《Okane o Subete Sekai e Chikara - Money is Power in any World》 Okane o subete sekai e chikara 1 - A world like TLO

Okane o Subete Sekai e Chikara

Prologue

In a green prairie under a clear sky, radiated by the warm light of morning, is a well-maintained stone path. On which a carriage moves persistently, pulled by two horses with robust build. Even at high speed, the passengers don¡¯t feel any discomfort. Since the carriage is of sublime quality, with a design focused on the comfort of the illustrious lord who travels within. So an excellent carriage, with fancy ornaments containing red mince skin curtains and gold threaded embroidery together with polished crystal windows that lets natural light through. The wheels, almost twice as thick as normal, have a special covering that reduces friction and offers protection to the fine wood from which they are made. Yes, such a carriage is like a beacon, telling the world how wealthy its owner is. It''s no surprise for a bandit group to be present waiting to ambush it. ¡°OH NO!¡±, said a slim but well-fed man, showing of his well-off job. It was the coachman, who attempted to turn around at the sight of the obstructed road ahead. However, it was too late; another group of bandits were approaching on horseback from behind. This showed that the bandits would not let anyone escape, even if they had to distribute the loot between more people. They thought it worth trouble and they were probably right, since in the carriage was the wealthiest person currently alive. When the bandits were about 6 ft from the carriage, a figure appeared out from within it. It was a young man with unruly brown hair, emphasized by a white band on his forehead, a snub nose and serene clear honey eyes. He was wearing a silver breastplate over a blue shirt and a golden shoulder pad with the engraving of a dragon upon it. He had single black gloves inscribed with white runes, and on his waist over his leather pants, you could see a sword in its sheath which was made of what looked like red scales. Standing out over the rest he wore white exotic shoes, with the emblem of a large feline in their sides, which looked as if they come out from a different age. At the sight of the young man, some bandits remained motionless, their minds overwhelmed by shock. Only the leader could make out the situation, a corpulent man, wearing an open shirt of a dirty blue coloring. He looked as someone to be reckoned with, in fact the bandit leader wielded an undulated great-sword which stood-out for its sheer size. Of course, those who gave up were the most outstanding members of the group, those who knew the only chance they had to keep their lives was to surrender. This proved to be true as in mere seconds the heads of the several bandits, who committed the stupid act of aggression lay upon the floor, spraying blood. How idiotic you can be to attack the <> of Jagheb, a man who effortlessly defeated the clandestine Gerga organization, who had over six hundred members. One whose deeds are the theme of songs and someday, legends. ¡°It''s over. Those who are still alive have already surrendered¡±, said the young man, looking at the owner of the carriage, the mastermind, the person who¡¯d orchestrated the plan for the eradication of all bandits in the local area. He was now watching the fruits of his bribes, the fake information he''d planted in the underworld weeks ago and of course, hiding the fact that he was traveling with the hero. Including this gruop, now making eight bandit groups that have been taken down and dismantled. The pace was excellent without a doubt. However, to keep up the pace, until all the large bands of bandits have been taken care of, it will be necessary to hide the fall of this group of bandits too, but that won¡¯t be an issue after all; I am the richest man of all time. The elimination of the criminals is a big step in my path to the top of this world. It''s unbelievable how such of a worn-out clich¨¦, the ¡®unguarded carriage¡¯ is, to make those fools keep falling for it every time; one time after another. The education level of this world is unmistakably low; compared to modern-day Earth. Not like I didn¡¯t know it already, but the difference is still surprising, although it doesn''t apply to everyone. "Ho, you leveled-up Hero". "It''s necessary for you to call me hero now?" ¡°Well, finishing off a bandit group and saving the noble in the carriage is the standard clich¨¦, since you made an heroic act; I call you hero¡± . "You are doing it just to mess with me. Anyways, it¡¯s been a while since I levelled-up. I was probably already pretty close; those guys were too weak to give any real experience ". "You used to refuse to kill people... You were quite naive back then". "Coming from you, I don''t know how to take that. I bet you still see me as naive". "You''re not wrong, but you have grown ". "And you''ve become even more corrupt". "Not at all. I''m just as twisted as the day we met. After all, what could corrupt me more than an infinite amount of money...?" --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 1

A world like TLO

The irritating and warm morning sunlight that was pouring directly on my face forced me to an awkward awakening. Looking around me, I see a plain and many trees, green as far as the eye can see. Looking down, I am wearing a strange cloth with ochre colors and embroidery in carmine and gold. For the moment, for some reason, I am not particularly disturbed or nervous, despite waking up in an unfamiliar place, wearing unknown clothes; but that''s because I find it familiar. I have certainly seen it before; the act of digging through my memories helps keeps my sanity for now. Even with the blazing sun in the sky, the air is fresh and humid, that is one of the factors that lead me to think its morning. Besides that, last time I was awake it was night-time, around 3 or 4 am in the morning. I really don''t remember it that well; time has been meaningless to me these last past months. Tonight I was immersed in T.L.O (True Life Online), like every night and day in the past year. Don''t think of me as an obsessive of videogames, you would be wrong. T.L.O is the first, and only game, I have become obsessed with in my life since ¡®Carmen Sandiego¡¯ (a detective game I played as a child). I am actually a businessman; you could think of me as a seller or dealer. I worked in a relatively big company while climbing to the top. I reached an important and very well-paid position, as it should be. I really was a rising star, until an incident that changed my life. Roughly fifteen months ago I lost my much-desired job and I was relegated to minor labors that wouldn''t take me anywhere. Due to legal reasons, the company couldn''t fire me or cut my salary, which until then, had always come on the rise, since I am someone ambitious and a hard worker... Or was. But it was clear that since then, I had become a nuisance. When rising in the company became impossible, I fell in depression; since I knew I couldn''t work, nor earn so much money anywhere else. In a blink of an eye, my ambitions faced an obstacle that I could not overcome. While in this depressed state, I saw a commercial that captured my attention immediately, it announced the opening of a new game-server for a game that was apparently gaining popularity, but I hadn¡¯t noticed before. Why that commercial caught my attention even though I was no video-game lover myself? It''s because one of the characters in the game that appeared in the commercial looked just like me. He wore ochre clothes with red and gold embroidery and had an emblem with coins, apparently a merchant-class of the game. But beyond the clothing and, of course, the differences that anyone can point out between a computerized image and reality, it was me. It''s out of the question that I hurried to acquire the game and sign-in to that particular game-server. As a matter of course, I took the path of the ¡®merchant¡¯, not just because I myself was one, but because otherwise I could stay calm, since besides that one time, I never saw that commercial again, nor found it on internet. In hindsight, I would be lying if I said that at any point I thought it was a hallucination, but now... "That''s the character I saw in that commercial¡­", it''s what I couldn¡¯t get out of my head. It¡¯s the same visual that I''m seeing my own reflection in the nearby stream by where I awakened. Since the beginning, the character was identical to me, I just needed to dress the same way to look like it, which means that these clothes I am wearing are... those of the final rank of the merchant class. Last night, after many long hardships, I finally reached the requirements to up-grade my T.L.O character to the highest rank of profession of the merchant class. So far, no matter what I did, neither my character, nor any other person or character looked like the one in that commercial. The only thing I could think of is that it was the highest rank of the profession. Well, it isn''t weird for commercials to expose the final forms of each class. Taking into account that T.L.O is a pretty sadistic game, only the vicious will play for long enough to reach even the intermediate rank of any class and therefore it¡¯s no surprise that even after a year of the server opening, no-one¡¯s even reached the highest rank of the unpopular merchant class. Why sadistic you ask? At the start of the game, everybody has a character of the class labelled ¡®Rookie¡¯, without any talents and child-like stats. The only enemy they can defeat, at level 1, is the weakest in the game, and it gives only 1 experience point, and then the next weakest, that only gives 2 experience points, is proportionally stronger and harder to beat, that''s twice the work. To that we must add; that to level up to a level 2 ¡®Rookie¡¯, you need a thousand experience points... Considering a super-weak character, which needs an atrocity of time and work to build-up, those simply curious just leave the game almost immediately. Few in number are the casual players to attain the level 10 as a Rookie, necessary to move forward into the ¡®Adventurer¡¯ class.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The ¡®Adventurer¡¯ is slightly stronger ¡®class¡¯ than the Rookie. If I had to make an analogy, its equivalent to a normal teenager, and I''m serious; the character isn''t stronger than a high-school student. The benefit of advancing to the adventurer class is that it¡¯s possible to learn weaker versions of the class¡¯s skills of the ranked classes, helping when it''s time to finally choose one. Of course, at that point, you''re nothing more than addicted to the game. If I have to guess, I''m embodying my character from TLO. A friend in the game, which proclaimed themselves an otaku, talked to me about novels and TV series where this was a thing. Based on what I knew until now, this isn''t a virtual world and that technology is far from been as realist as life itself, so I guess this is reality, another world most likely. How do I know it''s another world? Well if you ask me... Pick your favorite: The people I has have been seeing while hiding myself in the foliage wear clothes severely out of time, they pull carts, and wield swords and bows. Every now and then, I catch a glimpse of animals like your typical bunny, deer and sheep; only these have unnatural colors and marks on their bodies. And my favorite; as soon I focus on myself, like the time I stared at my clothes upon awaking, something like this appears in my minds¡¯ eye:-
NAME: ARGENT MAKOTO RACE: HUMAN 1
JOB: MARKET MASTER RANK: GERON LEVEL: 1
VP: 23/25 RESISTANCE: 2 DEFENSE: 1
MP: 5/8 KNOWLEDGE: 78 INTELLECT: 295
ENERGY: 14/20 STRENGTH: 2 MIND: 3
AGILITY: 3 TALENT: 1 SPIRIT: 2
ITEMS¨‹ EQUIPMENT¨‹ SKILLS¨‹ TITLES¨‹ MONEY: 00
.................... "WHAT THE HELL!?" Fuck, for a moment I lost my composure when I looked again¡­ uf. Well, basically, I have stats and a class, so I must assume that this world has a ¡®system¡¯, like that of the game, although mine are lower than normal with the exception of Knowledge and Intellect. Even if they reset the character for some reason, they are too low, even for a Rookie, which has all stats set at 10 from level 1 to begin with. TLO had a parallel-level system. The character and the ¡®Job¡¯ were independent¡­ I didn¡¯t embody a character, so I myself became one? So my true self is weaker than a Rookie from the game? I¡¯m not even going to even think what the fuck ¡®Intellect¡¯ and ¡®Talent¡¯ represent. Those weren¡¯t in TLO, what are those¡­ I mean, by their names I can figure-out what they are, but a ¡®Talent¡¯ of 1¡­ I better stop depressing myself already. If this is reality, I need to figure out a way to survive. If my stats are lower than a kid¡¯s, there¡¯s no way I can last long by myself in the open. For now I must seek refuge, so I will follow the path where people have been walking to and from. Of course, I¡¯ll leave a safe distance between them and me. I don¡¯t trust strangers, especially in a strange world. After walking for roughly an hour (I can¡¯t tell exactly, I don¡¯t have a way to measure time, as my watch didn¡¯t come with me) I finally see a town appear in the distance. The houses around the town appear to be made of wood and stone, with un-painted walls, irregular surfaces but having tiled roofs. The road seems to be constructed of stone and earth, barely better than the path I travelled on. This is definitely reminisce of the middle ages, I find it hard to believe that even in the modern erathere are settlements like this even on Earth ¡­ As I approached, a man clad in leather wielding a sword, set his gaze upon me. He is located next to a wooden tower of about 6 meters in height, in which is another man, that carries a bow and is watching every move I make. Naturally, I didn¡¯t attempt to enter the town somewhere else, the bowman in the tower would have probably recognized me as someone suspicious or hostile; act normal for now would be for the best. Right now, what worries me most is¡­ ¡°Stop right there, identify yourself¡± A voice commands. Oh! I understood perfectly what he said. Apparently language will not be a problem, although the movements of his mouth and the words he says don¡¯t match¡­ Automatic translation? Now that I think about it, the merchant class has an advanced skill which allows communication with other intelligent races for trading with in the game. It¡¯s because of that skill? I think it was a function of ¡®Borderless Trade¡¯, a skill I get in at the merchant ANER rank. Since the ¡®class¡¯ ranks are: PAIS -> EFEBO -> ANER -> GERON. ANER was just before this last upgrade, so it is no surprise if is pretty powerful. ¡°Pardon me. I am a traveler who hoped to rest in this town¡±. ¡°Very well, I will check your status, give me your hand¡±. Check my status with my hand, really? I better do as he says, though I don¡¯t know the meaning of this. After I did it, the man kept looking my way. Fuck; it starting to make me nervous¡­ There¡¯s nothing suspicious about me¡­really! ¡°Argent Makoto. Human, Merchant¡­ ¡®ARGENT¡¯ MAKOTO!?¡±. GAH! The guard is startled and starts to sweat all the while looking at me with eyes stretched wide-open, apparently his shouting startling the tower archer a little too. ¡°Aaaa fa-family name?...you have a family name¡­ AN ARISTOI!¡± What the fuck? Now that I think about it, my real name is besides my character¡¯s name from TLO¡­ He takes it as my last name? Is it unusual to have a last name? ¡°Sorry for my lack of decorum, nobody told us that a noble would be coming¡±. Ah, no, I¡¯m not a noble. First of all; I have to prevent this from becoming an incident. ¡°Ahem, there was no notice because I am in incognito, you know, I don¡¯t want to get attention, I¡¯m just traveling¡±. ¡°Mmm, understood. I¡¯m not sure about noble affairs, but¡­¡± ¡°It is my wish for nobody to know that I am here. Will you go against the wishes of a noble?¡± ¡°Of course not. If that¡¯s your wish, I won¡¯t touch the subject anymore. Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me, the entrance fee is 100 Ja¡±. Eh? Ja? Ha? Do you want me to laugh a hundred times? Of course not, obviously this ¡®Ja¡¯ is the local currency. What a problem¡­I don¡¯t carry any money, and if I did, it wouldn¡¯t be ¡¯Ja¡¯. What the fuck is ¡®Ja¡¯? The currency in TLO was ¡®G¡¯ for Gold. Isn¡¯t a noble exempt from paying things like the toll? What kind of non-classist world is this? Fuck, now he is looking at me in anticipation, I can¡¯t say I don¡¯t have any money. A poor noble? Impossible. For now I will pretend that I¡¯m looking in my pockets¡­ eh? What¡¯s this? There¡¯s something in my hand I put in my pocket, but I¡¯m sure there was nothing in my pockets, it feels metallic and its shape¡­ ¡°Here¡±. ¡°100 Ja, I confirm that I have received payment, please enjoy your stay in Galia¡±. The guard took the coins from my hand and let me in. For a moment he tried to bow, but then stopped; he remembered that I said I didn¡¯t want to gather attention. So far I managed to overcome the first obstacle, now¡­ from where did those coins come from? Even my status showed zero money, better to check it. Money: 00 Yep, double zeros. But just now I had found money, even in the local currency. I wonder¡­ If I focus on a certain amount¡­It worked! I Have 10 coins in my hand. This makes no sense, unless¡­ If I think about it, at the start, in TLO you obtained a random amount of money from 100 to 500G, and if you spent it all, it showed ¡®0G¡¯. There was never something like double zero, which means, maybe those aren¡¯t zeros, but something that didn¡¯t exist in the game system, but a ¡®something¡¯ which represents an incredible and astounding symbol that¡¯s beyond mortal aspirations, but is still everyone¡¯s dream, the infinity symbol: ¡Þ Which means that the money I have isn¡¯t zero, is Infinite, Limitless¡­ OK, calm down¡­calm, I can¡¯t gather any attention; I¡¯ve got control of myself¡­ Screw that! I¡¯ll buy the fucking world! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi everyone, keitaro-sempai here. After reaching 50 chapters of Okane, I finally take the ride to translate the novel to english. Since english isn¡¯t my first language and the story is full of complicated words and concepts, i don¡¯t expect it to be perfect, but at least understandable. This story is for those of you who want to see a logic-driven world, with a cunning MC who show how smart he is in full view, and not as some out of camera ¡°oh shit! how did he knew?¡± or ¡°how has he done that?¡±. Those questions will be answered, but you will have the chance to figure it out yourself. Anyways, i hope everyone to enjoy it as much as i do! Also, I will take this chance to open up to you. I will really love to keep up with this and be a full time writer, but that present an issue, i will require money to pay my bills, so i will by opening a patreon for any of you who like the idea of me focued in this project. Since I am not only the real and only author but also the translator, i hope you all to understand that i will be doing the releases when possible, but if we reach the goals, i will by putting in the effort to meet the corresponding numbers while keeping the quiality of the chapters. So, if you wanna have me working non-stop in the novels, support me in patreon or paypal, every help in my dream of become a full-time writer will be appreciated.
Special thanks to the following patrons: J.T. , Jose Augusto Matos and Lancelot9402
If you wanna support me and my stories, you can become a patron and get rewarded or just donate Visit the Official site and official facebook or join the official discord Even if you don''t have a way to give monitary support, you can help me givin out likes and comment the chapters. Until now the english release doesn''t have even 1 review, taking your time to do one is a way to show your support. I would love to know what everyone thinks about the story, theories and the like! pd. some reader gave me that cover, but i''m pretty sure the art is stealed, so if you find out who drew it, tell me. Okane o Subete Sekai e Chikara 2 - Checking my status

Chapter 2

Checking my status

Galia, a politically independent city, build in a plain over a mountain with the same name. With natural defenses against invasions and due to the considerable flat land, can grow and hunt freely to stock up on food. Located near the eastern strait of the Antei continent. Galia is just outside the disputed territories between the great powers of eastern Antei, the Kingdom of Jagheb and the country of Iren, an oligarchy, known for its war-based culture. This world is apparently also named "Earth", can be coincidence, or due to the automatic translation working by << Borderless trade>>. However it makes it easier to understand some conversations so that''s fine. Although the name is the same, no doubt the circumstances are different, for instance in this world there is magic, monsters and apparently <>, hybrid beings with humanoid forms and beasts traits. All that sounds pretty fantastic, but apparently they are quite rare, it''s not common to see any of those things, except for some monsters. In Galia however, It''s supposed to be possible to see Half flyers from time to time, they seem to have some nest closer to the top, since there have been no incidents in which people were attacked, they decided to ignore them, something quite logical, specially for this peaceful city. I said peaceful, but still a lot of people carry swords or other weapons. Speaking for myself, of course I didn''t want to seem strange, so I also decided to buy some necessary things, like a sword, wristbands, gloves, a hat to protect me from the radiant su... to hide my face. I can''t decide what other defensive equipment to buy, after all I don''t have the strength to bear the weight of a full plate armor, although is if the safest. Even the sword that I purchased, was decided by its weight and simplicity. Of course, to avoid attention, I didn''t buy the most expensive equipment. Just the immediate inferior that I could carry without problems. Do you think that attracts a lot of attention? Not so much taking into account that I get each piece from a different store. If I suddenly bought a whole set of expensive equipment it would be very noticeable. As for lodging and food... Don''t need to think about it, I can only accept the best one in the area. Face it, if we consider the civilization level, even that is inferior to the commodity of a mid-class family house, I can''t force myself to have a worse time, especially when the price doesn''t matter, and I''m serious. In the end I was right, my funds are unlimited. After going from one place to another all day, I''m tired, physically and mentally. For now it will be better to leave the armor for later, I will go to my inn room to rest, and it''s not that I doesn''t have something of equal or greater importance to verify. Already in my room, I check my current attire, the sword and my own hands... There it is!
NAME: ARGENT MAKOTO RACE: HUMAN 1
JOB: MARKET MASTER RANK: GERON LEVEL: 1
VP: 24/25 RESISTANCE: 2 DEFENSE: 1
MP:Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! 6/8 KNOWLEDGE: 84 INTELLECT: 295
ENERGY: 9/20 STRENGTH: 2 MIND: 3
AGILITY: 3 TALENT: 1 SPIRIT: 2
ITEMS¨‹ EQUIPMENT¨‹ SKILLS¨‹ TITLES¨‹ MONEY: 00
Mm, I have a feeling that it looks different, but I''m not too sure... Energy: 9, I''m pretty sure it was two digits this morning. Now that I think about it I feel pretty tired and hungry, in TLO the energy was a stat that reduced itself over time and if it reached zero provoked a powerful debuff, and you needed food to reload it, I suspect it''s not too different from that, I need food, but since this isn''t a game, I will also need sleep. Well, I already ordered dinner, I will eat in a few minutes, so forget it for now. More important than these poor stats, I''m more interested in those arrows next to the other sections... If focusing in myself let me see the stats, maybe if I focus in the arrows... Bingo. Equipment: Clothing: Trade Master Suit¨‹, Luxurious Mince Cape. Outerwear: Armin leather gauntlet, Robust Platinum Wristband, Leather boots of the wolf of the wind. Armament: Mountain Storm Sword¨‹ ... Mm, interesting, well, the names are the ones mentioned in the stores, not gonna pick in it anymore. There''s nothing like a super flashy name mixed anywhere, it''s not like I bought anything that seemed to be extremely powerful. Ignore it! What matters is that apparently the equipment also has of those arrows, which means I can get more details if I focus... Mountain Storm Sword¨‹ << Forged with a fragment of electrified rock on the mountain during storms . -Resistance to electricity +3. - Boost electric and wind attacks +2. - Simple electric attack in 1% of attacks>> Oh, It has some interesting things after all like the name implied, not a bad purchase, despite being so expensive... not like it matters to me anyway. Let''s keep looking. Trade Master Suit¨‹ << Default clothing of the trade master. -Resistance +50. -Mind +100. - Resistance to negative effects. -Self-repair Medium. -Energy consumption reduction>> ........... OOOOOOOOOOK............ Shit! those specs... well, I mean, its normal if you think of it as the merchant''s final class uniform. Unlike basic professions as an adventurer, High ranks of specialized classes in TLO are far superior to ordinary humans, as reward for how difficult it is to reach that state, now I regret not have anything else equipped. Well, in fact to make the class change you have to take off all the equipment, since you will receive the exclusive default equipment, like the Trade Master Suit. Leaving that aside, there''s something that interests me MUCH more. Items ¨‹ <> Skills¨‹ << Trade (GERON). Borderless Trade. Elite Dealer. What''s mine is mine. Peerless Provider. Miracle Seed>> Titles¨‹ << Scammer''s Terror, Ultimate Merchant, The richest in the world>> OK, let''s think about it for a moment... I know almost everything I''m seeing, like the item bag. If I remember correctly it allowed to carry up to 99 of the same item per slot. At the start of the game you have 10 every time you rank-up. Additionally, the merchant''s item bag had an extra function, you could pay to have extra slots and more space for slot, very useful especially for some rare items that used more than one space. In short, I can carry more items the more I pay to keep the expansion, the price raised exponentially, so to expand from 50 slots to 60 cost 16 times than from 40 to 50. Since I have infinite resources I can expand it infinitely... WIN. As for the skills, "Trade" allowed the different basic functions of the merchant class, it being GERON rank, implies that I have all the functions, although I only know what I had up to the ANER rank, I have no idea if in the real world such restrictions even affect me... Whatever, better have it than not. "Elite Dealer" granted discounts in stores as well as bonuses when selling items in stores... that''s useless to me now. Well, in the real world it may have other applications. "What''s mine is mine". No idea about this one, didn''t have it before, must be from the rank up, so I don''t know its functions. "Peerless Provider" allowed to place items for sale online to sell automatically, so you could sell items while doing other things, naturally it worked perfectly for when you were "afk", so you could even sell while sleeping. No idea what to do of it outside TLO. "Miracle Seed". How the fuck should I know, not only I don''t know it, the name doesn''t ring any bell, and it certainly doesn''t seem to belong to a merchant. Well, the skills mostly leave much to be desired, in itself it does not seem that some will be useful for anything, "Borderless Trade" being the sole exception. I will be lost without that automatic translation, a fine example of its use in the real world. Regarding the titles, "Scammer''s Terror", it was a special title granted to me after I beat many scammers in their own game. Then having a GM to reward me for my achievement. In-game it allowed to see details beyond the basic description of a manipulated item. Is it possible to do that here too? If so, it is very promising. "Ultimate Merchant". Based on other classes that when reaching GERON rank obtain titles such as "Ultimate Swordsman" or "Ultimate Mage", I can assume that this is the title for obtaining the highest rank of merchant. It is assumed that each title of the "Ultimate" series gives a strong bonus to the basic stats of each class, not like the merchant has one. To begin with all stats has a class focused in them, and even if it had one, I don''t think I could find a use for it, forget it for now. The title that really caught my attention, and in every way... "The richest in the world". No matter how I look at it, Isn''t this responsible for my current unique purchasing power? If I am right, is more than a WIN, is GG. Never seen it before, but I already love it. My introspection was interrupted by knocking on the door, which was then followed by a servants voice calling out. "Dinner is ready sir". "Thanks, I go immediately". Well, I will think again about all this new information later. For now I going to eat and sleep, I need all the "Energy" I can get for tomorrow. Okane o subete sekai e chikara 3 - Mentality

Chapter 3

Mentality

SHIT HIC! DAMNIT, SHIT SHIT SHIT HIC! buo the gell japens wit me, I fucking laugh at myself, being so calm, Sooo logic. Whate fuk logic explains this shit, I am in another fucking world damint, one like TLO to add... I''m gonna die, that sadistic TLO didn''t had mercy even with a Rookie, and my stats are even lower. Theere ar monsters here, mutations or de like... What was I thinking... "so I also decided to buy some necessary things, like a sword". ters no dout Hic! that a freaking suord is goin to safe my life, I don''t even know how to wield it, my strength is a joke... uuuuug i wana kry Hic! I dont even have the strength to wear armor. Forget the monsters, anyone could kill me effortlessly... there are... If the other Earth had bandits, murderers and psychos, don''t think twice, this world is full of them, in TLO there even was a criminal class <>. Uuuuh. Aren''t I like, the dream targett for any bandit? AAAH! HIC! Maybe I should reconsider the course of my actions? I could just spend the rest of my life in this peaceful place, I would probably be safe... No, no NO NO! I spent my whole life studying and working to reach the top, to have money, and when my efforts began to bear fruit everything went to hell, I couldn''t get to enjoy what I worked for. Can I really live like a simple peasant in this town? FUCK NO! NEVER! I DON''T GONNA DO IT! EVEN IF IT COSTS ME MY LIFE, I WILL NOT RETURN TO THAT PATHETIC STATE! If I do that, it will be like that time since the accident, before TLO, I''d rather die trying to reach the top, than live quietly in the background. This world, this body, are a second chance. I have little information so what? I can buy it, yes... I can buy everything. On Earth the rich do not lie in a corner shaking from fear of being assaulted, no, they are the powerful who trample the rest like worms. Power and money are inseparable, if you have one, you are bound to have the other. The powerful are rich and the rich are powerful. I have more wealth than anyone could ever dream of. Unlimited wealth, only unlimited power can overcome that. I can''t lose, I can''t be defeated by anyone... Yes... As long my enemy isn''t god himself, I should be able to manage to get well off against any opponent. I''m the worlds'' wealthiest man, I can''t be wrong, I should be in the top of this world. If in the past I aspired to it, in my current state, with limitless resources, why the hell do I doubt it? In the other world I fought for wealth and couldn''t enjoy it, in this world I plan to do it without moderation, without regrets. But first, I must guarantee my safety, that will... In a different way at the time I was transported to this world, everything turned dark. ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó "AAAAGG, my head." Fucking hangover, everything is spinning... I remember buying obscene amounts of alcohol, the man at the inn looked at me a little surprised, but said nothing. I drank a little too much, although with what happened yesterday, it was inevitable. In the morning of yesterday I came to this world, a world like the game TLO, that I was obsessed with for a whole year. Surprisingly, until night, when I tasted food and drink, I was in denial and acted as Maki said he would if he was transported or reincarnated in another world. Feeling the taste of the food and satiety it caused when it reached my stomach, was a reality shock for me, there was no way to deny it. This really happened, I''m in another world... The best will be to continue as before. Yesterday I could get basic information, thanks to the conversations I heard in the armories while examining the merchandise and pretending to meditate on prices. Follow some of the travelers I had seen on the way to Galia was a good idea, I don''t think the locals would have talked about some of those things so familiar that even a child would know.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. My next step will be to get information, in quantities and of all kinds. for now I will go to the bar, at least in TLO it was possible to buy information from the bartenders. "OH! Good morning, a hard wake up?" " Something like that, I may have exceeded myself a little". " Well, it''s not like I haven''t seen others drink like that or even more, but you don''t look the type". "Make no mistake, this was an exception among exceptions". "I see, something special happened, so... Good or bad?" "Last night I thought about the answer, right now, I think it''s good". "I''m glad then". A classic bartender and client conversation, even so, I said more than I should. No doubt a man able to start a conversation so naturally with a stranger and make him talk as if they knew each other for years, surely have a lot of information available. Without fooling around, I walked to the bar. In this inn -The most expensive one I found near the city gates- has a restaurant and a bar on the ground floor. Of course I didn''t eat and drank at the bar last night, even if it is an expensive place and therefore, with some class, it does not mean that I feel safe among a bunch of drunk men carrying swords. In this inn the best rooms -Like mine- are as large as a regular apartment, and have furniture, so I just ate in the room. It would be a problem if someone had heard me babble last night. "I would like to buy some information" I said softly from the bar, of course at this time the bar is empty, even so, I prefer to make sure that my voice is not heard in the restaurant next door. "Oh! well, well. This is interesting. What kind of info?" "Everything from the simplest to the most restricted you have". "He, hehe, hahaha, What''s this? Pal... If I had to say what my Job is, I would not be a bartender, the information is what I do, and I have accumulated a lot. I can certainly take all morning to tell you what you want. Sure you can pay?" "Believe me, I''m sure I can pay what you ask, but don''t forget, I want everything, even common sense things". "Amusing, I am very interested in knowing who you are, to ask for all the information. In other words ... you don''t want me to know your objective, don''t you?" "You are a professional in the information market, you certainly know how valuable it is". "No doubt. Very well, no one should come by the bar in a few hours, let''s start then". Without a doubt, asking for all the information is a way to disguise what I really want. The curious thing about this case, dear bartender, is that my goal...IS all the information. ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó The bartender was useful, I spent all morning listening to him. If I analyze all the information I obtained, he is certainly a professional, he didn''t forget to include details of the most obvious things. The price was much higher than everything I spent so far, but it certainly was worth it. Now that I think about it, there is another reason to think well about how I spend my unlimited fortune, in addition to calling attention to myself. As a businessman, I know very well how unstable the market can be, taking into account that a lot of money appears "out of nowhere" from one moment to another, the consequences can be enormous. Even so, that applies in an international market, if I see it from the point of view of internal trade, it''s similar to money coming from abroad, it enriches the country, so the more I spend in one place, the more prosperous that particular country will become. " With the new information I have, I think it''s time to enrich this peaceful place". Not wasting time, after having a good lunch in the restaurant of the inn, I walk through the streets of the city. Yesterday I didn''t have any information, but I could realize that being unarmed besides insecure is strange in this world. At least for a lonely traveler, so I focused my search in the armories. Today I have much more data, so I can extend my search widely. Right now, a certain place has my attention, the . Apparently, like a thousand years ago, there was a war that involved the entire continent of Antei, in which mankind faced the "enemy". There are not many records of the "Age of the Legend", however, It is known that someone from that era known as "AS", was the mind behind the strategy that led to the victory of humanity, and is one of the main responsible for human supremacy on the continent. He was the brightest mind of the Age of the legend, and while he lived, he founded academies throughout the world, in which human knowledge is located, is as well the place where scholars meet. Don''t make conclusions, it''s not what you think. I certainly want more information, but that is now secondary, my priority is the academy itself. Apparently, academies accept financial aid from benefactors, who are granted special access and attention. It is said that in name of progress, academy scholars can offer their services to their benefactors and more if they propose expensive projects that aims to the future of science. Of course, that they offer to finance. Right now my main goals are, to become the main benefactor of the academy (naturally asking my identity to not be public). Get access to the exclusive library of the academy (there seems to be another non-exclusive one, but I don''t think I can get much more than what I got from the bartender in that one), as well as the guidance and assistance of an academic. Also, to put my hands on the artifacts protected by the academy. It''s said that, from time to time, they sell them at astronomical prices at auctions when the academy goes through a bad economic situation. If I offer them unlimited funds, I don''t think they will deny me one or more of the artifacts. Due to the chaotic situation in the region, caused by the current war between Jagheb and Iren, most of the rich men, who financed the academy, have focused their attention on the war sector. If the academy is not yet in a bad economic situation, it will be soon and they know it. In the best case, I could even become the only benefactor of the academy, thus gaining access to virtually everything they have and know. I''m not as good Samaritan as to give them my support without obtaining any benefit. To take advantage of their moment of greatest need is not dirty play, it''s something natural in the business world, those are the rules of the game, my game. Okane o subete sekai e chikara 4 - My game

Chapter 4

My game

Galia''s AS academy, It is a unique construction in many ways. The front as well as the main hall open to the public resembles a kind of mix between an ancient temple and a university. The interesting thing is that it is built next to the face of the mountain, apparently a large part of the academy is inside the mountain itself, so it is inaccessible without using the main entrance. Ingenious. Considering that the heart of the academy is within the mountain, it''s ideal to protect the treasures of the science of this world. I must put my hands on them ... "Excuse me, the entrance fee is 10 Ja, 20 Ja if you want a pass to the library" said a man with armor at the entrance. Seems better armed than the guard at the entrance of the city. Well, that man had archers guarding his back. "It must be difficult to be so long standing at the entrance. Here". I say while I give a coin to the guard of the academy. "Huh... eh. This is ... a silver coin!?" His shock is normal, according to the bartender, the value of a silver coin is 100 bronze, which in turn is worth 100 copper, which is the local currency "Ja", so a silver coin equals 10,000 Ja. I understand that it is enough for a family of 4 to live without issues for a month and a half. Of course, that is limited to the economic state of this city. Like everything, it varies from place to place, I have no doubt that there will be places where it is worth more or less than that. "Consider it a tip, keep the hard work". "B-But, this is too much". "Don''t worry it''s nothing". Seriously, no matter how much I give you, it doesn''t affect me at all. Well, leaving the guard behind, I pass through the halls of the academy, there are some paintings on the walls, some seem to represent important events, others are portraits, surely of great characters in the history of the academy, or the whole world. Naturally I don''t know anyone, or maybe I do, it''s not like I could relate the images I see with the things the bartender told me, whatever. Although I do not recognize anything I see, I look in amazement and detail at each article on the walls and in the hallway. Some genuinely caught my curiosity. Such as the prototype of an apparatus capable of converting certain materials into another, a dark and resistant one, but at the same time light, which apparently is capable of bouncing if thrown on the ground. No matter how you look at it, isn''t that rubber? So far the carts I''ve seen have simple wooden wheels or metal. It seems here the rubber tree was not found, this device could be the key to developing modern wheels. If I have to travel by wagon sometime, I prefer it to be comfortably. The structure of the wagon is important, but without appropriate wheels there is a limit to how much vibration can be reduced, in addition to protecting the wheels from wear, especially in these unpaved roads. I must remember to make this one of the first projects to be financed, it must be ready when the time comes for me to go to Jagheb. From the information I obtained, I deduce that the most developed place in the region is the capital city of Jagheb, "Bombasta". It''s where I must go to continue my way to the top. Although this city is protected by height, it doesn''t have great defenses if it were to be seriously attacked. Isn''t as if a nation would spend the necessary resources to conquer it, after all, a conventional siege is useless, since the city is self-sufficient. But it''s still possible to invade it if the plain is conquered little by little. Of course, it would be a hard campaign, since the mountain must be climbed, and the losses would probably be much greater than the gains, which is why this place is so peaceful despite the war in the region. But it''s not a guarantee, even I thought of an efficient way to conquer it, not that I plan to do it, I just calculated how safe I am in this place. While my mind wanders between my plans for the future and the curious objects and paintings of the academy, a group of four people, a woman and three men began to discuss worried. All wearing the same uniform, consisting of a red board suit with a pocket on the left side with an AS badge, a white shirt underneath and a red robe above all, pants of the same color in the case of men, and a plaid skirt of an ocher color, with green stripes in the woman''s case. All slightly vivid colors, and somewhat dirty, if you ask me. "Excuse me, what could be the problem?" "Huh, Who are you?"The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. The youngest of the group observes me with curiosity, He didn''t expect a stranger suddenly to interfere in the discussion. His features are quite childish, although I do not imagine robust and strong men as academics. The others watch me silently, looking me up and down. "I''m just a science enthusiast. If I can help some of the great minds that work to expand the horizons of human knowledge, I would feel honored". Everyone''s looking in suspicion, with the exception of the young man whose curiosity seemed to be increasing. I think I already found my treasure key. "I''m sorry, but they are matters of the academy. If you excuse us". And with these words of the academic woman, the group moves away to continue their discussion without curious eyes. And speaking of curious eyes, the young man turned to observe me once more, to which I respond with a warm smile. Apparently he had conflicting thoughts stopping him, so I decided to give him a push. "Something worries you? I was serious when I said I wanted to help". Gathering courage, the young man made his decision, and looked at me with determined eyes. "Actually, there was a problem at the entrance of the city, and we cannot obtain an important package that comes from beyond the valley. It is essential that we have it as soon as possible, or a year of efforts will have been in vain". "I see, does it have anything to do with tonight''s event?" "Indeed. It is for the equinox, there is an experiment prepared for the exact moment it begins. Last night one of our members went to the mountain valley to pick up a rare plant that blooms only on the nights before and after the equinox, but apparently the guards at the gate do not allow him to pass. They say they received notice that the flower can be used to make poison and will not allow us to enter it". "And is that so?" "No, definitely... probably not, I had never heard that it could be used for that. We use it as a catalyst, nothing more". While explaining his situation, the young man feels somewhat insecure, due to my watchful gaze. I certainly look at his expressions and words in detail, to carefully judge what words to use. "Alright, for now let''s go to the city gate to talk to the guards, we won''t solve anything by staying here". "Others already went to do it, but the guard doesn''t listen to arguments". "No problem, I am confident that he will listen to me". And with my confident words, the young man was convinced that I could do something. We left for the gates of the city, on the way I greeted the guard of the academy, who returned the greeting vigorously. If you give someone money without asking for anything in return, they can do nothing but see you as an altruist... If they are naive. "It seems he respects you a lot". "Well, he''s a nice guy. Won''t he behave like that with everyone? " "I don''t think so, Caret is rather someone of few tempers, especially since his girlfriend argued with him for not buying a good ring when he proposed". "Ho, so there was a story like that. It''s hard to be a wage earner". "This... you". "Argent. Call me Argent". "Yes. Argent, your words sounded sympathetic, but at the same time distant, you aren''t a wage earner, right?" "No. I am currently a traveler, in search of the truth of life. I go from city to city, observing the AS academies of the world, reading their books and learning everything I can, but I''m not an academic like you... " "Zera, I''m Zera. I still don''t get my academic research degree, despite having graduated as a student. Honestly, I think Argent is more an academic than me". "I think you''re still young, if I look more intellectual, it''s because I''ve lived longer and I''ve had time to learn and reflect". "Huh..." "One day you will be a prominent scientist, which all academics will talk about. You just have to make an effort, without rushing things". After a long walk from the academy to the entrance of the city, during which Zera was repeatedly worried. I showed a reliable smile to comfort him along the way. Arrived at the lookout, you could see a large group of people wearing the academy uniform arguing with the guard. Apparently they were getting nowhere. "Greetings, I heard there is a problem". "Ah! Arg ... Argent, these people want us to allow the plant that..." "Say no more. My academic friend, Zera, assured me that this plant is no poison. I fully trust his opinion, so I would like you to allow them to bring it in the city". "Mm. I understand. Very well, if Argent trusts his word, they can enter the city". "Argent! You did it, you really did it, the guard heard you". "Of course, Zera is someone of trust, it is my duty to convey that trust to the guard. Of course, such attention deserves reward, here you go". With a deliberately exaggerated movement, I deliver a silver coin to the gate guard. "Argent, that''s..." "Is nothing. Thank you very much, Mr. City Guard. Please continue to work hard and be understanding". I make a greeting bowing and the guard copies my actions, something unsure of whether or not to bow to greet me. Of course, because of my words from yesterday. "Well, I hope with this I have contributed even a little with the research". "No, it has been a great help. Even if we had managed to convince the guard eventually, it would have been too late and we would had to wait a whole year to conduct the experiment. Really, thank you very much!" "There''s no need. If I can be of help it''s enough". And in this way, the case of the problem at the entrance of the city was solved and I began to walk away silently. Behind my back, some of the academics were heard rejoicing and others discussing. "I''m glad it was solved, but where did they heard that the plant could be used as poison?" "It''s a mystery". Yeah, a mystery... ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó "Ah! You are!" "Greetings. Say nothing, remember that I don''t want it to be known that I''m a noble". "True. I''m sorry..." "Listen, I have an important mission for you. I heard someone try to attempt against my life. It seems the information about my arrival in Galia was leaked in some way. As I understand it, they will use a poison made from a valley flower". "Ah! Last night a man from the academy left the city towards the valley". "That''s it. Surely he went to collect the plant to prepare the poison. Do not let them bring it into town, or I will no longer feel safe when eating. Could you do me this favor?" "Of course!... But academics are very respected. I don''t think they t..." "I wouldn''t suspect academics either, but maybe someone is deceiving them. One way or another, I can''t be careless when it comes to my life, do this for me. Of course, as a nobleman, I cannot simply accept your help without giving something in return, have this coin". "A silver coin... I won''t let you down!" "I count on you". ... Let the game begin. Okane o subete sekai e chikara 5 - Zera鈥檚 worries I

Chapter 5

Zera''s worries I

My name is Zera of Galia, and this year I finally passed the academy test. Although I still have no research assigned, if I continue to work hard it probably won''t be long before I can work on a project. Every morning I wake up with the sunlight, take a shower and go to the academy to study. This last week, I have been watching a particular person every time I pass by the library, his name is Argent. The day of the equinox he did us a great favor and since then he has been coming every morning to the library of the academy. He is someone mysterious, but also admirable. He confidently spoke and convinced the city guard to let pass the rare Kaplag plant, necessary for an experiment which proved a success. I have been trying to approach him all week to thank him, but when I see him read the books so carefully, I cannot find the right moment. I feel that I would be interrupting, breaking his concentration. In addition to that, I do not have the confidence to speak to him without a good reason. The day I met him ... That morning like any other, I woke up with the sun. Although instead of studying, that day I was helping in the preparations for the equinox. I remember that I accidentally splashed my uniform with the contents of a test tube and the Chief Investigator was very disturbed. "Quick, you should take off your uniform! When it finish with your clothes it will start with your skin! " He said. Apparently the liquid was some kind of acid that began to eat my clothes. And while it was falling apart, I desperately tried to take it off without touching the affected area. I felt great fear when it reached my shirt, but I could take it off before it went through it. I certainly felt terrible and the fact of being in my underwear only worsened my self-esteem. Fortunately Johan, the head of research, had a pair of spare uniforms in the room, so he lent me one more or less my size. It was somewhat large, I was baggy, although with the robe it was hardly noticeable. Before I could go to my room for my own spare uniform, Jal and Berta came through the door with terrible news. The city guard was holding all the flowers of Kaplag and they didn''t let it cross the gate. Together with Johan, Jal and Berta quickly left while discussing the situation. Feeling the seriousness of the matter, I followed them. Although it was doubtful that I could do anything to help, it was better to be there if they needed me. Along the way the discussion escalated and it was then that he appeared. Apparently he was observing the prototype of the black machine of Kalasta. Everything pointed that he was only a curious observer like many others, but it seemed to me that he was thinking a lot while watching the machine. Something in his appearance, his clothes, his gaze, made me think that he was not someone ordinary. It was as if he was scrutinizing all the possibilities that the machine had. Watching it was like seeing a true Wiseman meditate on the future of science. Then he looked our way, and approached quite naturally. "Excuse me, what could be the problem?" "Huh, Who are you?" Johan said the words that crossed my mind: Who was he? I couldn''t help but observe carefully. After I saw him closely, he wore elegant clothes like I had never seen before, a sword hung from his waist, something normal. Nothing normal was the amazing quality of the sword, and all the equipment that he wore. My curiosity was only increasing, after all, it was my curiosity that made me come to the academy in the first place. In front of me was a more mysterious character than anyone I''ve ever met. "I''m just a science enthusiast. If I can help some of the great minds that work to expand the horizons of human knowledge, I would feel honored". Oh, my God! my eyes widened. Those words, how I would like to say them with such confidence. "I''m sorry, but they are matters of the academy. If you excuse us". Without much thought, Berta made it clear that the matter was none of his business. Johan and Jal didn''t seem to have a problem with it, and simply went on their way. Meanwhile, I debated between them and the stranger. The others didn''t even notice that I was no longer following them, but he, he had his eyes on me; For a moment I felt as if he could see through me, in that instant a warmer smile than the sun of that morning radiated on his face, as if removing the cold shadow of doubt in my mind. "Something worries you? I was serious when I said I wanted to help". All my doubts vanished in an instant. His words were kind, I could feel his sincerity. I had never been able to read people''s intentions before, but for some reason, his were clear to me.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. What happened next ... Everything I had felt about him proved to be true. He helped us immensely, and I still think about that day, that meeting. I feel it was fate to meet him, but in turn, fate plays jokes. The irony that day, it''s that such a great event happened right after that incident ... Uuuuuh, I can''t stop thinking about that misunderstanding and it depress me. Today too, he is reading in the library, and again, I am unable to approach... Given what he said that day, when he has read enough to feel satisfied, he is likely to leave town to visit another academy. If I let time go, I will lose my opportunity, I should thank him for his help, clear up the misunderstanding, and if possible... "Zera! So you were here. The director wants to see you." "Ah, chief Johan. The director wants to see me... me?" What''s going on? Why does the director want to see me? Is it not... expulsion? No, no ... I don''t think so, I didn''t do anything wrong .... Well, I dropped some papers yesterday, I broke a jar three days ago, not forgetting the acid that I dumped on the day of the equinox ... I think some other things happened before that too ... Uuuuh Maybe they''ll assign me an investigation? ... No, of all things, that''s the most unlikely. "Mr. Director, I brought Zera," Johan said in front of the management doors. "Come in." With the permission of the director, Johan opens the door and walks inside, I follow him while my brain is stirred in a broth of worry. The director of the AS Academy of Galia, despite his young age of 42, is the most respected mind in the region, only behind the most prominent members of the Bombasta and Cress Academies. He became a director when he was very young and has been in office for some years. Thanks to him, the academy has worked without mishaps and made some valuable advances, it is also thanks to its influence that we have been able to maintain the financing for the dozen of projects that are currently underway. The last time he received me in person, it was to give me my degree. He isn''t the type of person that someone of my level can see regularly. What can such a character want from me? After all... Expulsion? "First of all, good morning to both of you". "Good morning, Mr. Director". "There is a delicate matter to discuss. Please close the door". "Yes, immediately". "I-I will". "Thanks Zera. Now, I imagine you are aware of the situation that Jagheb is currently going through". "No doubt. It has been a few months since the news of the war came to Galia". "Yes, but what you don''t know is that last week Iren took the city of Galatea". "Galatea !? But that''s in the middle of Galia and Jagheb". "Indeed. Galatea is the midpoint between Galia and the territory of Jagheb. Iren controlling it, means that Galia''s most important trade route has been cut". The atmosphere suddenly becomes heavy, the seriousness of the situation is evident. Although I don''t understand why I am here... "Listen. Although we are unaware of Iren''s intentions for taking Galatea, there''s no reason to believe that we are their goal, so don''t be alarmed". "It''s good to hear that, if you are the one saying so". "However, although we don''t have to worry about being attacked at the moment, the fact that Galatea is in Iren''s hands is a very serious problem. As you know, our main benefactor has always been the kingdom of Jagheb. Although we maintained our independence and freedom of action, the reality is that in recent centuries we have been one more branch of the Bombasta academy. Eight of our projects were funded by Jagheb and two more by people from the kingdom". He just said . It means that... "We no longer count on anyone in Jagheb to support us. Galatea was the bridge that linked them to Galia, that is, it was the umbilical cord of the academy and has been cut by Iren". "This... cannot be". "By itself, due to the war, many of our benefactors couldn''t finance us and those who did send us the indispensable minimum. Now... Do you understand our predicament?" "...We will have to abandon several of our project ... maybe half of them". "No... It''s worse than that. All of them... We might even have to close the academy". "WHAT!? But, even if our funding was cut, it''s not as if we were at zero, we can still..." "Not only we won''t receive more funding. Due to the fall of Galatea, the City Council requests the support of every institution or organization of the city, so the resources we still have, will be delivered to the mayor''s office, to help prepare Galia against a possible attack from Iren". "But you said that is unlikely". "I know. But the council believes that it is better to be prevented now, that we still have the resources. The fact is that if they do not do this, and effectively Iren decides to organize an attack against Galia, at that time the people with resources would use them to flee to another place and the city would be in a bind. Its preventive measure ensures that Galia can remain under siege for a long time, since the resources collected will be used to strengthen the defenses". "Even so, just for that, the academy will be..." "It''s for this reason that I have gathered you here". The director stands up and his gaze becomes even more serious than while he was telling the situation. "I have reasons to believe that in this city there is someone able to save the academy from closing". The director''s gaze suddenly rests on me ... huh? "Zera!" "EH!? I!?" "My sources tell me that the previous week, an important character arrived in Galia and this same character has shown great interest in the academy and science. As I understand it, thanks to his intervention the experiment of the day of the equinox could be carried out successfully. What''s more, he seemed very close to you, Zera". "D-Do you mean Mr. Argent? I-It''s not like we''re close. Well..." "Listen Zera, if the director says that man can save the academy, he must have a good reason to believe it. If I remember correctly, when he arrived at the guard post, you were accompanying him, and moreover, he mentioned that it was you who told him that the plant was safe and because he believed in you, he interceded for us". "I-It''s not that, he said he was happy to contribute to science". "That''s why Zera, which I think he will accept our request for help, but I think it''s better if the one who requests it is you". "?EEEH!" "Listen, Zera. The academy needs you, if you act now you can do more for science than all the other researchers. In fact, everything they do from now on, could be thanks to you". "Zera Will you help us? Will you help the academy?" "...Y-Yes, I will, I will do everything in my power, everything that is needed. I have no doubt, Mr. Argent is able to save the academy ... No, more than that, someone like him could lead us to great achievements". "That''s the spirit! Zera, we trust you. Now go and convince him to give us his support, seduce him if necessary!" "??EEEEH!?" N-Now it seems that the academy depends on me. B-But... if I''m not mistaken, Mr. Argent thinks that I''m a boy, a man, because he saw me with a baggy male uniform... With what face I approach him now, and explain that I am a girl... Okane o subete sekai e chikara 6 - Benefactor

Chapter 6

Benefactor

Galia is a city located on a mountain of the same name, because of this, the Sun does not cover it immediately. Apparently the sunrise in Galia is just three hours before noon, that is to say, that here it dawns around nine in the morning, before that, the Sun is below the level of the city, for the same reason, it gets dark sooner. If the highest area of ??the mountain were not to the north, the days in Gaul would be even shorter and the crops and wildlife that allow them to be self-sufficient would be scarce. At this moment, I am at the northernmost point of the city, the AS Academy of Galia, specifically in the library. Since my second day in this world I have spent three hours every morning in this place. Not just because of the valuable information that I could get, which has proven to be a lot, although as I supposed, nothing of critical value , but it helps fill several gaps in my "common sense". Due to the shorter days of Galia, the people of the city rarely have breakfast, so here they usually eat two meals a day. The consumption in artificial light is quite high, about 1/3 more than in other places. It''s divided between candles and lamps illuminated with a photosynthetic solution that they prepare in a laboratory of the academy. It seems the academy itself is the largest consumer, because much of it is inside a mountain cave they must use artificial lighting twenty-four hours. It''s funny, since apparently the main material to make that luminous solution is copper, from which the coins of less denomination are made, so they are literally burning money to make light. The money they charge to enter is to keep the lights outside, and the extra cost to the library is for the lighting of it, which must be kept on if you want to read... Now I understand, after all the price seemed too low to be considered "Admission fee." Well, leaving aside what I learned about the city and the academy, I have a bigger reason to come to the library every day... Ah! there he is. Young Zera, who I met the day I visited the academy for the first time. As I predicted, he always passes through the library hall on the way to the inside of the academy, and always turns to see me. The day I met him, I told him I was a traveler who sought the truth and visited the AS academies to read their books. There was more than one reason for that. First, I created the image of a science and knowledge enthusiast, as well as someone interested in academies in general. Second; Coming here not only supports my position, but makes it possible to locate me for when they needs me, and that''s the key. On the day of the equinox, I set a small trick to make myself known as a potential benefactor for the academy. The plan was simple but I have no doubt it was effective. Among the guards, I was seen at least twice "giving away" silver coins, with no apparent gain, which adds to my image of academy enthusiast a large amount of money. Of course they have no idea how much. In addition, without doubt the bartender could have said on any of these days how much I spent on information... It''s not as if they could know my intentions, so they can only deduce that it was simple curiosity, adding to my image of a knowledge seeker . They are unlikely to think that I caused the incident. All my actions pursue the same end. If I want things to go my way, they should be the ones asking for help, only then will I offer to finance them. There are several reasons, one of them is to avoid doubting my place of origin. If I am a traveler who visits academies around the world, it would be rare for me to offer to finance precisely this one. On the other hand, if they ask me to do it, and they do it in a convincing way, I can agree to do so, provided that my conditions are fulfilled, including anonymity. The conditions cannot be more favorable. Under normal circumstances, even if they asked me if I would like to give my support to the academy, they would not have a real need, nor would I have a credible excuse to accept their request. But in the event that the academy needed financing at all costs, not only would they find themselves in a desperate position, but I would have a good excuse to lend my help, since a wealthy enthusiast would not leave the academy alone in a situation so delicate The key to my success is precisely that young man who watches me. On the starting day of my plan, I made sure to look as someone reliable, so if the issue of financing arises, it''s very likely that he mentions me as a possible benefactor. Even if he doesn''t do it (he looks somewhat shy to take such an initiative), he can still be used as an intermediary, since I was in charge of giving an image of mutual trust between us in the presence of the other academics. Oh! Speaking of him, apparently that other guy who was with him on the day of the discussion is looking for him. Things may progress faster than previously thought. For now I will continue to focus on the books, I must give the impression of being fascinated with what I read... ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó MMM. There he is! "E-etoo... M-Mr. Argent..." For some reason he looks more shy than the last time we talked, he is wearing the robe closed... Now that I look well, I can see his legs, is he wearing shorts? I don''t want to hurt his manhood, but he has woman''s legs. If it wasn''t enough with how short and squalid he is, his legs look so fragile. Just by appearance they look as if they could break like glass, although I''m not one to judge the weakness of others ... My stats are abysmal... I better ignore that thought.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. "Does something happen, Zera?" "Y-You remembered... I mean, t-there is something I would like to talk to you, Mr. Argent". Just Argent is fine, don''t call me Mr. It''s not like I''m married and personally I don''t feel so old... "A-Are you single then?... I mean. Understood. Argent, I would like... Well..." This could take a while. I must do something to advance the conversation without seeming to pressure him. Let''s see... "Zera, if an academic like you leaves his busy itinerary to see me, there must be an important reason. If there is a problem, I would like to be of help. Hadn''t I already said it?" "B-busy itinerary... Well, it''s not as if... I mean, there is something very important. The truth is..." Just like the first time we saw each other, he came to me for an answer and I returned a confident look, and also a nod as a sign of affirmation. Zera observes his hand and clenches his right fist tightly. Having put together the necessary determination, he continues. ... Now that I think about it, is a nod a gesture of affirmation in this place? Seems so. "The academy is in danger of closing, and we believe that Argent can save it. Save us". "I get it. I can see that the matter is serious. Tell me Zera, is it possible for me to see the person in charge of the academy, maybe the director?" "Yes! he wants to ask for Argent''s help too, there will be no problems". "All right. Can you guide me to him right now?" "Understood! O-Over here, follow me". In this way we went to the director''s office inside the cave. In that place, he and the guy who went to look for Zera earlier were waiting for us. They seemed somewhat relieved to see us arrive... Mr. Director, the negotiations have not yet begun and you already are like an open book for me. This is a reading that I will enjoy more than the ones from the books. "Welcome Mr. Argent. It''s nice to meet you in person, Zera has told me a lot about you. I''m Garen, director of this academy". That''s a lie, it''s obvious that Zera isn''t the source of your information about me. I see who took the first step was yourself, Mr. Director. "Nice to meet you too, apparently I don''t need to introduce myself. Let''s get to the point, Zera told me that the academy is in trouble, I would like to hear the details". After taking a seat, the director explains the situation. It''s more than I expected, how timely I can be. The conquest of Galatea is a blessing, if I play my cards well, I can monopolize the academy. "As you see, we will not be able to continue working much more. At the rate things are going, we will close before the end of the season". "I see. When Zera went to look for me at the library, I knew the problem was serious, but I didn''t imagine how much. Very well, it''s possible to give you my help". "R-Really? If it''s Argent, I was sure you could help us". "That''s great! The academy can continue to function. We must choose what research will continue..." "No ... All research projects will continue to work". "WHAT!?" "A-Argent, you may not know this, but project financing is really expensive. Normally only a country can finance more than one at a time". "Zera is right. We don''t want to abuse your kindness. I can realize that you are not an ordinary person, surely you are the wealthiest man in Galia right now, but..." "Not only do I plan to keep all research running, but I plan to propose my own projects. Of course everything will be funded by me". Everyone in the room is silent. The director with his insight, looks in my expression for some sign, but only manages to see the confidence behind my words. "You are serious... Can you really do that?" "That''s right, but I have some conditions. Since those who had supported you before abandoned you, I wish to become the only benefactor of the academy. Such unreliable people aren''t adequate to share the position". "I didn''t want to exceed myself, but I can''t help it... Who are you really?" "A science and knowledge enthusiast". "That isn''t what I mean". "I know... Zera, do you trust the people in the academy? In these people?" "W-Who ME !?" "If you say you trust them, I will believe in your judgment". Since I don''t believe you capable of deceiving me. "Yes. The Director Garen, research chief Johan, Jal, Berta. All are academics who have dedicated their lives to discovery, to the truth, they are all admirable people!" "Very well, as a sign of confidence, I will tell you who I really am. My name is Argent Makoto". "A-A family name ... A noble". "A noble... I see". Everyone is surprised to hear my words, and at the same time they seem to accept it with some ease. If someone who claims to have such an immense amount of money to support the entire academy alone, said he is a noble, then he is credible. "A noble... May be possible for a noble, but... I never heard of that family name". "Those of my lineage prefer to keep a low profile. I am an example myself, after all I like to travel and visit the academies. If it become knew that I am a noble, it would make a stir wherever I went". "I-It''s true. But a nobleman who travels incognito ... That family, it''s possible that the head of the family..." "Ah... That''s me. I am the head of my family, and possessor of all power in decision making, as well as in the use of family fortune". "Amazing ... how lucky we can be, for a nobleman like you to visit Galia in our hour of need". "I think it''s more than luck. Destiny wanted me to stop traveling aimlessly and take part in the search for truth in an active role. Of course, as I said those of my lineage prefer to have a low profile". "Yes, I understand. Nobody outside the academy will know your secret, you have my word". "And mine". "A-And mine". "I trust you. But before discussing the future of the academy, I prefer to erase any doubt about myself. So I would like you to examine my status to confirm my words". "I could not, no such thing is necessary. I think in this situation is more than enough..." "I insist I would also like to take the opportunity to see the artifacts of the academy". "I get it. If the great Argent requests it, we will use one of our devices to check your status. In the process, we will give you a tour of the restricted area of ??the academy". "That''s the attitude. My blood boils from the thrill of seeing the wonders of the academy reserved for academics". "As Director of the academy, it would be an honor to allow our noble and sole benefactor to see every corner of the academy that he has saved". Everything is going well. Once they open the treasure chamber for me, I will surely find something that will allow me to move more safely in my way to the top. After they check my status I will also eliminate any suspicion about me, since according to the information I have, having a surname is the irrefutable proof of nobility in this world. From this day on, I became the only benefactor of the AS Academy of Galia. Okane o subete sekai e chikara 7 - The mysterious young man I

Chapter 7

The mysterious young man I

Peace is an illusion. A rainbow that forms between the light and the storm, I was a fool not to notice, it was necessary a shout, a shout of attention to understand it ... When I reached the East Hill, I heard the shout that will echoes in my mind for the rest of my days ... ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó On a day like any other, I woke up before sunrise, washed my face and did my morning exercises, then carefully put on my light armor and left for the warding post. I am a city guard. On my way people greet me when they see me pass by. They respect me, they appreciate me for my work and some children even admire me. When I pass by the baker''s house, his youngest son always greets me and swings his wooden sword from top to bottom, which moves me every time. Two years ago, the eldest daughter of the baker, the boy''s sister, was surprised by a wild wolf - apparently driven out of his pack - who was wandering hungry. Fortunately, I was able to arrive on time to save her, since then her little brother decided to take me as his role model. "One day I will be a city guard and protect my sister and everyone!" I feel that one day he will come to me to train him. I look forward to that day. As I approach my post I see that two of my subordinates talk about something, one of them somewhat confused approaches me when he sees me arrive. "Captain! We were talking about you. We expected you to arrive at this time, there''s something you should see". I nod in approval and we begin to walk towards the wooden shed that serves as a guard post. Of course, there are also some turrets with archers a short distance from here, but this is the base of the southern entrance of the city. Upon arriving at the door, a man wearing light clothes and some pieces of leather on top as a defense, with a dagger at the waist and a bow and arrows behind him turns to see me. He is one of the hunters who likes to hunt near here, probably the one who made the discovery that causes all this shock. "What''s it about? Any dangerous animals round the area?" "No, although I don''t know if it''s dangerous, it''s not an animal". "The hunter claims to have found an unconscious young man south of here. When he arrived carrying him, we decided to stay in the house waiting for you". "A young man?" "He isn''t conscious yet. For now he is sleeping in bed, doesn''t seem to be hurt... He carried this with him". My most loyal subordinate, Andreu, hands me a sheathed sword. In all my years as an adventurer or as a city guard, I had never seen such a weapon. Possessing a shine of precious gems, the edge of a metal that I''m not able to recognize is incredible. If I dropped it to the ground, it would probably go through it with its own weight and stay stuck there. As a swordsman, when I see it I feel that''s like the crystallization of a childish dream, an object out of the wildest fantasies. Even the sheath is dazzling, a wonderful piece of art made of red scales that I never dreamed. What kind of person would carry a weapon out of the fantasies of swordsmen? Without wasting time talking, I entered the cabin to see him with my own eyes. Lying on the bed was a boy young enough to call him a brat, with brown hair covered by a white bandana, and over his blue clothes a piece of armor so bright that it would shame the silver dishes that I once saw at the mayor''s house. Even so, what draws my attention the most from his outfit are his white shoes with an engraved emblem... Maybe a tiger? Does it means something? "Eto ... Can I go now? I prefer not to get involved more than necessary". "You can leave. You have already done your duty by bringing him here, the men of the guard will take care from here". "I leave it to you". There''s no reason to retain the hunter any longer. Any question I could ask was probably already asked by Andreu or someone else, everyone is very competent. "Have you tried to wake him up?" "As I said before, we thought it was better to wait for you before taking any action". "All right. He doesn''t seem hurt, I guess there will be no problem waking him up".Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. That said, Andreu approaches the bed and holding the boy''s shoulder shakes him. "Oe! Wake up!" "Mm. *****". The boy opens his eyes and speaks in a language I don''t know. This could be a problem. "******." "Hey calm, we won''t hurt you." Andreu says when he sees that the boy looks disturbed. Without wasting time he let go and with his bare hands in front, try to calm him. "He seems to have understood, although I''m not sure if it was because of your words or your gesture". "*****". "My name is Rad, I am the captain of the guard assigned to the south of this city. You are currently at our lookout". "*****". The boy tilts his head to the side and shows an expression of confusion ... he definitely doesn''t understand what we say. Surely a problem. "Andreu, can you go to the mayor''s office and bring an interpreter here? Preferably the one who speaks the languages ??west of Parshel". "Got it". "Good. In the meantime I will try to communicate with him and find out what I can". Fixing my gaze on the young man, I take a chair and sit near the bed. "I hope it doesn''t bother you, but I''d like to check your status". I reach out with the inspection glove. The young man thinks for a moment, seems to understand what I am trying and shakes my hand. Now I can see his status and get some information ... <> A-A noble... This boy has a family name... This is now serious. A noble foreigner, with those clothes and that dreamlike sword... Now it''s clear, he is a noble foreigner. The question is how should I proceed? Should I let the mayor''s office take over? It might have been a better idea to take him there instead of asking Andreu to bring the interpreter. ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó Neither the interpreter that Andreu brought nor any other in the city was able to speak with the boy. I was not mistaken, I had never heard his language before. Discussing with the mayor''s office it was decided to request help from the wise director of the AS Academy in Galia. While we waited for his response, it was decided for the young man to remain in the mayor''s guest room. To avoid temptations, I handed him his sword before saying goodbye. Although he did''t look very convinced, he nodded with force and showed me a strong gaze. Although only level 1, the boy is also a swordsman. While in the case of a nobleman he may have paid some expert swordsman or several to help him become one, his gaze tells me otherwise. Every morning on my way to my post, the boy joins me when I pass by his residence and accompanies me to the city gates. He plays with the baker''s boy every day in the morning. Although they can''t talk to each other, they share the passion for swords, every time he shows his sword, the little boy''s eyes shine like stars. Honestly my eyes also shine when I see that wonder, I think I''m also a passionate child yet. Thus the days passed in our peaceful town. ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó "CAPTAIN!" Suddenly one of my men comes running from outside the city, he looks very disturbed. "Calm down and tell me what happens". "I went to check the place where the mysterious young man was found on Andreu''s orders. From there I heard a strange sound and climbed the hill to check... An armed contingent comes from the south, they seem to be from Iren". "How many?" "I don''t know, but from what I saw, probably about 3,000 soldiers". "Mm. Perhaps they march towards Jagheb''s border, after all a few months ago the war broke out and hostilities began between the two countries. Inform the mayor and be sure to spread the word about their arrival to everyone. That they prepare food, water and lodging, the officers probably want to take the opportunity to sleep in beds". "I-Is that the procedure?" "Well, now that I remember you came to town only four years ago. For 200 years the troops of various armies used this city as a resting point, since we have a neutral stance towards all the governments of the region and the city has nothing of any particular value. We are more useful as we''re now. Our city earns a lot from the merchants that come and go, but when an army passes through it causes a great economic boost, so we must prepare to receive them and sell everything we can". "I-I see. And about the boy?" HOW DIDN''T I NOTICED BEFORE!? "Tell me what helmets the soldiers wore?" "Emm I think one with two horns". The Demon general? He already had two great victories since the war began. Iren''s men receive military training from youth and are prepared for war all their lives. If you compare them with soldiers from other countries, a soldier from Iren is worth three. If there are 3,000, you would need about 10,000 men to face them, since their generals are specialists, capable of leading an army to victory even with numerical disadvantage. Having only 9,000 would lead you to defeat. The general known as << Demon of Two Horns >> won a victory even surpassed 5 to 1. He is a cunning and dangerous man. I can''t let him know about the boy. "I''ll go find him, there''s no option, we have to get him out of the city". Upon reaching the mayor''s office, while the men transmit the message to the citizens, I explain the situation to the mayor. We agree that it''s not a good idea to let the demon general find a noble foreigner in the city, he would certainly fix his eyes on the sword he carries, not to mention the questions he would ask. He could even demand that we deliver him. Everyone on the continent has great respect and appreciation for noble families. But the people of Iren are different, the only nobles they recognize are those of Iren and the families of the heroes of the era of legend. They are not able to see that all noble families descend from heroes, that''s something I don''t like about Iren, but it isn''t as if I could object to them in their face. We decided that is best to take the boy to a nearby city, one that isn''t on the way to Jagheb or they could find him later. After all it''s best to take him to Galia, even if we still have no answer from the academy director, once there he will have to help us. We chose two men to serve as escorts. "Boy you''re going to Galia. Andreu, you and I will accompany them to the east hill". "Got it". "Brother is already leaving?" To my surprise, while we were talking the mysterious young man and the baker''s son were playing nearby, so they listened us. That''s right, we''ll take him to see the wise man who runs the AS academy in Galia. He''s a man who''s on par with the elite of the Bombasta Academy, surely he knows his language. It''s possible that when you meet again, we can count on their help to talk to him. Until then be a good kid and go help your family, they must be busy with the bakery now that an army from Iren visits us. "I understand, I will be good and help with the bread, I will look forward to seeing each other again little brother!" And with a smile we say goodbye to the kid and our city of Galatea. Okane o subete sekai e chikara 8 - The AS Monocle

Chapter 8

The AS Monocle

Naive, naive, NAIVE! How naive I been!? How wrong you can be... I got carried away by appearances, I didn''t analyze the situation well, I was a fool, it''s amazing how closed my head was to the possibilities. This isn''t a medieval fantasy world, it''s the real world. Why did I think I could compare their technological levels? Before my eyes is the secret chamber in which the artifacts of the academy are kept. The director presents me with a special model of the device to check the status, unlike the gloves of the guards, it projects a screen with the data so that everyone can see it, that is... it cannot be anything other than a hologram, truly advanced technology. Not only the holographic screen, in the chamber there are many devices that cannot be anything other than modern technology, including things like a hang-glider and a combustion engine, a diver suit ... or an spacesuit? Fuck there is even something that looks like a computer. Now that I think about it ... weren''t there isolated places on Earth where people live more simply? Of course, a city built on a mountain would not have things like telephone lines, internet or even electricity, it was naive to think that the technological level of this world would be the same as that of this city. Even thinking like that, with things like the skills of the professions it is possible to achieve a lifestyle that is neither more advanced nor more primitive to that of my world, it would simply be different. If I meditate carefully, even within TLO the statistics were displayed on deployed screens ... Isn''t this the same? Does it mean that even things like the menu and other TLO windows and gaming systems work in a real environment like this? I will have to think in detail all this later, for now there is something else requiring my attention. <> What''s going on with that simple status window? "As you said, you are a nobleman, there''s no doubt about it". "I didn''t doubt it for a second. Even so, it''s the first time I''ve seen one, are all the nobles so amazing?" "No Zera, I''ve met some nobles in the past, but I never met such a man". "I''m flattered director, I guess with this we can get going". I move away from the strange plate where I rested my hand to show my status as I approach the man who was introduced as Johan, I give him 20 gold coins. "For now begin the preparations to deliver to the mayor''s office what they had requested, use this money to maintain the functions of the academy at the moment, then we will talk in detail about the projects and their funding." No, gold coins are not worth 100 times what silver coins, do not underestimate the value of silver. However, they do amount to 10 of them, so I just delivered 2 million Ja. "Understood." He looks the coins in his hands for a moment, and puts his gaze on the director, who nods with a gentle movement of his head. Then Johan leaves us to follow the instructions. "Can I ask about the status plate we just used?" "Well, this is the second status check model. The gloves that guards currently use are the commonly used portable version, or third model. However, in other academies and in some temples they have plates like these that are used in ceremonies or other situations where you want to show someone¡¯s status to the audience". "Which is the first one?" "That would be the prototype created by the very AS himself during the era of legend. You may be surprised to hear this, but that artifact is in this academy, would you like to see it?" "Definitely". "I-I''ll bring it." Zera looks somewhat confused, maybe he felt out of place for a while? I''m sorry but your main role has already been fulfilled, from now on you will be the errand boy. "Before seeing it, I must ask you not to have high expectations". "What do you mean by that?" "You see, we developed the current models based on the AS monocle, but the original has not worked for a long time, it''s believed that it broke down and the truth is that nobody knows how to repair it. We imitate its functions but the reality is that even now we don''t know exactly how it worked. First we thought that it was designed as a monocle to be able to visualize the information, but it can be transmitted directly to the user''s mind, as is the case with gloves, or be projected as with the plate. We don''t even know the intention behind its design".The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. So is a monocle. It''s true that it doesn''t have to be a monocle if the information is sent directly to the brain. However, for all I know about this AS and seeing the modern artifacts that he apparently manufactured a millennium ago, it''s hard to believe that there isn''t a good reason, the guy was too smart to not have a reason. "Here I have it. This is the AS monocle, used as a prototype of modern inspection gloves". In Zera''s hands is a thin glass lens with a golden frame and a pair of inscriptions that reads AS, the chain looks like the same material as the frame, but more polished. "It doesn''t look bad to be a thousand years old, can I try it on?" "Well ... being you. The truth is that we keep it for being a relic, for its historical and symbolic value. But it has been a few centuries since the academy gave up trying to repair it, I don''t think there will be any problems even if you keep it". "I see. Would you mind telling me if it has to be used on a particular eye?" "E-Eto, there is no indication that it should be carried in a particular eye, it has been tried equally in both. We know the great sage AS used it on the left, but some say that he was sometimes seen using it in the right". "Then it doesn''t matter, I''ll try it on the left. Can you place it for me Zera?" It''s about time for you start working as the servant you became. "Y-Yes, right away!" Somewhat nervous, Zera places the monocle carefully in the orbit of my left eye, it isn''t uncomfortable, rather, it fits almost perfectly. It''s a pity that it doesn''t work. << Intellect requirement confirmed, initiating functions. >> What? A few words appear in my head, similar to when I check my status. << Failed to activate ''Status (P)''.>> ¡¶''Status (P)'' has been assimilated by ''Status (G)''¡· ¡¶The skill limit has been exceeded¡· ¡¶''Status (G)'' has advanced to ''Analyze (P)''¡· << Intellect and Knowledge requirements confirmed, initiating functions. >> What the hell was that? I focus my vision on the monocle with my left eye and suddenly ... << Target confirmed >> << Activate functions: ¡ú Yes No Always >> Mm ... for now I would say yes. << Displaying status >> << Do you want to analyze the following status? >>
NAME: ARGENT MAKOTO RACE: HUMAN 1
JOB: MARKET MASTER RANK: GERON LEVEL: 1
VP: 24/25 RESISTANCE: 2 DEFENSE: 1
MP: 8/8 KNOWLEDGE: 101 INTELLECT: 295
ENERGY: 17/20 STRENGTH: 2 MIND: 3
AGILITY: 3 TALENT: 1 SPIRIT: 2
ITEMS¨‹ EQUIPMENT¨‹ SKILLS¨‹ TITLES¨‹ MONEY: 00
<< ¡ú Yes No Always >> Yes. VP: Vitality Points. They represent the state of health of the individual. If it dies, the number shown will be 0 for 15 seconds. MP: Magic Power. Represent the amount of mana that is owned. Energy: Represents reserve energy. It decays constantly. If it reaches 0, health will begin to deteriorate exponentially. Suffers from the state ''Hunger'' and ''Exhaustion'' at the same time. Resistance: Ability to reduce energy decay, as well as reduce health deterioration. Defense: Ability to decrease physical damage. The number is a general average of the whole body, but the value varies according to the affected part. Knowledge: Represents the knowledge of reality. Intellect: Represents the ability to use the capabilities and conditions of reality. Strength: Represents the physical capacity of the individual. The number is a general average of the whole body, but the value varies according to the part to be used. Mind: It represents the mental capacity of the individual and the reduction of mental damage. Agility: Represents the dexterity and speed of the individual. Talent: Represents the ability to perceive and manipulate the nature of reality, including mana. Spirit: It represents the spiritual capacity as well as the decrease of the spiritual damage. Value is an estimate of the link between body and soul. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOK... This monocle just gave me a description of the stats. I didn''t expect that, but why did it analyzed me? Now that I look at it well, I can see my own eye reflected in the crystal... won''t it be that the reason for it to be a monocle is so that one can see oneself at any time? << Target confirmed >> << Activate functions: ¡ú Yes No Always >> Yes. << Monocle AS Activation Requirement: Intellect 250+ Abilities: Status (P) Set target [Status (P) Analyze (P)] Requires Wisdom 100+ The effect of the ability is reduced if target is not the user >> Oh, it also works to analyze objects. So it requires 250 Intellect to work. That''s why they didn''t find a way to repair it, it was never broken, the people who tried to use it just wasn''t smart enough... If they were academics it leaves a lot to be desired. "Is something the matter Mr. Argent?" "It''s nothing Zera, I was just somewhat amazed at the beauty of this artifact. I think I''ll keep it". << Target confirmed >> << Activate functions: ¡ú Yes No Always >> I think that my investment in the academy is already paying off... Always. Okane o subete sekai e chikara 9 - Stats

Chapter 9

Stats

It''s been a few days since I became the benefactor of the academy. Some of the projects I proposed have already started. Although before the new projects, I took care of putting everything in order. First of all, the academy is now my residence. Also for many of the academics who still lived outside it. I took care of reforming some of the empty holes and several compartments inside the mountain to turn them into rooms. My chambers of course are luxurious compared to the rest, but it''s not as if I had made big changes, it''s just about the quality of the furniture and decorations that I installed. Because I now live in the inner academy, the restricted library has practically become my personal library, since I take the books I want to my room to read them privately. The information I obtained is incredible, as I assumed. Not only did I take care of the rooms, I also had a restaurant built with a kitchen and bar inside the mountain, for the use of new tenants, including myself. To tell you the truth since the construction was finished I have not left the academy. The work was fast and professional, using professions the construction was very efficient, of course without them it would also be if you say that the price does not matter, but its speed and quality is similar to those of my world, despite not having certain Modern tools, skills are something amazing. Do not believe that I did all this just for my comfort (although I would lie if I said it had nothing to do with my actions). My intentions are simple. All academics now remain in the academy, eat in the academy and drink in the academy, so they do not go drunk in a bar out there leaving confidential information to escape. If the bartender knew about the equinox day experiment and even about the plant they were going to carry, it is because the information was leaking, this is a precaution. But right now, what is really interesting is what I discovered about stats in this world. Thanks to the AS monocle that allowed me to acquire the ability to Analyze, I have managed to understand a little more about this world. Also with it I can even analyze others, giving me a strategic advantage, although leaving that for later, it allowed me to draw conclusions based on comparison. What I have been able to discover is that most people in Galia have a first rank profession (PAIS), and even so, their stats average what an adventurer in TLO, which is very low, even if it looks like a lot compared to me . Only children have stats like mine... Going back to the point, I found it somewhat curious, and even more when I realized that I could analyze objects. Although I have some good equipment with high defense, in my stats I still have a miserable defense of 1. Then, observing the description of the stats, I understood. The number is an average of the whole body, but the value varies according to the parts. First I thought that something was wrong, since although only one part received an increase, for example my left hand if in it I carried a shield, the average should increase. But what if I was attacked in the stomach, or in the head and could not cover myself with the shield? Obviously I would take full damage. If for example I have a shield that has 50 in defense, but I could not block the attack with it, then would simply apply my defense of 1. While if the shield receives the blow, my defense would be 51. This is something that didn''t happen in TLO, where the stats of the equipment added to those of the character. However, it is logical, even if you have an unbreakable shield with a very high defense, if an enemy don''t hit it and you receive the attack with the stomach, it''s obvious that the damage will not diminish, this is the logic of the real world, which apparently applies in this place. That led me to another conclusion. In the game the stats of the character were its basic points plus those of its equipment. Seeing it this way, if you don''t count the points of the equipment, it''s natural for the stats of the people in this world to be lower, since the points of their equipment are not counted. This is important because it means that I am not as vulnerable as I thought, if my stats do not show the bonuses I receive from the equipment, it means that I actually have more defense than the numbers shown, after all my equipment is of high quality. Suddenly I no longer feel like a worm... Although my basic stats remain unfortunate. This is the most practical thing I discovered, however I also discovered something that can have much greater implications and it''s about the true meaning of numbers in the stats. I realized it more than anything due to the description of the VP. According to Analyze, the number represents the health status of the individual. If I observe my VP, never since I came to this world have they been 100%. In a game like TLO, that makes no sense, if I consider that the number at the beginning was lower and it was increasing, it means that I have a certain ability to recover my health naturally, but then why it hasn''t reached 25/25 in all this time? The answer is simple. In the real world, there is no such thing as perfect health. Our body is always fighting germs, diseases or recovering from minor injuries. The number does not reach 100% because my health is not 100% perfect. Given this and the rest of the description, which says that if the person dies, the number shown will be zero for 15 seconds. I reached a truly significant conclusion. The stats numbers represent the values ??and not vice versa. Do you not understand what I say? It''s simple, the description doesn''t say ''If the number reaches zero, the subject dies'' on the contrary, it says that if the subject dies, the number shown will be zero. That is to say, that the life of the person does not depend on the number, the number simply shows the status of the person. Between this and the fact that I never reach 100% I can be sure that my conclusion is correct. Stats do not determine my strength or my agility. My strength and agility is represented in the stats, so I don''t need the number to rise to be stronger. If my strength increases, the number will increase.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Proof of this is my ''Knowledge''. I am sure that the number before was two digits, but currently it''s greater than 100, however I did not level up, I did not even defeat any enemy to gain experience, what I did was read, listen and reason to understand. My knowledge certainly increased from my first day in this world, so it is normal for my "Knowledge" to be greater. There are two other stats that caught my attention powerfully: Intellect and Talent. From the description of talent, I deduce that it is a key stat to be able to use magic in this world. The people that I have seen have a single-digit number, so they are not fit to use magic, which is why none in Galia is a magician. The interesting thing is that even so, nobody here has a number as low as mine: 1. If I think about it, magic doesn''t exist where I come from, so the 1, the minimum, is likely to be the default number for all the inhabitants of the earth. I cannot verify it without having another person like me to compare, but at least it is not about my talent as a person or trader. My self-esteem only goes up and up since I have Analyze. Speaking of my self-esteem, I have not seen a single person with an Intellect as high as mine, and I mean it, not even close. The director of the academy is the person with more intellect after me and has only 144 Intellect points, not even half as my amazing 295 points. Even so it is greater than the rest. Academics average between 85-95, some exceptional cases have more than 100, such as Johan or Zera, who occupy the fourth and third place in Galia. I must admit that I was not expecting Zera to be third place, although I did see he has potential, no more than as a servant or assistant. The interesting thing about these stats is that they seem to be completely parallel to the rest. I have seen children with 70 points of intellect, while the rest remain a single digit. Adults with profession and stats of even 50, and still their talent as I said before, is less than 10. Reading among the restricted books, there was a fairly old one that mentioned people born with a certain amount of special talents. If I think about it, it makes sense, it''s a stat determined from the beginning and that hardly changes over a lifetime. I suspect that Intellect works the same way. All this is very useful, but Analyze is even more amazing, since it can give me a brief description of the skills I possess. Apparently it does not work on others, it may have to do with "The effect of the ability is reduced by not being used in the user." In other words, I can''t get the full effect on others. Still, what I got from observing my abilities was really interesting. Trade (G): All the necessary capabilities for a merchant are covered. Borderless Trade: Barriers that may prevent trade, including language, culture and currency, are overcome. Elite Dealer: The charisma increases 10% -30%. When negotiating user is 10% -30% more convincing. The amount varies depending on the other party. This ability does not affect the will. What''s mine is mine: You get 100% of the profits. Immunity to theft at all levels. The effect applies to everything but equipment. The probability of success in stealing equipment is reduced by 80%. The probability of stealing inferior equipment is twice as normal. Peerless Provider: All commercial exchanges are possible. If items are sold or purchased, they are transferred immediately. It is possible to set payments automatically. Miracle Seed: When certain conditions are met the ability is consumed to cause a miracle. Applying the ASH system the world system has been overcome. Going by parts. Trade (G) is what I always knew, but there is something interesting about this. The term GERON is now abbreviated. If it is something normal to Analyze, I guess everything that happened when I put the monocle, that of ''State (P)'' and ''State (G)'' was the same skill, marked with the letter of its level. What I could appreciate is that ''State (P)'' was the default ability of the monocle, so I have to assume that I already possessed ''State (G)''. In other words, it was a skill that I didn''t even know I had, not only that, currently my status doesn''t show ''Analyze'' even though I know I have the ability. Do I have more skills that I know nothing about? In the game it was normal to be able to see your own state, even if you couldn''t see that of others. What is certain is that the letters are the abbreviated version of the skill level. The plate I used a few days ago and the gloves of the guards have the ability ''Status (P)''. Is that why they show so little information? The skill is of the lowest grade, so it only shows the basic information; The name, the race, the level... It doesn''t even name the profession, although it shows the icon. With that it''s not possible to distinguish the rank of the class, it could be anything from PAIS to GERON... Well, I think that plays in my favor. From what I have been able to verify, the people of this world don''t know about the stats, which puts me in an unexpectedly advantageous position. Although "Miracle Seed" sounds promising, the reality is that it''s of no use, at least for now. On the other hand "Borderless Trade" is even more practical than I thought at the beginning (And I already considered it my most useful skill). Apparently not only is the reason why I have no problems with spoken or written communication. If my reasoning is correct, it''s the reason that I can use Ja in any denomination. It says it can overcome barriers like currency, if so, it may be that without this ability even my infinite money would be of no use to me. What is the use of having an infinity of G if it does not work as payment in this world. What''s more, if it''s something that works with the TLO system like status, maybe I couldn''t even use it physically, it would be just numbers on a screen. Maybe my ability to materialize my money in the form of currencies is through Borderless Trade. No matter how I look at it, it is my best skill by far. I don''t even want to think what I would do if I wasn''t able to speak or read anything in this world. Getting Analyze is a blessing. I knew that I would get great benefits from the academy, but everything so far exceeds my expectations, and I just start scraping the surface. "Mr. Argent, I need to talk to you". "What''s going on?" While I am immersed in my thoughts, the director speaks to me from the other side of my door. In all the time I have been here, it is the first time he comes to tell me something in person, naturally he gains my attention immediately. "There is an issue that... Would be good for you to know as soon as possible". "I''m all ears". "Apparently yesterday a small group of men arrived in the valley of Galia, this morning they were brought to the city, everything indicates that they are people from Galatea who came here just before Iren''s attack..." "And? Is that a problem? You can get information about what happened in Galatea". "Well ... among them there is a young man wearing unusual clothes and ... he is a nobleman". Now that is something interesting, but it''s not my problem if a nobleman arrives in the city, my position is already secured, and I explicitly asked to remain anonymous, the director already knows all this, what means... "There''s more, isn''t it?" "That''s right. The young man seems to speak an unknown language. A few days before the attack on Galatea, I received a message from his mayor asking for my help in interpreting the young man''s language, but the truth is that I had not heard anything similar before. While meditating on the matter, Zera reminded me that you have traveled from academy to academy, and that on your travels you could have known the language of the young man. I do not expect you to understand it, but if you could identify the language... " "I understand. In the case of a noble companion, I cannot allow him to face such a bad situation without even being able to communicate. I will do what I can, take me to him". This is a good opportunity to establish relationships with other nobles, and they to owe you a favor never hurts, I will further consolidate my image as a noble scholar. With the great power of Borderless Trade, I should not have problems regardless of the language spoken by the young man. There are no risks. I don''t lose anything with doing it. Okane o subete sekai e chikara 10 - Stormrider Ryuuji

Chapter 10

Stormrider Ryuuji

Walking down the rocky corridor inside the academy, now much brighter thanks to the new funds I provide (not that it was dark before, but you could tell they were saving on all kinds of expenses), the director escorts me to his office , where he has waiting for the nobleman who comes from Galatea. Apparently it was not more than a week before Iren''s attack. He and the members of the Galatea guard who escorted him here are the only survivors we know of, although as the director explained to me, those who don''t resist are captured alive to be sold as slaves, so it''s likely that good part of the inhabitants of Galatea are still alive, since they didn''t possess great military strength to think about resisting. "We arrived, let me make the presentations". I nod without saying anything. It is natural for a noble to be presented by someone else in an encounter with another noble, I suppose. The director opens the door and invites me to enter, at the same time he makes the presentations, bowing his head a little... That''s it, you have also become a servant, it''s good to see that you behave as such. "I present Mr. Argent, the illustrious character who came to help us. They are Galatea refugees: Rad, captain of Galatea''s guard, Andreu, his second in command and Khaden, a member of his troop. They are the ones who escorted the young noble here, his name is Stormrider ". ?Stormrider? Is that his name? Sounds like ... OE ... ARE YOU SERIOUS?!
NAME: STORMRIDER RYUUJI RACE: HUMAN 1
JOB: SWORD HERO RANK: GERON LEVEL: 1
VP: 380/380 RESISTANCE: 212 DEFENSE: 241
MP: 86/108 KNOWLEDGE: 84 INTELLECT: 83
ENERGY: 199/220 STRENGTH: 352 MIND: 93
AGILITY: 143 TALENT: 1 SPIRIT: 92
ITEMS¨‹ EQUIPMENT¨‹ SKILLS¨‹ TITLES¨‹ MONEY: 9856123G
TITLES¨‹ << Effort''s Master. Ultimate Swordsman >> What the hell are those stats?! They are a monstrosity, and if I consider that it doesn''t count what he receives from the equipment... This guy is a TLO player, he must be with that name. Fuck! He also has the title of ultimate swordsman, so his class is GERON rank. The other title doesn''t ring a bell.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Even taking into account his rank, those stats are at least 50 points higher than they should be, and the strength... I imagine it''s due to the title, even so it''s too much if you have to add the equipment, which for his rank should be an atrocity. "This... It''s true that you can identify the language the boy speaks?" "Eh? ... Ah, yes, it is possible". I got distracted for a moment, I hardly paid attention to what Rad said. This is unexpected... Let''s see, if I consider Stormrider to be the name of his TLO character, his real name must be Ryuuji. "Ahem... Ryuuji... kun. Your name is Ryuuji right?" "Eh? Do you speak Japanese ?!" "In fact, yes. I imagine you must be confused since you cannot understand their language, but these people brought you with me in the hope that I could communicate with you and how you see, I can". "Oh, God! I can''t believe it. Finally someone I can talk to! I''ve been very frustrated all this time, but... How is it that you can speak Japanese? This place... isn''t Japan, not even the earth..." MM ... Weird, I hear it perfectly, but it''s different from the others, I really hear him, automatic translation doesn''t work. Is it because I know Japanese and it''s unnecessary? "It may surprise you a little, but I also come from Earth. I imagine you were playing TLO". "Eh? Yes ... So you are also a player?" "That''s right, just like you, I came to this world, I suspect in similar circumstances". "The last thing I remember is that I reached GERON and then everything went dark and I woke up in a bed surrounded by these people". "Mm. I also came here after reaching the GERON rank. There may be a connection." "I see... Eto... what''s your name?" "You can call me Argent. Although my real name is Makoto, I got used to that name. Tell me... How would you like me to call you, Stormrider or Ryuuji?" "Ah, Ryuuji is fine. That reminds me, how do you know my name? Rad-san knew it too..." "Well, it''s because of your status. Haven''t you noticed that there is something similar to the TLO system here?" "Actually, I noticed. To begin with, I have the appearance of my TLO character and its stats. But how could they see my status? I can''t do that." "Did they ever shake hands with you wearing a glove?" "Eh?" "That glove is an artifact that can read the status of people and transmit the information to the user''s mind, with that they could know your name". "So it was that time..." "Indeed. You know, I was quite surprised when I saw you. I wasn''t sure if I was the only one to whom this strange phenomenon had occurred". "Personally I am relieved to know that there is someone else like me... I was afraid, of not being able to talk to anyone anymore". For a moment Ryuuji''s face looks desolate. The boy has went through a lot. Arriving in this world suddenly and not being able to communicate with anyone is the same thought that terrified me when I imagined what would have happened to me without . "Eto... Argent-san". "Just Argent is fine, I''m not used to honorifics". "Really? I guess they don''t use them around here". "Actually no. But it''s not just that, I don''t have the habit of using them, although I do if I have to speak with some Japanese whom I do not know well. Non-Asians don''t use them usually". "Eh? But... Isn''t Makoto-san Japanese?" "Actually I am French, but my mother was Japanese, my father by his side was European. Can''t you tell by my features and hair?" "Eh? But that''s the look of your avatar in TLO, how could I know? "Oh? This is my real look. My appearance didn''t change when I got to this place ... wait, perhaps you ..." "That''s strange, my current appearance is that of my character. Actually I am like any other Japanese boy, with black hair and eyes... and actually a little shorter too". "... Maybe our circumstances are not entirely the same". "Apparently not. Tell me, did your stats went down when you got here?" "Eh? Well, yes .... They went down to those of a level 1 Rookie, are you telling me that your stats were even higher?" "Well, yes, although mine didn''t go down that much. I thought they would go up when I reached GERON rank, but instead I lost almost 100 points in several, except in strength, which didn''t go down so much". "Ah, what happens is that the system of this world doesn''t consider equipment bonuses as part of your stats". "Really? .... Then I got an upgrade, especially in strength". "Probably for the bonus from the title of I understand that it gives a great increase to the Strength. Even so... Your stats are monstrous. Considering the equipment, you are well above any other swordsman I have seen even in TLO". "Hehe, you noticed. It''s my secret, do you know about class ramifications?" "Of course. When a player decides to change their class when they level up, they usually have classes available that they wouldn''t have otherwise. There are pure classes, which are the perfected forms of basic professions, like mine, which is the ultimate Merchant form, and ramifications. According to the professions you take, you unlock different class routes for your character". "Merchant? Did you really get to GERON as a merchant? That''s amazing, merchants are the weakest class, it must have been a real challenge to level up... Well. Returning to what I was saying. Normally a player reaches a certain level and unlocks a profession of a higher rank to change into. But did you know that you can choose not to do it?" "Yes, there are some classes that require a certain level, to obtain them you must continue to level up the profession even if you already have the level to change classes. Many did that to obtain some rare classes or simply to get a few extra stats before upgrading... do not tell me that..." "Indeed. Instead of changing classes, I dedicated myself to leveling up and gaining stats as much as possible before changing my profession. In this way, when I reached level 1 of the next rank of profession, my stats are higher that if I had upgraded immediately". "I see. That''s something quite problematic, to continue leveling up without increasing the skills of the profession, but I see that it gives results". "Not just that. Did you know that the adventurer can go up even to level 50?" "WHAT ?! Don''t tell me that you level up the adventurer? That''s crazy. To think it can level up to such a high level..." "When I reached the limit, I was enabled a new profession, and with it a branched class route that nobody had taken before". Interesting, I already said that didn''t ring a bell. The profession of GERON rank of swordsman class was < Sword Master>. If what this guy says is true, it means that he rose about 40 levels more than any other player, everyone upon reaching level 10 of adventurer immediately goes to some basic class. The adventurer is terribly weak and leveling up only increases his stats by 1 or 2 points, but 40 levels... That explains why his stats are so high, although on the other hand... "If what you say is true, some of your stats are too low. Like MP or Knowledge". "When I chose this secret class, some of my stats went down and their points were transferred to others by force". "A specialized class ... You are quite surprising, you are probably the first and the only one to reach that class..." Wait a moment. I was also the first to reach the GERON rank for the merchant class, the . Is that the reason? Could it be that the first person to reach the maximum rank of a class is transported to this place? If so, it means that there is someone from Earth in this world for each final class of TLO. "What''s the trouble?" "It''s nothing. I just thought you were amazing. It must have been extremely difficult to level up an adventurer so much. Maybe you are the strongest player in the game..." "Haha, you know, I thought the same... I miss when this was just a game..." "... Cheer up, in this place, stats like those make you very strong. Astonishingly strong. All the people I have seen don''t have professions above PAIS. It means that you have the strength of 6 men or more, and your equipment is GERON rank, also of a combat specialist class, it must have huge bonuses. You''re probably the strongest person in this city, maybe in this whole world". "Haha, that would be amazing, maybe I could really cheer up of my arrival at this place if I could convince myself of that. But... it''s not true. Rad-san is stronger than me". "What are you talking about? His stats are normal for someone of PAIS rank, even if it''s a swordsman..." "I know it''s true, because he defeated me effortlessly". "..." "Mako ... Argent. I know I haven''t stopped talking since we met but ... would you let me tell you about what I''ve lived in this world?" "Sure". "Thank you. But before that, please, could you thank Rad-san and the others for me? I owe them a lot". Looking around, everyone in the room watches me with attention and expectation. It''s not that I haven''t noticed their looks before, but nothing they could tell me could interest me as much as my conversation with Ryuuji. I am getting a lot of valuable information, but above all, I may have finally found the tool I was looking for to ensure my protection in this world. "You''re Rad, right? Ryuuji wants to thank you from the bottom of his heart for everything you''ve done for him". "Huh. He don''t need to thank me, even less at this point ... You can really speak his language..." I imagine that must be obvious to anyone at this point ... "On occasion, I met people from the same nation, I visited it myself a few times. I had opportunities and reasons to learn. Ryuuji wants to tell me his story, I don''t know how long it will take. Maybe it''s a good idea if you leave us alone and go rest, you must have been through a lot". "Thank you, I''m sure the boy is happy to finally talk to someone, it shows in his face". "Well, if that''s what the young man wants. Gentlemen, join me". With those words the director goes out the door along with Galatea''s men. It''s time to listen to what you have to tell me, Ryuuji. Okane o subete sekai e chikara 11 - Stormrider Ryuuji - Accepting the new world

Chapter 11

Stormrider Ryuuji

Accepting the new world

When I open my eyes, a sky as blue as I had never seen before stretches, obstructed only by a few white clouds like cotton. Only in photos and illustrations have I seen such a sky ... no, it is actually a sky that I saw countless times, but I never imagined seeing it come true, the air I breathe ... so fresh, so ... pure. It''s a strange and pleasant feeling. As a boy who has always lived in the city, even if they told me, I never really understood, this is fresh air, a clean sky. I could spend hours here ... Maybe I already did, I don''t know how much time I slept, or how I got here, the last thing I remember ... TLO, I advanced to the final class, and darkness ... I would be quite nervous if this landscape was not so relaxing, this grass on which I rest, so soft .. But I must stand up. Without realizing how it happened, I was suddenly observing that vast sky and those green lands more vertiginously. Somehow I was flying, my body was rotating in the air as I moved at high speed. So fast and so far that I ended up over a group of trees that I saw in the distance just a moment ago. Then I went down. My body crashed with the trees, yet I felt no pain, maybe from the shock, which caused me to faint. When I open my eyes once again, I meet an unknown sight, a wooden ceiling supported by walls of the same material, so rustic. It''s another new experience for me, being in a cabin. Seeing to my right, two men wearing thick clothes covered with leather on arms and legs and a chainmail from the waist up are looking at me. Yikes, that looks a lot like the adventure games. It is my first time seeing that clothing in real life. Although there are some in cosplay events, I never attended one. Now that I think about it, I think I felt a voice and a jolt just now, I think they were trying to wake me up. "Mm. Excuse me, where am I? And who are you?" Silence. I don''t think it''s something so difficult to answer ... was I kidnapped? ... No. Rescued is more likely. After all, I find myself in a more or less comfortable bed. I assume they found me after I passed out and brought me here. Before asking questions I think I should thank them for their kindness. "Thank you for helping me when I passed out. I''m lost. I''m glad I was found by other people, it''s a relief". I tried to show my gratitude in my gestures, but it seems they aren''t used to my posture. They seem worried. The man who woke me up (or so I think since I still had his hand on my shoulder) suddenly releases me and shows his hands. "******". ... What? Well, I thought about it because of their appearance and clothing, but they seem to be foreigners, I can''t understand what they say. But that gesture ... he is trying to calm me down I think. Did I look so agitated? "Don''t worry, I don''t suspect you or anything like that". "********". "Yes ... I understood absolutely nothing". The other man looks a little more stocky, with the most masculine chin I has seen in person in which he has a small scar. With short brown hair which demands to be combed, although I personally think fits him. I don''t know, I''m not good at fashion even less if foreign. What I can say is that he seems to be calmer and cold-minded, at one point he said something to the other man - younger by the way - and he quickly leaves the cabin. After the younger man leaves, the chin man takes a chair and sits in front of me, looking at me carefully ... Now it makes me nervous. "******". Eh? He just wants to shake my hand. Well, I think gestures are more appropriate to communicate if we don''t speak the same language. Naturally I shake his hand. After a moment of silence, he looks somewhat surprised. Don''t be surprised chin man. I could understand your intentions! You are a good guy! Later the young man - whom I will call "runner" for now because he is running from one place to another - is accompanied by a man who tries to talk to me. Naturally I don''t understand anything he says, so the Mr. uses different words, I have the feeling he is a language teacher or something. Chin man and Young runner don''t give up, and they take me to town, where several different people who talk funny try talking to me. Nothing anyone says makes sense to me, so young runner, somewhat tired, is disappointed. As expected, Chin man is not easily discouraged. The last of the gentlemen who are introduced to me has a somewhat different presence from the previous ones. I don''t know how I realized it, but I feel it. He looks kind and puts his hand on my shoulder while saying something. I don''t understand him, but it comforts me. I don''t like to admit it, since the chin man is still not discouraged, but I begin to feel uneasy with all this. The gentleman, whom I will now call old Albert because of his hair that reminds me of a famous physicist of the twentieth century. Guides us to a small cabin next to a house a little bigger than the ones I''ve seen around. He invites me to pass. If I understand correctly, he are offering me to stay at his guest house. Chin man and Young runner say goodbye. Before leaving, Chin man looks at me for a moment and while I wonder what is he thinking, he presents me with an amazing sword, with an equally striking sheath. After a moment of marveling, he seems to offer it to me. "N- I can''t accept it, it seems very expensive, and I don''t know if it''s a good idea to give a stranger a weapon ... And ..." Now that I think about it. Chin man and Young runner wear swords and armor, as well as some others I''ve seen around town. It seems to be common to carry a weapon. Could it be that there are many wild animals around? But in that case, a rifle or shotgun would be better ... Chin man is still waiting. I think he wants me to have the sword ... Very well, I accept the responsibility! Woaaaah... It''s an incredible sword, just seeing it I feel like it can cut the very air... No, it certainly can, my breath doesn''t tarnish it in the slightest ... Eh? While I marveled alone looking at the sword, I saw it. Brown hair with a bandana and over his blue clothes a piece of armor, with a young European face and a confused look. That was my appearance reflected in the sword .... No No No, I''m supposed to be Japanese, a common Japanese boy, with black hair and eyes, something squalid as well. The surprise of my appearance was overshadowed by what followed. After focusing my attention on myself, it suddenly appeared, it was not exactly in front of me, but it felt as if I was seeing it at the same time I was not. It was a stats window, similar to those of a game with which I am very well acquainted ... although it has a couple of parameters that I don''t know ... Is that it, isn''t it? a status window.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
NAME: STORMRIDER RYUUJI RACE: HUMAN 1
JOB: SWORD HERO RANK: GERON LEVEL: 1
VP: 380/380 RESISTANCE: 212 DEFENSE: 241
MP: 105/108 KNOWLEDGE: 76 INTELLECT: 83
ENERGY: 215/220 STRENGTH: 352 MIND: 93
AGILITY: 143 TALENT: 1 SPIRIT: 92
ITEMS¨‹ EQUIPMENT¨‹ SKILLS¨‹ TITLES¨‹ MONEY: 9856123G
TITLES¨‹ << Effort''s Master. Ultimate Swordsman >> Mmm << Sword Hero >> is that so? It seems to be my profession of GERON rank, but it''s strange, if I increased my rank my stats should have increased. Considering that it''s the final rank they should have increased a lot, instead I lost about 100 points in several, well, strength seems more or less as I remember it. Well, now isn''t the time to worry about things I have no idea, ignore it, ignore it ... I can''t. Although I can turn a blind eye to the issue of status, I can''t ignore my current appearance ... I think I look more handsome now. Should I feel cheerful or depressed? ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó The days passed without major changes. In the mornings when I wake up I see Chin man and I accompany him on his way to the entrance of the town. The first time I did it, I came across a child who was watching me while shaking a wooden sword. Impulsively I pulled out my sword and exhibited it in front of the boy. His eyes shone brightly and he began to follow me. From time to time we played pretending that we fought - naturally keeping my sword in its sheath and without exerting force - and that''s how we became friends. It is the only thing that distracts me from the restlessness generated by not being able to communicate with others. Maybe he realized my restlessness, on one of those walks Chin man sat in a chair and told me to do the same. Face to face, Chin man pointed at me and said "Stormrider Ryuuji" .... Eh? While my mind geared the situation, he pointed to himself saying "Rad". Is that? Is that scene where those who cannot speak the same language present their name? How did he knew my name? Well, actually the Stormrider part is just the name of my TLO character. While I was thinking about what was happening, Rad-san repeated his actions, pointed at me and then at him, saying our names. It was then that I had to intervene. I pointed to him first and then to me. "Rad-san. Ryuuji" My name is Ryuuji. Don''t include Stormrider! After that, Rad-san repeated his actions, "Ryuuji. Rad". Ah, that''s it, he corrected me because I added the "-san" I see. Foreigners generally don''t use honorifics, I will have to get used to that. However, that''s not important. I SUCCESSFULLY COMMUNICATED! Even if they were just our names. Later that day I tried to do the same with the boy with the wooden sword, who is apparently the son of the village bakers. Honestly it took a few attempts, since in this case I didn''t know his name, so what I tried to say wasn''t so obvious, but in the end I succeeded. The boy''s name is Albert ... so Albert turned out to be you and not the senior of the funny hairstyle. Now I will have to think of another name, or just call them old Albert and little Albert. Although a couple of days passed I couldn''t think of another name, so I will call him old Albert. While I was playing with little Albert I kept thinking about that, but then we saw Rad-san talk agitatedly with old Albert. The young runner was with him. Then for some reason, little Albert started walking towards them, so I followed him. Little Albert does speak their language, so he understood what they were saying. It seems that something bad is happening. Rad-san leans down and places his hand on the head of little Albert and with kind eyes he says something ... It gives me a bad feeling. Is that right? An adult who understands how complicated things are and tries to comfort a child, who wouldn''t gain anything worrying. Shortly after the young runner, Rad-san and two more of his men guided me out of town, right after little Albert and old Albert greeted me. I''m not sure, but it seems as if we were escaping something and they were my escorts ... Isn''t that? ... While dark thoughts sprouted in my head, we heard it ... A scream. If you paid attention, you would realize that it was not one, but many shouts, that were heard at once. When I turned in the direction of the town, a large army of men in armor marched through the streets. They took people from their homes and dragged them by force. The village men with armor were impaled by spears, cut by swords and beheaded by axes. An aberrant sensation was what I felt every time I swallowed while watching. I don''t even know how, but I saw clearly despite the distance, I could see everything, including the horrified faces of people. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" Without realizing it, a cry full of pain drowned me, and my feet slowly moved in the direction of the town. One of the guards who accompanied us tried to stop me. He took me by the arm, but I shook him, putting my hand on his chest I pushed him. It was very easy to get free. My footsteps began to gain speed, but then Rad-san stood in front of me ... Even if it''s you ... I won''t let you stop me! I extended my arm to push him out of my way. At that time it happened. Although it was only an instant, I felt as if everything was happening in slow motion. Just as when I first woke up in this world my vision became vertiginous, and the world turned upside down in front of me. Rad-san had just thrown me, as a Judo fighter would. ... The clues were there. The state window, my appearance, that sword and clothes, the townspeople walking around in medieval clothes and carrying weapons, the strange language in which they all spoke. I didn''t want to believe it, I couldn''t accept it, I refused to do it, but the truth was there. This is a different world, one similar to TLO. While my world was upside down, my eyes showed me this truth, in a way that made it impossible for me to continue denying it. My eyes showed me the escort, the one who tried to stop me, the one I threw with the intention of taking him off me, embedded in a tree, whose trunk was severely damaged by impact. The man was writhing in pain, while the young runner and the other escort tried to free him from the trunk without hurting him. That''s what happens when you throw someone with a strength that exceeds 300 points. While that thought was etched in my head, and my vision returned to normal speed, I realized that I had committed a terrible sin. This is a world like TLO, a cruel world, where dangers and death lurk in every corner. I wanted to pounce on the army that attacked the town. Then what? I would simply die, impaled by a spear, cut by a sword, beheaded by an axe, I could even be pierced by a lost arrow. That man tried to stop me... To protect me and I hurt him. These feelings flooded me as time flowed back to normal around me and my body approached the ground. Then, once again, everything turned dark. Okane o subete sekai e chikara 12 - Bad omen

Chapter 12

Bad omen

In front of me, sitting with a complex face, Ryuuji remains silent. I''m sure his story doesn''t end there, but I doubt it''s going to continue now. I must do something to reassure him. "That''s ... weird. You said that the first thing you remembered after you increased your class was to wake up in the cabin bed. But you said you woke up near a forest before that while telling me your story". "Eh? Ah ... That''s ... Well, I think I imagined that part. After all it was something fast and strange, like a dream. Maybe I dreamed of my arrival in this other world ..." All right. He bit the hook. A change of subject is practical when a conversation stagnates. Although I don''t think it was a dream at all. I have some theories, but I don''t need to tell them to him. "You were really paying attention, Ma-... Argent-san". "That''s natural. For me it''s very important to know your story. We are fellow TLO players who are in the same situation. Don''t forget. Whatever you know you must tell me, it could be a clue to discover how we got here or how to get back home". "... You are amazing, Argent-san. I was completely helpless. I only survived thanks to the kindness of Rad-san and the others. But you are already thinking about complicated things like the truth of our situation and how to remedy it. I could just think about how frustrating it was to not be able to talk to someone ... " "Don''t feel bad. If I had been in your same situation, I probably wouldn''t have been able to relax and think well". "Even so. You''re really mature". "Of course. I am a respectable adult after all". "Ah. True, that appearance is your real self. Although you look young, you''re certainly older than me". "I couldn''t know because of your appearance ... How old are you?" "I''m 17. I thought I was ready to behave like an adult. But I see that it''s not the case. I can''t even compare myself to Argent-san". "Don''t worry. It''s the experience of age. After all I''m 25. I''ve lived almost 50% longer than you. For now rest and let this adult take care of everything. I''ll find a way to get back to Earth". "Sure. I will ... Thank you!" Of course I don''t plan on doing something as silly as go back. There, I have nothing left. But here, the possibilities are endless ... like my resources. "For now rest, everything will be fine now. You will not be isolated or alone again. I''ll see how others are doing". "I thank you very much. Please let them know that I''m fine ..." As I leave the room, I begin to filter and relate all this new information in my head. According to Ryuuji, Galatea''s guard captain, Rad, knocked him down using a Judo throw. But that kind of skill doesn''t belong to the swordsman class. Ryuuji isn''t an expert in martial arts either, or so I think. Maybe he confused Rad''s movement. Could it be that he used a lesser skill, of the adventurer class? In TLO, when you go from adventurer to one of the Base Classes, you lose the adventurer''s abilities. After all, the adventurer has a wide variety of skills from all base classes, something like a sample. Although the Adventurer''s abilities are very varied, they are weak, so it doesn''t have a great effect on someone with an acquired profession. But in reality, in this world, there shouldn''t be a reason for someone to forget a skill he already knew just by becoming a swordsman or a blacksmith. Thinking that way, there shouldn''t be a reason for someone to not be able to do something as simple as holding someone and throwing him, just because they don''t have a combat skill corresponding to that movement. The opposite case could also apply. Ryuuji should have a lot of combat skills. But that he could perform those complicated movements in a game like TLO, doesn''t mean that he can perform them in the real world, even having the stats for it. In other words, I can''t trust him to be able to protect me or himself at the moment. But it''s still a diamond in the rough. If he don''t know how to fight, he just have to learn. Luckily I have someone very capable in combat and who also has a certain bond with Ryuuji.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "Ah, Captain Rad". "How did it go?" This subject has just increased its value. Don''t show that confused face. Even if you lost your home, you just got a new and very well paid job, captain. "Ryuuji is fine. Now that he managed to tell someone his story, he calmed down. He was frustrated, but still grateful ... with you, captain". "I see. I''m glad he could let off steam ... And now what?" Rad watches the director as he says these words. You are wrong captain. You are asking the wrong person. "Well..." "If I can dare, I think you are currently unemployed, or am I wrong?" The moment the director starts to say something, I interrupt him to make my play. Sorry director, but I already have plans for the captain and his men. I will take the problem from your hands. "... It''s as you say. Galatea has fallen. Our duty was to protect it, but there was nothing we could do. At least we completed our last mission, the young man has arrived safely to Galia and found someone who speaks his language. Our work is over". "In that case, I want to make a proposal to you and your men. I would like to hire you indefinitely". "Indefinitely?" "That''s right. I will tell you the situation. I think it''s not advisable to say goodbye to Ryuuji yet. I am sure that could affect him. Although he has loosen up with me, that was only because I can talk to him, it''s not as if we had any personal bond. But he have it with you. According to the story he told me, he went through some traumatic experiences. In my opinion, the young Ryuuji has been through a lot and in all those experiences, the captain apparently was a support for him. Later I would like to hear your part of the story, but right now I want you to stay in Galia with him. That also goes for the other two". "I understand". With a thoughtful face, the captain looks at his subordinates. They exchange glances with each other and with him. It isn''t surprising. This is an opportunity for them to take any course, they don''t need to stay together. But the social bond they had until recently is not easy to ignore. In their minds they are still Rad''s subordinates and he is their captain. "If you are ok with us, we humbly put ourselves at your service. Oh noble lord!" "Very well, then. Director, I want them to be given rooms within the academy, preferably not far from mine, and also to Ryuuji. They will stay with us from now on". "I-Understood. I''ll take care of it". "So, it''s official captain. Welcome to Galia". "Thank you ... although I am no longer a captain". "What are you talking about? You are now the captain of my personal guard. The Argent guard". "I-I see. Again I humbly accept". "Hey. Andreu, did you hear? We are personal guards of a nobleman. In Galatea we were simple guards of the entrance, there was not a single nobleman in the city either, and now we are guards of one that seems really impressive. Isn''t that a category break? " "Silence. Can''t you see that he just does it so we can keep young Ryuuji company? Don''t be so happy ... specially after that tragedy". "I-I... I''m sorry. It''s true, Galatea was ..." "Calm men. Don''t think so little of yourself". "The captain is right. I am not taking you under my wing just to keep Ryuuji company. I have expectations in all of you. I know you will be excellent guards". "You honors us with your words !!" Said those two. "Very well. Argent Guard! Your first order will be to inform me in detail everything related to the attack that occurred in Galatea. I know it''ss difficult for you to talk about it. But I trust you can do it!" "Yes sir!" And while the director and some academics made preparations for the stay of the new "Argent Guard" -I thought that giving them a name would make them happy- my new servants told me what they knew. An important point, in my opinion, is why Iren suddenly decided to attack Galatea. Unfortunately, they knew nothing in that regard. According to the captain, the last time Iren had passed through Galatea was 5 years ago. At that time, nothing out of the ordinary happened. They rested for a week, bought food, some other supplies, the officers stayed in town. As it had always been in the last 2 centuries. They have no idea what led them to take control of a worthless town like Galatea. In that aspect, I myself have only a small suspicion, but it is still not enough reason ... Why Galatea? Why right now? If it''s as I fear ... "I''m sorry, my lord. No matter how much I think about it, I can''t think of anything. Galatea means nothing, even from a military point of view. Even if I is in the shelter of the hills, it''s too east of Jagheb to have strategic value. It has nothing of material value. It''s a city that lived from the little it produced and from the services it offered to other nations in times of war. The people there are simple, not even as slaves they would be worth much". The last sentence was said with great regret. If they are not worth much as slaves, Iren may not bother to keep them alive. In addition, it must be difficult for him to assume that his city was taken to be enslaved. Although that differs from my theory. Capturing them is just an extra. The city itself is the prize, or rather, the site it occupies. I''m not sure if it''s a good idea to reveal what I think right now. My plans to do something about it aren''t complete yet. But if I''m going to carry them out, they''d better know the importance of the role they will play. This is a good chance, only the members of my new guard and Zera - currently my personal assistant - are in this place. "I think you are wrong to say that Galatea has no strategic value, captain". Everyone observes me somewhat incredulous. It is time to present my suspicion, someone from the military field like them may be able to help me clarify the matter, if they don''t find fault with my hypothesis ... it will be better to speed things up. "It''s true that Galatea is too far from Jagheb, too far east, to be of military importance when it comes to fighting against the kingdom of Jagheb. But I am sure you know there is another target even further east, which depended on Galatea and could find itself in a weakened situation if it''s only commercial route with Jagheb was cut". At that moment, the look of the captain and Zera, who was serving us tea, opened wide with the understanding of my words. "It''s just as you think. The conquest of Galatea puts the only city further east of Jagheb in check. A city on the edge of the continent, which until now had been too annoying to conquer to compensate for the costs of besieging it. Despite having some valuable things, like an AS Academy". Suddenly, Zera''s face clearly showed the fear my words caused him. As well as the two subordinates who only now understood the seriousness of my words. Only the captain kept watching me intensely, ready to listen to what I was about to say. "Galatea does matters as a strategic point ... For the siege of Galia". Okane o subete sekai e chikara 13 - Preparations

Chapter 13

Preparations

Three days have passed since Ryuuji''s arrival to the academy. This morning my new personal guard is getting used to their new equipment. They do it in an open space a few minutes from the entrance of the city. Since they are still new to Galia, I had to come with them, although in reality the one who led us here was Zera. It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that much of yesterday was used in the selection of such equipment. After all, I couldn''t let my guard wear such simple armor and old iron swords. This was also an opportunity to perform some experiments with my skills. For example << What''s mine is mine >>. It says it prevents theft of objects except the equipment. I put it to the test with Zera. Giving him some of my personal items, and clarifying differences through my words. One was a gift, another was a loan, also I gave him money to buy some things. The results of the experiment were interesting. First, gifted items lose any link with the previous owner, or so I think, since nothing happens. The borrowed objects are interesting, since if at some point after lending them I ask for they to be returned, they return to my hands, no matter where the object or the person is. Zera even thought he lost my things and apologized frantically. In the case of equipment, regardless of whether it is borrowed or given away, the ability is not activated. The case of objects bought with money did not give good results, although that may be due to the fact that what was purchased was equipment, maybe I should try something different. One way or another, I will find good use for this skill. I also took the opportunity to order some things from different artisans in the city, as well as a couple from academics whose projects were going smoothly. This was also an opportunity to tour the city again, which I didn''t do weeks ago, since I stayed inside the academy reading and directing some projects. My fears are realized when I see the people of Galia. I think there will be no time for Rad to train Ryuuji. I will have to resort to a strategy that doesn''t involve him. Well, from the beginning my encounter with him was surprising, so I just have to speed up my previous plan. Although the information I have obtained about them in the library of the academy seems good ... It is information from 1000 years ago. I just can''t trust it, but I have no other choice. The alternative is little less than reliable, in addition to putting me at risk directly, it''s uncertain that those of Iren will respond as I expect. I have to take a chance with the <> of the mountain. In TLO, the Half are entities different to monsters. While the monsters are decidedly enemies to defeat, the Half may or may not be enemies. Sometimes the goal of a mission may be to help them, other times they are the ones who help you. << Borderless Trade >> takes advantage of this, as it serves to trade with these races human or not. If it worked in TLO, it should work in this world. Preparing for my encounter with them, yesterday I also took care of getting what was necessary to climb the mountain. Naturally I will not climb alone, that is why my guards must get used to their new equipment, because they must climb while wearing it. It''s time for they to know it. "Captain, we must talk". Hearing that I call him, the captain addresses me. Wearing a shining metal plate armor, with joints to allow rapid movement. It isn''t something I can afford to use, even if I can bear the weight of the armor, I would be too slow. The great sword that he carries in the waist is also a luxury article, but not in the aesthetic sense. It''s a full-fledged weapon, its name is . Supposedly forged from the rock in the top of the mountain. It''s the most expensive sword in Galia and its attributes are outstanding compared to other weapons people carry in the city. Sword of the Top¨‹ << Forged from the rock in the top of the mountain. -Resistance to electricity +6. -Resistance to heat +7. -Wind Resistance +8. -Resistance to corrosion +10. - Weight of the world x2. >> If I remember correctly << Weight of the world >> is a skill that makes the weapon heavier when attacking, which implies greater damage and pressure to the enemy, making it difficult to defend properly and increasing the chances of damaging shields and armor. A fearsome skill if you use it well. I imagine that "x2" implies twice the effect. Between that ability and the additional resistances added to the weapon''s own stats, which are quite good, I would say they are similar to those of a weapon used by someone who is about to go up to the EFEBO grade. At the top of the PAIS rank then? Very appropriate. "What do you need? My lord".The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "You and your men must get used to the new weapons and armor as soon as possible, we must prepare to climb the mountain. We will leave tomorrow". "Will we climb the mountain?" "That''s right. Up on this same mountain, there is a nest of Flying Half. My intentions are to negotiate with them to cooperate in the defense of Galia". "W-Can you do that?" "I have confidence in my abilities to negotiate with them. Getting their cooperation won''t be easy. But their help is, in my opinion, necessary". "Understood. We will begin training with our new equipment, as well as with the climbing equipment before the end of the day". "That''s more like it. Don''t forget to rest; Captain, you must protect me in this business". "We will do so. Men!" And while I see the captain walking away to give instructions to his men, another person occupies my attention. Someone who came with us from the academy and has been watching me for a while. "Does something happen, Zera?" Young Zera, who has become my personal assistant for a week, approaches me with slow steps and a worried look. "On the matter ... Of the in-invasion of Galia ... Do you think it will happen?" "Captain Rad has had experience as an adventurer, in military, and of course, as a guard. And he found no flaws in my logic. I''m afraid it will happen, and it''s not just my opinion". "I-I un-understand. Shouldn''t I tell the director and the others?" Watching Zera''s expression carefully, I realize that he doesn''t distrust my words. Even so, he doubt about my decision to keep this a secret between us. "Listen. Even if the invasion is a fact, the time is still a mystery. If they conquered Galatea to prepare a siege, it would most likely not happen immediately. They will wait a while, until the lack of a trade route weakens Galia economically, it is then that they will act". "It''s been almost two weeks since Galatea''s fall. How much more do you think they will wait?" "Galia is self-sufficient in terms of food and water, so it will remain stable for a while before weakening, it will take a little before they decide to invade". Actually, the invasion has already begun. But it''s not a good idea to tell him, although I should discuss the matter with the director. I will need his cooperation. "I understand your concerns, Zera. I will discuss the matter with the director, but for now I cannot tell anyone else, it would only cause unnecessary panic". "Y-Yes. Thank you!" Just when I thought it was over and I could go to the director''s office, Ryuuji approached me from the entrance of the city, accompanied by that pair of academics I met along with Zera and Johan ... Jal and Berta, I think they were called . Jal is a squalid young academic, although not as much as Zera, he''s also taller. With hair well combed back, allowing you to see his forehead clearly ... Do he use gel? I have no idea how he keeps his hair combed back without leaving a single misaligned hair. Berta is a young woman, I would say she is 22 - Jal must be around that age too - and her body has a woman''s development, although average. If something stands out in her it''s her hair, is so spongy. Her hair of an orange brown looks like it could be used as a sleeping pillow. "Excuse me Mr. Argent, but young Ryuuji has tried to tell us something for a while and ... Well, only you know how to speak his language". "I understand. You are Jal right? Thank you for bringing him here. You too, Berta". "Argent-san". "Tell me what''s up Ryuuji". Ryuuji''s face doesn''t hide his insecurity. Whatever he wants to tell me, it''s bothering him. "Eto, Argent-san, I wanted to know if- if there was anything I could help with. These days I have done nothing but stay in that cave". "The academy. That place is Galia''s AS academy. We already talked about this, these people from the ''cave'' are academics. Well, it''s not like there is something I need you to do. But I talked to Rad. This is an opportunity, he has mentioned your potential and wants to train you himself. What you can do is follow that training to the letter". "Is that true? Well, after all my stats are high ..." "It''s not just that. He saw real talent with the sword in you and thinks you''ll be a great swordsman". "Is-Is that then? I see. Tell him I appreciate it and that I will do whatever it takes". Once again I call the captain, who apparently finished instructing his men. "Captain. Ryuuji wants me to convey his words to you". "I understand, I''m hearing". "Ryuuji honestly admires you very much captain, and feels sorry for what happened in Galatea. That''s why he wants to overcome his weakness, he wants to beg you to train him". "Mm. It''s not that I don''t understand it, but Ryuuji is a noble. I don''t know if it''s a good idea". "I''m sure you noticed it too, Ryuuji''s potential". "Yes ... That strange strength he showed the day we left Galatea ... I never saw anything like it. But I had not seen anything that scared me so much either. At that time, it was like the old stories. A warrior of anger unleashes a immense power". "That''s why he needs someone to teach him how to control that power. I don''t ask you to teach him how to kill captain, I ask you to teach him how to protect, to use that power inside him for the good of others. That''s also Ryuuji''s wish". The captain''s eyes seemed to see in the distance as he watched Ryuuji, as if looking at the past. Then his eyes showed great firmness. "I will ... No. I''m asking you, let me do it". "Very well captain. I put you in charge of Ryuuji''s training. I will cooperate in transmitting your words, I''ll be the link between you". "My sincere thanks my lord. I had never met someone as noble as you. I strongly believe that it is for you that there is such a word even today". "I accept your words, but you must not forget that we have a mission in our hands. Ryuuji will have to train alone for now. Just explain to me how he should begin and I will tell him". ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó Walking through the rocky corridors of the inner academy, I stand in front of large and luxurious doors. Behind these wooden and metal doors is the director of the academy. Having already transmitted to Ryuuji the first steps he should take in his training, I left him and my guards to do what they should. Now I have to deal with a different matter. After knocking on the door, a voice is heard from the other side, and someone opens my way. The director of the academy remains seated at his desk. Johan, who had opened the door gives way to me and says goodbye, closing the doors behind him. "I am pleased to see you, Mr. Argent. To what do I owe such an honor?" "There is an important issue that I should discuss with you, director. One of vital importance". The director''s face doesn''t hide his concern. He almost grimaced while he straightened his back in the chair. A very good quality chair by the way. The wood has a certain shine and the skin that covers it looks soft and cozy, although not as much as mine. This isn''t the first time I entered the principal''s office, but I have already made sure that my own room is in a state of superior luxury. Obviously it''s not reflected on my face, but a grimace of satisfaction of my own would describe the feeling I have right now. The most important person must have for himself the most luxurious room in the place, and who has it is me. "What could that matter be? My noble lord". "I wish you would leave the formalities when we''re alone director". "I could not do such a thing my lord". "No ... I guess not, after all, I don''t deserve it". The director''s face shows some suspicion of my words. And I don''t blame him. In less than two weeks I have taken control of his academy and given order after order to its academics, including him. If I am going to do this, I will need the full cooperation of the director. I can''t let him be cautious around me any longer. "You''ll see, director. There is another matter that I would like to clarify with you before talking about something else. It''s about my arrival at this city, at this academy". For a moment, the director''s eyes widened. It was only a moment, if you blinked, you didn''t see it. But I''m sure of it. You must attack when the prey is off guard or confused. "The person who asked to keep the Kaplag plant out of Galia was me. I told the guard that the plant could be used to make poison, and I asked he to not let it in". The director was perplexed. He simply couldn''t believe my words. In front of his stunned eyes, I bowed in apology. His ears conveyed a message that his brain didn''t expect. "I confess and apologize". Okane o subete sekai e chikara 14 - Garen鈥檚 suspicions

Chapter 14

Garen''s suspicions

At the tender age of 7, I visited my first library. It was just a house that had remodeled one of its rooms and had two shelves, among which there were 50 books. But that bookstore meant to me more than anything else in the world, it opened my eyes to the wonders that until then went unnoticed. Those books in themselves amazed me, their illustrations were for me the vivid image of the adventure of discovery, there was an old man who attended the place and from time to time read for me. It was thanks to that man that in just three seasons I learned to read for myself. By the end of the year I had already read all the books in the library. When the old man saw how easy it was for me to learn, he told my parents about my potential. I was born in a humble family, in the town of Are?a. The only library open to the public in the town was that of the old man. I would not be exaggerating to say that if it weren''t for him, maybe I would never have had contact with a book in my life. After a couple of years of saving and sacrifice, my parents gathered enough to move from Are?a. We went to the city closest to our town. During those years the old man continued to teach me basic calculations and other things that although were in the books I read, I simply couldn''t learn for myself. Fortunately, some adventurers passed through our town during that time to hunt down a monster rumored to had attacked in the area. So we were able to travel in their company during their return to the fortress city of Edmund. One of the things that make it more difficult for people to move is security. But bandits don''t attack an armed group of adventurers, and during the monster hunt they had been frightening the beasts of the area, so it was a quiet journey. The fortress city of Edmund. A city covered by stone walls soaked in alchemical products that drive monsters away. The trip from Are?a takes half a season on foot. Without the adventurers we simply would not have been able to go that far, I will always be grateful. In Edmund my parents took me to the Academy, where I did an aptitude test, which I passed with honors. I was accepted with open arms, and my parents were assured that they would not have to pay again for my livelihood. It was a glorious day, where the sacrifice my parents made proved not to be in vain. For years the Edmund Academy was my home, I studied, researched and slept in the academy, I only went out to eat and when some of the research required it. When I reached 13 I was already participating in the projects of the academy, so I received a salary, with that I could afford some luxuries, I just never needed them, but for some special food to celebrate the advances. The academy provided me for all I needed. During that time I was blind to the reality of the city, but at 15, once again ... I opened my eyes. I had noticed that my parents looked more and more exhausted, despite the smiles they showed me whenever I visited them. At first I thought it was because they were getting older, I even thought that because they didn''t always had their son with them, they didn''t have to pretend to be energetic. After all, I realized many parents do that in front of their children. But on one of my visits, I saw how they were pressured and mistreated by a well dressed man. Apparently the owner of the land where they worked since we moved to Edmund. While security is guaranteed in Edmund, people must pay high taxes to stay in the city. A humble family that suddenly comes to live in Edmund has no choice but to take the first job they find and submit to the abuse of their employers. For some simple people of a peasant town, without great dangers, and with hardly any responsibilities, becoming an employee of a nobleman ... is torture. I had never thought about it before. But the sacrifice of my parents was not just the hard work they had to do to pay the costs of the trip and their stay until they got a job. They had abandoned their friends, the work they were happy with, a simple but carefree life, to take me to the academy. Fortunately I was able to improve the situation of my parents. I found the perfect use for the salary I previously thought was unnecessary. I became a renowned scholar and attended some high society parties. I quickly understood that the nobles were vipers, crawling animals that protected by their scales, are prepared to poison their victims until they can''t keep going and finally devour them. While growing up in Edmund I saw it many times, way more than I wanted. I never had evidence or could do anything about it. If a family couldn''t pay their noble employer, they lost the right to work on their property, so they were unable to pay the city Lord''s tax, and were expelled, left to their fate. More than once I heard of families who were in ruins and had to give their daughters and sons as servants or slaves to avoid exile. The great nobles, protectors of humanity, the families descended from the heroes of the age of legend, were nothing more than human scum, with power and influence. Due to their origins, it was always taught to respect and admire the nobles. After all, their ancestors protected humanity and liberated the continent for men. To think as a child I revered them, it still disgusts me. And having to act as if I still did it... until today my stomach revolts. Naturally, when I became an important academic, the first thing I thought about was moving away from them. Unfortunately, to do so I first had to go to Bombasta, capital of the kingdom. There I spent a few years before reaching a position among the elite of the academy. At that time I requested my transfer to Galia, an isolated city with an academy. There I could continue my investigations away from the nobles and their ambitions. I was naive. When I arrived at Galia I became the director''s assistant, and soon replaced him. That was also something decided by the nobles. Apparently, during my years at Edmund and Bombasta, I left a good impression on them. So they soon pressed the former director to give me the position, so that they could negotiate with me thereafter. The day I became the director of the academy, it should have been the happiest day of my life ... Instead, that day remains thedarkest day I can remember. The face of the former director having to resign his position, when he looked at me, I have no doubt, he thought that everything was part of my plan. Not only the director, all the high-level academics, those who knew the truth of human society and the nobles, all of them, behind their countenance looked at me with contempt. Years passed until I could earn his trust, even the former director acknowledged my worth. One day we had a conversation that eased the weight of my heart. That day the director told me that he realized the truth, that I had nothing to do with his replacement. He acknowledged that although the academy had been serving Jagheb''s interests for decades, he had tried to reduce their influence and so they didn''t hesitate to replace him when a better prospect appeared. He also recommended me to not make the same mistake. Maybe next time, the director turns out to be someone who really follows the will of the nobles. It''s better for me to remain as director and then choose my successor from within the academy. ... The years passed and my position as director of Galia Academy was consolidated. But a new and unexpected problem arose. Iren and Jagheb declared war and hostilities began. Due to it the nobles and the merchants who financially supported the academy slowly stopped doing so. Just when the situation reached its most serious point, the moment Galatea was attacked by Iren, another incident occurred. One of my subordinates let me know that the guards at the door wouldn''t let them enter the Kaplag into town. The plant is a special catalyst which blooms only for three days, before, during and after the equinox. And an element necessary for an experiment on the reaction of a foreign mineral found in the mountain, said reaction seems to manifest itself during the equinox. The situation could easily cause the investigation to be delayed one year ... Maybe the academy will be closed by then. I immediately asked for Johan, the one in charge of that experiment, to be informed. If he fails to convince the guard I will have to go, however, if a capable man like Johan fails to convince him ... Surprisingly, the guard allowed the plant to pass without further ado. When I questioned Johan about the matter, he told me about a unique character. Apparently the man had crossed over to Johan and other academics talking about the incident in the halls of the academy - the public side - and offered his help. At that time he was rejected. But apparently Zera remained in place talking to him. Later, while Johan and the others kept fighting to convince the guard. Zera appeared accompanied by this man, who with few words convinced the guard, and handed him a silver coin for being reasonable at his request. Suspicious. I made inquiries. Apparently, that same day, when he visited the academy the first time, he had a conversation with the guard Caret, and also handed him a silver coin.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Mm. Apparently he likes to talk to people who are fatigued and hears they out, feels empathy and help them, at least that''s what Caret said, who was totally in favor of the man. After all he was able to buy a new and luxurious ring for his girlfriend, with whom he was having problems. Apparently now they are engaged. According to Johan, the man seems to be a traveler who is dedicated to visit academies and read their books. I can understand that, if truth, he''s a kindred spirit. Another thing I heard was that after his first night in the city, which happened at the most expensive inn, he approached the bartender and bought him ALL the information he could offer. The bartender is actually the former assistant of the previous director, who resigned along with him. His real work is as an informant. Fortunately, our relationship improved after my conversation with my predecessor. He told me everything, including that the man had bought worrying amounts of alcohol that night, and that he didn''t know if he was depressed or happy, according to the man he was fine. A man who spends the night at the best inn, who buys all the available information and who doesn''t hesitate to give silver coins to the hardworking guards, in addition to providing assistance to academics. No doubt a man of resources. Although the idea doesn''t reassure me too much, I think it''s the best option ... no, it''s the only option we have left. We need financial assistance and that man seems wealthy. After all, someone who travels the world reading in the academies, who doesn''t bother to look for work and spends the nights in expensive inns. No doubts, he''s wealthy. Fortunately, Zera seems to have earned his trust. It''s the best card I have in hand, for the sake of the academy, Zera must convince him to assist us, even if she has to offer her body for it, worse things have been done for less noble purposes. Besides, she can''t fool the eyes of an experienced politician like me, she feels something for him. I didn''t spend years among high society without refining my eyes for these things. ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó Beyond my expectations. Is the only thing I can say. When I finally met the man, Argent, his looks had an impact on me. He wore ocher clothes with red and gold embroidery that had an emblem of coins. A luxurious cape a color that looks like the dark version of his suit. A leather gauntlet, a sturdy platinum wristband that shone like freshly polished. Leather boots in excellent condition, I swear they are new. And a glowing sword, no doubt expensive. Or rather, everything he wears looks incredibly expensive. But that suit and that cape, never in life had I seen someone with such clothes, I can tell they must possess some kind of magical effect. Well, if a man travels the world alone he must be well equipped. But that wasn''t what alarmingly exceeded my expectations. It was what he said after agreeing to finance us. "All research projects will continue to work". Those words, spoken without hesitation, still ring in my ears. Not only that, he declared his intentions for us to work on other projects he had in mind, which he would also fully fund. He also seemed upset with our previous sponsors for abandoning us. He asked us to cut relationships with them from the root and that he will take care of covering all our expenses himself. Oh! What a great man! He even shares my contempt for the nobles. How blessed we can be for such a person to come in our darkest hour. I can''t contain myself, I must know who he really is. I can''t believe the fact that such a great person had escaped my attention to this day. Even considering he is on a constant journey ... no, that should make him even more known. ... I don''t know if it was good or bad to find out. After consulting Zera about whether he could trust us, he revealed himself as "Argent Makoto" ... A nobleman, and one I had never heard of, not even his family ... An "Aristoi"? Damn! I almost got fooled. Now everything makes sense, this bad man was, I have no doubt. He planned everything, without a doubt it was he who had the entrance to the Kaplag plant vetoed. What''s more, it turns out that he is the head of the family. In other words, he can exercise all the power of his family at will. It''s too late to reject him. And if I did, I don''t know how the others would see me. Zera and Johan are here and I already told them about the situation of the academy. They will not accept that I reject him for being a nobleman, they belong to those who believe in the nobility. I have no choice but to bow my head before him. He even asked us to check his status, so there is no place to doubt his words. Fuck, he even used the opportunity to put his eyes on our artifacts. Fortunately, I was able to divert his attention to a worthless piece. I thought he would quickly leave it, but in the end he decided to keep it, the damn one! Although I said worthless, that''s the impression of the nobles, that is why I thought I would ignore it, but its historical importance is invaluable. It makes me sick to think he use the AS monocle as if it were his. If something good came out of it, it''s that he didn''t demand to be given anything else ... it''s strange. The days passed and Argent Makoto kept his word, he has financed us in the most generous way ever seen in the history of the academy. All the projects are still standing and the ones he proposed have already begun. I must admit that they are interesting, although I don''t understand the motivation for some of them, the innate curiosity of academics makes us move forward without questioning it. But I don''t stop worrying, I''m sure he is scheming something, all the nobles do it. He even remodeled the academy to live in it, and so that no one needs to leave it, not even to eat. Between that and the excess funds, the efficiency of the academy skyrocketed, as well as everyone''s motivation ... Even I am somewhat excited. But I will not be fooled. ... Another nobleman arrived at the academy. A refugee from Galatea, escorted by three members of Galatea''s guard, one of them the captain. The boy speaks a language I don''t know. Originally they had asked me for try and see if I could communicate with him, that was before the attack. Now they are war refugees. "Mr. Argent has traveled everywhere, and he is someone extraordinary, he may know that language." It was Zera''s words. Fuck, if someone trusts that Argent too much, it''s Zera. Initially I didn''t oppose the idea of ??Zera seducing him. But Zera is a talented young woman, although clumsy and naive, her intellectual ability is high, at Johan''s level. Over time she could become my assistant or even my successor. For she to be tainted by a dirty nobleman ... Again, my stomach is stirred. To my surprise, Argent not only recognized the language, but spoke it perfectly, in front of my eyes he began a conversation with the young nobleman, which I couldn''t understand. What I could tell was that the boy opened his heart to him. After he heard his story. Thinking about the young man''s well-being, he decided to hire Galatea''s ex-guards as his own. One after another, the acts of Argent wins the respect and trust of everyone. But it doesn''t fool me, I know he''s just another creeping snake. Proof of it is that he has no problem giving orders to everyone. It may seem to them that he directs them to be more efficient, but I know it''s because inside, he enjoys making them obey him. Even I am forced to do it, but he will not bend my spirit. To think he made Zera his personal assistant ... but I know his intention is to make her his servant. No academic should be a servant. Fuck, everything is going so well in the academy, even after Galatea was taken and we were left without support. Everything is due to Argent Makoto. I hate to admit it, but he is a blessing in some way ... No, it''s just an asymptomatic disease, when we least expect it, he will claim everything for himself. I must discuss this with someone else ... Johan, he is smart, he holds the position of Vice Director. If we are going to overcome this trial, I will need his help. "Is he really bad?" As I feared, he has them all in the palm of his hand. "You must understand, he is suspicious and keeps many secrets. He even asked us to keep his existence hidden from the rest of the city. Not even the mayor knows". "Well, that''s natural. After all, now that Galatea was taken by Iren, the city is going through a bad time. If the academy isn''t, it''s thanks to him. No, we''re going through our best moment in years. If the town hall found out, they would overwhelming him with their problems nonstop". "... That''s a good point. But still ..." Halfway our discussion someone knocked on the door. "I''ll open". Without waiting for my answer. Johan opens the door and stands aside, to let him pass ... Argent Makoto ... "Well, I better go. Good afternoon, Mr. Argent." "Good afternoon Johan, take care." And he left ... Damn it, even Johan is now losing his respect for me?! Just for doubting a nobleman who suddenly appears out of nowhere and offers us everything we can ask for? Isn''t that the most suspicious thing that can happen in the world? Dammit. He had never come to see me without announcing himself before. "I am pleased to see you, Mr. Argent. To what do I owe such an honor?" "There is an important issue that I should discuss with you, director. One of vital importance". HA! Here it is, surely now your unreasonable demands will begin. Don''t blame me later if we lose everything, you all wanted it ... No, I won''t allow it, even if everyone turns their backs on me, I''m still the director of the Galia academy. I will not let a pompous noble take the achievements of science out of the reach of those who made them and could continue to do so. "What could that matter be? My noble lord". "I wish you would leave the formalities when we''re alone director". "I could not do such a thing my lord". "No ... I guess not, after all, I don''t deserve it". Mm. What? What is this? I don''t understand, his face is ... sad. What kind of face is that? That expression, I almost feel the urge to comfort him. "You''ll see, director. There is another matter that I would like to clarify with you before talking about something else. It''s about my arrival at this city, at this academy". Eh? "The person who asked to keep the Kaplag plant out of Galia was me. I told the guard that the plant could be used to make poison, and I asked he to not let it in". Do my ears fool me? "I confess and apologize". EEEEEEEH! ARE YOU SERIOS?! Mm Mm ... Mm ... No, I don''t get it. I cannot understand why he would confess, doing so would only take away the advantageous position he had achieved. Why then?... "You''ll see director. Perhaps you have noticed before that I travel alone. That''s because I can''t just trust anyone. Despite the dangers of be alone, it''s more dangerous to be accompanied". Hey? What are you talking about now? "Someone as smart as you should have noticed that I have a large fortune. And I always carry a large sum of money with me, so I can use it in whatever I need wherever I go". Well, it''s true that I''ve seen him taking out money over and over again. If I think about it a bit, the bag he carries is one of those, enchanted to be able to carry a lot of things. Some merchants and adventurers use them, Their rarity level depends on how many slots they have, they are divided into 10, 20 or even 30 slots. But even one with 10 slots is rare these days. Taking into account that he doesn''t seem to carry luggage, that means it''s a bag of at least 20 slots, maybe 30 if I consider his purchasing power. How many of those slots have money ... Without a doubt a fat prize for bandits. "Although I don''t consider myself a fighter, my equipment is of a high level, so I can defend myself if I am attacked, at least enough to get attention, making it difficult for me to be assaulted within town. But as a traveler, I must get food constantly, and I fear being poisoned. That''s why when I heard that just the day I arrived in the city, a group of people began to collect a rare kind of plant ... I became paranoid and asked the guard to not let them introduce the plant inside the city ". Mm Now that he says so, it sounds reasonable. "I''m sorry for the problems I caused. Fortunately, I learned about it in time thanks to Zera and I was able to amend my mistake. For a while I thought about how to speak about this. And when I was asked for financial support I didn''t hesitate. But it was hard for me to talk about this in that situation". Ah ... Since we were in a difficult position, asking a stranger for money, it would be even more uncomfortable if at that time he told us the Kaplag plant incident was his fault. "I don''t wish for Zera and the others to lose their faith in me, not now that there is such a pressing situation. That''s why I am telling only you. Someone as smart as you will surely be reasonable and let this be, at least until the situation is solved". I see ... It certainly sounds logical. But it only makes me worry more about that ''pressing situation'' he mentions. Thinking about it, he said there was something he should tell me, but before that it seems he wanted to confess and apologize. Clearly an outstanding attitude ... I think I should stop prejudging the nobles. They are the descendants of the heroes after all, some of them may still retain the spirit of their ancestors, and aren''t rotten inside. "The issue that originally brought me here... Is Iren''s imminent invasion of Galia". ... Eh? Okane o subete sekai e chikara 15 - The Siren of the mountain

Chapter 15

The Siren of the mountain

I think what I said to the director will suffice for now. Before he had time to think negatively about my words, I quickly changed the subject to something that would occupy all his attention; the invasion of Iren. At the moment he must be working on what I asked for, in addition to his own measures. Someone like him surely has ideas of what to do, although he doesn''t have much time... We don''t have much time. I am going around this again to distract myself, because regardless of the bonuses of my equipment, my basic stats are those of a baby and climbing a mountain isn''t easy, it''s exhausting. If wasn''t because only I can successfully negotiate with the Half, I would just send the captain. Speaking of the Half, I have the resounding feeling that they are watching us and I don''t think an ordinary person could spy on us on this place. We must be close. AAAAHHHH. What is that strange sound? Sounds like the wind sighs words and they become very sharp. If I hear this noise much longer, it will give me a headache. As if physical exhaustion wasn''t enough. "Lord Argent... Maybe we should go back". "AH? We got this far already, and you know how important this is, we must continue". "T-That''s right, of course. I don''t even know why I thought about that". There is that sound again ... ... After like an hour more, we reached a place in the mountain big enough to rest by posing our weight on the ground. According to the captain, this is a good place to regain strength. Fortunately I loaded food and water in my item bag - which doesn''t gain weight or take up more space - so we almost don''t really bring luggage that delays us. No kidding, as if I could climb the mountain if not for that, my guard is in the same situation. They couldn''t climb carrying their equipment if they also had to bring mountaineering luggage and rations. While I deliver their food portion to my subordinates, I suddenly hear that annoying noise again. I would complain about it, if it wasn''t because something else occupied my attention. Suddenly, a figure with feathers and scales posed its feet in the same rest that we are. A female figure, with wings on her back. Its feet are claws like those of a hawk, with the scaly part just a few centimeters above the ankles. White, light blue and green feathers cover the important parts of her body and a red hair covers her shoulders devoid of plumage. My monocle was activated and the identity of the mysterious girl is revealed to me.
NAME: Ren''psi RACE: SIREN 7
SPECIES: ROYAL SIREN RANK: LEVEL: 7
VP: 74/75 RESISTANCE: 54 DEFENSE: 31
MP: 36/48 KNOWLEDGE: 54 INTELLECT: 95
ENERGY: 36/40 STRENGTH: 32 MIND: 53
AGILITY: 63 TALENT: 21 SPIRIT: 32
ITEMS¨‹ EQUIPMENT¨‹ SKILLS¨‹ TITLES¨‹ MONEY: 0
... Ohh. A << Royal Siren >>. This is unexpected. In TLO, the Royal Siren is a rare species of Half. To think that there would be one living in the mountain. What? Did you think the sirens were half fish and lived in the sea? That is partially true. The original sirens were found in the sea, just not in the open sea, but in rocky areas where ships were attracted to run aground and sink, the sirens were in fact more like seagulls, flew and perched on the rocks and they let their bird song be heard, their . In TLO they used the oldest version of sirens to create this breed. By the way, the sirens of popular culture (actual mermaids) that are half fish, also exist in TLO, although they are actually based on the nymphs of the sea. If you wonder why her stats are so high, well ... That''s normal for the Half, due to their bodies, usually the regular equipment doesn''t help them. To begin with humans don''t trade with the Half, so they depend of its high base stats, obtained from its racial characteristics, to compensate for it. Nor can they have a change of profession, since that is a human characteristic. However they can evolve, like a metamorphosis kind of evolve. The question is: Why did it come to us? Ah, that noise again ... now that I have it in front of me, I can tell, she is the one who produces that sound. Without showing fear, she approaches one of the captain''s soldiers, Khaden, who hands her his portion of food in silence. Without hesitation she takes it and then approaches Andreu, who also gives his portion. Mm. Odd ... Could it be? They are under the hypnosis of the . "Could it be that you are hungry?" "Eh?!" The expression of confusion on her face tells me she didn''t expected to hear me speak. Rather, listen to a human speak her language, less under the influence of her singing.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. "If you are looking for food, you can eat with us". "... Eh? What was it ... Lord Argent!" "AH!" It seems that, either by my words, or because the siren stopped producing its song due to the confusion, the captain returned to himself. His scream scares the siren girl, who flies away leaving the food behind. Apparently it doesn''t go very far, my monocle still records its stats, so it remains within its reach. That means we are closer to the nest than I thought. "Change of plans, we will move on immediately". Without asking anything about what happened, the captain warns his men that the food will have to wait and we resume the vertical journey. When we finally arrive at what looks like the last break before the top, we find a somewhat surprising reception. About a dozen Half-flyers, which my monocle identifies as observe us. Behind them, an and the siren from before approach us, while others open their way. The elder is like the other Harps. With arms in the form of wings and claws instead of hands, which differentiates them from the siren, which has normal arms and hands, and carries the wings on the back. In addition to feathers, the elder has long white hair and beard. His feathers are red and white, and despite their age, they still maintain their luster. "I heard one of you speak ". "It''s that one! The one that doesn''t wear armor". "Oh ... More than not wearing armor, I would say he wears very valuable clothes". "My name is Argent Makoto. Are you the leader of the Half of this mountain?" "Hum. So it''s true, a human who speaks Haldan ... Follow me". Guided by the Elder Harp, Gara''kat, we arrive at what appears to be a camp in front of a cave. Then, he invites us to sit, separated from him and the siren girl by a campfire. I hadn''t thought about it, maybe because of the resistances of my equipment, but it''s probably cold at this altitude. The fire isn''t very high, possibly because of the little oxygen, but in the subtle expressions of my guards, I can see that they like its heat. Well, I think it''s better to have some cold than heat when carrying armor, so I don''t feel bad for them. "My name is Gara''kat, as you said before, I am the leader of this tribe. Why are you here?" "I came to negotiate with you". "Negotiate?" "What nonsense are those? We don''t negotiate with humans!" Oh That means they negotiate with non-humans. That siren will be a good source of information if she keep opening her mouth. Although she has a good intellect, her knowledge isn''t on par. While its tribe leader has both stats high. He is the leader for a reason, although he should had to get the girl out of the discussion after she identified me. "But you do negotiate with someone. Why not with me? Do you think I can''t offer you anything of value?" "What do humans know about what is valuable to us !?" Intervened Ren. "Ren!" With just raising his voice, Gara''kat imposes silence, although she has already released information again. "Just say your price, I assure you I can pay it". "Humans don''t appreciate those different from them. Most of the Half are treated as monsters by humans. It seems suspicious that a human comes here looking to negotiate". "However, you are at peace with the people of Galia, the mountain city. That leads me to think that it''s possible to negotiate with you". "... They don''t mess with us nor us with them. It''s not like we''re on good terms". "How did that happen? As I understand it, Galia has been around for centuries. At some point in that time, you came to this mountain, but you were not expelled by the humans of that time, nor did you expel them. I think that''s enough to think you are reasonable people". For a small moment, the old man''s wrinkled face revealed surprise. To be precise, at the time I referred to them as "people". With a thoughtful look, the elder Gara''kat begins to caress his long white beard with his left hand without looking away from me, then at times he observes the men who accompany me. "They are my personal guard, they are only with me for my protection". "You say that, but they''re armed! How do we know they aren''t waiting for us to lower our guard to attack us?!" "It''s enough Ren!" "But, grandpa!" "Those men didn''t come to attack us". "How can you say that with such confidence ?!" "That''s because he''s a smart man". I said. So she is the granddaughter of the elder Gara''kat. It has logic. Ren, the siren and her grandfather observe me, she with a cautious look and the old man with expectation, expectation that I will not disappoint. "You all can fly, so if we were to attack you at least we would bring bows or spears. Instead my men and I only bring swords, short-range weapons. In other words, they are to defend us if we are attacked, but if we would like to attack, you just need to take flight and we won''t be able to hurt you. The leader of the tribe could easily realize it, so he acts that way". Ren opens her eyes wide after listening to me and at times her gaze travels between her grandfather and my person. "As I suspected, you are no ordinary human". "Are you willing to negotiate with me?" "That depends on whether you can understand this". ... So? Why the suspense? He should simply say what he want me to understand. "Understand what?" For the first time, the elder Gara''kat openly shows an expression of amazement at the same level as Ren''s. "Unheard of. You can really speak Harpian..." I see. Apparently the words he said before were in another language. With the automatic translation of << Borderless Trade >> I hadn''t noticed ... After all it''s not a perfect skill. "That you can speak Haldan is one thing. All Half speak Haldan. It''s not impossible to learn the language for a human. But to speak Harpian... It can only be taught by a sky tribe and they would never teach it to a human unless the tribe leader approve it". Interesting. So Haldan is something like a common language for the Half. Similar to what Latin was in medieval Europe. While Harpian is the particular language of the Flying Half? Or maybe only of the Harp. "Who are you really?" "As I said before. I''m Argent Makoto, an Aristoi". "I see. An Aristoi ... A member of the great lineage. Then you know our history". "Not as much as I would like. If it''s not a bother, I''m interested in knowing more about you. I can pay for that information too". "It''s not necessary. If you''re who you say, I''ll tell you everything. Besides, it''s not like you can pay me for it, humans don''t have something that interests us". "Although your granddaughter seemed very interested in our food". "W-W-What do you say! That''s not ..." "Enough ... Well, she is ..." "A siren". "So you noticed after all. Well, that''s how it is and as such she has a greater desire for human food and customs than the rest. But as a tribe leader, I can''t negotiate for food for my granddaughter". "I didn''t expect you to do it. Just as you are willing to tell me your story for nothing, I will give you the food she wants". "D-Don''t think you can buy us with food or human things! We are only interested in 5-color metal!" Although she tried to hide it, Ren showed great expectation for my words. Well, I''m not sure what they eat here, I don''t think it''s raw meat since they obviously have a habit of making bonfires, but it shouldn''t be as appetizing as human cooking. The important thing is that she just gave me the piece of information I needed the most. "Naturally. I came with the intention of paying using 5-color metal". "It''s that true?" Putting my right hand in my pocket, I let my greatest power work. The power to buy the world! "Is this of value?" "A coin of five colors metal..." In my hands, a coin three times larger than the gold coins I had used before glowed with a reflection of various colors. "I have more. Are you interested in negotiating now?" "Of course. Mr. Argent right? You has already proved that you are an ally of the sky tribes. Although our tribe has been relegated to the edge of the continent, we still have some valuable pieces to exchange". "Sounds good. But right now there is something else I want to negotiate". "Does it have to do with the army marching towards the mountain?" "That''s right. I assumed that you would be aware". "It is a large army, easy to see from the sky". "Tell me what you know about them". "I don''t know much about human armies. But they possessed horns and march in this direction. If they continue like this, they will be at the foot of the mountain in 2 days". 2 days... "I will be direct with you. I want to request your cooperation to protect the mountain city". "... I''m sorry, but my tribe cannot face an army like that, even if we are only reinforcements of the mountain humans, against such a great force, we would be annihilated". An unpleasant grimace forms for a moment on the old man''s face. "I know you can fly away, so maybe it''s not very beneficial to help us. But I don''t intend to make you fight". "So what do you want us to do? That army of strangers is very big, you can''t run away on foot, but it''s not like we can help you all evacuate by air, we''re very few". "My plan isn''t to evacuate the citizens". Although it is my emergency plan to escape if everything else fails. "Listen to me, what I want you to do is..." Okane o subete sekai e chikara 16 - Before the battle

Chapter 16

Before the battle

¡°I know it''s hard to believe, director, under normal circumstances there would be no difference between doing an ordinary siege and attacking Galatea. What I am going to tell you is only for you, I trust you will know how to handle it. I''m talking about the real reason why Galatea was attacked ... What happened just after Galatea was attacked? ¡± "We lost our funding". ¡°Actually that was already happening. What happened in addition to that, was that refugees arrived in Galia ¡±. I could see in the director''s face that he yet wasn''t understanding what I wanted to say. ¡°This is something I noticed from the first day I arrived at Galia. When I entered the city gates and wasn''t inspected, all they did was look at my name. Although I didn''t arrive armed, I was immediately able to buy a weapon in the armory of the city. Then, I began to wonder what would prevent the city from being invaded by foreigners, if they just let them pass¡±. "It would be strange if a group of foreigners suddenly arrived in the city ..." ¡°No doubt that would be suspicious, after all this place is quite isolated. Surely, without counting the well-known merchants who brought resources, it would be rare to see more than one or two people arrive in the city, but there is an exception to that rule.Imagine that a nearby town was attacked. Those who managed to escape would seek refuge in the nearest city, which turns out to be Galia. It wouldn''t be strange if dozens or more refugees arrived at the city gates at once and people would not even question it¡±. The director''s face darkened as he realized what my words meant. ¡°What I try to say director, is that we were already invaded. Since Ryuuji''s arrival I was touring the city to buy equipment, and I saw that there are a large number of refugees. However, the interesting thing is that Ryuuji and my guard doesn''t know any of them¡±. With a deep seriousness in my next words I explained to the director my plan. ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó "They will not cooperate with us." These simple words shocked my royal guard. I could see the despair on the captain''s face. It only showed how much trust he had placed in me. Sorry captain, but is better for you to not know what my true plan is. After that we began to prepare for the descent. Although it would have to wait, since it''s not safe to go down at night and the conversation with Gara''kat took me a long time. He told me many interesting things about his tribe, but I will leave that for later. The descent took us a whole day. It turns out that it''s much harder to get off a mountain than to climb it. ... The first thing I did once we returned to the city was to meet with the director to make sure he continued with the plan. Fortunately, the director was able to follow my instructions to the letter. If everything goes as planned we should have a good opportunity ... The bad thing is that plans never go as you would like. Now I intend to speak with Ryuuji. During the last two days we went up and down the mountain, he should have been training. I am interested in seeing his progress, although I don''t have much hope. While I was going to meet him, I realized that I was being accompanied by Zera, which is not uncommon, since being my assistant while I was away Zera had to devote himself to help Ryuuji. He''s a smart guy, so even though he can''t understand Ryuuji, he sure could intuit what he needed. I must say that I made a good choice by choosing him as my assistant.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Argent-san!¡± ¡°How are you, Ryuuji? Have you progressed? ¡± "I already have better control of the sword, but I''m not at the level of the soldiers, not even the guard". At that moment, Ryuuji''s eyes shifted in the direction of the city guard, who raised his hand and greeted me. I have the impression that he was helping him all this time. ¡°Ryuuji, I must tell you something. We will be busy for a couple of days. I''ve made some arrangements and prepared a guest house just for you, you don''t need to continue living in the academy¡±. ¡°S-sure you can afford that? I have no problem staying in the cave¡±. "Don''t worry about it. You will have the time to train as much as you want, and I assure you, for me this is no problem". I said that while putting my palm on his shoulder to encourage him. As I suspected, there has been no great progress, so it''s better to keep him out of this. ¡°Mr. Argent!¡± Perhaps sensing that my conversation with Ryuuji had stopped, Zera approaches me. ¡°Did you succeed? Will we have the help of the Half?¡± In Zera''s face a great anticipation was reflected, apparently he didn''t even imagine the case that I couldn''t convince them. Sorry to let you down, but you better not know the truth. ¡°Sorry to say it, but they won''t fight for us. If you think about it, in the case of being attacked, they can always fly away, so they will not take the risk without need¡±. My words caused a strong depression in Zera, who with head down and a soft voice responded. "I-I see". Normally I would not allow trust in me to fall so easily, but the less people know the truth, the better. The only one I can trust who will not reveal this is the director. He is smart enough, I also cannot let infiltrators know that we know they are not refugees. ¡­ I went to the city. Before I left I had asked the smiths and the armories to retain all the weapons they were repairing and to not sell any other weapons until I told them. It wasn''t difficult to convince them by releasing a few coins. "Do you have the armor I asked for?" ¡°Almost there. It truly is a very large amount of metal, but it should be ready by tomorrow¡±. "I hope you aren''t mistaken". If it''s not ready tomorrow, it will be too late. I could confirm that the artisans did manage to finish what I asked for, except for the armor and the minerals of the academics everything is ready ... We only have one day left. ... Walking through the halls of the academy, I met Johan. Naturally, as the leader of many of the projects, I have given him a valuable task. "Greetings, how''s the Kalasta project going?" ¡°Smooth, Mr. Argent. Although I still don''t understand for what purpose you put those sticks¡±. "Trust me. They will be useful". "As you say, Mr. Argent¡±. "And regarding the mineral?" ¡°Yes, I have good news in that regard. The tests are as indicated by the equinox day experiment. This could revolutionize the way we illuminate the streets¡±. "Easy, Rome was not built in a day". "What is Rome?" ¡°It was a great city. In addition, it''s an expression that indicates that great advances aren''t meant to be rushed¡±. "I understand, people need time to adapt". "Just make sure you have enough for tomorrow". "Don''t worry, tonight everything will be ready". Those words did not prevent me from hiding my smile. The most crucial part of the plan is almost ready. ... Immediately afterwards I went to the academy library. That should I be doing something more important? You don''t even have an idea. In the first place, when there is little time left until combat, the important thing is to confirm the information one has. After talking with the Half, I was able to make sure that what I had read in those books was true, if so, there''s a better chance that what the book said about the people of Iren is also true. To start, Iren is supposed to be an oligarchy, a government led by the powerful. All the people of Iren who are born with the ability are trained in the militia to become soldiers. And when I say everyone, I mean everyone. 100% of Iren''s population are supposedly military. It''s a group of people who have been 1,000 years (or that is estimated to be the time that has passed since the age of the legend) purely living in war, taking everything they want by force ... People who cannot be manipulated with money. They have gone through long stages of wars and short moments of peace, invading nearby towns and cities. All that until the kingdom of Jagheb was established, which became a recurring enemy for them, from then on they had begun to ignore the rest of the nearby towns, who only became victims of the crossfire between both kingdoms. As far as I know, the last peace treaty culminated less than 2 years ago, but hostilities didn''t begin, until a few months ago. In all these years and generations, Iren had not attacked Galia. I can understand that there''s great value in the academy, but it''s still a mystery why they attack now. I can understand that Galatea was a victim of the invasion plan to Galia. But why invade Galia right now? Precisely when they are more concerned with fighting against Jagheb, why attack a city on the edge of the continent between the mountains? I feel a little insecure about carrying out my plan with this mystery, but in the event that everything fails, I still have the Halfs to fly away. Okane o subete sekai e chikara 17 - They are here

Chapter 17

They are here

I had difficulty falling asleep, I almost spent the whole night in the private library of the academy, but I can''t stop being 100%. I can''t afford lack of sleep. The first step is to put in place everything necessary for the confrontation ... I would like to leave that part to Ryuuji, but it isn''t possible at the moment. Fortunately, I confirmed that Johan finished his homework while I slept. The director must be moving the last artifacts right now. The following is the armor. The exhausted blacksmith received me smiling, apparently he was working all night, but managed to finish on time. Everything is going well... Too well. One would think the infiltrators would react to the fact that they could no longer get weapons. But apparently, seeing how busy everyone was in the forges and smithies convinced them that they had no time, no materials for them. The intellectual level of these people leaves much to be desired, but it is an advantage. Apparently infiltrators are small minded. I begin to think that without counting academics and old Gara''kat, they are all a bunch of fools. No doubt the mayor is, by letting the "refugees" pass as if nothing. Their number is so large that some of them camp in the forest outside town, the city cannot accommodate them all. Although it isn''t as if there were many places to stay. The city has hardly any visits, it''s normal that there is only the occasional establishment that can receive them. It''s certainly part of their plan. Surely when the city is occupied defending itself, they''ll start a fire in the forest, which will undoubtedly extend to the few farms. Trimming an important source of resources. It''s possible that they simulate that it was an accident while camping, so they won''t be discovered and they can continue reducing the resources of the city, there are many extra mouths to feed. The person who planned this is undoubtedly smart enough to think about it. They will not openly reveal themselves as enemies until the precise moment. The reality is that even if we expose them now, we don''t have the ability to prevent them from causing damage to Galia. It isn''t as if the invasion was going to back down just because their men were discovered, if they managed to inflict enough damage or not, it''s a bet that I think they are willing to do. ... There are two great types of Attacks that can be made when besieging a city. One of them is the frontal assault. Simply run over the defenses until they are broken. This is very effective if you have overwhelmingly superior strength. If we consider the number and quality of the troops, that is probably the case. But Galia has the advantage of the land. An impressive advantage. The city is located in a colossal relief of a mountain. To reach that relief, there is a narrow path that goes up in zigzag. Even in the widest sections of the road, you can hardly fit a cart. As you climb the road, there are several guard towers guarded by archers. Here the zigzag arrangement of the road is strategically formidable, since it allows the towers to receive support from the upper towers easily, causing a rain of arrows capable of covering the entire road. They can also throw boiling oil, causing not only damage, but making it difficult to move along the narrow path. Even if the archers make indiscriminate use of their arrows, they receive ammunition from above. When initiating an attack on Galia, the production of arrows becomes a priority for the city, so as to have a constant supply for the towers. Even if the forces advance to reach a tower, the guards without hesitation will leave it, but not before knocking it down covered with flames to block the road, buying valuable time, during which the upper towers will not cease in their attack. It''s a serious trouble to put out the fire, so much that normally they must wait for the flames to burnout themselves. The possibility of using water magicians is also minuscule, since they usually cannot bear the weight of the armor, and without armor and shields, they would be the first to fall before the arrows. On the rare occasions in the history of Galia when it received a frontal attack. The possibility of the arrows running out was greater than the chances that the invading force could climb the road on its own merit. That is, the enemy''s progress is that slow and its casualties are that serious. There is a fear that an enemy will try to climb the mountain, instead of taking the road. But this mountain is extremely steep and the shape of its rocks is uneven and sharp. Enough to penetrate the metal boots of a man who would support all his weight on his foot. It is estimated that for every 100 who tried to climb the mountain carrying armor, 80 would die on the road and 15 simply wouldn''t complete it.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. It''s not a path as simple as the one we take to see the Half. Even if you get up that way, the person who did it would be exhausted and would be defeated without delay once up. During my time at TLO, Maki told me about various styles of defensive forts, but this is too much. The other form of attack is a Siege. Consistent of a blockade of the city, preventing the entry of supplies. But in the case of a self-sufficient city like Galia, the cost of holding the siege long enough for Galia not to resist it would be much greater than the benefit of conquering it. After all, it''s expensive to maintain an army, especially a large one. So the attempts to besiege Galia in the past must have stopped long before obtaining results. The most obvious objectives of the infiltrators are the food sources, such as the forest - which also provides wood for the arrows - and the farms, as well as the reserves in the barns and warehouses. If they succeed, they may also cause fires in the city to maximize damage. If I wait for the attack from inside to start, it will be too late. That is why I must take the initiative. "It''s time to go down". "How do you say?" The captain watches me confused. "In a few hours the army will arrive at the foot of the mountain, we must leave now to intercept them". "What are you talking about? Do you plan to put yourself at their mercy just because you didn''t get the help of the Half? We can still fight, we must ..." "I am not thinking of putting myself at their mercy. As far as I know, they are people whose life revolves around war and glory. They will not attack us unexpectedly without first speaking". "Are you sure about that? They attacked Galatea without warning". "I have my reasons to think like that. They''ll talk to me, I know that". And if not, I already made sure that a Half is waiting to pick me up at my signal. "Understood. My duty is to follow orders". "A-A-Are you sure, Mr. Argent? It''s very dangerous!" "Calm... By the way, I have a very important job for you". ... After leaving the formalities behind. We went down the road. Just my guard and me. The tension rose with every step we took. When we approach the first watchtower. I put on my armor. A shining golden armor, designed to give an imposing status to its wearer. "No matter what happens, keep quiet, let the talk to me". We did not take another step, until I could make sure that my orders penetrated their skulls. I just can''t let them interfere, other than for my safety, I brought them by appearances, I don''t need them to talk. "Are you leaving Galia? I need to verify your identities". Naturally, at the foot of the tower, there was a guard. I have no doubt that the first and last tower fulfill the function of border guard. I don''t know if the others will do the same, considering how relaxed the mayor is with the control of foreigners, I doubt it. "My name is Argent Makoto, these men are my personal guard". "A-A noble !? I had heard that some men from Galatea had brought a nobleman to Galia, but ... AN ARISTOI !?" "Calm down, I have important issues to address, verify my identity at once". "Y-Yes! Immediately my lord!" When I verify my name with his glove, the guard''s eyes widened a little more than they did when I introduced myself. Seeing is believing. After the guard bowed again and again and apologized for his delay, we continued on our way. Similar situations occurred in the other surveillance posts. Although I still doubt the security imposed by the mayor. Most likely, they decided to verify my identity because of my appearance. A glorious figure was reflected in the eyes of the guards whenever they saw me. This is important and necessary. If I don''t make sure they see me and prove I''m a noble now, there will be problems when I have to give them an extraordinary order later. While we were going down, when we had passed through half of the stops, the captain approached to speak to me in a low voice. "Sir, they''ve been following us, I think it''s one of the Half of the other day". "Surely we arouse their interest and now they watch us to see what happens. Do not pay attention". "As you say". The captain has sharper senses than I thought. But he is also an obedient dog. He won''t do anything unnecessary. When we approached the last watchtower, the guard came running towards us, altered. While the tension of the archers raised in the tower, it was visible while they pointed at us. "Who are you !? Why are you going down now!?" Judging by his condition and his question, something is happening and I think I know exactly what. "My name is Argent Makoto. These men are my personal guard". "A-A noble!?" I don''t have time for this. "We know of the invading force. I imagine that is the reason why you are so disturbed". "Y-Yes, we just saw a great army approaching the mountain ... how do you know that?" "Now I don''t have time to explain. What matters is that you let us pass and prepare yourselves to follow my orders". "Your orders?" "Are you going to question a noble, an ARISTOI?" "O-Of course not!" "All you have to do is wait and follow my orders when I indicate it". "As you say". After taking care of the guard, we continue our way. While we were going down, we could see how the horizon was covered with men in armor, we heard the sound of their footsteps echoing on the mountain. Immediately, everyone''s tension increased unprecedented. This will be the most dangerous moment I have had since I arrived in this world. No, there has hardly been such a difficult time in my life while I was on earth. I am walking straight to death, if something goes wrong, I could die. But nobody has reached the top without taking risks. When we finally reached the end of the road and stepped on land instead of rock, we could see how a small group broke away from the army and approached us. After all I was right, they will let me talk. I can do this, I can carry out my plan, I can succeed. Gradually, the appearance of the emissaries became clearer. They wore reddish metal armor and wore horned helmets. Among them one had distinctive marks on his armor that made him look more impressive. Little by little they approached us. Finally, they stopped a few meters from us, enough to hear their voices. They are here. Okane o subete sekai e chikara 18 - The Soldier

Chapter 18

The Soldier

Victory and Glory. Only that persecutes the people of Iren. Only that can accompany a << ACME Soldier >>. In Iren, when a child reaches 6 years old, they''re tested to determine their potential. If they show good skills, they become candidates for being Acme soldiers. During the next 6 years they will have to pass test after test. The few who achieve it become cadets and are sent to the true training camp, located in the capital of the Irenita territory, the glorious city Acme, sacred land of humanity, where once the protective deity of the world resided <> . In that same land, under the gaze of the statue of the deity, the cadets go through the greatest tests. Many fail, many more do not even survive, but those capable of overcome 6 years of training receive the honorable opportunity to take the Acme test. Passing the test means the honor of finally becoming an Acme Soldier, the greatest honor to have for a citizen of Iren, no, for anyone around the world. I passed that test and became an Acme Soldier, assigned to the sixth legion of the General Demon. The four generals. Those who hold military power and respond only to the council and the two kings of Iren. The General of the Sun, assigned to the conquest of the northern lands. The General of the Night, assigned to the defense of the southern lands. The General of the desert, assigned to the exploration and conquest of the west. The General of Heaven, assigned to the protection of the sacred land of Acme and the temples of Ashma. These four generals work together for the glory of Iren. None of them compare to the man who bears the title of <>. It is said that in the entire history of Iren, there have only been a dozen individuals who have received that title. Even among them, there have been only two who earned the name "Demon of Two horns". The Great General at the time of the foundation of Iren and the man I serve. Years ago a nameless stranger rose on the battlefield and quickly climbed to the top of the military world. The one with more authority among the Generals. Whose authority is barely inferior to that of the kings. The ruthless demon that brings hell to earth. Those of us who have fought under his orders know it. One day he will succeed one of the kings and conquer the entire continent. Under the orders of such a glorious leader, is that the sixth legion, which I command since 2 years ago, mobilized to take a tiny and insignificant little town. A place with a little less than non-existent military power. So much that in the last two centuries we have ignored, even though our armies constantly pass through their lands. Honestly, I feel nauseous to think of fighting people who offer less resistance than simple animals, but I am not the one to judge the General. No doubt there is some good reason why we should do all this. Maybe it has to do with the prophecy of the statue. As we approach our next conquest, a group of insignificant mercenaries crossed our path. Under normal circumstances, I would have my men exterminate them as warming, but in this case these cowardly rats are our allies, in the service of the General. Accompanied by the mercenaries, we finally arrive at the village, where we are received as usual by the guards. These people, like dogs, adapted to survive in the shadow of the strong. Every time Iren''s armies pass through this village is greeted with hot food, drink and lodging for the officers. In return they are content with some pieces of metal or jewelry that we usually carry outside other conquered places. Not counting the metals that can be used for weapons and armor, the rest is useless garbage, such as throwing a bone at a dog. But today is different. "Peoples of Galatea, know that they are now under Iren''s domain, if they resist they will find their death". After my usual announcement, one of the guards loses his composure and starts running ... Cowards without spines. Before getting lost between the houses, he is pierced by the spear of one of my men. "AAAAAGHGG!!" The cries of the man are accompanied by those of the women who witnessed his death ... this does not even serve as warming. "Kill all those who try to flee the town or are armed". Without wasting time my men take the town, while I watch the annihilation of the ''Threats'', the mercenaries who came with us begin to take people out of their homes and gather them to bind them and take them as slaves. Payment agreed for their services. From time to time, we trade with foreigners. At such times, one of the preferred means of payment is our prisoners of war, who are used as slaves. Because of this, and because there is simply no honor in killing those who cannot resist, we don''t usually kill the submissive. The submissive will inherit the earth, to work it on behalf of their masters as the slaves they are. "Get away from my sister!" Suddenly, between screams and struggles, I hear a weak but firm voice. Looking at the direction from which it comes, I see a boy with a wooden sword place himself between one of the mercenaries and a young woman who seems to have fallen to the ground. "Hehehe. Child, you have a beautiful sister, she will be an excellent slave". "Don''t waste your time and kill him, that brat dared to hit me".If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. "I told him not to put his disgusting hands on my sister!" "Albert! Stop! It''s dangerous!" Hah ... what a sad sight. Do they really call themselves men? Should they really make such a fuss over a child? Patetic. "AH. You, soldier. Hurry up and kill that insolent hatchery who dared to hit me!" "..." "What, didn''t you hear? I told you to kill him!" That man looks even weaker than the others. His clothes look better, but they were not made for combat. Maybe it''s the slave trader that the mercenaries work with or their boss. Although he does not know how to measure his words, he speaks better than his men. "None of my men will obey you". "Eh? Well then you make them fulfill my orders, this is our payment for work, it belongs to us. It''s your job, to kill those who resist!" "Resist eh?" Without paying much attention to the exasperated subject, I approach the child. Hmm, his posture is not so bad, I think he has a better countenance than the rest of this miserable town, maybe if he was 10 years older ... No, even so, he could only be an opponent for a regular soldier, not even would take time for one of my men. "Are you the cause of this scandal?" "The culprits are you, we didn''t do anything!" "It''s true, they didn''t do anything to us, that''s why I intend to let them live, I''m a reasonable man." "AAAH!" "ALBERT!!" Gathering his spirit, the boy covers the distance that separates us as fast as his short legs allow and attacks with his wooden sword. Naturally, the sword is torn apart by hitting my armor and the spirit on the child''s face weakens with confusion. "Take him". One of my men who was observing, particularly the one to whom the merchant tried to give orders before, held the boy while he''s still looking at what was left of his sword. " What do you do? I told you to kill him!" "Don''t get confused. Maybe we are working together on this campaign, but we are not allies and no doubt, you are not our boss". "A simple soldier dares ..." "Simple soldier?" In these words I let my fighting spirit flow, a pressure that reduces the mercenaries around to mere worms capable of keep themselves together. A non-combatant like this attempt of man is naturally not able to stand up to such pressure. "Let me clarify for you. Each of my men and I, are Acme soldiers. The elite of the elite. Even the last among the Acme soldiers has the authority of a commander. So if we do not receive a superior direct order, we act at our own discretion. Our orders in this campaign were that we take this town and hand over its survivors as slaves, killing only those who put up resistance. Under no circumstances do we have to obey their orders". "T-That boy ... Attacked me! He resisted ...! He even attacked you!" Heee. Despite being less than a mouse, he had the strength to respond. Well, for something he can lead to more than a hundred mercenaries. If not, some of his own men would have already cut off his head. Even so ... it''s still less than a mouse. "I am an Acme soldier, my body, like my armor, is made for war. Something like this ..." I say holding in my hand some pieces of the child''s wooden sword. "Something like this is not a threat. That cannot be considered as resisting. For that, at least he should carry a real sword ... At least". "That''s nonsense, the boy ..." "And something else. As I said before, the orders were to take the town and hand over the slaves ... At no time were we given the order not to kill thy. In other words, it''s up to me if you live or die." "GGGIIIIAHH!" "You scream like a mouse, you make rodents look bad. Respond me again and I will cut off your head. We give you the slaves and you take their clothes and impersonate refugees to infiltrate Galia. If you do your job well, maybe we will make deals again. If they fail or betray us, there will be no place on the continent or in the rest of the world where they can hide from Iren''s wrath. Was I clear enough? " Sweating liters, the ruffian nods with exaggerated head movements. Well, both he and his lackeys who watched us could understand their place. Clarified this matter. We let the mercenaries do their job, after giving them a couple of days advantage, we start moving in the direction of Galia. ... So that is the formation of mountains of Galia. It''s the first time that I see it. The eastern end of the continent. Galia is a famous place, because it has an AS Academy that operates independently from neighboring kingdoms. If weren''t because Jagheb already long ago claimed everything that could be valuable from that academy, perhaps it would be worth conquering Galia, even considering the casualties that a frontal assault would cause. Well, it''s not that I should think about it, even if it''s not the most glorious thing, a regular siege will be enough this time, that if the mercenaries can do their job well ... That''s boring. Victory and Glory Only that Iren people look for. Honor will always come with them. But the only honor I will get from this is to have followed my orders. There will not even be a dignified battle. It is not as if there had been until now an opponent worthy of me. So far, no one outside Iren has proven to give a fight. Even Jagheb, their men are barely up to the regular soldiers, if not for their weapons, they would be lost. "Sir, Commander Jemur, sir". "What''s the matter soldier?" "There are some men at the foot of the mountain, they seem to be waiting for us". "Mm. How strange". Making use of the distant vision tool that my subordinate handed me, I observe 4 men standing in front of the road that leads to Galia. They all wear armor, and good ones. But nothing special, except for the bearer of a golden armor. Possessor of a countenance like I had never seen before. Despite the distance, it seems as if he is watching me. "They have the courage to leave behind the defenses to appear before us. We must return the gesture. I will go myself, they are 4, so I want 3 squad leaders to accompany me". "To the order". It''s not like I need the escort, but when you''re going to talk to the enemy leader, showing your men is a status symbol, let them see that you are not a simple messenger, but the commander. As we get closer, the delicacy of the stranger''s golden armor is more noticeable. It is as if it was made entirely of gold. But that is hard to believe, not only would it be extremely expensive, but it would also be a weight that few men could carry, not to mention using it in combat. The identity of the stranger interests me more and more. When we arrive a few meters away from them, I once again take a look at the appearance of the stranger. It''s as if he exude dignity and power. His face is what you would expect from the owner of the world. Not even the kings of Iren or the warlords who form the council have such a presence ... Only he. I believed to this day that no one could have such a presence, besides the General Demon of Two horns. Who is this person? "Greetings, peoples from Galia. I am Jemur, commander of the sixth legion of Acme soldiers of the General Demon of Two horns, of the army of Iren". Without even thinking about it, I introduced myself, expecting the same from him. It is not the usual announcement, but a genuine presentation of my person and rank. "Greetings soldiers from Iren. I am Argent Makoto, an Aristoi. I have taken residence in Galia and on behalf of the city, I have come to make a deal". An Aristoi? With his bearing, it is possible, but ... A deal? As if he could read my mind, the man dissipates my confusion with his next words. "I want to challenge your leader to a duel. If I win, the intruders will leave Galia and the surrounding territory. If I lose, we will let you go up the road without resistance. Of course, once up, we will face you with everything we have, it¡¯s not as if we intend to give up without fighting". OH what is this? A challenge. And he says that even if they lose, they will not give up, despite abandoning their defenses along the way. But how much dignity! I never dreamed of the opportunity to fight in combat with an Aristoi, and even more, this man with a presence like that of the General. I cannot miss this opportunity. "As the commander of this army, I accept the challenge". "Very well. Follow us, we will guide you to the place of combat. I will order the guards along the way to let you pass". "Oh. So will we fight up?" "Of course. The people of Galia must also witness the confrontation. Moreover, if I lose, you will have already crossed the road, so if I die, I will have done it after fulfilling my part of the deal". How admirable! I can''t wait to kill this great man with my own hands! Okane o subete sekai e chikara 19 - Confrontation

Chapter 19

Confrontation

Naturally, I always had doubts about my plan, after all, there were several uncertainties and it was risky. Although after talking with Commander Jemur, I knew. I will succeed, as long as everyone fulfills their role. The first time I spoke with the director something strange happened. At one point, he began to emit something like a slight red glow, which nobody seemed to notice. This happened after I revealed as a nobleman and he showed his respects ... It was when he stopped being honest with me. I suspect it was caused by << Scammer''s Terror >>. It''s not like I need it to read people, but with this fooling me is impossible. Because of this and my own ability, I know that the commander completely bit the hook. "Of course, it''s a bit complicated to accommodate several thousand men at the site of the confrontation". "No problem, only 300 of my men will accompany us to Galia, another hundred will stay on the way up, ensuring the watchtowers to make sure they let the rest pass when I win". "Then I hope that when I WIN, you will do your part and leave this territory. I would also like to be given free passage". "Do not worry". This man doesn''t even contemplate the possibility of losing. Going forward, I ordered the guard of the first tower not to intervene and sent someone to pass the message to the others. I also told him to give notice to people in Galia. Although it''s just to support the director, who at this time must have already spoken with the mayor and city guards. If going down the mountain was tiring, climbing it is even worse ... this wicked armor weighs a lot, luckily there''s some distance between the men of Iren and I, they won''t notice that I strive just to walk. It is a key factor that they see me as someone strong. Everything I''ve done so far, even my own life, depends on what happens in the next few hours. I will let you see that the winner is not the strongest, but the smartest. ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó The admirable man, Argent Makoto, has kept his word. My men and I passed the road to Gaul without problems, even if they try something now, we have already taken the towers and secured the path. Once up, we met about a hundred or more people watching us, fearful. Simple flies fluttering. You are about to see me kill the only worthy among you. In the place which Argent Makoto refers to as "The Arena", some platforms with people in them surround a large circle of lawn. Among them strange columns that look like street lamps, but are large and without candles or fire, but crystals instead lit the place completely. As I approach I find the golden armor on the floor in front of me. "I present this gift for accepting this confrontation, if you wish you can use it for combat or not". Even without their armor, the clothes he wears are splendid, they look even more valuable than the armor, even if it''s made of gold, the metal with high corrosion resistance. I don''t have to think about it, I was going to take it after beating him, there is no difference in having it now. But it amazes me that he is not going to use it, or that he did not wear other armor in its place. "Take it". By sending my men for the armor, I see that even with two they find it difficult to lift it, another soldier go help them and between three they hardly take it out of the arena ... This man went down and back up the mountain using that armor and it did not even seem to bother him. Maybe he''s stronger than me ... I have no doubt about it. "Commander Jemur. To make this a fair fight, I would like us to use the same weapon. These spears you see here, they were made with a substance that is still in development, but the current product has a terrible deficiency, it''s toxic. Minimal contact with the skin is a death sentence". A young woman who wears the clothes of academics approaches with a cart that contains half a dozen spears, but instead of the typical sharp metal points, on the wooden rods there is something black, which does not resemble anything I has seen before. It does not look sharp, but if it''s poison, then it won''t matter. "Normally we would not use something like this as a weapon, but upon learning that you were coming, we had to prepare ourselves with what we had". "So it is a warning that if we fight them, we will face spears or maybe even arrows impregnated with an unknown poison. Threatening". "Being something prepared quickly, not even I am used to its use, so it will be something new for both of us. If you don''t mind, I''ll let you choose which ones we should use". "Truly, a fair fight". Without much thought I choose two of the spears, one for me and another I handed to the girl who brought them, who nervously took it and trembling slightly takes it to Argent Makoto. I am not surprised that is nervous, is carrying something that can kill her if she touches what she should not. "I hope it doesn''t bother you if she takes care of giving the signal to start". "I have no problems with it". "I imagine your men will not interfere in the fight, no matter what". "As long as yours do not, they would not interfere even if it was a king of Iren who ordered it. A combat is a sacred act that bears the honor and pride of those involved". Even if they were the king, they would be executed by my men if they tried to interfere. Rather, no one who did something like that would become king. "Alright then". Taking the spear and standing in front of me, separated by a distance of 12 and a half meters, Argent Makoto looks at me with an air of superiority, while the girl runs out of the arena. Then, to the surprise of all present. Including the girl, her guards, the rest of the people of Galia, but above all, to my surprise, he drives their spear into the ground next to him. Completely unarmed, he crosses his arms and looks at me with disdain. "Anytime, Zera". What is this man thinking? I knew he was suicidal from the moment they challenged myself to a fight, but this borders on stupidity. Even the girl hesitates to announce the start of the fight. ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡óThe author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "Wh-L-Let the confrontation begin!" Without wasting time, Jemur shoots forward by the impulse of his legs, cutting the distance between him and Argent in an instant. As soon as the fight started Argent extends his hands. But it''s too late to take his spear now. "You are mine!" Suddenly, far from the arena, behind Argent''s back a great explosion occurs. All eyes point in its direction, except those of Jemur. An experienced warrior knows that he must never look away from his opponent. "Such an absurd trick doesn''t affect me!" Convinced that his adversary''s source of confidence came from knowing that the explosion would occur at the right time to blind him, Jemur savored the victory by not being affected by such nonsense. "It''s all over". The light of the explosion had not yet subsided when Jemur reached the distance of attack, but the weight of his weapon, which he held with practiced firmness, had vanished. As the blinding light disappeared, the people in the arena again focused their attention on the two men facing each other. To everyone''s surprise, Jemur was motionless, with the black tip of a spear just inches from his neck. A spear held by Argent. "As I said, it''s all over." The spear Argent had previously stuck to the ground was still there. The spear in his hands was none other than Jemur''s, who was unarmed and stunned. "I am the winner". "...I accept my defeat". After these words, Argent lowers the tip of the spear and nails it to the ground next to the other. From the beginning to the end, Argent remained in the same place. Jemur couldn''t understand what happened, he did not even notice the moment when the spear was taken from him, but then he understood the strategy of his enemy. "He had it planned from the beginning ..." In a combat with poisoned weapons without a sharp edge, there is no difference between a suit or an armor, since one dies on contact. He took off his armor and bet everything at speed. When he left his spear on the ground, it was to free his hands and thus snatch Jemur of his spear, something unexpected and therefore, with some margin of effectiveness. But why would anyone want to bet everything at speed when he obviously had confidence in his strength? After all, someone capable of wearing heavy armor made of gold as if it were nothing, of course doesn''t doubt his strength. Fight without counting on the factor that is your advantage ... Certainly a fair fight. Jemur could not help but admire the man in front of him. He was the second to defeat him in an incomprehensible way, just as the General Demon of two horns did. "Now, I''d like to know what that explosion was". "What did you say?" Surprisingly, it seemed that Argent didn''t know the cause of the explosion. No, a man like him would certainly not try a cheap trick like that, there is no doubt that he is not related, thought Jemur. Then who? An idea crossed Jemur''s mind. "The Mercenaries maybe?" While scratching the idea, a man dressed as an academic came running to the arena. "Mr. Argent, this is bad, the explosion happened in the academy. Apparently the cave began to collapse and the outer academy is on fire". "What !? Quick, we must put out the fire, turn to the water crystals, do not allow it to spread to the city!" "As Mr. Argent says!" After seeing the academy for a moment, Argent looks at Jemur. "Right now there is an emergency". "If so, allow my men to help". "... All right, I won anyway, so you won''t attack us right?" "...That is right". After arriving at the site, where a lot of academics and several citizens were carrying buckets of water, which were filled by one of the academics who carried a blue crystal from which water flowed. Argent approaches the nervous girl from before. "What happened?" "M-Mr. Johan ... he says the explosion seems to have originated deep in the cave". "Johan. What do you know about this!?" Another academic, Johan, approaches Argent, wearing a desperate look. "Mr. Argent ... I think this is my fault. The explosion ... Probably happened in the room where we stored the mineral". "The one that was going to be used to illuminate the city?" "Tha''ts right". Without wasting time, Jemur brings out his doubts. "They talk about the big lamps that were in the arena?" "That''s right, those lamps are called <> and they work using an unstable mineral that was still under investigation". "So this was just an accident?" "It seems". With everyone''s work, the flames were contained, but the damage to the academy ... The losses were total. Every citizen in Galia had gone through a storm of emotions. First they learned that they were invaded, then they would live since an Aristoi fought and won in their name and finally, after the surprise of the explosion and the exhaustion of fighting with the flames, they were contemplating the ruins of what was the magnificent AS Academy of Galia, the pride of all. The most affected without a doubt, were the academics, all of them were looking at the floor where they had sat down to rest after putting out the fire. "Thank you for helping with the fire." "...Is nothing". "I know it is impolite. But I would like you to do your part of the deal now". "So it will be, my men would leave the territory of Galia immediately, it would damage my honor if we did not comply. I will not lose my honor to take prisoner a city of men of letters". "Don''t forget. ALL intruders must leave Galia, that was the agreement". Argent''s words were sharp. Jemur soon understood that the man next to him was undoubtedly extraordinary. Even maybe more than ... "Men! All those who are here under Iren''s order. I order them to retire!" The strong words echoed in the city streets. Upon confirming that one of the mercenaries had heard him, Jemur undertook the withdrawal, followed by his army. ... "As planned". ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó Days after the confrontation. Having confirmed that the "Refugees" had left Galia. The Academics, my guard and I meet on the outskirts of the city, next to a forgotten house. The same one Ryuuji was living in. "It worked, as Mr. Argent said!" "Did you have any doubt? Mr. Argent is a genius". "But Berta, you also feared they would discover us". "D-Don''t be ridiculous, I always trusted Mr. Argent would make it, n-not for a second I thought he would die stabbed by Iren''s man". "Are the artifacts safe director?" "That''s right, young Ryuuji take good care of them". "Even so, the academy ..." "The cave doesn''t matter, the important thing is us, the academics and the artifacts of AS ... I wish I could have saved them all and maybe some of the books." "Sorry if my plan was not able to preserve the valuable artifacts that the academy take care of". "You don''t have to apologize, Mr. Argent. Anyway, all the artifacts of the academy were already studied a lot, especially the large ones that I couldn''t take without being discovered. It''s a blessing to have saved these, not just that, even that the city ??is now safe and stay free". "Sorry to bother you, but could you explain what happened?" "Ah, Andreu right?" "Yes, the captain also doesn''t seem to be aware of exactly what happened, if it doesn''t bother you, could you tell us?" "Sure. First you must know that the city had been infiltrated for a long time, you may not know it because you were with me since your arrive, but many came saying they were refugees from Galatea. Actually they were men working for Iren". "What? How did you know?" "Well, they looked rude to be simple villagers and the truth didn''t look like they had run for their lives for days to get to Galia. In addition some of them possessed the aura of warriors". "Oh. You''re amazing, but how did you know we weren''t enemies too?" "Because of Ryuuji. He recognized you as his saviors and as people from the city where he was. Ryuuji is a nobleman and speaks a language that no one but I could understand, so there is no way he would be manipulated to lie. His word was the truth". "I see. After all, you didn''t trust us unconditionally". "I''m sorry if that bothers you". "On the contrary. I am honored to know that the lord I now serve is an intelligent man and not a naive one". "Thank you. The second is that I only told the director about the infiltrators to avoid any possibility of them discovering how much we knew. He could gradually take out the small artifacts from the academy without anyone noticing. I arranged for this place I bought to be our hide, I asked Ryuuji to take care of this house and live in it". "Wasn''t that very dangerous? Leave him alone ..." "If he was alone, it was more difficult for them to suspect that he was taking care of something valuable". "I see". "Third. I commissioned Johan to accumulate the mineral knowing that it was explosive, although Johan didn''t know anything about my plan". "You really made me believe that it was all my fault". "Excuse me for that. I arranged everything for the explosion to happen while fighting in the arena while everyone was watching us, so that there would be no one near the explosion. After losing the academy and artifacts, there was no good reason for Iren to conquer us, so I hoped that the army commander would not throw away his honor in vain". "No doubt a risky bet, but considering that we talk about a commander of Iren. Perhaps he would have kept his word even if the academy was still here". "Even so, I preferred to give him help to decide". "You certainly had a great weight on your shoulders". "Even so, I didn''t know you was such a powerful warrior. You defeated an Iren commander! And he was from a legion of the Demon of two horns, those troops are entirely Acme Soldiers, the apex of the military world, the perfect soldiers". Said a very hyped captain. "That also surprised me, I knew he was smart, but he is also stronger than I could imagine". Interceded the director. "Mr. Argent is the best!" After raising his voice to praise me, Zera blushes completely and bends down to hide his face. "Well, it''s all over. I''m glad I helped. I think my duty is done. I will leave enough money for the construction of a new academy and to finance the projects for years to come. It is time for me to continue on my way". "Honestly, I''m sorry I doubted you. I don''t know how we could pay you" Apologized the director. "Don''t worry". After all. I already charged my fees. Okane o subete sekai e chikara 20 - Surprised?

Chapter 20

Surprised?

When do you think it was? The moment my plan started ... After discovering infiltrators in Galia? No. I already suspected that, seeing them only confirmed my fears. Maybe when Ryuuji and his escort arrived? Neither, although it was illustrative. Was it when I learned about Galatea''s fall down. The day I met the director? No. That day maybe I formed my final plan, including Iren''s attack. But the plan began much earlier. Was it perhaps when I got all that information in the academy library? No. To begin with one of the reasons for seeking that information was to be able to carry out my plan. If I had to look for the moment when my plan was born, it would be after my first night in Galia, after talking with the bartender. From my first days in Galia, I questioned my own safety. People in Galia perhaps had weapons, but they were cheerful and confident. One of the reasons I discovered Iren''s intentions quickly was that I had already thought the same. Galia could be taken if enough people infiltrated. It could happen little by little. After a while, entering one or two at a time, easily enough people would enter. Or something could happen that would allow many to enter at once. Being refugees from a neighboring town asking for asylum was one of the methods I thought at the time. Including Iren in my plan was not easy, in fact it was the most risky part, I had to put myself in danger. However, I would have the desired result with the greatest chance of success among the dozen plans I had during my first conversation with the director. Of course, I couldn''t execute my plan without first prioritizing my own security. The Half proved a good option in that. If at any time something went wrong and it was necessary to flee to save my life, I could do it. I could also save Ryuuji, as I made sure he was in a remote area of ??the city. Personally, the best option was to save them all, since they could be very useful and would have good impressions of me, and Zera has been an excellent servant, but convincing him that it was necessary to leave others would be more annoying than beneficial. Ryuuji wouldn''t even need to know the fate of his guards. If the worst happens, everyone else is expendable. Even if I didn''t get the help of the Half, if it was me alone I could run away using the hang glider that was among the artifacts of the academy. According to the information I obtained from the books. The people of Iren have a great sense of honor. But in turn they openly discriminate against the weak and inferior. Only the strong matter. I found then that they despise even the nobles, with the exception of those of Iren and the Aristoi. That was an advantage. I had to make sure not to be underestimated, otherwise my offer would not be taken into account and negotiations would be impossible. My acting skills are impeccable, but I had to cover a somewhat new aspect for me. I needed to look strong and powerful. That''s why I ordered that two armors be manufactured. The golden armor would serve, both to be very flashy and thus make sure that the guards in the watchtowers noticed and remembered me, pretending that my strength was enormous. The key in all this, is that nobody outside the ones close to me knew about my item bag, even they don''t know their capacity. Here it was very important that the information of the academy stopped leaking, luckily I got it done by making everyone reside in the cave. The armors must appear to be incredibly luxurious and ostentatious, as well as formidable. But one would only be appearance and in fact it would be made of light materials bathed in a thin layer of gold. The other would be made of pure gold, to make it extremely heavy.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. When I went to the smith and handed him a small mountain of gold coins, it was hard for me to keep him from passing out. For a moment he complained that melting coins was prohibited, although telling him that my payment would be as many of those coins as they could fit in his two hands convinced him in the act. During my journey down and up the mountain I used the fake armor. Once up, before the commander reached us (here the slope of the mountain helped), I put the false armor in my item bag and took out the real one, then I left it on the floor and offered it as a gift. Woala! Fake super strength. I must say that it was important to get all that explosive mineral. When I learned that it was volatile and could explode, I knew I could do it. Before that, I simply thought of burning the academy and trying to make the chemicals in the laboratories cause the explosion, although I doubt it would have been a powerful one. Although at first I wondered how to make it explode at the exact moment, having the Flying Half was a great help. While everyone was looking towards the arena, I arranged for one of them to go to the academy and start the fire that would cause the explosion. With the help of the siren they could hypnotize the guard if he had not left his post to see me fight. It was very important that the explosion occurred at the right time, so in advance I asked Zera to announce the start of the fight and wait for my signal to do so. When I saw that the Half flew out of the academy I knew it was time. Without the explosion, they could have discovered my trick. The "Spears" were actually simple wooden sticks with rubber at the tips. Obviously I wasn''t going to fight someone with a real weapon, that could kill me. Although a blow with that could hurt, I don''t think it hurt me badly. I used the rubber that made by the black machine that Zera called Kalasta. It was one of the many things I commissioned to the artisans of the city, along with the platforms and reflectors to place the light mineral. So that there were no major suspicions about the origin of the explosion. Making Zera deliver them would increase credibility, since he is shy and would undoubtedly get nervous, it would seem that he was afraid to touch the rubber of the spears. And it was important that they were not weapons, since my ability << What''s mine is mine >> doesn''t work on equipment. When the explosion happened. The toy spear that I "lent" to Jemur returned to its owner at the same moment I wanted it. Surprised? I''m sure that cocky soldier was. Since I spoke with him for the first time, I knew he was an egocentric with an air of superiority, without a doubt he would not reject any request for "equality". He had lost before we started. This is something that nobody else knows, and they don''t need to know. Those who believe that strength can defeat intelligence ... Live deceived in their ignorance. This world, like the earth, is the world of the clever. To begin with, the human is not even close to being the strongest species, let alone in this world. But anyway it is the dominant race. Intelligence and creativity, as well as information management. These are the weapons of we which have no strength. Intelligence created the artifacts protected in the academy. That was surely something Iren wanted. So it was important that they believe they were destroyed. The director took out the small artifacts long before the explosion. What he doesn''t know is that I took out the rest of the artifacts, as well as the books from the libraries. After all, they are very valuable to get lost. From the first time I had access to the interior library, I realized that the information in those books was valuable, especially since the books were covered with so much dust, which certainly had not been read in decades, perhaps more. I spent many days and nights reading them, but even with my reading speed, they were too many. So I began to store them in my item bag, those that would be obvious I replaced with books I bought in the library open to the public, so as to save time. As both libraries burned and the cave collapsed, there is no evidence of my actions. This is undoubtedly an appropriate payment for saving the city. These artifacts and books will be very useful for me to climb to the top of this world. But to achieve that I need to leave Galia, I can''t meet my goal from a remote city like this. My next goal is Jagheb, apparently the most civilized kingdom in this area. The bartender spoke wonders of its capital city and the advanced technology it possesses ... I must have it. As for Galia. Well, maybe they can get the academy running again. But that Iren isn''t going to attack them doesn''t change the fact that they are isolated. In an isolation situation like this, money is food, all those coins that I have given as payment to the people of Galia will lose their value when they realize that they cannot trade. At that time, those who will have the power will be the ones who provide the food, and will not want to sell it for pieces of metal that they cannot eat or spend. The internal market of Galia will collapse, among the first businesses to fall there will be weapons stores, since there are no enemies and everyone already possessing one or two weapons to defend themselves, they will not need new ones in the short term. Perhaps there would be no major problems if they had a strong leader, but that unusable mayor who had no role in any of this, unable to recognize the weaknesses of a fortress city, and unable to do anything other than watch me fight. There is no way he can avoid chaos. Many will probably die, but when their numbers are reduced and things calm down, they will be fine, since the city is self-sufficient. Of course, they will no longer hope to progress. But that doesn''t affect me, from the beginning I knew that I should leave this stuck in time city. I just hope that academics survive all that, and keep working for me, paying their debt of gratitude. From time to time I will send a Harp to monitor their progress and claim the progress they make on my behalf. If they manage to do something of value, in addition to what I have already taken, then I will reward them for their effort. Okane o subete sekai e chikara 21 - Zera鈥檚 worries II

Chapter 21

Zera''s worries II

No NO no NO no no no NO. Why? Why? Why? What should I do? Why? NO NO what should I do? After Mr. Argent, the admirable man who helped us on the day of the equinox, agreed to finance the academy, he became the sole and great benefactor of all Galia scholars. Under his wing, the academy went through several reforms that made it much more efficient. The academics, including myself, now live within the academy. Considering that before there were many who spent sleepless nights investigating or conducting experiments, this gives them the possibility to take a break at any time they need it and return to their work immediately. There is even a restaurant with a bar so we can eat and everything was bought with Mr. Argent''s money. Meanwhile, Mr. Argent spends days and nights in the inner library, sometimes he takes some books to read them in his room calmly. He is a man completely dedicated to science and knowledge, an example to follow for all academics and is above all, a kind and admirable man who cares for all of us. To my surprise and joy, he asked me to be his assistant. I never thought that one day I would be happier than when I passed the academy test. But that someone so wonderful asks me to work by his side ... If only he was aware that I am a woman, it would be perfect. EVEN SO!! I, who was chosen by himself to assist him, have failed him, I have made an unforgivable mistake. During the first of the commissions outside the academy he made, he asked me to take care of a valuable object, no matter where I looked at it, the object was some kind of artifact, perhaps from another AS academy. And I was given the task of taking care of it while making some purchases and orders ... I lost it... EARTH SWALLOW ME! I am not dumb, like the money for purchases, I put the object that Mr. Argent gave me in my bag extremely carefully and I started up. While shopping, I regularly checked that all the money and the item were in place. On one of those occasions, I noticed that it wasn''t. I already traveled three times the route I took today and I couldn''t find it, nobody in any of the stores or market stalls saw it. I do not know what to do... I only have left to ... Confess and apologize. Mr. Argent is a great man, I feel he will not punish me, at least not directly, at most he will give me tougher jobs ... Or maybe ... He will fire me as his assistant ... Huuuuuuu ... No, even if he doesn''t punish me at all, just knowing how disappointed he will be of me makes me feel a pain in my chest that I can''t describe in words. I''m scared. Afraid of what he would think of me, of the expression he will do when I tell him ... That he won''t smile at me like he did until now. Huuuuuuuuuuuu... I only delay the inevitable. The worst thing is that, when I think about whether someone can help me out of this predicament, the first one that comes to mind is Argent himself ... I must tell him, if its him, maybe he can think of something to find it and the sooner he knows better. ... "Don''t worry about that, you did a good job". Eh? "There are more things I want you to do". "Y-Yes! Anything!" I don''t understand, I find it hard to believe that someone is so equanimous, even Mr. Argent, but the smile he showed me was sincere, I would even say that more than normal, as if something had made him happy ... It will be that this .. Was it a test? To know if I would tell him the truth? ... No, I don''t think so, he wouldn''t do something like that. I''m just glad he is not disappointed in me. "By the way, what do you know about Posei''s crystals?"If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "Do you mean those who can store and release large amounts of water?" "That''s right. I know there is a lake in the forest of Galia. Galia is not a village, but a city, it would not be reasonable for everyone to make trips to the lake to have water on a daily basis, so I thought of Posei''s crystals, they should have some". "Well, in Galia there are two of them, one in the academy and the other in the mayor''s office, from there they supply water for the needs of the citizens". "I see, it means that in case of fire they have a portable and efficient water source". "W-Well, yes?" "Good to know. Thank you, you are a great help". Test or not, I wouldn''t be able to lie to you. ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó Mr. Argent has revealed to us that a great danger is approaching, the army of Iren that took Galatea days ago comes for us. If you think a little the academy is valuable, like its artifacts, it is not uncommon for them to want it, but we don''t have much, while Galia''s defenses are very good in comparison. The director said that Iren was not likely to attack us, but if Mr. Argent says so ... I have no doubt that we are in great danger. Today, Mr. Argent and his guard have gone on a mission to get the help of the Flying Half that are higher up the mountain. Unfortunately I would only delay them. On the other hand, he entrusted me with the important mission of helping the young nobleman who came as a refugee from Galatea ... What was his name? Ryuujoi, yes, something like that. He is a noble foreigner who speaks in a language that nobody, not even the director knows, only Mr. Argent. Not only does he know the language, but he speaks it fluently. Thanks to that, the young man who had been incommunicado was finally able to speak with another human being. If it were me, if I could only speak with one person in the whole world, if that were Mr. Argent, it would suffice ... I don''t even know what I think, even now we speak the same language, even so I can barely speak to him. When I am close to him my heart speeds up and my head is spinning. Besides, I am ashamed of all my mistakes and the worst, I still can''t get him out of the misunderstanding .... Huuuu ... He keeps thinking I''m a boy. It depresses me. It depresses me a lot. Not only because of the misunderstanding, but because he don''t realize that I am a woman. I know I''m not very developed for my age, no doubt not like Berta, but I''m not an ironing board either! It''s the uniform''s fault! The academy uniform! Yes! That must be, it''s not possible that someone as intelligent as Mr. Argent could mistake me for a boy, if it weren''t for this uniform that covers everything, if he could see me without him, surely ... AAAAAAAH !! E-Wha-what am I thinking !? ... A couple of days passed without Mr. Argent. Finally he was back from his mission, unfortunately, the Half of the mountain didn''t want to help us, they dared to reject Mr. Argent''s request! But that was obvious, if it weren''t because it is Mr. Argent, I wouldn''t believe they could be convinced. The simple fact that he could communicate with them is cause for wonder. But they had no reason to risk their lives against Iren''s army, they can fly after all. Mr. Argent looked unhappy when he told me. You don''t have to feel bad, it''s impossible to think badly of you, you did what you could. I suffered and regretted myself when I was wrong and I almost needed courage to return and confess. You did nothing wrong. If an unworthy one like me could be forgiven, you don''t even need to be forgiven. In spite of everything, Mr. Argent has no intention of giving up and I ... I''m not afraid anymore. I know he will find a way to save us, I fully trust even with my life in Mr. Argent. ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó It is simply majestic. Mr. Argent''s presence was always incomparable to the rest, but right now it shines with a blinding glow. Not only did he save Galia, but he did it by defeating with his own hands an Iren commander in a fair fight. He did it without even using his weapon or armor, with his bare hands he snatched the spear from the enemy and forced the victory that seemed impossible. Apparently everything was part of a great plan. The director was aware of this and saved many of the artifacts of the academy, but even he could not predict that Mr. Argent would challenge the enemy commander to a duel and defeat him. What immeasurable blessing we have received by knowing him. I will do it. After such an act of courage, I cannot cow anymore. I must speak and resolve the misunderstanding and then ... "It is time for me to move on". "Time for me to move on". "... For me to move on". Move on... ?Eh? ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó No NO no NO no no no NO. Why? Why? Why? What should I do? Why? NO NO what should I do? No NO no NO no no no NO. Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? NO NO. What should I do? What should I do? What should I do? What should I do? What should I do?... Huuuuuuuuuuu... Mr. Argent leaves. Considering his curious nature, he will continue visiting other academies, it will be years before he returns to Galia, if he comes back. After the matter of Iren was resolved, he decided to go up once more to talk to the Half. Perhaps they did not intend to risk for us in combat, but if it''s in a situation of peace, it may be possible to have agreements with them, at least Mr. Argent said before leaving. When he returns, he will leave Galia and I will not see him again. Are you okay with that? Of course not! But you will let him go? What else can I do? From the beginning I knew that someone like him would not stay long in a small city like this. Then he will leave and you will never see him again. There is nothing I can do to stop him! And stopping him is the only solution? Eh? If he is not going to stay and you don''t want to separate from him, then the solution is simple. ... Finally, Mr. Argent returns from the top and prepares for his trip outside Galia. If I do nothing, this will be the last time I see him, listen to him, feel his presence near me ... "M-M-Mr. Argent!" "Mm? What''s up Zera?" You can do it. It''s swimming or drowning now! "P-Please, let me accompany you! Argent !!" "Sama?" "Sama?" Eh? what is he saying about "sama" I don''t understand ... But more importantly. "S-So what does you say?" If at any time in my life I am going to press someone for an answer, it''s now! Okane o subete sekai e chikara 22 - What happened on the peak

Chapter 22

What happened on the peak

Everything went well. The Half are already on my side. After my plan paid off and the invaders left Galia, I decided it was time to leave, but it was necessary to speak once more with Gara''kat. This time I went alone, I told my guard that everything was already solved and they deserved a rest and that if they could waste time taking care of me, considering that the Half had not shown hostility, they could use it better in training Ryuuji. Of course I didn''t climb the mountain by myself, I won''t go through that torture again. Being alone, I was able to give the signal to the Harp who was watching me all the time, so he took me to the nest quickly. My shoulders got a little numb where he hold me, but that was the only discomfort. Once up, Gara''kat and the others welcomed me like a star. They were somewhat doubtful when I told them how I planned to stop the attack on Galia, but after seeing it they were very surprised. "I knew you were an amazing fellow, but I never thought how much" Gara''kat said. Ren was still looking at me suspiciously, but I brought a present that diverted her gaze from me, after all, it is assumed that going up and down should take about two days, which means I should eat and preferred to invite her to eat human food with me rather than try the Harp''s cooking. Besides, it was a way to appeal to her. Her appearance is something like that of an angel, but seen from another point of view, unlike the Harp, she can pose as human with the appropriate clothes. It means that she could accompany me without raising suspicion, her singing can be very useful to waste it. At our first meeting, I let Gara''kat know that I was thinking of a better future for his tribe. He didn''t show much surprise, after all the muscles of his face must have tired of so many surprises. On the other hand, Ren did act in an exaggerated way. "What makes you think we need your help!?" She said, making it clear that my suspicions were true. I have to make sure she don''t release information that easily when she''s with me. It''s not as if there would be many who understand what she says, but better be prepared. I was straightforward with them. Their tribe had been on Galia''s mountain for a few centuries, but their number was a few dozen, including women, children and the elderly. Their ability to reproduce shouldn''t be very different from humans, so that led me to the conclusion that they were not thriving. "After all, we are very limited here". Those words from Gara''kat reminded me of what he said in our first meeting. ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó "I think I understand your plan Mr. Argent, but I''m not sure if it will work. Personally, I would rather not put an ally of the sky tribes in mortal danger after barely knowing him, but I will respect your decision. Of course, I will make sure that some of my best men are always watching you, in case things go wrong". "I didn''t expect less from you, I was really going to ask you the same thing, I would like one of them to pick me up by giving a signal, in case the enemy commander doesn''t fulfill his part of the agreement, or if he doesn''t even think about letting me talk". "I can''t think of how silly I would be if I let a man as valuable as you die at the hands of a guy who doesn''t even deign to listen to your honorable proposal". "Thank you very much, later I will give details to your men so that everything goes well. Before I leave, I would like to hear the story you talked about before". "So be it". Generations ago, when Gara''kat''s great-great-grandfather was a child, his tribe was displaced from the fertile lands where they lived, because of a tribe of <> who went to the place fleeing from humans, which expanded to Length and width of the continent. The Harp are fast flying and agile fighters. But they couldn''t compete with the Raptors, who possessed scales hard enough so that the Harp''s claws could not penetrate them. And in a matter of brute force, well, the Raptors crushed them plainly. To avoid unnecessary losses, the chief of the tribe at that time decided that it was better to flee and find another place to live. It was a good decision, the problem was that his tribe wasn''t the only one displaced. Several other tribes also so they had to keep running eastward, until they finally reached the mountains of the continental shore. In the place, they met four other sky tribes who had arrived before. So they had to resort to the area that none of the other tribes wanted to approach, the mountain inhabited by humans. It''s not as if they couldn''t fight with the other tribes for a more privileged place. But they were sibling sky tribes who had arrived before them. After seeing how their people had been displaced from their homes and their endangered species, they could not see their brothers kill each other for a little better territory. Besides, they were tired of running away. When they nested in the highest relief of the mountain, they were afraid that at any moment the humans of the mountain would expel them. Perhaps they would not be exterminated, since they could fly, but if they had to flee even from there, their tribe would die before finding another place. To their surprise, they were not attacked and their tribe was able to overcome difficult times by subsisting on the mountain and avoiding flying where humans could see them as much as they could. A few years passed and Gara''kat''s great-great grandfather became a formidable Harp warrior. That same great warrior was the first to notice the presence of a human who was going to his nest. Any other would have brought down the human before he reached the nest and verify that they had settled there. Several of the tribe said that they had not been attacked because of this, since the Harp fly and humans don''t, they couldn''t know if they were on that or another mountain, since they had barely been seen when they arrived there. But Gara''kat''s ancestor thought differently. The human had done nothing to them yet and as he could see, his only weapon was a sword, which was not appropriate to attack the members of a sky tribe. He couldn''t kill an innocent, and the truth, he didn''t think he would cause them harm. "Against everything the tribe thought, my ancestor didn''t believe that the human was to bring them ruin, so he did the unthinkable, appeared before him. What a surprise it was to be greeted in Haldan by the human".The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. The human not only spoke Haldan, but he knew perfectly well that the tribe was on the mountain of Galia. But they never did anything against them, so humans responded with the same. Finally, curiosity surpassed the man and decided to go talk to the Half as if they were neighbors. "When he knew this, my ancestor disobeyed the orders and took the human to the nest, and stood between him and those who wanted to get rid of him". When they were up, the human was taken to the chief''s bonfire, where Gara''kat''s ancestor requested an audience. The old chief granted it after seeing the determination in the eyes of his loyal warrior. The results were as follows: The man offered to continue with the peace they had in recent years. He told them what kind of place was Galia, so it was unlikely that any other external force would attack the place. For this reason the man, who represented Galia at the time, thought it was better to have a peaceful relationship. He assured them that as long as he lived, no human would attack them. "Naturally, the words of the man were not received without suspicion, but my ancestor trusted him, his best instincts told him that the human was different from those who had begun the exodus of the Half on the continent by seizing their lands". As it was evident that humans already knew about them, there was no difference between killing the man or not. So the chief of the tribe followed the advice of his faithful aid and let the human go in peace. "The years passed and the human''s words were true, they were never invaded again. My ancestor could not suppress his feelings, so over time, he flew closer and closer to the human city, until that man climbed the mountain to meet him". The man was still curious about the tribe, but as a sign of respect he had not approached again. But feeling that Gara''kat''s ancestor wanted to tell him something, he risked climbing the mountain once more. When he began to do so, the Harp he met years before went to meet him immediately. "My ancestor and the man began to speak regularly. They became friends and shared stories, knowledge and laughter". The great-great grandfather of Gara''kat taught Harpian to the man, who showed a great capacity to learn. When he learned enough, he asked his friend to let him talk to the chief of his tribe once again. Needless to say, this time, the Harp did not receive him with the same hatred as the first time, but they still showed suspicion when they saw him return to their nest. The human presented himself for the second time to the chief of the tribe, this time in Harpian, surprising everyone present. "Did you teach him?" said the tribal chief to his warrior, who nodded without hesitation. The human was grateful for the teachings and trust of the ancestor of Gara''kat, for what in payment and as a sign of his friendship, he shared with them something he knew. There was a strong and light material that could be used to make weapons and armor for the sky tribes. It was so light that it would allow them to continue flying normally, but strong enough to withstand steel, even in thin layers. The man then presented them with a 5-color coin. A gift of friendship. Everyone in the tribe was surprised to hear of such a thing. All but the old tribal chief, who began to laugh loudly. "With this I have no doubt. This man is definitely an ally of the sky tribes. As you said years ago". The old chief shared a story of the past with the tribe and with the man. During the era of great wars, known to man as the era of legend. The Harp and the humans fought together the enemy that ravaged the world. They told stories of sky tribes who used weapons and armor, and continued to fly gracefully. If the sky tribes, who have superior agility and the ability to fly, also had weapons and armor that would not hinder them, they would be a fearsome force. But 5-color metal is extremely rare, and in the world after the era of legend, the only ones capable of obtaining it are humans. That a human offers something so valuable and dangerous to a sky tribe, leaves no doubt of his sincerity as an ally. "The old chief then named my ancestor as his successor, because of his success and his ability to see beyond the hatred between Harps and humans". ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó In that story, it became clear that the mountain of Galia was the only safe place for them, but it also meant that they could not leave, and the resources that can be obtained without interfering with humans is limited. So while the tribe is not in danger of disappearing, it does not prosper either. That is why I told them that I planned to acquire a territory where they could live and prosper. As an Aristoi it is not impossible for me. In this second meeting, I told him more about that plan. But it would be necessary to always maintain communication with the tribe and they should cooperate with me in everything. During dinner that night, I told them that Ren was able to walk beside me as if she were human without raising suspicion. I don''t usually enjoy nonsense, but even I laughed sincerely with Ren''s reaction. It was not just the face she put on listening to me, or the food she spat when she did it, but that depressed expression that she had while looking with empty eyes at the once delicious food she had spit. With her eyes fixed on the food on the floor, she had no strength to respond. Not even when Gara''kat proved me right. Because of this, I let her be for a while before telling her that by coming with me she would eat better things every day. Why end the fun fast? Even Gara''kat and the rest of the tribe enjoyed the moment. It''s good to strengthen ties with nonsense like these, probably some of them already feel the desire to protect me of their own volition, and not only for the orders or the duty to take care of an ally of the tribe. In the future, Ren''s singing will be very useful, so there is no problem in spoiling her from time to time, but I must also remind her constantly who is in charge. Oh yeah. In case you wonder why her singing didn''t work with me, well. It is a mental attack and while Ren has a high 53 in mind, she simply is no match for the special bonuses of my trade master suit. With +100 Mind and Resistance to negative effects. If you think that a mental attack will work on someone with more than double that stat than the attacker, you are dreaming. Surprise, I resisted it by having more stats than she. The next day Gara''kat showed me a stone with strange prints. << The proof of the alliance between us ¡ª-Gara''kat >> When he handed it to me, I took a pen and ink out of my item bag and put my name next to his. "So you also know how to read and write Harpian" He said. Well, this is thanks to << Borderless Trade >>. But it isn''t a perfect skill. Unfortunately I can''t write in any language. The translation effect is perfect, I can read anything, but if I write something, the shapes drawn by my hand do not change to adapt to the reader''s language. This is the weakness of the omnipotent translation, it is nothing more than translation, it does not alter the figures on the paper ... Or in this case the stone. This is just a signature so it doesn''t matter. I have the theory that its fair because I only need to read and sign so the ability weakness doesn''t affect reading, but it probably cannot do something as amazing as relocating the ink particles to form the writing of any language you want. And this is exactly what I have been thinking about this last day. I will need someone to write for me, but without making it clear that I can''t write, after all, it would be weird if I can read but not write. I need a secretary, or rather, an assistant, someone who wouldn''t question me because I never write. I already have someone in mind, I just need to find the time to ask for it. ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó "M-M-Mr. Argent!" Speaking of the king of Rome. "Mm? What''s up Zera?" The young Zera has always been shy, but today he is acting with an excess of nervousness, I''m curious to know what he is going to tell me. If I am correct, I think I already have my assistant. "P-Please, let me accompany you! Argent-sama !!" "Sama?" Eh? You are full of surprises, what does a Japanese honorific like that here and now? "Sama?" Hey? You have no idea what you just said? ... No, is not that. To begin with, I don''t hear what he says, but what the automatic translation judges he wants to tell me. In other words, Zera referred to me with such admiration and respect, that the automatic translation sought a way of expressing it that I could understand. Wow, Zera. To think that your admiration for me could overcome such a barrier and would be able to force << Borderless Trade >> to find a way to translate it into words. "S-So what does you say?" Haha, for a servant who shows a devotion to me capable of altering the automatic translation, there is no doubt that you will be useful to me. "I was about to ask you the same thing. Zera, will you accompany me on my journey to discovery and glory?" "YESSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!" "Very well, its decided. By the way, let me introduce her, she will accompany us on the trip. She is Ren". Giving place for Ren to come forward. I let Zera and the others lay their eyes on her. Although the overcoat I gave her to hide her wings and feathers doesn''t reveal much skin, her figure is that of a model and her fine facial features can enchant a man without needing to hear her song. Just look at Zera, he''s in Shock at seeing her beauty, I don''t care if you get along with her, well, if you can. ... "Eh...." The smile he put on when I told him he could accompany me hardened on Zera''s face, while his gaze was fixed on Ren. Here we have another one with interesting reactions. Okane o subete sekai e chikara 23 - The wheels start to spin

Chapter 23

The wheels start to spin

In the east of the Antei continent, there is one of the most sacred cities known to man. The sacred land of Acme. It''s in this place where the powers that govern the military civilization meet. In a large private room inside a building located in the most prestigious area of ??the city, members of the council of the warlords meet, sitting in front of a round table. "Everyone is aware of the news, I imagine". "Indeed. The sixth legion, sent by the General of two horns, returned empty-handed". "This will have consequences. Mobilizing more than 3,000 men for nothing is a waste of Iren''s resources". "Well, it''s not like the General had been directing them himself". "The legion commander was that promising young man, Jemur. The general promised a sure victory". "As I understand it, the legion was not defeated, it cannot even be said that they had a battle". "True. The report says the academy was made debris and ash". "In that case, there was no gain in taking that attempt of a city ". "We talk about a city that has been around for as long as ours, there is glory in conquering it. However ..." "However, the commander gave his word to leave the city alone if he lost, which was the case". "Hum. An unknown man capable of defeating a commander of Acme soldiers. I refuse to believe that such an individual exists without us knowing it until now". "And what about the General of two horns? He was a nobody, yet he defeated the most unlikely enemies one after another. A feat like that was done before". "We are talking about a man in a mill... No, in a billion. You cannot compare the general, the reincarnation of our glorious founder, with a guy we know nothing about". "I did not say that, I just say that it is possible for exceptional people to go unnoticed for some time, the general is the best example". "Although in the end, the powerful always come to light, attracted by the strength of others like them". ... "And will this affect the general in any way?" "I don''t believe it, no matter how much they say about it, as long as we support the general, he will be free to carry out his wishes". "That is our duty and reward. Soon the entire continent will be at the mercy of the general". All those summoned launched a great ovation in the air saying ... "Glory to the Demon of two horns". ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó In a building somewhat further away from the area of ??greater prestige, with a less ostentatious structure and still luxurious rooms, another group of council members meets. "Finally, a stain on the military history of the Demon". "Maybe we can use this opportunity to repress his power a bit".The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "It''s useless, as long as he has a council faction on his side, we have no power over him. Even one of the kings is with him". "Damn it. We should never have allowed him to go so far. Those fools of the Demon faction, if they knew what we ..." "You know we can''t tell them. It is our silent duty to protect the glory of Iren". "... What do we know about that matter?" "Our agents say the legion commander was Jemur, the prominent young man who completed the Acme test in less than a year". "Oh, so he ... If I remember correctly, he had great potential, if the demon had not appeared, perhaps he would have become general in other 20 years". "It is useless thinking about what would have happened ... On the other hand, the fact that he was defeated ..." "An Aristoi, that''s how the man who defeated Jemur in a clean fight introduced himself". "According to his description of what happened, everything happened in an instant, Jemur couldn''t do anything". "Someone who can do that ... At the level of the Generals? Or maybe, the Demon himself?" "It is possible. If true, he could be of value to our cause. It is necessary to monitor him". "Ha! And who would? Some of your men are able to infiltrate and follow an Aristoi who easily defeated Jemur without exposing himself and challenging him?" "No. I can''t say that I wouldn''t do the same if I had him in front of me". "We must settle with knowing of its existence in time, not like with the Demon. We should just keep watch at the foot of the mountain of Galia to find out if it makes any movement. We play with the advantage that it is in an isolated place, maybe we never know about him again". "Speaking of the surroundings of Galia. Didn''t the demon take a nearby town as part of his plan to conquer the city?" "That bastard. No Iren general should fall so low as to ask a disgusting mercenary to fight for him, even less someone who commands Acme soldiers". "Haha! Surely that''s why his plans went wrong, Ashma punished him for his dishonor!" "I thought you didn''t believe in Ashma". "That I don''t believe in the prophecy of the statue does not mean that I don''t believe in the deity. I simply not trust the interpretation made by priests. Those who do not support the glory of Iren are not trustworthy. Even the fools in the Demon faction believe that they do the best for Iren". "Still, because of them, the Demon is out of control". "Since he won the title of Demon of two horns, his authority is like that of the 4 generals together. Unless the entire council agrees, we cannot give him orders. The option that the kings do it is out of the question, the king of war has practically chosen him as his successor". "If that damn demon died at once ..." "Do you really think that a simple assassin could accomplish such a feat?" "I never talked about assassination. If I can''t kill him myself, I would never do something as cowardly as send someone else to do it for me. Before that I prefer him to get away with it". "There''s no use stopping him if we lose our honor in the process. That would be a stain on our glorious Iren". "I ask Ashma to give us the opportunity to avoid a disaster". ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó Iren, the country with the greatest military power known in the continent. It is governed by a trinity that maintains power balance. The King of Peace, in charge of all political and administrative matters. He is also the military strategist with the greatest authority. This position can be inherited, since it is the king himself who chooses a successor. In an environment where combat and glory are everything, hardly anyone could focus on learning what is necessary to fulfill as king of peace. This is why the children of the current king, who are raised under his supervision in everything necessary, are usually the best candidates. However, if they are not worthy, the king will not hesitate to choose someone outside his family. The King of War, the ruler of academies and military instructions. It''s also who directs the 4 Generals. In case of emergency, he assumes full control of Iren. For this reason, the King of War can only be the one who is recognized by all as the best of the Generals. Normally, one of the 4 generals ends up succeeding the king of war, since they are Iren''s strength. Finally, the third power of this trinity is << The Council of the Warlords >> Occasionally, one of the warlords ascends to the throne, but usually, the council is made up of the 27 leaders of the most powerful families in Iren. Together, council members possess an authority equivalent to a third King. However, the council is usually divided into factions that do not agree. And this is why they don''t have the authority to give me orders. Since only Iren''s kings or the whole council have the authority to order the General Demon, recognized as an exceptional case in the military world. As long as it continues, I can act freely. They were never important enough to worry about them. The only thing that worries me now is the news of my first failure. Although technically I did not fail, the fact that I did not possess what I intended to conquer is enough to irritate me. Well, if there really is someone out there capable of facing me, sooner or later I will find it on my way to the conquest of the world. For now, I will continue with my plan, after all I did not mobilize my forces just to take a sad academy in a lost place like Galia. They are currently nearing the eastern border of Jagheb, and another of my legions is already heading towards the western border. Normally, Jagheb is attacked in the south of its territory, but my intentions are not to attack them frontally for now, my goals are the AS academies. ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó "By the way, where exactly are we going sir?" "It is obvious captain, our destination is the academy closest to Galia, within the territory of Jagheb". Okane o subete sekai e chikara 24 - The mysterious young man II

Chapter 24

The mysterious young man II

Since a few days I became the royal guard of an important person, but it was not until recently, that I realized how important. In front of my eyes lord Argent defeated a commander of Iren, and not just any commander, but a subordinate of the Demon General. When he hired me I thought it was partly because of Ryuuji''s tranquility, but now I realize that it was only for that. Now every time I see him I feel that it''s me who is protected. When I train Ryuuji through him, I feel that there is nothing I can teach that he wouldn''t do better. It''s been only three hours since we went down the mountain, but we stopped on the trip. According to Mr. Argent, the trip will be long and we must maintain Ryuuji''s training on a regular basis, so it will be normal to stop two or three times every day. When we stopped the first time I asked honestly. "You sure I''m the one to train Ryuuji?" "Trust me captain, its better if you train him than if I do it myself". At that moment I thought of an old saying. They say that if you jump a bigger and bigger rock every day, the day will come when you can jump even a mountain, but if you start with the mountain the only thing you will achieve is to hurt yourself. As I see it, lord Argent is the mountain and we are the rocks, it isn''t possible for him to train Ryuuji because his level is too high. While we were training Ryuuji, Mr. Argent stopped to read a book on a rock. I must admit that I was distracted by watching him, I had never seen anyone read so fast. It is almost as if he only look at images one after the other, the pages move in a continuous flow. He suddenly stopped. He looked everywhere for a moment and then approached me. ¡°Captain, tell your men to prepare. We are surrounded¡±. Even for someone who lived many years as an adventurer, even I couldn''t perceive the presence of someone else. Even Mr. Argent''s senses are sharper than ours. For a moment I thought he was wrong, then I felt the presence of a dozen people around us. While I made silent signals, Mr. Argent said something to the young Ren, surely to reassure her, since no one but him can talk to her. Then the people around us approached and let themselves be seen. It was a group of armed men. Mr. Argent watched them for a moment, and then addressed one of them. ¡°I remember you. You were the ones who had infiltrated Galia¡±. "My name is Zilan, and we are effectively part of the force that infiltrated Galia on the orders of Iren''s soldiers". Although the man spoke with bravery, he couldn''t hide the cold sweat that ran down his face. He had also seen Mr. Argent beat Jemur. Now that I look at them well, despite outnumber us three to one, they all keep their distance. And his eyes are not fixed on me or my men, who carry weapons and armor. But all their senses are set on lord Argent. "What is the reason you were waiting for us here?" The man he was talking to staggered for a moment, and then knelt. The others imitated him. "Humbly, I ask you to allow us to serve you". The man said these words while trembling. Around us all the other mercenaries kept their eyes closed, afraid of what might happen. ¡°Correct me if I''m wrong. You made a deal with the soldiers of Iren, in which you had to finish off the defenses of Galia and in return you would receive the people of Galatea and Galia as slaves, in addition to probably taking possession of their belongings. Let me assume that you charged in advance, but the conquest of Galia was canceled, and now you fear the possibility that Iren''s men will claim what they gave you¡±.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The man''s eyes faltered a moment. ¡°Well, of course. That if the one who had canceled the attack had not been Iren''s own commander. So I assume that you should not have to face any kind of retaliation. What leaves me with a question, what is the real reason for you to separate from them and come to me? Depending on your response, I may have to cut your necks right now¡±. The man hesitated once more, and trembling, stared at lord Argent. ¡°We had to run away. We originally thought we were going to have the spoils of two cities, but we only had one. Then the thing got ugly when the most veteran members wanted to take the best part¡±. So it was an internal fight. Well, mercenaries are not the most reliable people in the world. ¡°And then you came to me for help. Forgive me if I think you are not very smart¡±. I don''t consider myself a very intelligent person, but the stupidity of these men obscures everything I have seen. ¡°But you''re lucky. I don''t feel like shedding your poor blood. You came to me to save you, and I will do that. Giving you work¡±. The stunned faces of the men showed that they didn''t understand what he was saying. ¡°What I am saying is that I am hiring your services, mercenary gentlemen. And you are lucky, because you will never find a better salary than the one I am going to give you¡±. The hesitant expression of the men brightened at those words. Around us they were on their knees and with their eyes closed, began to shake their heads up and down in thanks. Among them, the one who spoke directly with lord Argent came crawling to him, and kissed his shoes. A sign of how desperate they were, and how much relief those words gave him. "I am not interested in your thanks, I want you to tell me everything you know". ¡°We will tell you everything! Everything! From what the men of Iren ordered us, to what our boss said and where we were taking the slaves of Galatea!¡± The man wasted no time in telling us everything he knew. I will not lie, hearing information about the people of Galatea struck me a lot. Andreu and Khaden showed joy and relief knowing the whereabouts of the townspeople ... After all they are alive. " Ahh ". ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó "So what will we do now?" "What do you mean by that?" "Now that we know where they take the people of Galatea". Lord Argent looked at me for a moment, then his eyes looked at the others, and he said. ¡°We are less than 20 people. They are ahead of us for a week at least, not forgetting how many other dangers there are in the city where slaves are trafficked. Do you really think we can do something about it? Or do you even trust his words? As far as we know it could be a trap¡±. What he says certainly makes sense to me, but my head and my heart don''t reconcile. Now I know that the townspeople are alive, even where they are. I can''t help feeling the desire to go there, but I know perfectly well that I can''t do anything. Just as I couldn''t do anything the day Galatea was attacked, I can''t do it now. Nor could I do anything when Iren arrived in Galia. Now that I think about it. When I met Ryuuji, I thought he was the strangest person I had ever seen. A noble foreigner who doesn''t know how to speak any of the languages ??of the region, carrying a sword that seems dreamy, and occasionally exhibits demonstrations of superhuman strength. But after meeting lord Argent, I realized that was nothing. Despite being an adult, he has a youthful appearance, and a prodigious cunning like no others. Not to mention that there seems to be no end to the money he posses. I haven''t met many nobles, but even they must have limitations. But that doesn''t seem to apply to lord Argent. As if that were not enough, he made a plan to deceive the soldiers of Iren and even managed to defeat the commander who directed them. I think he is the real mysterious young man I''ve met. ¡°Our destination has not changed. We will continue on our way to the academy¡±. "Understood". "And about the mercenaries, don''t take your eyes off them". "As you order". It''s true. I don''t know what I expected. For a moment I thought we were going to rescue the people of Galatea. ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó Mercenaries are suspects, especially the man who spoke to me. Contrary to what it may seem, he''s a Half. He cannot hide it from the monocle. This tells me that he is not as stupid as he seems to be. I don''t know who he works for, but I assume his true intentions are to keep an eye on me. I may have drawn too much attention with the incident of Jemur and Iren''s soldiers, but I can use this in my favor. If information is a powerful weapon, disinformation is even more so. I''m sure he thinks he deceived me, but I will take advantage of him. It''s time to test one more merchant skill. In TLO there was a secret stat called <>, which was of interest when you manipulated other characters like NPCs that you used with summoners. In the case of the merchant it was possible to hire mercenaries. If people let themselves be influenced by money, before they know these men they will have sold me their loyalty. On the other hand, I had no problem making the others swallow the excuse of training Ryuuji, so that I could rest. After all, my stats aren''t made for walking without stopping. I thought that after moving away from Galia I could have some Half bring us closer to the academy, but these mercenaries interrupted us. I hoped we were alone to reveal Ren''s identity. After all, I can always manipulate them. But things would get difficult if the people of Galia, like the director, knew that the Halfs are already on my side. Okane o subete sekai e chikara 25 - Slaves鈥檚 Hero

Chapter 25

Slaves''s Hero

Huug ... The pain is not completely gone. It''s normal, if I think I have not received treatment, although that is a lot to ask in this situation. After all I am locked in a cage, being taken to be sold as a slave. I have barely been fed, to minimize losses in the event that I die from my injury. Now that I think about it, this is the first time that I remain conscious after finishing eating. I don''t remember how many times I woke up just to eat and become unconscious again, so I have no idea how long I''ve been like this. Looking around, there are other cages with people in them. In most there are several people inside the same cage, only a couple of people do not share a cage, in the other cases they are grouped together. There is one in which only the most attractive women in the town are found. That''s right, the slaves are from the town. I already knew what would happen, but it is depressing to see it with my own eyes. On my last day before waking up for the first time in this cage, I accompanied the captain and vice captain on an escort mission. We had to take a noble foreigner to Galia, since it could be problematic if he was discovered by Iren''s soldiers who were about to pass through the town. The following happened very fast ... We hear screams. It was the townspeople who feared for their lives. I don''t know the reason, but suddenly Iren''s army began an assault against Galatea. While my mind digested what was happening, I heard another scream, one of a different nature, a cry of anger and rage. I had never heard a similar one, the impression was so much that I get out of my mental span. It was the young nobleman, who started to head towards the town. I immediately tried to stop him, then he put his hand on my chest and I felt a strong impulse, even stronger than the time a Raktero hit me with his tail and threw me thought the air That is the last memory before being in this cage. ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó Fortunately, I have not suddenly lost consciousness again. Thanks to that, in the past two days, on the occasions when we stop and the guards gather in campfires to drink, I have been able to hold brief conversations with the prisoners of the nearest cages. I am ashamed to say it, but they were glad I was okay, apparently I had worried them. Unfortunately I cannot do anything to help, I feel bad that I cannot respond to that little hope they have after knowing that there is still a living member of the guard among them. Something that I have noticed and worries me, is that the other person in an individual cage is a child, if I am not mistaken, he is the son of the baker. That boy always cheerfully greeted the guard, especially Captain Rad. He always said he would grow up to become someone strong and protect his sister. I have no idea why, but he receives even less food than me. If the rations for the slaves are the minimum so that they remain in conditions and can work, my portion is the minimum to live, although my strength is diminished. But in the case of the child, it is perhaps half of that, even considering that a smaller body requires a smaller amount to survive, the fact that he is in such bad conditions as I was a few days ago, is a bad sign. ... Days go by and the child''s reactions are increasingly subtle, including his breathing. I begins to fear for his life. It is then that one of our jailers approaches accompanying a man with clothes visibly different from the rest. Possibly the slave trader boss. He seems to have come to observe the child''s condition, that''s good, he will realize that he cannot continue like this. "Wow, what do we have here, a corpse? Wake up brat, I want to tell you something". With a reaction as weak as that of a newborn baby, the child shakes his head slightly to observe the man with eyes that might seem closed if you don''t see them well. "Although I went through a bad experience, I am truly grateful to that commander of Iren. I almost discarded my important merchandise, a taboo for anyone who deigns to be a merchant. But everything is fine now, naturally I will not let you die without first having taken benefit from your miserable life. But I am not going to sell you to just anyone, after all you are still the brat who dared to hit me. So I will only accept to sell you to a very special type of client, one who has a certain preference for small children".Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. After that, the man gives the order to increase the child''s ration while smiling. Damn leech ... Naturally I was stripped of my weapon and armor, and with this wound I can''t even think of fighting bare handed. So even if I could get out of this cage, I couldn''t do anything ... No, I shouldn''t think like that, at least I must keep firm the will to do something in case I can get out of here. I''m glad I kept the spirit. Three days passed, today we stopped a short distance from a forest. The men are glad to be able to replenish wood to continue making bonfires on their trip. Throughout the journey they have been celebrating at night at the expense of the assets of the townspeople. Tonight they even opened some of the cages and took some women to have fun with them. Avoiding approaching the cage of the most attractive apparently, perhaps by an order. Although tonight is a horror for those poor women, it has been the best for the rest of us. While the guards were distracted, shadows came out of the forest and began to walk the cages, one of them approached me. Is a young boy covered by a dark and a little dirty hood. "You ... Are not surprised to see me". "That''s because I saw you leave the forest just now. You were waiting for the guards to leave their posts". "I see, you are a skilled man. I thought everyone would have been killed to avoid the possibility of riots". "Well, I wasn''t in town when it was attacked, they captured me outside while I was unconscious and injured, so I didn''t pose a threat". "I see. The fact that you speak so calmly means that you know our intentions". "I''m just optimistic and I expect the best scenario, which would be to be rescued by slave''s heroes". "Do you know about us?" "Only rumors. That you are a group of rebels that rose against the city of Garush, the main center of the black market in the region. Particularly against the slave traders. Since then the groups of slave hunters are more numerous to avoid problems". "Sorry about that. But we are only trying to save as many as we can while waiting for an opportunity to strike a real blow against those inhuman people". "So, are you going to get us out of here?" "..." "How many?" "From what we have observed, around 20 of your group are able to escape. The rest would only be a burden, reducing the chances of success ..." "And I am one of them". "I''m sorry". "Don''t worry, that at least 20 people are saved is a great relief ... What about the child?" "Although he was in bad condition before, now he seems to be fine. Besides there is fire in his eyes, he has the will to escape. He is one of the 20". "So you watched us for a while". "Although I am sorry to say it, we had to wait for an appropriate opportunity. Stopping by the forest, where we can lose them and also lower their guard while using women, is the best opportunity we can ask for". "I guess those women can''t be saved". "Sorry about that too". "You really like to apologize. You shouldn''t waste so much time talking to me, the guards might notice that something is wrong". "Actually, I wanted to ask you something". Among his clothes the young man takes out a sword and a bottle with a strange liquid. "Actually, as soon as we finish taking everyone out of their cages and separating the group we can take, we plan to run the horses and cause a scandal, meanwhile, the rest of the slaves will have their chance to escape on their own. I would like you to choose the group that you consider with the best possibilities and protect them from the dangers of the forest". "I thought you would only help those who could escape ... We are bait then". "..." "I accept, but I will not let the townspeople be sacrifices. I will cover their escape with everything I have". "I''m sorry, but this is just a stimulant to revitalize the strength, it''s not a healing potion of any kind". "It''s just what I need, now get me out of here and let me do my duty as a guard of the people of Galatea". After a moment of silence, the boy begins to force the lock of the cage, which yields with relative ease, demonstrating how skilled he is for this. Then he gives me the sword and the bottle of stimulant. Looking around, it seems that everyone is ready to continue with the plan. "Before I left, could you tell me your name". "You want to remember the name of a dead man? I am Conrart, third in command of Galatea''s guard, the left hand of Captain Rad and faithful follower of Selia, the baker''s daughter". "I feel like I heard something I didn''t meant to in the end". Everyone listened to it, but it doesn''t matter if they lose the respect they could have begun to feel for me, at least before the end, I want to tell someone. "If possible, I would like you to convey my last words". "If it''s a confe ..." "Just tell the boy who is there, that now it is up to him to take care of his sister, I expect great things from him". "... I''ll tell him. Good luck". "Thank you so much... For everything". After bowing his head with a serious look, the young man leaves and the situation proceeds as planned. Without hesitation I drink the stimulant and prepare to face the mercenaries who come in the direction of the forest. ... Not yet, GaAAG! ... Not yet .. Cof ... I still can''t die. So be only a minute, a second, a brief moment, every moment that I manage to stay alive, is a moment that the people of the town have to escape, so that Selia and her brother escape. I couldn''t say it before, but obviously Selia was in the cage of attractive women, so you can predict the fate that awaits her if they catch her again. No matter if it''s just a fraction of a second more ... I must give that moment of my life TO SAVE HER''S!! ... At least in the end, I was able to fulfill my duty, both as a guard and as a man. ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó ... And we are called the slave''s heroes? What kind of joke is that? We only sneak away like rats and take out those we know will not delay us, while we use others for distraction, all in order to oppose the traders. I had always felt bad about how pathetic we are, how pathetic I am. But never like today, that man is the real one, Conrart the slave''s hero. Okane o subete sekai e chikara 26 - True concern

Chapter 26

True concern

A couple of days have passed since the mercenaries joined us on our trip, since then nothing has happened that is worth telling. We have continued advancing and stopping regularly so that I rest and Ryuuji has his training. Although the mercenaries were not precisely planned, I think I can put them to good use once I can have them sufficiently controlled. As for the provisions for the trip, it''s not as if a dozen extra mouths were no problem, but I stored in my item bag enough food to continue as we are for a couple of weeks. Anyway I have made them hunt small animals and collect edible berries, fortunately the captain is well informed as to what you can and can''t eat in the area. Although the berries and fruits they collected were enough, they barely managed to capture a rabbit. For some reason there are few animals, moreover, we have not encountered any monsters in our path. Considering that even in secluded Galia, I met some minor monsters since the first day I was in this world, its suspicious that in all the way we have done, we have not seen any. Even if they were intimidated by our number, there is no reason not to see little monsters like the <> that according to the captain and the books of the academy, abound in the area. No doubt this is suspicious to me, which is why I had the Harp that follows us review the surrounding area. Apparently in the north, where we are going, there are still no monsters, while to the west he could see some ... Suspicious. During the nights we camp. Mercenaries sleep outdoors, since I didn''t bring tents for them. The captain and his men rotate the night watch, to keep them guarded. It''s while they sleep that I take the opportunity to alter things a bit using Ren. Something that I noticed from our first meeting, is that the victims of their song do not remember it, although if someone presents resistance like me, the sound can be annoying. Although it isn''t so if the effect is not directed at me, I not yet understand how that works, I thought the area of ??effect was as far as the sound could be heard, but it seems not to be so. In any case, if it''s done while they sleep it can exert a milder and imperceptible influence, which doesn''t generate mental gaps or suspicions. They don''t know it, but their desire to betray me is subjugated before it grow up and replaced by the desire to see the benefits of working for me. To control Ren doing this every night, I had to share a tent with her. Since she is the first to fall asleep in our group, I must wake her up when the others fall asleep, she always reacts with some exaggeration and covering her body when I do, which I find amusing, since when I met her she was naked, like the rest of her tribe, the clothes she has are only what I gave her to hide her wings and feathers. I''m not sure where she get the instinct to do that, but I can see why his grandfather had a hard time dealing with her, who acts more like a human than is logical. For some reason, when I said that Ren was going to sleep in my tent, Zera made a rather strange face. Soon to get him out of his misunderstanding, I simply used in my favor how much Ren avoids others to say that she is afraid and no one else is suitable to keep her company. During the last hunting trip of the mercenaries, I noticed the Half returned with his MP reduced, I suspect he used some kind of ability to send a message, it''s time to change direction. "Captain, from now on we will travel west". "Sir?" "Our new destination is the commercial city of Garush. And captain, from now on I don''t want you to lose sight of Zilan, at any time, not even for hunting. If you want you can make him participate in training as an excuse, but don''t leave him alone even a second". "Understood ... Excuse me if I''m wrong, but maybe ... Are we going to save them?" To the captain''s question, I answer with a smile. After thanking me, he returns to work. The captain''s attitude is understandable. According to the information we obtained from the mercenaries, the slave trader was going to take the people of Galatea to be sold as slaves in the city of Garush. So he probably think I do this because I decided to go to their aid. Of course that is not the reason. If you think about it, it isn''t normal that in our journey we have not seen monsters. The only two logical conclusions are that the monsters were either exterminated or driven away. A force capable of doing any of those things and that has been here recently. I can only think of Iren''s army led by Jemur. In fact, it makes sense to think that an army of that size will not mobilize solely to attack a place like Galia, which I personally cannot call a city, even if that is a prejudice on my part. But suppose that Galia was only one of the destinations on its way, if we consider that the only thing of interest was the academy, their goal now should be the next city with an academy, the same one we were heading towards so far. Naturally, with a force like that, it is obvious that the monsters move away from their path and those who do not do so are undoubtedly exterminated by the soldiers.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. I have no interest in bumping into them again, so the best thing I can do is change course before it happens. But of course, before that I let the spy send his message, so that the information is wrong, and I do not intend to allow him to correct the information about our destiny from now on. If we think about it, Iren has a remarkable military superiority. A powerful army completely dedicated to combat and war, so much that no nation has been able to measure up to it in a millennium. However they have failed to defeat Jagheb in 200 years. In my opinion, considering that Jagheb has not defeated them either, I think the reason is that Iren attacks very frontally. With all their dogma of honor and glory, they fight head on all enemies, so they are predictable. The real problem is the demon general, not because he is an unparalleled military expert, from what I understand Iren has had lots of guys like that, the thing is that he is an unscrupulous man, who has no problem doing what he needs in order to win. He is not shackled by the bonds of honor like the other generals of Iren. Proof of this is the fact that he used mercenaries, finishing a defenseless town that in two centuries had been left alone (in fact they traded with them), only treacherously attack another city, even more remote, which is isolated and all it had was an academy. The doubt that does not leave my mind is his goal. I can understand that academies have a large number of artifacts, but any of them that had any military use should have already been transferred to Bombasta. So, with the exception of me, that can give them unsuspected uses, and academics, who want them for their scientific value, no one should have enough interest to assault cities for them. I''m sure something is missing, but it''s impossible for me to know what with the information I have available. Maybe I can get more information about it in the city of Garush. From what I understand according to the information I obtained in Galia, Garush is a city on the edge of the territory of Jagheb, which is not well regulated by the kingdom, so it easily became a meeting point of the black market. Make no mistake, you may have a bad image of the black market, but the reality is that it is a place where you can find all kinds of hard-to-get products, and everything can be yours for the right price. That is, if you are a person with money it is an ideal place, where you will be very well treated. After all, people who trade in sites like that are honest with their wishes, they want your money and if you want to give it to them, they can get you any item, however illegal it may be. Someone like me will be better received than the king himself. Of course, I''m not going to naively trust them, but people who don''t bother to hide their greed are more convenient, I don''t need to bother acting with people like that, just ask the price. Once we are in Garush, having a larger group thanks to the mercenaries will be useful to deter those who might want to assault us. At least for enough time to win the favor of the powerful of the place. I was thinking to go after visiting the other academy, so it''s not a big change to my plans either. Yes, definitely the city of Garush will be a good place to start establishing my future business. After all, it is outside the routes on which Iren''s army usually invades Jagheb, and the kingdom itself doesn''t keep track of what happens there. ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó Uuff ... We finally arrived. This time it was difficult, the number of mercenaries was quite high, if there are hunters among them, next time we could face severe casualties. The good thing is that more slaves were saved than we thought ... Your sacrifice was not in vain, Conrart. Right now we are at the agreed meeting point, I think I was the last to arrive. Probably because I spent more time than usual helping the released. Although some believe it was risky on my part, I really believe I should do it, to honor that man. "Are you hearing me? Ruthen?" Looking beside me, there is a stocky man, with a stylized but marked mustache, slight but numerous scars on his muscular arms and a gaze that feels like that of a grandfather who fondly observes his grandson. This person is Molak, a retired knight who lived many adventures in his youth, but couldn''t bear to work for the corrupt lords of the city of Garush. He is one of the most vital members of the resistance, and although his best years have passed he continues to participate actively, without being left behind by young people. Honestly, the only reason he is here with the stragglers is because he doesn''t like to leave anyone behind. "Is something happening, Ruthen? You have been somewhat depressed ... More than usual". While my mind wandered, Molak cared about me, apparently not only the fatigue is visible on my face. Sorry to worry you. "I''m sorry, it''s that seeing the sacrifice of that great man affected me". "I don''t understand, it''s not like he was the first to die while giving other slaves time to escape". "It''s not that. Usually, those people have some hope of survival, in fact they usually run away with the slaves until they are reached. But that man ... Conrart. He knew he was going to die, he didn''t even doubt it. Still he chose to stay, he didn''t try to run away, he just wanted to make time for others". "..." "I''m sorry, don''t worry about me. If I understood something, it''s the importance of our mission" "If you say it". "You arrived guys". Sallo, one of our comrades, greets us after seeing that we arrived at the meeting point. He looks very anxious, I don''t know if it''s emotion or worry. "I have news to give. Apparently we will have a chance to strike a decisive blow against the city traffickers". "Are you serious!? Sallo!?" "That''s right. We may have to make some sacrifices, but if we do things right, we can end their tyranny at a stroke". "Exactly what happened?" "You see, while you were away, a group of soldiers from Iren arrived in Garush. I don''t know what they want, but the leaders say that if we use them, we can end the city traders once and for all. We will no longer have to kill ourselves by saving a few and causing them only a few losses, we can really win". Sallo and the others are motivated, but it worries me, I can''t help but worry. In recent years I saw what they are capable of, and stories about them abound. Nothing good can come out of messing with Iren''s soldiers. I don''t know if the plan he''s talking about can work, but the only thing I''m sure of is that soon a storm will hit Garush. I cannot allow the innocent, like the boy and the girl Conrart gave his life for, to die in it. Okane o subete sekai e chikara 27 - Is that a good boss?

Chapter 27

Is that a good boss?

Sneaking into the mercenaries was easy, they were preparing for a very large job, so they recruited without contemplation anyone who would prove to know how to use a weapon. I passed the test immediately and joined their ranks, which were heading towards a small town almost on the eastern edge of the continent. Along the way, we looted almost a dozen small villages, they simply couldn''t do anything against such a large number of men. Fortunately there were few victims, almost no one dared to resist. When we finally arrived at the place, we met an army of Iren. I did what I could to put myself at the head of the group, so that I could hear what they said. It was because of this that I saw how the Acme Commander inspired fear in everyone present, including me. It reminded me of how formidable the Acme soldiers are, so famous among the bellicose Irenits. The boss of our group gave us our orders. We would divide, my group would take the clothes of the townspeople and go to Galia the mountain city and wait for the army of Iren to arrive, at that time we would take care of the resources of the city from within, burning the forest and warehouses. Of course, when the time came, the veterans in our group wanted us to steal things from the city''s stores, instead of burning them. I don''t know if they are greedy fools or if they are secretly smart. If the siege was prolonged, and food was scarce, we would be affected as well. Again fortune smiled, we never got to that. When we were to start taking action, Iren''s soldiers appeared by the city gate, guided by a group led by a man wearing a really unique suit, in all my travels I never saw an equal one. Suddenly all the people gathered in what looked like a stage, as if a show was going to happen. My mission was to join the mercenaries, because apparently they were hired by the demon general of Iren himself, that way I could know their plans and my people could act accordingly. The fragile balance of the nations of the east was devastated with the coming to power of the demon general, it is necessary to be prepared for the coming storm. Worst of all, it''s how fearsome the general can be, even more than the other generals of Iren. I stopped caring about that mission as soon as I saw him ... In front of my eyes, the man in the suit defeated the Acme Commander in less than a blink. I take pride in my keen senses, which allow me to be an efficient spy. Even so, I couldn''t see anything. At one time, the commander named Jemur had the spear in his hand and was at about to use it to pierce the throat of his opponent, the next was he who had the spear around his neck. Not even considering the light of the explosion I looked away or blinked, but I couldn''t see the moment he did it anyway. This man, if the word does him justice, may be an existence at the level of the demon general. To think that someone like that was hidden in this lost corner of the world. After the confrontation, everyone went to the site of the explosion and once again the man proved to go beyond expectations, convincing Commander Jemur to leave the city promising to leave it alone. I find it hard to believe that someone who has reached the rank of commander of a complete legion may be so foolish to believe that the destruction of the academy is a coincidence, but the fact that the academy was destroyed doesn''t change, whether accidental or not. Without the academy in the middle, the commander decided to keep his word and give up the invasion of Galia. As if that weren''t enough, in his conversation the man I later discovered is called Argent, was clear that all the invaders had to leave, implying that he knew about us and would not allow us to stay or try anything. Commander Jemur announced that we all would leave without exception. Disobeying equals a death sentence, so the next day we began preparations to leave. Taking advantage of the last days in the city and the fact that this Argent will not usually wander the streets, I gathered information from citizens who, even after all that, remained ignorant of what had really happened and still treated us as refugee guests in their city. In addition to his name, I could also find out that money is no problem for him, that I could intuit among other things, because he hired a third of the city''s contractors to reform the academy and even so decided without contemplation to destroy it for the good of the city. That also says a lot about his personality. But the most important detail I could acquire was that he planned to leave the city. It''s not that people knew, but I was able to deduct it after finding out how many purchases he made in the last few days. Arrive, save the city and then leave ... Such a man could ... ... "I think we should run away". Faces of confusion and surprise was what my colleagues returned to me in the mercenary group. Among the more than 50 men who joined at the same time as me, these are the ones I can entrust this information to. During the looting in villages or in the town of Galatea, they never really hurt someone. I cannot feel in them the same scent of blood as in the rest and most importantly, I can perceive it in their auras, they are people who have never killed in cold blood. I don''t know their reasons for joining this band, whether or not the despair of poverty and hunger or something else, but they are the only ones I want to save. "Listen. Originally it was expected that this would be a great job, so they decided to recruit us and many more, but the reality is that the biggest looting, that of the city of Galia, became impossible to get. If you think about it, all we have is what the other group took from Galatea". Eleven pairs of eyes watch me closely. In the last weeks we were together, they learned to trust me. I must say that it was in my plans to choose a group of people whom I could trust for some things, which I slowly gathered in this group of twelve. Now we all feel closer than with the rest, most have shared their story with the rest of us. It''s this trust that leads them to give me the benefit of the doubt and listen to me in silence now.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "In other words, our group now returns empty-handed. Honestly, I don''t think the veteran mercenaries want to share the loot with us, not now that any future work with Iren seems unlikely. The reality is that maintaining such a large group as ours is more problematic than beneficial". The concern in their eyes told me that they understood what I wanted to say. Their ability to understand these things is another thing that I like about these guys. "As I see it, there are 3 possible conclusions: One night during the trip, the veterans will occupy all the guard posts and while the rest of us sleep, they kill us all. Another possibility is that they simply strip us of our equipment and leave us To our luck. Of course, I also don''t deny the possibility that after having killed the majority, they decide to wake up the few that are left to have fun killing us, some of the veterans have already proven to be that type of guys. The other possible situation is that they leave us alive until we meet with the other group later, or rather, until we have carried our things for them. Then they will kill us, either quickly or with the intention of having fun. In any case we will be dead". "You mean ... all newbies like us?" This question came from Arno, perhaps the most naive of the group. It''s something you expect from someone so young, just 17 years old. "Most likely, they may forgive 2 or 3 who they particularly like. But most likely, by the time this is over, their band will be the size it was before". "Damn!" "Calm down brother, we don''t want to be heard". The calm of the Shooter brothers, Estor, made his younger brother Patrick see the recklessness of raise his voice. During the time we have been together, they have shown good aim and ability to handle the bow, despite the poor quality of the equipment we have. "What would happen if we try to resist? Most of the rookies are in this group, if we attack first we could win". "I doubt it very much, Estor. To begin with, I doubt that we can convince all the rookies to join us. Nor can I say that the idea of ??trusting my life to them reassures me, they could betray us as soon as we tell them our intentions. Even if we do it, most have little experience in combat and veteran''s leather armor pieces can withstand the onslaught of our rusty weapons that have almost no sharpness". "From the beginning they gave us the worst weapons ... It''s normal for newbies, but it''s another reason to think you''re right about their intentions". "That''s why our only chance is to run away. We must seize the moment when they let us get away from the group carrying weapons, that is, when we go out to gather food. At that time, when we have moved far enough away, we will run to a predetermined place and we will flee in the direction of Galia". "Why Galia?" "It''s the only viable road. To the west is where the group is heading, it would be convenient for them to persecute us, in addition to that, we risk encountering the other group. Even with all the time ahead they are from us, they cannot be so far away, after all they carry a large number of goods and slaves". "What about north?" "I thought about that, but we would be traveling for a long time before getting anywhere, you may have noticed, but game in this area seems especially scarce, I think those of Iren decimated the wildlife when they passed by. And the south is out of the question, there are great chances that the army has returned to Galatea to receive new orders and if not, surely they have left some detachment to transmit reports". "As one can expect from Zilan, you''ve really thought about it ... I trust your judgment, I support you one hundred percent". "My brother and I too". One after another, everyone gave their approval. I regret using them like this, but it would be very suspicious that I alone asked to join the group of Argent, and for granted they would watch me all the time if so. But if we are a dozen, they won''t be able to put their full attention on me. Of course I do believe in everything I said, even if it''s a theory of mine, mercenaries really are likely to kill newbies. ... All went well. I make no mistake thinking that Argent would leave the city, just one day after fleeing our group, we met his. He immediately showed suspicion, but I could convince him that we are just a group of desperate fools. After joining his group (according to him, as employees) we go to the northwest, I have a couple of ideas of our destination, but it''s still too early to rush with that. For now I must gather the information I can and report. My village must know about this man as soon as possible. Something that I find curious, is the fact that every few hours of walking, we always stop so that the young man who accompanies Argent trains in the use of the sword with Captain Rad (as the other guards called him). During this time, Argent looks for a rock or some other appropriate place to sit and starts reading while watching us sideways. Honestly, I am still surprised at how quickly our presence was captured at our first meeting. I can understand that he detected the others, but his gaze was most of the time fixed in my position, as if he could see me clearly. I know that I am not the perfect spy, but I don''t think it possible for someone to be able to detect my presence at that distance with such precision. The fact that he paid more attention to me than others, also implies that he knew that I was hiding from him with more skill than the rest. Maybe that''s why he has his men watching me more closely ... I hope that''s it. Something that I could also notice, is the quality of the equipment used by their guards, without a doubt proof of his trust in them after many years of service ... Or so I thought. "Wow, those armors looks amazing, I never really saw someone who was not a knight wearing such good protection". "Isn''t it great? When our lord Argent took us under his wing and appointed us his Argent guard, he gave us these weapons and armor the next day". Eh?... "Oh! I had heard that some guards receive equipment as an advance so that they can perform their tasks, but I had never seen that they will be given such quality things. How many years of work will it take to pay them?" "No no, Mr. Argent was very clear that we don''t have to pay them. According to him, it is absurd that employees must pay the tools they need to perform their tasks. In terms of quality, Mr. Argent said he could not put price to our lives ... JOOOO !! It still moves me every time I remember it. What greater proof of the esteem he have for us, than to give us the best possible armor? " While talking with Estor and his brother, the guard - named Khaden - didn''t bother to hide his respect and appreciation for his benefactor. Everyone in our group, me included, were amazed at what we heard. Not even someone who does dangerous work all the time like me receives such a treatment, rather, the people of my village do not have the slightest appreciation for me, I had to work hard so they begin to value me. "Don''t be surprised to hear this, but I heard that when we get to the next city, Mr. Argent plans to give you a good equip too, after all he said he hired you". A-Absurd ... Does he really plan to hand over such valuable equipment to some mercenaries he just hired? Ridiculous! When people hire mercenaries, they don''t give equipment unless it''s as part of their payment. Who is Mr. Argent really ?! Khaden''s words gained credibility that night, when we only got a few berries to eat and Mr. Argent shared his meal. Even if he easily carry many things with that item bag of his, it''s not easy to feed a dozen mouths that you didn''t expected, but he still showed no doubt when he asked his servant, the young Zera, to serve a portion of food to everyone. I can say that after a couple of days of receiving such a good treatment, everyone began to show respect and appreciation for Mr. Argent. There really is more to him than just his fighting ability or his intelligence. But I can''t forget my mission. This morning I decided to take advantage of the loneliness of the food search to make my report. One of the skills that make me such a good spy is my ability to invoke a minor familiar, with whom I can send discrete messages over long distances. According to my estimate, our next destination should be the city of Kalifa, where an academy is. From my conversations with the group, I found out that Mr. Argent is a science and knowledge enthusiast who travels the world visiting academies. Normally he should keep a low profile to explain how he haven''t become a famous figure at this point. Honestly, after meeting him, I''m surprised he didn''t decide to go to Garush to save the townspeople of the captain and the others. Although the logic in his reasons is unquestionable. Another person who has earned my respect is Captain Rad. He is very diligent in the training of the young Ryuuji, who at first glance can be said to be a beginner. Although for some reason I feel a strange presence in him. Is it a noble thing? "Zilan, you always watch our training, would you like to participate?" "Seriously?" "Lord Argent said I could invite you, if you want we can start at our next session". "It will be an honor". After agreeing to my answer, the captain called everyone''s attention. "By decision of lord Argent, from now on we will head west to the city of Garush ... My friends, we will see the townspeople again". Eh? EEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHH?! Okane o subete sekai e chikara 28 - Albert

Chapter 28

Albert

Protect the weak, ensure the safety of others, sharpening skills and risking life without fear. That is what it means to be a city guard. Two seasons ago, my sister went to the mill next to Mr. Johnson''s farm, sales went very well and we had run out of flour sooner than expected, or that''s what Dad said. As he had to continue baking he sent my sister and me. "Take good care of her, Albert," said Dad that morning. Dad is always busy making bread in the morning, it is a tiring job. Once I accompanied him and didn''t resist much, the heat of the oven makes you tired 3 ... no, 4 times faster. So I am the one who takes care of my sister while her is doing her chores and then while serving the customers of the bakery. But that day I couldn''t do anything ... On the way to the mill, a hungry wolf came out of nowhere. I became paralyzed with fear, the little concentration I could gather I used to not pee me. I understood how deep my weakness really was. I honestly believe that it was at that moment that I stopped thinking like a spoiled child. In front of my eyes the scene of that wolf devouring my sister voraciously were reproduced in an instant. Fortunately it never came true. When the wolf was about to jump on us, an arrow stuck in the ground between it and us and then the city guards appeared. The captain immediately pounced on the wolf without hesitation and with a cut of his sword he subdued it, to then give the coup de grace. It was then that I knew what I should do with my life. If I really wanted to protect my sister and I say really protect her, not just leave it in the words and illusions of a child, I had to become strong. Since then on every day I trained with my wooden sword, trying to imitate the movements I saw in Captain Rad that time. Despite being too weak, I could still protect my sister from certain dangers. Like that guy who always bothers her when he comes to buy bread. "Hey Al, you shouldn''t get into the affairs of the grownups. Why don''t you go play with your sword outside while I talk to your sister?" "A guy like you isn''t worthy to speak alone with my sister! Come back when you are as great a man as the captain of the guard!" "Hey, hey. I was also there the day the wolf attacked you. Just because the captain ended up with the wolf doesn''t mean I didn''t do anything. Doesn''t that give me the right to at least talk to Selia?" "You can talk to her, as long as it is while I watch you". "Ahhh ... I think we can''t speak alone today". "Haha. Conrart has a very stubborn little rival". "Come on Andreu, you don''t have to make fun of me. Before you know it, I will show everyone, including Al, that I am trustworthy"- "Whatever you say. Come on now, you let the bread get cold and the others will complain". I''m not a fool, not anymore. I know they only see me as a child who cannot separate from his sister. They think I only play with this wooden sword. What they don''t know is that I am very serious with my training. Two days ago, when we returned with my sister from the mill, after she entered through the city gate, saying that I had forgotten my wooden sword I returned to the mill. Of course I didn''t forget it, I left it there as an excuse. When I reached the mill and took my sword, I placed myself in the blind spot of the watchtower, just behind the mill and headed for the forest, and after an arduous battle I defeated a <> Despite being only minor monsters with the appearance of rabbits, they are formidable adversaries. They are agile and take advantage of their size to sneak between your attacks and your defense. Actually, the first time I defeated one I believed at times that I would die, but since then I have been hunting them at every chance. I already defeated more than I can count. Keep thinking nothing of me, I will become strong at all costs, with or without help. Of course, the captain is different from the rest, and I never forget to show my respect and appreciation when I see him in town. I think he really understands me. He sees beyond a child playing with a wooden sword, he sees someone who trains with the desire to be strong. From time to time I think that my wooden sword will soon be of no help to me. Lately I can''t feel its weight as before, and when I fight with the Skvaders I think I do the same damage to them as with the stones I throw at them. But I can''t do anything about it, they wouldn''t allow me to walk around with a real sword and to begin with I don''t know where to get one. One day, when I greeted the captain on his way to his post, I saw that he was accompanied by a boy, about the age of my sister. Suddenly, he approached me, then I could see that he was carrying a sheathed sword. He must have noticed my gaze, because he took it out and showed it to me with pride. That sword was amazing, it was just like the sword of my dreams, which I''ve been thinking about since I want a real one. It seemed able to cut the wind if used... what was the word? pro...ximately ... not ... Ppropriate ... Properly! ... It would cut off the wind if used properly.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Although my new friend didn''t speak our language, I could make him understand that I wanted to train with him through my gestures. From the moment he showed seriousness I liked him. Every time I attacked him he received my sword with his sheath, he was swift and he didn''t bother to hide it. I didn''t feel that he underestimated me by using his sheathed sword, truth be told, mine would be cut like butter if not, and we could not continue training. Something strange happened after my friend left. The guy who goes after my sister approached me with a smile. Did he thought he can fool me? "Tell me, Al. Do you hate me?" ... It''s not that I hate him ... But I hate that he is always trying to get close to my sister behind my back. I mean, I know it''s not a bad guy, he is a city guard after all ... "You know. I like you" he said as he sat down and looked at me with complacent eyes ... He is treating me like a child again. "You remind me of myself, that''s why it''s impossible for me to get mad at you, even if your stubbornness prevents me from approaching Selia". "... You say I''m like you?" "Well, I mean when I was little. You really love your sister, right? She must be the most important thing for you. You probably think of her not only as your sister, but also as your mother". ... "I was like you. My mother died when I was a baby and my father was always busy to support my sister and me. So she took care of me as if she were my mother. Like you, I wanted to protect her from everything ... And just like you, they soon reminded me of the reality of my weakness". ?Gh! "And since then, I decided to become strong ... Just like you". "...You know". "I know. The truth is, while you watch me when I''m in the city, I watch you while you''re in the woods. Don''t worry, I won''t tell your sister or your father, I know how you feel, you want the strength to protect her". Ahhh ... I feel it will be difficult for me to keep getting in between him and my sister ... "Don''t get tense, I''m not threatening you or anything so you don''t get in my way ... Although if you want to stop doing it ..." "I refuse". "Haaaa ... Well, I had to try. Haha ... When I think about it a little, I think the reason I fell in love with Selia was because of you". "Huh? What do you mean?" "Seeing her take care of you with all her heart... It really reminds me of my sister, at some point those feelings I got while watching you two, derived in love. You can''t tell your heart who to love, but given the choice, I would choose her without hesitation". "Since blackmail wouldn''t work now you try to appeal to my sympathy?" "Haha. It''s not that. I just needed to tell someone ... And what do you say, would you like to train with me?" "Eh?" "I said it before, right? I know how you feel, you want to protect your sister. I have the same desire as you. Therefore, I will help you become stronger, so that you can protect her when I am not here. Deal? " "Hum!" It''s not like I accept him, but I immediately felt that I could trust him. ... Since that day, whenever I escaped to the forest, he appeared and trained me. He also helped me locate the Skvaders to have some real combat. And when I was in the city, I trained with Ryuuji. On one occasion, after some difficulties, we managed to learn each other names. Everything was going well. I felt that I could become strong just as I wanted ... But I wasn''t fast enough. Only a few days after Ryuuji arrived in town he had to leave. The captain said they would take him with someone who could know his language, so I understand they had to. After that, Conrart approached me to tell me he was leaving as part of the escort. "Remember your training, if you run into a wolf or some other wild animal again, you must concentrate all your strength on a good first blow. The animals will attack you because you look small and weak, if you show them that you can hurt them, most will go to find an easier prey. After all they don''t want to get hurt either". "...I will remember". "Good boy. Take care of Selia while I''m gone". "You don''t have to tell me!" Later, the townspeople dismissed the captain and the guards who were going to fulfill their mission of escorting Ryuuji. That was the last time some would see them. Time after they left, on the other side of town, a large number of people with red armor arrived. Everyone assured me that there was no need to worry. But there was. Another group of men, without armor but with wild gazes, like the one that wolf had, began to take people out of their homes and assault us. Suddenly, everything got worse when the guard who moved to town few years ago tried to escape. One of the men in red armor threw a spear at him ... And killed him. Then the nightmare began. City guards and people carrying weapons were killed one after another without mercy. Suddenly, while I was frozen like that time, my sister''s scream took me out of my trance. I WASN''T GONNA LET IT HAPPEN AGAIN!! I wouldn''t be paralyzed by fear again. Concentrate all your strength on the first blow ... Show these beasts that you are not an easy prey! I repeated those words in my head like a charm. With one blow I managed to keep the guy that had held my sister away, so I quickly put myself between her and those animals that looked like men. For a moment, I could take them away from my sister, but then once again, they reminded me how weak I was. My sword turned into pieces of wood after lashing out with it against the armor of one of those men who watched us as if it were none of their business. After that I was captured like most and put in a cage. The next day I could see how they placed Conrart in a cage, apparently he was injured ... He was perhaps the last guard of the town. The food they gave me was way less than the rest, before I realized it I spent the days unconscious. I don''t remember much of what happened then, what I do remember was when one day suddenly a good amount of food was placed in front of me and I was finally able to satisfy myself. A few days later I was awakened at night by a hooded guy. Looking around I saw others like him in front of the other cages. They released us and guided us to the forest. Apparently they came to rescue us. I could only see some of the townspeople, but probably the rest was in separate groups, Conrart once told me that it''s difficult to move in the forest with a large group. Then I thought about it, I didn''t saw him. I didn''t saw Conrart in our group ... Clearing my mind of pessimistic ideas, I kept running as much as I could. I remember seeing my sister among the people who were released, I needed to hurry to find her. I couldn''t let the exhaustion beat me. We had been running for a while, and my legs began to give way, I think that all those days without moving in that cage weakened me, I couldn''t move as I wanted ... I couldn''t continue running... "... , I will help you become stronger, so that you can protect her when I am not here". For some reason, I heard those words in my mind as if someone were telling me them one more time and my legs continued to move smoothly. I will definitely protect my sister! ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó Damn Damn! Why does nobody help us ?! My sister. If I can''t get help, her... I can no longer continue, my legs gave way long ago, They were simply moving by my will to find help. It''s just like Ruthen said, nobody in this place would help a child without money, no matter where I go in this city, everyone looks at me with indifference ... It''s so different from the town. Can people really live in such a place? Or do they treat me like this for not being from here? "... Whoever, please ... Help my sister". "I will do it little one, I will help you". As I move my head in the direction from which the voice came, a man dressed in luxurious clothes, more than the ones Ryuuji wore, looks at me with a kind smile as he extends his hand to me. ""Do you mean it? ... I have no money". "The money is not a problem". They told me that I shouldn''t trust strangers, but I''m desperate and this person really seems to be able to help us. I can feel it, if someone can save my sister, it''s him. "Everything will be fine, you can trust me. Tell everything to uncle Argent ". Okane o subete sekai e chikara 29 - Not what I expected

Chapter 29

Not what I expected

We spent several exhausting days walking, well, I didn''t allow them to be so exhausting, but the truth is that traveling on foot escapes my parameters, especially considering the development of transport in my place of origin. Meanwhile the influence exerted on the mercenaries showed its effects. They are now on my side as much as the captain and the other guards, not as much as Zera, but hey, that''s almost too much. During our trip, Zera, who was the person with the most free time, was always looking to be close to me trying to find something to help me. Considering the books I intended to read, it was a nuisance, but I put his time to good use. Our trip didn''t bring major surprises and finally we visualized the city of Garush, or at least its walls. Garush is a city on the edge of the territory of Jagheb, so it is far from the protection of the kingdom''s knights, so its normal that they had to make their own wall. As I understand it, it was built by those who govern the city independently of the kingdom. I don''t know much about defensive walls, but hey, compared to Galia''s natural defenses, they seems like a joke. The wall measures about 3 meters from what I can see, maybe 4, enough so that it cannot be climbed without the help of a rope, ladder or other gadget, but nothing impressive, considering that the walls of Edmund, another city of Jagheb, it''s said to tower more than 15 meters tall. As we approached I noticed that there were no watchtowers like in Galia, but you can see people walking on the walls, surely archers. Unlike Galia, there is an active market here. There is a line at the doors, actually two. One is for cars, which are inspected before passing, the other for people arriving on foot. We go to the row of passersby. "Welcome to the commercial city of Garush, the toll is 300 Ja per person and I need to confirm your status". "Thank you for receiving us. I was wondering if you would know of a place to get maps, including one of the city". When the guard met us, I approached to give him a couple of silver coins and ask him my question. "If you keep walking down the street from the main entrance, you will reach a red-walled building, if you turn left on that street and continue straight, you will reach the commercial plaza, you can find what you are looking for there. You can leave". Ahhh, that''s what I was talking about, it''s just what I needed, someone who understands. Not that Galia''s guard wasn''t helpful to me, but he was a very honest guy who was nervous when I gave him a much larger amount than he asked for. But this man understands, he knows the concept of bribery perfectly. I bet everyone here is like him, that will make things easier. After passing through the door without having to check our belongings or status, I followed the instructions of the guard and arrived at the commercial plaza. Here I can "find what I am looking for". I must say, that just by observing the eyes of these people, I can say that they are the type of people that I find the easiest to use. "Ups, I''m sorry". A guy in the crowd "collided" with me as I walked "distracted". ¡¶What''s mine, is mine has been activated, the theft of an item has been prevented¡· Oh, it had been a while since I received information like this. It''s like when I put on the monocle and received an alert about the evolution of my ability <>. In any case, as I suspected, he tried to rob me. Of course I won''t leave something like that without punishment. "Captain, stop that man". "Understood". To the surprise of the guy who "collided" with me, some guys who seemed not to belong to my group covered his escape routes and my guard was able to retain him without problems. Although he looked more surprised to realize that he didn''t have what for an instant he thought he took off, my item bag. "For trying to rob me we will take you to the authorities". This little show is to show all viewers that I am not an easy target. Something necessary if I plan to walk these streets wearing my elegant suit and a bag hanging from my waist. As new to the city, it took us some time to find "the authorities" but once there, things went quickly. I accused the man of trying to rob me, with more than a dozen witnesses and when the man defended himself by saying that he didn''t steal anything, I asked the "Justice officer" to punish him as he deserved, while handing him a silver coin. The officer locked him up immediately... I love this city. After leaving we returned to the commercial plaza, which was only three streets away from the "Justice headquarters." Well, considering the amount of people and transactions that occur, it''s necessary to maintain control, so its normal to be so close, that also helped us find it relatively quickly. To clarify, while we were going to the square the first time I decided that the formation would be as follows: In front we find the captain and I, followed by Ryuuji, Ren, Zera and the two remaining guards, a little further behind are located the ex-mercenaries. It is this formation that makes it seem that we are different groups. The formation also allows me to negotiate without them getting in the way too much, since the captain can simply stand behind me while I do my thing and it isn''t annoying. Just think how inconvenient it can be to have 18 people behind while doing business, and considering the crowd in the square, it would become an obstruction in the road. By the way, I was not kidding when I said that my first goal is to buy maps, if I get one from this city I can locate everything I need, although that depends on how accurate the map is. It will also help me to orient myself in the region, the maps I got from the academy are mostly very old, so I can''t count on them except to get the idea of ??physical geography. Although my first objective are the maps, it doesn''t mean that I will waste time while searching. I will buy everything that seems useful and let the merchants of this place know that a big fish has arrived. One of my first acquisitions was the equipment for the new members of the Argent guard. I couldn''t give them the same equipment as the others, first because they lacked the training to fight using full-body armor, second because they felt unworthy to wear them. Both problems will be solved over time if they train together with the others, when it happens I will give them new equipment, for now they will use some pieces of metal and leather gloves.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. I also bought two changes of clothes for all. Always wear the same clothes is a NO NO. If there is something I can complain about and I haven''t done yet, it''s the smell. So far it didn''t bother me because of the pure air that was in the way all along, but now that we are in the city, with little space between people, with buildings and also surrounded by walls, the air doesn''t circulate freely to cancel the problem. Interestingly, the only ones who don''t stink in the group are Ren, Zera and me. Surely since we are the ones who don''t perform physical effort. But the others smell of sweat, so before getting where to stay, I must find out if it''s possible for them to take a bath. One of the merchants told me that there is a "bath house" to do it. The next thing will be to wash the clothes they already own. "For that reason, you can take a good bath in this place, I have already paid the price for everyone". "Ohh, I didn''t think that one day I would enter the" Bathhouse". My deepest thanks, Lord Argent". "It''s not a problem Estor, I think that after the trip everyone needs to relax and let the fatigue go away with the water". "I don''t know why, but I think there is wisdom in those words". "I must go to fix the matter of our lodging, then I will go to the plaza once more. When you leave you can go to the bar opposite, when I finish I will meet you there". "Wait, you won''t think to go alone do you?" "In fact no captain, Ren will accompany me. No problem, I have been told that she can bathe later". "..." "Do you think someone will try to rob me again?" "Ah ... I think it''s very presumptuous of me to think you needs us". "Quiet, you really are useful to me, never think otherwise. But you deserve this rest, and now I know where the justice headquarters is, if something happens I will go back to them". "I really don''t feel that the trip has been so exhausting, we had many breaks every day, I have no problem in accompanying you, I can take a bath when Ren does it". "Zera, I think it would be better to do what Lord Argent says. He may want to talk about something with Ren, remember that she feels uncomfortable near us". Although the captain said that last thing whispering, I could hear it clearly. It''s true that I have a reason to go alone with Ren. One of them is that I plan to rent the bathhouse tonight so that Ren can bathe without being discovered as a Siren. But more importantly, I''m thinking to use her ability to exert some influence on the people in the square. It''s interesting to see how much dedication Zera has to me, it reminds me of someone from my old company ... Although I prefer to not think about it. Once in the square I was able to get some items that I would prefer the rest to not know about, I could also reach some friendly agreements with the locals. Among other things one of the merchants told me that he lives next to a really luxurious guest house, so I plan to spend the night there, luckily it is on a street of another establishment of a somewhat lower category, perfect for the bulk of our group. It''s not that I don''t want to spend more on them, as if that affected me, but the guest house has few rooms. I also heard interesting rumors, such as that a famous blacksmith walks in the city, that there will be an auction of slaves in two days and that a commercial house caught fire in the rich district, apparently caused by the rebels, it is also said that they plan a large hit, taking advantage of a squad of Iren''s soldiers in the city ... DAMMIT! I can''t believe how damn my luck is. From everything I could find out, it seems that the city is currently in the middle of a civil war. Apparently today was one of the quiet days. Problems are expected to happen during the auction and possibly something big will happen soon with Iren''s soldiers. I can''t believe the mistake I made coming to this place. Its natural when I think about it, all the information I had from this place was obtained in Galia, which is an isolated city, it''s obvious that their information cannot be very updated. How could I not realize that. The worst thing is that I could have got more information about Garush''s status from the mercenaries, but I didn''t, after all at first they said nothing because I seemed to know everything, and I never asked cause I didn''t want them to know my intentions with this place. What am I supposed to do now? Leaving here would be the best, but I already put my plans in motion with the merchants here, one even got me an encounter with one of the heads of the city, a man named Garonte, I can''t plant him now, that would bring me trouble when I try to get out of here. For now I must continue with everything as planned, but I must begin taking measures for my escape in case a revolution breaks out. I must also be careful, I came up with the idea of ??gaining notoriety to get an audience with the powerful of the city, but if there are soldiers from Iren here, they could go after me, I must move with more caution. DAMMIT! I already ruined it! If I had known, I wouldn''t be in this problem, I would have gone unnoticed and keep going to the next city. .... Fuuuuuuh. Easy, nothing has happened yet, I must think this better. In the first place, its late to have a low profile after all the money I spend and the image that I make among the merchants, so I will earn nothing trying to reverse it. In any case, I should improve the image I have and make sure that these people keep my existence a secret. If I show how beneficial I can be to them, they won''t let Iren know that I am here, talking with this Garonte will serve that purpose. I can do it, I can still get out of this problem without being harmed, even keeping my plan going. However, I must avoid making more stupid mistakes, I will have to concentrate more, and of course, I cannot miss any chance of making a profit. I will not let profits that outweigh the risks pass. And it was while walking towards the bath house thinking about this that I saw it. In all the time I''ve been in this world, or the time in TLO, I''ve never seen anything like that.
NAME: Albert RACE: HUMAN 4
Guardian Spirit Conrart
JOB: Adventurer RANK: - LEVEL: 4
VP: 37/38 RESISTANCE: 12 DEFENSE: 17
MP: 8/8 KNOWLEDGE: 44 INTELLECT: 92
ENERGY: 6/22 STRENGTH: 22 MIND: 23
AGILITY: 23 TALENT: 12 SPIRIT: 22
ITEMS¨‹ EQUIPMENT¨‹ SKILLS¨‹ TITLES¨‹ MONEY: 0G
TITLES¨‹ << Legacy >> Even if I ignore those ridiculous stats for a child his age, I had never heard of something like "Guardian Spirit" appearing in the status bar, not even in the spiritist class. I don''t know who that child is, but it is a finding, one that I will not let pass until I know what it is. "... Whoever, please ... Help my sister". "I will do it little one, I will help you". Okane o subete sekai e chikara 30 - The man they call Demon

Chapter 30

The man they call Demon

Garonte Vangardforth, a powerful nobleman from the east who managed wealth and a military force comparable to a small country, had the obsession to govern those he considered inferior to him, which for a nobleman means all those who are not. A question had always been present in his head, since the day his father-general of the Southeast Jagheb forces- led him to his first battle. Why is Jagheb always on the defensive? He couldn''t understand it, again and again Jagheb was attacked by Iren and was repelled, not without losses. However, there was not a single occasion when Jagheb lost, otherwise it would have long ceased to exist, like so many towns that had been conquered by the Irenit war machine. He just couldn''t understand why they weren''t attacking, forcing Iren to take the defense. "It''s because the Generals and their Acme soldiers", said his father every time curiosity and cravings overcame him and he decided to ask. It''s true that in all the battles he had been to, he had never been able to see the famous Iren generals. The army was always commanded by a low-ranking commander and the soldiers under his command didn''t wear the famous red armor, which is said to be used by the Acme soldiers. Still, he couldn''t believe that Iren had such strength in reserve. If they really possessed a military power as great as told in his grandfather''s old stories, then they would have used it to subdue Jagheb long ago. And yet there it was, 200 years of relative prosperity. The only thing that stopped Jagheb from ruling the entire east of the continent was Iren. After all, in the last 200 years, small nations and free peoples had decided to become Jagheb''s vassals on their own initiative, probably in search of protection against Iren. In his grandfather''s stories, and the books in his family''s library, there was a time when Iren indiscriminately attacked everyone within its reach, bringing ruin in its path. It was told a kingdom rose, one that Iren could not simply crush, Jagheb. They told how that changed the world. Suddenly Iren declared the war officially towards Jagheb and attacked it, ignoring the defenseless towns that were in the way. This brought the opportunity for other peoples to grow and offer resistance. However, history is cruel. Once these raising nations were on their way to be able to defend themselves, Iren offered the armistice with Jagheb and turned its gaze to them. From Garonte''s point of view, this only meant that Iren feared that another nation like Jagheb would emerge, capable of opposing them. And cowardly offered a temporary truce with Jagheb to deal with the nascent threat. That was another thing he couldn''t understand either. Why Jagheb accept truce without further thought, when that is the perfect opportunity to corner Iren in more than one front. However, what history tells is that the nations decided to abandon the idea of ??opposing Iren by themselves and became vassals of Jagheb, so that Iren didn''t attack them during the armistices. Because they did not represent any threat, they were not attacked in times of war. A cowardly, but effective solution. While not perfect. Over the years, so many villages were annexed to Jagheb, that their territory grew exponentially, to become the largest nation on the continent, with 47 times the territory of little Iren. This only raised Garonte''s doubts. If Iren really was an almighty nation that conquered everything in its path, with the exception of Jagheb, why did it control so little territory? No doubt it must have lost countless times to be reduced to a small spot almost on the edge of the continent. The years passed and doubts grew in the heart of Garonte, who had always seen his nation Jagheb, which housed his family and most of the continent''s nobles, as the greatest. He doubted the kingdom''s decisions were the right ones. When he ascended to the post of general, replacing his father, he made the decision that he would take advantage of the first opportunity to counterattack Iren, and take the war to their territory. He would teach them what is to see their people''s homes burn, and the fear of seeing the enemy army loom over their beloved capital. Finally, the opportunity presented itself. Once again, like so many times, Iren''s army was withdrawing from Jagheb''s territory after a failed invasion. It was time they felt the blow. He hunted the retreating army and tithe it on its way to Iren. But soon he would learn a lesson. And he would understand at last, why the kingdom that had survived two centuries of wars with Iren, never attacked it in its territory. "Keep going, we''re almost done with their army! Don''t let them regroup behind their walls, the less we have to face later, the better". "Sir, news comes from the front. We have almost reached Canaar, apparently there is an army of women stationed in front of the doors". "They really must be short of men if they plan a defense using women as their defensive force. At last we arrive at the first city, rejoice Lieutenant, today we will walk in the lands of Iren for the first time and we will see for the first time one of its cities, before reduce it to rubble". "As you say general, but there is something ..."Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. "What?" "Well ... Those women wear red armor ..." "What you say!?" ... ¡°HAHAHAHA, really ... Who would say that the first acme soldiers we would see would be women, this is a lot of fun ... Hahaha. I think we will take more glory than expected, I thought they would speak ill of us for massacring an army of women, but if they were Acme soldiers, nobody can blame me, right? " Garonte did not even consider the possibility of losing, in his mind those women were already dead. To begin with, they should never do their formation outside the protection of the walls, everything about that little army seemed like a joke. They were women, they couldn''t be more than a thousand and they were waiting outside the walls. However, something unexpected happened and was not those women who did it, but the men who retreated, who suddenly stopped and put genuflected with one knee on the ground, holding in one hand their spears and in the other the shields For a brief moment, the army of Garonte stopped their onslaught to observe confused such an act of madness. Why did the soldiers who almost reached the relative safety of the walls stop? Why did they abandon their chance to save themselves? Of course the soldiers under the command of the Vangardforth family could not understand it. It was not possible for them, because they did not know the figure that was currently standing on the city walls. As he approached his forces, Garonte asked his lieutenant for the distant vision artifact. As the front men said, there was a man standing on the city walls. It would be normal if he were an archer and there was more like him, but this man wore red and black armor and carried a sword instead of a bow. By watching him carefully, his appearance instilled a fear that Garonte couldn''t understand. The strange armor looked more like a decoration than a combat equipment, the strange shape it had seemed inappropriate to move with and it didn''t seem easy to look at the battlefield with a helmet like the man''s, which covered the entire head and from which two horns came out. When observing it completely, Garonte doubted that was a man. "A statue?" thought. But what was there was not a statue, as it moved. Suddenly he jumped down the walls and came to position himself between the two armies of Iren. What kind of jump was that !? Was he thrown by a catapult !? were natural thoughts. The figure was now with the Acme soldiers behind him and the men who were retreating in front. One of the women, who had a slightly different armor from the others, with some golden moldings, approached him and for a moment they seemed to speak. "Soldiers who invade the territory of Iren, know that today thy have served my purposes and therefore go in peace to the next life". A deep and imposing voice was heard on the battlefield, even Garonte had no trouble hearing, despite being at a great distance. He had heard before wind magic that allowed to speak long distances, but seeing that everyone in his army had heard the words of that man, he doubted what was happening. The magic he knew should not have such a wide area of ??effect. For a moment he thought, not realizing what the man''s words meant. "Sir! Another force has appeared right behind us. We are surrounded!" As the lieutenant said, another group of soldiers wearing red armor was closing the escape route, suddenly the situation seemed to be bad. But they still had the numerical advantage, if they attacked this new army and broke the closure, Garonte liked his chances of victory. But this new force remained in place, attacking them on both sides did not seem like their intention. It was as if they were there just so that Garonte and his men could not flee in their direction. "That the weak prostrate before the strong". Without knowing why, suddenly his horse collapsed. Although Garonte was unharmed, he could not get up, he felt as if his entire body weighed 10 times more, it was as if a giant hand pressed him to the ground. All he could do was move his eyes to see how his entire army was on their knees, just like him. "Disappointing, I expected my debut to be glorious. But there is no one with whom I can fight one by one". As soon as the man stopped speaking, the stifling sensation of crushing disappeared from Garonte''s shoulders and his army. But the looks of his men were not of relieve. The man walked towards them, while Iren''s men made way to him without changing their postures, as if they prostrated themselves before a deity that walked among them. "Get up men! The strange magic he used on us has lost its effect, don''t let him have a chance to use it a second time!" As a general hardened in battle, Garonte gave what should be the right orders. Before an unknown and dangerous magic, it is best to restrict its use as soon as possible and kill the user. Of course, his sharp instinct told him something was wrong. Why would someone with such magic walk towards the enemy when they had freed themselves from their effects. Fear suppurated throughout his body in the form of cold sweat. "Sword of conquest!" Garonte''s fears were realized. That man-shaped creature wielded an aberrant sword with black edge, and with a movement of its devilish sword a burst of violet light emanated from the black blade, soaking a hundred men with the sinister light. The blast erupted on contact with the enemy ranks with a deafening roar and an even more blinding light, which when dispelled revealed horror. With that single movement, Garonte had lost all his vanguard. "BUT WHAT THE HELL IS THAT !?" No matter how many times he had seen the great magicians of Jagheb, he had never even heard of a magic capable of ending a hundred men in an instant. That movement was enough to end his army. His men were no longer soldiers, but ants fleeing for their lives. Perhaps even more men died trampled by their comrades than those who had seen their end in the face of that inhuman attack. "Men of Iren who had to bear seeing their comrades die while following orders, now I give thy the freedom to take revenge on these vermin". With these words, each of the soldiers who were initially prostrated stood up and lashed out at the remains of Garonte''s army. While women with red armor massacred those who approached them attempting to escape. Garonte was paralyzed, unable to move from his position, while a bloodbath took place before his eyes, soaking the Irenites who did not cease to mow the lives of his men. "Haa ... Now I remember. My grandfather said that the red armor of the Acme soldiers was like that because they were always bathed in blood". For what seemed like an eternity, Garonte watched those who were under his command die. And when the show stopped, he and a handful of his men, who hadn''t been able to move a muscle, were the only ones standing. It was then that man with diabolical armor approached them. "You who have not tried to flee like cowardly rats, by the authority of the General Demon of two horns, I allow you to live. Tell what you have seen today and never forget what happens to those who invade the territory of Iren". ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó "Sir, what do I do with the request?" "Say I accept. I cannot simply ignore a man who can spend so much money like nothing, so much that he even gives his servants comforts that simple commoners could never have". Ahh ... I got distracted for a second, receiving the report on the movements of Iren''s soldiers inside the city always reminds me of that fateful day. Although I am now leading a great guild of low-world merchants, I cannot erase my past mistakes from my mind. I was a fool. I didn''t understand that never attacking Iren is the reason Jagheb has survived for 200 years. That day I could understand the truth to which I was blind, about the true power of Iren. On the Acme soldiers, who after that occasion, attacked and erased the city of Vangar, which I ruled, from the map. I understood then that those were not women, that only monsters receive the red armors. That day, I saw with my own eyes the man they call Demon. Okane o subete sekai e chikara 31 - Troubled young man

Chapter 31

Troubled young man

I think Argent-san is not who I thought he was. ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó Since I met Argent-san, things improved for me. I no longer feel the same fear and insecurity that I tried to hide from Rad-san and the others. Now I can talk to people, through Argent-san of course. That puts me in a somewhat awkward dependency situation, but instead of seeing it as a problem I saw it as a relief to my desperate situation. Of course, that''s only if I can count on Argent-san. I think things started to get weird the day Argent-san sent me to a lonely cabin on the outskirts of town. According to him, he had just obtained it so that I could live in it, and it''s not that I don''t appreciate it, but the place was somewhat isolated and in my situation I am very uncomfortable being alone. Argent-san also thought about that and made sure his assistant watched for me most of the time. A girl named Zera-san. Occasionally a mister from the academy was going to leave some things in the cabin, but almost all the time there was only Zera-san and me. Of course, I had to train following the instructions Argent-san translated for me. During training, Zera-san prepared food for me and gave me water and even a towel to dry my sweat, it felt like she was the manager of my sports club or something. The truth being said, not being able to talk is very annoying. "Argent-san, can we talk?" "Sure. In fact, I had things to tell you". "Well, how I say this ... Eto, about this cabin ..." "I''m sorry if I didn''t pay attention to you these days, I was busy with some things. We prepared to travel, you don''t need to be alone in the cabin anymore". "I-I see ... By traveling do you mean us?" "Do not worry, Rad, Andreu and Khaden will also come, in addition to them we may have a girl accompanying us, although I still don''t confirm it. In two days we will leave, by then I will know if she comes with us". "I-Is that it? I understand". "I hope you can endure another couple of days on your own. The others will stay with you, but I will be busy these two days". "I understand, don''t worry. The sign system you prepared for me and Rad-san works to convey simple things, we can be fine for a couple of days". "Great. Then we''ll see each other before we go". Since I started training with Rad-san and the others I have improved a lot. The truth is that before I didn''t even know how to hold a sword, I only imitated postures that I had seen in games or in fantasy programs. Now I can have practice fights, from time to time I feel the sword and my body very light, as if they weighed nothing and that makes me think the training works. For the past two days, I was immersed in training. Since Rad-san and the others were free, they were with me all the time, training or resting. At that time it was that we met to receive Argent-san, who was returning to arrange everything for our trip. Curiously, he was accompanied by someone, a girl of good figure wearing an overcoat ... Woah! She really is pretty, and she looks shy, the more we look at her, the more she hides behind Argent-san. So Argent-san had a girlfriend, that is a surprise, although it explains why I haven''t seen him much lately. Wait ... Is that the girl he talked about before? "************ ?Argent!" With concern I could see Zera-san beg Argent-san. I can''t say I know why, but I suspect she asked him to let her come with us. It seems that the answer was a yes, because her face lit up in an instant ... It''s a relief, although for some reason it also bothers me. Apparently Zera-san was so desperate to make her request to Argent-san that she didn''t even notice the girl who came with him. When she noticed her presence, the smile froze on her face and began to grimace. Don''t worry Zera-san, we all grow at different rates! ... Finally we departed, leaving the mountain behind. For some reason no matter how much I walk or exercise, I don''t run out of breath. I can feel the exhaustion, but I always feel that I can move on if I try, it''s probably due to my stats. Argent-san praised me for it and mentioned how jealous he was, he needed to rest every few hours, so he said I could take advantage of the times we stopped to train. Even if he says he needs to rest, even so, he spends the time recovering from physical fatigue in reading, I don''t know if I could do the same thing if it was me. "Don''t be surprised, but a group of people surround us, I think they escaped from a group of bandits, or they could be the bandits themselves, don''t let your guard down". As if his words were prophetic, a dozen people appeared from among the trees, bushes or rocks. They were very well hidden and still couldn''t hide from Argent-san. The smart ones are something else.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. I don''t know what they talked about, but the men knelt, pleading. In the end some were crying with joy, apparently they will travel with us from now on. "In their conditions, they could starve if we left them or an animal could attack them. That they are many doesn''t mean that they know how to take care of themselves, so they will accompany us, you don''t need to worry much about them". "Is that it? I understand, they will accompany us to the next city then". "For now, although if we treat them too well, they may want to continue traveling with us, they are people without ties". "Well, I guess it will be harder to feel lonely". "Speaking of which, I only have three camping tents, so they will have to sleep outdoors. I don''t want to be mean, but I can''t deprive ours to give to them". "I understand, it''s reasonable". "And about that. Ren and I will share a tent, she is not comfortable with anyone else, and I wouldn''t feel well forcing her to sleep with one of the other men". "Eh? And what about Zera-san?" "About Zera, he will share a tent with you, Rad and the other two will keep the last one". "EH !? But I can''t sleep with a girl!" "That''s why I said Ren will stay with me, didn''t you hear?" "I''m not talking about her, but about Zera-san. I haven''t really put my feelings in order, I don''t know if it''s a good idea to share a tent ..." "... Well. I won''t criticize your tastes, everyone to their own, although I don''t know if the culture here accepts those things". "Argent-san may be older than he seems, but I was a 17-year-old student, the age difference with Zera-san should not be more than 2 or 3 years". "No no, I didn''t mean age. I mean you are men". "....?Eh?" "Moment, didn''t you know? Zera is a man. Maybe he doesn''t have the looks because of his poorly developed physique and the looseness of the capes of academics, but when I met him he wore the male uniform, I''m sure of it". "W-But ..." "Don''t be fooled by his little masculine features, weirder things have been seen, not to mention that this is another world". "..." Argent-san''s words were a shock to me. Is Zera-san really a man? It''s not as if Argent-san had any reason to lie and it is true that Zera-san does not have breasts, although because of her size I thought that she was simply not very developed yet ... When you put Zera-san next to Ren-san, you see a noticeable difference in their figures, even with all the clothes they are wearing ... I guess I just have to accept as true the words of Argent-san. Although I am quite confused, I had heard of androgynous people, but I never thought it was really possible to confuse a man for a woman unless they were children. Even though I said all that to myself, when we slept in the same tent, I couldn''t help feeling nervous. Argent-san''s words kept circulating in my head, but seeing Zera-san sleep in the same tent ... I can''t calm down. What confuses me the most is that he placed some bags in the middle of the tent to separate his side from mine. Fuck. If you''re a man, don''t behave like a girl! ... Even if I could talk, I don''t think I could say that to they face. After a few days of traveling, repeating the same situation every night, I began to recover the feeling of authentic tiredness that I had almost forgotten. I really need to sleep peacefully one night. The opportunity could come sooner than I thought, since we arrived in a city. According to Argent-san, the place is called Garush, a commercial city on the border of Jagheb kingdom. Apparently we came here to buy things and do business. Normal for a merchant like Argent-san. The important thing is that this will give us the chance to rest in real beds, even take a good bath. Personally I think I start to smell too much of sweat because of so much training and just wiping myself with a damp cloth. Argent-san took us to public toilets where we could finally take a real bath, although he also said that he would continue doing business until late and that he would take a bath later. Well, he doesn''t need a bath as much as we do, the truth is that he doesn''t smell like anything, which surprises me, even if he didn''t train, he walked as much as we did on the trip. Now that I think about it, the only ones that don''t smell bad are Argent-san, Zera-san and Ren-san. People who didn''t do training, so it is because of that? Is it perhaps due to the strong smell of sweat from us, that we cannot feel their scent? After telling me to simply stay with Rad-san, Argent-san left, accompanied by Ren-san ... I see, he wanted to walk around the city with her alone, a date. Well, all I have to do is follow others to the bathroom and I can finally relax ... Or not. Doesn''t this mean that Zera-san will bathe with us? I don''t know if my heart can bear this, it was already extremely uncomfortable to share a tent. Although I did not suffer from such a problem, since Zera-san went to a different bathroom when we entered ... Eh? When I tried to see where they was going, Rad-san put his hand on my shoulder and stopped me, then I saw some women go in the same direction ... The women''s restroom ... Zera-san was a girl all the time !!! ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó Why would he lie? I don''t understand why, but he lied about Zera-san. After all, it was impossible for someone like him not to know that Zera-san was a girl. Could it be a joke? I have a hard time believing it, in the time I have known Argent-san, he had never shown himself as someone that makes jokes, even more the kind that could generate misunderstandings. Suddenly, I realized that until now I had taken every word out of his mouth as an absolute truth. However, as much as I try to find a logic for such a strange lie, I cannot find any kind of malice or motive that could be hide behind it. After all, what could Argent-san gain by hiding that Zera-san was a woman ...? There really is nothing I can think of that is beneficial to Argent-san or harmful to me in such a lie. Not apart from the joke, which still doesn''t seem like a possibility. Then I thought about it, and how about ...? He really didn''t know that Zera-san was a girl? ... My thoughts stopped when I saw Argent-san enter through the door of the inn carrying a child. "Albert!" It was little Albert, I couldn''t believe it. The child of the town of Rad-san and the others, is alive! "What happened?" "I found him on the streets, exhausted and asking for help". "Albert, wake up!" "Do you know him?" "He is the boy I played with in the town of Rad-san, I thought he had died when the town was attacked". "... I see. Then I was right, the people of Galatea were brought to this city to be sold as slaves". "Eh?" "I didn''t tell you because I didn''t want to give you false hopes, but we have come to rescue the people of Galatea. We suspect that the majority were not killed, but taken to be sold as slaves, and as this commercial city is the closest place in which large quantities of products and money are handled, was the most likely place for them to be taken to". "So ... The trip, all the time the trip was ..." "To save them, for the same reason we have stopped whenever we could to train you, since this is a dangerous place, for sure we need all the strength we can get, and you have monstrous stats. I regret putting such a burden on you, but it''s the only way". "No ... It''s just what I wanted". "If so, I need to ask you to accompany me, I may need your strength". "I would never let you go without accompanying you if that''s the case". "Then let''s go, we will leave Albert with the rest to recover". So that''s it. All this time, Argent-san''s every action has been to help me and others. He has been helping me unconditionally since the moment we met. However, although I have no doubt about the integrity of Argent-san, I realized one thing. Even someone as smart as Argent-san can end up being a true clueless ... He truly believes that Zera-san is a boy ... Okane o subete sekai e chikara 32 - Ryuuji VS Garonte

Chapter 32

Ryuuji VS Garonte

After all, I couldn''t hear what the boy had to say, shortly after meeting him, his energy dropped to 5 and he became unconscious. I remember that in TLO when your energy dropped below 5 it was red, although I don''t think that has to do with this world. He simply fell asleep from fatigue. While you sleep your energy will fall much slower, so you are not in danger. I left him in the captain''s care, he will surely wake up hungry. Now I have to take care of the matter of Garonte, everything that happens from now on may depend on this, so I must do everything in my hands so that this meeting benefits me. That''s why I only take Ryuuji and Ren with me, they can''t understand the human language from here. The meeting place is familiar to me, it is the red-walled building that we used as a reference as soon as we arrived. At that time I did not think much about the place, it just struck me that it was the only completely painted building. I guess not everyone can afford to spend money just to paint, and since I think about it, this building is a floor taller than the rest on the street, it''s as big as the justice headquarters. As soon as I approached the door, a guard met me, then guided me inside, to the second floor. Before climbing the stairs a couple of guards were placed behind us, watching over Ryuuji and Ren. The strange thing is that after arriving which I believe is the room in which I will meet Garonte, the guards returned to the stairs. Do they intend to monitor the exit? The room is quite simple, it has a table and a pair of sofas with space for three people each. A candlestick with glass tubes that contain that luminous substance. It should not surprise me that they use those outside of Galia, surely it''s common, at least they are brighter than candles. Although I don''t know their duration, I can assume they have a much longer lifespan as well. There is a glass window, a luxury in this place as far as I have been able to see, at least I have not seen others in this city. The window surely doesn''t worry the guards since the frame is made of metal and we are on the third floor. Before there was time to take a seat, the interior door opened and a man dressed in elegant clothes and a cape was present, accompanied by someone wearing a metal armor that covers his entire two-meter large body. So this is Garonte ... I see why the guards left us, with such a guy no more security is needed. "You must be Argent, the man I''ve heard about. I''m Garonte and this is my faithful guard, Barbatus". Barbatus, uh ... Where did I heard that name before? "As you said, I am Argent. They are my prot¨¦g¨¦ Ryuuji and my confidant Ren. I hope it doesn''t bother you if them accompany us. I can assure you that they will not intervene in the conversation, neither one speaks the local language, so we can speak with confidence". "Well, that''s very detailed of you. Barbatus speaks the language of the East, but he has all my confidence, I assure you he won''t divulge anything". It''s interesting how the guy''s aura is red since he started talking. It is the clear effect of << Scammer''s Terror >> telling me that he lies ... Not as if I needed it to know, but confirmation is not bad. Well, it''s obvious that he do not believe that they don''t speak the language, but it doesn''t matter. "Well, leaving the companions aside, I must say that you wear clothes of a fascinating quality, I don''t think I''ve seen anything like it before". "I''ve traveled a lot, and I have a taste for buying things that get my attention. I hope I can find good use for my money here, I feel like there must be many treasures in a city like this". "Direct to the point then ... Exactly, what do you want to buy?" "Well, there are many things that could get my attention. In particular I heard there would be an important auction in a couple of days". "Are you interested in slaves? It''s not that I want to undermine the merchants of my city, but as far as I know, this time most of the slaves are peasants from the region. I don''t think they can meet the demands of someone like you" . "I will judge that with my own eyes. You never know where you will find the next wonder". "I''ll take your word, after all who would say that someone of your bearing would arrive in the city without prior notice. I have been told that you has spent huge amounts of money on frivolities".You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. "Speaking of frivolities, don''t you think they were too many already?" For an instant the man in armor seemed to want to step forward, but was stopped by the following words. "Indeed, I think it''s time to be serious. Who are you really?" "Argent Makoto". "... Do you mean it ... An Aristoi? Do you really want me to believe that an Aristoi entered the city without me knowing !?" Once again the big man in armor moved slightly, reacting to the words of anger. "Excuse me ... it was a moment of weakness. I hope we can continue". "No problem, but apparently it would be better if we had our conversation directly, face to face ... Sir Garonte". I said as I completely ignored the reaction of the cloak man and focused my gaze on the man in armor, on Garonte. Suddenly, Garonte removed his helmet and revealed his face. It was the face of a man in his thirties, and despite having features that invited to think of a rough and tough man, they still had a certain air of elegance, enough to conquer more than one lady. It''s the looks of a strong noble who commands his men himself. "Tell me, how did you know?" "Well, the fact that this man was so easily disturbed showed that he wasn''t used to dealing with unexpected events, which isn''t normal for someone who is at the head of a city where people from the underworld gather. Also the fact that on two occasions his answers came only after you moved, which implies that you was giving him a signal. Finally, it is inconceivable that he couldn''t know the regularity with which people bribe the guards to pass discreetly through the city". "Wow, said that way, it sounds as if all your reasoning is based on me being a capable man". "I''m not flattering you, but not everyone acts with your speed upon learning that someone like me is walking through its streets. Besides, that''s not all". "And what else is there?" "Your name, the name . It is the name of a warrior who lived long ago, the type of man who stars in fantasy stories one tell to children. Obviously it had to be a made up name". Finally, but not least, I can see his name along with his stats thanks to my monocle, I didn''t have to deduce anything, not even for a second he tricked me. Suddenly, Garonte began to clap. A more raucous sound than normal, due to the clash of metal with metal, inevitable if clapping using gauntlets. "Brilliant. Simply brilliant. I have no doubt that you has an intellect worthy of an Aristoi, not an ordinary man ... The rumors about you seem real after hearing you speak". Rumors? I do not think that the merchants of the city have been able to discover more of me than I allowed them. "Now I need to know, if you really are powerful enough to fight one of those red-dressed monsters". What are he talking about? What he says sounds as if he knew what happened in Galia. Did he have any other source of information that I didn''t consider? "What rumors are you talking about?" "Oh, don''t be surprised. It''s something Iren soldiers said". Soldiers of Iren !? "You see, there is a group of soldiers from Iren looking for something in the city ... But that you already knew. What you might not know, is that they are regular soldiers. I know it is hard to believe for someone who has seen the monsters in red, but Iren''s regular soldiers are, within all, relatively normal men. And as humans they are, they sometimes loosen their tongues while they are having fun in a bar". Who would have thought that again I would see a bar be a source of information. Moreover, who would think that the filtering of my enemy''s information would affect me? ... Naturally, me. "And what did you hear from them?" "Something that left me dumbfounded. They talked about something that seemed to be the top topic of conversation. About a man who beat an Acme commander, as if it were nothing". For a brief moment, the expression on Garonte''s face changed. Anyone else would not have noticed, but I can know what kind of shock those words caused him by seeing that it affects him just to repeat them. Time to reap the sown. "What makes you think that I could be that man?" "It was the description they gave of the man. A young man with shiny and immaculate hair. Wearing ocher clothes with bright red and gold embroidery. A monocle with engravings, highlighting his intellectual appearance. And most importantly, such an amazing presence that nothing compares to him, generating admiration at every moment of seeing him". "You flatter me. Although I certainly fit the initial profile, I don''t know if my presence ..." "I have no doubt, it is you. Seeing you reminds me of the Demon, although it doesn''t provoke in me fear, only admiration". "Have you seen him? The two-horned demon general". "I will never forget him. His figure will appear in my nightmares until the end of my days". "I would like you to tell me about him". "I will, but in return ... I want a duel with you". "Pardon?" "I have seen with my eyes how intelligent you are, Lord Argent Makoto. I can believe you''re an Aristoi, but I cannot believe that you are able to defeat one of those red monsters without seeing your strength myself". "... Very well. But I can''t just accept your challenge without knowing if you''re worthy". Suddenly, the man in a suit and cape who had been silent since Garonte took off his helmet began to scream. "How do you dare!?" "Quiet, remember that you are in the presence of an Aristoi. He is a person far above me. Just the fact that he allows me to challenge him is an honor ... What should I do to prove himself worthy?" "You will face my prot¨¦g¨¦ Ryuuji. I have supervised his training myself, I attest that he will not be an easy opponent". "So I must defeat the disciple before I can face the master?" "I didn''t say he was my disciple ... But if you can''t beat my subordinate, much less me. So, if you wants me to accept your challenge, you must beat Ryuuji first". "So be it". ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó Inside the justice barracks, in an arena prepared for the training of the justice officers, Ryuuji and Garonte observe each other. Around them were Argent, Ren and several subordinates of Garonte, including a dozen justice officers. After receiving the signal, both advanced towards the other willing to collide swords. Of course, these were not the swords they normally carried, but the training swords used by justice officers. Under no circumstances would they let a difference in the quality of their weapons decide the fight. Then, before everyone''s eyes, their swords collided. Okane o subete sekai e chikara 33 - Now to conspire

Chapter 33

Now to conspire

Under the sun, the glow in the steel of the swords (even if dull) revealed the prelude to a fight between swordsmen, or what was supposed to be one. Instead, both opponents were watching the other after a single clash. "What was that!?" Garonte thought, after being pushed two meters by a young man whom he exceeded by almost half a meter of height. Garonte expected a skill match. If the boy had been trained by that great man, he must surely possess some kind of technique that was difficult to anticipate, an incredibly fast movement or something like that. Above all, he didn''t even consider the possibility that if the young man surpassed him, it would be in strength. Even so, it happened. After the brief moment in which the swords collided, Garonte could feel a terrible force. If wasn''t for his skill and experience in combat, he would have been forced to drop his weapon. That shock should have raised the curtain for an exchange of movements between the two swordsmen, instead his entire body had been repelled, leaving the drag marks made by his feet as proof that it wasn''t a dream. Everyone present looked surprised, with the exception of one person. Argent, who watched Garonte with pleasure, as if saying "Did that surprise you?" Now the rumors didn''t seem like an illusion. The man in front of him was no longer just an illusion. If his disciple had such overwhelming strength, what kind of monster was his master? Even with his victory vanishing before his eyes, Garonte didn''t give up on his desire to face him. However, first he would have to pass the test in front of him. He immediately thought that if the boy possessed such strength, perhaps all his training had been based on improving his physical strength. After all, the fact that he had not continued with his initial attack, showed that he wasn''t ready to react, or rather ... His face showed how stunned he was because of what had happened, as much as everyone else. As if that was the first time his opponent was overwhelmed by his strength in that way ... It is possible that ... He had never faced someone he could surpass in strength before ... If this was true and considering he had been trained by Argent, that only meant that in a clash between them, Ryuuji was the one who normally were repelled ... At that moment the figure of Argent seemed to get bigger in Garonte''s eyes, like a giant watching him from behind Ryuuji''s back. Suddenly, while everyone kept watching frozen, Garonte pounced on the young man, who nervously defended himself by raising his sword. At that moment, Garonte took advantage of his carelessness and kicked him in the abdomen using the impulse obtained while running, transferring all the kinetic force to Ryuuji, who was thrown a meter and a half away, landing on his back. "Believing that your opponent will only attack you with his sword is the biggest mistake a swordsman can make". Garonte''s words had a great impact on everyone present. His men immediately began to cheer him. He had, in a show of skill and experience, made his opponent feel what he felt when he was pushed before. "I can beat him" he thought. If all he had on his side was an overwhelming strength, it was no different from the monsters he had exterminated hundreds of times. Humans ruled this land not for being the strongest species, but for being the most versatile and those who could overcome obstacles beyond brute force. Of course, Garonte would not waste the opportunity offered by the disadvantageous posture of his adversary, who lay on the ground confused. He would continue his attack until he won. In a brief moment, he crossed the distance he had created between them and prepared for a vertical cut. However, once again he was surprised by his adversary, who in a matter of a blink rose above his head (Garonte''s). Ryuuji had only required a movement to get out of his disadvantaged position, and now he was standing on the other side of the arena. Leaving the momentary stupor that witnessing the intrepid acrobatics induced in him, Garonte went again to lash out at Ryuuji. With this huge gap between their abilities, Garonte couldn''t afford to let the boy take the initiative. It was time to use his special technique. Garonte ran quickly, while leaning his body forward. The distance between them was enough for Ryuuji to react and put himself on guard before he was too close ... And that was just what he wanted. When he was just over a meter from Ryuuji, Garonte jumped forward and prepared the blow, taking advantage of Ryuuji''s guard being low. However, at that precise moment, the old general felt an icy chill run down his entire back, and then, his entire body froze. He could perceive it through every muscle, tendon and bone. Every movement that his body was capable of was observed and studied with pinpoint accuracy.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Even if he was behind him, he could see the eyes that looked at him like a lab rat. He didn''t need to turn to know whose gaze it was. What he felt was not the physical pressure that had crushed him when he first heard the demon''s voice, but terrified him even more. It was that brief moment when his mind could not stand the pressure, that moment of distraction, that prevented him from reading Ryuuji''s movements. Seeing his opponent approaching him, Ryuuji held his sword with both hands and took a stance that no one in that world could have foreseen. The same position that any player of a popular sport in which a bat was used would take. With a speed that barely allowed to react, he struck the formidable body of his enemy horizontally. Garonte''s distraction moment didn''t allow him to see that attack coming and the sum of all his skill and experience barely allowed him to protect himself. Although, he would have preferred to deflect the blow, for he was aware of how unwise it was to try to block something that struck with the same strength as a Rakthan. The show which those present witnessed lasted almost seven seconds, in that time Garonte''s enormous body flew through the air until it struck the arena wall hard. While holding in his hand what was left of his sword, Ryuuji watched worriedly the dust cloud where his opponent was ... Was that too much? Fortunately, the men in the barracks confirmed that Garonte was still alive, something that didn''t seem to surprise Argent. ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó Before the fight I had a talk with Ryuuji. In which I not only told him who Garonte was, and that the consequences of his defeat would force us to leave the city and forget about the people of Galatea. I also told him what I believed about the story he told me the day we met. My theory is that what he said about waking up alone and then flying away was real. In my opinion, that was because he tried to get up by applying what appeared to be his normal strength, but because of his stats, that was too much and he ended up rising several meters above the ground. I also believe that this didn''t happen again due to his high Spirit stat, which I understand has to do with the connection with the body. I assume that because of this he could suppress his power without knowing it. So, if he was aware of it, he could use his true strength without problems. It should be said that the result was optimal, and I must give him credit for using that experience in combat, maybe he has talent in addition to his stats. That is promising. Of course, I never doubt his victory. The difference in stats was too much to overcome with skill and technique. Maybe when Ryuuji was a complete newbie it would have worked, but just knowing the basics is enough for someone with his stats to win. Fortunately Ryuuji''s hit wasn''t fatal, although it did reduce Garonte''s health to 8 points. The truth be told, it was a tremendous strike, maybe he fractured some bones, although that doesn''t concern me as long as he don''t die in the next few days. The most important thing is that I strengthened my position and I could finish reading Garonte, time to apply pressure. ... A little later that day, when it began to get dark, we met again in that room of the red building. Garonte needed a few hours to regain consciousness. In that time he received some treatment, so he is now in front of me, with most of his torso, hands and neck bandaged. "..." "You don''t need to say anything, from now on I will carry on the conversation". Trying to hide his pain, he made the least possible movements, so he nodded slightly. "We can leave the talk about the demon general for another day. What I want to talk about now is about the person you work for". The slight widening of his eyes let me see that my words took him by surprise. "You can blame your assistant for this too if you wish. I know you work for someone else thanks to him". "What do you mean by that?" "Before, when he discouraged me from buying slaves, he said he didn''t want to undermine his merchants ... That was a lie". "Hmm". "Then I thought, why would he want to prevent me from buying from the merchants here? The simplest answer is that he don''t like them or have something against them. And since he works for you, I imagine it''s because they antagonize you". "You are a scary guy ..." "Naturally, the best reason for this is that the merchants do not really work for you, but for someone else. But the next question would be, why would you allow them to trade freely then?" "Which means they work for someone I can''t oppose". "Exactly. And on second thought, you may be a guy capable of governing this city, but you doesn''t have the coldness to lead a large number of underworld merchants, at best keeping them under control". "Before I was someone very capable, now you say not enough". "No more flattery is needed, you lost that right when you challenged me. A group of merchants can only be led by another merchant. No merchant would risk the possible benefits that someone like me would bring to his city for the desire to prove my strength". "What you say must be true, I could never think like those little vermin". "... Who is it? I want to know who is the true leader of the merchants". "I will tell you. Actually, I want to tell you. You are an authentic nobleman, the common people should serve you and the other nobles show you respect. But that man will not. Nor did he show it to me, until I could earn it by putting this city under control". Without warning, Garonte rose from his seat ignoring his injuries and prostrated himself before me. "Instead of serving a vermin like that ... I''d rather serve you!" "Don''t you think of being yourself who has the power?" "That idea came out of my head a long time ago". "... The demon general". "Indeed. After what happened, I realized that I am not up to being the one who takes the reins". "... Very well. I think I want to hear what you know about him after all". Okane o subete sekai e chikara 34 - Leave hope

Chapter 34

Leave hope

Woaaaah ... Does that guy really have so much power? According to what Garonte said, he eliminated no less than a hundred soldiers in one attack. Even if we consider that they are no more than PAIS rank, I don''t think it is possible to do something like that if you are not a specialist in attack of the GERON rank, and from what I understand, he used a sword. Not only that, I don''t know any ability that can immobilize thousands at the same time as he says happened as soon as the Demon spoke. The more I think about it, the more it sounds like a damn monster. The only ones capable of such things are the monsters, that is, those unique monsters that dozens of players face at the same time just to defeat them. Is that guy even human? No. Assuming that it is human would itself be a mistake, but it doesn''t mean that there is no possibility. Maybe a unique title like my << Scammer''s Terror >>? In TLO there was the possibility of acquiring titles that can be obtained under special conditions and that are only achieved once. These usually bring some kind of unusual skill or bonus. If it is a unique title, it may allow you to do something that not even a GERON rank could do. Although it would be best to leave the analysis for later, since Garonte''s story is not over yet. "After I returned to Vangar along with 213 ... of the 6,000 of my men I left with. I found that the population considered me a hero. The first man to invade Iren and return alive". For a moment Garonte''s gaze was lost in darkness before continuing. "Things didn''t end there. While we were fighting Iren''s men, peace agreements were being carried out with Iren, as many times". Apparently, during the battle the men of Iren were ordered to cease all hostility and return to Iren, which is why they never counterattacked or defended themselves while they retired. Unfortunately, as this was a common occurrence and Jagheb''s commanders had never pursued Iren''s forces beyond the border, the messenger who brought the news of peace to Garonte was in no hurry, and the latter had no way of knowing. "When what happened was known, the peace treaty was in danger of collapsing even before it was completed, something that alarmed all of the government. They looked for any way to avoid it and an opportunity presented itself. Better said, it was offered". Instead of considering Garonte''s attack as a hostile act against Iren, it was considered a personal challenge to the commander of the attacked city. This being the general who happened to be there at the time. "As a personal challenge, Jagheb would not get involved in any way, freeing itself from any responsibility ... Abandoning me and my city". The offer to recognize the attack as a personal challenge was made by the demon general himself. Jagheb didn''t hesitate to accept, which meant that as the challenged, the general had the right to respond and fight for glory. The result was that a week later an army of Acme Soldiers was at the gates of Vangar, the city of Garonte. "With a decimated army, it was impossible to resist the onslaught of an Acme army, even if it was less than 1000 soldiers. In addition, the demon knocked down the city gates himself, making way for the red monsters". Once inside, there was nothing to do. The massacre was terrible. Without wasting time, not only the remaining soldiers, the civilians also began to be executed. "From the height of my balcony I could see it, so many times that I came to notice it. The Acme soldiers showed no expression. There was no anger or savagery, there was no sorrow or sympathy, there was no pain, not even the pleasure of a madman. Each murder was exactly the same for them, it didn''t matter. It was as if they stepped on ants ... No, even doing that would make you react if you notice it, it was like when you step on ants without noticing". At times, Garon''s body trembled, and it wasn''t due to the pain of his wounds. "There was only one case, a single situation in which their eyes looked alive ... When someone was resisting and confronting them. Only then was it different. For the brief moment they thought they would have a fight, before mowing the life of their adversary like any others, then their eyes turned the same as before".Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. In the terror of the massacre, there were many who hid, hoping not to be the next to be seen by those inhuman eyes. Apparently waiting to be rescued or ignored completely. It was then, when almost the entire population had perished, that they stopped. The massacre was not total. But the words they said ... "Those of thy who did not fight like fools, nor did try to flee like rats. On the orders of the General Demon of two horns, they have been forgiven. Remember forever the consequences of challenging the General Demon while watching the bodies of thy countrymen burn along with their homes". Although the massacre stopped, the soldiers set the houses on fire before leaving the city. Many of the people who were still hidden to escape the steel saw their end in the flames. Those who managed to leave on time, witnessed how their city and the bodies of their friends and family, neighbors or simple acquaintances, were consumed equally, slowly turning to ashes. It was then that they realized. His lord was not a courageous hero. He was like them, they knew it because they had gone through the same thing. He had survived only because he became paralyzed with fear, a sensation that all Vangar survivors knew well. "They never tried to kill me. With me standing on the balcony in plain sight, easily an arrow or a spear could have ended my life ... Now that I think about it, maybe at that moment I wanted to die and that''s why I didn''t think about hiding. What I know is that I couldn''t take my eyes off it, I had to witness what my actions had caused". The intention of the demon general was to humiliate Garonte before his subjects. Marking him forever. Something he got, at seeing his behavior while telling his story. "After that, the survivors scattered among the nearby towns, they never looked back at me, they never told me anything. For them I was dead". After these words, the room was silent. I have learned a lot about the demon general from this story. Not only about his terrifying power, but also about his personality. Information that may be useful to me. "After what happened, I wandered aimlessly until I arrived in this city. Then that man offered me a position as commander of the justice officers. He was not the lord of the city, but still he was the one who moved the threads. Then after I demonstrated my expertise as a soldier and commander, they finally decided to put me at the head of the whole city. After four years I earned their respect and that of the people of Garush, but it is not a mistake to think that I am only the military leader". After a moment of silence, he told me about the man behind Garush''s merchants. Apparently unlike Garonte, he''s a smart guy who can give me trouble. Aaah¡­ This is what I was talking about. After all this city is not a bad place. People who try to take advantage of one are easier to predict and manipulate. That Garonte seriously thinks he deceived me. "Instead of serving a vermin like that ... I''d rather serve you!" I don''t think he knows about << Scammer''s Terror >>, however it''s obvious that he knows that lies don''t work with me. So he chose his words very well, after all, preferring something is not the same as doing it. Everything that happened was within his plans. He chose a subordinate who knew was easy to discover and chose a name as obviously false as Barbatus, all for me to discover who he really was, that way I could feel that I overcame his deception and he would at the same time have an excuse to praise me no stop without looking false. Apparently Ryuuji''s strength and the fact that I discovered that there was someone to whom he owed obedience took him by surprise, but he only took that opportunity to kneel before me. If the illusion is created that he is the one who serves me, I would use all my resources to carry out my plans ... his plans. You have been my first adversary in a fight of intelligence and manipulation Garonte, but you have been naive to think that I would simply ignore such obvious logical failures in someone capable. That''s why you''ve lost. The funny thing is that he didn''t lie about not wanting to be the one who takes the reins. Of course, that can be interpreted as being the coachman of a carriage. This city really is much more like what I like. It is a pity that I must leave here in the next two days. After all I cannot be involved in the revolt that will happen in the sale of slaves. And above all, after hearing the story of Garonte, I am even more convinced that I don''t want to get involved again with the people of Iren. I am curious about whatever they are looking for, but it''s not worth it, they are a danger. ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó "Ruthen, you finally arrive". "Sorry, I was looking for Albert, but I couldn''t find him". "Ah, the sick girl''s brother. You shouldn''t worry so much about them ... Although I know you will do it anyway. Tomorrow I''ll help you find him". "Thanks Molak". Suddenly, the leaders of the resistance entered the room and all remained silent. The plan that was talked about so much. The one that will put an end to the tyranny of the traffickers and the corrupt rulers of the city, was about to be announced. "Brothers, we know you are eager to hear it. Yes, we have finished contemplating the details of the plan and it is time to announce it to everyone". The man everyone listened to with anticipation was covered with the same mantle that symbolized the resistance. He was not a man who distinguished himself by his clothing, from his point of view, he was equal to everyone else. All were brothers and sisters of the resistance. This way of being made him distinguish himself in a different way. He was respected and that is why he was chosen to announce the most important plan in the history of the resistance. Although his appearance was no more than that of a normal man, almost thirty years old. His black hair showed the dirt that usually cover poor Garush residents. However, there was something in his voice, and also in his gaze, that inspired confidence; which raised the morale of those present. They were the sign of his faith in the plan he was announcing. "Now I will tell you about Iren''s soldiers murder plan!!" Okane o subete sekai e chikara 35 - From one side to another

Chapter 35

From one side to another

More than 70 men were sheltered in an underground cellar whose construction dates back to the times when the city was still independent, when the construction was used as a refuge against disasters and a hiding place in times of war. Most of them were dressed in dirty and ragged capes like mine, while eagerly watching Laru, one of the most respected leaders of the resistance. Those of us gathered here represent more than half of the resistance assets. Although it''s not that we are such a small group, we are more than 100 in total, and if we consider the citizens who support us, in addition to the supporters we have outside the city, probably anyone would have trouble counting all the resistance members. Even so, those of us who coordinate the missions and plans in general are gathered here (this without counting those who are still in their missions). Everything to listen to the plan to execute the most important mission in the history of the resistance. "In two days the great sale of slaves will take place. Everyone expects us to make our move then. In the end, the nickname ''Heroes of slaves'' some have given us will serve our purposes". Confidence in his words was transmitted through his voice. It was obvious that everything he was going to say was based on more than just a guess. "Most of the guards will be stationed in the commercial plaza that day, leaving the streets virtually unattended. Probably the only ones who will get in our way will be the spies the government put in to track down the soldiers". "Won''t they be a problem?" said someone in the crowd whom I couldn''t see. This place is quite narrow, so we are quite crowded and it''s difficult to distinguish someone. "Not at all. They are men who keep track of Iren''s soldiers, they are specialized in keeping hidden, they shouldn''t be very strong when it comes to fighting head on. They won''t be able to alert about us on time either, we''ve chosen the group farther from the square". So this is it. The small group of soldiers from Iren who had come to the city to conduct a search were separated into smaller groups (in order to cover more ground faster), they only meet at the end of the day to report. The fact is that those groups are made up of just 6 men. "We have put most of the innocent people living in the area in question under alert. Of course, they are people who will not betray us, so we don''t have to worry about leaking the plan. Some of them have even offered to help us in our mission". For a moment everyone was silent. I could clearly hear a few swallowing, while everyone began to understand that this was real. "For the plan to succeed, we must kill the soldiers in the streets, so the fault will fall on the incompetent rulers. Of course we will limit the risks, previously one of ours will put poison in their drinks, so they shouldn''t fight at ease or escape with life. Have faith, brothers, when the time comes, we will surround them". I was able to feel the nerves of the crowd. Even knowing that everything was fixed, it wasn''t easy to ask someone who usually does undercover missions to fight against Iren''s soldiers. "Do not fear. There are only half a dozen men and we will be more than fifty. Also, remember that we talk about regular soldiers, even if they are from Iren, they have no chance. We will finish them, and when the rest of the soldiers know about it, Iren''s wrath will fall on the rulers of Garush". "Why are you so sure that will happen?" "There is a precedent". Quick and without hesitation, the answer was direct, without giving time to raise the doubts of those who listened. "15 years ago, Kashmir was a city like this, governed by corrupt people, who abused their power and trampled on the citizens. At that time some soldiers from Iren were passing by on the way to another site, two of them separated and they died during a revolt. They were reportedly betrayed, denying them an honorable death. By the end of the season, the heads of all the leaders of Kashmir had been separated from their bodies, even of those who had fled knowing what awaited them ". There were different reactions, some doubted what they heard, others looked scared to think about the fate of those who challenge Iren. Others seemed to agree with what they heard, perhaps already knowing the story. "After what happened, Jagheb sent people from the metropolis to rule. Today Kashmir is a thriving city and citizens live happily". This time everyone''s reaction was one, amazement and expectation. There''s no doubt that they hope the same will happen here. "To this day, we have resisted as much as we could, rescued how many were within our reach. But in two days, we will finally change things!" Enthusiasm could be felt in the environment, although I couldn''t help feeling oblivious to the feeling. No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn''t imagine it was a good idea to involve Iren in this ... or in anything. "Ah ... I''m sorry, but I would like to say something". The moment I raised my hand for Laru to see me, the people around me put as much distance as they could, clearing the field of vision. That was awkward. "Ruthen. Speak, after all, you are fundamental to the mission, your opinion is very important". Ah ... yes, "fundamental to the mission." The person in charge of poisoning the soldiers is supposed to be me, since I am very good at slipping away without being seen ... The more reason to feel bad about all this. "Do you really think it''s a good idea to involve Iren? I can''t stop thinking that it would be best to avoid it at all costs". I could feel everyone''s eyes on me. I guess some saw me as a coward. "Despite everything Laru said, I still think we should avoid Iren, because I fear them." That is what everyone should be thinking. All except Molak, I know that you understand what I am talking about.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "Ruthen, I appreciate your words of concern. However, we must face reality". Suddenly, Laru''s confident voice had turned cold and serious. The words that now came out of his mouth carried the weight of the past. "We can''t win. We are little more than a bunch of thieves in the eyes of the city lord. The truth is that there are groups of bandits that cause them more problems than us. We are weak". It''s true. Contrary to what those who call us << Heroes >> think, we are only a group of people who do what they can when the opportunity arises. Even on the last mission I was. If the traffickers hadn''t decided to camp by the forest and let their guard down, we probably would not have acted and freed the slaves. Before this rebel alliance, there was another group that tried to oppose the government and the traffickers. It was a much more idealistic group, they tried to save everyone and because of that they were shot down. Most were captured and executed, others managed to flee and gave up. Some members of the current resistance are survivors of that group, Laru is one of them. It is thanks to that experience that they shared with us that we have survived without being caught so far. By accepting our weakness. "Normally, there would be no way for us to overthrow the masters of the city. But Iren ... No one in the east of the continent dares to challenge them. They are strong. If we manage to provoke them to attack the government, there''s no doubt that Garush''s lords would meet their end". "That''s just why we should think better about the consequences of acting against them". "Do you think there will be another opportunity like this? Do you think that if we don''t act now, we can get the people of Garush to live free and happy like in Kashmir?" "I''m sorry, but I must ask ... What happened to the responsible'' of Kashmir revolt?" My words caused stupor in those present. I could feel as if the temperature in the cellar dropped several degrees and the air became cold. Because Laru''s response was ... "Obviously they were executed". Just as when he said with confidence that it was possible to obtain results because it had happened in Kashmir, Laru didn''t blink when responding. No one dared to say anything. I already knew it, there was no way they had been saved. "The plan depends on no soldier left alive, so that when the lords of Garush blame us, their words are in doubt, believe them or not. If they don''t believe them, they will be eliminated, and if they believe them, they will still be punished for incompetence in Iren''s eye''. But if we let one escape to report that we were responsible, there is no doubt that we would be condemned". Laru''s cold words placated the spirit of those who heard him. Doubts had already buried their hopes very deep. "Tell me, how is this different from any of our other missions? Failure means death. The difference in this case is that success is equivalent to achieving our goals in one fell swoop. Brothers ... ISN''T THE RISK WORTH IT!? " There was a loud shout "OOOHHHHHH!!!". Despite the fear, everyone''s spirit were ignited again with the fire of hope. No matter how much he wanted to pretend it wasn''t like that, Laru had an undeniable charisma. However, it''s not just the consequences of failing that concern me. I don''t doubt that if we accomplish the mission it will be the end of the lords of Garush ... But will that be the only consequence? ... Ah ... In the end the mission will continue as planned. I couldn''t continue last night after seeing everyone''s enthusiasm. "It''s good to worry about certain things, but don''t let it affect you too much". "I''m sorry you have to worry so much about me ... And I''m sorry to have you accompany me to look for Albert". "You should stop apologizing for everything. I don''t do this because I feel some obligation, but because I want to do it". "Thanks". No matter how many missions we do together, I can''t help seeing Molak more as a father than as an equal. And it''s not just because of his age. He has a protective personality, always trying to take care of others. I''m sure the younger knights who were with him respected him a lot and even though he doesn''t talk about it, I''m sure he thinks all the time if they''re okay. "I wonder if the little one will be safe and sound. How is the damsel doing?" "... Worsening. Last night after the assembly I went to see her and gave her my third potion, thanks to that she improved a little and could sleep, but this morning her sleeping face was not of peace, but of suffering. If I hadn''t given her the potions maybe she would be... " When I was about to say what I was most afraid of, Molak hit me on the back to get me out of my depression. "Then you did well to give her the potions, if she improves, it will be thanks to you". Regardless of the situation, Molak will always find a way to lift your spirits, even for just a moment. "By the way, where do you think the little one is?" "He probably went to the trading plaza or he might try to sneak into the most affluent area of ??the city". After we left the forest, we gathered the freed slaves and offered them different escape routes, in the end most of them decided to stay together and go to Kashmir. However, Selia collapsed and wasn''t in a position to travel, so despite the risk, I decided to bring her here. Based on the fact that she was healthy both before being captured and at the time of release, we believe that most likely she contracted a disease in the forest or was poisoned. Even so, we have no idea if it was an insect, a plant, a snake or a small monster that decided to disappear when it saw our group. The medic of the resistance is more of the type that helps with open wounds, bruises or prevents infections, he isn''t capable to discern the source of the evil that affects her. In any case, we don''t have the necessary drugs to treat it. The only ones who own them in the city are pharmacists from the affluent area of ??the city and some merchants. So if Albert went somewhere, it has to be there. It''s a pity, but for someone who has lived his life in a town full of friendly people who take care of each other, the idea that people aren''t going to give their help simply to save another is alien. For him, the mercenaries and slave traders must be an exceptional case. Unfortunately that''s not the case. "Hey, isn''t that the little one?" "Hm?" To our surprise, Albert was heading towards us accompanied by a man in an outfit like I had never seen before. It made the garments of all the merchants and lords of Garush that I know pale. Although if about exceeding everything I know it is, the girl who came by his side was by far the greatest beauty I had ever seen. No doubt Selia is an adorable girl, but the attractiveness of this woman is something different from everything I''ve seen, she doesn''t even look human, it''s more like a work of art. "He has seen us, they come here. What do we do? Those who accompany him are strangers and right now we must avoid exposing our plans and location more than ever". "Judging by Albert''s appearance, I would say he has been fed, even given a bath. He also looks more positive than ever before. Call it a hunch, but I think those people want to help him". "Let''s decide after talking with them you think". "I''m sorry if I put you in a difficult position". "I already told you that you don''t have to apologize ... Well, it''s not like you''re going to stop". Finally, Albert and his companions stand in front of us. That boy ... And the man in the fancy clothes aren''t just any man. My instincts shout at me loudly that they are anything but ordinary. "Greetings. You must be the ones who have been taking care of Albert and his sister. In addition to having rescued several of Galatea''s people. We cannot thank you enough for that. I understand that Selia isn''t in good condition and I know that it is a little intrusive of me, but I want you to let me see her". "Are you a medic or maybe a healer?" "Not precisely, but I would like the opportunity to try to help her". "Please Ruthen, my sister, she ..." His eyes began to get wet. With a face like that, it is impossible for me to refuse. "I understand. I''ll take them with her. If there''s a chance he can save her, I won''t let it pass". "Thank you". "However, because I don''t know them, I will have to blindfold them all the way there. I''m really sorry. But I have to". "I offer no opposition". "Thank you for understanding. Oh yes, I am Ruthen, and the great man next to me is Molak". "You can call me Argent". Okane o subete sekai e chikara 36 - Read intentions

Chapter 36

Read intentions

By the time we returned to the inn it was already dark. To my surprise the boy was awake and had barely finished eating. So to prevent him from bothering me about her sister at the time, I told him if he would like a bath. Taking advantage of the fact that I had already rented the entire bathhouse for that night, I sent him along with Ryuuji (who after his fight needed another shower) to the men''s bathroom, while Ren had the women''s one for her. I must say, considering that she lived until now on the mountain and that she avoided being seen, this surely was her first ¡°human bath¡±. I don''t know if it''s because of being a woman, because birds like to bathe or it was just a matter of experiencing something new, but after the bath she was ecstatic and very accommodating. Which will be good (if she keeps like that), so she will be more obedient. It''s not like she hasn''t done everything I''ve ordered so far, but she was always reluctant (sooner or later she could refuse). Since I think about it, Ren and Ryuuji are currently my most useful tools. The Argent guard serves to keep up appearances and get rid of minor inconvenience. As for Zera ... Well, the truth is that since I have mercenaries I find him less and less useful, considering that Estor knows how to read and write in the language of the East, and that Zera brings the risk of him figure the truth about me. However, given his way of acting, I would say that he would never question my posture. So it''s unlikely to bring me problems, although I have never liked loose ends. After the bath, the boy couldn''t take it anymore and fell asleep, thanks to which I was also able to sleep peacefully in a more or less comfortable bed after days of camping. Early in the morning the boy told us his story. Apparently he had already talked a little with the captain and the other two from Galatea, but seeing him downhearted they decided that it was better to lift his spirits with food and in the end they didn''t hear about what happened. The final destiny of Galatea was as predicted, although that of the << Slave Heroes >> was a surprise. I had heard a little about that group when we arrived in the city. Garonte affiliates and therefore their boss prefer to call them rebels. A group of mostly poor people who oppose the government and the ''legal'' traffickers of people. Of course, legal matters are subjective and I don''t doubt that they also oppose illegal ones. In the end my bet of not ignoring this child may bear fruit much sooner than expected. It seemed to me a fortunate coincidence that he was from Galatea, but that he is related to the rebel group is very good to be true. Who knows, maybe I''ll find some way to prevent them from causing me problems or I can even take advantage of them. After hearing the story we headed to see the child''s sister, the baker''s daughter in Ryuuji''s story. On the way I noticed that Galatea''s guard whom Ryuuji left unconscious had the same name as the << guardian spirit >> of the child ... Interesting. Unfortunately we run into a problem. The boy had been running desperately around the city for help, so he has no idea which way he took to the place where I found him. For the same reason he doesn''t know how to get where his sister is. For now we go to where we met and from there we will start looking. Although if this is fruitless I will have wasted valuable time, considering that I will soon have to leave the city. Fortunately, without having passed an hour since we started, we met a pair who were looking for the child. One of them was Molak, a big guy like Garonte, although the latter still surpasses him by a head. This is a level 12 swordsman. Without considering Garonte and the people of Iren, he is the highest level person I have seen so far. The other subject was a much younger man, called Ruthen. A level 6 thief, which is a considerable achievement for his age. Who for some reason has a particular tendency to apologize for no apparent reason. We had most of our conversation after they blindfolded us. Of course, it''s naive of them to think that will suffice to disorient me, considering that I memorized the map of the city I got yesterday, in addition to taking control of how many steps and turns we have taken. I know perfectly where we are. Finally we arrived at our destination, where we finally removed the blindfolds. It looks like a somewhat demolished house, if I''m not mistaken we are at the poorest end of the city. Thanks to the monocle I can know that there are a couple of people on the roof above us, maybe prepared to attack if they believe us dangerous. And if I look at the street there are another suspicious people in each corner. I think they are not so naive. Well, if they didn''t have at least this level of vigilance they wouldn''t have lasted so long without being caught. "Sorry for the inconvenience. It''s over here".Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Hearing Ruthen''s voice knocking from a door, the boy runs to the room without wasting time, so I and the rest follow. Of course, most of the mercenaries were unable to enter due to the limited space in the room, so they piled up at the door to observe. "Sister!" On the floor of the room, covered with an old blanket, is a young girl with long hair and an expression of pain on her face. The analysis shows without a doubt the state < >. "It seems correct to assume she is suffering the effects of some kind of poison". "You are quite smart, it''s the same our medic said. But we have no idea what kind of poison it could be. It could be of an insect, snake, plant or some monster, so we don''t know what antidote is needed. And neither we know if we have it". Eh? Does the source of the poison matter? Well, naturally it does in the real world. In TLO the antidotes were used according to the intensity of the poison, all the poisons that cause < > are considered normal poisons, which are cured with a bottle of normal << Antidote >>. I hadn''t thought about it too much, but will the basic antidote of the game be effective? If so, I have a full inventory slot of it. If it is effective it would mean that I will be safe against any regular poison, but if it isn''t, it means that I must get different kinds of antidotes for each poison ... I certainly prefer to find out when I''m not the one affected. Congratulations girl, now you will serve for my experiment, from now on I will call you by your name, Selia. Even so, exactly how long have she been poisoned? Considering her low level and amount of VP, the effect of the poison is incredibly slow compared to TLO. Otherwise she would be dead long ago. "Help her! Please help my sister !!" Hum. Don''t hate me if this doesn''t work. With everyone''s expectant eyes fixed on me, I put my hand in my item bag and took out a bottle of antidote. If this works out then this antidote will be very valuable, in which case, I don''t know if I can replace it in this world. But since this is an investment to know if it will work, in the end I should have no problem giving it to her. After putting the bottle in her mouth, I decided to make her drink the contents, after which she couldn''t help coughing twice. After a few seconds her expression of pain vanished, and what her face showed was exhaustion. The monocle confirms it, the < > state disappeared. This is a great discovery. Thank you for offering as a guinea pig, Selia. "I-Is she...?" "She is exhausted, but alive. She will be fine". The tension left everyone around me, while they were drawing a smile. The child''s face turned particularly illuminated. Without wasting time, he leaned against his sister while tears sprang out of control. We decided to leave them alone for now. Upon leaving the room, I saw a man waiting for us at the entrance. He was thin and despite being somewhat dirty, he had quite white skin. I was struck by his orange-brown hair. However, more interesting was the title << People reader >>. "Sallo. What are you doing here?" "I heard that a large group of people were with you, so I couldn''t help coming to see what was happening". The man scanned us all, perhaps looking for some suspicious sign in our appearance or expressions. "I''m sorry for not having consulted before. But listen, Selia is no longer suffering! We believe she will get well". "And I guess we should thank these people". Ruthen stands aside and makes a courteous signal with his hand in my direction. "It''s thanks to this man, Argent. He immediately recognized that Selia was poisoned and applied the correct antidote without wasting time". "Oh! Is he a poison specialist medic?" "Well, he said he wasn''t a medic ..." At that moment I could see a look of suspicion coming from this Sallo. "I see. Well, it doesn''t really matter. Thank you so much for saving the girl. It''s never nice to see someone so young gone, even less when she leaves a child alone". "It''s a pleasure. It''s not that I did it completely selflessly. What happens is that we actually know these siblings. My closest guards come from Galatea, and the boy is friends with my comrade". After observing me for a brief moment and crossing glances with Molak, Sallo seems to decide that everything is fine and lets out a sigh. "I see. Then it isn''t strange to want to help her. It''s simply a coincidence that you met here". "A benevolent coincidence. If it weren''t for that, I wouldn''t have been able to help them". "What will they do now?" "Well, you have done enough. From now on we will take care of them. As soon as Selia is well, she will come with us". "It''s not a bad idea". Sallo said before directing his gaze to Ruthen. "You can stay here until you wake up. I''m sorry, but right now it would be better if you didn''t leave this house". "I understand. If you''ll excuse us, we''ll watch over Selia until she wakes up". After this the rebels left the house. With nothing else to do, I decided to observe how the girl was doing. I don''t think it happens, but it''s still early to think that there will be no side effects from the antidote. "Mr. Argent! With all my heart, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR SAVING MY SISTER !!" The strength in the child''s voice took me by surprise. I think I''ve got another tool. I still have to think what it can do for me. "Ah... No..." Apparently, now that she has stopped suffering pain, Selia is dreaming. It''s funny to see someone talking while sleeping. "Don''t do it ... Don''t mess with the soldiers ..." Soldiers? As far as I knew, the only soldiers Selia should have had contact with were those of Iren when they attacked Galataea. "Mr. Ruthen ... Don''t let them ... Provoke the soldiers ..." ... T-This girl ... Will be possible. Is it possible that confident rebel boy Ruthen talked about their plans in front of this girl just because she seemed unconscious? That would mean that Selia has information about the plans of the rebels. That means she can still be very useful ... Soldiers? ... Shit! This must be a joke! ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó "Sallo, what did you discover?" "Well, he didn''t seem to be lying. Although it seems surprising to me that he knew exactly what kind of antidote to use. A man who is knowledgeable about poisons, but is not a medic. It gives me a bad feeling ... What do you say? Your instincts have always been sharper than mine. Even if you don''t know how to read the expressions, you are usually never wrong". "I couldn''t perceive malice ... Rather, I''m not sure what I perceived ... Mr. Argent and the young Ryuuji. There is something completely abnormal about them". Okane o subete sekai e chikara 37 - Pretensions

Chapter 37

Pretensions

After about two hours, Selia finally woke up. "How you feel?" Her eyes focused on me with a distressed expression that seemed to ask "Who are you?" "Sister!" Upon hearing the boy''s voice, Selia''s expression suddenly alternated between stupefaction and relief. "Albert! ... Thank you! Oh, Ashma, thank you! Are you alright?" "I should say that! Doesn''t it hurt? Are you better?" However, it''s evident that she is still lost and bewildered I assumed she was very confused by the fever to remember what had happened. "It seems that you somehow got poisoned while crossing the forest to escape the slavers and have been in bed since then". To my surprise, the person to come forward to clarify her doubts was Zera. "But everything is fine. Thanks to Argent-sama! He cured you, with a glance he could know what kind of poison affected you and provided you with the right antidote. You owe your life to such an outstanding person!" Hmm ... Even I could be ashamed of such a display of idolatry, especially when it was a gesture as sincere as his. What I couldn''t deny is that such an act of selfless admiration would highlight any possible act of "humility" on my part. I can take advantage of such an action. "It was nothing. It was a surprise for us to meet you and Albert even before the sale of slaves. Right captain?" "Really, really a lucky encounter". "Eh? Mr. Rad?" "I''m sorry I didn''t do anything for you. Really ... I''m so sorry". "Ah! You don''t have to apologize to us, there was nothing ... That could you have done". I agreed with that. It wasn''t as if the presence of the captain and the other two had changed things. In the end they would have only increased the number of victims. "But now everything will be fine. We have found you, you are already safe. And soon we will save the rest". "Eh?" Although I could be understanding and notice that this girl had done nothing but receive unusual news after another. Honestly, I lack the time and willingness to wait until she stops feeling confused. "For now, since you seem to be fine, it will be better to leave to not bother the anymore. Selia, you and your brother will come with us. From now on we will take care of you". Aware of her apparent stupor, I decided that the captain and the others would help her up, after which we quickly left that place. Once again, those men blindfolded us and made us follow a path full of a nonsense of turns to mislead us. After all that, we finally reached the point where we had initially run into the rebels, and we took off the blindfolds. "Thank you for taking care of Selia, even if you are the slave heroes, you had no obligation to take care of her after rescuing her". "No, I''m sorry I couldn''t do more for her. If I had left her, it wouldn''t have made sense to rescue her in the first place ... And I could never apologize enough to that man". Before leaving, Ruthen approached Selia and Albert with the intention of telling them something. "I regret the problems caused by my incompetence. With all my heart, I hope you can live free and happy now that you have met up with your friends from Galatea. And Albert ..." Crouching down to match his height, he whispered something in Albert''s ear, unfortunately I wasn''t able to hear what he said. But I don''t think it was something useful.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. On our way back, I decided to make a slight change in our formation. After all, I needed some privacy to talk to Selia as soon as possible. "Ehm, eto ... thank you very much for saving me". "It was a pleasure. I will speak bluntly. Our plan was originally to save you along with the rest of the town of Galatea who was enslaved. I was going to buy you all tomorrow at the big slave sale". "EH?" "Now I have to reconsider my plans. I didn''t count on the participation of the slave heroes. Who knows, maybe they will do something tomorrow in the sale of slaves, I don''t know if it''s a good idea to interfere". "That ... well ..." An easy bait, for easy prey. Come on Selia, I know you want to talk. "I don''t think they will interfere with the sale of slaves ... Mr. Ruthen was complaining about what they were going to do... That was a bad idea". "Eh? How can you know that? Don''t tell me he told you". "No ... Actually, last night ... while I was suffering, Mr. Ruthen gave me something to drink that eased my pain. Before I fell unconscious, I could hear him complaining that the plan was dangerous, that he didn''t like the idea of ??getting involved with the soldiers..." "I see. And what does that have to do with not interfering with the sale of slaves?" "Well ... If Mr. Ruthen didn''t like it, it must be because they would abandon the slaves". Wow, an interesting reasoning. Although I think I had a better idea of ??what the real reason was. No doubt it''s about the risk of messing with the people of Iren. Personally I don''t want to deal with them again. Right now, I can still stop them if I give their position to Garonte. But I still don''t know their plans, nor have I determined their potential value to me. If I had to choose between helping them or Garonte ... I still need information. If I put myself in their situation. Their plan may be to put Iren''s soldiers against Garonte. It can be easily achieved, considering that they are in the city looking for something. It is easy to convey the rumor that the rulers of the city have that something and are hiding it. Of course that plan has its risks. But for some reason Ruthen thought it was a bad plan ... No, wait. Is not that. Looking at Selia next to me, I can see that I am not considering something important. These people are nothing but poor wretch. Even a plan as bad as that is too much for them. It must be something so absurdly stupid that even someone so careless to talk about their plans in front of a strange girl can recognize as a bad idea. ... Ignorant bastards! They can''t think of killing an Iren soldier to cause an international incident!? If I consider the story of Garonte, Jagheb will give up the city and abandon it to its fate. Nothing would stop Iren from reducing it to rubble. How the hell do they plan to do something like that !? It must be at a time when they can deal with them alone. But The soldiers are under constant surveillance, after all it''s very risky to leave them on their own in the city ... "You may be right, Selia. They may think of abandoning slaves". It''s so obvious. Who called them << Slave Heroes >> in the first place? I don''t think they stopped in their tracks to proclaim themselves with that name. But even so, people call them that, everyone knows it. That is why it seems logical for them to try something in the sale of slaves. But assuming that is just a convenience. If tomorrow the justice officers concentrate their vigilance on the market. There will be fewer men in the rest of the city. A perfect time to do something crazy. It seems that all the pieces fall into place. The important thing is what will I do about it? The easiest would be to leave here as soon as possible. But I need to get an excuse to abandon the slaves of Galatea. After all, I already declared that I would save them, and above all, I don''t know if Garonte will simply let me go without saying a word. If there is a place that will continue to be guarded apart from the commercial plaza, it will be the city gates. After "Putting him under my orders" it would be strange if I left at once. I must think. Is there a way to turn this situation into an advantage? The answer is: Obviously. Although before moving forward, I need to confirm several things. It''s best to meet Garonte as soon as possible. The problem is ... those guys are following us. As soon as we parted, a small group of people have been following us in secret. Of course I can know thanks to the monocle. If I didn''t have it, maybe I would take the risk of going straight to tell Garonte about the situation of the rebels and end this without letting those from Iren get involved. I noticed it because the confused Selia walks more slowly when she starts thinking. Because of that, on more than one occasion I had to turn to look at her, that is how I saw them. While they''re watching us, I can''t just go with one of the city leaders. Nor can I get rid of them in such a ... public place. So I can''t send my men against them. Besides that if they see suspicious movements, they will look for ways to get off. If they were one or two they could handle them, but there are four, and they keep distance between them, so it isn''t easy to capture them all at once. I wonder if it wouldn''t be easier just to crush them. After all I have Ryuuji. There is nothing they can do. But if I do, it will have to be after leaving Selia and Albert at the inn. If they realize that those who follow us are part of the group that rescued them, I might have trouble dealing with them. I''m not sure how many men they have available either. Maybe they can have these four until they have executed their plan, or maybe they need them and they can only keep an eye on us for a few hours. I think I can try my luck for an hour or two. We will go to the market after passing through the inn and see if they stop following us when we are no longer suspicious. Of course I''m not going to waste my time. If things get complicated, tomorrow I will have to force my way out of this place. So I want to confirm the presence of the famous blacksmith of the rumors before that. Did you forget it? When I learned about all the problematic things, I also heard that there was a famous blacksmith in the city. If it turns out to be true and can be useful, I have to confirm it. Even in the current situation, it would be silly not to get all the possible advantages. Okane o subete sekai e chikara 38 - The Thirty-Third Warrior

Chapter 38

The Thirty-Third Warrior

Near the foot of the Galia mountain, the sixth legion prepared to leave. Surprisingly, they failed to fulfill their objective and only remained to go ahead with the following orders. What happened had altered the unalterable Acme Soldiers. Their commander, Jemur of the sixth (as he was known by the Acme Soldiers) had been completely defeated by a man who until now was a complete stranger. They were suffocated by a sensation they had already known once. Of all the soldiers, Jemur was the most surprised. At the time, he had managed to maintain his composure as a soldier, but now that he had left the man and the city behind, his mind was plunged into his incomprehensible defeat. It had happened so fast that by the time he realized, he had already lost. This was the second time he tasted a total defeat. He could understand the first, since nothing but defeat awaits those who challenge a general of Iren. However, there was no reason to think that he had no chance against a man who wasn''t even Irenit. All he could do now was to carry out orders and move on, at least there was honor in fulfilling his duty. When they were preparing to leave, an emissary arrived from Galatea, where they had left an outpost to serve as a communication bridge. The man went straight to Jemur. "Sir Commander, I''m Railey, from the communications squad, I bring new orders from the general, sir". "Our orders were to march north, to the next academy. You say the orders changed?" "Sir. No sir ! The orders of the sixth legion have not changed sir". "So?" "Sir. The new orders are addressed to the commander, Jemur of the sixth, sir". This surprised Jemur for a moment. But it wasn''t a possibility that would have been ruled out. He had failed, so he would possibly be degraded, or worse. He could tell how there was a certain anomaly in the messenger, who seemed to tremble slightly. Few things can make a soldier of Iren tremble. Maybe he was afraid of his reaction and that''s why he expected his permission to speak. "Speak soldier, what are the general''s orders?" If the soldier feared his reaction, Jemur wasn''t willing to be soft with him. It''s a shame for an Irenit soldier to feel fear in the middle of duty. "Sir. The General Demon of two horns asks you as a representative in a duel. As his warrior, sir!" Jemur was wrong. The soldier wasn''t trembling with fear, but with emotion. The thrill of speaking before the representative of the General Demon. The position of representative warrior is what any soldier who does not wish to usurp any of the posts of the high command aspires. Jemur felt his doubts vanish as if they had never existed. His mind once again was that of a Soldier. And it was then that he understood what those orders meant. "The general has been defied !?" ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó In a building located in the sacred land of Acme, members of the council of warlords who conformed the opposition to the demon general met secretly. All of them sitting around a large table and wrapped in shadows. In case there was a spy somewhere in the building, he would need to be dangerously close to distinguish the members. A security measure that had always been used, especially now that they were in the middle of a conflict with other council members. "Didn''t we just have an emergency meeting yesterday?" "With the demon loose you can''t have a day off". "... So it has been confirmed?" "Yes. We also know who chose the demon as their representative warrior. It''s Jemur, commander of the sixth legion". "They? Despite his humiliating defeat". "Humiliating?" "Acme soldiers rarely leave the territory and when they do, it''s for some battle. As far as I know, this is the first time that an Acme soldier has been defeated by a foreigner in a one-on-one combat".A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. " Speaking about a first time... Was there ever a thirty-third among the 32 warriors of the east? "... Never. At least I haven''t heard it happen in known history. There have always been 32 representatives, one for each of the 26 warlords, the 4 generals and the 2 kings". "But in the past there were other generals with the title of demon". "Yes, but in those cases it was a warlord or another general who won the title, so the number didn''t change. When that was not the case, there was no need for a representative warrior". "Well, it''s not like all the generals with the title were so troublesome". "In any case, this is the first to also be since the founder". "I still have a hard time believing that the King of Peace agreed to give him the title". "You must admit that there is no one stronger than the Demon in Iren. You were there that day. We saw it with our own eyes ..." "Yeah, that''s another problem ... Although returning to the subject, can Saladdi''s warrior defeat Jemur?" "As a general rule, I don''t bet against an Acme". "However, Jemur has recently suffered a severe defeat. He may be unstable". "Actually, I think that''s just the reason why the Demon chose him, beyond his obvious ability". "What do you mean?" "They eyes ... may have changed". "Eyes? What are you talking about?" "Once my predecessor told me about the weakness of the Acme Soldiers". "Weakness? Is there one?" "Actually, considering that they are soldiers, it isn''t precisely a weakness. However, it is certainly a weakness for a warrior. My predecessor said that the Acme had the << Soldier Eyes >>. A lost look that lacks spirit. Caused by ''Eliminations'' or ''deaths without combat'' ¡± "..." "By deaths without combat I mean ... the slaughter of war, where no adversary is an opponent. After passing the Acme test and existing by and for war, Acme soldiers lose something precious that all the other Irenits possess. The desire to fight. For them they are nothing more than orders and their victims are ''eliminated''. They were never opponents". "And what does that have to do with the Demon choosing Jemur?" "He probably realized ... After being defeated a second time, Jemur experiences the remorse caused by the bitter taste of defeat. Maybe it didn''t happen the first time because his opponent was the General Demon himself. However, this time it was a complete stranger. And even if they was an Aristoi, he was still defeated by a foreigner. It''s possible that it ignited a desire in him. The desire for victory", "Why is that different from the Acme soldiers? You say they don''t want victory?" "That''s exactly what I am saying. They don''t ''want'' victory. To begin with, they don''t consider the possibility of defeat, such an idea is unconceivable for an Acme soldier. But Jemur has tasted it, and for knowing defeat, is that he craves victory in a way that isn''t possible for those who never knew it. It''s likely that he now has eyes that seek victory, the eyes of a warrior". "Mm. I think I understand what you are saying. In other words, he is now beginning to have the mentality of a warrior rather than that of a soldier". "Effectively". "I don''t want to rule out the possibility of the Demon losing this. But let''s assume that Jemur is victorious ... What would be the consequences?" "As I understand it. The condition is that the control of the army of Lord of Saladdi will pass to the Demon and from now on his vote will always be for him". "Aagh! Damn it! I can''t deny that it''s admirable to defy the Demon, I would also like to stop his feet at least once. But considering the consequences... We could have problems. He wasn''t one of us, but his vote was always against the Demon. If it now goes in his favor, the demon gets a two-vote advantage". "Not only that, his influence will grow even more, if he wins, it will be as if he takes control of Saladdi''s territory, the surrounding territories may decide to side with him". "In the worst case. The next time he decide to move on his own, the council will end up approving it until the last consequences". "In other words, the Demon will be free to leave Iren''s territory personally". "With the desire of conquest of the Demon, we will have failed in our mission". "Wait a minute. There''s something I still don''t understand. Why did all this happen?" "Ah. You didn''t find out. The demon wanted to send the legions on a search mission, but sent his own forces to the academies and those of Saladdi to separate into different foreign cities". "Give orders to another''s army ..." "Well, as a General he can order the forces that are not under the command of the other generals. But it wasn''t enough with the Acme soldiers, he took authority over the army of one of the warlords and Lord Saladdi didn''t tolerate it". "It''s an unprecedented case. As always, the council has a split decision and the kings didn''t take action on the matter. So the only option left was to defy him. ''If no one else is going to do it, I will show you that you cannot do whatever you want''. Nice words, but if he lose the consequences will be worse". In Iren, when a dispute cannot be resolved by the authorities, it''s decided with a duel between the parties in conflict. In the past Warlords and Generals fought personally when they were involved. But as the result used to lead to the death or incapacity of one or both parties, it was detrimental to the balance of power. About 800 years ago, the rulers of Iren began using warriors to represent them in these cases. This is how each Warlord gathered under their command the best warrior in their territory. The Generals from their army and the Kings from all Iren. Was formed the group with the strongest warriors east of the continent. The 32 warriors of the east. "So Jemur will be the first thirty-third warrior in the east". "I guess with that he will overcome the stain of his defeat". "By the way. Anyone have any idea what the Demon is looking for?" "It must be something really important if he is sending even the armies of others to look for it". "On that front, my sources got one of the letters sent to Saladdi''s army. On it there is a drawing of what they are looking for". Among his clothes, a figure in the shadows pulled out a paper to place on the table and in the light of all present. "It''s about this. It doesn''t seem like the big deal, just a piece of metal. I found out everything I could, but I didn''t get any clues. Considering that he uses his legions to invade the AS Academies, everything seems to indicate that its part of some sort of artifact". "We may not be able to do anything to prevent the Demon from gaining control of Saladdi''s army, but we can still prevent him from getting away with it. We must do everything possible to get this device before the Demon finds it". Okane o subete sekai e chikara 39 - Duel of representatives

Chapter 39

Duel of representatives

Canaar is a bordering city. A fortress built north of the territory and representing the end of the Irenit land. The last sighting of foreign forces near the walls was rather recent, but that fact had only been repeated after 200 years, and almost 300 years if we talk about the last time in which a confrontation had been waged. Because the general''s call is a top priority and I had to travel urgently, I ended up riding next to the soldier of the communications squad in his Razorante, and thanks to the creature''s exceptionally fast jogging speed, it only took us a few days before we could glimpse our destiny. The beast was strange, a monster mutation that through generations had become a domesticable animal. Its origin dates back to the discovery of a foreign tribe that had managed to train them to use them as pack animals. Their advantage lay in the extraordinary speeds they were able to develop in the plains, which exceeded several times those that a horse in similar conditions could reach. It was not surprising that its use in messaging was an indispensable element. As we approached, I missed the hustle and bustle that could have resonated from this meeting in the capital. Normally, duels of representatives take place in the land of Acme, since they are of great political importance, and at the same time they serve as a spectacle for those citizens from the capital. But the general didn''t want to waste time and asked for it be done here the day after I arrived. Petition they had to accept, since it was he who had received the challenge. Although I am glad to return, I did not know that I would do it without bringing with me at least the glory of one victory ... I have to make sure to remedy that here and now. On the other hand, I must say that I never thought the first time I would witnessed one of these clashes, it would be mine. ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó The time had come. The confrontation would take place in view of a large audience, which included people not only from the city, but from all over Iren. Two representatives would fight in a skill match for power and glory. On one hand, were the lord of Saladdi and his champion, Apoc. The latter was a blond man in his late thirties, slightly taller and stocky than Jemur. He wore an open-sleeved fabric shirt, embroidered below the leather vest that preceded his steel bib. In his muscular arms the characteristic tanned complexion of the Irenits was appreciated. On the other side was the representative of the general Demon of two horns, Jemur of the sixth. Wearing his uniform, the full body red armor of the Acme, which in his case wore gold edges, indicating his position as commander. For this contest, both representatives carried a ceremonial sword with the same characteristics. As for the rest of their equipment, each one had the freedom to use what he preferred. In Jemur''s case, it was the armor he proudly wore. To everyone''s surprise, the host and judge of the duel was none other than the King of War himself, Alamek the Red. Maybe that man was aware of the importance of the duel, or maybe he was only interested in seeing it, moved by his mere curiosity. However, only a handful of people were able to discern what was going on in the head of that particular man. Alamek was identical in height to Jemur. He wore a red cape and a ceremonial robe that gave no doubt that it would be he who would judge the contest. He was a stocky man who let his bare arms look the same way Apoc did. There were many small scars that could be seen on both arms, particularly on the right one. Without wasting time, the parties approached the center of the arena and showed their respects to the king, who without giving more importance decided to end the formalities quickly. "As the law dictates, come forward and give your name". Deciding by duel is a traditional ritual, even before the warlords appointed representatives to participate. In case of death, those who face give their name and say what they want to be remembered from them in doing so. This is a permission to speak and be heard one last time. "I am Apoc, champion of Saladdi. Undefeated in 13 matches and 214 fights for my position among the 32 ... 33 warriors". "I am Jemur, son of Jemer; captain of the third platoon of the desert general, son of Hamor the lost. Representative of the general Demon of two horns". Jemur''s words made Apoc''s eyes widen for a moment. But he said nothing more, his moment to speak had already passed. "In the name of the founder, fight with honor. With the authority bestowed upon me by Iren''s crown, let this fight decide who will bow his head to the other''s requests". That said, the king left the arena, leaving the contestants facing each other. Without the presence of the king, Apoc took the opportunity to say the words that had almost escaped from his mouth after the presentation of Jemur. "As someone who has passed the trial of Acme, you were accepted as an Acme soldier regardless of your past. Why would you want to be remembered as the grandson of the lost? You didn''t even mention your title as commander of the sixth Acme legion". "I always was and will be the grandson of my grandfather Hamor. I never thought of it as a shame, even though my father did. And at this moment I do not command the sixth legion. I am the representative chosen by the general, a much more important title". "I will not deny that your lord is more powerful than mine, but that does not mean that you will win".If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. "You are right, I will not win because my lord is stronger than yours. I will do it because I am stronger than you". And while the blood rose to Apoc''s head, the king gave the signal to start the fight. "May you be a better soldier ... It doesn''t make you a better warrior!" Without wasting time, Apoc reduced the distance between them with a single impulse. Holding his sword in front, he charged at Jemur as if he were an arrow let loose. For someone with Jemur''s skill level, such an attack was easy to counter. However, just when he had begun to extend his arm to make a slash with his blade, he was surprised by an unexpected movement from Apoc. He had aimed his sword at the ground, hitting it hard, but not burying it too much. As if it were a pole, he used it to boost himself again, passing over Jemur without receiving his counterattack and positioning himself behind him. In front of his eyes, Jemur''s back left his neck exposed. "It''s you- Goagh!" Taking advantage of the rotational force he had used in his previous movement, Jemur extended his leg on which he no longer supported his weight and kicked his opponent''s stomach without even looking back. While that was happening, the euphoric screams of the spectators were heard, as well as the conversations of the most well-known fighters, who could identify the combat tactics employed by each of the fighters. "Oh! That is an incredible reaction time. It is also necessary to know exactly where the opponent will fall for the kick to connect that way". "Apoc''s surprise attack was also incredible, and although he received a kick, in the precarious position in which he left his opponent it couldn''t be a blow too strong". As viewers appreciated. While he had managed to avoid the attack, Jemur had failed to inflict significant damage. On his side, Apoc recognized Jemur for not having fallen for his deception. Pretending that you fall into the provocations of the opponent, so that he trusts you to attack as he had anticipated. In the past, that tactic had earned him more than a dozen fugacious victories, generally meaning that the opponent had underestimated him. Obviously, as someone who retained his position among the 32 warriors for more than 10 years, Apoc was not a man so simple as to get carried away in a duel. As for Jemur, his almost instantaneous response to his adversary''s offense was because he had contained himself in his counterattack. It was always important to keep the guard in a fight. Although a timely attack could decide victory, allowing yourself to be vulnerable could also mean defeat. Something that Jemur was determined to avoid at any cost. After adopting his position again, Apoc resumed his offensive with a series of fast lunges that Jemur didn''t have much trouble blocking. Evidently, the attacks were not intended to win the fight, but to keep Jemur under pressure in search of an opening. Or that is what he thought. After a few more lunges, Apoc backed away, producing distance between them. Only to later close distances and repeat the process. Whatever Apoc planned, escaped from Jemur''s reach. It was impossible for him to understand what he was up to. This rapid succession of attacks taken its toll on Apoc, who after several repetitions of his rain of blows and kicks began to show signs of exhaustion. Some sweat and long breaths in the kicks betrayed the effort that his movements began to cost him. For his part, Jemur had remained merely defensive. The energy he used to block the attacks was way less, since it hardly required movement. His adversary''s attacks were almost too easy to predict, they were almost always the same, with slight variations to discourage him from trying to counterattack by reading his movements. Not just that, Jemur was a much younger and in better condition opponent. Even at his prime, Apoc couldn''t compare his physical and energy capabilities with those of a full-fledged Acme soldier as his rival was. It was for this reason that he decided to abandon the idea of ??a direct confrontation. Being overcome in strength it wasn''t a good idea to prolong the clash of swords, the smartest thing was to take his distance before his opponent had the opportunity to use his advantage over him. Apoc had opted for a different strategy, one that was only possible thanks to his great experience as a representative duelist and the inexperience of his adversary. Apoc''s attacks were easy to predict and block. After all they were always directed to the same places. So Jemur could always block in the same way. Of course he wasn''t going to let his guard down, he was alert in case Apoc tried something, so he wouldn''t be surprised with a sudden change of pace in his repeated movements. The plan was different. Unlike Jemur, an Acme soldier who wears the best Iren equipment, Apoc had been one of the thirty-two warriors for years and knew the limitations of ceremonial weapons well. Before Jemur was able to decipher his adversary''s strategy, everyone''s eyes were able to watch as Jemur''s sword broke and most of his blade fell apart. Apoc''s strategy had resulted in destroying his opponent''s weapon through a dent and wear caused by the repeated impact of his blade at various key points. "This is how you beat someone who is stronger and more skilled than you. Don''t underestimate an Iren champion!" Apoc pointed his sword against his now helpless rival, who could do nothing but try to cover himself with his left arm and hope that his armor would protect him. Of course, Apoc was aware of the resistance of the acclaimed red armor. He was not going to allow his sword to suffer the same fate as that of his enemy and let his advantage disappear. With great technique he aimed at the joint in the arm, the weak point of the armor, before Jemur managed to lift it to defend himself. It was a quick stab that pierced the arm and came out from behind the elbow, spilling blood. "This time I have you". "Rather I have you". "?Agh!" Taking advantage of the forward posture Apoc took to stab his arm, Jemur reached to hold his neck with his right hand, which was covered by the gauntlet of his armor. Without wasting time he began to squeeze with all his strength. And although his opponent tried to draw his sword to use it, Jemur moved his arm in response, making sure the sword remained trapped in it. Even with a little longer arms, Apoc couldn''t release his weapon, while Jemur brought his head closer and with it his body towards him, to make it impossible for Apoc to get it. "You made a mistake by wasting your energy on breaking my sword. Now I will break you". Apoc not only tried to draw his sword, he also used his free hand to hit Jemur''s face in an attempt to free himself from his grip, but he kept holding his neck, preventing the passage of air to an already exhausted Apoc, whose muscles began to weaken due to their inability to recover the oxygen that had been deprived from them by the continuous effort to which they had been subjected. Finally, Apoc lost consciousness and stopped fighting. "It''s all. The winner is Jemur, the representative of the general Demon of two horns". After the king''s words, Jemur opened his hand and Apoc''s body collapsed on the floor. With his hand now free, he removed the sword from his arm and walked towards the king. "At no time did he release his sword, not even to try to take my hand off his neck, he knew that without it he couldn''t win. He was definitely a proud warrior of Iren". "Is dead?" "The last one I deprived of oxygen for so long suffered from permanent brain damage that cost him the ability to move quickly and severely affected his reaction time. Although he had remained alive, he could no longer be a warrior again. The most honorable was to end his life here and now". "Despite the discussion they had at the beginning, they have granted him a dignified death. They are as merciful as I had heard". "I just did what any Irenit would have done". "On top of that, they have brought honor to thy lord. I am sure the general will be very pleased with thy victory". "Everything has been as the general wanted it. After all, we had the duel here, in the limit of the territory of Iren, so that the general could leave as soon as I won the fight". Okane o subete sekai e chikara 40 - The Blacksmith

Chapter 40

The Blacksmith

I may not possess the incredible strength and combat skills that Garonte and my subordinates think I have. However, I have other capabilities that have been shown to be almost as significant. Among them the skill << Borderless Trade >> that I have constantly used since I arrived here. Another skill that has also paid its dividends is << What''s mine is mine >>. The reason for thinking about all this is because after leaving Albert and Selia at the inn, another ability to be taken into account has manifested itself. << Catalogue >> This is one of the skills contained in << Trade (G) >>. So far I hadn''t paid attention to it. During my time at TLO, this ability served as a memo and automatic listing of the items which I traded. It wasn''t particularly impressive, although I avoided having to remember things and also compared the different prices of the same item that I found on different occasions. However, that''s no longer the case. A few moments ago I received a skill alert (as I decided to call them at the moment) that said: ¡¶Catalogue has finished updating¡· To my surprise, after a look not only was the information on the items that I have found, but that of each item for sale in Garush and Galia. In addition, it included its purchase / sale prices, showing maximums, minimums and averages. Just like that, I have the information about each and every item in the local market. What I can''t understand is why was the skill activated? Why didn''t it do it while in Galia? Why was it activated now and not when I entered the city? Is it possible that it requires some time? After all, it said "Finished updating." It means that it is a process that doesn''t happen immediately. And now that I think about it, it was more or less at this time that we arrived yesterday. Do it need a day to update? As for the reason why it was not activated in Galia... It might be because in Galia no transactions were made abroad. All this is nothing more than assumptions, but it''s all I''ve had since I arrived in this world. I have nothing left but to trust my reasoning at the moment. I will have to confirm it in the next city. Right now I am driving through the shopping plaza. My goal is to find the famous blacksmith of the rumors. First I thought about buying the information about his whereabouts, but it didn''t take long to realize that the merchants and locals knew as much as I did about it. They had only heard the rumors. Because of this I decided to change tactics, that is why right now I walk from one place to another, analyzing everyone I see. If there is a blacksmith good enough to meet my expectations, then I should be able to notice it in his status. While searching, I also prepared to confirm whether those men were still following us. About halfway through my search they decided to leave. Which I thank, it probably would have been inconvenient when talking to the one I think is the famous blacksmith ... And speaking of the king of Rome, I think I found him.
NAME: VERAN RACE: NOX 7
JOB: BLACKSMITH RANK: EFEBO LEVEL: 7
VP: 37/42 RESISTANCE: 29 DEFENSE: 15
MP: 16/18 KNOWLEDGE: 94 INTELLECT: 102
ENERGY: 27/40 STRENGTH: 29 MIND: 13
AGILITY: 13 TALENT: 32 SPIRIT: 18
ITEMS¨‹If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. EQUIPMENT¨‹ SKILLS¨‹ TITLES¨‹ MONEY: 00
TITLES¨‹ << Nox Blacksmith >> I don''t think there is any other who can be referred to as a famous blacksmith here. For starters, this guy is in EFEBO grade. Their stats also show that they have exceeded the PAIS grade, and have the correct distribution for a blacksmith. Now, how am I going to approach him. I know their location thanks to the monocle, it''s inside a building, but it doesn''t look like a shop, nor does it have open doors. Considering the fact that they are not doing business in the streets, I would say is not interested in receiving clients. This could make things a bit difficult, but I have no choice. We have to talk today, it can''t be another day. I knocked the door *knock knock* "Who?" By his response after knocking on the door, I can tell in his voice that he is not pleased to have visitors. I will have to probe a little. At least to get him close to the door and listen to Ren''s voice prompting him to let me in. "My name is Argent". "I don''t know you. What do you want?" "I bring something that might interest you". "Street vendor? I don''t want anything, get out!" "Everyone who comes to this city wants something". "Go sell to them!" "I know who you are". I can hear the rattling of metal behind the door, which at one moment opens slightly, revealing the sharp end of an ax. "Leave me alone, or I''ll have to hurt you". "I see it difficult ... Captain". With an order, my Argent guard push the door and get in, causing the man to go back inside, where he watches us without lowering his guard. It is a house with two rooms and a bathroom, modest and functional, like most in the city. The blacksmith has a black skin like coal. Dull gray hair and long ears. His appearance is that of a man in his 40s and despite being muscular, his figure is rather slender. I could not say whether or not he has scars on his skin, the features on his face are barely visible due to his dark skin. His skin tone and long ears are not things you would expect to see in an ordinary human. Among the dark elves, the Nox are known to be very skilled as craftsmen. A Nox blacksmith is certainly on another level than a human one. The story of TLO said that at one time they were called Dvergr. "Who are you !? Don''t think I''ll be intimidated, if you know who I am ..." "I''m not here to intimidate you, I just can''t have an appropriate conversation with you outside". "Those clothes... Who are you?" For a moment, the grip of his hands on the ax becomes lighter. I did well to force my entry for he to see me. The impact exceeds his alert level. "I am sure that I have already answered that question, but I will delve into details. Captain, watch the door, but let the others go far enough to not attract attention, let them buy something they can eat standing while they observe the surroundings". "Understood". After giving the orders and leaving himself, inside the building were the blacksmith, Ren, Ryuuji and me. Needless to say the reason why I keep only these two. "I''m sorry if I altered you when entering without permission, but we really can''t speak outside. As I said, my name is Argent. Argent Makoto". "I imagined you were a nobleman for your clothes ... but an Aristoi". "It''s early to be surprised. But if it doesn''t bother you, could you lower the ax? I can give you my word that I don''t mean to hurt you, nor force you to do anything you don''t want". "No, I guess you don''t seem like that kind of person". The blacksmith was more relaxed, and without much thought he leaned the ax against the wall and took a couple of steps away from it. "I will be frank with you. I am no longer doing work for anyone. I regret any inconvenience that you had to happen, but as I told other noblemen and merchants before you, I am not interested in your money". "Trust my words. Everyone has a price". "With seeing how you look, I am sure you could pay me whatever I ask, but I am not interested. I moved away from the capital because I could no longer achieve anything there. Very important people offered me great wealth, and I still left" . "I offer more than riches. I imagine you know what this is". The blacksmith''s eyes widened as wide as plates. His gaze froze for a moment on the object that was in my hand. A metal coin that has a glow of various colors. 5 colors, to be precise. "An Arcor coin ... I could make three rings with it, if I could keep one as pay". "Ah no, you are not understanding me, I do not want you to use the coin as material, I am offering it to you as payment in advance". "Are you telling me you''re going to pay me with an Arcor coin !? It''s worth at least 5 white gold coins". Oh yeah, I didn''t mention it before, but as I suspected, there are several types of coins in addition to the ones I saw in Galia. It''s just that in such an isolated town they don''t need them and they never got there. A platinum coin is worth double that of gold. The white gold coins are worth 3 platinum. Therefore, a five-colored metal coin is worth 30 gold coins, 3 million Ja. There are also mithril coins worth 10 gold coins. "Actually that is another misunderstanding. The advance is a coin. If you decide to work for me you will receive more". The blacksmith''s gaze turned more severe before he directed it to me. "I admit that I am interested in the Arcor''s coin. And to think that you would go so far to convince me that you got one. I can do the job you have for me, but when I finish I want you to leave me alone". "Well, I really hoped you could work for me from now on. After all, you seems to be able to use five-colored metal as a material, as the rumors said". "Although it is true that there are not many out there capable of working the Arcor Steel, after making some rings, necklace or bracelet with the coins in your possession, you should be able to find someone else to work for you". "You still don''t understand, I''m not here for jewelry. I want you to make armor for me". "I don''t know what you heard, but I''ve never tried to make an Arcor plating, I don''t know if I can do it, to begin with it''s not like it could just be melted like iron". "I don''t speak of plated armor, but completely made of this". I say, pointing with the head at the coin in my hand. The truth is that I came to the rumor about the famous blacksmith, because I was finding out if there was a blacksmith capable of working the metal of five colors. "... You can''t be serious". "I assure you, I do. I have everything needed. If you accept, I would like you to start as soon as possible, I would like a complete armor that I can wear between my clothes and also a woman''s, but it must have a certain peculiarity ... two openings in the back ". The smith''s gaze faltered again, before opening his mouth. "If you are serious, answer in this language". "I''m serious. Don''t you believe me?" The reaction on the blacksmith''s face was almost as exaggerated as when he first saw the coin. After all, I responded appropriately to his question in Haldan. "The girl next to me, Ren, is a siren". "A siren ... So she manipulated me. That''s why I didn''t feel that I should attack when you entered". "Then you understand why it must be you". "It''s because I''m a Nox". "I think a Nox blacksmith would be the only one who would accept such a job". "He ... true, any blacksmith who deigns to be one would be unable to refuse the opportunity to make authentic Arcor armor. Although if they are human, perhaps they would not be silent about it, after all it is something to boast about". "Then I correct myself. I would not accept just any Nox blacksmith, in reality, I think it should be none other than you". "Cause I was once Jagheb''s boss blacksmith?" Oh, that sounds important, it''s good to hear it. "You know, in the capital they said that there was no point in continuing to relive old blacksmithing techniques, that my job was the perfected blacksmithing I did, but the real value was innovation. It was then that I knew I should leave. In that place they valued me for being the best blacksmith, but they were not interested in more than that. For them its more valuable to discover new things. I see that this man has a hard time talking about his past in Jagheb, literally. "I accept your offer. Only if it really is as you say". It only takes one more push for him to trust my words. I have been prepared for this, I have been placing large amounts of coins in my item bag for some time. Since I had to take a mountain of gold coins to make those armor, I thought it would be good to have them beforehand. Gradually I took out handfuls, after handfuls, of five-colored metal coins ... Or as he said, should I call them Arcor coins? Anyway, I did this while I was placing them on the only table in the room. "I have more, but they will start to fall off the table. Do you believe me now?" "After seeing this, I don''t know how I could doubt it ... You really wants to use Arcor coins to make armor". "That for now, I would also be interested in making some weapons. However, before continuing with our business, I would like to ask you something. As far as I know, this metal is known as five-color metal. However, you call it Arcor steel ". "Ah, yes. Well, five-colored metal is how the Halfs call it. We Pure races know it as Arcor steel. Arcor was an ancient kingdom that existed long ago, they were famous for their steel. Stronger, but over everything, lighter than any other. Basically, a special metal. They used it in their weapons and armor ... Even coins". That''s why there are coins made of this metal. It was really helpful that they made money with it, otherwise my ability would not work. "Well. The Arcor kingdom ceased to exist a long time ago. And nobody knows where or how they extracted the metal, that''s why it''s impossible to find it in its purest form and the amount there is of it is limited". Yes ... "Limited".
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Chapter 41

If something can go wrong, it will

Some key members of the resistance were discussing a matter of pressing importance, gathered in the house that until yesterday was occupied by Selia. "My conclusion is that they are not related". All those present considered the meaning of the words said by their partner Sallo, the person reader. A scrawny young man with a pale complexion and brown hair with an orange hue. "I endorse Sallo''s opinion. From what we know of him, he has been incredibly generous with his followers, and has spent a lot of time dealing with street merchants since he is in town, he doesn''t seem like a bad person. Most suspicious is that he was seen leaving the a day before coming here, but since then he has not contacted any city officials". The first to speak after reflecting on the situation was Laru, whose features were barely distinguishable from the dirt that covered his face. Although his face was not something to remember, his voice was, because it transmitted a feeling of calm and encouragement, which inspired confidence in those who heard it. "So we go ahead with the plan?" Who questioned the other two about what they should do, had the largest figure in the place, clearly different from the others. The man was Molak, a former knight from Jagheb kingdom who had retired prematurely and was now part of the resistance in Garush. Although everyone saw him as a father figure, or perhaps as a grandfather, he was far from being in poor physical condition. "We can''t back down now. Ruthen, I hope you''re ready, tonight you must successfully accomplish your mission, the plan depends on it ... The city depends on it". "..." "Don''t be nervous, I know you will do the right thing when the time comes". Although Laru''s intention was to remind him of the importance of his role, doubt didn''t leave Ruthen''s mind. Realizing it, Molak placed his hand on the youth''s shoulder and with a slight smile transmitted words of encouragement. For the plan to succeed, the resistance had kept a close watch on Iren''s soldiers, as well as the justice officials and the where the city lord resided. The movements of the soldiers, as well as the areas they inspected, were carefully studied, so that they could predict with some degree of accuracy which soldiers would go to which places at any given time. Ruthen''s mission was completely fundamental. He had to make sure to poison the drinks of the soldiers who would go the next day to the place where they could easily be killed. This was of vital importance, since if the soldiers were in perfect condition, there would be no certainty that they could all be killed there before they were discovered. "I''m sorry to cause you trouble, I will fulfill my mission". "We hope so, you''re the best for stealthy missions, that''s why we chose you". "..." Once Ruthen and Molak left the place, Laru asked the guards to follow them from the shadows to prevent anything from interfering with their plans. They couldn''t send so many to the bar where the soldiers were, but at least they could escort them there. Once the two of them were alone, the organizers of this plan exchanged words that they didn''t want to be heard by their most innocent members. " I''m not sure he will do it. Doubt showed all over his face". "I noticed. Considering his choice of words, Molak too. I don''t need to be a face reader to see it". "Don''t worry, I''ve already taken precautions. If Ruthen doesn''t poison the soldiers, the bartender will. He is one of the citizens who has supported us for a while, my opinion is that he will not hesitate to do so". "Hah ... If it were any other mission, I would never involve an innocent citizen in something like that, but we must make sure we carry this out without fail ... Regardless of the price". ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó In a modest but neat bar on the edge of the city''s business district, the six Iren soldiers assigned to search the area were drinking placidly, not suspecting that they were being watched by someone other than the two bailiffs Garonte had assigned. It is because they knew that they were being watched, that their keen instincts didn''t alert them of a third man, or rather, a young man who studied their movements, looking for an opportunity to sentence their destinies. "Hey, listen to what Roland told me. Apparently Jemur of the sixth was about to lose his arm due to his fight against the Saladdi warrior".The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "OH! If I remember correctly, the champion of Saladdi was Apoc, a man who had been one of the 32 warriors for 10 years. He was undoubtedly a formidable warrior". "Wait! Wait! I had heard that his left arm was pierced just above the elbow". "And you are not mistaken, but it wasn''t separated from his body, so he was able to receive treatment to save it. If he had been dismembered, even the Ashma priests could not have done anything". "Jemur of the sixth, how good it must be ... To be an Acme under the command of the general Demon". "Don''t dream, you couldn''t even finish your cadet years. Acme soldiers are Iren''s pride. Not even training 30 years without stopping would you be one of them". "But I have been training for 30 years, if we count my years as a soldier". "And you''re still not an Acme. You see I''m right?" "Stop bothering. By Founder''s decree, anyone who passes the Acme trial will be considered an Acme soldier, regardless of their past, even we would be". "And you''re supposed to pass the Acme trial? I already needed to laugh! Hahaha!" "I can do it, I may not have passed the cadet tests, but with my years of training and experience as a soldier, I am sure I could do it now". The weight of the mission had taken its toll on Ruthen''s determination, who from the beginning had doubts about the plan. He didn''t like the idea of ??doing anything involving Iren to begin with, he had been traumatized years ago when his hometown was razed to the ground in just one morning and he had barely survived under the rubble of his home, which eventually collapsed when a part from the city gate suddenly fell on it. Now his doubts only increased. The soldiers he was to poison, these men were not like his image of Iren''s soldiers. They were different from the red demons that brought ruin to his home. These were humans, people with emotions, they could make fun of their friends while laughing, they could regret their past failures, they could even dream. He could not do it. He simply could not become a murderer and sentence to death those men who drank while chatting happily. He was not cold enough. This was a dilemma, if he did not comply, that would mean putting at risk everything the resistance worked on. Perhaps they would never have a chance to free Garush from oppression again. Although this was not his hometown, the resistance was his family, and over time he had begun to feel the same way about the city as his brothers of the resistance. "Heh, okay, that''s fine. Let''s suppose you can pass the trial. Who would give you permission to take the trial?" "Didn''t you hear? Apparently, the general is seriously interested in what we are looking for. I heard that he even left immediately when they found a clue in a northern city. I''m sure he will generously reward whoever finds it. If I can do it, I''ll ask to be allowed to take the Acme trial". "Are you sure about that? The general recently got the freedom to leave Iren on his own. I can hardly believe that the first thing he would do is visit an insignificant city on the outskirts". "What he says is true. Do you remember Roland being present when the messenger relayed the news to the sergeant? He told me about it. As soon as Jemur of the sixth won his proxy bout, the general left for Kashmir. The way he said it, he was really rushed to check the clue about that object". "Wow, even if it was just a hint? If he is that interested, I''m sure he''s going straight to where something suspicious happens. Hey, you better not give any reports without first confirming it with the sergeant. I don''t even want to imagine what if, after traveling in such a hurry, what he find is nothing but a disappointment". "... You know, I think this is the first time in my life that I understand what chills are". "Eh?" That soldier''s words had reached Ruthen deeply. So much that from the impact he hadn''t been able to keep his mouth shut. Fortunately, no one had heard the faint sound of bewilderment and fear that escaped his mouth. The hand in his pocket, with which he held the poison wrapped, trembled uncontrollably. What would the general think if he suddenly received the report that some of his soldiers, who were in a city in search of this so valuable object, had been mysteriously killed? Eliminate the rulers of the city? BULLSHIT! They would be lucky if the city ashes remains. Trying not to be discovered, Ruthen discreetly left the place. Once outside he hastened to report what he heard. It was suicide, if before it was risky, now it was courting death, the plan had to be abandoned, they had to think of something else. Within all the fear and despair his memories of the day the demon general reached their doors caused him, he was relieved. His doubts, his kind heart that had caused him so much pain in confronting this mission, had saved the city by preventing him from murdering Iren''s soldiers. ... "Well, you seem very lively tonight". "You can bet bartender, I will bring glory to me and my family, I tell you, I have a good feeling, tomorrow will be the day that I will earn the right to prove myself". "Oh, that''s a positive attitude. This round is invited by the house. After all, since you come to this bar, no one has dared to cause trouble". "How generous! You know, even though we don''t have conflicts with the towns outskirts, I''m glad I came here. Maybe I don''t understand how they live without training and fighting, but they are good people". And with a smile, the soldier raised the mug to his mouth and drank happily, something that his companions imitated. It never crossed their minds that a foreign citizen had the courage to poison Iren''s soldiers. ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó "A disappointment..." Cold words left the lips of the one whose silhouette walked among soldiers who prostrated themselves before him. Even if they weren''t soldiers under his command, they''d still get down on their knees, having just witnessed once more what power means. "Did the reports arrive? Is there news of any discovery elsewhere?" "Sir, not yet, sir". "... Which is the closest city that is under investigation?" "Sir, that would be Garush, it''s further southeast. If I''m not mistaken, it was in the opposite direction when we crossed the first crossroads on the way here, sir". "I am somewhat irritated by this useless journey. Very well, we will pass through that place upon our return". "Sir, as ordered by the general, sir!" As the general walked away from the soldier, he observed the place once more. A vacant lot that stretched for miles, and to think that, upon his arrival, this place was still a city.
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Okane o subete sekai e chikara 42 - Humans and elves

Chapter 42

Humans and elves

My talk with the Nox blacksmith, Veran, continued for a time. Since I showed him the stack of coins, he left all doubts about me, so he began to speak in a relaxed way about any topic I brought to the table. For instance, one of the things that caught my attention during the trip to Garush was that we did not find any source of water, and the reality is that it has not rained even once since arriving in this world. If it wasn''t for the fact I took one of the Posei crystals in Galia, I would have been in trouble. However, the plain we walked on had vegetation and apparently there is even a lush forest not far from here. "That''s normal, we aren''t in the rainy season. As a source of water ... I know there is an underground river that runs through the area, I understand that its source is the snow that melts from the eastern mountains". Mmm. It sounds right, usually one side of the mountain ranges is arid, because the terrain itself prevents the passage of wet air currents. The water that comes from such mountains is also a normal thing, since the water in those air currents condenses and even freezes in the heights of the mountain, from which it descends forming rivers. But that would mean that as we move further away from the mountains, we will find more arid lands. "Well, of course, water becomes a problem upon reaching the great desert that is to the west. Although that didn''t prevent a group of humans from settling there. There are behaviors that we elves do not understand. It makes me rather uncomfortable to be in one place with as little plant life as this, I would just settle in a treeless place by obligation". "Oh, is it true that elves have a strong appreciation for nature?" "Well, surely the forest elves fit that description ... Blacksmiths like me can''t do our jobs without wood and coal for the forge". That answer was quite logical, with no preference basis. Does it mean that without being the ones who live in forests, the elves don''t have a special attachment to natural life? I remember some players in TLO talking about elves and their characteristic love of nature. I was never very interested, but apparently there is more to it than I had understood. "On the subject of the elves, how is your relationship with the humans? I imagine that good, after all, you were working for the kingdom of Jagheb". "Well, the kingdom of Jagheb is special, after all they have that policy that capacities and progress come first. They are particularly interested in finding talent, no matter where it comes from, be it from the poor or another race, for which maintains a cooperative relationship with all the elf tribes and with neighboring nations in general. To begin with, the Nox have never had greater problems with humans. The forest elves are another story". It seems that the forest elves are the ones that fit into the concept of elves that the TLO players had. They are a group that lives among the trees, excellent hunters and with a certain reluctance when dealing with other races, particularly humans. "Well, I don''t blame them, after all in the last few years humans have started cutting down a lot of trees, their population has skyrocketed and they require a lot of territory. Although Jagheb has a treaty with the elves, other human groups are not Included, Iren is an example. If I had to say it, Iren represents a constant concern for all elves". "That''s something they have in common with humans". "I''m not so sure about that. In recent years Jagheb seems to have established a certain balance, alternating between times of war and peace with Iren, which has many elves worried. I remember hearing my tribal chief fear for the day when Iren is no longer satisfied with the situation and launches an all-out attack against the eastern populations". That ... It may happen sooner than you think, considering what they did to Galatea and Galia, I would say that their methods are changing under the command of the demon general. "Right now Jagheb represents a shield that protects all other populations. However, I heard that from time to time Iren attacks desert people, so they don''t just fight Jagheb. They may choose to ignore Jagheb and go for the elven tribes. Although I personally doubt it, most of them are located north of Jagheb after all, so they should first go through the metropolis and get past Bombasta. Which I doubt is possible, even for Iren". "Is the capital of the kingdom so safe? From the stories I have heard, nothing seems enough to stop Iren''s army". "If that were true, Jagheb would have long since fallen. Bombasta is the largest city I have ever seen, it has spread so far that it connects with two other nearby cities, forming what they call a metropolis. This metropolis is protected by the joint efforts of The best that humanity and the elves can offer. They say that the High Elves assure that no human army could defeat the defenses in a frontal attack".Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Just a frontal attack? Did they not consider the possibility that Iren won''t play fair? To speak so confidently, I think I overestimated the elves'' intellect. Although Jagheb''s talent hunt seems to indicate that they know what they are doing. If history has proven anything, it''s that you never know where the next genius will come from. "And tell me, have you had problems with the human nobles? Since you decided to stop working for the kingdom and came here incognito". "As a rule, we all avoid offending the nobles, as it can cause unnecessary conflict, and as I said, we have a cooperative treaty with the kingdom. When I left, I did so with authorization from the kingdom, although that didn''t stop more than one noble to try to hire me privately, implied that I did not have to obey them either". "It was good for me as I was able to meet you and come to an agreement". "Make no mistake that I accepted because of the opportunity to work with such a large amount of arcor steel. But it is also partly because you are an Aristoi". Hearing him say this surprises me more than you imagine, even if it doesn''t show on my face. I have long been waiting for an opportunity to better understand what an Aristoi is, when all I know is that is a special kind of noble. "What is the reason for the special treatment of the Aristoi?" "I really don''t know very well, but this is one of the few things I heard directly from the mouth of a High elf. The Aristoi must be respected regardless of their race, their lineage is worthy of admiration. I think it has to do with something prior to the end of the age of legend. Due to their longevity, the High elves remember old matters better, because for them not so many generations have passed, so I would not be surprised if it was something from those times". << High elves >> are elves of a higher evolutionary degree, according to the history of TLO, they can live much longer than the common races. Apparently that also applies in this world. "And what do you think?" "I have only met 2 Aristoi including you, both fit the high elf''s words, they are worthy of admiration". It''s the first time I''ve heard of another Aristoi, but I don''t think it''s a good idea to keep questioning him on this matter for now. It will be better to return to the previous topic. "When you left the capital, what made you come to a place as remote as this? You could have gone anywhere that was not in the vicinity of the metropolis". "Well, it''s true that I didn''t need to come this far if my only intention was to go where they didn''t recognize me. What brought me here was the rumor about a particularly interesting piece of metal, which seems not to have been made by conventional methods, the rumor says it could be a part of a larger artifact". "A piece of metal?" The conversation took an unexpected turn. I don''t want to be optimistic, but could that be the item that Iren''s soldiers ... that the demon general is looking for? ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó In a hut built under the roots of a large tree which seem to embrace the structure with the intention of protecting it, is the figure of a slender man, with fair skin and no other hair than his long golden mane, carefully observing the young man with ears as long as his as he finishes his report. "Have there been no more reports since then?" "It hasn''t been long enough for that yet, but there doesn''t seem to be anything strange with the information". "So he managed to successfully infiltrate the emergent''s party ... So them are heading north the same path as Iren''s army. Is it possible that they have already been found?" "We can''t rule it out, but if that happens, he will certainly send another familiar to report". "Is there any other information about the emergent in the report?" "Well ... Apparently, the emergent is a person worthy of admiration, who cares about his servants enough to treat them as friends. In his opinion, we should stop doubting him, instead it would be beneficial ... To talk with the emergent directly". "But who does he think he is ?! HE HAS EXCEEDED HIMSELF BY TELLING US WHAT TO DO!" The young man''s scream echoed throughout the hut and shook his interlocutor. Who looked shy for not being able to ignore the anger and contempt on his superior''s face. "That bland always finds a way to make me mad, even when following my orders". It was obvious to the messenger that his boss didn''t appreciate the spy, even when he was risking his life on a mission of vital importance to the tribe. Although, he did found the suggestion strange; He must know that intervening in decision-making escaped his duties and would certainly provoke the tribal chiefs. Above all, it was obvious that openly showing that you favor a human would be frowned upon. "You can go, just be sure to let me know when the next report comes. And tell the hunter chief that I call him". Regardless of what the emergent intends to do, the elven chief saw it necessary to keep watch over the movements of the Irenit army. An experienced group of hunters would do a great job scouting. And if the emergent were to once again encounter Iren''s army, this time in the midst of a battle against Jagheb, a good opportunity to act might present itself. "It doesn''t matter if it''s Jagheb or an Aristoi, humans can''t be trusted".
Life is a little messy these days, I got a new job in a place that doesn''t actually stops running even now, but makes it harder to write for me. Since today is a holiday I took the chance to translate another chapter, thanks to my patrons for keep supporting me even now, it means a lot. Thank you J.T. , Lancelot9402 and
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