    I brought out the strongest scythe (there¡¯s no scythe category, so the weapon category is greataxe though) which I obtained just now and began talking.


    ¡°This Soul Eater has a 666 attack power which is the highest attack power within the weapons that were in the actual game. On top of that, it even has a special ability that is fitting for the strongest weapon.


    Then, why do you think it was still called the Unfortunate Strongest Weapon?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°N-No, there¡¯s no way I would know somet¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°That¡¯s right! The biggest enemy of gamers¡­because of the NERF!¡± (Souma)


    Sazan made a confused face at the unknown term.


    ¡°N-Naa¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Nerf. There¡¯s apparently people who would read it incorrectly at times, but you must not. I will omit the detailed root of the word Nerf, but it is basically adjusting downwards.


    The description of this Soul Eater is: The ones who are cut by this scythe have their vitality and life force stolen.


    It had an outrageously strong ability that allowed you to steal the HP and Stamina of the enemy by the same amount of damage you dealt.¡± (Souma)


    Especially in Nekomimi Neko where the HP of the monsters tends to be high and the HP of the players is low.


    It wasn¡¯t strange for cases where the player would recover to full HP with enough damage dealt against a monster.


    ¡°There were a lot of fanatics and antis because of how strong it was. The forums would have comments like: ¡®it is so strong, lol¡¯, ¡®the one weapon to rule them all¡¯, ¡®too broken¡¯, ¡®why does it absorb HP?¡¯, ¡®it should be called Life Eater, not Soul Eater¡¯. You would see stuff like that all day, all night.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°U-Uhm¡­as I said, I didn¡¯t as¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°BUT! A fearsome monster attacked the Soul Eater!!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°M-Monster¡­?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Yeah¡­ A monster called the balance patch!¡± (Souma)


    Sazan is unexpectedly good at riding the flow and chimes in despite being scared of my attitude.


    That improved my mood, so I speak of that tragedy while moving my hands around dramatically.


    ¡°There was an entry in the patch that said: We have adjusted the special ability of the Soul Eater.


    And then, after checking it out themselves, the Nekomimi Neko players fell into despair.


    Its past HP absorption ability that was swung in fury had been removed, and the stamina absorption didn¡¯t give you a raw recovery of the damage like before; it was changed to recover 1 every hit!


    1?! What is 1?!!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Y-Yeah, that¡¯s terrible¡­right?¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Right?! It is horrible!¡± (Souma)


    Of course, the Nekomimi Neko players wouldn¡¯t buckle with just that.


    ¡°This patch obviously raised complaints. ¡®Why did you erase the HP absorption?!¡¯, ¡®The description says it steals away the lifeforce, you bastards!¡¯, ¡®This is a scam! I will sue!!¡¯ several tens to hundreds of those claims were sent their way.


    And then, finally, a new adjustment was made to the Soul Eater.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°T-That¡¯s great.¡± (Sazan)


    She was strangely cowering here as if gauging my mood.


    ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t great at all!! What was adjusted from the Soul Eater wasn¡¯t an adjustment in its capabilities! They went for the warped solution of erasing the part of the description that said ¡®steals the lifeforce¡¯!!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Uwaah¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan bent as if taken aback.


    But why are you trying to move away from me too? I am still not done here.


    ¡°Obviously, there¡¯s no way the Nekomimi Neko players would accept this!


    Emails, calls, protests in the Wiki; we did our utmost effort to revive the Soul Eater.


    And then, finally¡­the Nekomimi Neko developers accepted complete defeat, and they responded by saying¡­they would bring back the life force absorption ability from the Soul Eater in the last patch!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Uhm, in other words, summarizing all that long story, it means that the Soul Eater has returned to how it was originally?¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan said this as if implying that it was a waste of time to hear such a long story.


    I chuckled at the naivety.


    ¡°It would have been nice if that was the case.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh? T-Then, the patch didn¡¯t come out?¡± (Sazan)


    I shook my head powerlessly at that.


    ¡°The patch itself came out. It did, but there was apparently already no decent programmer left.


    I was wondering to myself what is the effect it had now, so I purposely lowered my character¡¯s HP to 100, and punched an enemy with the Soul Eater.


    But you know¡­no matter how many times¡­how many dozens of times I punched, it didn¡¯t even budge an inch from the 100¡­¡± (Souma)


    In other words, they failed to bring it back.


    This is something I heard after the fact, but the established theory on the net is that they messed up in the skill programming.


    ¡°¡­It was a sad incident.¡± (Souma)


    I muttered this, gazing at empty space, as if looking back at a distant past, towards memories that are unpleasant yet hard to forget.


    ¡°Hey¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Seeing me like that, Sazan made a tired smile as if she had aged several years.


    ¡°For now, can we throw away that scythe?¡± (Sazan)


    I somehow managed to calm down Sazan who had snapped for some reason and went ¡®there¡¯s no need for such a useless item, right?! I will throw it away!¡¯ and returned to the mansion.


    It is true that its importance decreased compared to its first iteration, but even with that, its healing property by hits is still pretty useful depending on how you use it.


    Especially when using techniques focused on the number of hits.


    Anyways, by the time we returned to the mansion while Sazan was mumbling stuff like ¡®I am not a water dispenser¡¯ and ¡®even though it was a rare opportunity with only the two of us¡¯, the sun was close to going down.


    I thought we did it pretty smoothly, but it seems like the little detour and the explanation of the Soul Eater took a lot more time than expected.


    When we entered the mansion, we ended up meeting Maki and Mitsuki in the corridor.


    ¡°Nice timing. Here.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki gave me a whole lot of seeds.


    ¡­Isn¡¯t this twice the amount of what I wanted her to obtain in one day?


    ¡°Aah, thanks.¡± (Souma)


    I take that with a slightly stiff smile and put it inside my bag for now.


    ¡°As for Maki¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Had a big catch! There were stuff like poshons(?), the Dragon¡¯s Treasure, and even weapons scattered about, so we picked them up!


    There were no enemies, and even if there were, Ringo-chan would immediately zappy zap zap them, so it was pretty easy.¡± (Maki)


    Maki said this really happily while mixing in hand movements.


    Despite that, I see no signs of her giving me the items.


    ¡°Uhm, Ina-chan said she would be giving them to you and received them. You haven¡¯t met her yet, right?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Ina did?¡± (Souma)


    There¡¯s no need to do that when we are in the same mansion, is what I thought as I chuckled, but Mitsuki raised an eyebrow at this.


    ¡°That¡¯s weird. The ring tells me she is in the garden at the back.


    If she had taken such a job, judging from her personality, she would be waiting either in the living room or the entrance though.¡± (Mitsuki)


    The moment I heard this, the state of Ina yesterday flashed in my mind.


    Her somewhat agitated state.


    What was she interested in?


    ¡°I-I will go search for her!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh? Souma?!¡± (Maki)


    Maki tried to stop me, but I didn¡¯t.


    I ran through the mansion with minute Steps and got to the rear garden.


    The one there was¡­


    ¡°Ina¡­¡± (Souma)


    The girl standing with teary eyes, holding a certain item.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s not it. This is¡­! This¡­is¡­¡± (Ina)


    The item she was holding is¡­the forbidden gem that can change people into weapons: the Dragon¡¯s Treasure.


    Noticing that it was pointless to play it off, Ina lowered her head powerlessly and muttered.


    ¡°I am¡­hopeless. I don¡¯t have the courage at the important moments¡­


    I am useless at the most important parts¡­¡± (Ina)


    ¡°That¡¯s not true¡­¡± (Souma)


    I said that, but those words don¡¯t seem to reach her.


    I had no choice but to ask her instead.


    ¡°That¡­you planned on using it?¡± (Souma)


    She shook her head loosely in a way that I can¡¯t tell if she was affirming or denying.


    ¡°That was my intention, but¡­I couldn¡¯t.


    I didn¡¯t have the courage¡­¡± (Ina)


    She bit her lips with an expression that was painful for me.


    ¡°Why¡­ Why do something like that?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Because I¡­can¡¯t be of use to you, Souma-san.


    This is the least I can do¡­to be of use.¡± (Ina)


    That¡¯s a way too tragic a resolution.


    It is true that the base stats of Ina have increased thanks to the Mutual Love Ring of hers.


    If she were to use the Dragon¡¯s Treasure, it would no doubt create a strong weapon unlike any other.


    But that would be too saddening of a power.


    Power that¡¯s too far apart from the power I desire.


    ¡°Did you think I would be happy with something like that¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I was angered and was about to say more, but¡­


    ¡°¡ªIf you have a strong weapon!! You wouldn¡¯t need to do the trial!¡± (Ina)


    It was erased by even stronger words.


    Ina looked at me while trembling, while crying, even so, her eyes held strong.


    ¡°I-I know that you are strong and incredible, Souma-san.


    But in that¡­that trial, you can¡¯t use skill or magic or anything, you know?


    Just thinking about the possibility that you might¡­might die there, I¡­¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Ina¡­¡± (Souma)


    My chest grew hot with those emotions, and at the same time, I felt pain at the fact that I had cornered her to this extent.


    But¡­


    ¡°And so, I thought that I might as well just sacrifice myself since I am so useless anyways¡­!¡± (Ina)


    ¡­That¡¯s when I hardened my resolve.


    ¡°¡ªYou are an idiot, Ina.¡± (Souma)


    I deliberately speak haughtily at Ina who is crying.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way I can¡¯t overcome a trial like that, right?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°But you said you failed the practice before¡­¡± (Ina)


    ¡°How long ago was that? My practice today before we departed was a perfect clear, you know?¡± (Souma)


    Of course, succeeding in practice doesn¡¯t literally translate to succeeding in the real deal.


    But I didn¡¯t touch on that.


    ¡°Everyone is overblowing it. You basically just have to walk straight ahead, touch the sword, and come back.


    Do you think I would mess up in something like that?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°B-But¡­but¡­¡± (Ina)


    Seeing Ina drenched in tears, I decided.


    I was actually thinking of doing this after I practiced more, but if I can bring peace of mind to Ina, this is a risk worth taking.


    ¡°In that case, I will show you tomorrow.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Ina)


    I say it one more time to Ina who doesn¡¯t seem to have understood what I said.


    ¡°I am saying I will take the trial tomorrow.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Y-You must not! Such a dangerous thing¡ª¡± (Ina)


    ¡°I¡­!¡± (Souma)


    I won¡¯t let you say what comes after.


    I threw a strong heart and strong resolve towards Ina to blow away her unease.


    ¡°I definitely won¡¯t die. I will walk all the way to the end of that light path for your sake too, Ina!


    That¡¯s why, can you¡­¡± (Soumai)


    ¡ªPlease believe in me?


    A silent question.


    Ina still had tears in her face with uneasy eyes, but¡­


    ¡°¡­Yes.¡± (Ina)


    She answered with that.


    ¡­The next day.


    We went to the Trial of Gods again.


    ¡°You are really going to do it? You could take more time to practice¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°No, I will do it today. I have decided that.¡± (Souma)


    I answered clearly at the last confirmation of Mitsuki.


    Behind me there¡¯s Ringo, Maki, Leila, Sazan, the Bear, and Ina¡¯s uneasy face.


    Even so, I decided to do this.


    No, it is exactly because of that that I must do this.


    ¡­Even though I am thinking that.


    ¡°Your hands are trembling.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki, who had approached me at some point in time, saw through me and my legs stopped.


    Of course I would be.


    This is different from all the adversities until now.


    The skills, spells, and even the stats I have polished; they are completely useless here.


    I have to cross these short yet long 32 meters with my own two feet.


    It would be a lie to say my legs aren¡¯t buckling in fear.


    Mitsuki whispered to me as if she had seen through my fear.


    ¡°I could take your place.¡± (Mitsuki)


    That sweet invitation I would like to jump at reflexively.


    But there would be no point in that.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be crazy.¡± (Souma)


    Only the one who has taken the trial can use Ultihate.


    Also, most of all¡­


    ¡°I do have moments when I want to be stubborn.


    I am not standing down here.¡± (Souma)


    It may be stupid pride.


    But I have no intention of backing down here.


    Mitsuki smiled at my words.


    ¡°I was sure you would say that.


    ¡­Now then, please show me a cool sight that will charm me.¡± (Mitsuki)


    That warm encouragement Mitsuki gave me with a smile¡­


    ¡°¡­That will be a bit impossible.¡± (Souma)


    I responded with rejection.


    Because¡­


    ¡°¡ªI will be ending this in an instant, to a degree where you won¡¯t even have the time to be charmed about it.¡± (Souma)


    I passed by the side of Mitsuki, who had her eyes wide open in surprise, in a really good mood and¡­


    I finally stood in front of the path of light.


    This will be an actual solo battle.


    Once I take a step here, I won¡¯t be able to go back.


    No, I won¡¯t do that.


    ¡°¡­I will do this.¡± (Souma)


    For the sake of defeating the Evil God.


    No, for my own sake.


    To bring peace of mind to Ina and my comrades!!


    I imagine strength flowing through my whole body and I take a deep breath.


    I let out all the weakness inside my body, and fill my brain with only things I should be doing.


    ¡­I am¡­ready.


    ¡°Go!!!¡± (Souma)


    ¡­Indomitable.


    Now that I have begun moving, I definitely won¡¯t stop!


    Having that strong conviction, I finally¡­


    ¡°Push.¡± (Souma)


    ¡ªPush the switch in the stone slate.


    ¡­And then, in what was 1 second in real time¡­


    The me that walked straight ahead on the light path just as practiced¡­safely obtained the Absolute Divine Sword, Ultihate.


    ¡ª¡ª-


    Presentation of small info on Nekomimi Neko.


    [Shoplifting Dash]


    The first one to overthrow this established theory of ¡®Because you can¡¯t use skills or spells in the library, it is impossible to steal books¡¯ was this revolutionary technique.


    The core of this technique is the Evil God Great War Recording at the center of the library. Because time is suspended while watching this recording, it won¡¯t be a crime even if you bring out the book.


    However, because you can¡¯t confirm your current location due to your vision being blocked by the video and the senses of your body thinning out, you will need proper training to reach the exit.


    This extremely useful and practical bug¡¯s downside would be that you can¡¯t move the stone slate.


    If you find a way to carry the stone slate out, please leave a comment in the Wiki!


    Author: Souma did say ¡®I just have to go straight and touch the sword¡¯, and yet, why did no one believe him?

 CH 224

    ¡°Man¡­the Trial of Gods was one hard enemy! ¡­Hm?¡± (Souma)


    Having obtained the Absolute Divine Sword, Ultihate, I made a triumphal return with a chuckle, but I noticed that the gazes of my comrades were cold for some reason.


    How to say it¡­ I feel pressure in their gazes as if saying ¡®this guy, again¡­¡¯.


    ¡°Uuh, why is everyone making such grim faces?


    I-I worked really hard this time around, right?¡± (Souma)


    I achieved the hard endeavor of walking 32 meters with my sense of sight and hearing overwritten.


    I think it would be nice to congratulate me a bit more here.


    Or more like, even though they were that worried about me, why is it that they are looking at me as if they don¡¯t know what to do?


    I was uhm¡­expecting them to come hugging me, overcome with emotion. This is a bit unexpected.


    ¡°Worked hard? If my eyes don¡¯t deceive me, it looked like you moved to the sword in an instant though.


    Can you explain?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki asked me this with a cold tone despite such a nice parting we had.


    I did just as I practiced. I don¡¯t think I did anything that weird, but oh well.


    ¡°Uuh, I think you know the effect of this stone slate¡­¡± (Souma)


    I began talking about it even while still not knowing how to explain it.


    While you are using this Evil God Great War Recording, you will feel as if you have jumped to a different world and are watching the video there, but in system terms, this video is only utilizing vision and hearing. The location you are in the game world and your state are still maintained.


    Putting it in fantasy terms, it would be like your body has been left in reality and only your eyes and ears have flown to the past.


    Basically, if you ignore what¡¯s coming into your eyes and ears, you can move even while watching the video.


    And then, there¡¯s also one more special trait of this recording.


    If you remember the time when Maki ¡®instantly¡¯ curled up when she used the stone slate at the library, you will be able to get the answer.


    Because time doesn¡¯t advance while you are watching the recording, you can basically get the effect of time stopping.


    And so, this bug exploit that utilizes this time stop while you are watching the video is called Shoplifting Dash.


    If you bring the books outside of the library, it will be treated as theft, but because it is not judged as theft while you are watching the video, you can steal books without risks.


    And well, this is the way of using it.


    When I heard magic and skills don¡¯t work in this trial, I immediately thought of the Shoplifting Dash that originated from stealing books from the library where you can¡¯t use skills and magic.


    If I used the stone slate to stop time in this trial, I thought I would be able to clear this trial comparatively easily.


    This thought changing into certainty was when I did a ¡®rehearsal¡¯ the first time we came to the Trial of Gods.


    According to the information I heard beforehand, there¡¯s no real risk in redoing the trial in the middle of it, so I thought of trying out a variety of things.


    And then, I learned in that rehearsal that I could walk on the light path without issues even when time is stopped, and that traps don¡¯t activate when time is stopped.


    In that case, the issue would be whether I can move in those 32 meters on the light path without falling.


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s why I worked hard until today by using the training facility Mitsuki recreated, you know.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°T-Then, what you were training for from the very beginning was¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    I answered honestly to that pointless question.


    ¡°Eh? Yeah, it was obviously training to walk straight in the light path.


    Cause you know, it is pretty hard to move 32 meters in what¡¯s basically a blindfolded state.¡± (Souma)


    You would die if you were to misstep, so I was seriously nervous. It was really rough.


    I said this with those emotions in me, but Mitsuki¡­


    ¡°Aaaaaaahh¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    She sighed in a hard to describe way. Her cat ears laid flat as if saying ¡®I don¡¯t want to hear anything more¡¯.


    ¡­Hmm?


    I thought I told them I would be using the stone slate from the very beginning though. What part was surprising about this?


    I tilted my head and Sazan, who had the same tired face, looked at me as if looking at a weird creature.


    ¡°It is beyond proven at this point with Souma, but¡­that stone slate is outrageous too.


    It can stop time¡­¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°No, I wonder about that. It is indeed handy though.¡± (Souma)


    It is not like it is useful in any situation. The ways of using it are pretty limited.


    In the first place, rather than calling it time stop when watching the video, it is more like it is a state where a lot of things can¡¯t be accessed in system terms, so there isn¡¯t actually much you can do when in that state.


    For example; you can approach the enemy with this, but can¡¯t use skills.


    It is not like it isn¡¯t impossible to swing your sword to attack, but even if it did hit, it wouldn¡¯t be ruled as hitting, and it obviously won¡¯t deal damage.


    It is basically just something you use to move yourself or something.


    You won¡¯t be able to see in front the whole time, so you won¡¯t be able to do anything if you lose your position, and the other limitation is that you can only use it once a day. Moreover, you will have to watch a depressing video for around 1 hour each time. I wouldn¡¯t really like to use it too proactively.


    Even so, it might have been of use when the Evil God Fragment reincarnated and we were aiming for the top floor of the tower, but because Maki had already used it at that time, it wasn¡¯t possible.


    I was confused by the weird atmosphere despite having finished explaining it.


    ¡°A-Anyways! We have obtained what we came for! Congratulations!¡± (Ina)


    Ina congratulated me with a specially bright tone to blow away that atmosphere.


    ¡°Y-Yeah, thanks! We have taken a step forward to defeating the Evil God.¡± (Souma)


    Saying this, I bring out Soul Eater and Ultihate. I hold them in both hands and try waving them around.


    Holding the two top weapons in Nekomimi Neko is pretty impressive.


    If possible, I would have wanted to achieve that when it was a game, but that¡¯s aiming a bit too high.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s the Soul Eater, right?! This is my first time seeing a scythe!


    How to say it, it looks fiendish, or like, super strong.


    We should be able to defeat the Evil God easily with this!¡± (Ina)


    Ina was raising praises with a more natural attitude than before, most likely because she is an adventurer talking about weapons.


    But that¡¯s a bit of a misunderstanding.


    ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ However, this may be obvious, but I am not going to be using it just like that, you know?¡± (Souma)


    When I responded like that in surprise, even Ina looked at me with wide eyes in surprise.


    She asked me in a flustered state.


    ¡°B-But didn¡¯t you come here to get the 2 strongest weapons¡­?¡± (Ina)


    I chuckled at the out of mark words of Ina.


    ¡°No no. Soul Eater and Ultihate are necessary to obtain the strongest spear and shield.


    I didn¡¯t say getting them equaled the strongest weapons.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°T-Then, that Soul Eater¡­¡± (Ina)


    I answered Ina who seemed to be hesitant here.


    ¡°¡ªOf course, I am making them materials to create a weapon!¡± (Souma)


    Strong weapons are of course strong as they are, but they become even stronger weapons after placing them in the synthesizer and merging them with other weapons.


    The 3 factors of making a weapon: Shape, Performance, and Special. By taking out whichever you please and merging it with another, you can create an even stronger and ideal weapon.


    It doesn¡¯t matter in this world, but there were a lot of unique weapons and exclusive weapons that couldn¡¯t be synthesized, but even when only one existed Soul Eater, it didn¡¯t have an impossible to synthesize tag to it.


    It is already asking to be synthesized.


    I threw the Soul Eater with its giant blade into the synthesizer.


    I am already used to synthesizing.


    I finished the process with a hum and returned at once, and everyone was still there waiting for me.


    ¡°To think you would melt the strongest weapons you went through such trouble to obtain.


    You really are as always.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki, who had finally recovered, spoke to me with words that I couldn¡¯t tell if they were a complaint or compliment.


    Those words stabbed a bit at my heart, but the happiness of obtaining a new weapon won.


    ¡°Now, don¡¯t say that. More importantly, check this out.


    This is my new weapon!¡± (Souma)


    I unsheathe the newly synthesized weapon and swing it around.


    An impressive sound of cutting wind was made and it made me feel good.


    ¡­By the way, the weapon still looks like Shiranui, so it looks completely the same in appearance, but it does feel stronger.


    ¡°Alright. I will call this the True Shiranui!¡± (Souma)


    I proclaimed this with high spirits and took out Mast¡ªno, the torch, threw it, and sliced it.


    ¡°Oooh!¡±


    True Shiranui sliced the torch like tofu and cheers were raised from my comrades.


    ¡­Yeah, well, it is natural to be able to slice down a normal torch though.


    ¡°Alright, next is¡­!¡± (Souma)


    Saying this, I unsheathe the Wakizashi with my left hand and tried out dual sword style, and then, Ina asked me in wonder.


    ¡°Uhm¡­are you not going to test out Ultihate?¡± (Ina)


    That weird question that suddenly flew at me made me fall silent for a while.


    Could it be that Ina is tired?


    I answered her with a wry smile while thinking this.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? Ultihate is here¡­right in front of you, right?¡± (Souma)


    Even though I simply answered with the obvious¡­


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Hm?


    It seems like our conversations were not aligning at all, and Ina and I tilted our heads.


    But eventually¡­


    ¡°C-Could it be¡­could it be that¡­¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Hm?¡± (Souma)


    Ina must have thought of something, her face suddenly grew pale and spoke with trembling lips.


    ¡°Could it be¡­that you even synthesized Ultihate¡­?¡± (Ina)


    Ina asked with a scared voice, and I finally understand what they are worried about.


    But that¡¯s an unbelievably needless worry.


    ¡°Aah, it is that, huh. It is okay, it is okay. Don¡¯t worry.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°R-Right? There would be no way¡­¡± (Ina)


    I make a gentle smile and undo the misunderstanding of Ina to relieve her.


    ¡°I have properly left the Performance after all!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­¡­Eh?¡± (Ina)


    After that¡­


    ¡°Aah, sorry, sorry! Please forgive us, God!


    Souma-san had no bad intentions! He is simply a bit touched in the head!


    We are sorry! We are truly sorry!!!¡± (Ina)


    ¡°To think you would melt the gift from God no questions asked. As expected of Souma!¡± (Leila)


    ¡°Heirloom¡­weapon synthesizer¡­Gouging Vajra¡­ Uh, my head¡­!¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Mitsuki! Get a hold of yourself! Mitsukiiiiii!!!¡± (Sazan)


    The panicked shouts of my comrades suddenly bursted in the entrance, and there was now no choice but to postpone the unveiling of the newly created weapons.

 CH 225

    Light


    Dark


    ¡°¡ªHah!!¡±


    The Stray Slime sliced down in one swing disappeared in particles of light as it screamed in its death.


    ¡°This is impressive.¡± (Souma)


    The new Shiranui, True Shiranui, fit in my hand more than ever before, and I defeated all the monsters that appeared in the Deus Plains with one swing.


    Also, the faint light that¡¯s covering my body.


    It is the special ability of Ultihate, the Constancy Buff.


    It is a convenient ability that increases the wielder¡¯s power depending on how many friendly characters are in the field.


    I am currently acting together with my comrades.


    That¡¯s why, even if it is only a low percentage, my stats have increased.


    After the Ultihate panic had calmed down¡­


    ¡°¡­Well, it is not like the Divine Sword will be returning even if we were to complain now.


    That¡¯s why, I will take a good look at the power of the trump card you went as far as to melt down the Divine Sword to create.¡± (Mitsuki)


    And so, we went to the Deus Plains with the suggestion of Mitsuki to get used to the new weapons and to test swing them.


    But because of what happened before¡­


    I would cut and throw, cut and throw¡­no, it is not like I threw them, but anyways, I cut them all down with the intention of search and kill.


    Not only with normal attacks, but I also tried out combos, and they worked without issues.


    As for what I have tried and seen, it seems to have inherited the special ability of Ultihate that ¡®only people who have overcome the trial can use¡¯.


    The exclusive equipment flag normally resides in the ¡®Shape¡¯, so this is unexpected, but because the conditions differ with Ultihate, it might have been a trait within Special.


    Well, depending on how you think about it, it means that they can¡¯t take my weapon. It is handy like that, so let¡¯s just say that¡¯s good.


    This should satisfy Mitsuki too.


    Thinking this¡­


    ¡°How¡¯s that?! This is the power of my True Shiranui!¡± (Souma)


    I looked back with a smug face, but Mitsuki was making a questionable face.


    ¡°I know it is incredibly sharp, but¡­can you please rethink your stance of naming everything with True?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Eh?!¡± (Souma)


    Being told something unexpected straight to my face, I didn¡¯t know what to say.


    ¡°N-No, but you know¡­isn¡¯t True Shiranui cool?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to say this, but that¡¯s probably what¡¯s called a chuuni¡ª¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki was about to say that word, but¡­


    ¡°¡ªD-Don¡¯t!¡±


    It was shut off by a small shadow.


    ¡°Ri-Ringo-san?¡±


    It was one of our comrades, the blue haired small girl, Ringo.


    Ringo got in between me and my comrades as if covering me, and spread both arms like a martyr to protect me.


    ¡°¡­Souma¡­is doing his best.


    That¡¯s why¡­even if his naming sense is¡­dreadful¡­don¡¯t judge him.¡± (Ringo)


    No, being told it is dreadful is more of a shock instead though.


    ¡°Well, the matter of the name can be thought of later, so that¡¯s fine, but¡­aren¡¯t you a bit too soft with him lately, Ringo-san?


    Even in the matter of better, you were the only one who didn¡¯t criticize him.¡± (Mitsuki)


    That certainly bothered me.


    I feel like she said a variety of things every time I would do something though.


    ¡°¡­Hn. I have added a change¡­in the plan¡­after all.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Plan? Aah.¡± (Souma)


    Speaking of which, I think she said ¡®Souma True Humanization Plan¡¯ or something like that before, but that was still ongoing?


    ¡°¡­I have changed the span of my plan¡­from 10 years¡­to 30 years.


    My policy is¡­to pamper him thoroughly¡­for the first 10 years!¡± (Ringo)


    I don¡¯t get what she is saying here, but it seems like she is determined here.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­I can only see a future where you will continue pampering him exhaustively till the end though¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    I do somewhat feel that way too, but I of course didn¡¯t say it out loud.


    It would be foolish to reduce my allies here.


    Mitsuki and the others still have questionable faces, but they can¡¯t win against crying children and Ringo.


    They eventually shook their heads as if they had lost.


    ¡°And so, what do we do? If you want to test it out somewhere else, we will tag along.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°No, I think this much is enough, but I would like to fight a bit more just in case until I am sure.


    ¡­Also, there¡¯s still¡­¡± (Souma)


    I glanced at the mountain of rocks far away.


    It seems like that alone was enough to let Mitsuki know.


    ¡°I have high expectations.¡± (Mitsuki)


    She simply said this and withdrew.


    After that, at around a total of 49 monsters cut down, I wrapped up the hunting of small fry for now.


    No problems happened until now.


    There¡¯s already no need to doubt the True Shiranui.


    But this is not the end.


    The grand 50th one will be¡­


    ¡°¡ªWe really have to confirm it with this one.¡± (Souma)


    The Deus Plains¡¯ nightmare, bug spawned monster: King Butcher.


    I ready my katana onto the spawned Butcher on the hidden spawn point.


    I am not nervous anymore.


    I have become quite strong since the first time I met him.


    Also, I have True Shiranui with me.


    I am without doubt stronger than when it was a game now.


    My level in the game was over 300, and my weapon then was a customized Shiranui with the Special and Performance from Soul Eater in it.


    It is a realm that only no-life Nekomimi Neko players could reach.


    If I combine that with True Instant Samidare Slash, I can defeat any kind of enemy.


    That¡¯s just how strong I was in the game days.


    ¡­But my strength right now far surpasses the me of that time.


    I have increased my Strength by exploiting the seed bug, and with the Power Seeds of the Butchers that Mitsuki still continues to hunt, I am growing at a fearsome pace.


    But the saddening part is that the attack power of my weapons have not been able to keep up until now.


    Because of the damage calculation of Nekomimi Neko, your damage ends up getting restricted if you only increase the damage of your weapon or just your character.


    In other words, the weapon has been pulling my leg until now, so I haven¡¯t been able to show my high base stats.


    But¡­


    ¡°If it is with this True Shiranui¡­!!¡± (Souma)


    I make use of my high base speed as I shout this, enter the range of the Butcher quickly, and swing the katana.


    ¡°Wa¡­?¡±


    Mitsuki gulps her breath behind me.


    But that¡¯s natural.


    The King Butcher that made us suffer so much in the past, this high level dungeon boss with high physical resistance and one of the toughest monsters in the game, has¡­


    ¡°One hit¡­?¡± (Mitsuki)


    It is not like I used a skill or buffs.


    With just a normal attack, I have defeated this guy in an instant.


    I looked down at the Butcher, who had fallen and was becoming light particles, and was now certain of it.


    ¡ªThis True Shiranui is the strongest weapon.


    Of course, when it comes to special abilities and ease of use, there¡¯s other weapons superior to this one.


    But within the weapons currently of this world¡­no, from the past, present, and future, there will most likely be none who surpass this one when it comes to attack power.


    And that¡¯s not all.


    ¡°¡­I will¡­be able to do this.¡± (Souma)


    Just how strong is the Evil God?


    Just how strong will it become?


    Even I don¡¯t know about that.


    However, I now have the cards to challenge this.


    ¡°¡ªWith this weapon, I will challenge the strongest!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­I will be fighting the Evil God alone.¡± (Souma)


    The moment I declared this, the reactions I got were half understanding and half surprise.


    ¡°¡­I expected that would be the case.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­Hn.¡± (Ringo)


    We have known each other for a long time now.


    It seems like the two had a faint idea of this.


    In contrast to the two who had silently received those words of mine¡­


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t be stupid! I will also be fighting!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°The world will be in danger if the Evil God revives, right?! Leaving it to just you, Souma, is¡­¡± (Maki)


    The ones that blew over were Sazan and Maki.


    But I will have them accept this one no matter what.


    ¡°Of course, I won¡¯t say the cooperation of everyone is pointless.


    If it is just about winning, the chances of winning would be higher if everyone were to provide support.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°In that case¡­!¡± (Maki)


    I stopped Maki, who raised her voice, with my hand.


    ¡°But my objective is not only to defeat the Evil God.


    If at the time when everything is over, even one of my comrades were to be missing, I wouldn¡¯t be able to call it a victory.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± (Maki)


    Maki falls silent at my words.


    The one who spoke instead was Ina.


    ¡°Then, we can¡¯t do anything?


    The only thing we can do is watch you fight without doing anything¡­?¡± (Ina)


    Ina said with a pained voice.


    But I was actually waiting for that.


    ¡°¡­No, that¡¯s not true.


    It is true that I will be the one directly fighting the Evil God.


    But I am not alone.¡± (Souma)


    Everyone there had question marks on their head at the riddle-like words I spoke.


    Seeing this, I raised the corner of my lips and said this.


    ¡°¡ªThere¡¯s something I would like to ask everyone to do.¡± (Souma)


    ¡ªThe battle against the Evil God was decided to be 10 days later.


    There¡¯s a lot to prepare for, and I would also like to train for the battle, so I have decided on that timeframe.


    The first thing I did was check out the marshland at the west where the Evil God is sealed in.


    According to the seal specialist Sazan, she said it at least shouldn¡¯t be resurrecting within 10 days. This isn¡¯t a situation that allows guessing though.


    And so, I have gotten assurance from Sazan.


    Sazan has inherited the memories of past priestesses with the power of the Treasure Tool, so she apparently can undo the seal of the Evil God at her own discretion.


    When I told her to withdraw the moment the seal was undone, she glared at me in tears.


    If I were in her position, I would be in pain too.


    I felt a bit of pain in my chest when she ran off in silence, totally contrary to her usual noisy self.


    And then¡­


    We spoke to other people in order to ¡®prepare¡¯ for the Evil God battle, practiced my combos, would wolf down seeds, and got pampered by Ringo¡­ Eventually, 10 days passed in the blink of an eye and¡­


    It is finally the decisive day.


    The day when the fate of the world is decided.


    It is literally a do-or-die battle.


    My once in a lifetime selfishness that has the world on the balance.


    I was staring at space in front of the marshland where the Evil God sleeps.


    It is not because I was scared of the Evil God sleeping in front of me.


    It is actually the opposite.


    It is because I am scared of looking back.


    ¡­The last ¡®plan¡¯ I thought of for the battle against the Evil God was to get the most out of the special ability of Ultihate.


    Ultihate increases the power of the wearer for the amount of friendly characters in the field.


    That¡¯s why I had the people of the city be brought to the marshland where the battle will take place.


    That¡¯s the full picture of the ¡®preparation¡¯ I asked my comrades of.


    But¡­


    Even if I am being called a hero, I have not done anything of the sort.


    I am not that aware of it myself, but my comrades would tell me all the time that I am self-centered.


    Even the resurrection of the Evil God this time around could be considered my fault. Fighting the Evil God is also for my own selfishness.


    We may be able to defeat the Evil God if it goes well, but how many people will move for the sake of a request from someone like me?


    I do plan on being as careful as possible so that no casualties occur, but there¡¯s still obviously danger to this.


    That¡¯s why it is possible that when I look back, the only ones there will be my comrades¡­


    ¡°Ouch!¡± (Souma)


    I was suddenly smacked on the head and let out a weird noise.


    ¡°¡­Haah, you really are miserable no matter when.¡± (Maki)


    It was Maki.


    She was looking at the unreliable me with a baffled face.


    Maki was staring at me for a while, but she then softened her expression.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry. I think your feelings have reached the people of the city, you know?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Souma)


    She said this and¡­


    ¡°If you are worried, how about you unsheathe that sword of yours?¡± (Maki)


    She grabbed my hand and tried to forcefully make me hold my weapon.


    ¡°Wa?! W-What¡¯s with you? Hey¡­¡± (Souma)


    I ended up taking my sword out of the scabbard.


    At that instant¡­


    ¡°Ah¡­ The light¡­¡± (Souma)


    White light flew from behind and jumped into me.


    And it is not one or two.


    Dozens¡­no, even more than that was raining on me.


    ¡°¡­See?¡± (Maki)


    Still being indecisive, Maki forcefully made me turn back.


    And then¡­


    ¡ª ¡°Wooooooooooooh!!¡±


    Cheers rang.


    What I saw there were people, people, and more people.


    There were enough people here to cover the field from one corner to the other waiting there.


    ¡°¡­This is¡­¡± (Souma)


    When I muttered this dumbfounded, Maki puffed her chest out proudly.


    ¡°¡­There¡¯s apparently a thousand people in total. It was really hard, you know? Everyone said they wanted to go, they wanted to go.


    But it would be bad if there¡¯s some sort of eventuality, so we had to select the people who would come.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Ha¡­haha¡­¡± (Souma)


    The special ability of Ultihate is to give a 1% increase in base stats to the wearer for every friendly character.


    ¡­Meaning that 1,000 people easily fulfills the buff cap of 9.9 times from the power up state.


    ¡°Seriously¡­why is it that this world is filled with only good people¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I spread both arms and watched the lights that were still flying into me.


    Each one of these lights is a shout of support.


    Thinking about it in that way, I felt power deep inside my body that surpassed that of my stats.


    ¡°¡­Thanks, everyone.¡± (Souma)


    Words of gratitude naturally leaked out from me.


    It was a battle for my own sake at first.


    But there¡¯s so many allies supporting me, cheering for me.


    ¡°¡ªIt would be a lie to say this isn¡¯t pumping me up!¡± (Souma)


    I won¡¯t turn back anymore.


    But it is not because I am scared.


    ¡ªIt is for the sake of facing the enemy I should defeat!


    And then¡­


    I speak to my own weapon which made this miracle possible.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do this, Ultihate! This light isn¡¯t something we alone created!¡± (Souma)


    This light is the light in people¡¯s hearts.


    The crystallization of the people¡¯s wish to protect the world from the Evil God.


    With the emotions of many people on my back, I take a step towards the marshland where the Evil God is sleeping in.


    ¡ª-


    Author: Finally¡­


    Finally our last battle is about to begin!

 CH 226

    Light


    Dark


    I have made preparations to a degree that could be called excessive.


    First of all, the special abilities of Ultihate are powerful.


    The easy to understand ones are the long range attack nullification and the buff. I am in a state where I always have an increase of 9.9 times in my stats.


    The base stats that the Divine Sword buffs are the 6 stats that change with level ups: HP, MP, Strength, Magic Power, Vitality, and Resistance.


    Leaving aside Agility which makes it harder to control when it increases, the Stamina which directly affects the activation of skills not increasing is a shame, but even with that, this is an outstanding effect.


    Thanks to this, my chances of survival should have shot up even in the off-chance I get hit.


    Not only that.


    The Wakizashi on my left hand could become my trump card.


    This True Wakizashi¡ªno, uhm¡­this Wakizashi End which was reborn from synthesization! That¡¯s right, the use of this Wakizashi End might save my life.


    Because it is a Shinobi Sword, it can heal others with a bug exploit, but if I use its special ability, it is also possible to heal myself in an instant with no cost.


    Other things would be the combination of Immortal Oath and Ring of the Gargoyle to have complete resistance to status ailments.


    There¡¯s a whole ton of healing items in my poach, and I can¡¯t think of any more regarding defense.


    When it comes to the offensive, I have made more than perfect preparations.


    The True Shiranui on my right hand, its performance goes without saying, but it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that the Strength stat that¡¯s supporting its power is broken to an unbelievable extent.


    These few days, Mitsuki has been bringing me a large amount of Power Seeds like a bird mother, so my Strength stat is already over 20,000.


    In Nekomimi Neko where your stats wouldn¡¯t go over the thousands with a normal playthrough, this is more than impressive.


    You could say this is the best result created from the Butcher and the Seed Death Bug.


    Ah, there was actually a lunatic that managed to get all the way to more than 10,000 by just hunting Butchers, and thanks to that person, we learned that 9,999 is not the cap in stats.


    Anyways¡­


    ¡°If we can¡¯t defeat it with this, how are we going to?¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s how perfect the preparations are.


    Best preparations and a whole lot of people cheering me on. There¡¯s already no grievances.


    That should be the case, and yet¡­what is this?


    These chills that are shaking my spine.


    What in the world are these chills that were telling me it won¡¯t end with just that?


    ¡°¡­Souma.¡± (Sazan)


    But the quiet voice of Sazan, like that of someone who had given up on something, had brought me back to reality.


    ¡°Right¡­ Please do.¡± (Souma)


    Even so, I can¡¯t stop here.


    I sent the signal to begin.


    ¡°I actually wanted to¡­together with you¡­ Damn it!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan swallowed the words she was about to say, stood in front of me, and held up a hand towards the marshland.


    At the same time as she did, a black magic circle covering the whole marshland¡­no, an even wider range than that appeared.


    ¡°This is the seal of the Evil God¡­¡± (Souma)


    These giant yet detailed patterns were slowly being undone by the hands of Sazan.


    ¡°¡ª?!¡±


    It was sudden.


    At a place in the circle that was clearly not being controlled by Sazan, a cracking sound was made as if warped and got severed.


    ¡°W-Why¡­? I still haven¡¯t¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan muttered this with a dumbfounded face, but I already had a feeling by that moment.


    This is not by the hand of Sazan or Sazan failing in something.


    The Evil God found a crack in the seal and is trying to break the seal from the inside.


    ¡°Sazan, it is alright now! Fall back!¡± (Souma)


    When I shouted this, Sazan hesitated for a moment, but¡­


    ¡°You DEFINITELY must return safely or I won¡¯t forgive you, okay? ¡­You idiot!¡± (Sazan)


    She spit that out and ran off.


    After I saw that back of hers disappear within the crowd, I faced the front.


    The black magic circle was being torn apart from the inside.


    The intricate patterns holding the Evil God, the net of mana, was being snapped¡­one after the other.


    And then, the center of the visibly whittled down magic circle finally couldn¡¯t endure the pressure from the inside and bursted open!


    ¡°¡ªIt is coming!¡± (Souma)


    The first thing that flew out from the marshland was a thick, thick arm.


    It grabbed onto the gap of the magic circle and forcefully wrenched it open. And then, a swarm of tentacles welled out from that opening as if born from it.


    The massive amount of tentacles that would be foolish to even try to count pushed away the magic circle that barely continued to fight back, ate away at it, and crushed it.


    After a few seconds of that ear-piercing event, the magic circle that was so tough was blown away without any trace left.


    ¡°This is¡­¡± (Souma)


    And then, finally¡­


    From deep within the marshland, that head that was like the accumulation of every atrocity in this world had reared its ugly face out¡­


    And then, the bright red core at the center of the Evil God releasing a fiendish light showed up.


    ¡°¡­Evil God, Dis Aster¡­¡± (Souma)


    It is different from the videos. I was overwhelmed by the outrageous scale.


    The size, pressure, and eeriness was all completely different from the Evil God I saw in the recording.


    Defeating the fragments probably served to fulfill the condition of growing as well.


    The Evil God standing in front of me is bigger than the one I saw in the video and 2 times¡­or even more than the one I fought at the capital.


    This god of calamity that has been resurrected into the present looked around, and then fixed its gaze to the front and opened its mouth.


    The air trembled from the voice that only brought displeasure and grated the world.


    ¡°¡­I remember¡­you. I¡­already know about you¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I was on the verge of taking a step back at the overwhelming presence I have never faced before.


    ¡°Fool¡­ish. You think¡­you have¡­changed your appea¡­rance¡­?


    ¡­Ultihate.


    The aura of the loathsome sword¡­that divided my soul¡­and sealed it¡­I won¡¯t forget it!¡±


    I didn¡¯t expect it to see through the synthesized Ultihate immediately.


    Ultihate and the Evil God really must have some kind of invisible connection.


    But¡­


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it. Your opponent is not Ultihate, but ME.¡± (Souma)


    Those arrogant words of mine made the eyes of the Evil God move at me.


    ¡°You are¡­the new hero¡­this time, huh.


    That¡¯s a¡­commendable spirit¡­ But¡­¡±


    It was in an instant.


    ¡°¡ªKnow¡­your place¡­!¡±


    From the hundreds of tentacles stretching out from the Evil God, one of them approached me at fearsome speed.


    A speed that wouldn¡¯t be possible to intercept with normal means.


    But¡­


    ¡ªSwish!!


    The tentacle approaching me made that sound and flew in the air.


    ¡°¡­[True Instant Samidare Slash].¡± (Souma)


    I chanted the name of that technique quietly and landed on the ground.


    ¡°Wh¡­at¡­?¡±


    Hundreds of slashes were unleashed in an instant.


    That tentacle was way too big¡­and feeble to get through the curtain of slashes.


    The Evil God showed surprise for the first time.


    ¡°What¡­was that? That power¡­of yours¡­¡±


    This time, two tentacles flew at me with those words.


    ¡°[True Instant Samidare Slash]!¡± (Souma)


    I shoot them down with Instant Samidare Slash without any hesitation.


    ¡ªCome at me as much as you want.


    I won¡¯t even falter one bit at an attack of this degree.


    And then, no matter how many the Evil God regenerates, the amount of tentacles is finite.


    The more tentacles it wastes pointlessly, the more of an advantage I have.


    ¡°Why¡­? Even¡­if you are¡­.the owner of the¡­Divine Sword¡­


    There¡¯s no way¡­.you would be¡­able to deal with my attacks¡­with such ease¡­¡±


    Think your brains out for all I care.


    You won¡¯t be able to get it anyways.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t even be able to imagine it as someone who doesn¡¯t have a human heart.


    You would have no idea of the source of my strength.¡± (Souma)


    ¡­That¡¯s right.


    I am fighting alone, but I am not alone.


    This True Shiranui is the amalgamation of the people¡¯s emotions, their culture, their history¡­


    ¡ªThere¡¯s no way a monstrosity like the Evil God would be able to get it.


    It must have understood something from my words.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    The gaze of the Evil God moved away from me for an instant.


    ¡ªIs this bad?


    I swing the Wakizashi on my left hand and shout.


    ¡°What are you looking away for?! I am your enemy!¡± (Souma)


    Right after that.


    ¡°¡ªSouma, don¡¯t lose!!!¡±


    I heard that loud voice from behind me


    ¡°Wa?! Leila?!¡± (Souma)


    Surprise leaked out from my mouth.


    The one who shouted was Leila.


    She had taken a step forward from the crowd and shouted words of encouragement with everything her throat could bring out.


    And at that moment¡­


    ¡°¡ªI¡­got it¡­¡±


    The Evil God moved.


    There¡¯s still a lot of distance to Leila.


    The tentacles and the AoE Genocide Wave shouldn¡¯t be able to reach.


    However¡­


    Seeing the face of the Evil God focus on Leila and move, I shouted with everything I had.


    ¡°Idiot! Leila, don¡¯t come out!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Leila)


    But that warning served no point¡­


    ¡°[Kill Beam]!!¡±


    The slaughterer flash was shot from the core of the Evil God and stretched in one straight line.


    The target being of course Leila who was one step in front of the crowd.


    Seeing that, I¡­


    ¡­Warped into a grin.


    At the same time as this happened, a gale rushed in front of Leila.


    ¡°¡ªJust as planned, huh. The Evil God is unexpectedly shallow.¡±


    The girl that was lying in wait inside the crowd of people with a shining gauntlet on her dominant hand reflected the beam that pierced through everything.


    That light was reflected straight to the Evil God¡¯s face as if that future was predetermined.


    ¡°Guooooooooooooh!!¡±


    Letting out a scream that made the earth shake, the Evil God held its face and writhed.


    ¡°You¡­bastard! You¡­bastard¡­!¡±


    The Evil God cursed and I raised the corners of my mouth.


    ¡°You have quite the bountiful emotions compared to before.


    Did you go out of your way to grow just to have your ass beaten by me?¡± (Souma)


    I intentionally provoked it, and the Evil God stopped writhing in agony.


    ¡°You¡­set me¡­up?!!¡±


    It threw curses at me with a jarring voice.


    That voice instilled primeval fear, but I smiled boldly despite that.


    ¡°Sorry, but I have been fighting against an even more crafty, ill-natured, more almighty, and more evil entity than you this whole time.


    Dealing with nasty characters is my trade.¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s right.


    The hostility of this guy¡­compared to them¡­


    ¡ªCompared to how nasty the Nekomimi Neko developers are¡­yours are like childish pranks!!


    That provocation¡­


    ¡°¡­Unfor¡­givable¡­¡±


    I could clearly tell that the eyes of the Evil God focused on me despite having lost its face.


    ¡°¡­Fuuh, with this, we should have gotten through the first hurdle.¡± (Souma)


    I mumbled this quietly in a way that the Evil God doesn¡¯t hear me, and wiped off the sweat in my palms.


    Now, let¡¯s have fun, Evil God Dis Aster.


    ¡ªThe real battle starts from here on!

 CH 227

    Light


    Dark


    The thing I was the most wary of in this battle was for the Evil God to ignore me and attack the people gathered.


    No matter how much I want to fight one vs one, there¡¯s no assurance that will be the case for the other side.


    Even more so the case if it were to notice that the people behind were giving me power.


    I won¡¯t be hit with long range attacks thanks to the special ability of Ultihate, but if it were to shoot a Kill Beam to the people behind me, I would have no means to block it.


    If possible, I would like to draw the attention of the Evil God, or create an environment where the Evil God would hesitate to shoot its Kill Beam.


    It is hard to say whether I understand the Evil God well enough, but I have seen from the recording that it likes to do things that you would hate.


    If it were to show interest in the citizens, I would wave the Wakizashi on my left hand, and have Leila move.


    If Leila jumped out at that timing, I believed the Evil God, whose nature is ¡®to do things you would hate¡¯, would definitely do something to Leila in order to get on my nerves.


    And then, as long as we know the target, Mitsuki should be able to manage somehow with the Mirror Gauntlet that reflects light element attacks.


    I didn¡¯t expect Mitsuki to be able to reflect the beam onto the face of the Evil God with pinpoint accuracy at that distance, but that¡¯s Mitsuki for you.


    We have managed to eliminate the one other worry that was the Genocide Wave, so I can¡¯t complain.


    The one other happy miscalculation was that it seems its ¡®mind¡¯ also evolves together with its ¡®growth¡¯.


    In the past, its nature was evil to the core and I could tell it liked to make people suffer, but I feel like it is more human-like than before.


    It looks like it is especially more sensitive towards pain and provocations than before.


    With this, I doubt it will be shooting the Kill Beam again for a while.


    Compared to the monotone voice that only moved with innocent evil, having learned anger and arrogance actually makes it easier to fight.


    This might be a case where evolution may not always serve positively to the related party.


    Also¡­


    ¡°I won¡¯t¡­let you¡­get away¡­for this!¡±


    It seems like it already only has eyes for me.


    Tentacles wriggle all around its body with killing intent spewing out, and they spread outside as if to intimidate me.


    ¡ªThat¡¯s troublesome.


    If we are talking about a bad miscalculation, it would be those tentacles.


    The arms, core, and head are simply bigger compared to the Evil God in the past, but even when the thickness alone of the tentacles isn¡¯t that different, the length and numbers have greatly increased.


    Its range has increased more than I anticipated, and you could say it has become far more difficult to deal with them.


    ¡°¡ªDie!!¡±


    What was shot at me with those words filled with resentment was a wave of tentacles.


    A number of tentacles that easily surpassed the dozens were coming at me as if surrounding me.


    A barrage of tentacles that each have enough power to kill me in one hit. You could even say it is excessive firepower.


    Their speed is also not losing at all, so because they are coming at me in a semicircle, it is not even easy to evade.


    But¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate me so much!¡± (Souma)


    I have been practicing this one combo zealously for the sake of this day.


    The timing of the True Instant Samidare Slash that wasn¡¯t certain before¡­it is now close to 100% certain that I can activate it.


    Also¡­


    ¡°[True Instant Samidare Slash]!!¡± (Souma)


    No matter how gigantic the Evil God may be, I doubt my attack power falls behind this guy!


    ¡°How¡¯s that?!¡± (Souma)


    I instantly blow up the wave of tentacles approaching me with the invisible slashes as if proving this.


    I looked at the Evil God with a satisfied smile, but¡­


    ¡°I won¡¯t¡­underestimate you¡­anymore¡­¡±


    I frowned at the sight in front of me.


    ¡°Oi oi, are you kidding me?¡± (Souma)


    It was an ocean of tentacles.


    It is not even close to just 10 or 20.


    A tsunami so big I don¡¯t even know where it was hiding them.


    This ocean of tentacles moved at the same time and directed their tips at me.


    A copious amount of tentacles swept over my way.


    No, it is not just numbers.


    This is¡­


    ¡ªIt is shifting the timing!!


    It has most likely seen through the range of my attack with the exchanges until now.


    It is not attacking me all at the same time, but purposely shifting the speed of the tentacles to make it so I can¡¯t destroy all the tentacles in one hit.


    ¡­Basically multiple volleys of tentacles.


    It is nasty, but it is certainly an effective method.


    ¡°Kuh! [Instant Samidare Slash]!!¡± (Souma)


    Even so, I have no other technique that can follow up against it at this range.


    I have no choice but to deal with this using True Instant Samidare Slash.


    It is true that this amount of tentacles are a threat and are troublesome, but if you ask me whether it is possible to deal with them, I would say it is!!


    ¡°[Instant Samidare Slash]!!¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Wh¡­at¡­?¡±


    Deep in the ocean of tentacles, I could feel the Evil God was agitated here.


    I slashed through the ocean of tentacles with my second Instant Samidare Slash and¡­


    ¡°[Instant Samidare Slash]!!¡± (Souma)


    With the 3rd Instant Samidare Slash, I swept the wave of tentacles deeper in.


    ¡°[Instant Samidare Slash]!! [Instant Samidare Slash]!! [Instant Samidare Slash]!! [Instant Samidare Slash]!!¡± (Souma)


    The ones deeper in, the ones after that, even the ones further in; anyways, I dealt with all the tentacles heading at me¡­


    ¡°Impo¡­ssible¡­¡±


    Finally, I got through the ocean of tentacles and jumped to the front of the Evil God.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Done already?¡± (Souma)


    I held my sword up and grinned at the Evil God that¡¯s standing there dumbfounded.


    This is the even more completed version of the strongest combo that had taken form within the zealous training I had in those 10 days.


    ¡ªInstant Samidare Cancel Movement!


    What¡¯s making this possible are the special abilities of Soul Eater and the Pegasus Boots.


    Each time the attacks hit, it absorbs Stamina; this special ability of Soul Eater isn¡¯t that useful when using it normally, but it works extremely well against multihit attacks.


    Instant Samidare Slash unleashes hundreds of slashes.


    Even against the size of tentacles, it can still deal 100 hits if it enters the range.


    The stamina consumption of Instant Samidare Slash is currently around 50 because I have been spamming it to the very limits.


    Also, because Instant Samidare Slash does the hit calculation in one go, even if it were to die with the first attack, the remaining attacks won¡¯t be missing.


    As long as an enemy exists inside the range, I can absorb more Stamina than I consume, so I can spam Instant Samidare Slash without worrying about the Stamina.


    The one other contributor is the Pegasus Boots.


    This is something I got to deal with the Evil God to begin with, but because of the fall death and drowning, it didn¡¯t have a moment to shine, but it has the special ability of allowing you to activate skills in midair.


    Also, because of the spaghetti code of Nekomimi Neko, it also has the added effect of ¡®if you activate a skill in midair that you couldn¡¯t normally, you can connect skills you normally wouldn¡¯t in combos¡¯.


    What utilizes this to the full extent is the Instant Samidare Cancel Movement.


    Canceling Instant Samidare Slash with Step is basically what¡¯s True Instant Samidare Slash, but mixing this creates Instant Samidare Cancel Movement.


    It is a greedy technique that combines attack and movement. You would move at a speed comparable to that of Godstep Cancel while sweeping away the enemies, obstructions, and even allies in front of you.


    This is actually one of the biggest reasons why I moved my allies away.


    The biggest downside of Instant Samidare Slash is that I have to continuously pull off the already difficult Cancels. Even if there¡¯s no issues with Stamina, it would shave away at my concentration.


    It is a technique that can be used infinitely in theory, but if I were to do something like that, my sanity won¡¯t last.


    This is also the reason why I didn¡¯t continue attacking after getting through the ocean of tentacles.


    ¡°Impo¡­ssible¡­ Im¡­possible¡­!!¡±


    But there¡¯s no way the Evil God would be able to know that.


    I smiled once again as if filled with confidence, and the Evil God swayed and swayed as if flustered, and¡­


    ¡°¡­Ha!¡±


    ¡ªIt turned around and began running!!


    It was so unexpected, my brain couldn¡¯t process it for a moment.


    ¡°D-Damn it!¡± (Souma)


    By the time I snapped back, it was only after the Evil God had gone off far away at astonishing speed.


    ¡°To think the Evil God would run away!!¡± (Souma)


    An unexpected barrier because it obtained emotions, huh.


    ¡°Aaah¡­Aaaaaah!¡±


    The Evil God ran away from me while raising a strange cry.


    An unsightly appearance that betrays the initial dignified look.


    But things would turn ugly if I were to let it escape here.


    I at the very least know that I am the only one in this country that can defeat that guy.


    If it were to attack people somewhere where my eyes can¡¯t reach, or if it were to power up by some sort of ability, I can only imagine the worst.


    The Evil God was using the tentacles in its whole body and its two arms to get through the marshland with speed unfitting its giant body.


    Even so, my Godstep Cancel was faster than the running speed of the Evil God.


    The distance was slowly but surely shrinking and¡­


    ¡°Wa?!¡±


    The Evil God unleashed its tentacles at me in desperation.


    ¡°You¡­!¡± (Souma)


    It is a sporadic attack that didn¡¯t contain the same density as the wavelike attack of just before, but who knows what would happen if even one of them were to hit.


    I had no choice but to bring out my trump card.


    ¡°[Instant Samidare Cancel Movement]!!¡± (Souma)


    I shift the normal Godstep Cancel to Instant Samidare Slash.


    Of course, this requires concentration, so this can¡¯t last long though.


    ¡°Got you!¡± (Souma)


    The Evil God was the first one to mess up.


    Because it attacked me with its tentacles, its numbers decreased, and its movement speed lowered.


    The Evil God can regenerate its tentacles, but even with that, it is not like they will return instantly.


    ¡°Just a bit more!!¡± (Souma)


    I slice to pieces the last tentacles the Evil God unleashed in desperation with the Instant Samidare Cancel Movement.


    ¡°Eh? Stopped¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I focused on the Evil God standing in place completely naked after losing all of its tentacles and¡­


    ¡­That¡¯s when I noticed something strange.


    *Thump*


    Strength left my body.


    ¡°Why¡­?¡± (Souma)


    It is not that my Stamina ran out.


    But it felt as if something that had been pushing my body on until now had fallen off just now¡­


    ¡°¡ªFu¡­Fufufu¡­Fufufufufufu!¡±


    The air grated.


    The laugh of the Evil God made the earth scream.


    That¡¯s not all.


    ¡°Mist¡­¡± (Souma)


    Something bad is happening.


    Noticing this, I readied myself with a stance that can react to anything that might come, placing strength in both legs¡­


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s when I finally realized I am in a place where I can place strength in my legs.


    What¡¯s under my feet is already not the marshland¡­


    The Evil God didn¡¯t let that momentary confusion escape.


    The last remaining big and thick arm.


    It was approaching me while raising a fearsome howling of wind.


    It happened so suddenly, I couldn¡¯t counter it in time.


    I reflexively chose to use Step to avoid it, and¡­


    ¡°Crap! [Ste¡ªeh?¡± (Souma)


    I was sent flying just like that by that big palm.


    ¡°Guah!¡± (Souma)


    The scathing impact pierced through the very core of my body, and I rolled on the ground countless times.


    ¡°Damn it! Why¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I somehow manage to regain my posture and search for the Wakizashi on my left hand, but¡­


    ¡°¡­Are you searching¡­for¡­this¡­?¡±


    It was on the ground, at the back of the Evil God that¡¯s looking down at me with leisure.


    ¡ªThis is the worst.


    I hid my internal agitation and glare at the Evil God, but the Evil God contrasted this by shaking its giant body as if finding this unbelievably amusing from the bottom of its heart.


    ¡°¡­Hey. Did you think¡­you were above me¡­? Your insignificant¡­existence¡­?¡±


    The Evil God spoke in a slimy and unsettling voice filled with joy.


    ¡°It was¡­humiliating. Showing my back¡­to an insignificant being¡­an inferior being¡­like you¡­


    But that¡¯s¡­over now¡­ Disappear.¡±


    What the arm was pointing at was a field faintly covered in mist.


    The mist curtain was surrounding me just right to a degree where it blocks me from the marshland.


    ¡°That was¡­careless¡­ Also¡­too bad¡­


    But¡­the playing is¡­over now¡­


    Your allies¡­your techniques¡­your weapons¡­I have sealed them all.¡±


    I was desperately trying to understand this current situation while listening to the Evil God.


    I certainly have seen this mist before.


    ¡ªShutter Mist.


    The ability that prohibits the entering and exiting of a field that the fragment used in the capital.


    The Evil God pulled me to a field away from the citizens and nullified my buff.


    I understand that much.


    But why did I fail the Step just now?


    This mist had no such effect like nullifying skills when it was used in the capital¡­


    After thinking that far, I realized it.


    ¡°¡­It evolved?!¡± (Souma)


    Looks like I underestimated just how nasty the Nekomimi Neko developers could be.


    The factor I missed.


    The ability evolution through the growth of the Evil God!


    Now that I think about it, it makes sense.


    If this is a boss designed by them, it wouldn¡¯t be something as soft as just ¡®growing as much as it is defeated¡¯.


    It is plenty possible that it gets new abilities regardless of how you defeated it!


    ¡°You get it¡­now?¡±


    And then, the Evil God approached me.


    ¡°That there¡¯s¡­no chance for you¡­to win¡­¡±


    Having lost its head and its tentacles, it raised its still present sturdy arm and¡­


    ¡°¡ªGood¡­bye. You were¡­a pretty decent¡­toy¡­¡±


    The giant hand of the Evil God fell down on top of me who has his skills sealed and¡­


    ¡°¡ªKuh!¡±


    The arm of the Evil God was cut clean off from me swinging Shiranui.


    ¡°Wa¡­?!¡±


    A voice of surprise was raised, but who cares.


    ¡°Hyah!¡± (Souma)


    I quickly approach the Evil God swiftly cutting off its one other arm.


    ¡°Gaaaaaaaaahh!!¡±


    It seems like it really can feel pain now. The Evil God screamed in pain after losing 2 arms and fell on the ground.


    ¡°Why?! I should have¡­sealed all of your¡­strength!


    Even if you¡­have the power¡­of the Divine Sword¡­there¡¯s no way¡­you would be able to¡­pull this off with¡­no assistance¡­¡±


    The voice of the Evil God was filled with surprise rather than anger.


    That¡¯s where I tell the Evil God¡­


    ¡°¡­¡­Divine Sword? What are you saying?¡± (Souma)


    I learned for the first time that you really can¡¯t speak when you are way too surprised.


    ¡°What¡­? Even if you¡­try to trick me¡­again¡­¡±


    Even if you ask me what, that¡¯s what I should be saying.


    ¡°When you speak of Divine Sword, you are talking of Ultihate, right? If that¡¯s the case¡­don¡¯t you see? It is on the floor behind you.¡± (Souma)


    Being told this, the Evil God actually looked behind innocently.


    What was there was the Wakizashi End with the Appearance of the Wakizashi and the Performance and Special of Ultihate.


    ¡°In the first place, I brought Ultihate just to block your long range attacks.


    The only reason why I got the buff was because of the Vitality increase and the HP healing bug¡ª¡± (Souma)


    It is rare to see this in Nekomimi Neko, but the buffs that increase max HP and MP have the humane system of recovering the same amount increased.


    And so, if you exploit¡ªI mean, use that effectively, you can recover your HP and MP by equipping and unequipping.


    The buffs that increase HP and MP normally last long and don¡¯t increase much, so it can¡¯t be called practical, but it is a different story when it comes to the outrageous increase with Ultihate.


    That¡¯s why I had the people of the city come just in case.


    ¡°In the first place, there¡¯s no way I would use such a weak weapon with only 999 attack power.¡± (Souma)


    Hearing this, the Evil God shouted in agitation.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it! I don¡¯t get it!! What¡­are you¡­saying?!¡±


    ¡°Even if you ask me what¡­ I am just speaking the truth.¡± (Souma)


    It seems like it didn¡¯t make sense for the Evil God that doesn¡¯t have game knowledge, but after seeing the faint light of the blade from the Wakizashi End, the Evil God must have noticed its misunderstanding.


    I could tell the Evil God Fragment trembled there.


    ¡°Impossible¡­ Impossible¡­ Impossible¡­!


    T-Then¡­what in the¡­world¡­is that¡­?


    My body that could¡­easily survive¡­even an attack from the Divine Sword¡­


    There¡¯s no way¡­something like that¡­could exist¡­¡±


    The Evil God was retreating with its body still lying on the ground.


    I chuckled at that attitude as if meeting a monster it couldn¡¯t fathom.


    ¡°¡­Didn¡¯t I tell you already?


    The passion and sorrow inside this weapon can¡¯t be comprehended by someone like you who doesn¡¯t have a human heart.


    That¡¯s why, no matter how many hundreds or thousands of times you were to be reborn, it is pointless.¡± (Souma)


    And then, I slowly¡­


    ¡°Get away! Get away!!¡±


    I approach the creature that had lost its head, tentacles, arms, and even its own pride as the Evil God.


    ¡°Have a taste of it! This is the miracle born from the human heart that you made so much fun of.


    This is True Shiranui¡¯s¡ªno¡­¡± (Souma)


    I swung the strongest and weakest katana on my right hand towards the Evil God¡¯s core and¡­


    ¡°¡ªThe power of a chuunibyou (the Fingerless Gloves)!!¡± (Souma)


    That blade with a presumed attack power of over 20,000 broke the Evil God¡¯s core.


    ¡ª¨C


    Author: I didn¡¯t expect this foreshadowing to take me 4 years and a half to realize¡­

 CH 228

    Light


    Dark


    The mist covering the field was undone with the Evil God falling, and I managed to reunite with my comrades and the citizens.


    The battle from here on is basically a 3 stage battle.


    The stage changes into an endurance battle where we have to destroy the regenerating Evil God¡¯s core before the resurrection skill activates.


    ¡°[Absolute¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yeah, good work.¡±


    I cut down the core that was about to resurrect and time it.


    ¡°¡­Yeah. The time since defeating it and the resurrection skill activating is around 1 minute.¡± (Souma)


    It is actually 58 seconds, but well, that much is just a margin of error I guess.


    This 1 minute is most likely the interval of the infinite boss battle the Nekomimi Neko developers deviced in their mind.


    This is probably the time they give you to heal up or run away, but it does make me think that¡¯s way too little time.


    I recovered my HP to full again and watched the core crumbling, and Ina spoke to me from the side as if impressed and a bit taken aback.


    ¡°A-Anyways, that¡¯s an impressive weapon.


    Defeating the Evil God in one hit despite having resurrected several times and getting stronger.¡± (Ina)


    ¡°This is the template strongest weapon for the no-lifers in the Nekomimi Neko Wiki after all.¡± (Souma)


    ¡­The first thing of all is that being barehanded is weak.


    In the case you attack enemies barehanded, the strength of that character will be counted into the attack power of the weapon, but if you are playing normally, there won¡¯t be a time when the strength of the character will surpass that of the weapon¡¯s attack power.


    Also, even if the strength of the character does surpass it, barehanded is extremely weak as a weapon type.


    For example; even if the attack power were to be doubled, the low weapon type modifier and the weak skills would make you deal low damage when punching.


    Even if the attack power were to do a bit of work, you would be able to bring a lot more damage from using a random weapon.


    But what comes here is Dark Schneider also known as the Fingerless Gloves which is calculated the same way as barehanded even when equipped.


    If used alone, you would simply be getting the same attack power as when you don¡¯t have it equipped, so there¡¯s no point at all.


    It is just a cool fashion item that the Nekomimi Neko staff gave birth to from their playful heart¡­is what was thought, but everything changed with synthesizing.


    The weapon that has the Performance of the Fingerless Gloves transplanted will have the ¡®Strength of the character be applied to the attack power¡¯ which will make the same calculation as when barehanded.


    In other words, if you bring a different weapon for the Shape, you will be able to overcome the biggest disadvantage of a ¡®weak weapon type¡¯ that barehanded fighting has, and you can use the attack calculation of it.


    This discovery brought elation to the no-life Nekomimi Neko players, especially the ones that used the Seed Death Bug and the Butcher overfishing to increase their strength.


    However, what surfaces with this is the durability issue.


    The Fingerless Gloves only have 40 HP, so if you get the Performance of the Fingerless Gloves, it will break after using it 40 times no matter how weak the enemy.


    This issue bothered the no-life players for a long time, but with patch after patch, this was compensated by the one other special ability of the Soul Eater.


    When I spoke to Sazan before, I told her ¡®there was a patch about adding the ability to absorb lifeforce to the Soul Eater, but it didn¡¯t recover the HP of the character at all¡¯.


    But there¡¯s a continuation to that story.


    It is true that the HP of the wearer did not budge an inch even when punching with the Soul Eater, but something else healed.


    ¡­That¡¯s right. The HP of the Soul Eater itself, in other words, its durability.


    I don¡¯t know what they did to mess it up, but the Soul Eater now had an irregular lifeforce absorption feature to recover its own durability.


    It is full of things to retort about, but by using this special ability of the Soul Eater, you can use the Fingerless Gloves without issues even with its 40 durability.


    Shape: Shiranui; Performance: Fingerless Gloves; Special: Soul Eater. For only the no-life players who have over 666 Strength and have obtained the Soul Eater from the Hidden Dungeon, this will become the strongest weapon there is.


    As a result, it ended up being the last endgame gear for Nekomimi Neko no-lifers in the Wiki.


    That¡¯s why I got flustered when the Fingerless Gloves I finally obtained were destroyed by Sazan before the rewind, but¡­well, I can now use them like this as a result, so let¡¯s say it is fine.


    Because I didn¡¯t do the Incarnation of Seed Death Bug or the Butcher Overfishing, my Strength didn¡¯t go over 666, and I ignored this weapon, but my current Strength is over 20,000.


    The weapon synthesized with the Fingerless Gloves has over 20,000 attack power, moreover, the Strength of the character is also calculated when attacking with the weapon, so 20,000 Strength and 20,000 weapon attack power, add that with the Otachi¡¯s weapon type modifier and the proficiency modifier, and you get something outrageous.


    Being able to cut the Evil God with True Shiranui when it has only resurrected a few times is normal, but¡­


    ¡°¡­The issue begins here.¡± (Souma)


    I don¡¯t know just how stronger the Evil God can get.


    Just how far can this outrageous attack power in game standards be able to deal with the Evil God?


    I won¡¯t be able to know unless I open that lid.


    ¡°It seems like this will become a rough battle.¡± (Souma)


    I muttered this bitterly as I sliced the Evil God¡¯s core into pieces.


    After that, I continued destroying the Evil God¡¯s core like a routine and¡­


    ¡°¡­It should be about time.¡± (Souma)


    Just as I anticipated, my surrounding conditions are slowly¡­slowly getting rougher.


    I managed to defeat it with one attack until now, but I am beginning to feel strong resistance.


    I couldn¡¯t slice the core in one hit, so I ended up having to swing twice¡­then thrice¡­


    Normal attacks were not sufficient anymore and I had no choice but to use skills now.


    ¡°¡­It is my limit. Everyone, please move away from here.¡± (Souma)


    When I said this, the faces of my comrades that were watching over my battle against the Evil God from up close turned grim.


    But there will definitely come a time when I will need to use True Instant Samidare Slash to defeat it.


    I can¡¯t drag everyone into that.


    The first one to make a decision there was¡­


    ¡°E-Excuse me!¡± (Ina)


    It was Ina who wanted to help out more than anyone.


    She held both hands tightly as if pushing her own powerlessness inside of herself, as if praying for my victory, and¡­


    ¡°I¡­know that you are more amazing than anyone else, Souma-san!


    That¡¯s why¡­that¡¯s why I will believe and wait!


    I believe that you will return safely, Souma-san!¡± (Ina)


    There were faint tears in the eyes of Ina when she said this.


    Even when I am a bit dense, I could tell that she actually didn¡¯t want to move away from here, that she wanted to help me out more.


    That¡¯s why¡­


    ¡°¡­I promise. I will definitely defeat this guy at its strongest and return to everyone.¡± (Souma)


    I clearly said this and promised her.


    I actually don¡¯t know if I will be able to do that.


    This is something I can¡¯t do anything about with just my hard work. A gamble left to lady luck.


    But something inside of me was telling me that this is the correct thing to say to Ina right now.


    ¡°¡­Yes! ¡­I believe¡­in you¡­!¡± (Ina)


    Ina couldn¡¯t endure the rising emotions and smiled to the end even with teardrops falling down from her big eyes.


    She bowed deeply at the end and ran to where the citizens were waiting.


    The next one to move was Mitsuki.


    ¡°If it feels constraining from the many battles, please drink a potion.


    It will just help to soothe it slightly, but oral intake should be able to heal the mental fatigue a bit too.¡± (Mitsuki)


    She didn¡¯t say anything unnecessary and just gave me practical advice as she left.


    After that, the worried Ringo, Maki with her lips puckered, the mortified Sazan, and the pained Leila left the place.


    The last one to remain was¡­


    ¡°Now that I think about it, I have also been in your care a whole lot¡­no, in the care of you two.¡± (Souma)


    The cute plushie that has increased to two, the Bear.


    ¡°I have been saved by you guys a whole lot, but¡­if I were to fail, I leave the rest to you guys.¡± (Souma)


    When I said this, the Bears grinned like usual, and¡­entered my bag.


    ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± (Souma)


    Well, if they are going back to the bag, they would of course remain till the end, huh.


    I relaxed for a moment there and felt unnecessary strength leave my body.


    ¡°Does this mean the Bear has saved me again?¡± (Souma)


    I face the Evil God core again after feeling a bit lighter, and ready myself for the infinite battle.


    ¡°¡­Haah¡­haah!¡± (Souma)


    My own breathing was hitting my ears awfully sharply.


    How many times have I destroyed the resurrected core already?


    I have stopped counting by the hundredth time.


    I already don¡¯t feel the passing of time.


    The sun that was at the midpoint when I defeated the Evil God for the first time was already in the west sky.


    Since then, normal skills have already become difficult to injure the core, and I had no choice but to lift the ban on the Instant Samidare Slash.


    The power of Instant Samidare Slash really is on a whole other level.


    I managed to destroy the core a few dozen times after that, but even that Instant Samidare Slash was unable to destroy the core in one hit anymore.


    Right now, I am in a state where I have to repeat the Samidare Slash Cancel Movement to finally destroy the core.


    Even with that, I felt like the number of required attacks with Instant Samidare Slash has dulled, but this is most likely because the attack power has increased.


    This is just my assumption here, but the level is also probably increasing drastically together with the power of the Evil God.


    In that case, as someone who is fighting and defeating it, my level and stats, as well as my weapon proficiency are increasing.


    I am hitting it with a super multihit technique like Instant Samidare Slash against an enemy with a big level difference, so the Otachi proficiency increase shouldn¡¯t fall short to the proficiency I get from Master Torch.


    This is the reason why I can somehow cling on in this endurance race that I am on the verge of getting left in the dust.


    There¡¯s a miscalculation on the bad side too.


    The interval for when the Evil God uses its resurrection skill is getting shorter little by little.


    Looks like the time it took to resurrect not being exactly one minute but 58 seconds wasn¡¯t a margin of error or measuring incorrectly.


    I don¡¯t have the leeway to measure it anymore, but the speed in which the core regenerates is slowly¡­ever so slowly getting faster, and the time it takes for it to activate its resurrection skill has been reduced to lower than half its initial value.


    This was crawling at me, cornering me, like a slow acting poison.


    ¡°My head¡­hurts¡­¡± (Souma)


    There¡¯s no issues with the durability of my weapon, my stamina, or my status; they may increase with the ability of Soul Eater, but they won¡¯t lower.


    But the mental strength supporting them is a different story.


    True Instant Samidare Slash takes extreme concentration just to succeed once, and yet, here I am, unleashing them consecutively with barely any rest.


    Even if my body may not be fatigued, I can¡¯t hide the mental fatigue.


    ¡°Damn it¡­!¡± (Souma)


    I cursed at my head that was stabbing me in pain, brought out the rarest potion from my pouch, and gulped it down in one go.


    I deceived my headache with this refreshing sensation just as Mitsuki said, threw away the flask, and ready my sword again.


    ¡°Give it¡­a break¡­already!¡± (Souma)


    I activate True Instant Samidare Slash while shouting.


    There¡¯s already no spare time until the resurrection.


    If I were to fail the combo once and I end up skill stunned, it might be irreversible.


    That pressure was shaving away at my psyche.


    ¡°Even so! I can¡¯t afford to give up!¡± (Souma)


    Once, twice, thrice¡­


    The repeated slashes like sudden showers finally scraped away at the core.


    ¡°Haaah¡­Haah¡­it is still not over?¡± (Souma)


    The Evil God¡¯s core was getting decently big.


    I can¡¯t see an end to it.


    I glared at the gathering fragments leaving no time for respite, tighten my hands on my slipping grip, and unleash Instant Samidare Slash again.


    Unleash, unleash, unleash, unleash, unleash!


    A nightmarish time that felt like an eternity.


    I am certainly destroying the Evil God core.


    But despite all that, it is not ending.


    Even though I should be moving forward here, I couldn¡¯t see the end, only pain in sight, with a core getting bigger as it went.


    ¡ªThe Evil God¡¯s core is still getting sturdier.


    ¡ªMy head felt like it was splitting apart.


    ¡ªIf I mess up once, it is over.


    ¡ªMy lungs are squeezing me.


    ¡ªAah, my head hurts.


    My muddying consciousness and my numbing limbs.


    I could feel the worm of weakness screaming as everything was sinking into stagnation.


    ¡ªHey, is there really an end?


    My mirror image questioned me.


    ¡°¡­Shut up.¡± (Souma)


    I had already swallowed that question since the moment I took the blade.


    That won¡¯t become my reason to stop at this point in time.


    ¡ªHey, is there really any point in doing something like this?


    There obviously is.


    Everyone acknowledged it.


    Supported me.


    That¡¯s why I am standing here, fighting.


    I won¡¯t give up.


    I must not.


    ¡ªHey, you actually already know that this is wasted effort, right?


    That¡¯s not true.


    If I don¡¯t give up, I am sure¡­!


    Sure¡­


    ¡ªHey, do you really think that?


    Of course.


    This is not wasted effort.


    It will eventually end.


    I can defeat it.


    ¡ªHey, isn¡¯t this in the end just your own selfishness?


    ¡ªIsn¡¯t your selfishness going to end your friends¡­the world?


    ¡°Wrong. Wrong wrong wrong¡­wrong!!¡± (Souma)


    I deny it.


    I deny it over and over and over.


    I unleash Instant Samidare Slash over and over and over.


    Over and over and over and over and over and over¡­


    ¡ªHey, really?


    But it is not ending.


    The core resurrected again, I unleashed Instant Samidare Slashes, and the questioning didn¡¯t stop.


    No matter how many times I denied it and denied it, doubts rose, and tightened their grip at me, attempting to sink me.


    The hallucinations aren¡¯t stopping.


    Hallucinations, hallucinations¡­


    ¡ªHey.


    ¡°SHUT UP!!!¡± (Souma)


    The moment I shouted and swung my sword, I lost my posture and my knees dropped to the ground.


    ¡ªI must stand.


    I reflexively thought this and tilted my head.


    ¡°Eh¡­? Why do I have to stand up again?¡± (Souma)


    My mind turned pure white.


    Even though I should have been doing something important here.


    By the time I noticed, I had dropped my sword, and had collapsed in place.


    ¡°¡ª!!!¡±


    I heard the scream of someone from afar.


    ¡°Leila-san! Place the fragments there inside the Cooler Box!¡±


    ¡°Eh, b-but¡­¡±


    ¡°Its resistance to Time Stop shouldn¡¯t be perfect yet!


    If we do it well, we should be able to buy time! Quick!!¡±


    They seem to be talking about something extremely important.


    Even though I am thinking that, my brain is not working.


    A shadow dropped above me.


    That shadow had cute cat ears.


    ¡°Potion! Please drink it!


    It should make it a bit better!!¡±


    A bottle with transparent liquid was pushed onto my mouth.


    I was thinking how pretty her voice is while seeing this.


    ¡°Please get a grip of yourself! ¡­Kuh!!¡±


    The owner of that voice brought the pretty bottle to her own lips and poured the contents into her mouth.


    After that, her face suddenly approached mine and¡­


    ¡°¡ªHn, guh?!¡±


    The cool and clear sensation being poured into my mouth made me reflexively gulp it down and¡­


    ¡°Mitsu¡­ki¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I finally managed to regain my senses, and what was there were the faces of my comrades I am so familiar with.


    Teary eyes were staring straight at me.


    ¡°Please listen here. I understand this is painful.


    But I¡­I know this is something only you can do.


    I hold pride in that.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki moved her face even closer to mine and strung words as if pushing her feelings directly at me.


    ¡°I might have no right to say anything here since I can only entrust this to you.


    However¡­I want to see it¡­


    The moment you win against the Evil God and become the strongest¡­!¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡ªRight.


    That¡¯s right.


    I was chasing after the dream of all gamers¡­to become the strongest¡­


    ¡°I-It won¡¯t hold any longer, Mitsuki!!¡±


    I heard what sounded like a scream.


    When I looked, the fragments of the Evil God core escaped from the Cooler Box, and were trying to gather into one again.


    ¡°Kuh!¡±


    I stopped Mitsuki who warped her face and was about to say something, and I stood up.


    ¡°Thanks. You really are my best partner, Mitsuki.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Ah!¡± (Mitsuki)


    I walk past Mitsuki who had her eyes wide open in surprise, pick up Shiranui, and activate the skill.


    ¡°Instant Samidare Slash x10!!¡± (Souma)


    More than thousands of slashes shaved away the core in the blink of an eye, crushed it, blew it away, and the core that was about to regain its shape changed into a mountain of rubble again.


    The headache is not subsiding.


    Maybe because I strained my brain too much, my vision was swaying, and I am by no means in a proper state.


    Even so¡­


    I have decided to not give up anymore.


    I won¡¯t say such stingy stuff like wanting a break.


    I will go at full power the whole time.


    ¡°I will tag along with you until the ends of time!


    A Nekomimi Neko player is a tenacious beast!¡± (Souma)


    I presented the core fragments gathering with an Instant Samidare Slash.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    ¡­¡­¡­


    How much time has passed?


    I cut, cut, cut, and cut the Evil God core.


    Everything else aside from shooting techniques and fighting had disappeared from my mind.


    Even the pain in my head had melted to the ends of the slashes.


    And then¡­


    Cut, cut, and cut again¡­


    And then¡­


    And then what happened¡­?


    ¡ªRed.


    By the time I noticed, the world had dyed red.


    ¡ªSunset.


    The sun is already going down.


    Right, I have to sleep.


    My eyelids are terribly heavy.


    I forget everything and let my body surrender to the curtains.


    I slowly closed my eyes and¡­


    ¡°¡ªSouma!!¡±


    The moment that nostalgic voice reached my ears¡­


    *Whap!!*


    Something hit my cheek and I woke up in an instant.


    ¡°B-Bear?!¡± (Souma)


    The one that kicked me just now when I had lost consciousness was the Bear.


    ¡°You saved me there, Bear! Right, what about the Evil God?!¡± (Souma)


    I raised my face and what I saw was the Evil God¡¯s core that was about to finish regenerating.


    ¡°DAMN IIIIIIIIIITTTT!!¡± (Souma)


    It was an instinctive action that surpassed thought.


    ¡°MAKE IT IN TIMEEEE!!¡± (Souma)


    I had forgotten to even use skills and reflexively dashed towards the Evil God.


    If the Evil God were to resurrect here, everything until now would be wasted.


    No, not only that, the world would perish, and all my comrades would die.


    ¡°Reach!¡± (Souma)


    I stretch out my hand.


    The Evil God¡¯s core was pulsing, echoing.


    There¡¯s no time.


    ¡°Reach!¡± (Souma)


    I stretch out my hand!


    I don¡¯t mind if my arm tears off as long as I make it in time.


    I stretch my hand desperately with that desire.


    ¡°REAAAAAAAACCCCCHHHH!!!¡± (Souma)


    That pulsing core¡­


    What¡¯s supposed to be an unfeeling core¡­for some reason looking like it had laughed loudly, and¡­


    ¡°Rea¡ª-¡± (Souma)


    And finally¡­


    ¡°¡ª[Absolute Dis Aster].¡±


    ¡­The voice that declared the end echoed.


    ¡°Aaah¡­¡± (Souma)


    The last of the strength in my body left me.


    I could tell my body crumbled to the ground.


    ¡ªIt is the end.


    It is over.


    I could tell the Evil God was making cracking sounds above me as it changed its shape.


    Now that it has come to this, no one can stop it.


    ¡ªI¡­failed?


    I have no memories of what happened midway.


    I only had memories of the speed of the Evil God¡¯s regeneration growing steadily faster.


    ¡ªWas it impossible?


    I couldn¡¯t reach the strongest¡­the cap.


    I couldn¡¯t answer the expectations of everyone.


    ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh¡­.!¡± (Souma)


    Vexation that made me want to scratch my chest away and emptiness as if a hole had opened in my heart were assailing me at the same time.


    ¡°¡ªSouma!¡±


    I suddenly felt a warm sensation wrap around my head.


    ¡°Rin¡­go¡­?¡± (Souma)


    The one who raised my head was Ringo.


    Ringo was looking at me with her face drenched in tears.


    A warm sensation fell onto my cheeks.


    I felt bad that I am happy she is crying for the sake of someone like me.


    ¡°I am sorry¡­ I couldn¡¯t keep my promise¡­¡± (Souma)


    When I said this with a voice so raspy it shocked even me, Ringo shook her head to the sides with such intensity it could have torn her head off.


    ¡°¡­You did your best, Souma! You did¡­your best¡­!¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°I see¡­¡± (Souma)


    I could feel my heart clear up.


    I might not have been able to reach the ¡®cap¡¯.


    But I have defeated the core that even the outrageously strong Shiranui couldn¡¯t destroy easily. Countless times, literally countless times.


    Even if that Evil God wasn¡¯t the ¡®cap¡¯ it was most likely the ¡®strongest¡¯.


    ¡ªI would say I managed to fulfill half the promise, I guess.


    ¡°Sou¡­ma?¡± (Ringo)


    I heard the flustered voice of Ringo, whipped my disobedient body, and slowly but desperately picked up my body.


    ¡ªEven if I failed¡­


    ¡ªEven if I couldn¡¯t fulfill my promise¡­


    As the one who began this, I have the duty of seeing the end with my own eyes.


    The ¡®change¡¯ of the Evil God continued while I raised my head.


    A protuberance grew on top of the core like a horn, something that looked like strings extended from the sides of the core, and wriggled.


    It made creaking sounds, the shape of the body changed, and created a single form.


    And then, those sounds stopped¡­


    After finishing all of its ¡®changes¡¯, the one landing in front of my eyes was without doubt¡­


    Without doubt¡­


    ¡ªA musical instrument.


    ¡°Eh? Eh?! Sou¡­ma?¡± (Ringo)


    With the trembling voice of Ringo at my back, I dragged my feet unsteadily, and grabbed that instrument¡­what was once the Evil God¡­the Lute Dis Aster, and raised it high up.


    And then, I shouted with everything my voice could offer, to make it reach all the people that were cheering for me.


    ¡°¡ªI HAVE OBTAINED THE STRONGEST WEAPON!!¡± (Souma)

 CH 229

    Light


    Dark


    After the¡­long and painful battle against the Evil God¡­


    There were a number of miscalculations, but I managed to defeat the Evil God completely without a single casualty.


    And then¡­


    The biggest contributor, who should be me¡­


    ¡°Now then, Souma, I will have you spit it out!!¡±


    Was for some reason surrounded by my comrades and was made to kneel at the center.


    I-Isn¡¯t this strange?!


    Why did it turn out like this when it was an incredibly moving scene just before?!


    ¡°First, Souma, you know why we are angry, right?¡±


    The first one to question me with eyes upturned, shoulders trembling, and even crossing arms to show her anger was Maki.


    I was honestly scared, so I answered obediently.


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t manage to get the Evil God to the cap, so¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°As-if-I-was-asking-that!!¡± (Maki)


    Maki burned in even more anger at my response and approached me further.


    ¡°This is what I want you to explain to me!¡± (Maki)


    She pointed at the musical instrument¡­no, at the Sand Dragon Sword, Lute Dis Aster.


    ¡°¡ªWhat I am asking here is¡­why did the Evil God turn into a musical instrument?!!¡± (Maki)


    She shouted this with a bright red face.


    I thought ¡®what brought that at this point?¡¯, but my other comrades seemed to want to ask that too, so I decided to explain it once again.


    It goes without saying, but what changed the Evil God into a musical instrument was the power of the forbidden item, the Dragon¡¯s Treasure, which can change a person into a weapon.


    This Dragon¡¯s Treasure couldn¡¯t be used on enemies in the game, and it wouldn¡¯t be easy for an ally NPC to use it either.


    The conditions to activate the Dragon¡¯s Treasure are: ¡®say the name of the weapon and your own name while touching it¡¯. You would have no choice but to increase the affection of NPCs if you wanted to ask them to change them into weapons.


    However, the weapon candidates to change with the Dragon¡¯s Treasure are varied.


    There¡¯s the standard weapons like swords, spears, and axes; shuriken, darts, and gyaru panties which are projectile weapons; even musical instruments like harmonicas, guitars, harps, piancias, and lutes.


    Remembering that, when I watched the last chapter of the Evil God Great War Recording, I was surprised from the bottom of my heart.


    It is because the Evil God used an outrageous skill name.


    ¡­The name of that resurrection skill is: [Absolute Dis Aster].


    In other words, it has the ¡®Weapon name candidate for the Dragon¡¯s Treasure¡¯ + ¡®Own Name¡¯ which are the keywords to activate the Dragon¡¯s Treasure. That¡¯s the trump card of the Evil God.


    The only thing left in those conditions is ¡®touching the Dragon¡¯s Treasure¡¯.


    The ¡®abso¡¯ part before the lute is not necessary, but as long as you speak the keywords, there¡¯s no issues in saying extra before those keywords.


    If I could push the Dragon¡¯s Treasure onto the Evil God when it activates the Absolute Dis Aster, I thought I might be able to turn the Evil God into a weapon.


    Thinking about it normally, there¡¯s no way I would be able to turn Dis Aster into a weapon when it is set as an enemy.


    No, even if I could, there would be no way in the game where it would be possible to have the enemy speak the keywords of the Dragon¡¯s Treasure, so I can¡¯t say for sure if it was possible in the game.


    However, there was still a winning chance for me.


    It is the rival character Richter which showed up in the recording.


    This guy wasn¡¯t a human but a monster.


    Moreover, it is a boss character called an Archdemon which shows up in a midgame dungeon.


    Despite Richter being a monster, it went against the Demon Lord, helped Hero Alex, and in the end used the Dragon¡¯s Treasure to turn into the Knight Sword Richter, leading Alex and his group into victory.


    This Nekomimi Neko world has been recreated in a way to make as little inconsistencies as possible.


    In that case, leaving aside the game itself, the chances of changing the Evil God into a weapon in this world are not zero.


    Of course, this is still a gamble against our favor.


    However, it was still very trying despite the odds being stacked against us.


    First of all, if this went well, we would be able to defeat the Evil God in the real meaning of the word.


    The Evil God will resurrect endlessly even if we were to defeat it, and it will have resistance to an attack it has been hit with before.


    However, the resistances increasing is only after it has actually revived.


    If it is just turning it into a weapon by using the Dragon¡¯s Treasure instead of killing it, it shouldn¡¯t revive.


    And the one other advantage of this that shook my heart greatly was the original purpose of the Dragon¡¯s Treasure.


    ¡ªIn other words, the desire that, if I were to create a weapon using the Evil God, it would definitely be a strong one.


    The weapon called the Sand Dragon Sword which is created from the Dragon¡¯s Treasure will have its attack power set, but it will have stat modifiers depending on the character who used the Dragon¡¯s Treasure.


    If I managed to continuously defeat the Evil God and increase it enough to the point of capping its stats, the Sand Dragon Sword created from this would have fearsome power, and would become a weapon that wouldn¡¯t bring shame to the word ¡®strongest¡¯.


    ¡°¡­Well, my biggest worry there is what Mitsuki pointed out.


    If the Evil God were to reach cap, it might perish, or its stats might overflow and reset, making it weaker.


    In that case, it would be a shame since I wouldn¡¯t be able to make the strongest weapon¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°W-Wait a moment please! I didn¡¯t say something like that!¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki cuts in as if saying ¡®there¡¯s no way I will be dragged in this¡¯.


    No, I think you did say that pretty clearly though¡­


    When I tilted my head, Mitsuki continued speaking as if flustered.


    ¡°N-No, that¡¯s not important right now.


    After hearing all that, I would like to confirm something¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Confirm something?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Y-Yes. I want to believe this is not the case¡­that this is just my imagination, but¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki spoke with an unclear tone and paused for a moment there, but then asked me with a rare tone for her as if she were praying, as if she were clinging onto me.


    ¡°¡ªCould it be that¡­if you were not thinking about creating a weapon, it would have been fine to defeat the Evil God just one time?¡± (Mitsuki)


    I was relieved by the easy to answer question I was getting so ready for.


    I answered with a smile.


    ¡°Eh? Yeah, obviously.¡± (Souma)


    If it is just to defeat the Evil God, I can just push the Dragon¡¯s Treasure onto it the moment it uses ¡®Absolute Dis Aster¡¯, so defeating it countless times before that would only have the downside of making it stronger and no benefits.


    That was certainly a point of worry for me.


    ¡°Man, I wanted to make as strong of a weapon as possible from the Evil God.


    I did hesitate because the more I defeated the Evil God, the higher the risks would be if I were to fail.


    But at that moment, you came in, Mitsuki. You told me ¡®Selfishness that will decide the fate of the world. Isn¡¯t that fine?¡¯ and everyone supported me!


    Thanks to that, I managed to resolve myself. There¡¯s no words enough to express my gratitude to Mitsuki and everyone else.


    Man, you guys really are my wings¡ªwait, hm?¡± (Souma)


    By the time I noticed, Mitsuki was curled up in place, covering her ears, groaning like a zombie while going ¡®Aah¡­what¡­what have I done¡­ Aaah¡­¡¯.


    ¡°Just stop it, please.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Even though she was so desperate there for you, Souma. But with this¡­¡± (Maki)


    Sazan and Maki stood in front of her and stopped me.


    The gazes of the two were severe, and they didn¡¯t look convinced at all.


    ¡°Eeeeh¡­?¡± (Souma)


    W-Why?


    I wonder why. Even though I properly explained to them, the gazes of everyone on me were getting harsher and harsher.


    When I looked at the side, there was Ina with her mouth open as if her soul had left her body, but what part of all that was shocking? There¡¯s also Leila facing down and mumbling something which is incredibly scary.


    ¡ªBut!


    But I have an absolute ally here.


    ¡°Ringo! You should be able to get me, right, Ringo?!¡± (Souma)


    The oasis of my heart, Ringo, who has resolved to pamper me for 10 years no matter what happens!


    ¡°¡­S-So-Souma¡­¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo desperately moved her expressionless face, tried to make a smile, failing over and over, and then¡­


    ¡ª*Pap!*


    ¡°Eh? Eeh?!¡± (Souma)


    She hit me on the head with a teary cat punch!


    ¡°O-Ouch! Ah, no, it doesn¡¯t really hurt, but ouch!¡± (Souma)


    Ringo wasn¡¯t really serious there and I obviously wouldn¡¯t receive damage with my current stats.


    However, I couldn¡¯t help but get flustered at the sudden change of heart from Ringo.


    ¡°If she were to accept this, it wouldn¡¯t be on the level of an angel.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°I think you should actually be grateful she didn¡¯t punch you with all her power.¡± (Maki)


    The Sazan and Maki pair were stabbing at me again.


    As if hitting me with a surprise attack there¡­


    ¡°I-If you had told me properly, I would have cooperated¡­¡±


    She looked at me with dark eyes¡­


    ¡°Right. That last part was really dangerous.¡± (Mitsuki)


    That¡¯s when Mitsuki joined in as well after recovering for a bit.


    ¡°I-It is true that the timing was pretty tight there, but¡­¡± (Souma)


    I desperately stretched my hand with the Dragon¡¯s Treasure right before the Evil God resurrected.


    I am relieved I managed to somehow make it in time, but if I had been one second late there, the Evil God might have resurrected without becoming a weapon.


    ¡°B-But I prepared an insurance just in case.


    I gave the Dragon¡¯s Treasure to the Bear, and if need be, it would hit the Evil God with it instead of me.¡± (Souma)


    When I said this, everyone¡¯s gazes gathered onto the Bear.


    ¡°¡­I see, the Bear?¡± (Maki)


    With the words of Maki, the Bear, who was playing until just now, hurriedly hid the Dragon¡¯s Treasure at its back.


    But the sad thing is that it is completely obvious.


    ¡°¡­Haah, oh well, fine.¡± (Mitsuki)


    The one who calmed down that tense atmosphere was unexpectedly the one who received the most damage here, Mitsuki.


    She said with a face as if an evil spirit had gone away.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really like the saying ¡®it is the result that matters¡¯, but the reality is that no harm was done.


    You defeated the Evil God without a single casualty.


    ¡­Good work. You really pulled it off.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Mitsuki¡­¡± (Souma)


    Those honest words of appreciation I heard for the first time since defeating the Evil God seeped in my chest.


    I was on the verge of blurting out ¡®but I didn¡¯t reach the cap though¡¯, but my sixth sense was telling me I would get scolded if I were to say that, so I swallowed them.


    ¡°What¡¯s next would be the explanation to everyone else¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki¡¯s cat ears were directed at the group, and I could hear endless cheers.


    ¡°¡­It seems like on their side, they have established that you sealed the Evil God in that lute.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°W-Wa? Didn¡¯t I shout that I got the strongest weapon?¡± (Souma)


    I tilted my head, wondering how those words were taken, and Mitsuki looked there with strangely distant eyes.


    ¡°¡­Normal people wouldn¡¯t even be able to imagine that you turned the Evil God into a weapon.


    They must have reached that conclusion after mixing reality to it.¡± (Mitsuki)


    I don¡¯t really get it, but is that how it works?


    Maki doesn¡¯t seem to be convinced by this either.


    ¡°I-It is not like I don¡¯t get it, but is it fine like that?!¡± (Maki)


    She pursued, but¡­


    ¡°It is not good, but¡­could it be that you want to tell them the truth?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki stared at me and soon fell silent.


    After confirming that, Mitsuki clapped.


    ¡°Anyways, the threat of the Evil God is gone now.


    There¡¯s¡­many things I would like to say, but it is a safe end.


    ¡­However, next time, I would like you to definitely explain it to us properly before you do something.¡± (Mitsuki)


    She summarized it all neatly and didn¡¯t forget to glare at me to make her point.


    I could only respond with a bitter smile at the sharp Mitsuki.


    But that¡¯s unnecessary worry.


    ¡°Hahaha, it is okay. I won¡¯t be doing such grandiose things that would warrant you to stop me for a good while.


    Right now I just want to return to the city as soon as possible.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Fufu¡­even you would be tired after a battle like that, huh.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Of course, there¡¯s also that. And¡­¡± (Souma)


    I proudly brushed this time¡¯s loot and strongest weapon, the lute, and¡­


    ¡°¡ªI have to synthesize this Lute Dis Aster quickly after all.¡± (Souma)


    A momentary pause happened after I said that.


    ¡°And I am telling you that¡¯s what¡¯s bad about yooooooouuuuu!!¡± (Sazan)


    I ended up getting thoroughly scolded by my comrades with Sazan being the first one.


    ¡­Unfortunately, because of the intense protests of my comrades, the synthesization of the lute has been postponed indefinitely.


    Well, it is not like I don¡¯t get what Mitsuki and the others say.


    I am pretty sure it would be alright, but it would be terrible if the Evil God were to resurrect with the synthesization as the trigger.


    However, the weapon type of this one is sword which isn¡¯t that easy to utilize, and it is also hard to say Lute Dis Aster.


    Ah, well, the name of the Sand Dragon Sword is ¡®Weapon Type + First Name¡¯ so it would actually be Lute Dis or Lute Aster, but there¡¯s no way to confirm in this world where I can¡¯t open the menu.


    That¡¯s an issue of how it feels at that point, but it really is in the nature of gamers to worry about the names of the weapons they like.


    If I were to synthesize it with Ultihate, it would have the special trait of ¡®no one can use it except me¡¯ which would remove the risks of others using it for evil purposes, moreover, together with its ability to nullify long range attacks, I wanted to say ¡®I am the strongest with light and darkness together!¡¯, but it seems like I have no choice but to give up on that.


    There¡¯s obviously a technique in Nekomimi Neko that won¡¯t let you lose your gear, so as long as I have this lute, I will have the stat modifiers on me, making me on the level of the resurrected Evil God.


    Forget long range attacks, I probably don¡¯t even need to worry about attacks in general.


    ¡°Right. Since there¡¯s the opportunity, let me test it out a bit.¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki for some reason made a slightly troubled face when I said this.


    ¡°That¡¯s okay, but be careful to not hit your allies.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°N-No trust in me¡­¡± (Souma)


    I approached a big rock I had an eye on while complaining.


    That¡¯s when I¡­didn¡¯t take a stance with the lute and instead brought out the True Shiranui on my right hand.


    ¡°You are testing that one out?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki said this as if she didn¡¯t expect it, but that¡¯s just how it works.


    ¡°The attack power of the Sand Dragon Sword is a set number after all.


    No matter how strong of a character you make into a weapon, its attack power isn¡¯t that high.¡± (Souma)


    Even so, because I get a modifier on Strength, the Sand Dragon Sword can become a candidate for the strongest weapon even from that alone.


    In order to bring out the most out of this power¡­


    ¡°This modifier also applies to the attack power of being barehanded on the contrary to buffs.


    That¡¯s why, if I were to use the True Shiranui while holding the Sand Dragon Sword in my left hand which increases my Strength¡­¡± (Souma)


    I say this as I point True Shiranui on the big rock.


    The True Shiranui is most likely the true strongest when I am holding this Evil God Sand Dragon Sword.


    Honestly speaking, no powerful enemy existing in the game would be able to prove how sharp this weapon is.


    Slicing up this rock won¡¯t prove anything, but if I can stab this rock without placing any strength in it, I should be able to show part of its power.


    I pushed out the True Shiranui onto the big rock, and it sank into the rock without any resistance as expected, and¡­


    ¡°See? Just like¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡ª*SHWABAAAAM!!*


    ¡°¡­..Eh?¡± (Souma)


    The big rock was blown up to smithereens after making a sound I have never heard before in my life.


    Like, it literally blew up.


    Not an explosion or implosion, but vanished.


    Despite that flashy sound, there were no fragments of the rock flying around, and it perished with literally one stab.


    ¡°S-Souma, that¡¯s¡­¡±


    I could tell that my comrades were looking at me as if I was a dangerous guy.


    ¡°N-No, that¡¯s not it! This must be some sort of mista¡ª¡± (Souma)


    The moment I turned around to explain myself, the katana moved with me and made a *whuooooooom!* sound like the howling of something, wind raging about.


    Such an effect doesn¡¯t exist in the game, but it seems like my way too high attack power created wind pressure.


    What¡¯s with this power?!


    ¡°Ah, no, as I said¡­¡± (Souma)


    Seeing this, my comrades slowly take distance from me.


    The only one who didn¡¯t move was Ina, but it is not really because she had guts. She lost strength in her legs in place and was trembling like a scared hamster while going ¡®hawawawawa¡­¡¯.


    Now that it has come to this, there¡¯s no way to explain myself out of this one.


    ¡°Take-special-care in not using it when we are around, okay?¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­Okay.¡± (Souma)


    I nodded silently at Mitsuki who looked coldly at me, and had no choice but to obediently sheathe Shiranui.


    ¡°Now then, let¡¯s go.¡± (Mitsuki)


    I mumbled ¡®being the strongest is a lonely place¡¯, and Mitsuki urged us to move after Ina finally calmed down.


    ¡°Ah, wait a moment!¡± (Souma)


    However, there¡¯s something I must do at the end no matter what.


    When I asked Mitsuki to wait, I placed the lute on the ground.


    Even if it was against an opponent I had a life or death battle with, I do have to show the appropriate respect.


    I stood in front of the lute on the ground, placed both hands together, and gave my gratitude.


    ¡°Thank you for fighting with me to become stronger and become a Sand Dragon Sword.


    Thanks for dying a whole lot to make the Sand Dragon Sword grow.


    ¡­Thanks to you, I managed to get a strong weapon like this one.¡± (Souma)


    Saying this, I pick the lute back up and Mitsuki speaks by my side as if baffled.


    ¡°¡­Good grief. You are unexpectedly evil.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you already? Nekomimi Neko players are tenacious beasts.¡± (Souma)


    Even so, the grudge of killing my comrades¡­let¡¯s call it even with this.


    ¡°I will have you work a whole lot from here on.¡± (Souma)


    I smack the side of the lute.


    That¡¯s a musical instrument for ya, it made a nice sound there.


    ¡°What in the world do you plan on fighting after this?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki looked at me, baffled, and at the same time as if she were looking at something endearing.


    The answer to that is obvious.


    ¡°Against the ones I have never seen before.


    There should be a lot of places I haven¡¯t gone to in the game before.¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki froze at my answer, caught by surprise.


    Ina hesitantly asked me as if speaking for her.


    ¡°B-But¡­you are going to be returning to your world, right, Souma-san?¡± (Ina)


    Even though she already knew the answer, it looked like she was expecting something here.


    As for the response to this¡­


    ¡°Yeah, I do plan on returning.¡± (Souma)


    I answered with that without a single moment of hesitation.


    ¡°R-Right. Then¡­¡± (Ina)


    Ina answered with a voice that couldn¡¯t hide her disappointment, and as if covering that up¡­


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? ¡ªI will definitely come back.¡± (Souma)


    I said that with strength.


    I decided on that before the rewind, but I have told everyone about my intention after the rewind too.


    I wanted to tell everyone that what I said was not a lie, that I truly meant them.


    ¡°This world still has a lot of monsters, dungeons, and items I have never seen before!


    That¡¯s why¡­¡± (Souma)


    I look at all my friends while saying this.


    Ringo, Mitsuki, Maki, Sazan, Ina, Leila, the Bear¡­


    My important and irreplaceable friends.


    Important people I want to stay with forever from the bottom of my heart.


    I have no intention of giving up on returning.


    Even so, I have no intention of separating from them.


    ¡°Going on an adventure with everyone here -my friends- searching for the unknown.


    That¡¯s my new dream!!¡± (Souma)


    The Evil God, which should be the biggest threat and enemy of the world has fallen and the world is now peaceful.


    ¡­But that¡¯s not the end.


    It is actually the beginning.


    Our adventures, our battles, they will be continuing forever and ever.


    Because¡­


    ¡°¡ªI have finally begun climbing after all.


    The far and endless slope of Nekomimi Neko!!¡± (Souma)

 CH 230

    Light


    Dark


    Author: Not yet! It is not over yet!


    As long as the support of everyone exists, Nekomimi Neko will come back, over and over!


    ¡ùPS: It is going to end soon, so it won¡¯t come back.


    ¡ª¡ª


    I wonder who was the one who said ¡®life is like a one-night dream¡¯?


    When I think back on it, what has happened in these few months truly does feel like a dream.


    ¡°A lot has happened until now¡­¡± (Souma)


    I -Sagara Souma- was a normal game-loving student 1 year ago.


    But in July of last year, I ended up entering the game world because of a variety of circumstances. There, I met people that showed up in the game like: a cat eared swordsman, an expressionless lightning mage, a beginner adventurer, a skilled masked mage, and a slightly dangerous blonde researcher. Adventured together with them, defeated the Demon Lord and the Evil God, and finally became heroes that saved the world.


    Just¡­


    ¡°Also, it will be over ¡®tomorrow¡¯, huh.¡± (Souma)


    It has been several months since we defeated the Evil God. We defeated monsters here and there, would be reluctant about leaving my comrades, and would search for new magic books in the library; we spent fulfilling days.


    I honestly don¡¯t want to part with my friends, and I have an unending amount of things I want to do in this world.


    But today is March 31st.


    I came here to this world before Tanabata, the first of July, so that would mean more than half a year has passed.


    If we stay here for longer, it would hamper our lifestyle in our original world.


    ¡°We are done here.¡± (Souma)


    I mumbled this to no one in particular, and glanced at the clock placed on top of the desk.


    ¡ª11:55 pm.


    The day is about to change.


    When that happens, our final day in this world will come.


    What kind of farewell is awaiting us?


    I don¡¯t know if we can return safely to our world.


    But please, if possible¡­


    ¡°¡ªLet tomorrow be the best day for everyone¡­¡± (Souma)


    I silently prayed for this and closed my eyes, journeying to the world of dreams.


    ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï


    ¡°Even though it is the last morning, it is unexpectedly¡­normal.¡±


    I was thinking yesterday I wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep, was wondering how I would be feeling once I wake up tomorrow, so me feeling so normal is unexpected.


    ¡ª7:07 am.


    I woke up at a somewhat lucky number as I muttered this and got up.


    I filled up my chest with the refreshing morning air and stretched.


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go.¡± (Souma)


    Time is limited.


    Especially on a day like this.


    I quickly prepared myself, left my room, and headed to the dining room.


    But¡­


    ¡°Ringo?¡± (Souma)


    When I opened the door and took a step, I stopped because I saw a familiar blue haired girl in the corridor.


    ¡°¡­I have been waiting.¡±


    The one sitting in the corridor and said this is one of my comrades, the princess that controls lightning magic: Ringo.


    ¡°Have some business with me?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this, Ringo shook her head lightly to the sides.


    ¡°¡­I was thinking about¡­going to the dining room together.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°I see.¡± (Souma)


    There¡¯s no reason to refuse.


    Ringo is my friend and the member I met at a pretty early stage when I came to this world.


    To be more precise, I met her after Mitsuki and Sazan, but that alone doesn¡¯t change the worth of a friend.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±


    A silent time with no conversations continued.


    But the silent times with Ringo are nice in itself.


    That¡¯s why the grief of not wanting to leave for the sake of moments like this was welling up in me.


    ¡ªNo, I have already decided.


    I renew my resolve and arrive at the dining room with perfect timing.


    ¡°Good morning!¡±


    A voice welcomed us the moment we entered the dining room.


    When I looked over there, a comrade of mine was already waiting there.


    A beginner adventurer called Ina.


    I met her in a town called Lamurick and we separated once when I went to the capital, but we ended up together after many things happened.


    ¡°Good morning. Maki-san said she had business to attend to at the castle, so she will come after finishing those.¡±


    The one who spoke to me in a calm voice there was the cat eared swordsman, Mitsuki Hisame.


    A comrade of mine that has been traveling with me for a long time and prides on having outstanding sword skills.


    ¡°Good morning, Souma! Breakfast is ready.¡±


    On top of that, the one who said this as she came out of the kitchen was Leila.


    She is an ally that ended up coming together with us after many events, and she apparently loves me, but her love is a bit too heavy.


    She is now in charge of the cooking, but she was originally¡ªwait.


    ¡°Now that I think about it, your main profession should be researching ruins, right? I haven¡¯t seen you going to ruins. Is that okay?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Fufufu, I have the important duty of watching Souma¡¯s life from good morning to good night, the 360 days of the year.¡± (Leila)


    ¡°I-I see¡­¡± (Souma)


    I got cold sweat from that usual statement of Leila.


    Ah, by the way, Nekomimi Neko has 360 days in a year.


    In my original world the days would sometimes have 31 or 30, so it had 365 days in a year, but someone who made Nekomimi Neko must have thought there¡¯s no need to recreate that in the game.


    It is 30 days no matter the month, so it ends up with less days than my original world.


    That¡¯s when I noticed the most important member was missing.


    ¡°I heard about Maki, but what about Sazan?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°If it is Sazan-san, she hasn¡¯t woken up.¡± (Mitsuki)


    I sighed at what Mitsuki said.


    Despite appearances, Sazan is pretty capable, but her being a late riser is a fault of hers.


    By the way, Sazan is a comrade of mine too. Considering the time I met her, you could say we have known each other for an extremely long time.


    Her name was originally Mitia, the priestess used to seal the Evil God Fragment, but after going out on a journey with heroic resolve, she had a fateful encounter with us.


    She is always wearing a mask, but that¡¯s a sealing tool, and her bare face below is that of quite the beauty.


    As a priestess she is super skilled in magic, especially when it comes to fire and darkness magic.


    Also, in order to return to our original world, we need to activate Death Flash which requires a combination of specific spells.


    We need the Stardust Flare that Sazan uses.


    I am also expecting things from her in other aspects though¡­


    Someone rushed into the room while I was sighing.


    ¡°Maki? Weren¡¯t you in the castle¡­?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°This is not the time, Souma! I-I found something incredible!¡± (Maki)


    The one making that ruckus is Maki.


    She is a cousin of mine that was raised in the same world as me, and a student that came to this world together with me.


    I am working hard to return to our original world for the sake of Maki too, but¡­


    ¡°O-Oi, Maki! Is that¡­¡± (Souma)


    What was in front of me was shocking enough to make me forget about it.


    What Maki brought out was a device that shouldn¡¯t be in this world.


    ¡°¡ªIsn¡¯t that a VR machine?!¡± (Souma)


    The game machine that was one of the chief reasons for us being called to this world.


    ¡°S-So, where was that?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°At the treasury of the castle. There were 5 of them when I searched there. What should we do with this?¡± (Maki)


    What do we do, you ask¡­


    ¡°¡ªIf there¡¯s a game console, you gotta play it!¡± (Souma)


    And so, we ended up all playing the game.


    ¡î¡î¡î¡î¡î¡î¡î¡î¡î


    ¡°T-This is incredible! I can move my body as if it were reality!¡±


    Ina made a ruckus when she began playing the game with me, but well, it is not surprising.


    In the first place, a VR machine is exactly that after all.


    ¡ªVR machine.


    This is a machine exclusively to play VR games, and you can enter the game world if you use this.


    I am going to omit the specifics, but how I explained it to my comrades is that it is basically a magic device that can transfer you to a different world by shooting something similar to electric magic.


    ¡°¡­Fumu, this is pretty well made. However, I feel like the sensation is delayed one tempo.¡± (Mitsuki)


    But it seems like everyone is mostly receiving this VR game world positively.


    I tested it out a bit, but it seems like I can use all the Nekomimi Neko techniques here. I could use Godstep Cancel and the other movement technique variations.


    My equipment and strength is most likely the same as in the real world. I could defeat the mobs walking around in one hit.


    ¡°But who made this machine?¡± (Souma)


    It made me think again.


    ¡­It would probably make you go ¡®no, think about it before you begin the game¡¯, but my body just itched in the face of a VR machine, and I ended up beginning the game before I could think.


    ¡°Someone most likely replicated it with magic. This world is undeveloped in science compared to Japan, but it makes up for it in magic.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°I see. There¡¯s that possibility, huh.¡± (Souma)


    If Maki, who is the only one aside from me that knows about VR machines, says this, that really might be the case.


    Well, it should be fine to think about the details after enjoying this game.


    Thinking this, we explored the game world, but¡­


    ¡°This is shocking.¡± (Souma)


    We discovered something impressive.


    It is basically a mesh of the Nekomimi Neko world and our world.


    This game world even had mine and Maki¡¯s school, so of course I would be surprised.


    And so, we enjoyed the game, but¡­


    ¡°Wa? I-It is already 12?¡± (Souma)


    When I checked the clock, it was already about to hit noon.


    It seems like I got a bit too into the game and ended up playing too much.


    ¡°We have to leave quickly and make preparations to return to our world! Everyone, you have to ¡®logout¡¯ to get out of this game. Qui¡ª¡± (Souma)


    I hurriedly called my comrades, but their reactions were dull.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? We have to be quick¡­ There¡¯s even people waiting to say their farewells¡­¡± (Souma)


    Even when I said this, everyone was simply grinning.


    They are not moving at all.


    And then, Maki eventually came out to the front as representative and said this.


    ¡°¡ªHey, isn¡¯t it fine to not return to our world anymore?¡± (Maki)


    My head turned completely white the moment I heard those words.


    ¡°Ma¡­ki? What¡­are you saying?¡± (Souma)


    Even though I am returning to our world for the sake of Maki¡­


    But Maki said this as if she wasn¡¯t even considering those feelings of mine.


    ¡°Cause you know, there¡¯s even the school, and even the food and facilities of our world.


    If we have this world, we don¡¯t need to go out of our way to return to our original world.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°No, but¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Right? Everyone thinks the same, right?¡± (Maki)


    When Maki looked back and asked this¡­


    ¡°¡­Hn, it is just as Maki says.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Wise words.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Ringo and Mitsuki nodded in agreement.


    ¡ªWhat is this? What¡¯s going on?


    My instincts are ringing their alarms.


    Something weird is going on here.


    ¡°Hey, Souma, let¡¯s live together here forever.¡± (Leila)


    ¡°Souma-san, I¡­all this time, I have¡­¡± (Ina)


    Leila had a somewhat blank smile and Ina approached me.


    No good!


    I must not stay here!


    Feeling this instinctively, I shouted without restraint.


    ¡°¡ªLogout!!¡± (Souma)


    When I did, the world stabilized again.


    My consciousness floated and¡­


    ¡î¡î¡î¡î¡î


    What entered my vision was not the scenery in the game, but the usual dining room which relieved me.


    It seems like my comrades logged out together with me, they were waking up one after the other.


    ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t this machine broken? It is kind of¡­¡± (Souma)


    Just when I was relieved and said this to Maki¡­


    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s¡­this¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I noticed that my body was tied up to the machine.


    I was surprised and tried to stand up, but I was tied up tightly and couldn¡¯t move at all.


    ¡°W-Why¡­?!¡± (Souma)


    The one who answered me was Maki who had a smile and wasn¡¯t flustered at all at this sight.


    She stood up, moved away from the VR machine, and sighed.


    ¡°Aaah, even though it took so much work to create this machine.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Ma¡­ki¡­?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°This VR machine is something I asked the artisans of the castle and the magic tool experts to create. It was SUPER difficult, you know.¡± (Maki)


    Words I couldn¡¯t understand¡­words I didn¡¯t want to understand.


    But the question bothering me deep in my heart melted.


    A VR machine is a concept that doesn¡¯t exist in this world.


    No matter if this world has magic and you can push boundaries, there¡¯s no way they could recreate a concept they don¡¯t even have a notion of to begin with.


    On top of that, our school being in the game was way too unnatural no matter how you slice it.


    But a japanese person who knows about how it works -Maki- were to provide the information, the story is different.


    That¡¯s why there¡¯s a VR machine here.


    ¡°W-Why are you doing this?! I am trying to return to our world for you sake¡ª¡± (Souma)


    ¡°That¡¯s why, I¡­we decided that we would do this in order for you to not go back to our world.¡± (Maki)


    I don¡¯t get it.


    Even if I were to return to my original world, it would be together with Maki.


    Why is she doing this to me¡­?


    ¡°Cause even if we were to return to our world, you will just be playing games the whole time and forget about me!!¡± (Maki)


    ¡°T-That¡¯s not¡­¡± (Souma)


    I couldn¡¯t say it is not true.


    But even if so, for something like that¡­


    ¡°P-Please wait! Then, what about the others¡­?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°They all feel the same. They don¡¯t want you to return to your original world either. That¡¯s why they are making it so you will stay here even if by force.¡± (Maki)


    When she directed her gaze there¡­


    ¡°Sorry, Souma.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    My comrades were apologizing as if feeling bad about this.


    But that instead proved that Maki was telling the truth.


    ¡°R-Right! Sazan! What about her? If it is her¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°You are such an idiot, Souma.¡± (Maki)


    The one who answered my last string of hope was the scorn of Maki.


    ¡°Hey, why do you think Sazan-chan is not here?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Eh? Why, you ask¡­ Because she slept in¡­¡± (Souma)


    When I said exactly what Mitsuki told me, Maki laughed as if finding that amusing.


    ¡°Bzzt! Wrong! The answer is¡­if she were here, you would return to our world, so we had her disappear.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Wa¡­?!¡± (Souma)


    What kind of nonsense is she saying?


    Those words clung to my throat, but I didn¡¯t speak them out.


    I gulped.


    ¡°Well then, we will have you sleep for a bit, okay? I would feel bad about leaving you tied up the whole time after all.¡± (Maki)


    ¡°What are you¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°As I said, have you¡­ [Sleep].¡±


    My vision was enveloped in darkness by the spell.


    ¡ªAah, this is just a bad dream.


    I couldn¡¯t resist it and I fell into darkness¡­


    ¡ªIf this is a dream, please let me wake up¡­


    ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï


    ¡°¡ªHah!!¡±


    I woke up there.


    I jump out from my bed while restraining my drumming heart.


    I can¡¯t see Maki or the VR machine no matter where I look.


    And then, when I check the clock¡­


    ¡ª7:02 am.


    In other words¡­


    ¡°That just now was¡­a dream¡­?¡± (Souma)


    The moment I said this, the memories replayed.


    ¡­I see.


    I fell asleep yesterday after looking at the clock, and then I had a weird dream, huh.


    ¡°Haah¡­that gave me a fright.¡± (Souma)


    But now that I think about it, this is natural.


    Even if my comrades don¡¯t want me to return to my world, they wouldn¡¯t use such drastic measures.


    Moreover, the spell Sleep worked on me despite having resistance to status ailments.


    Taking that one event, it is clear that that just now was a dream.


    ¡°Why did I see a dream like that?¡± (Souma)


    It seems like I really was nervous from this being my last day in this world.


    Even if it was in a dream, I have to apologize to everyone for doubting them for a moment there.


    Thinking this, I prepare myself, and leave the room.


    ¡ªHm?


    I felt something off for an instant there while I was turning the doorknob. I didn¡¯t have time to wonder what it was.


    ¡°¡ªSouma!¡±


    A jet black something jumped at me from the corridor.


    ¡°Sazan?!¡± (Souma)


    The one who jumped at me was the only girl that I didn¡¯t see in my dream.


    Moreover¡­


    ¡ªShe is not wearing her mask?


    ¡°Souma! That¡¯s a relief!¡± (Sazan)


    I could feel my heart skip a beat from her upturned teary eyes.


    ¡ªC-Calm down, we are talking about Sazan here, you know?


    Even though I thought that, once I was made aware of this, the heat on my face was not subsiding.


    Sazan is originally a high pedigree Seal Priestess, moreover, a super beautiful girl.


    She is normally someone I wouldn¡¯t even be able to speak to.


    On top of that¡­


    (S-She is unexpectedly¡­big¡­!) (Souma)


    Because she was clinging to me tightly, her breasts that had grown more than I expected were pressing against me.


    Is she normally compressing her chests with something because she disguises herself as a man?


    This sensation¡­Ina goes without saying, but her battle power is even higher than Maki and Ringo!


    While I was having those carefree thoughts¡­


    ¡°Quick! Run quickly, Souma!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Huh?¡± (Souma)


    Sazan was saying nonsense while clinging onto me.


    ¡°T-Those guys¡­because you are going to be returning to your world, they are doing something outrageous¡­


    A-Anyways, run!¡± (Sazan)


    A bad feeling crept in me.


    Sazan was killed inside the dream.


    There¡¯s no way something like that would happen in real life.


    Even though I am thinking that, my bad feeling isn¡¯t subsiding.


    But my mouth was saying the complete opposite.


    ¡°It is okay. It must be some kind of joke. There¡¯s no way they would do something so bad.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°B-But¡­¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Also, even if they wanted to do something to me, what would they do? I have the strongest gea¡ªhm?¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s when I finally noticed what felt off.


    Right.


    Now that I think about it, the thing I had yesterday¡­is nowhere to be found¡­


    ¡°¡ªIs this what you were searching for?¡±


    A refreshing voice rang in my ears.


    ¡°Mitsuki¡­?¡± (Souma)


    The one standing there is Mitsuki Hisame.


    My trusted comrade¡­or so she should be.


    But what¡¯s in her hand is¡­


    ¡°Fufu, it was dropped on your floor, so I picked it up.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Lute Dis Aster¡­¡± (Souma)


    It is Evil God transformed into a lute; the gear that grants the strongest power to its holder.


    That is in her hands now.


    ¡°You picked it up, Mitsuki? Can you give it back?¡± (Souma)


    I wonder why¡­


    ¡°It is your fault. You spouted such a thoughtless remark like returning to your world before my death.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°Mitsuki? You are joking, right?¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki was smiling sweetly with katana and lute in hand while I was confused.


    ¡°Of course, I am always serious. Now then, let¡¯s have our last battle.¡± (Souma)


    I felt my hairs stand on end.


    If Mitsuki with a lute were to turn into an enemy, I definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to win.


    My decision was instant.


    ¡°Let¡¯s run!!¡± (Souma)


    I carry Sazan and run with Godstep Cancel in the opposite direction of Mitsuki.


    ¡°S-Souma! Leave me¡ª¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid! It is okay! Your speed doesn¡¯t increase with the lute. If it is in speed, I am the one¡ª¡± (Souma)


    Just when I said that to Sazan to soothe her within my arms¡­Sazan suddenly twisted her body.


    ¡°Souma!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Wa?!¡± (Souma)


    At the side of the corridor¡­lightning flew our way and hit me directly.


    ¡°Guh!¡± (Souma)


    There¡¯s not that much damage.


    But that powerful lightning spell stunned my body for an instant, and we ended up rolling on the corridor and getting tangled up.


    Footsteps of someone approaching us when we were lying on the ground¡­a blue shadow.


    ¡°No way¡­ You too?¡± (Souma)


    Lightning that can stop me even if it is only for an instant.


    There¡¯s only one person who would be able to unleash something like that.


    ¡°Ringo, why even you?!!¡± (Souma)


    Ringo with her white face like snow slowly directed her finger at me.


    ¡°¡­I will kill Souma¡­and die¡­too. That way¡­we¡¯ll be together¡­forever¡­¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°No way¡­ You would go that far¡­?¡± (Souma)


    Being killed by Ringo might be fine -is what I thought for an instant.


    ¡°Uuuaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!¡±


    But a black shadow ran by my side.


    Sazan jumped at Ringo who was on the verge of shooting a Lightning Strike at me.


    ¡°Go¡­quick!! I¡­I am going to¡­uwaaaaahh!!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Sazan! Damn it!¡± (Souma)


    I stood up and tried to run again.


    But¡­


    ¡°Guah!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t do it.


    A throwing knife flew at me from somewhere and stabbed my feet.


    ¡°You are the one at fault, Souma-san. Leaving your wife that thinks so much of you and departing to your original world¡­¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Ina¡­¡± (Souma)


    The words ¡®you too?¡¯ didn¡¯t come out.


    I was simply in despair.


    ¡°¡ªI have finally caught up.¡±


    No, it seems true despair was just beginning.


    Finally, my fate of death had caught up to me¡­the strongest swordsman, Mitsuki Hisame.


    ¡°Now, this is the end.¡± (Mitsuki)


    She raised her katana with slow movements and¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t!!!¡±


    The one who jumped in was a golden flash.


    ¡°Leila?!¡± (Souma)


    She looked at me and Mitsuki who was raising her katana at me, and ran desperately towards me.


    She didn¡¯t fear the katana raised at me and ran straight towards me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t come! Run quic¡ªeh?¡± (Souma)


    ¡ªShe stabbed a knife in my chest.


    ¡°Why¡­?¡± (Souma)


    I spoke with a raspy voice and Leila, who was twisting the knife on my chest, made a broken smile.


    ¡°¡­Cause I decided that I definitely will be the one to kill you, Souma.¡± (Leila)


    That way too hopeless response made me go on my knees and I collapsed.


    ¡ªIt is the end.


    Right now I am not sleeping or using a VR machine.


    In other words, I have truly died in reality¡­


    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­No, wait?¡±


    It was at that moment.


    Something clicked in my mind.


    ¡°Yesterday was¡­¡±


    Yesterday was March 30.


    In that case, today should be March 31.


    ¡­That¡¯s right.


    If we think of it as the calendar of Japan, it would be that.


    ¡­However!


    This is the game world of Nekomimi Neko.


    I certainly did hear it.


    I certainly did hear Leila say ¡®360 days of the year¡¯!


    ¡°1 year is 360 days. In that case¡­¡±


    Nekomimi Neko made it that way to make it easy to understand¡­


    If 30 days is the end and there¡¯s no 31¡­


    ¡ªThe next day after March 30 is April 1st¡­


    Today is April Fools!


    In other words¡­


    ¡°So all of this was an April Fools joke?!!!¡±


    Being stabbed and the sudden change of my comrades was all a lie.


    Of course it would be.


    There¡¯s no way something like this could happen.


    Aah, that¡¯s a relief -is what I thought as I rubbed my stabbed chest and¡­


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s not it.¡±


    I froze at the voice of Ringo.


    As if giving me the final blow.


    Mitsuki also tilted her head with her katana raised.


    ¡°You say weird things. A year is 365 days. The next day after March 30 is obviously March 31.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°L-Lies! Cause a year is definitely 360 days¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki tilted her head and raised the corners of her lips.


    ¡°¡ªWere you not just dreaming that?¡± (Mitsuki)


    That¡¯s when I realized everything.


    ¡­That¡¯s right.


    I recognized the world of Nekomimi Neko as only having ¡®360 days in a year¡¯ when it was inside the dream.


    It wasn¡¯t reality.


    Why did I make a mistake?


    Nekomimi Neko is a game with the exact same calendar as my original world.


    There¡¯s no way a month would be 30 days.


    But I clung onto that faint hope and asked Mitsuki.


    ¡°H-Hey, then, today really is¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Yeah, not April 1st.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Those words said gently¡­even affectionately¡­


    ¡°Ahaha¡­hahahaha¡­¡± (Souma)


    Broke my heart.


    Strength left my limbs together with my blood, and I didn¡¯t even have the strength to escape.


    ¡°It is okay. We will all send you there.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­Goodbye, Souma.¡± (Ringo)


    The words of Mitsuki and the others, as well as the coldness of the blades pushing against me one after the other¡­felt like salvation even.


    ¡°Aguh¡­¡±


    I was tied to the floor as if made an example.


    I can¡¯t even move properly.


    ¡°Aah¡­¡±


    I could tell the heat in my body was going down.


    What coursed through my mind in front of certain death was only one thing.


    Not the grudge of my comrades¡­


    Not the grievances left in my original world¡­


    ¡ªIf I knew this would happen, I would have believed what Sazan said.


    It is my gratitude and regret towards my beloved person that stayed my ally till the very end.


    And¡­


    ¡°Sorry, Sazan¡­¡± (Souma)


    Those were my last words as my consciousness fell into eternal darkness.


    <Only me and the priestess know this world is a game. Special April Fools chapter ~End~>


    I read until there and threw away that bundle of papers.


    It made a low sound and fell on top of the bed, close to my knees.


    Must have noticed after I did that¡­


    ¡°Ooh, finished reading? H-How was it? This one is a masterpiece of mine! I have been warming up that idea this whole time since you told me about that April Fools custom of yours! B-Be grateful, okay? I selected you as the protagonist, so I gave you the glory of being the first reader¡­¡±


    I looked at the culprit of this situation¡­Sazan, who is talking on and on in excitement, with half asleep eyes.


    She is writing a novel with me as the protagonist without the permission of the person himself, but let¡¯s just say that¡¯s fine and all.


    I can also turn a blind eye at the fact that I was written as an idiot who would not even think twice when seeing a game since it is fiction.


    The Japanese related stuff and VR game related things were awfully crude and filled with errors¡­which can¡¯t be forgiven, but let¡¯s leave that aside.


    The setting related to Sazan being awfully exaggerated is¡­well, I will just graciously accept it due to pity.


    The biggest problem here is¡­why have I been woken up at 3:00 am just to read a novel like this?


    ¡°This time around I made it a bad end for the impact, but well¡­I am not a demon. If you have reflected on your womanizing ways after reading this, I could make it a cliche happy ending where you and I escape and the mansion blazes up¡­¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°¡ªJust go to sleep already!¡± (Souma)


    As if I can tag along with this anymore.


    Sazan was still rambling on, but I dunked her onto the bed no questions asked.


    She rampaged in the bed for a while, but she eventually stopped struggling when I held her.


    This hindrance turned meek, and the peaceful morning atmosphere finally returned to the room.


    ¡°¡­Haah, I will finally be able to sleep with this.¡± (Souma)


    I moved the novel on top of the bed to the desk in order to enjoy the peace I won and crawled into the bed.


    Going back to sleep really is wonderful.


    Is it because I am sleepy?


    I wrap myself up in the bed that¡¯s more comfortable than before and, this time around, I really go into the world of dreams.


    ¡ª-


    Author: You thought it was April Fools, but it was me, Sazan (¡®s novel)!


    Now then, I have fulfilled my due diligence, so I will be ending the story within these 3 days of continuous posts.


    Next post will be on April 2nd.

 CH 231

    Light


    Dark


    ¡°Adventurer, I commend you on reaching all the way here! But I, the ruler of the demons in the west¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hayaaaaaah!!¡±


    ¡°Higyaaaaaaaaaaaah!!¡±


    Seeing the boss being blown away the moment I waved my right hand, my shoulders drooped.


    ¡°To think I would win even against this guy.¡± (Souma)


    I muttered this as I looked down at the weapon in my right hand.


    What I am holding is a verdant plant in the shape of a whip¡­a foxtail grass.


    ¡°Hmm, there¡¯s no weapon as weak as this one though.¡± (Souma)


    A foxtail grass is a weapon popularly known by Nekomimi Neko players with ¡®it is weaker than even a rock!¡¯. Because of that fearsomely low attack power and its special ability of only lowering one durability each hit no matter what enemy you attack, it would mostly be used when you want to beat up an NPC without killing them.


    You would wonder just what¡¯s the usefulness of something like that if it were some other game, but in Nekomimi Neko, being able to punch an NPC without worries is extremely useful.


    They would die from charging onto a passing monster in the middle of a duel event, would get stuck on a wall by some mysterious action and make it impossible to progress with the event, so there would be times when you would need to punch them when they are going to make an action that would bug them out. This weapon that can knockback or aggro them with no damage is invaluable.


    Anyways, if a weapon to hold back is like this, there¡¯s nothing I can do now.


    I waved the foxtail grass and sighed as I watched the cat ears of Mitsuki move in rhythm with that.


    The reason I am overkilling a boss is obviously the musical instrument on my left hand.


    This Lute Dis Aster of the strengthened Evil God turned into a weapon increases the basic stats of a person to a stupid degree.


    If you were to have those boosted stats, even the foxtail grass that is like a bundle of harmless changes into a sure-kill weapon.


    I am honestly troubled about what to do with this Evil God weapon.


    It will end up being excessive force no matter what I do, so it is not that user friendly, but if someone were to steal it and it were to end up in the hands of a bad guy, it would be terrible.


    As a result of this, I have no choice but to have it with me at all times, and I am now in a pitiful state where I mass produce corpses.


    ¡°¡­But well, it will soon be over.¡± (Souma)


    I mumbled this and turned back.


    ¡°Maki, this is the last dungeon on the list, right?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh? Y-Yeah, it is over then. Good work.¡± (Maki)


    Even when I felt something off from the slightly awkward attitude of Maki, I felt like a weight had come off from my shoulders.


    We ventured to various locations while holding dear to the time we had, and conquered many dungeons.


    I do plan on returning to this world, but that¡¯s unfortunately not a certain thing.


    You could say the biggest threat of this world has been dealt with now that I have defeated the Evil God, but in Nekomimi Neko, there¡¯s still several events where dangerous things might happen depending on the situation.


    I would like to reduce the chances of a world threat as much as possible.


    But everything has an end.


    We are a high level party that can clear the game to begin with. On top of that, I hold the strongest weapon made from the Evil God as its material, so there would rarely be any enemies we would have trouble with.


    Ah, no, there was one time.


    At the time when Ina tripped with her Mutual Love Ring and her weapon slipped out, Sazan¡¯s head was about to become a red fruit about to explode, but that¡¯s as much of a close call we had.


    I have written down a list of the places that need to be cleared and given it to Maki, but the dungeon this time around is done.


    With this, the Nekomimim Neko world shouldn¡¯t be falling for the foreseeable future¡­I think.


    Even if I were to make so much preparation, I can¡¯t really state definitives here. We are talking about Nekomimi Neko.


    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s go back. Leila and the others are waiting.¡± (Souma)


    That said, there¡¯s nothing more I can do in this world.


    I will be able to go back with my chest held high with this.


    ¡ªWe definitely saved this world.


    ¡­Even though I am thinking that way¡­my feet on today¡¯s way back were heavier than usual.


    It seems like that was the same for my comrades. Even the usually articulate Maki was silent and seemed like she was thinking something.


    Because we defeated them in one go, there were no monsters blocking our path, and we headed to the entrance in suffocating silence.


    ¡°T-That said, we have completely gotten used to dungeon exploration~.¡±


    The one who broke the silence with a cheerful voice was Ina.


    ¡°Even I, who couldn¡¯t handle dungeons well in the past, am beginning to feel like I am an actual adventurer!¡± (Ina)


    When she said this, she tightened her fist in a really exaggerated and showy manner.


    But it is also true that it reminded me of our first adventure.


    ¡°Speaking of which, you did feel like a dungeon beginner at that time, Ina. You wouldn¡¯t use skills on cut off paths, would go out of your way to create footholds, and would go into a corridor without throwing an explosion gem before doing so¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°N-No, that¡¯s because Souma-san¡¯s way of conquering places is weird. I actually think it is weird even now, but I have gotten used to it¡­¡± (Ina)


    Ina responded in an unclear manner.


    She might be getting even more embarrassed after remembering her time when she was unskilled.


    ¡°At any rate, it has been only a few weeks, and yet, it is now natural to walk around with these members.


    It already feels like our daily life, natural scenery¡­¡± (Ina)


    The tone of Ina¡¯s voice changed a bit there.


    Like longing for an important something, as if showing affection towards irreplaceable memories.


    ¡°But that¡¯s over today, right?¡± (Ina)


    Ina seemed bright when she said this.


    The expression she directed at me still had a smile.


    ¡°It feels strange thinking that we won¡¯t be able to walk together like this with everyone from tomorrow on¡­¡± (Ina)


    ¡°Ina¡­?¡± (Souma)


    But there were tears streaming down from her eyes.


    ¡°Eh? W-Wa? Why¡­? E-Eh? Ah?¡± (Ina)


    She must have noticed for the first time once I spoke.


    Ina wiped her cheeks all flustered and desperately made a smile.


    ¡°I-I am¡­sorry¡­ This is not it. This wasn¡¯t my¡­intention¡­¡± (Ina)


    ¡°My bad! I was inconsiderate¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°N-No, you are not at fault, Souma-san! I am okay! I am okay, see?!¡± (Ina)


    Ina was smiling the whole time after that, as if to prove those words.


    But even when we got out of the dungeon¡­her tears didn¡¯t stop either.


    ¡°Can you tag along with me for a while after this, Mitsuki?¡± (Souma)


    I opened up with this when we arrived at the capital.


    ¡°With me?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki was distracted by the foxtail grass in my hand, but her cat ears straightened up as if surprised at what I said.


    Mitsuki looked as if she had been struck by lightning, but this is something I had decided from the very beginning.


    ¡°Yeah. There¡¯s one other dungeon I would like to conquer for last.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°In that case, we should bring everyone¡ª¡± (Mitsuki)


    I cut off Mitsuki.


    ¡°¡­Got it. We will¡­bring Ina back.¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo, who was silently following from the back, took the job.


    I internally thank Ringo who understood my intention without saying anything.


    ¡°Thanks¡­ Well then, let¡¯s go, Mitsuki.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Got it. If you say so.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki didn¡¯t seem too keen about this, but nodded obediently once I reiterated.


    I then left Ina to my other comrades, and I left the capital with Mitsuki once again.


    Our destination is¡­


    ¡°¡­Here.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°This is¡­the Mirage Stone Cave?¡± (Mitsuki)


    I nodded.


    ¡°I have decided on this a long time ago. Once I finished going through all the dungeons, I was thinking of coming here last.¡± (Souma)


    ¡ªMirage Stone Cave.


    This is a dungeon where you can get a gem called the Mirage Stone which serves as a material for a marriage ring.


    It is the place you go to in order to do the marriage event of Mitsuki in the game.


    At the same time, it is also the place I promised Mitsuki to come together with.


    I say ¡®promise¡¯ but it was a one-sided deal, and I honestly don¡¯t have a clear view of things like marriage. Even so, I have come here together with Mitsuki because I truly wanted to.


    I also felt I wanted to present her the best ring from the Mirage Stone if it will become a good memory.


    ¡°T-Then, let¡¯s go.¡± (Souma)


    My voice turned somewhat high-pitched as I took a step into the Mirage Stone Cave.


    But, for some reason, there¡¯s no footsteps of Mitsuki following after me.


    ¡°Mitsuki¡­?¡± (Souma)


    When I looked back, Mitsuki was standing in the same place.


    She was looking at the Mirage Stone Cave as if in fear, and she shook her head to the sides with an awkward tone.


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s not do this today.¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°W-What¡¯s the matter? Didn¡¯t you say all the time that you wanted to come?¡± (Souma)


    Even when I responded with surprise, Mitsuki still had an awkward smile on her face and simply shook her head again.


    ¡°It is true that this is an important place, but it is not a place we have to go to no matter what.


    Even though there were no outstanding difficulties, we just came back from clearing a dungeon.


    I am also worried about Ina-san, so let¡¯s just go back for today.¡± (Mitsuki)


    Even though it is a place she wanted to come to so much, even though it is a place she invited me to come to countless times¡­


    I couldn¡¯t understand that change of tune and tried to argue it.


    ¡°You don¡¯t really need to worry, you know? It is not like I am forcing myself to tag along here. It is because I don¡¯t want regrets to be left, so¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡ªThen, isn¡¯t it fine that way?!¡± (Mitsuki)


    The words I was going to say stopped inside my mouth at the uncharacteristic sharp voice of Mitsuki.


    ¡°If you have lingering regrets, you will want to come back here again, right? Then, I don¡¯t care about you not fulfilling your promise!¡± (Mitsuki)


    ¡°¡­Mitsuki.¡± (Souma)


    Mitsuki bit her lips when receiving my gaze.


    ¡°It is not like I want it to take shape. I simply¡­I simply want to be by your side¡­!¡± (Mitsuki)


    After saying that much, Mitsuki lifted her head as if she snapped back.


    And then, after around 1 second, she closed her eyes and¡­


    ¡°¡­It was a joke.¡± (Mitsuki)


    And chuckled.


    ¡°No, a joke, you say¡­¡± (Souma)


    ¡°It seemed like you were taking that promise a lot heavier than I expected, so I simply wanted to tease you a bit.


    ¡­Now, let¡¯s go back.¡± (Mitsuki)


    I don¡¯t get the real feelings of Mitsuki.


    However, I was overwhelmed by the discerning eyes of Mitsuki, and could only answer with an ¡®okay¡¯.


    I parted from Mitsuki who said she had something she wanted to buy, and returned to the mansion.


    ¡°Uwa?!¡±


    A white something jumped at me from the gate and I hurriedly jumped to the side.


    The white something passed by my side and smacked clean onto the gate, sticking onto it.


    ¡­This is a towel, moreover, a wet one.


    I rubbed my chest, relieved that it didn¡¯t hit me, and¡­


    ¡°W-Why did you avoid it?!¡±


    ¡°No, of course I would.¡± (Souma)


    The culprit of this prank showed her face from the shadow of the gate.


    ¡°So, why did you do something like this, Sazan?¡± (Souma)


    When I asked with angry eyes, Sazan faltered for an instant, but¡­


    ¡°Hmph! We are rivals to begin with after all! That¡¯s my way to challenge you to a duel!¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Who is your rival? In the first place, what you throw for a duel is a glove.¡± (Souma)


    How did it end up like this? She is as baffling as always.


    But well, you could say she showed up at a good time.


    ¡°Here, take it back.¡± (Souma)


    Saying this, I throw the item I take out from the bag towards Sazan.


    ¡°Hya?! Y-You bastard!¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan was angered after receiving it with the face, but she noticed what I threw at her and stopped moving.


    ¡°T-This is¡­¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°Yeah, the Fingerless Gloves.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh? B-But the Fingerless Gloves were¡­into your weapon¡­¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan was surprised, but the answer is simple.


    ¡°I found out they were selling them again just the other day. It seemed you liked them, so I thought of buying them for you.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°T-Then, these are¡­¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°A present. I am giving them to you.¡± (Souma)


    When I said this clearly, Sazan stared at the Fingerless Gloves as if conflicted.


    I thought for sure she would be happy, but was I wrong?


    ¡°That¡¯s not fair. If I get something like this, I can¡¯t go challenging you to a duel anymore.¡± (Sazan)


    ¡°No, don¡¯t challenge me to a duel for nothing.¡± (Souma)


    I don¡¯t get what she is thinking as usual.


    I said this amazed, but Sazan doesn¡¯t seem to be listening.


    A while after looking at the gloves, she began muttering¡­


    ¡°¡­I actually¡­intended to have you not return to your world if I were to win in the duel.


    But¡­I am not going to anymore.¡± (Sazan)


    Sazan wore the Fingerless Gloves with care and pointed straight at me.


    ¡°I am the Great Mage Sazan-sama! If you don¡¯t come back from that world, I will be the one searching for you!


    Better live while fearing my shadow! Fuhahahahahaha!¡± (Sazan)


    This might have been her own way to encourage me.


    In that case, this is unbelievably clumsy.


    ¡°¡­Haah, you really are the same as always.¡± (Souma)


    Whichever the case, Sazan will most likely be living like this from here on.


    Forever, even without me.


    ¡°Just wait with bated breath.¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s why I left Sazan who was laughing out loud and entered the mansion¡­


    Just before the door of the mansion was closed, I heard sniffing from my back, but I acted as if I didn¡¯t hear it.


    The moment I entered the mansion and headed to the living room, golden hair ran towards me.


    ¡°Souma! You were late, so I got worried! The meal is ready already!¡± (Leila)


    It is Leila with her usual smile.


    But that smile pierced at my heart.


    Leila has been protecting the mansion this whole time while we were outside.


    That¡¯s why she is¡­the only one who doesn¡¯t know.


    The dungeon exploration time is over, and I will be returning to my world now¡­


    ¡°Leila, you see¡­¡± (Souma)


    While I was searching for the words to say in order to breach up this topic¡­


    ¡°I know¡­ You are¡­already leaving, right?¡± (Leila)


    Leila said this ahead of me.


    ¡°Why¡­?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°It is about you, Souma. I can tell that much.¡± (Leila)


    She smiled with a bit of sadness and somewhat proudly as she looked at me with unfaltering eyes.


    ¡°You see, I am really really sad about parting with you, but¡­but I noticed that I am the happiest when you are happy, Souma.¡± (Leila)


    ¡°Leila¡­¡± (Souma)


    I didn¡¯t know what to say to this girl that was directing a smile at me as she spoke those words.


    ¡°Ah, I forgot! The kettle is still burning!


    T-Today is a special day, so I made it extravagant. Eat a whole ton, okay?!¡± (Leila)


    I simply saw off that back that ran off hurriedly.


    I wonder how much time passed since I stayed standing still there.


    ¡°¡­Souma.¡±


    I only noticed I stood there for a long time when someone spoke to me from the side.


    ¡°Ringo¡­¡± (Souma)


    Maybe because I have been watching my comrades sad the whole time today, unease assailed me the moment I saw her walking towards me.


    That¡¯s why I ended up asking Ringo unintentionally.


    ¡°Hey, Ringo, are you really against me going back to my world?¡± (Souma)


    I regret it after asking.


    A question like that would only trouble the other party no matter how she was to answer.


    Ringo must have been troubled as expected, she went silent for a while and¡­


    ¡°¡­Hn.¡± (Ringo)


    After that, she for some reason offered me her pinky finger.


    ¡°Ringo?¡± (Souma)


    I was flustered, unable to tell the intent of this, and Ringo added.


    ¡°¡­Promise me¡­one more time.¡± (Ringo)


    ¡°Promise?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°¡­Return¡­no matter what.¡± (Ringo)


    I wonder why.


    I felt my chest grow hotter at those silent feelings -the passion- placed in those words.


    I only knew one way to reciprocate those feelings.


    That¡¯s why¡­


    ¡°¡­Got it.¡± (Souma)


    I gently linked my own finger with her small one.


    And then, I promise with every emotion I could muster here.


    ¡°¡ªI promise that I will definitely go back to my original world.


    And also¡­that I will definitely return to this world!¡± (Souma)


    I said this and let go of her finger, and Ringo raised the corner of her lips lightly, extremely lightly.


    ¡°¡­Hn.¡± (Ringo)


    She said this as usual and smiled.


    ¡ªThat¡¯s how we spend the remainder of the day as if digesting it thoroughly, and the day finally came.


    The place we are going to be using to return to our original world is the manor where the ring theft (attempt) happened, the garden of the Aken family¡¯s residence.


    What I am trying to use for my return is the forced logout bug, Death Flash.


    Death Flash is a phenomenon that occurs when you use the wide AoE spells: Stardust Flare and Bubble Chain.


    It would be troubling if pedestrians were to get caught up in the spell, and -I don¡¯t think it would happen but- who knows what kind of effect would occur just from looking at the Death Flash.


    As a result, we have gone to the isolated space that is the Aken residence where there¡¯s no fear of others causing trouble.


    ¡°¡­Well, I wanted to talk with that useless maid again while at it though.¡± (Souma)


    I remember the culprit¡¯s face from the Aken family incident, the bodyguard in a maid outfit as I made preparations to vacate the Nekomimi Mansion.


    I say vacate, but Mitsuki and Ringo will apparently continue living there, so I am simply collecting my belongings.


    That was done in just a few minutes with my adventurer bag and I somewhat felt sad here.


    I reluctantly opened the door and Ringo was standing at the corridor.


    It was honestly giving me a bit of a scary mood here, so I got slightly frightened there.


    ¡°¡­Done?¡± (Ringo)


    She didn¡¯t falter at me and just asked me at her own pace.


    I nodded silently and Ringo stood by my side without saying anything more.


    I watched the waving blue hair at my side while I remembered that Ringo and I were the only ones in this mansion at first.


    In that case, it might be destiny that we are the last ones at the end.


    ¡°At first, I thought I came to an unbelievable place.¡± (Souma)


    It is just a few months, but it is a place I have been living in for a long time.


    Ringo and I had our last walk in silence.


    All the places were filled with memories, and I could feel my chest tighten every time I remember.


    After taking our sweet time going through all the rooms, I bid my farewells to the mansion.


    Raiden and his group, the greengrocer old lady, and even the King gave us a big send off.


    After receiving an extravagant send off, we exited the capital, and from here on, it is now only me and my comrades.


    Ringo, Mitsuki, Ina, Sazan, Leila, and Bear 1.


    Me and Maki headed to the Aken residence together with our irreplaceable friends.


    There was no conversation on the way.


    It just doesn¡¯t feel real that I will have to bid farewell to the best friends I have had after a few hours.


    If someone were to say ¡®I don¡¯t want you to return to your world¡¯, I feel like what was supposed to be a strong resolve would be broken and crumble.


    But the result was¡­


    Not a single one of them opened their mouths and we arrived safely at the Aken residence.


    I have already told them.


    Once we arrived at the residence, we would greet the Aken family, borrow their garden, and return to our world soon after¡­is what I thought.


    ¡°Eh? It is only you, Rirumu?¡± (Souma)


    The only one waiting at the Aken residence was the useless maid.


    She simply welcomed us with ¡®over here¡¯ and invited us to the manor.


    ¡°This is¡­¡± (Souma)


    Seeing the thing readied there, I opened my eyes wide in surprise.


    At the dining room we were guided to, there was an overflowing amount of fancy food on the table decorated in such a fashion it screamed handmade.


    ¡°The wish of us all is for you to enjoy your last day together with your comrades with no worries.¡± (Rirumu)


    I felt my eyes grow hot at the words of Rirumu.


    ¡°Those people¡­¡± (Souma)


    The sight of the Aken family that is bottomless in their kindness showed up in my mind.


    They readied the party for our sake, and the family apparently went out somewhere so they wouldn¡¯t get in our way.


    ¡°This maid¡­-like Rirumu will be serving you today! Everyone, please enjoy your last day!¡± (Rirumu)


    Even when she said that with a composed face, she walked off just a few meters to perform her duties and fell straight onto the center of the room. This is why she is called a useless maid.


    But this is included in the things I love about the Aken family.


    ¡°Souma¡­¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo looked at me as if hoping for something, and I scratched the cat ears on my head.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way I can ignore it after going so far for us, right?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Souma-san! Then¡­¡± (Ina)


    I nodded at Ina whose face glowed from this.


    ¡°¡ªWe are leaving tomorrow. Let¡¯s enjoy it a whole ton today, no holds barred!¡± (Souma)


    With my words as the onset, cheers with a somewhat empty spirit were raised, and our last banquet began.


    On that last day¡­


    In the first and last party before returning, there were a lot of things I wanted to say that I didn¡¯t have enough time to.


    We laughed, partied, and cried a lifetime worth.


    Night eventually steepened, and we fell asleep as if our batteries ran out.


    ¡ªI woke up from a loud sound it made me think it was the end of the world.


    The intensity of the familiar sound increased more and more, and my sleepy brain woke up in an instant.


    ¡°This is¡­this sound is¡­!¡± (Souma)


    I didn¡¯t have the time to think about anything.


    I ran to the window at full force and opened it.


    There wasn¡¯t the presence of anyone in the back garden. The sound was coming from the opposite direction.


    Meaning that¡­


    After reaching a decision in an instant, I ran off to the garden in the opposite direction of the residence.


    The culprits that broke the silence of the morning were losing their minds in the garden.


    ¡°W-Why?! Even though my spell succeeded¡­¡±


    ¡°T-This is weird! Why did it disappear? With this¡­¡±


    Seeing them, I sighed in relief.


    ¡°¡ªStardust Flare is not expected to be used by two people at the same time. I don¡¯t know how they programmed it, but when a different person uses Stardust Flare in the middle of it, the effect will be taken by that one, and the effect of the first Stardust Flare disappears.¡± (Souma)


    The two snapped back when I spoke to them.


    ¡°Sazan, Maki.¡± (Souma)


    The source of the sound was these two.


    To be more precise, these two using the strongest spell, Stardust Flare, was what was creating that destructive sound.


    ¡°¡­So you were trying to test out Death Flash.¡± (Souma)


    When I asked this, Sazan got flustered and Maki hung her head down.


    Death Flash happens when two spells with intense effects are combined.


    Because of the bug in Stardust Flare, two Stardust Flares won¡¯t be happening at the same time.


    That¡¯s why we even went through such dangerous lengths to obtain the Bubble Chain spell, but Maki and Sazan didn¡¯t know about the defect of Stardust Flare.


    Maki, Sazan, and I are the ones who have obtained the Stardust Flare.


    Maki probably thought she would be able to recreate the Death Flash without me as long as she had the cooperation of Sazan.


    ¡°¡­Souma.¡± (Maki)


    I walked towards Maki who was hanging her head down.


    ¡°Why did you do something like this?¡± (Souma)


    ¡°C-Cause I know just how much you treasure your time here! I know just how sad Ringo and the others are about you leaving!¡± (Maki)


    Maki speaks on the verge of tears.


    ¡°I actually knew the whole time¡­that you want to stay your whole life in the game world. It is because I am here that you are trying to return, right? That¡¯s why¡­!¡± (Maki)


    ¡°That¡¯s why you thought about returning to our original world alone?¡± (Souma)


    Maki nodded with tears still in her eyes.


    ¡°You are an idiot. It is true that, if you were not here, I might not have said anything about returning to my original world. But¡­¡± (Souma)


    I held up my fist towards the crying Maki.


    ¡°For me, returning with you to Japan is just as important as living together with everyone here.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Souma¡­ But¡­but¡­¡± (Maki)


    ¡°Also, I believe in it¡­ That I will definitely find a method to return to this world once again. See?¡± (Souma)


    I took out the item I prepared and had inside my poach, and pushed it onto Maki who was still trying to say more.


    ¡°Hyah?! W-Whash thish¡­?¡± (Maki)


    ¡°This is one of the methods I thought of to return to this world. A special ¡®candy¡¯.¡± (Souma)


    I ignored her questioning look and faced back.


    ¡°It is about time.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°Eh?! E-Everyone¡­¡± (Maki)


    Everyone was there at some point in time.


    They made that much noise after all.


    I wet my dried lips, placed strength into my hands that were close to trembling, and made a deliberate smile.


    ¡°It seems like everyone is here. As you can see, who knows what she will do if we take our eyes off her, so I am thinking about testing it out now even though it is a bit sooner than planned.¡± (Souma)


    ¡°S-Souma?! B-But¡­!¡± (Maki)


    My other comrades nodded as if filled with resolve in contrast to the confused Maki.


    And then¡­


    ¡°¡­Souma, I will be¡­waiting¡­¡± (Ringo)


    Ringo said a few words.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the Mirage Stone Cave together once you come back. It is a promise, okay?¡± (Mitsuki)


    Mitsuki showed a smile.


    ¡°Please come back no matter what! It is a promise!¡± (Ina)


    Ina said with strength.


    ¡°I actually don¡¯t want to be separated from you. But¡­but¡­have a safe trip.¡± (Leila)


    Leila said this in tears.


    They all showed reluctance to my leaving in their own ways.


    When I moved my gaze to the side at the end, I made eye-contact with Sazan who had serious eyes.


    ¡°I¡­no, anytime is fine. I will match your timing.¡± (Sazan)


    I took up that offer and cut off eye contact.


    I threw a ¡®candy¡¯ inside my mouth just like I did with Maki, and finished my preparations.


    I slowly look up at the sky.


    My heart was drumming.


    ¡ªWill it really go well?


    ¡ªWhat should I do first if I get to return to Japan?


    ¡ªIs it really okay to go back?


    ¡ªWill everyone cry once I am gone?


    Jumbled thoughts were filling up my mind in an instant.


    Even so¡­


    There was no choice of stopping popping inside my mind.


    I take a deep long breath.


    I match the gaze of Maki at my side.


    I smiled at her, who seemed to be nervous, and raised both hands high up in the sky.


    At the same time, I could tell at the corner of my perception that my partner at the side also raised both hands.


    That¡¯s why I shouted with no regrets or hesitation.


    ¡ª ¡°[Bubble Chain]!!¡±


    ¡ª ¡°[Stardust Flare]!!¡±


    Two voices overlapped.


    Light ruled over the sky.


    (It is beautiful¡­) (Souma)


    The explosion of Stardust Flare and the bubbles of Bubble Chain jumbled up together in a dance, mixed, and overlapped.


    After only a few seconds, the intensity of the effects will reach their peak, and we will get a result.


    ¡°Ringo, Mitsuki, Sazan, Ina, Leila.¡± (Souma)


    That¡¯s why I looked at all of my comrades at the end¡­


    ¡°Thanks, everyone. Also¡­¡± (Souma)


    I burned that sight of theirs in my retinas and¡­


    ¡°¡ªSee you later.¡± (Souma)


    The world dyed white.