ã€ŠAllrounders!!ã€‹


 Chapter 1

    ¡­Ungh!

    The first thing jumping into my eyes when I woke up was a dark, deserted room. While vacantly looking around me, I realized that I¡¯ve been sleeping and dreaming for a long time.

    Was it one of those dreams you have when still half-asleep? ¡­Wait, a dream? Was it actually one? A dream of dreaming how I woke up here and now.

    My memories from having lived as a different person in another world don¡¯t cover everything from my birth to my death, but it¡¯s got to be a dream, right?

    I feel like something happened right before I woke up, but¡­hmm, I can¡¯t remember. Instead I¡¯m remembering a reality I don¡¯t really want to remember.

    ¨D¨DI¡¯m being hated by the people living here, in this world.

    The me of this world is called <strong>¡¾Indra Springcoat¡¿</strong>. I was born into a fairly rich family, but at the same time it¡¯s an environment not allowing me to capitalize on that affluence whatsoever.

    The fact of a five-years-old girl (me) waking up in her bed all by herself in a dark room speaks a tale for itself, I¡¯d say.

    Of my parents¡­I don¡¯t really want to call them parents¡­of the man and woman, who seem to be my biological creators, the woman has already died. She hated me to such an extent that it made me wonder why she gave birth to me in the first ce. While alive she kept showering me with insults, and died always waiting for the man who seems to be my biological father.

    In other words, the man didn¡¯t give a damn about the woman. But why did he have a child with her if he didn¡¯t care about her anyway? I mean I wouldn¡¯t have been born if they didn¡¯t have sex with each other, would I? Maybe he lost out to his sexual desires?

    The man had another lover, and for most of the time he stayed at her ce, but when my biological mother died, so did his lover, or so I heard. Thus he came back to this mansion. With the child he made with his lover in tow.

    His lover¡¯s daughter is roughly my age. But, who cares. That part doesn¡¯t matter anyway.

    The man loathes and abuses me while dotting on his lover¡¯s daughter. My biological mother¡¯s dislike also included hatred, but that man seems to genuinely hate me.

    His lover¡¯s daughter doesn¡¯t appear to hate me, but neither does she sympathize with my situation. epting the love and care she¡¯s receiving as nature¡¯sw, she seeks the same from me. She¡¯s a girl who¡¯s way too thick-headed for her own good, always going at her own pace. She doesn¡¯t seem to understand the concept behind thoughtfulness either.

    The man is a noble, and of course the same applied to the woman who gave birth to me. The lover and her daughter seem to bemoners, and so they¡¯ve never learned manners. That¡¯s why the man¡¯s lover could never enter the mansion up until her death, but her daughter is a noble¡¯s child, allowing her toe here.

    And yet she keeps getting embarrassed because she doesn¡¯t know proper etiquette. And because I¡¯m the one getting med for herck of manners, I don¡¯t want to have anything to do with her.

    Wouldn¡¯t it just be fine for her to learn manners if she doesn¡¯t want to lose face? In my case, the woman who seems to be my biological mother drove manners into me (physically), obviously to vent her resentment, so I¡¯ve mastered it!

    Although the problem would resolve itself if she learned it in a simr way, that man doesn¡¯t even try to teach her manners, though I don¡¯t know whether it¡¯s because he finds it too troublesome or some kind of abuse y by pretending to dote on her.

    No, maybe it¡¯s an abuse of sorts against me? Is he not teaching her manners so that he can me me for hercking manners?

    ¡­Probably the me, who lived here until seeing that dream of another world, has been relentlessly cornered until she fell ill. And then she saw that dream, and I woke up.

    She gave up.

    My dream self didn¡¯t experience that much love from her parents either, but despite that, her situation was much better than mine. Yep, it was not as bad, but my dream self still thought, ¡°I¡¯m going to be independent and live by myself as quickly as possible!¡±

    The current me has decided the same. I¡¯m going to quickly leave those annoying people around me in the lurch, be independent, and live by myself!

    Going by the fact that I¡¯ve been born into nobility, I¡¯ve got barely any choice in selecting a marriage partner. Thus, if I stay here, I¡¯ll most likely get married off to some guy as a convenient pawn for that man.

    But!

    Go to hell!

    I¡¯m going to cast away my noble self. I mean it¡¯s not like I¡¯m living the life of a rich girl right now anyway.

    ¡­But in this world it looks like my life as a in child and woman is going to take ce at the bottom of society. Thus I¡¯ll train myself to be strong and sturdy. I¡¯ll earn my money by turning my body into my capital. After all, I do possess the knowledge of another world.

    I don¡¯t know how much use that knowledge is going to be in this world, but the otherworld me had studied swordsmanship and hand-to-handbat. She seems to have been quite the hotblooded person.

    Also, magic arts exist in this world!

    So it seems!

    Uwweeeehh!

    Fantasy!

    Even if I ask that man, he¡¯ll probably not allow me to study anything. I¡¯ll have to obtain everything through self-study, but whatever. I¡¯ll study, build up my stamina, and freely use my otherworld knowledge to improve my body and mind.

    It¡¯s not like I¡¯m nning to take the world or anything. For the otherworld me it¡¯ll be all fine as long as she can live normally. Moreover, I don¡¯t want to be anywhere near sources of stress. If I remember correctly, work-rted stress was the main cause for my otherworld self to damage her health and fall ill¡­

    I get up from my bed.

    ¡­It¡¯s quite a hard bed, isn¡¯t it?

    A mattress has been ced on a wooden stand, and a sheet has been spanned on top of it.

    ¡­At least a futon would be really nice¡­ Well, if you can get a cheat for something like that, I¡¯d love to have it.

    But, I¡¯m still only five years old. Right now I must strengthen my foundation!

    I stand up and look around me.

    Yep, no one¡¯s here.

    Originally I had a personal maid, but after that man came back, he took everything from me. And after giving all of it to his lover¡¯s daughter, he attached a single, neer maid to me.

    Given that she¡¯s a new maid, she would originally receive training by starting from misceneous chores, and after assessing her aptitude when she had umted a certain level of experience, she¡¯d have been assigned to the mistress of the house or her children for the rest of her time here, but all of these steps were skipped and she was chosen to stay at my side.

    Of course, it¡¯s way beyond her ability. Not to even mention aptitude, she hasn¡¯t even gone through proper training.

    But, her being unable to perform her duties isn¡¯t seen as that man¡¯s responsibility, who assigned the new maid, but as mine. It¡¯s being turned into wonderful material for abuse by iming that it¡¯s my instructions and teachings that are at fault here.

    No longer! I won¡¯t have that!

    The me from that time has already died. The current me is abination of a five-years-old body and an adult mind who possesses knowledge from another world!

    ¡­Though, to be honest, I don¡¯t remember my age in the other world. I really wonder, how long have I been alive over there?

 Chapter 2

    T/N: I¡¯m still stocking up, so the releases will be once every few days. Once I reach my quota on stock, I¡¯ll switch to a more regr schedule. Just a heads-up.

    Shortly after I felt like having heard a knock while dressing myself, the door was opened. And seeing me up and about, the visitor yelled out in surprise, ¡°M-Mdy!? Have you already recovered from your illness?¡±

    It¡¯s Ms. Neer Maid. She¡¯s still a young 15 years old¡­but then again I doubt she wants to be told that by a five-years-old.

    ¡°Yes. I am fine, thank you.¡±

    As I went with a safe answer while looking back at the maid who was coweringly ncing my way, I began to ponder.

    I¡¯m sure she¡¯s always acting so timid because she¡¯s been assigned to me despite being a neer, because she¡¯s making lots of mistakes since she hasn¡¯t learned anything and thus constantly embarrasses herself, because I¡¯m being hated by everyone in this mansion, and because the other people in this mansion must look at her with eyes full of scorn and ridicule.

    ¨D¨DGuh, who am I to say all that? I mean I¡¯m going to use her for my own schemes as well, contrary to the sympathy I feel for her! ¡­I do feel sorry for her, but everything is the fault of that man, so I¡¯ll have her take the me for a bit longer. I¡¯m sorry, okay?

    ¡°I will take all my meals in this room from now on.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°¡­ I¡¯m telling you to bring all my meals here.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yesh, m-mdy!¡±

    Once I repeated myself, she bowed while answering me in a funny way.

    I¡¯m more than certain that that man is going to use this as yet another reason for abusing me, but to be honest, I don¡¯t even want to see his face. At least the meals should be something enjoyable, right?

    £ª

    ¨D¨DThe neer maid passed on Indra¡¯s words to the head maid who then passed them on to the butler. The servants, who had been working in the mansion for a long time, felt for Indra¡¯s circumstances, despite Indra herself not having noticed as much.

    Her mother only spared cruel nder for her daughter, day in and out. She got educated in a way that might as well be described as torture. On the other hand, her father only came back after her mother died, bringing the daughter of his lover with him, and on top of favoring that girl over Indra, he treated Indra, his own blood, like trash.

    And yet Indra chased after her father, always doing as told in her desire to receive some parental love.

    Therefore the butler decided that they¡¯d heed to her small selfishnesses and demands. He nodded his agreement, expecting that it¡¯d be hard on her to get out of bed, especially after just having recovered fully, and handed out the necessary instructions to the other servants.

    Just in case, the butler also informed her father about his daughter having woken up.

    ¡°Don¡¯t bother me with each and every single triviality.¡± He snarled coldly with obvious disgust written on his face.

    ¡°¡­Certainly, master.¡± The butler answered after a moment of silence.

    Since he had been told to ¡°not bother him with trivialities¡±, the butler decided to not mention the matter with the meals.

    £ª

    The food in my current world isn¡¯t tasty at all. How to describe it? It kindacks a vor or two. Though, I won¡¯tin. As long as it contains enough nutrients, it won¡¯t hinder my body¡¯s development and training. I¡¯ll do something about the taste when I start cooking myself one day.

    Anyway, I fully recovered from my illness only yesterday, so I limited myself to obediently reading books and making ns for the future, but the real show is going to start today!

    I had ordered the neer maid to prepare male clothing that would allow for free movement. Given that I followed various interests in the other world which also included bing skilled at sewing, I can make rudimentary clothes easily, yep, easily! (I¡¯m repeating myself to stress something important). However, now I want to study or train myself instead of investing time into sewing.

    That said, it¡¯s time to train now that I¡¯ve safely secured myself some training wear.

    I adopt the positive thinking that I can freely train and study as I want since I¡¯m basically being neglected anyway. The lover¡¯s daughter seems to receive teaching from a private tutor, but I¡¯ve never joined those lessons. Let alone that it¡¯d be a pipe dream for me to be allowed to learn together with her¡­even if I asked for it¡­it¡¯d most likely result in me being exposed to a flood of insults. Since I don¡¯t feel like being on speaking terms with her at this point either way, I¡¯ll somehow deal with my education on my own.

    First up is basic training. In the other world I¡¯ve done various martial arts, be it Japanese, Chinese, or Western. While recalling all that, I stretch, do muscle and endurance training, and practice the basic forms and stances.

    Okay, I¡¯ve got the body of a nobledy, so things aren¡¯t going well at all! Oh well, I¡¯m still five years old, so I guess it¡¯s only to be expected.

    At the same time, I¡¯m practicing my magic!

    Look, I¡¯m also studying normally, okay? But, I¡¯ve already mastered reading and writing through a Spartan training regimen, and I¡¯ve also learned how to calcte in the other world, so I don¡¯t need to learn any of those. I¡¯m especially good at mental arithmetics. Or rather, since I¡¯ve always been gifted at science-rted subjects, all that¡¯s left for me to learn is geography and history. For these two I can only rely on books.

    I decided to read books about magic, geography, and history after asking Ms. Neer Maid to bring them to my room in the form of an order. My focus was mostly on the books about magic though.

    ¡°¡­Hmm, I see, I see. So in the end it relies on gut feeling, huh?¡±

    The books say people capable of using magic arts sense that they can use magic. Of course I don¡¯t get it at all, but! I can tell it¡¯s an entity different from the otherworld me. How to describe it? It¡¯s like a fluffy feeling that cannot be expressed in words, kinda like¡­hmm¡­ah, yeah! A sixth sense.

    I¡¯m pretty sure this must be the sensation signifying that I can use magic arts. For sure. Conviction is the key here.

    While concentrating on this fluffy something, I focus on sensing the fluff.

    ¡­¡­.

    Okay, I¡¯ve be able to sense a fluffy current. Yay, now I¡¯m positive that I¡¯ll be capable of using it! As of yet I only feel the fluff, though!

 Chapter 3

    T/N: I¡¯m still stocking up, so the releases will be once every few days. Once I reach my quota on stock, I¡¯ll switch to a more regr schedule. Just a heads-up.

    As I was walking down the corridor, off to a good start, I suddenly ran into that man. However, I decided that it didn¡¯t happen, or in short, I ignored his existence.

    For some reason he didn¡¯t seem overly pleased with that, though. Up until now he never even tried to call out to me whenever we met like this, but now he nted himself in my way.

    ¡°Oi. ¡­Don¡¯t keep pretending to be bedridden over some feigned illness. It¡¯s disgraceful. Meals are to be taken at the dining table in the dining hall. If you can¡¯t follow that rule, you¡¯ll go without food.¡±

    Uh-oh.

    ¡°¡­Are you you nning to starve me to death by using the abuse of ¡ºNo food for you¡»?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    It looks like he hasn¡¯t heard the words I instinctively murmured because of his age-driven poor hearing.

    When I looked up at him in suspicion, I saw surprise written on his face with his mouth left half-open.

    However, he then apparently pulled himself together.

    ¡°¡­Didn¡¯t you hear the ¡ºTake your meals at the dining table¡»?¡±

    ¡°I did catch you saying ¡ºNo food for you¡». Also¡­what was it? Feigned illness? Why would you think that a person, who has remained asleep for a week, would fake her illness? I must praise you foring up with such a diabolic assumption that puts even a devil to shame.¡±

    When I answered him, he was surprised¡­again.

    ¡°Moreover, to dine at the same table with a person who just recovered from her illness¡­nothing less of you, Earl Springcoat. You loveshing out at the sick and dead.¡±

    Him bing bbergasted must mean that my words have gotten through his deteriorated hearing¡­or so I thought, but¡­

    ¡°¡­¡­What did you say just now?¡±

    Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t hear anything I said in the end.

    ¡°I¡± ¡°want¡± ¡°to¡± ¡°enjoy¡± ¡°my¡± ¡°food¡± ¡°at¡± ¡°least¡± ¡°so¡± ¡°I¡± ¡°will¡± ¡°take¡± ¡°it¡± ¡°in¡± ¡°my¡± ¡°room¡±

    I put a break after each word, speaking clearly, loudly and entuated.

    ¡°¡­It must be quite hard on you to have such a bad hearing because of your old age. I think it¡¯d be better for you to consider retirement since you¡¯re surely troubling your surroundings with that condition. ¡­Well then, please excuse me, Earl Springcoat.¡±

    I bowed in passing, noticing how even the butler behind that man looked dumbfounded.

    £ª

    The butler and Earl Springcoat ended up watching her leave just like that, unable to react out of sheer amazement.

    Up until Indra became bedridden, the family head evaluated his daughter as gloomy, menial, and ttering depending on the mood of the person she was dealing with. Her sole redeeming point over her mother, whom she resembled in anything else, was theck of being hysterical.

    The butler believed that she rather resembled her father. She had inherited the color of her mother¡¯s hair and eyes, but father and daughter¡¯s looks, and above all, their facial expressions as they stared at each other just now were as identical as the reflections in a mirror.

    Master, you carelessly remarked, ¡°That girl is as helpless and dependent as her mother was,¡± a while ago. I¡¯m sorry to tell you, but she resembles you in that aspect, the butler muttered in his mind.

    When the earl came back to his senses, he flew into a rage, bing bright red.

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t feed her any longer.¡±

    Hearing that, the butler asked after a short moment, ¡°Do you wish to draw heavy criticism to yourself?¡±

    The family head looked at his butler in irritation.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°If you make the youngdy starve by not feeding her any longer, it will cast a very bad light on the Earl Springcoat House.¡± The butler advised with an unusually sharp glint dwelling in his eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s no mistreatment.¡± The family head snarled, but the butler still continued to stab him with his look. The earl averted his eyes, and added with a softer voice, ¡°¡­It¡¯s just the family head¡¯s punishment for his disobedient daughter.¡±

    ¡°I believe that to be no more than sophistry. ¨DBesides, Master, would you not be able to enjoy your time if you were allowed to dine with just Lady Primrose?¡±

    The earl reluctantly nodded, and only now after all this time, asked, ¡°¡­So, what the hell was the name of the illness that girl pretended to have anyway?¡±

    ¡°I should have informed you that the doctor diagnosed her to have lost consciousness as a result of a mental breakdown and physical degradation through malnutrition. He also mentioned that her life might be in danger if her current condition were to continue.¡±

    The earl pretended to not have heard his butler¡¯s words.

    £ª

    I expected that man to start something or starve me to death for real, but unexpectedly, the meals were brought to my room without anything in particr happening.

    ¨D¨DIn the worst case, starvation would have been inevitable. In the first ce, survival in this house is challenging at best.

    My personal other world experience allowed me to open my eyes again, but if not for that, I might have died then and there. Something like being cruelly mistreated and abused by your parents from birth, and as a finisher, having to witness how the other daughter is being dotted on, would doubtlessly crush any normal child.

    I¡¯m currently continuing to live on because of my wish to enjoy this different world for a bit longer while also bing capable of using magic arts, and because of my positive outlook that I¡¯m going to reform this world with my cheat knowledge.

    However, although it¡¯s better now that she¡¯s dead, that woman had the habit of terribly abusing me, and that man seems to share the same trait.

    ¡°¡­Oh well, what will be, will be, I guess. For starters, I really want to do something about soap, though.¡±

    As might be expected, or rather, as it¡¯s a standard temte, this world doesn¡¯t know soap. I wonder, what are they doing about washing? What about the broth left over after boiling veggies and simr?

    When I was doing my muscle training in the evening, someone knocked on my door, and opened it before I could even answer.

    Ah okay, there¡¯s only one person in this mansion who would do something like that ¨D Primrose Springcoat, the daughter of that man¡¯s mistress.

    Seeing what I was doing, she became surprised, but still entered my room on her own ord. Though you could say that it already was an improvement for her having knocked at all. I mean, at first, when she arrived in this mansion, she simply stormed into every room without even bothering to knock!

    Dumbfounded by that behavior, the butler and head maid frankly advised her to stop it, which then resulted in me getting scolded by that man. Under the pretext that I didn¡¯t teach her how to knock.

    Anyway, back to the reality in front of me.

    ¡°Elder Sister, you have recovered¡­have you?¡±

    Ah yeah, it¡¯s only natural for her to react like that when watching me doing push-ups like this, I suppose.

    ¡°You might be disappointed, but as you can see I didn¡¯t croak.¡±

    Primrose was lost for words.

    ¡°N-¡­No way¡­! S-Something so terrible¡­!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m joking.¡±

    I¡¯d like her to not start bawling here since it¡¯d be re-interpreted into me having approached her to bully her, despite her having entered my room.

    ¡°So? What do you want from me? ¡­Also, it¡¯s quite rude to selfishly open a door and enter a room without waiting for permission. It¡¯s an effective method if you want to make your father scold me, though.¡±

    She was lost for words once again.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry. I¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s meaningless to apologize to me. ¡­So? I¡¯m repeating myself, but what do you want from me?¡±

    Primrose was looking at me in a daze.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯ve recovered¡­ Umm¡­you¡¯re noting to the dining hall these days, are you? That¡¯s why I came to invite you! I¡¯lle to pick you up tomorrow, so let¡¯s eat together at the dining ha¡­¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Oops, I somewhat ended up interrupting her. No good, no good. That¡¯s bad manners. Tehe.

    ¡°Let me say it once more, ¡ºI refuse¡».¡±

    After remaining stupefied for a short while, Primrose nervously asked, ¡°¡­Why? Elder Sister, you eating your meals in your room all by yourself is too lonely and saddening. Isn¡¯t it a lot more fun, livelier, and far tastier to eat together!?¡±

    ¨D¨DWhat¡¯s this girl thering about?

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t quite remember what happened before I fell ill, but I feel like eating together with you was never lively or fun?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    I directed a cold look at her, ¡°And, eating with you people is¡­far tastier than eating by myself? ¡­I think I might have misheard you, but don¡¯t you remember the words you and your father said to me during our meals?¡±

    And then I counted down the nder I had to endure, using my fingers.

    ¡ºDon¡¯t eat while looking down, it¡¯s depressing and gloomy¡»

    ¡ºIt looks like you still haven¡¯t taught her manners. Just what the hell are you doing?¡»

    ¡ºFor heaven¡¯s sake, this is why durds are so¡­¡»

    ¡ºAn entric woman just like her mother¡»

    I stopped for a moment, tilted my head to the side, and looked at Primrose.

    ¡°¡­What else was there again? Oh well, me eating my meal while being abused, despised, and condemned for everything being my fault to such an extent might be very enjoyable for your father, the one doing the abuse, and you, the one watching it, but for me, the one on the receiving end, it felt so bad that it made the food taste nd and that it killed my appetite, even after eating almost nothing for days. It went so far that I copsed and didn¡¯t wake up over a span of several days.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Primrose was about to talk back, but then remained silent. And cast her eyes down.

    After not saying anything for a while, she muttered, ¡°¡­I¡­want to be friends with you, Elder Sister.¡±

    ¡°Oh my, I¡¯m happy to hear that.¡±

    I smiled sweetly. And lured in by that, she also burst into a smile.

    I¡¯d call this a convenient development. It¡¯s the perfect opportunity to cajole her to my advantage.

    ¡°Would you listen to my request then?¡±

    ¡°Of course! Anything you wish, Elder Sister!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like you and your father to stay away from me. Also, I¡¯d love for you two to not get in my way.¡±

    In response to me telling her this with a smile, Primrose¡¯s face froze.

    ¡°That would be a very big help to me. Since your father has the strong tendency to abuse me, I¡¯d be quite troubled to be insistently told to dine at the same table as him after he¡¯s been repeatedly spouting that his food tastes bad if he has to look at me. It seems like he has realized that he can¡¯t nder me when I¡¯m not nearby. For this reason he¡¯s even been considering starving me to death by not feeding me as long as I don¡¯t dine at the same table as him.¡±

    Primrose became dumbstruck.

    Maybe she doesn¡¯t grasp the meaning behind the words I¡¯m telling her.

    ¡°However, if his darling daughter pleads, ¡ºI want to have my meals with just you, Daddy¡», he might stop thering such nonsense altogether. If I could have you tell him, ¡ºLet¡¯s leave big sister to her own devices. I wanna enjoy my conversations with you, Daddy¡», I think you could get him to leave me alone. Therefore, please cooperate with me on this endeavor by all means. ¨DWould you be so kind as to heed my request?¡±

    Once again I smiled sweetly. Primrose¡¯s eyes restlessly wandered about.

    It kinda looks like she hadn¡¯t expected me to make such a request? Well, it¡¯s pretty simple, isn¡¯t it? Doesn¡¯t she just have to stay true to her own words?

    ¡°¡­Or do you possibly also have the habit of abusing others? Do you like watching me getting ndered¡­?¡±

    ¡°As if that could be true¡­!¡±

    Given that she got angry, I smiled sweetly while giving it the finishing blow, ¡°Oh, then you¡¯ll answer my request, right?¡±

    Primrose nodded unwillingly

    Alright, then I¡¯m done with her.

    Immediately after that, I shooed her out of my room.

    Now then, I really wonder how things are going to pan out, starting with tomorrow.

 Chapter 4

    T/N: I¡¯m still stocking up, so the releases will be once every few days. Once I reach my quota on stock, I¡¯ll switch to a more regr schedule. Just a heads-up.

    The author uses english loan words for some terms, I¡¯ve marked them italic.

    Primrose apparently put in practice what I had told her. I stopped running into that man all of a sudden while on the other hand my food supply wasn¡¯t cut off. Incidentally, Ms. Neer Maid stoppeding as well. Since I¡¯ve told them to leave me alone, it looks like that also included the neer maid!

    Oh well, I¡¯m basically capable of handling everything myself, and the things I¡¯ve requested have been mostly fulfilled, so let¡¯s go with requesting the rest in person.

    First up, the kitchen.

    The cook is surprised to see me suddenly pop up at her workce.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for disturbing you during work, but I¡¯d like to ask and request several things.¡±

    When I asked her how she¡¯s washing herself, I only received a dubious look in return. Makes sense, though.

    Water! is the simple answer here.

    Also, apparently, or maybe I should say, as expected, the idea that you can remove dirt if you use soup stock has spread in the cooking world. If it somehow works with that method, it¡¯s all fine, but¡­

    ¡°You see, it¡¯s also possible to boil out persistent stains. If you mix the broth with wood ash and boil the liquidyer above the sediment, it¡¯ll get rid of stains even better.¡±

    She was astonished. To be honest, that¡¯d actually beundry though. Then I told her my main reason foring to the kitchen, in short, my wish to obtain beans, ash, and a pot.

    This astonished her once again.

    ¡°Just what are you going to make with these?¡±

    ¡°¡­I n to use them for washing my body and hair.¡±

    The cook probably can¡¯t keep up with what I¡¯m saying, but it¡¯s true.

    The beans were dried, so I had to soak them by adding water. ¡­So, see you tomorrow.

    £ª

    The next day while drinking bean soup¡­

    ¨D¨DHey, wait a moment, those aren¡¯t my beans that I¡¯ve painstakingly put into water yesterday, are they? is what I hoped!

    ¡­I could also make soap if only I had someone working with me¡­but the process of making soap is impossible for a five-years-old like me. I could do it myself if I could use magic arts¡­and since that¡¯s a possibility, I¡¯ve got to do my best at practicing magic.

    The ways of washing I had personally experienced in the other world besides using soap were rice bran and camellia seeds, but I have no idea whether you can obtain either in this world.

    As far as I could see, camellia didn¡¯t grow in the copse of trees where I¡¯m training or the garden. Neither could I find any nts resembling rice.

    ¡­One day I¡¯m going to leave this house and look for rice! I can¡¯t die until I¡¯ve eaten rice! Ah, no, I guess that¡¯s going too far.

    So, seeing how I can¡¯t get my hands on camellia seeds or rice bran, I¡¯ll try it with beans and wood ash. That¡¯s still much better than washing with nothing but water, right?

    While pondering about all that, I went to the kitchen¡­

    Ah, wonderful, my beanies were still there.

    ¡°What are you going to do with these beans?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to roughly crush them as they are.¡±

    She kindly did it for me, tehe.

    As far as I could tell, the beans seemed to have low oil content, so only after adding nuts, a bit of oil dribbled out. Then I put the pulp into a bowl, added the ash, and mixed all of it together.

    The cook is pulling a face as if asking me, ¡°Eh? Are you seriously going to wash yourself with that?¡±, but look, for me it¡¯s a first attempt as well, okay?

    ¡°People with healthy and robust skin can put this into a coarse cloth bag and use that for scrubbing. Children and people with delicate skin should put it into a soft cloth bag, add some water, and then use it for scrubbing. As for the hair, you should directly rub it in on the scalp, put the hair in a washbowl, and then remove the scouring pulp with ab. ¡­That¡¯s the method I¡¯m going to adopt, but since it¡¯s still only at an experimental stage, I don¡¯t know how it¡¯s going to turn out.¡±

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    I mean I¡¯ve got no choice, right? Since things are different around herepared to the other world, my only option is to try it out and see where it leads me.

    Afterwards, I asked the cook whether she got some vinegar or sour fruits. As she apparently had sour fruits in stock, I got some and left the kitchen.

    £ª

    Now then, time to start the experiment!

    Usually hot water would be a better option, but now that I can¡¯t even ask Ms. Neer Maid to help me out, I have to do with what I can manage myself.

    First I drew water from the watering hole with a bucket¡­no, I guess it¡¯s bucket¡­and carried it to the bathroom. I had to make several round trips, but it was no problem as I took this as a part of my training.

    I prepared the water, and then towels¡­err cloths I guess ¨D I wonder whether this world has anything like pile fabric? ¨D for washing and drying my body, ab, a handmade bean bag, and the scouring pulp. I was finally all set!

    I wet my body with the towel (I won¡¯t call it towel anymore) I had soaked in water first. I also moisten the bag¡­argh, the ash dissolved! It looks like it¡¯d be a bad idea to moisten it too much, so I scrubbed myself with it right away.

    Hmm, I¡¯ve be gray!

    But! I continued without a care. Scrub, scrub. I managed to even scrub my back somehow. Lastly I washed my face with the scouring pulp and rinsed it all off with water.

    ¡­Oohh! Somehow my skin looks shiny! I might just be imagining it, but I feel like it¡¯s be prettier! No, it¡¯s supposed to have be prettier!

    In a good mood, I started washing my hair. Wait, I should probably call it washing my scalp.

    After I thrust my head into the bucket, wetting my hair, I picked up a small amount of scouring pulp, and thoroughly rubbed it into my scalp.

    Oh? This feels really nice. Kinda like hair care at a salon!

    While humming a song, I carefully massaged my entire scalp with the pulp, and then I thrust my head into the bucket a second time.

    ¡­This is going to be a pain to wash out, isn¡¯t it?

    While making that judgment, I picked up theb, and brushed my hair while intermittently washing it with water.

    I¡¯d love to have a shower, really. Or at least a sprinkling can.

    After rinsing andbing my hair many times over, all of the pulp was finally out. As a finishing touch, I dipped my hair in water containing the fruits I squeezed into it, and then, after pouring clean water on my head from above, I was done.

    ¡°Yay, I¡¯ve finished washing myself.¡±

    I raised my arms into a hurray pose.

    £ª

    All the troubles have paid off. My silky hair looks lustrous and feels fluffy.

    ¡­The current me¡¯s care condition is in a really perilous state! My skin¡¯s health is bad and my hair is a mess. Probably because of all the stress. I¡¯m worried that I might go bald despite being a little girl!

    ¨D¨DThen again, even the otherworld me had to put lots of effort into hair restoration as it became thin and sparse in no time after she became busy and stressed as a working adult, even though she had full, strong hair before that. Now that I think about it, she often went to get her hair massaged and cared for at salons, didn¡¯t she? There was even a time when a beautician cried out, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anyone with such a hard scalp!!¡±¡­*looks in the far distance*

    I don¡¯t remember whether the otherworld me eventually went bald, but the current me has to also do her best at hair restoration since I¡¯ll go bald otherwise. Though I must say that it¡¯s super troublesome to wash your head in this world.

    £ª

    When I went to the kitchen to report on the results of my experiment, the cook apparently needed just a single nce to grasp that it had seeded. Seeing her reaction, I nodded.

    ¡°So it worked.¡±

    ¡°That is¡­congrattions!¡± She was happy for me. ¡°Also, umm¡­can I, err, do the same¡­?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind, but I want you to promise me that you¡¯ll keep the ingredients and method secret. Well¡­it¡¯s not like it¡¯s difficult, but just in case, okay?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± The cook agreed obediently.

    ¡°Very well. As for the method, you put this into a bag, wet a cloth, use that wet cloth to wipe your entire body first, and then, after your body is wet, you just need to rub yourself with the bag. In reality you¡¯re going to be dirty in the process, but keep scrubbing without minding that. If you rinse yourself off with water at the end, you¡¯ll be clean and sparky.¡±

    This part is easy.

    ¡°Washing your hair¡­is quite a lot of work and requires a big amount of water, but you¡¯ll obtain nice hair in exchange. After moistening all of your hair, you pick up small amounts of the scouring pulp, and thoroughly rub it into your scalp. Then you thrust your head into a bucket with water, and repeatedly wash the pulp out with water while brushing your hair with ab. I think it¡¯d actually be easier to wash it out altogether in a river, if that¡¯s an option.¡±

    ¡­Hmm, I wonder, should I knead my hair with the oil I get from only crushing nuts while adding the ash as the main ingredient? The refreshing feeles from me having added plenty of beans and nuts, though¡­

    ¡°¡­Oh, right. Dissolve the juice of sour fruits in water and apply it to your hair as a finish. If you do that properly and then wash it out with fresh water, it¡¯ll make your hair softer and fluffier. You have to make sure to wash out the fruit water, otherwise it¡¯ll be poisonous when still sticking to your skin, and it¡¯ll scald you, so be careful about that part.¡±

    I don¡¯t know the fruits of this world, but they should have such an effect, probably.

    The cook stared at me in wonder.

    ¡°¡­M-Mdy¡­¡­just how¡­that knowledge¡­¡±

    I averted my eyes.

    Yep, usually anyone would find that suspicious, wouldn¡¯t they?

    ¡°¡­I was reborn. Craving for love where I would never receive any, my heart got worn out as I abased myself, always trying to gauge the other side¡¯s feelings, while constantly getting hurt from being cruelly mistreated, resulting in me copsing. On the sickbed this old me passed away. After I luckily woke up, I decided to live freely for my sake alone.¡±

    The cook cast her eyes down.

    ¡°¡­Is that so.¡±

    Hmm, it¡¯s not much of an answer, but it looks like I¡¯ve managed to deceive her. Phew.

    After telling her that I¡¯de back to make new scouring pulp after running out of the remaining rest, I fled from the kitchen.

    I mean I¡¯d be in a bind how to answer if she were to probe any further.

 Chapter 5

    Does this world have calendars? Or is it just that they exist in ces where I can¡¯t see them?

    ¨D¨DFor the time being I¡¯ve been training a lot over thest few months (by standard of the other world). I¡¯ve got my hands on a wooden sword instead of a training sword for swordsmanship¡­or rather practice-swings. Using that, I¡¯ve been doing practice swings every day, and I¡¯ve also be quite good at hand-to-hand fighting techniques such as Karate, Boxing, and Kempo. Then again it¡¯s only martial arts where you strike your opponent¡­but, I never learned Judo or Aikido, unfortunately.

    The training of my magic arts ¨D I feel like I¡¯ve be able to use them more or less by now¡­probably. The training of somehow sensing the fluffy something has entered the second stage, and now I¡¯m practicing to fluffily gather the fluffy something around me.

    Originally that wasn¡¯t written in the books about magic, but when I somehow tried it after feeling that I¡¯d be somehow able to pull it close to me, I noticed that it worked, and thus I¡¯ve been gathering it.

    But if I were to be asked, ¡°Okay so what about it?¡±, I wouldn¡¯t have any smart answer since I don¡¯t know myself!

    Learning magic arts through self-study is tough. The general concepts are recorded in the books, but they don¡¯t mention any training methods. Therefore I¡¯ve got to teach myself every day through trial and error.

    I¡¯ve been doing my training of gathering Mr. Fluff while seated in Zen meditation, as if drawing in iron sand with a ma¡­hmm, no, the pull isn¡¯t that powerful¡­as if sucking in dust with an air cleaner, but then I reconsidered, wondering whether I would be able to gather it without the Zen meditation part. Ever since then I changed my training regimen towards always gathering Mr. Fluff.

    It¡¯s been crowned with sess as I feel that lots of Mr. Fluff has gathered around me.

    Now then, I think I¡¯ve probably got to do something with Mr. Fluff, but¡­since I couldn¡¯te up with anything good, I¡¯m still stuck with merely amassing it around me.

    The practical application of my otherworld knowledge made some progress after I got the cook to cooperate with me. After threatening her that I¡¯d kill her¡­err, strictly forbade her to tell anyone else, I passed on a few of the recipes and cooking techniques I knew of.

    This world has no fermented food despite knowing how to make wine!

    A simple fermentation method is to put veggies into a boiled container, crush them, and let them ferment. Same works with fruits.

    After using this as stock, marinating the meat with it, and heating it up in a covered pot, you slowly cook it over the residual heat of a me (increase the intensity when it bes lukewarm) to finally bring out a full and deep taste.

    ¡°Why do you have wine but no food that¡¯s made with the same procedure?¡±

    When I asked the cook, she told me, ¡°Very likely themoners have this kind of cooking. However, normally you wouldn¡¯te up with the idea to deliberately let food rot before cooking it.¡±

    No, there exist people who thought of this, right? The other world¡¯s food had far more variety and quality than that of nobility in this world, and yet people over there came up with fermented food, you know?

    ¨D¨DOf course, the dishes based on my knowledge aren¡¯t served to that man and his ilk. I mean the cook would be beheaded with her head ced on a pike outside the mansion if she fed them something made out of rotten food! Thus only the cook, me¡­and the servants, who wanted to eat it, partook in it.

    By the way, when I was asked whether you could brew wine in the same way, I answered that it should be possible to make fruit wine with a simr method. Since the cook looked like she wanted to try it out, I asked her whether she wants to have a go at it if you don¡¯t require a license for brewing alcohol. And since she deeply nodded her approval, we¡¯re currently in the middle of preparing everything to brew wine.

    But, a high level of experience and temperature control is essential when ites to brewing wine, so it¡¯s bound to fail, isn¡¯t it?

    £ª

    Because I¡¯ve been paying attention to not run into that man, I never saw him ever since that one time, but one day I got careless and inadvertently came across him. Of course I totally ignored his existence, but once that abuse-loving man spotted me, he apparently felt an urge to mentally corner and bully me. He went out of his way to draw close to me, and started to run his p, so I lightly clicked my tongue.

    Seemingly having heard that, his expression changed. ¡­Even though he always clicked his tongue whenever I approached him before falling ill, I guess he¡¯s not okay with getting the same treatment from me.

    ¡°I¡± ¡°expressly¡± ¡°avoided¡± ¡°you¡± ¡°to¡± ¡°not¡± ¡°have¡± ¡°to¡± ¡°see¡± ¡°your¡± ¡°face,¡± ¡°so¡± ¡°do¡± ¡°me¡± ¡°the¡± ¡°favor¡± ¡°of¡± ¡°not¡± ¡°speaking¡± ¡°to¡± ¡°me¡± ¡°when¡± ¡°you¡± ¡°have¡± ¡°no¡± ¡°business¡± ¡°with¡± ¡°me.¡±

    I clearly, and slowly pronounced every word so that even an old man with bad hearing would catch it.

    ¡°¡­You really have a terrible character, don¡¯t you? It remains a mystery to me how someone like you could have been born.¡±

    His voice was trembling, and he had be unable to clearly articte himself because of his advanced age¡­how pathetic.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I simply turn out simr to those who are my biological parents?¡± Upon me replying this with a chilly voice, he froze. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it have been better if you hadn¡¯t copted with the woman who gave birth to me, if you didn¡¯t want her to give birth to me? It¡¯s your own fault for having sumbed to your sexual desire, isn¡¯t it? Something like iming no responsibility after doing what you want to do¡­ Ah, is it possibly the syndrome where old people stop remembering past failures?¡± I unnaturally cocked my head to the side with a finger ced on my chin.

    ¡°¡­You¡­!¡±

    As he apparently got pissed off by that gesture, he tried to p me, but I dodged it.

    ¡­Ooh! It seems my physical ability has leveled up!

    The man seemed startled about my evasion. Rather, I¡¯m also surprised at myself for having been able to dodge it, even if I¡¯ve been training for this very reason. I thought that he might try to punch me next, but¡­

    ¡°Master!?¡± The butler rushed over while looking shocked.

    That man was panting with his shoulders heaving, and then heughed scornfully while looking down at me.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make any mistakes. You think you¡¯re my daughter? ¡­Where do you have any proof for such a im? You might have been born from that woman, but it¡¯s not said that I¡¯m your father, right? Aren¡¯t you some bastard she made with some unknown man somewhere? After all, you don¡¯t resemble me in the slightest!¡±

    ¡°Master!! ¡­How could you¡­!?¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡±

    How unusual. The butler, who¡¯s always calm and collected, has raised his voice in anger. But well, I can rte. I don¡¯t know what kind of rtionship they share, but if that woman¡¯s family heard this statement, it¡¯d turn into a problem, wouldn¡¯t it?

    ¡°Hoh.¡± The two looked at me. ¡°In¡± ¡°other¡± ¡°words,¡± ¡°Earl¡± ¡°Springcoat¡± ¡°has¡± ¡°not¡± ¡°once¡± ¡°copted¡± ¡°with¡± ¡°the¡± ¡°woman¡± ¡°who¡± ¡°gave¡± ¡°birth¡± ¡°to ¡°me!¡± ¡°¡­is¡± ¡°what¡± ¡°you¡± ¡°are¡± ¡°saying?¡±

    Confronted with my direct question, that man averted his eyes.

    ¡°So you did.¡±

    ¡°Shut up! Moreover, don¡¯t call it coption!¡±

    ¡°No matter what I call it, it doesn¡¯t change what you¡¯ve done.¡± I calmly pointed out. ¡°Well, you insisting that I don¡¯t resemble you despite that is very appreciated. It¡¯s a good piece of news that I still have a chance for a ¡ºfather overflowing with love, broadmindedness and kindness, who¡¯s going toe meet me someday, after he had to tearfully part with the woman who gave birth to me out of inability to live with her¡».¡±

    The butler looked bbergasted. No, not just him, the same could be said about that man as well. But then that man revealed a creepy smile.

    ¡°Do you really believe in such a fairy-tale?¡±

    ¡°You think I would? Isn¡¯t that something you¡¯d be able to immediately tell without having to ask? ¡­For heaven¡¯s sake, that¡¯s why old people are such a pain to deal with.¡± The man¡¯s face turned bright red as soon as he heard my frosty reply. ¡°I just became delighted over the prospect that it¡¯s possible for me to be unrted to abusive trash that loves to look down on others and finds joy in bullying, hurting, and scorning a girl who¡¯s merely five years old. I must say, today is truly a wonderful day. Please excuse me then.¡± I bid my farewell with a bright smile.

 Chapter 6

    Recently I¡¯ve been noticing that my physical abilities have risen quite a bit. And on top of that, at a totally weird rate. I mean anyone would wonder what¡¯s going on if a girl, who used to be sick because of malnutrition and ack of exercise, suddenly became able to run five times the distance without being out of breath, right? Before my sickness it was questionable whether I¡¯d be able to do 10 push-ups, and now I don¡¯t feel anything even after having done 50¡­

    You see. It¡¯s totally weird, isn¡¯t it? Moreover, I¡¯m a girl, so what¡¯s up with that?

    My current stamina is exceeding that of the otherworld me at her prime time, even though I¡¯m only five years old! But, it¡¯s not like I¡¯ve be a buffed bulk of muscles¡­

    ¡­Somehow I feel like I get the reason though.

    Anyway, it¡¯s muscle training, and such training has the goal to build muscle strength, so I¡¯ve decided to repeat the exercises until I get tired.

    £ª

    One day, Primrose showed up.

    I¡¯ve been telling this girl each and every single time to stay away from me, and yet she doesn¡¯t listen. No matter how often I warn her to note into my room as she pleases, she does it anyway. Since she still hasn¡¯t learned any manners either, I¡¯m pretty sure that she¡¯s got a tough future ahead of her.

    Or maybe the outside world isn¡¯t so fussy about manners? It¡¯d mean that only the woman, who gave birth to me, and that man have been so naggy about my manners.

    While brooding over these things, I nonchntly kept ignoring her, but this girl has been steadily upping her resistance against my cold attitude, and nowadays she rattles on without a care about what I think or do. I must admit, in a certain sense, she forces me to pay her respect.

    ¡°¡­And therefore, I replied that I would attend the tea party together with you, Elder Sister.¡±

    Just when I was ignoring her as usual, she blurted out something unbelievable.

    ¡°Hah?¡±

    ¡°We were invited to a tea party that¡¯s going to take ce in five days! I¡¯ve begged Father to be allowed to go together with you.¡±

    ¡­¡­What was that?

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any dresses to wear for such an asion.¡±

    My growth period as a child quickly resulted in me not fitting any of my clothes. I¡¯m sure the outfits hanging in my closet are all too small for me by now.

    The casual dress I¡¯m currently wearing is something the head maid secretly prepared for me as she couldn¡¯t stand watching me always run around in the same old, dirty training wear. That man probably doesn¡¯t know about this either. Or rather, I don¡¯t remember having received any new clothes since that woman died.

    ¡°I¡¯ll lend you one of my dresses! I¡¯ve got lots of them!¡±

    ¡°Even if you¡¯ve got many clothes, no one says that they¡¯re going to fit my size, right? Or to put it more bluntly, they won¡¯t fit. And even if they did fit, your father would definitely p me after ming me for stealing his daughter¡¯s clothes.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Primrose sank into silence.

    Good, now that we¡¯ve settled this, it¡¯s time for her to get lost.

    ¡°Okay, this conversation is over and done with. Goodbye.¡±

    ¡°Ah, wait, Elder Sister¡­¡±

    Given that I had raised my physical strength, it was a breeze to throw her out.

    £ª

    Primrose apparently begged her father. Even the butler and head maid joined in, and used various arguments to persuade him, or so it seems.

    Just when I thought I heard a knocking on the next day, Primrose stormed into the room, excitedly shouting, ¡°Elder Sister! I asked him to buy you a dress! Hannibal and Coral helped me, too!!¡±

    Ah, Hannibal is the butler¡¯s name, and Coral the head maid¡¯s.

    I clicked my tongue.

    ¡°Doing something uncalled-for¡­¡±

    ¡°Now then, Elder Sister!¡±

    ¡­I don¡¯t want to go to something like a tea party, though.

    As I was wavering, the head maid entered the room with an unknown woman in tow.

    ¡°Excuse us. I have brought the seamstress with me.¡±

    I refused while alternatively looking at the head maid and the seamstress, ¡°The tea party takes ce in four days, doesn¡¯t it? In other words, you¡¯d only have two days. It¡¯s impossible to prepare something like a dress in such a short period of time!¡±

    I can¡¯t really believe that this world has something like ready-made clothes. Moreover, dresses of all things.

    ¡°I am terribly sorry since it would be secondhand clothing, but rest assured, I can prepare something from among those. Of course they have been washed properly, and since they have been worn several times, they will not pinch you.¡±

    Argh, secondhand clothing! ¡­That was a blind spot! But, with secondhand clothing it¡¯s even less certain whether they¡¯ll fit my size, right?

    ¡°¡­I find it a bit hard to believe that you have fitting sizes at hand, however.¡±

    ¡°I think I can adjust them quickly as long as no big changes are needed.¡±

    Seriously¡­? But, I totally understand. I mean my otherworld self has sewn as well, so it should be possible to get it done quickly, if pushing it.

    ¡°In addition, I would like to be allowed to make new dresses for you. I think you are going to require them in the near future.¡±

    I gave up with a sigh.

    £ª

    The secondhand clothes arrived on the next day.

    Whoaaa, how faaast. And how unwanted¡­

    The clothes had been chosen based on how well they fitted my size, and not whether they suited me or not.

    ¡­Despite clothes and essories having been a hobby of the otherworld me, these dresses don¡¯t make my heart throb at all. No, I¡¯d rather say it¡¯s just the dresses of this world that I don¡¯t like. They undeniably seem cheap¡­kinda like rental outfits from the past.

    This fabric¡­isn¡¯t silk, is it? I wonder what kind of yarn has been used?

    While pondering about all this, the fitting came to an end.

    ¡°By the way, mdy, your¡­underwear is¡­ It looks like you have been wearing something rather unusual¡­¡±

    Yep, I earned myself that retort. I had hoped that she¡¯d overlook it, but I guess that was too naive.

    ¨D¨DThe circumstances for clothing in this world: Jersey fabric doesn¡¯t exist, nor stic bands. Only underpants bound to the waist with cords. And since the restroom situation over here is bad as well, it makes you want to hold back on going to the toilet as much as possible.

    But, untying the cord with the dder pressing down on you takes time and is an annoying hassle. At first I had the idea to make buttoned underpants, but since buttons are just as troublesome, I challenged myself to make a rib stitch. It was super difficult! Yes, super difficult!

    As a reward for all the hardships, it tightens moderately while not slipping off, and it¡¯s easy to take off and put on.

    Ha ha ha, all hail my otherworld knowledge!

    ¨D¨DThat crystallization of my efforts ended up being seen.

    ¡°It¡¯s something I made aftering up with the design myself. Please don¡¯t steal it, okay?¡± I told her while cracking a smile.

 Chapter 7

    After being taken to this mansion and getting introduced to Elder Sister, my first impression of her was: ¡ºA in and gloomy child¡».

    And she actually proved my impression to bepletely right. When I was introduced to her, I was very surprised since I didn¡¯t know that I had an Elder Sister, but despite that, I greeted her cheerfully, and yet, Elder Sister didn¡¯t meet my eyes, only facing downwards.

    £ª

    ¨D¨DWhen Mum suddenly passed away, Father came to me and told me that we¡¯d go to Father¡¯s home since I wouldn¡¯t be able to live by myself. To be honest, I had absolutely no problem with leaving this ce since I hated how the neighbor kids bullied me, always calling me ¡°Mistress¡¯s Child.¡± Another big plus was my being able to finally live together Father. But then again, I actually wanted this to happen much, much earlier¡­when Mum was still alive.

    While thinking all that, I was taken to a huge, castle-like mansion.

    At first I was super happy and frolicked around. I wanted to bring the kids, who had been bullying me, here and triumphantly show them my new home. When I told Father about my idea, he smiled with a troubled expression, and told me, ¡°You and them already live in different worlds, so you won¡¯t be able to bring them here.¡± This made me even happier.

    Although they had bullied me to their heart¡¯s content, they were below me now, and if I were to meet them again in the future, I¡¯d look down on them instead! I was keen to put this wish into practice, but only muchter I understood that I¡¯d never meet them again anymore.

    Instead, I was ridiculed by other people. My manners were repeatedly called into question, and people said, ¡°¡®This is whymoners are¡­¡±, behind my back. Even my in and gloomy Elder Sister frowned when she saw me. However, noticing that, Father got angry and scolded Elder Sister.

    ¨D¨DCome to think of it, why is that girl my ¡ºElder Sister¡»? Why hasn¡¯t she lived together with us until now?

    Once I confronted Father with those questions, he smiled with a troubled expression once again, and answered, ¡°That girl is a hopeless case, so she¡¯s been living somewhere else.¡±

    Afterwards I heard Father frequently tell Elder Sister that she was as worthless as her mother.

    I was surprised by that. For him to say something so nasty about Mum¡­when I became very sad and started to cry, Father said in a hurry, ¡°I¡¯m not talking about your mother, Prim.¡±

    ¡­Whose mother then?

    At first I didn¡¯t understand, but I gradually learned the truth.

    Elder Sister¡¯s mother had married Father while Mum and Father hadn¡¯t been married. This also exined the meaning behind ¡°Mistress¡¯s Child.¡±

    £ª

    It looks like Elder Sister didn¡¯t live together with Father. When I asked her about this, she told me that Father had shown up with me a little while after her mother had died.

    I was jealous of Elder Sister since I believed that she had been living together with Father, but hearing that this hadn¡¯t been the case made me slightly happy. And after having discovered that we shared this trait, I felt closer to Elder Sister.

    Father might have other ¡°Mistress¡¯s Childs¡± as well, but I was the one he brought here, and Father treated me very kindly. Father was the only one iming that me being unable to learn manners was to me on the teaching methods. He got angry because Elder Sister didn¡¯t teach me and because her teaching methods were wrong.

    Being unable to leave the mansion was boring, but I didn¡¯t have to help out around the house like when I lived with Mum, and I was being treated like a princess. ¡­But, I had too much time on my hands, and thus it was boring.

    The only child close to me in age was Elder Sister. I tried to y with her, but it earned me a super nasty look from Elder Sister. It was somewhat scary.

    When I got Father to scold Elder Sister by telling him about it, she stopped looking me in the eyes altogether.

    No matter what I said to her, it was useless. I tried to get this fixed by telling Father about it as well. But when I did, Elder Sister stopped eating her meals.

    Even though it¡¯s so delicious, she didn¡¯t eat almost anything.

    When I tried to eat Elder Sister¡¯s share, she got scolded. Father said it¡¯s because Elder Sister hadn¡¯t properly taught me that it¡¯d be a breach of etiquette for me to try helping Elder Sister out because she wasn¡¯t eating her food as she should.

    £ª

    After some time of such incidents repeating themselves, one day Hannibal rushed into the room in panic. He said that Elder Sister had copsed and wouldn¡¯t wake up.

    I got startled and looked at Father, but heughed scornfully.

    ¡°She¡¯s probably faking it. That woman often pulled the same trick.¡±

    I see, she¡¯s faking her illness, huh? I know what he means, it¡¯s when you say your tummy hurts when it actually doesn¡¯t, right? When I was really small I remember having said things like that as well because I hated the idea of Father leaving.

    I went to wake up Elder Sister. As soon as I climbed on her, thinking that I¡¯d wake her up by surprising her, I was jerked off her, falling to the ground. That totally startled me.

    When I looked up, I found Coral towering over me with a super scary face. ¡­I mean Coral is always scary, but now her face looked terribly frightening.

    ¡°¡­Miss Primrose, what are you nning by treating your Elder Sister, who hasn¡¯t woken up after copsing, so violently?¡±

    Scary.

    ¡°¡­I mean she¡¯s faking her illness, so I thought she¡¯d wake up if I startled her.¡±

    I justified it while being on the verge of crying.

    ¡°Goodness gracious¡­! For her to say something so awful¡­¡±

    The maids, who had appeared behind Coral without me noticing, all med me. And Coral¡¯s face became even more scary.

    ¡°Lady Indra isn¡¯t faking her illness, she has copsed. Did your mother teach you to treat sick people violently, Miss Primrose?¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±

    I became afraid and cried.

    ¡°Sally, ra, Anna, take Miss Primrose back to her room.¡±

    ¡°¡±¡±Certainly, Head Maid!¡±¡±¡±

    ¡­I don¡¯t like Sally, ra, and Anna. I mean they¡¯re always treating me like a silly dolt. Even now they¡¯re looking at me with really cold eyes.

    Some time ago I told Father about it, trying to have him rece the three with the gentle-looking girl serving Elder Sister, but Father said that he couldn¡¯t do so because that girl wasn¡¯t up to the task of serving me. When I tried to have him scold Sally, ra, and Anna instead, only Elder Sister got scolded while those three maids not only went scot-free, but weren¡¯t reced with someone else either.

    I told Father that I got scolded by Coral because Elder Sister wasn¡¯t faking her illness and because I had tried to wake her up since I heard that she was faking it, but Father insisted that she was ying ill, and cut off the conversation at that point.

    I wanted to know whether Elder Sister was truly faking her illness, and thus I persistently pestered Hannibal about it every day.

    On the day Mr. Doctor visited I tried to storm into Elder Sister¡¯s room to get certainty once and for all, but Coral nted herself in my way after having suddenly appeared from somewhere.

    ¡­Once again she looked at me with a scary face.

    Since I got frightened I scurried back to my room. When I left it a little whileter, I spotted Hannibal.

    ¡°Did Mr. Doctor say that Elder Sister is faking her illness?¡±

    Faced with my question, Hannibal gave me a fed-up look.

    ¡°It looks like her mind and body has weakened due to stress and malnutrition, and it¡¯s unclear whether she¡¯s going to regain her consciousness. He said her life is going to be in danger at this rate, if she doesn¡¯t wake up soon.¡±

    ¡°Eeehh!?¡±

    Then it¡¯d have been better for me to not climb on her in order to surprise her after all!? Coral scolded me with such a scary face, and even the other maids¡­

    ¡°Miss Primrose.¡± Hannibal called my name as I was brooding.

    Once I looked up, his face was as scary as Coral¡¯s.

    ¡°The doctor has stressed that Mdy should rest and be treated very carefully.¡±

    I froze.

    ¡°Currently Lady Indra is like an extremely fragile handiwork. Exposing Lady Indra to your overflowing liveliness¡­to be blunt, if you were to do things like pping, kicking, shaking, and climbing on Lady Indra, she would undoubtedly die.¡±

    Hannibal apparently knows that I had tried to wake her up. But, I haven¡¯t gone as far as pping or kicking her¡­though I did think that she might eventually wake up if I did that.

    ¡°If you aren¡¯t nning to kill Lady Indra, then please never do anything like that. Got it?¡±

    I nodded fearfully.

    ¡­Somehow Hannibal is also frightening.

    £ª

    It was only quite a whileter that I heard the servants talking about Elder Sister having woken up.

    With even my in, gloomy, taciturn Elder Sister not being around, it¡¯s boring. There are no other children of my age here, and the maids won¡¯t talk to me either.

    I thought that she¡¯d show up during our meals, but since she never came to the dining hall, I got tired of waiting and asked where she was, just to be told that Elder Sister was eating by herself.

    Imagining how Elder Sister was eating in a really dark room all by herself, I felt pity for her, and intruded upon her in order to invite her to take her meals with me.

    £ª

    Seeing Elder Sister for the first time in a long time, I realized that she hadpletely changed. And when our eyes met, her look had changed from the bad feeling it gave me in the past, but then again, it still gave me the same kind of bad feeling. She was looking at me with a face clearly asking what I was doing here. And then I got scolded for having entered the room without having waited for a reply after knocking.

    Just when I was about to say, ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine since I did knock?¡±, Elder Sister sarcastically ridiculed me by asking whether I actually enjoyed watching how she got scolded, and thus I couldn¡¯t say what I wanted to say. After recovering from her illness, Elder Sister wasn¡¯t in and gloomy anymore, but instead she had be awfully sarcastic.

    When she put it like that, it sounded like I had no other choice but to obey anyway, and thus I reluctantly did as Elder Sister told me to. But once I got used to her ways, she was more approachable and easier to talk topared to before.

    For some time after her illness I didn¡¯t approach Elder Sister as Father also forbade me to do so, but soon I started to speak to her again, and although she was quite mean to me, I somehow managed to talk with her, and she stopped being nasty, too. I never got her to y with me though.

    £ª

    But then, at longst, I got the opportunity to go out!

    Just hearing about a tea party, I got super excited. I wanted to show those children, who had bullied me, how I was wearing a pretty dress and sparkling essories. But, since I didn¡¯t know etiquette well, I wanted to take Elder Sister with me. If I did it like that, only Elder Sister would get scolded after all.

    When I invited her, Elder Sister showered me with sighs and cruel remarks, but in the end she agreed toe along.

    £ª

    ¡­Just as I thought, I feel like Elder Sister has changed.

    Previously, when I had happily shown her a dress Father bought for me, she had red at me with a terribly nasty look, but now she doesn¡¯t look at me like that. Instead, her face is always colored by irritation¡­

    Okay, I don¡¯t really like seeing either of those looks.

 Chapter 8

    On the appointed day of the tea party, the dumb girl started to b something about stopping over in the neighborhood she used to live. Of course I refused.

    ¡°You forced me toe along based on the story that we¡¯d be going to a tea party today, didn¡¯t you? Why has this suddenly turned into a talk about us going to the ce where you used to live?¡±

    ¡°¡­I mean, I¡¯m missing my old home¡­¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be today, does it? Wouldn¡¯t it be alright for you to go there on another day instead? If you ask your father, he¡¯ll dly take you there, won¡¯t he? ¡­Or do you want to humiliate us bying to the tea partyte? Of course you¡¯re free to do so by yourself, but on top of forcing me to apany you, you¡¯re going to disgrace me? What kind of punishment game is this supposed to be? ¨DA new kind of abuse? You¡¯re certainly not trying to tell me that you¡¯ve plotted with your father to deceive me, are you?¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±

    I don¡¯t think that she¡¯se to terms with it, but it seems she gave up on the idea at least.

    Since she didn¡¯t bring it up anymore, we managed to arrive on time.

    £ª

    But then I got a headache from the dumb girl jumping off the carriage before I could instruct her on how to act properly.

    ¡°Elder Sister, hurry!¡± She selfishly prompted me, but I ignored her, and gracefully descended the carriage with the help of the driver.

    Watching me, she apparently realized. She looked behind her, and when she noticed how the faces of everyone, who hade to greet us, had frozen, she froze herself as well.

    ¡°¡­Step back and imitate me while watching my every move. If you don¡¯t, you¡¯ll experience embarrassment as you haven¡¯t experienced so far.¡±

    I didn¡¯t know how much of it sheprehended or whether I¡¯d be able to cover for her, but after scolding her in a whisper, I ordered her to do as I do.

    However, to be honest, I can totally rte. The otherworld me was amoner. If a small child rides a vehicle for the first time in her life, she¡¯d frolic around and jump off the second the vehicle reaches its destination. It¡¯s unthinkable for such a child to be capable of performing a polite greeting. She has no mother who would scold her about it, and unless her home tutor was the Spartan type of teacher, it¡¯d be next to impossible to drive it into her. I can¡¯t believe that man has hired a strict tutor. In the first ce, that man looks like he doesn¡¯t even understand the general concept of educating a child. He¡¯s most likely embracing the misguided idea that she¡¯ll probably be able to do it even without proper education.

    The one in trouble won¡¯t be me, and even if he mes me for everything at all times, this child will be in a dire predicament once she has to stand on her own feet someday. And the one losing face over her inadequacies then will be that man.

    Such being the case, I¡¯ll act perfectly in order to not embarrass myself as I don¡¯t want to get dragged into any of theing bacsh. Moreover, I¡¯ve decided that I¡¯ll escape andy the me on her if she starts to do as she pleases without abiding by my earlier instruction.

    Also, I won¡¯t go to any tea parties anymore either. I¡¯ll make sure to wrap this one up so that I will never have to attend any tea parties again.

    £ª

    After we somehow managed to get through the greetings, the tea party started.

    I think it¡¯s actually quite the big tea party. It¡¯s hosting a buffet, and just by a cursory survey of the venue, I can spot more than ten people.

    And then I got my hands on a major piece of information. The woman who gave birth to me originated from a Ducal House. Seeing how she married into an Earl House, she must have been below second daughter in standing within the family.

    Moreover, even at this ce I was told that I resemble that woman.

    ¡­Do I really resemble her so much? Isn¡¯t that just because we share the same golden eyes with emerald rims and a cocoa gray ¨C closer to gray ¨C hair color? I don¡¯t remember her except for her demonic face. But, I don¡¯t pull such a face.

    ¨D¨DAnyway, the dumb girl apparently threw my instruction to the wind right away. I did tell her quite explicitly to stay behind me, and forbade her to speak unless prompted by me, and yet she immediately drew all attention by frolicking around while squealing as soon as we entered the venue, just to make a beeline for the sweets in the next moment, which then earned her criticism by the nearby children.

    Is she an idiot? No, I guess it¡¯s obvious that she is.

    She looked my way asking for help with her eyes, but I didn¡¯t care, and deliberately ignored her pleading look.

    I had my own ns to carry out.

    ¡°¡­Miss Primrose appears to be a very livelydy.¡±

    ¡°Quite so. Father loves her dearly. It looks like he cannot get enough of her liveliness.¡± I replied with a sweet smile. ¡°I was taught manners quite harshly by my mother, but father appears to follow the idea of letting that girl do whatever she likes. ¡­He told me to teach her manners, but even if she fails at it¡­he never scolds her for herck of conduct. iming that my way of teaching is wrong, he has been disciplining me very strictly, resulting in only my manners improving.¡±

    ¡°Ho ho ho,¡± Iughed unnaturally.

    I¡¯m ying up how much I¡¯m hated by my father to such an extent that it leaves no room for doubt. In this world that has a severeck of entertainment, I¡¯m going to spread this scandal during my society debut. Considering that man for who he is, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s spreading evil rumors about me, but I don¡¯t intend to live my life as a noble. It doesn¡¯t bother me at all to give the people here a topic to gossip about, even if reaches a level where we won¡¯t be able to attend tea parties out of embarrassment.

    ¡°¡­Just the other day, I was pped and told, ¡ºDon¡¯t make any mistakes, there exists no proof of you being my child¡»¡­¡±

    ¡°Goodness gracious¡­!¡±

    ¡°He said something so terrible!?¡±

    Before I noticed, I got surrounded by adults who all jumped at my tragic heroine act. Although they were expressing their sympathy, I didn¡¯t miss the sparkling gleam in their eyes.

    ¡°¡­At first I wasn¡¯t allowed to attend this tea party either. My little sister apparently invited me, not really understanding the circumstances given that she¡¯s being doted on by our father, but I¡­I have not received any dresses after my mother died, so while it¡¯s very embarrassing, this one here is a dress he bought for me as secondhand goods.¡±

    ¡°Good heavens¡­!¡±

    For a while now, outcries of surprise arose many times over.

    Come to think of it, this deception of my listeners by acting like a tragic heroine is just what a viiness would do, isn¡¯t it? The target of attack isn¡¯t the heroine, but my father, though.

    I¡¯ve roughly spread the scandal, and well, since I¡¯ve yed my hand so far as it goes, it¡¯s about time to pick up the dumb girl.

    ¡°Oh my, I beg your pardon for having you listen to these unsightly stories of my family. ¨D¨DBut, my little sister is innocent since she was raised without learning about any of this, you know? I am certain my father will sooner orter stopzing around and hire her a tutor to teach her the manners of ady. She does not listen to a thing I tell her, and it¡¯s probably because I am the only one getting scolded, but after experiencing today¡¯s tea party, my little sister will undoubtedly realize just how important it is to learn proper manners, and start requesting a tutor on her own ord. ¡­I must admit I cannot handle her myself.¡±

    Adding the unnatural act of me having realized this only now, I rattled on up until this point.

    ¡°Well then, I would like to go back home anytime soon. I also believe that it is a good time as I am feeling that my little sister is close to reaching her limit of staying still in one ce. Thank you for your time. Please excuse me.¡±

    After bowing, I headed over to the dumb girl. She waspletely depressed. What I had noticed at the corner of my eyes while circting my gossip among the adults was her being splendidly avoided whenever she approached one of the boys and girls groups all over the ce. Moreover, I saw children making fun of her behind her back at the perfect angle of being diagonally behind her.

    But, I really wonder why she¡¯s being hated to such an extent? For a child, the dumb girl falls into the standard category, I¡¯d say. Is she being seen as an oddball by the children who were strictly taught proper etiquette?

    ¡°Primrose, I¡¯m sorry to interrupt you while you¡¯re having fun, but how about we go home anytime soon now? Your father will worry if wee back toote. It¡¯d result in me being med and severely scolded, so please, let us go home, okay?¡±

    ¡°¡­Elder Sister¡­¡±

    She probably thought that I had finallye to save her. Ignoring what I said, she was about to bawl. Elegantly and kindly taking her hand, I led her.

    While bowing my farewell to the surrounding children, I urged her, ¡°Primrose, your farewells.¡±

    While half-crying, she bobbed her head left and right. ¡­I clearly told her to imitate me, but for her to be so forgetful¡­ Giving up on her, I sighed, and quickly took her away from this ce.

    ¨D¨DI learned of this onlyter, but although the children were supposed to be apanied by their parents to this tea party, I had apparently been attached to Primrose as her foster parent and maid. Knowing that only married women with children would attend this asion, that trash of an earl had absolutely no interest in showing up, and thus pushed everything on me. He¡¯s really the worst scum.

 Chapter 9

    As the scandal I spread apparently had an effect, and since Primrose refused all other tea parties after having learned it the hard way on the one party we attended, I was never again forced to attend a tea party, and it was decided that evening parties would be off-limits for me, too.

    Nice, I did it! This is going to allow me to focus on my training.

    Oh,e to think of it, this world measures time and dates with magic tools! With magic tools!! At least I¡¯ve heard so!

    A magic tool, huuuh¡­? I really wanna have one myself. That which is owned by most people (not only nobles, but evenmoners) is inessible to me. The reason is obvious.

    Since I couldn¡¯t do anything to fix it, I¡¯ve been writing down the dates by myself. When Iter counted them after quite a while, close to two years, going by the other world¡¯s time scale, had already passed.

    During those two years not one day passed without me training my magic arts. By now I¡¯ve reached a level where I can unconsciously gather the fluffy something around me day and night. As soon as I focus on it, I can draw Mr. Fluff over from slightly distant ces like a vacuum cleaner with a boosted suction power.

    ¡­I think that Mr. Fluff might also be at fault for my physical abilities having gone through the roof. ¨D¨DI wonder whether I¡¯d be able to make a living without Mr. Fluff? Since I got slightly scared by the implications of that question, I further increased my muscle training menu.

    ¡­But you see, somehow, yeah¡­I¡¯ve be capable of cleanly cutting a branch in half with my wooden sword¡­and not just that¡­it unfortunately looks like I could also cut it with a hand strike if I feel like it. It¡¯s totally turned into a shonen manga at this point. Soon I might be able to cut things like rocks with my wooden sword.

    And!! I¡¯ve finally be able to use something simr to magic when I went through several trial and error runs by myself. As I thought, Mr. Fluff was the source of magic arts! When I transmit an image of water to Mr. Fluff, he bes water.

    Well, I make it sound easy, but it was actually quite difficult, okay?

    I¡¯ve also be able to somehow create stuff like fire, hot water, or ice. I¡¯ve resolved it by feeding energy to Mr. Fluff.

    ¨D¨DOnce I seeded with one type, several other types quickly became avable as well.

    In the end I also managed to create soap. It was super, super tough, but I prevailed!

    However¡­I wonder whether this is really the proper way of using magic arts¡­or maybe I should ask, is it magic arts that I¡¯m using?

    When I leave this ce some day and meet someone capable of using magic, I¡¯ll beg them to teach me. The same applies for magic tools.

    My physical attacks? ¡­I can¡¯t really tell. Just like I haven¡¯t fought anyone yet, I haven¡¯t seen any fights so far either, so I can¡¯t gauge my own abilities. Going by the standards of the other world, I¡¯ve gone way beyond superwoman and reached levels as you¡¯d find them in manga and novels, but if it¡¯s this world¡¯s standard, I might still be among the weakest¡­ Well, at least I feel stronger than the dumb girl, but that tells me nothing.

    Right now I¡¯m doing the very same training as it¡¯s described in manga. First I used self-made traps to dodge attacks and climbed a mountain up and down while blindfolded, but since that soon became too easy as well, I tried blindfolded mountain-climbing while carrying a rock. I¡¯d like to experience actualbat, but there¡¯s simply no opponent at hand¡­

    This ce is behind a noble mansion, and probably part of its property, so I doubt that someone would pop out of the woodworks just like that.

    ¨D¨DStop, stop!

    Just when I noticed that this was a ¡°g¡± going by the other world¡¯s terminology, someone showed up as I was taking a rest after having finished my training.

 Chapter 10

    I froze up out of sheer surprise. Up until now no one has ever shown up around here. For thest two years I ran across this mountain forest as I pleased and tested out all kinds of things, but I never met anyone else during all that time!?

    The guy who had appeared now felt like he had the same age or was a bit younger than that man. My first impression of him was: ¡ºMy-Pace-Traveler¡». He doesn¡¯t look like a mountain hunter at all. Then again, I don¡¯t know anything about the hunters of this world. 1

    His pretty white hair color has turned into a dull creamy, probably because he hasn¡¯t washed it for some time. The color of his pupils is light green¡­jade with a cyan bordering, I¡¯d say.

    We scrutinized each other cautiously.

    ¡°¡­You a child? What you doin¡¯ here?¡±

    That¡¯s what he asks me. But, you¡¯re thest person I want to hear this from!

    I breathed out, and answered his questions with my own questions, ¡°That is my line. You are on privatend. Did you obtain permission from the owner of this estate? Or are you somehow rted to the owner?¡±

    After bing puzzled for a moment, he breaks out inughter.

    ¡°¡­Sorry. I see. Didn¡¯t know this was privatend. I¡¯ve got nothing to do with the owner here. Or to be precise, I¡¯ve got no clue who owns this ce in the first ce. ¡­Seeing how you¡¯re bringin¡¯ up such lines, you the owner¡¯s kid?¡±

    ¡°¡­Hmm, I suppose you could say I am connected to him in some way.¡±

    I was uncertain whether I should answer, but since I wanted to know the reason for this guy showing up here, I confirmed while keeping it ambiguous.

    ¡°Hmm. ¡­¡­ Oh well, whatever.¡± Muttering that, he surveyed the vicinity.

    I got tired of waiting as he didn¡¯t show any signs of leaving, and lowered the level of my wariness.

    ¡°¡­To begin with, why have you shown up here? This mountain forest has no beautiful scenery to offer, nor an abundance of food, you know?¡±

    That¡¯s why, shoo, shoo.

    I didn¡¯t say thest line out loud, and probably because of that, it didn¡¯t get through to him.

    ¡°Ain¡¯t like I came here for such a reason. ¡­How to say it? Ah, it¡¯s probably the same as you.¡±

    Eh? As me?

    ¡°In other words, you¡¯re saying you¡¯ve got some kind of connection with my household after all?¡±

    ¡°Nah, not that. ¡­Just thought this a great ce for trainin¡¯, so I came.¡±

    Huh?

    As I¡¯ve be speechless, he grinned at me.

    ¡°You¡¯re training ¡¯round here as well, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just that I don¡¯t have any other ce where I could train. If I did it somewhere else, I¡¯d definitely get in trouble, resulting in me getting scolded. Besides, I¡¯d be unable to ever do it again, too.¡±

    Once I denied that part, he looked bbergasted.

    ¡°¡­Ah, that so?¡±

    ¡°That so.¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry to hear that. ¡­Oh, that¡¯s why connected, huh? I see.¡±

    He reached some kind of conclusion. Anyway, shoo, shoo.

    ¡°The name¡¯s Sword. Adventurer.¡±

    He started to introduce himself all of a sudden. Dude, I got it, so get lost.

    ¡°¡­Uwaah, your lookin¡¯ as if you don¡¯t give a damn. But listen. Adventurers are folk who¡¯s makin¡¯ a living by goin¡¯ on adventures. ¡®Course just goin¡¯ on adventures won¡¯t turn into cash, so they gotta do requests and such. Most of those requests heavily rely on your body.¡±

    Hoh, that got me slightly interested. Adventurer; one of the key elements of any standard fantasy story.

    ¡°Oh? Drew your interest? So you see, as it involves lots of physicalbor, it¡¯s necessary to train during your free time.¡±

    ¡°I understand what you want to say. And that¡¯s why you found this ce, right?¡±

    ¡°My trainin¡¯ is somewhat special. Just when I had chosen a deserted ce that looked like it¡¯d allow me to go a bit ballistic, I found you.¡±

    Certainly this area meets his conditions, but¡­I¡¯d like him to not show up as he pleases just because of that.

    ¡°So, if you could stay silent and overlook me, I¡¯ll practice with you, ¡®kay? Trainin¡¯ in such a ce all by yourself, and havin¡¯ to stop and gettin¡¯ scolded when found out means you¡¯ve got no trainin¡¯ partner, right?¡±

    ¡­I silently gazed at his face for a while.

    In case he¡¯s a criminal¡­well, it wouldn¡¯t really matter to me anyway. After all, I¡¯ve hardly ever talked with other people during thest two years, and I didn¡¯t learn any information about this world either. I¡¯m fully aware that I¡¯m a sheltered youngdy.

    As an adventurer, he probably knows quite a bit. Though it¡¯s possibly biased information

    ¡°I understand. Nice to meet you then.¡±

    ¡°Youngster, what¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°Indra.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you too, Indra.¡±

    When he held out his hand, I hesitated for a moment, but then shook it. His eyebrow twitched at that, but immediately following, a fishy smile formed on his lips.

    £ª

    ¨D¨DSword told her that he¡¯d go back for the moment ande back tomorrow, leaving through the mountain forest. And then he headed straight for town at a surprisingly quick pace. Reaching his destination, a building with a signboard that had <strong>¡¾Adventurer Guild¡¿</strong> written on it, he opened the door.

    ¡°Hey, call the GuilMas.¡± He yelled carefreely, immediately after entering.

    In response, a man in his mid-thirties appeared, and invited him to his office with the words, ¡°I¡¯m here. I¡¯ll listen to you inside.¡±

    ¡°¡­Did you finish your investigation already? Youing here empty-handed means that you didn¡¯t find any monsters?¡±

    Sword nodded, ¡°Yeah, just found a cute youth over there.¡±

    The guild master furrowed his eyebrows.

    ¡°A youth¡­?¡±

    ¡°No presence of monsters throughout the mountain forest. The only one d in an absurd amount of magic elements was that youngster. For a sec, I thought he might be dangerous, but ¡ºWho are you?¡» was clearly written all over his face. Since it¡¯d be bad if I were to cut down someone by mistake, I talked to him, and found out that it was a good call to not cut him down.¡±

    The guild master stared at Sword quizzically, ¡°¡­But, is he really human? I don¡¯t know any youngsters who would make the S-Rank adventurer <strong>¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿</strong> falter, you know?¡±

    ¡°No clue. World¡¯s a big ce. I mean adults also flinched away from me when I was still a brat.¡± Sword shrugged his shoulders. ¡°He told me that this ce was off-limits for outsiders as it was privatend. ¡­That true?¡±

    The guild master revealed a bitter expression, and nodded reluctantly.

    ¡°Hey, hey, just a sec, you sent me into such a ce!?¡±

    Since a tinge of anger oozed out of Sword¡¯s voice, the guild master started to exin in a hurry, ¡°That¡¯s the very reason why I asked you! I heard about unusual phenomena taking ce on the mountain owned by a noble lord. Moreover, not only was the cause a mystery, but no damages had urred either, so there was no way that I could have put up a request for ¡ºNormal Adventurers¡», right!? Not to mention that not just the adventurers, but even the guild would have been in danger if the noble was the cause behind it all! I knew that you¡¯d be able to finish this mission in secret without being found out and somehow deal with the noble in the worst case, which is the very reason why I asked you!¡±

    ¡°¡­Wait, wait, the owner bein¡¯ a noble is news to me!¡±

    Sword clicked his tongue.

    ¡°So, there¡¯s somethin¡¯ I wanna ask. Know anyone with the name ¡ºIndra¡»?¡±

    The guild master froze.

    ¡°¡­I know that name, but¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­But what? For you to react like that¡­what kind of person is that Indra?¡±

    ¡°¡­Based on your story, that youth must have introduced himself with that name¡­ You see, Indra Springcoat is the first daughter of Earl Springcoat, the owner of thatnd.¡±

    Sword froze as well.

    ¡°¡­¡­Hah?¡±

    Say what you like, it can¡¯t be him, Sword assessed, That youngster is well beyond tomboy levels. He wore dirty work clothes, and his hair was cut messily short. Totally unbin¡¯ for a youngdy. It¡¯d be a stretch to regard him as a noble¡¯s son, let alone a youngdy.

    Thought he must be a servant workin¡¯ at the mansion who slipped out for trainin¡¯, and it seems to be just like that. He probably used the name of the mansion¡¯s youngdy on the spur of the moment when I asked for the name, Sword concluded.

    ¡°Okay, I got the gist o¡¯ it. He piqued my interest, so I¡¯ll go investigate the details tomorrow. ¡­To see if that ¡ºMissy¡» is the cause of it all.¡±

    With those words, Sword stood up and left the room.

 Chapter 11

    The shady guy showed up at the same time of the day as yesterday. For starters I¡¯m going to extract some information out of him while keeping my caution up.

    ¡°Oh came first n¡¯ waited for me? Nice, nice.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯ve been here the whole time.¡±

    Recently I¡¯ve entered a cycle of going back to eat in the morning, then visiting the kitchen to talk with the cook about new dishes, and the progress and oues of her experiments, andstly secluding myself on the mountain until dinner. I¡¯ve also been washing myself out here. So far no one ever came here, so it¡¯s not like anyone got to see me naked either.

    The man knitted his eyebrows.

    ¡°The whole time? ¡­That okay with your job?¡±

    ¡°Look, I¡¯m training out here for the very sake of finding a job! There¡¯s no way that a kid, who can¡¯t do anything, would be able to get a job¡­right?¡±

    At the end I phrased it like a question, tilting my head in doubt.

    ¡­Maybe children can actually work in this world!? In such a case, it might be smart to speed up my schedule a bit.

    For the time being, I¡¯m going to ask this shady guy whether there¡¯s any work I could do. Yep, let¡¯s do that.

    ¡°Ahh¡­guess callin¡¯ it a job goes bit too far. Helpin¡¯ out your parents¡­would be better?¡±

    ¡­Oh, I get it. That¡¯s how he meant it. What a disappointment.

    ¡°Nevermind it. I don¡¯t have any parents though.¡± I loosely waved his reservations off.

    In response, the man awkwardly scratched his head.

    ¡°¡­I see. Sorry for askin¡¯ something inconsiderate.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s wrong to ask whether someone is fine in regards to helping out their parents. ¡­At least as far as mymon sense goes.¡±

    I wonder how it might be in this world¡­? Oh, it might actually be wrong to ask this in the other world as well.

    The man smiled wryly, ¡°You a funny fellow. ¡­Alright, I like you, so I¡¯ll give you some trainin¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Please wait a moment. I have a few questions first.¡± I held him back quickly and decisively. ¡°Right now I¡¯m seven years old, but can you usually find a job at such an age?¡±

    ¡°No, probably not.¡±

    ¡­Then don¡¯t get my hopes up! And don¡¯t deny it instantly as if it¡¯s only natural!

    ¡°¡­How old do you need to be to get some decent work? Or to be precise, I want to know the minimum age and job types that would allow me to earn enough to be able to live normally by myself.¡±

    The man ced a hand on his jaw.

    ¡°¡­Sorry, but I don¡¯t know much ¡¯bout jobs other than adventurer. You can basically be an adventurer whenever you want. Kids, who lost their parents like you, register as adventurers to get some cash or earn their livin¡¯ by doin¡¯ odd jobs.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    That means the adventurer job would be the quickest way to support myself. What was it again that adventurers do? Ah! The ones in fantasy stories kill goblins and dive into dungeons, don¡¯t they?

    ¡­Sounds kinda interesting, so maybe I should try giving it a go?

    ¡°¡­You n on bing an adventurer?¡± He asked while looking amused.

    ¡°I¡¯ve added it to the candidates. Or rather, I don¡¯t know of any other jobs. ¡­Oh wait, cook is also an option.¡±

    Our cook has told me that my skills are already at the level of a professional. I think it was just ttery though¡­

    However, working as a cook is definitely impossible as a child.

    Even if I were to extort some money from that man when leaving home, I basically cannot trust the people of this world. Human society is separated into sses. I don¡¯t know how much of a difference there is between nobility andmoners, but there¡¯s a clear distinction between adults and children. I can¡¯t believe that I¡¯d be taken seriously, so I¡¯d like to avoid any job where I¡¯d have business partners to deal with.

    In the worst case, I can sustain myself with my skill set, but I¡¯d love to go sightseeing. I mean I¡¯ve alreadye to this world, so I want to make full use of that opportunity, and just staying in the mansion or on this mountain all the time is boring. If possible, I¡¯d like to live a bit longer this time around.

    ¡°Wow, bringin¡¯ that up means you can cook?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, more or less¡­I can cook up something edible, I¡¯d say.¡±

    He¡¯s intrigued by that news. Well, at least cooking is something the otherworld me has done before, so yeah. Seeing how I¡¯ve done it for a good while now, it¡¯s only natural that I¡¯m capable of it at my current age¡­ I mean I know that it¡¯s normal in the other world.

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know any other ces than the mountain forest around here and the house I¡¯m currently living in. Going by mymon sense, it¡¯s only natural to be able to do most of the things you¡¯re interested in, even at my current age, but I don¡¯t know whether thatmon sense applies to this world as well. That¡¯s why being able to cook isn¡¯t anything overly special as far as I know¡­¡± I exined.

    ¡°¡­I see. Well, I¡¯d say it¡¯s a bit unusual. But okay, for the time bein¡¯, if there¡¯s anythin¡¯ you wanna know, I¡¯ll teach you. As long as it¡¯s within the range of what I know or what I can find out from other people, that is. So¡­what¡¯s it gonna be in regards to the trainin¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Of course I still want to do it. Just as you¡¯ve guessed, I¡¯ve never fought against a live opponent. As I¡¯ve learned everything through self-study, I don¡¯t know whether my training iscking in some parts. If possible, it¡¯d be a huge help if you could tell me whether I have the skills necessary to be an adventurer. I¡¯d like to adjust my training menu as early as possible.

    The manughed.

    Oh, finally your shadiness vanished, you know?

    ¡°¡­What, your totally actin¡¯ like an adult, or rather, like a cheekyd, I s¡¯pose. Indra, was it?¡±

    I nodded.

    ¡°Gotcha, thene at me. ¡­The wooden sword tied to your waist is your weapon, right? Draw that and take your stance.¡±

    ¡­Is he going to look at my stance? Hmm¡­I don¡¯t really mind, I guess. But, the otherworld me was a fairly decent ck belt holder, okay?

    I smoothly drew my sword, and took my stance.

    ¡°Hoh. ¡­Ain¡¯t that a fairly decent stance for someone who¡¯s self-taught?¡±

    ¡°¡­No need to bother with my form. I got the necessary knowledge.¡±

    ¡°Knowledge and actual experience are two different pairs of shoe, aren¡¯t they?¡±

    ¡°Sure, but my stance and form are fine. I just haven¡¯t experienced any realbat with this body.¡±

    The knowledge of what the other world me has experienced is recorded in my brain. No matter how much people say you got to experience things with your body, it¡¯s the brain that moves the body. As long as I possess the knowledge how to move, the brain will move my body ordingly.

    ¡°To be blunt, I don¡¯t get half o¡¯ what your sayin¡¯, but I¡¯ve got it that your confident. If your talkin¡¯ so big,e at me and I¡¯ll coach you properly.¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°Umm¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t know how to fight?¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. ¡­I¡¯m troubled about you not getting ready forbat. Or is there anyone else I should attack?¡±

    ¡­Themon sense of this world is super hard to understand.

    Just in case, I looked around me, but I don¡¯t really get it. Hmm, what should I do?

    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m your opponent. ¡­Now listen, you think I need to take a properbat stance for a pipsqueak like you?¡±

    ¡°I think so, yes. ¡­Let me tell you in advance, but I¡¯m not looking into bing a murderer or bandit. You have to measure someone¡¯s real strength before practicing with them without preparing in any way. For today I¡¯d like to normally practice fighting a hostile enemy.¡±

    As I was talking, admiration began to color the man¡¯s expression.

    ¡°¡­Your really cheeky, you know? Well, whatever. You convinced me. Just a sec¡­¡±

    He walked around, and once he found what he was looking for, lopped off a branch and readied it as something simr to a long staff.

    ¡­Ah! That stick! It¡¯s kinda like a wooden sword! Gimme! 1

    ¡°That stick is really nice! Would you trade it for my sword?¡±

    ¡°Bah, stop sidetrackin¡¯ ande at me, will you?¡±

    It looks like it was hopeless to hope for a weapon exchange. Shrugging my shoulders, I closed the distance and shed at him.

 Chapter 12

    {Sword}

    This lil¡¯ shit closed the distance in an instant, just to aim at my wrist. Sure I didn¡¯t take him serious, but it ain¡¯t like I was careless or anythin¡¯ like that. And yet it looked like my defenses wouldn¡¯t be in time thanks to his astoundin¡¯ speed and precision.

    ¡­Yep, just as I thought, he ain¡¯t no ordinary youth. I¡¯m damn sure that this can¡¯t be that nobledy Indra, leavin¡¯ the question, who¡¯s this guy, or rather, ¡°what¡± is he¡­?

    ¡­No, he¡¯s gotta be a human after all. He¡¯s fightin¡¯ with a proper style after all. This is also the reason why I¡¯m able to pull through with some leeway, though.

    I deliberately led the battle into a lockin¡¯ of swords in order to take a look at his power. ¡­But this part truly surprised me.

    ¡­We¡¯re friggin¡¯ even in strength! Moreover, magic elements are swellin¡¯ up in him!

    What a blunder. Didn¡¯t expect him to be this strong. This crude piece of wood won¡¯t hold out much longer either.

    I swiftly recited a spell to raise my physical abilities, and send him flyin¡¯. The brat¡¯s body went airborne, and his torso became defenseless as he threw up his hands in response to bein¡¯ sent flying. The instant I swung my stick horizontally, tryin¡¯ tond a hit on his unprotected belly, that pipsqueak kicked up my wrist with superb timin¡¯!

    ¡°Ughh!¡±

    ¡­Fuck, my bones might be broken.

    The bratnded, and even while staggering, closed the distance right away¡­

    ¡°Wait, I give up. Let¡¯s end this here.¡±

    He stopped at thest moment. Seein¡¯ how he¡¯se to a halt, I swiftly take out a healin¡¯ potion, chug it down, and get ready for the next set of attacks, but¡­

    ¡°I see. ¡­So, what do you think? Does it look like I could be an adventurer? Or do I stillck strength?¡± He asked casually after releasin¡¯ hisbat stance, makin¡¯ me wonder what I should do about this¡­

    £ª£ª£ª

    {Indra}

    ¡°¡­Now listen, let me get this straight first. ¨D¨DYou! Completely and utterly! Lack anythin¡¯ resemblin¡¯mon sense!!!¡±

    Eeehh¡­?

    ¡°You don¡¯t really have to stress it so much¡­¡±

    ¡°I felt like sayin¡¯ it! No matter how much you trained by yourself, and even if you say you got not one to consult with, there¡¯s a friggin¡¯ limit for everything!! Why the hell would you think youck strength!?!¡±

    That¡¯s why I told you that I don¡¯t know about other people.

    ¡°Rather, how the fuck did you be so strong!? Speed, power, and everythin¡¯ else ain¡¯t nowhere near the level of a brat! On the contrary, even a grown man wouldn¡¯t be able to pull this off!!¡±

    Ah, so it¡¯s as I thought after all. Since this world is a fantasy, I thought around this much would bemonce though.

    ¡°¡­I vaguely sensed that it¡¯s weird.¡±

    ¡°Vaguely!?!¡±

    He spat out a deep sigh.

    ¡°¡­You human?¡±

    He asked¡­

    Did he think that I came here on a spaceship from some veggie? I don¡¯t have a tail, you know?

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t get the meaning behind your question, but the one who gave birth to me was human, I think. Though she pulled faces like a devil, and her way of treating me was just like that of a devil as well¡­ The man, hmm¡­for better or worse, it¡¯s clear that one of the men she partnered with is a human, but most likely only the woman who gave birth to me knows the full truth. But since she¡¯s already dead, it¡¯ll remain an unresolved mystery for eternity.¡±

    This made him dumbfounded. Then he spat out another deep sigh.

    ¡°¡­Gotcha. Well, means your an outstandin¡¯ kid. But! Without anymon sense!¡±

    Once again hebeled me like that.

    ¡°Common sense doesn¡¯t matter as long as I don¡¯t get involved with people. ¡­Anyway, does it seem like I could be an adventurer?¡±

    ¡°Your belief that you ain¡¯t goin¡¯ to have anythin¡¯ to do with people as adventurer is already perfect proof of yourckin¡¯mon sense.¡±

    Whaa! Looks like it¡¯s necessary after all. And it looks like my dream of bing an adventurer might fall through because ofckingmon sense rather thancking ability!

    Watching me brood, he scratched his head.

    ¡°¡­Well, this is gotta be some kind of fate. If your sayin¡¯ you wanna be an adventurer, I¡¯ll look after you for a bit. Also, you seem like you¡¯d be a great trainin¡¯ partner.¡±

    ¡­or so he told me!

    ¡°¡­Despite pulling a face like a gangster, you¡¯re an unexpectedly nice person.¡±

    When I praised him like that, ¡°Who¡¯s a gangster here!? Rather, you really have nomon sense whatsoever!¡±

    I got scolded.

    ¡°So? Training over with this?¡± He asked.

    Shaking my head, I answered, ¡°We already worked out so the physical training has been covered. It¡¯s about time for lunch now, and afterwards it¡¯s going to be training in magic arts until evening, I¡¯d say.¡±

    ¡°Eating lunch? How refined.¡±

    Is it?

    ¡°¡­Not eating lunch would fine as well, but I¡¯ve reassessed that it¡¯d be better to eat three meals during my childhood for my body to develop properly.¡±

    ¡°¡­You know¡­.your quite cheeky, no, it¡¯s more like I¡¯m dealin¡¯ with a geezer who¡¯s been ¡¯round for many, many years.¡± He told me and added while he was at it, ¡°So, lunch, was it? You mentioned that you could also aspire to be a cook, didn¡¯t you? Then let me have a taste.¡±

    ¡°Ehh.¡±

    ¡°Whoa, you look so totally ¡®gainst it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not aspiring to be a cook. Besides, good adults don¡¯t sponge off children.¡±

    ¡°This is why I¡¯ve been tellin¡¯ you that your cheeky. Just let me get this straight for you who¡¯s got nomon sense, that was no praise, ¡®kay?¡±

    ¡°I know, I know. Today you taught me various things, so let¡¯s make this your reward. And while we are at it, please teach me a bit aboutmon sense. Also, wash yourself. You stink like a skunk.¡±

    ¡°¡­Is it just me, or is your treatment of me gradually bin¡¯ crude and unrestrained?¡±

    I won¡¯t deny that part, but he still stinks.

    The man suddenly threw his eyes wide open.

    ¡°¡­Ah, I got it! You sure are pretty neat considerin¡¯ your filthy outfit, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been washing myself here every day. Since no one came here¡­well, until you showed up at least¡­I washed my body outside.¡±

    ¡°¡­Here? In these woods?¡±

    He restlessly looked around himself.

    ¡°It¡¯s because I can also use soap and scrub. Let¡¯s wash our bodies before eating lunch. The smell is going to waste all the good food.¡±

    He looked at me, super unwilling to go through with this.

    ¡°Gotcha. Still, your not lovable at all,¡± he barked.

    £ª£ª£ª

    {Sword}

    When the brat told me to take off my clothes, I looked suspiciously at her, asking, ¡°What about the water?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to produce it right away.¡±

    He said, followed by rain startin¡¯ to fall at a spot slightly away from me.

    ¡°Hah!?¡±

    ¡­Don¡¯t tell me¡­

    ¡°Wet your body by letting that pour down on you. Once you¡¯re wet, step out for a moment, and use this. Smear this on your body. For your hair, use this over here. Spread this on your hands and rub it against your head. Then you wipe your body, but not the face, with this cloth!¡±

    While I waspletely bbergasted ¡¯bout him bein¡¯ able to use magic, this n¡¯ that was pushed into my hands. Since I was pestered to take off my clothes while I was still dazed, I surrendered myself to the unavoidable, took off my gear and headed over to the spot he¡¯d pointed at.

    Water was rainin¡¯ down from above at a ce beneath interwoven branches¡­

    ¡°The hell!? This water is warm!!¡±

    ¡°Even during the hot seasons your body can get chilled when bathing in cold water, right? All the more so out here. ¡­Aww, you¡¯re really a lost case, sheesh. I¡¯m going to show you how to do it, so watch!¡±

    He said and started to take off his clothes. Havin¡¯ be stark naked, his body was astonishingly white, slender, and¡­

    ¡°You were a girl!?¡±

    ¡­womanly.

    £ª£ª£ª

    {Indra}

    How upsetting!

    ¡°It¡¯s obvious at a nce that I¡¯m a girl!? Or do you see anything on me that would point to me being male!?!¡±

    I had only checked myself out through my reflection on water, but I¡¯m a pretty beautiful girl! Fair-skinned, and although I possess startling strength like those people from the veggie, I¡¯m quite slender!

    ¡°You were Indra herself!?¡±

    ¡°Of course, or what did you think!?¡±

    Did he talk to me on the basis of it being a false name!?

    ¡°Your a noble, so what¡¯s with that hair of yours!? Even amongmoners you ain¡¯t gonna find any women with such short hair!!¡± He thundered, just to look taken aback in the next moment, ¡°¡­No way, you tellin¡¯ me someone cut it off like that?¡±

    ¡°Well, the one who cut my hair was the family head¡¯s daughter, so you¡¯re not wrong about that.¡±

    ¡°That means¡­¡±

    ¡°At first she cut it while looking somewhat absentminded, but these days she has fun doing it. Well, it just confirms my suspicion that she¡¯s fast at adapting to new situations. Quite the flexible one, or maybe I should call her forgetful?¡±

    ¡°You had her cut it for you!?¡±

    Don¡¯t raise your voice over each and every little thing, for heaven¡¯s sake!

    ¡°Anyway, imitate me. ¡­You¡¯ll understand once you¡¯ve washed your head, but long hair is a pain to keep clean. There¡¯s not a single benefit in having long hair when training either, or to be more precise, the only two options for getting my hair cut were me doing it myself or having her do it for me, so it¡¯s also true that having short hair is still better than long hair that got messily cut with a child¡¯s skill.¡± I exined while rubbing myself with the body towel after smearing the soap on my body.

    ¡°¡­For fuckin¡¯s sake, you really got nomon sense at all¡­ Wait, somehow something¡¯s foamin¡¯ on you?¡±

    ¡°Want me to exin the underlying principle in detail? I don¡¯t know whether you¡¯ll be able to understand half of it though, okay?¡±

    ¡°Give it a rest. ¡­Are you a sorceress or somethin¡¯?¡±

    Sorceress somehow sounds pretty cool!

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just mymon knowledge.¡±

    When I shook my head, he stared at me, an eyebrow lifted.

    ¡°But your usin¡¯ high-level magic like it¡¯s nothin¡¯? Without chantin¡¯, and on top of that, I¡¯ve never heard of any spell that allows you to produce hot water.¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°So this was magic after all!?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s where we gotta start from!?¡±

    He shouted again.

    The smelly guy washed himself, and using the asion, I washed myself as well, even though I didn¡¯t stink. When I dried us with hot air, it triggered him to run his p again.

    Dude, you¡¯re so damn noisy.

    After the drying was done, he looked like he had just enjoyed a nice hot bath, saying, ¡°Ah, this was really refreshin¡¯.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great to hear. For both of us.¡±

    Muttering that earned me a re. But, why!

    ¡°Oi brat¡­err, missy, just what the hell is this thing?¡± He pointed at the soap.

    ¡°It¡¯s something called soap or soap. In this world you call it <strong>¡¾Detergent¡¿</strong>, I think.¡±

    ¡°How did you get your hands on it?¡±

    ¡°I made it.¡±

    He red at me once again. But, why!

    ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°The base materials are water, salt, and oil, but it¡¯s the result of running many, many tests, okay? It¡¯s nothing you can make on the fly. It was super difficult, as a matter of fact.¡±

    The reason is electrolysis. That one was really tough, and ultra dangerous!

    ¡°¡­You really not a sorceress? How old are you actually? You not goin¡¯ toe around the corner with a punchline like bein¡¯ 700 years old or some shit like that, right?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m 700 minus 693 years old. I don¡¯t know what kind of a person a sorceress would be. Rather, I¡¯d prefer if you were to call me a prodigy.¡±

    The man shrugged his shoulders as if having given up.

    ¡°Ms. Prodigy, I¡¯m lookin¡¯ forward to your cooking.¡±

    ¡°Got it, so please teach me.¡±

    ¡°What would I be able to teach a prodigy?¡±

    ¡°Common sense. ¡­I¡¯ve been using magic arts, haven¡¯t I?¡±

    He rolled his eyes at me.

    ¡°What did you think you were usin¡¯?¡±

    ¡°I was troubled because I didn¡¯t know. Describing it properly it¡¯d be like ¡ºI gave it a go and somehow seeded. Tehe ¡î¡».¡±

    He burst into guffawing.

    ¡°So, is it normal to be able to use magic?¡±

    ¡°Those with talent can use it. But what your usin¡¯ is anythin¡¯ but normal. Your not chantin¡¯ any spells, are you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t. It¡¯s not like anyone taught me how, and it wasn¡¯t written in the books either.¡±

    ¡°You read books, huh?¡±

    I nodded, ¡°Those only covered the general concept. But I managed somehow.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s weird as fuck. Rather, how did you do it in the first ce?¡±

    ¡°Can you use magic arts? Then again I wouldn¡¯t be able to tell even if you told me you can¡¯t.¡±

    The man held up a hand, and then, after quickly babbling some iprehensible words, fire flew out of his hand.

    ¡°Oohh! A ssic has appeared!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know your stuff then?¡±

    He retorted like that, but I wouldn¡¯t ask if I knew, hmph!

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t. However, I imagined using magic might be just like that with the tiny amount of knowledge I possess. The words you said just now were a chant?¡±

    ¡°Aye. ¡­Still, you ain¡¯t even surprised about me bein¡¯ able to pump out such powerful spell without a wand, eh?¡±

    ¡°You held back quite a bit, didn¡¯t you? I mean if things went badly a powerful fire spell would turn into a wildfire, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°¡­Just gimme a break already. Your a natural at tickin¡¯ me off.¡±

    Eeeeehh, why!?

    When I pouted my lips, the man ruffled my hair with a smile.

    ¡°¡­True, lookin¡¯ closely, you¡¯re a woman, and you seem to be of noble origin. The gloss and whiteness of your hair as well as the smoothness of your skin resemble those of a young nobledy.¡±

    ¡°Nah, anyone can look like that if they wash themselves with detergent.¡±

    When I coolly replied to hisment, it earned myself another re. Moreover, he pulled on my cheeks. Why!

    ¡°Unless your a noble, keepin¡¯ yourself clean everyday is a pipe dream.¡±

    ¡°Eeeeeehh!?¡±

    No way! Filthy! Dirty!

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me as if I¡¯m trash! That¡¯s why nobles are such pain to deal with!¡±

    Bah¡­ Am I going to act like him once I be amoner? No, let¡¯s not imitate that part. Definitely not.

    While talking about these things, we headed over to the cooking spot.

    ¡°Hoh! I see, I see. Quite proper, this ce.¡±

    ¡°¡­If you say so.¡±

    I think it¡¯s terribly simple, though. Then again, mymon sense doesn¡¯t work here. This is a crucial piece of information.

    After warning him to behave, I prepared the meal with the ingredients I received at the kitchen. Since I had an inkling that he¡¯d be a glutton, I decided to make a somewhat bigger portion this time. Since the cook was also a big eater, she ate up almost everything I created at first.

    I¡¯m a woman who¡¯s capable of learning.

    ¡°Come to think of it, you ain¡¯t usin¡¯ magic tools despite all that weird knowledge of yours, Ms. Prodigy?¡±

    I whirled around.

    ¡°S-Sup?¡± He faltered even though I had just turned around.

    ¡°Do you know how to make magic tools?¡±

    ¡°Look, there ain¡¯t no way I would. Told ya I¡¯m an adventurer, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    Hmm, I see. No luck, huh?

    For me as someone who¡¯s interested in all kinds of things, I¡¯d love to make my own magic tools. ¡­Anyway, I kinda feel like this guy is gradually treating me worse and worse.

    ¡°Let alone having touched a magic tool, I haven¡¯t even seen one so far, so it¡¯s the very definition of an unknown for me. I¡¯m praying that I¡¯ll be able to take a look at one at least once before I die.¡±

    ¡°Your exaggeratin¡¯. Just how old are you anyway? Also, clocks are magic tools.¡±

    ¡°No exaggeration. I might die tomorrow, and I know about clocks being magic tools. But, I don¡¯t have one. I¡¯m not allowed to have it. I just know about it.¡±

    The man fell silent.

    ¡°You sayin¡¯ Her Noble Ladyship doesn¡¯t have any clocks?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not wrong to call me a noble, or at least something like that. But in the end I¡¯m seen as a freeloader, and thus don¡¯t get anything. Manners were the only thing driven into me, physically, until I turned five, so I¡¯m perfect at those if I feel like it.¡±

    I don¡¯t really feel like taking lessons while being abused, and me having frantically learned out of a desire to get praised is part of my dark past. I¡¯m going to dump my nobility anyway, and right now it¡¯s pretty much as if I¡¯ve already discarded it, so it¡¯s no problem even if I don¡¯t do any of it either.

    ¡°¡­¡­ Here.¡±

    I caught the object tossed my way by reflex.

    ¡°¡­This is¡­¡±

    ¡°Gimme the thing I used for washin¡¯ myself earlier in exchange for this.¡±

    I got a watch in exchange for soap. From a straw to a millionaire!

 Chapter 13

    I¡¯m making lunch.

    ¡°Your sure skilled at this. Honestly, aren¡¯t you actually more amazing than any cook?¡± The manmented.

    But you see, this uses lots of magic arts, okay? I¡¯m quite aware that no one would be able to cut the ingredients so quickly. I mean it totally looks like fantasy cooking as it¡¯s done in manga.

    Just when I ignite a fire to stir-fry the veggies, ¡°¡­Your casually usin¡¯ fire magic like it¡¯s nothin¡¯. Wait, is this really fire magic? Such fire magic actually existed? Also, what¡¯s up with you doin¡¯ all of it without chantin¡¯!?¡±

    He¡¯s so damn noisy about everything.

    As soon as I took out the seasoning, he bent himself forward, ¡°Hey, what¡¯s that? What you usin¡¯ there?¡±

    ¡°Seasoning I made myself. This world doesn¡¯t have a term to express it.¡±

    ¡°Your sayin¡¯ ¡ºThis world¡» all the time, but what¡¯s the meaning?¡±

    ¡°Not just manners had been driven into me until I was five years old, but alsonguage. My vocabry is at the level of an adult noble. However, my vocabry doesn¡¯t possess a term that would describe this seasoning. That¡¯s the meaning. That¡¯s why I can¡¯t tell you how to call it.¡±

    ¡°Gotcha. In short, it¡¯s an original.¡±

    ¡°Pretty much.¡±

    It¡¯s not like I created it out of thin air, but after searching for simr ingredients and trying to create it in a simr way, I guess it might be proper to call it my original creation. Mayonnaise is a cryptic naming in the first ce, isn¡¯t it?

    Once I sprinkled wine into the pan in the middle of frying, he leaned in even closer.

    ¡°Hey, that! What¡¯s that!?¡±

    ¡°Wine.¡±

    ¡°?!?! Don¡¯t use wine for somethin¡¯ like cookin¡¯!!¡± He roared.

    ¡°Actually it¡¯s something that¡¯s made to be used for cooking, I believe.¡±

    ¡°The hell your sayin¡¯, you bundle of irrationality!? It¡¯s a friggin¡¯ waste! Hand it over! Right now! I¡¯ll drink it!!¡±

    ¡°Dream on.¡±

    ¡°This ain¡¯t anythin¡¯ a brat should have!¡± He flooded me with another barrage of iprehensible nonsense.

    ¡°I¡¯ve just told you that it¡¯s something to be used for cooking, didn¡¯t I? In the first ce, this was quite difficult to make. Or did you think it¡¯s easy to make?¡±

    ¡°?!!!!!? You¡­can make wine?¡±

    ¡°As long as it¡¯s a homemade version. ¡­What? Are only folks with the necessary qualifications allowed to make liquor after all? Our cook didn¡¯t mention anything about something like that, though¡­¡±

    ¡°Qualifications or anythin¡¯ like that is unnecessary! It¡¯s just that folk usually hide the manufacturin¡¯ method.¡±

    Oh my.

    While sending his saliva flying, the man snarled, ¡°In other words, your sayin¡¯ you got that knowledge?¡±

    ¡°The cook as well, I¡¯d say. The people who helped me out, too. And the same applies for a part of the servants. After researching how to make it with everyone, we finally brought it up to a stage where it¡¯s drinkable. This was yet another reason why I improved my magic arts drastically.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The man¡¯s shoulders slumped down in disappointment.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°In other words, you can make it as long as you can freely use high-level magic?¡±

    ¡°Yep¡­ I think it¡¯s also possible even without the ability to use magic arts. However, then it¡¯ll cost a lot of money, to put it simply.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see. High-level magic or enough money topensate for it, huh?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the idea.¡±

    ¨D¨DBrewery, yeast nt, natto bacteria,ctic acid bacteria, acetobacteraceae. Food culture is all about fermentation. ¡­I¡¯m kidding, I¡¯m just making up things. Sorry.

    But! Rotten food has turned into fermented food throughout history! After discovering mushrooms that are good for the body, mankind has started to cultivate only specific mushrooms! Those mushrooms were then improved into safe ingredients! Moreover, food has been developed after going through tons of hardships until it reached a point of being provided in mass without allowing saprophytes to multiply within!! ¡­*huff huff* *pant pant*

    I feel like turning this into my meaning in life if it¡¯s so difficult to obtain it in this world, but for a child like me it¡¯s a pipe dream without a sponsor. Besides, I¡¯m not really sure, but maybe it¡¯s due to the power of magic that the production of fermented foods using yeast is going well at present.

    Among the servants, liquor throws the men into a frenzy while women get frenzy over malt sugar. It¡¯s always leading to arguments whether we should make whiskey or starch syrup with the malt. If you stop the initial fermentation to create fruit wine halfway, it bes a very sweet, carbonated juice, so the female group has been stopping the fermentation to enjoy the juice.

    It always makes me think that the people of this world should simply do more research if they like the stuff¡­

    While brooding about this, I finished cooking. I served mystery meat (it seems to be monster meat), stir-fried veggies with plenty of seasoning, and lightly roasted bread.

    ¡°Ah, feel free to smear this here on the bread.¡±

    Self-made soy milk butter. Since cows don¡¯t exist in this world, cow milk is no option. Luckily the otherworld me hade up with a soy-milk-based butter when she studied various recipes for a friend with a milk allergy. It¡¯s different from normal butter, but this one is great as well.

    At first the man tasted the food cautiously, but in no time he started to wolf it down like a starving lion. Watching me smear the butter on the bread, he imitated it, and starting with the next slice, he thickly spread butter on the bread before tossing it into his mouth.

    ¡°Gimme wine, too,¡± he then started to say.

    ¡°Theponent called <strong>alcohol</strong> contained in wine is addictive.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be such a nitpicker ¡¯bout each n¡¯ every single thing! I won¡¯t get addicted to it, so hand it over!!¡±

    Unwillingly I filled a cup and passed it to him.

    ¡°For your information, even if it doesn¡¯t need that many ingredients, it still requires a huge amount ofbor and assiduous efforts, got it?¡±

    In response to my mumbledint, ¡°Gotcha, I¡¯ll prepare an extraordinary magic tool for you.¡±

    ¡°Please enjoy it to the fullest.¡±

    I handed him the bottle and all.

    ¡°Girl, be a cook. Make liquor n¡¯ sell it.¡± He said with a serious look after finishing his lunch.

    Even when he was drinking the wine, he caused a huge ruckus, yelling, ¡°Even at the royal pce they don¡¯t serve wine like this!!¡±

    He¡¯s blowing up things.

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible as a young girl. I¡¯ll consider it if I live to be an adult.¡±

    ¡°Your a child n¡¯ not a young girl, right? Still, it¡¯d be a waste for you to be an adventurer when you¡¯ve got such a skill.¡±

    Sighing, I said, ¡°I cannot trust the people of this world.¡±

    The man froze.

    ¡°That¡¯s why I haven¡¯t added any jobs in the service business where you deal with other people among my job choices. I¡¯ve taught the cook and servants about brewing and making sweets, but it¡¯s not like they know all of it, and even if they did, they wouldn¡¯t be able to make it without me. Given that they won¡¯t be able to reproduce it without me, I¡¯ve been making these things while getting them involved. On the other hand, they¡¯ve been cooperating with me since the research results include things they want to enjoy or because it¡¯s something they¡¯re good at. That¡¯spletely different from trusting someone and telling them the full truth.¡±

    Very likely the cook knows how to make the most of it, but without magic, it¡¯s difficult to make these well¡ºin this world¡». After all, it¡¯d probably require a huge amount of money to prepare all the necessary facilities and tools. To begin with, I don¡¯t really know how to make the necessary tools anyway. So far I¡¯ve been pretty much solving this issue with magic¡­

    Rather, it¡¯s only today that I¡¯ve learned for the first time that I¡¯ve been using magic arts. The cook or the servants could have told me, really.

    ¡°Let¡¯s make a deal.¡± He suddenly brought up, ¡°Very likely the liquor made by you can only be made by you alone. So produce liquor and sell it to me. Of course I¡¯ll pay you twice the amount of the most expensive liquor avable on the market.¡±

    Not like I know the pricing around here, though.

    ¡°Liquor is a no-go. Just as I told you earlier, I¡¯m handling the main part of the production, but procuring the ingredients, securing a site, controlling everything, and taking records ispletely handled by our cook and the servants. No matter how much money you throw at me as someone unrted to this, I can¡¯t sell it to you as long as the others don¡¯t agree.¡±

    ¡°Gotcha, take me to them right now. Unlike an oddball like you, they surely understandmon sense.¡±

    ¡°Stop! You¡¯ll put me on a spot! ¡­I got it. I can¡¯t guarantee you the volume, but if it¡¯s just a bit, they might show some flexibility, so I¡¯ll try asking them. Also, let me tell you in advance, but the liquor is alive. In other words, it can¡¯t be brewed instantly. It requires several months or even years, and has a tendency to be better the longer it rests. I won¡¯t say that this applies to all liquors, but it does for the majority.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    The man stared at me with his mouth agape.

    ¡°Liquor is something that takes time to grow. At least one year. The one you drank right now needed almost a year to cultivate safely without failing midway. Moreover, I wanted to let it rest for a year, but the men were so naggy about letting them drink it, so in exchange for giving up on my initial n, we stocked up plenty recently, and I released this wine after making it a rule that the new stock would be cultivated for at least three years. ¡­The early brew is wine that hadn¡¯t been fully researched.¡±

    The man swallowed, ¡°¡­Your talking ¡¯bout the one you passed me earlier, right? What about that wine?¡±

    ¡°The early brew is quite unripe. Well, since it¡¯s still a sess, I¡¯ve been using it for cooking. I mean for cooking it¡¯s fine as long as it got alcohol, even if the fragrance and taste might be inferior.¡±

    The man¡¯s face lit up, ¡°I don¡¯t mind the inferior wine, so sell it to me. Just the amount you can sell is cool with me. In exchange, I¡¯m goin¡¯ to teach youmon sense, and help you bin¡¯ an adventurer. Additionally, gimme some of the sessful ones after three years too, or let me join its production.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯d be a hassle if you entered the mansion, so stay away. I¡¯ll sell you some of the ones I¡¯ll secure for myself, so stay away.¡±

    We¡¯ve got a deal, probably, kind of.

 Chapter 14

    All kinds of things happened throughout the following three years. It kinda sounds like a memorial poem that¡¯s recited during graduation, but really, it¡¯s been all kinds of things.

    I guess the worst was that man almost finding out about various things. Unrted to what could have been exposed in specific, everything would have been bad, but the alcoholic drinks, seasonings, and sweet food would have been a disaster. I somehow managed to avoid it by taking various defensive measures while conspiring with the booze- and sweets-loving servants and maids.

    All of it was the fault of that dumb Sword. He¡¯s got my gratitude for teaching me many new things, but he likewise caused me a lot of trouble.

    ¡°It¡¯s soon ¡¯bout time for the wine to be ready, right?¡±

    Given that he recently started to repeatedly pester me about this, I decided to open up one barrel, although I wanted to let it rest for a bit longer. After a freeze disinfection treatment, I filtered the wine and bottled it up. As for the bottles, I ordered Sword to buy them since he kept meddling, poking his nose into the brewing matter in a fervent desire to take part in it.

    £ª

    Liquor and distilled liquor. Latter might be impossible to make without me being around. If you tried to make it without magic, it¡¯d require quite extensive facilities. Former is possible if you don¡¯t mind failures. All you have to do is to crush and mix the ingredients, and leave them alone after bottling it all up. Making sure that saprophytes don¡¯t breed is a major pain, though.

    I strictly ordered the cook and servants to store the bottles in a cold ce, threatening them that it might turn into poison or rot if left out in a warm ce, or explode in the worst case.

    £ª

    The next day after I handed Sword the wine.

    ¡°Time for me to head out soon.¡± He suddenly informed me.

    ¡°Is it correct to assume that you mean leaving this area?¡±

    ¡°Yep.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Now that he mentions it, this guy was an adventurer, wasn¡¯t he? Then again I¡¯ve never seen him do any adventuring. Most recently he¡¯s be more of a liquor warden.

    ¡°Wannae with me?¡± He asked, once again all of a sudden.

    It caused me to blink my eyes.

    ¡°You been nnin¡¯ to leave that mansion anyway, no? Or did you have a change of mind?

    If not, how ¡¯bouting with me. I may look like this, but I¡¯m a fairly decent adventurer, so I¡¯ll teach you the ropes while stayin¡¯ with you, if you be an adventurer.¡±

    ¡­

    I had nned to leave the mansion in around two years.

    For women, puberty kicks in once they hit an age of 12. That still doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯d be an adult, but my body would have stopped growing to a certain extent, and it¡¯d also clear up the changes in my physical condition after having entered this body. So I¡¯d nned to act depending on that knowledge, but¡­

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s just that it¡¯d be two years earlier than nned.¡±

    ¡°ns goin¡¯ amiss is an essential part of life, right? So, youin¡¯ with me?¡±

    He¡¯s got a point. Also, it¡¯s safer to go with a guide rather than traveling alone. I think the guide part overpowers the difference of two years.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    When I agreed while looking straight into his eyes, Swordughed out loud, ¡°As usual, you got no femininity, whatsoever, totally actin¡¯ like a guy. Anyway, let¡¯s go then.¡±

    He held out his hand, but I pped it away.

    ¡°Hey!¡±

    ¡°You think I could go with you on a beck¡¯s call!? Even if I might¡¯ve been a freeloader, I¡¯ve still got to settle quite a few things!¡±

    This guy has kept mepany for three years, but he¡¯s as selfish and whimsical as on the first day! How often does he think has that this character of his has given me trouble!?!

    The time for preparation is too little on all ounts, but I must get at least some things ready.

    £ª

    Then again, most things¡­were not really all that important. I borrowed some clothes and tossed them into the wonderful magic item called magic bag I had received from Sword.

    Afterwards I visited the kitchen. Spotting me, the cook stopped what she was doing, seemingly having perceived that something unusual was going on, and came up to me.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. The liquor brewing is over. I¡¯ve decided to leave this mansion together with Sword.¡±

    ¡°¡­Is that so? Then allow me to deeply thank you for having graced us with imparting your magnificent wisdom upon us until now, Lady Indra. What shall we do about the remaining liquor?¡±

    ¡°Do as you see fit. I¡¯m not going to stop you from brewing or anything. I think it¡¯s going to be fairly difficult without magic, but if you simply let it ripe after crushing the ingredients and allowing them to ferment, if you sterilize the storage containers with hot water, and if you don¡¯t mind a change in taste, I think it should be possible for you to still brew. You people are rather interested in drinking it right away than allowing its taste to mature by storing it away.¡±

    The cook burst out intoughter, and then bowed her head once more.

    ¡°¡­? What? You¡¯re letting me go so easily? I had clearly expected you to hold me back from leaving.¡±

    The cook smiled wryly, ¡°We have been informed about this matter in advance by Sir Sword. He told us that he would take you with him, and that we should take your future course in life into ount.¡±

    Huh? He did that? Unexpectedly he wasn¡¯t someone following sudden impulses?

    ¡°I see. If he has told you about it in advance, he must have given it some thought, I guess.

    Keep the recipe hidden. However, you¡¯re free to do whatever you want with it and its results. That¡¯s all you¡¯ll hear from me.¡±

    ¡°¡­Mdy, please make sure to lead a healthy and happy life for many years toe.¡±

    I shrugged my shoulders, ¡°I don¡¯t know about the part with the many years toe. ¡­This world is anything but kind.¡±

    While the cook had be speechless, I loosely waved a hand at her.

    <strong>£ª</strong>

    As far as Swordying the groundwork for me was concerned, it saved me a lot of trouble as I didn¡¯t have to call together each and every single servant since he likely informed the rest of the staff, too. Thest one remaining was thest boss ¨C Earl Springcoat, the master of the house.

    His daughter always pounced on me whenever she found me even when I tried to steer clear of her, but her father stayed away from me for most of the time.

    ¡­Oh, I found a butler!

    ¡°What about Earl Springcoat?¡±

    ¡°He is currently in his office.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go to bid my farewell to him.¡±

    The butler¡¯s eyes widened, and then he bowed deeply at me.

    ¡°If I leave without extorting at least a small sum of money in celebration of my departure, I won¡¯t be able to get my revenge for my mother, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­For the sake of your mother, you say?¡±

    ¡°As a means to extort some money from him, yep.¡±

    When I answered with augh, the butler revealed an awfully cramped and forced smile. After leading me up to the office¡¯s door, the butler knocked and informed that man about the reason for my visit.

    ¡°Lady Indra has said that she would like to bid her farewell.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­What?¡±

    I stepped into the room, facing him, who had turned around with a puzzled expression, with a scornfulugh.

    ¡°Good day, Earl Springcoat. It is my great pleasure to still see you in fine health despite your senility. ¡­I, Indra, have decided to officially take my leave from this mansion on this asion. As such I am calling upon you to receive but a small amount of a congrattory gift for my departure.¡±

    That man stared at me in a daze.

    ¡°¡­Who are you?¡±

    Wow, it looks like his senility has be so bad that he doesn¡¯t even know who I am, huh?

    ¡°It appears that your dementia has progressed quite a bit since ourst meeting. I have introduced myself just moments ago, but allow me to remind you, my name is Indra.¡±

    ¡°¡­You!!! What have you done with your hair!?¡±

    Why is he bringing up my hair now of all times?

    ¡°I have been using this haircut for thest three years. I asked your daughter to cut them for me.¡±

    ¡°¡­Primrose did this!? As if she¡¯d do something like that!!¡±

    ¡°Why are you deciding things to be as they suit you? Even an old, demential man like you should know that you cannot change the truth of it being sunny outside just by insisting that it¡¯s raining.¡±

    He started to audibly grind his teeth.

    ¡°I¡¯m not here to talk about something as unimportant as your daughter having cut my hair because you wouldn¡¯t give me money to get it cut by a barber. Cough up the jewelry of the dead woman and the allowance you didn¡¯t pay me so far. I¡¯ve been telling you that I¡¯m leaving this ce, so get going and hand over the cash with a little extra on top. That¡¯ll be the end of our rtionship. ¡­You¡¯re happy that you can cut your ties with me, right? So, pay up.¡±

    Me saying so caused him to be dumbfounded.

    ¡°¡­Y-¡­Y-You¡­Y-You were¡­a man?¡±

    ¡°What are you babbling about, you demential geezer? Let me tell you once more,¡± I breathed in deeply, and clearly stated, ¡°¡ºHAND OVER THE CASH¡» ¨D¨DYou heard me now?¡±

    As if havinge to his senses all of a sudden, he started to shout at me, ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯d do that, is there!? In the first ce, you say you¡¯re leaving this ce? It¡¯s impossible for you to make a living after leaving this house, isn¡¯t it¡­?¡±

    He probably thought thatme ending would impress me or something.

    ¡°That¡¯s none of your concern.¡±

    ¡°I forbid it!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not your choice to make.¡±

    ¡°What was that¡­!?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m very clear on ¡ºwho gave birth to me¡». But, you said it yourself in the past, didn¡¯t you? You might have forgotten because of your dementia, but my brain cells are still young and working, so I remember how you told me, ¡ºYou don¡¯t know whether I¡¯m your father, do you?¡». Why would I, the daughter of a woman who used to be the daughter of a Ducal House, need permission from you, an earl who denies being rted to me?¡±

    ¡°¡­You¡­¡±

    He was furiously gritting his teeth, seething with anger.

    ¡°You not being my father is convenient for me. However, you have embezzled and stolen the jewelry and money you should have handed over to me after my mother of ducal origin died, haven¡¯t you? Give it back, all of it.¡±

    The man was lost for words, standing stock still, apparently frozen on the spot.

    At that moment, the butler, who had gone off somewhere without me noticing, returned and bowed.

    ¡°Over here you have the allowance and inheritance that is rightfully yours, as well as Her Ladyship¡¯s jewelry, Lady Indra.¡±

    That man and I simultaneously stared at the butler.

    ¡°Hannibal!!¡±

    ¡°Master,¡± the butler stared at that man with an unusually blood-curdling look, ¡°unable to endure your and Her Ladyship¡¯s treatment, Lady Indra copsed after her body and mind broke down, and yet she miraculously came back to life. And then she turned her back on you, Master, and decided to leave this house, even if it meant discarding her nobility. She has put that decision into practice as of today. The only thing you can do is to kindly send her off. ¡­I believe you should also be able to understand as much.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    The man trembled in furious anger, but then he suddenly grabbed one of the bags the butler had brought with him, and flung it on the floor.

    ¡°There you go! Pick it up! Like the beggar you are! Hurry it up and get out of my eyes!¡±

    He made a huge racket as he ranted, so I kicked up the bag, making it smash against his jaw, just to fly right into my hands. Just as nned. Good job, me.

    The man groaned while holding his jaw.

    ¡°How about you drop everything on the floor? I¡¯ll kick up all of it so that itnds in my hands, of course after hitting you.¡± I told him coldly, but probably because the pain was too much for him to bear, he didn¡¯t reply, nor did he carry out my suggestion.

    Since it couldn¡¯t be helped, I took the rest directly from the butler.

    ¡°¡­Mdy, if¡­you wish to liquidate Her Ladyship¡¯s jewelry, would it be alright for you to do it right now and here?¡±

    ¡°Mmh? Sure.¡±

    ¡°Very well, then please take this in exchange.¡±

    Oof, heavy.

    ¡°It would cause some trouble if the jewelry of ady, who used to be the wife of an earl and the daughter of a ducal house, was to circte in the city¡­¡±

    That seems to be the issue here. Personally I¡¯m fine with it as long as it¡¯s money. Or to be more precise, I¡¯m fine as long as it¡¯s enough money to allow me to lead a ¡ºnormal¡» life.

    Just when I had put the money into my magic back and started to walk off, ¡°Elder Sister! Is it really true that you¡¯re going to leave!?¡±

    Primrose aka birdbrain burst into the room.

    ¡°Yes, it is. Make sure to do your best at learning noble etiquette. Goodbye.¡±

    ¡°No way¡­! Don¡¯t go!¡±

    ¡°Dream on. I don¡¯t wanna stay in this mansion a second longer!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here, am I not!? And yet you still want to leave!?¡±

    ¡°If you tell me that you and that man get lost after making me the head of the family, I can put some consideration into staying, I suppose.¡±

    In response, Primrose started to tremble, and screamed, ¡°Elder Sister, I totally can¡¯t stand you!¡±

    ¡°Pfft,¡± Iughed through my nose, ¡°then I¡¯ll pay you back bying clean. I never liked you, and it doesn¡¯t look like this is going to ever change. So we¡¯re equal on this!¡±

    Everyone in the room froze when I made that deration.

    ¡°¡­Elder Sister, you dummy!!!¡± Primrose yelled while shaking furiously, and then dashed out of the room.

    Now then, time to go, huh? All nuisances are gone, so I¡¯m going to get out of here quickly.

    £ª

    Once I arrived at the usual spot, he was already waiting for me.

    ¡°Surprisingly early, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s what I should tell you, right? ¡­I couldn¡¯t tell how much time and effort it¡¯d take to extract the money, but it went unexpectedly smoothly.¡±

    On the way here I ran into the small ident of getting caught by the head maid. Somehow I got a farewell gift from her. She said that it was from her, the butler, and the other servants. Change of clothes and money.

    As she exined it with, ¡°It is our thanks for the delicious cooking, liquor, and sweets,¡± I epted it without reservation.

    I think it¡¯s easy to make starch syrup, so please keep the sweetsing without paying any heed to the liquor team.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go then? ¡­Don¡¯t p me this time, gotcha?¡±

    He held out his hand once again. epting my fate, I reluctantly grasped it.

    ¡°It¡¯s true that I¡¯m a child, but¡­I think it wouldn¡¯t be all that wrong to describe me as ady at the age of ten, don¡¯t you think? So why would we need to hold hands?¡±

    ¡°A child shouldn¡¯t act like a grown up, so give it a rest, will you? It doesn¡¯t fit your character, you know?¡±

    What kind of character does he believe me to be?

    When I directed a re at him, heughed and stroked my hair.

 Chapter 15

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯se in sight.¡±

    ¡°Yahooo!! We¡¯ve finally reached a town!!¡±

    One month has already passed since I left home. Going up and down the mountains like we were doing some kind of ascetic training out in the wild, we pushed our way through trackless paths, just to arrive at a human habitation at longst.

    Yep, somehow it feels like living in the mountains might actually work, is what I had started to believe at some point! But that¡¯s not what I¡¯ve been aiming for with leaving home.

    Otherworld sightseeing! I want to go around this new world and look at what it¡¯s got to offer. I mean wouldn¡¯t it be pearls thrown before swine if I didn¡¯t do that with all the gold coins I obtained jingling in my bag?

    ¡°For starters we¡¯re goin¡¯ to the guild to get you registered as an adventurer. Then we can talk about what to do next.¡±

    Sword ruffled up my hair.

    ¡°¡­? Is something wrong?¡±

    Sword had suddenly looked at me with a somewhat cryptic expression.

    ¡°No, not really¡­ It¡¯s just us arrivin¡¯ at a human settlement for the first time in a few dozen days, and yet your hair¡¯s so tidy.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t state the obvious. Filthiness is an enemy.¡±

    No matter where we went, I always took a shower. If I were to choose a ce to settle down, it¡¯s got to have a bath I can enter whenever I feel like it.

    ¡°I can totally tell a thing or two about it. You¡¯ve forced me to do the same every day.¡±

    ¡°Smelly blokes are unpopr.

    ¡°¡­¡­You really have no cuteness in you!¡±

    He grabbed my head, with an iron w!

    ¡°Yikes! Back at you! How are you behaving towards ady!?¡±

    ¡°Just where¡¯s thatdy you speakin¡¯ of!? Ady would never use somethin¡¯ like ¡ºSmelly bloke¡» when describin¡¯ a gentleman!¡±

    £ª

    At a ce appearing to be a checkpoint, Sword showed a sparky, silver te with a gem embedded to a governmental official. The official¡¯s eyes widened, and after looking back and forth between the te and Sword many times over, he bowed.

    ¡°This one¡¯s with me. I¡¯ll vouch for her. We n to have her register at the guild, so please let her pass.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yesh!¡±

    I stared at Sword and the official in alternation, ¡°Please tell me themon customs for this here.¡±

    ¡°Checkpoints are set up at the entrances of most cities and towns for times of emergencies or when criminals are tryin¡¯ to get inside. So, everyone gets inspected. They¡¯ll write down who you are, where youe from, why your here, and when you n to leave. The adventurer card issued by the guild also works as identification, so you¡¯ll get a pass most of the times when showin¡¯ it.¡±

    ¡°I see, I see.¡±

    He exined in a way making it easy to understand the conversation between him and the official just now. Once we passed the checkpoint, a fantasy world awaited me beyond.

    ¨D¨DOohh! It¡¯s kinda like I¡¯vee to a World Heritage vige during a vacation abroad!

    The buildings were square with the rudimentary walls made out of dirt. Since all of them look the same, I¡¯d definitely get lost here.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna leave you behind if you dawdle ¡¯round.¡± He hit my head.

    ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll be able to meet up with you as long as I go to the adventurer guild.¡±

    Upon my answer, he intently stared at me with his eyes narrowed down to a thin line, ¡°I really take my hat off to how calm you always act, without a shred of childishness.¡±

    We went to the guild and I got registered.

    It seems like getting a card issued goes much smoother if an adventurer acts as chaperon for you. Smooth and without any problem whatsoever¡­

    ¡°¡­? It¡¯s different from the card you own, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Naturally. Ain¡¯t no way it¡¯d be the same for me as for a newbie adventurer, right?¡±

    The people around usughed.

    ¡°It¡¯s only natural for you, I don¡¯t know any of it. Before telling me what¡¯s natural or not, exin things in advance.¡±

    When I talked back to Sword, those around us became dumbfounded.

    Sword shrugged his shoulders, ¡°Your card is the basic one. My card is special.¡±

    Eh?

    ¡°¡­Youmitted a crime, and because of that¡­¡±

    ¡°Hey! You bundle of absurdity! That¡¯s an unwarranted usation!¡±

    ¡°Eek! It¡¯s just been a joke!¡±

    Another iron w.

    £ª£ª£ª

    {Sword}

    ¨D¨DI secretly took a deep breath while messing ¡¯round with her. ¡­Once I say this, she¡¯s probably gonna resent, scold, and me me.

    But, at this rate, it¡¯s gonna be bad for her. She¡¯s strangely smart and got enough talent allowin¡¯ her to call herself a prodigy, but she¡¯s still a ten years old girl. If she only hangs ¡¯round adults, she won¡¯t be able to make any friends of her age, resultin¡¯ in her bin¡¯ isted more n¡¯ more.

    Since she was finally able to get outta that environment, I want her to find friends she can trust and umte lots of experience as a young adventurer. ¡­It¡¯d suck if she became like me.

    I let go of her hand, took a step back, and told her, ¡°Okay then, this is where we part. As you can see, I¡¯m a big-shot, so, because of the huge difference between a newbie adventurer like you and a veteran like me, I won¡¯t be able to keep youpany any longer.

    Don¡¯t show yourself in front of me until you found new friends, created a party with them, and reached at least C-Rank.¡± I had intended to say this with a carefree tone.

    But¡­just as I¡¯d expected, her face froze. After lookin¡¯ at me for a while, apparently not understandin¡¯ what I meant, her eye color suddenly intensified, and she burst intoughter while brushin¡¯ her forelocks up.

    Okay, she¡¯s pissed. Let¡¯s see what she¡¯s goin¡¯ to hurl at me. I can¡¯t imagine her bawlin¡¯, but if she actually does, I¡¯m not sure whether I¡¯ll be able to hold on to my determination.

    ¡°¡­I see.¡±

    This was the first sentence that left her mouth.

    ¡°¡­As I¡¯ve thought, you can¡¯t trust any of the people of this world.¡± Mutterin¡¯ that, she abruptly erased all expressions from her face, and turned on her heels without saying anythin¡¯ else, quickly leavin¡¯ the guild without a single word.

    ¡°Scorn¡± rather than ¡°me and scolding¡± was an option as well, huh? I thought while watchin¡¯ her small, upright back that never turned around again.

 Chapter 16

    I knew it. The people of this world basically don¡¯t care about others.

    A mother who continued to swing her whip, rebuking and ming her child for its father noting back home, let alone not praising that child for making an effort to do as told while desiring her praise.

    A father who had a child with another woman since he hated his wife, just to nonchntlye back once his wife croaked to take over the house and continue to insult his wife¡¯s daughter with cruel nder.

    A younger sister who unted the presents she got from her father while fully aware that her elder sister from a different mother was given nothing out of spite.

    Servants who indifferently watched it all happen as if being unrted bystanders.

    The people of this world won¡¯t move a single finger if it¡¯s not for their own benefit.

    Even the guy from before had taken a young nobledy, who didn¡¯t know how society worked as she hadn¡¯t even once visited the town close to her mansion, to a distant town while she still didn¡¯t understand a thing, and quickly discarded her right there. I¡¯m sure he hasn¡¯t even considered for a single moment whether she¡¯d be able to survive herself.

    In that case, it¡¯d have been better to remain in the mansion for another two years while gathering information from the nearby town and umting experience, before leaving the mansion after having put all preparations in order.

    ¡­I really botched this one.

    After clicking my tongue, I put on my business smile and spoke up to the woman at the reception.

    ¡°Prettydy, I¡¯d love you to tell me a few things. Would that be okay?¡±

    When I spoke up to her while emanating an aura of innocence, yep, imitating Primrose, thedy at the reception blushed.

    ¡­Wait, she¡¯s blushing? Why?

    ¡­Well, whatever.

    I asked her what I should do first after bing an adventurer.

    ¡°¡­In other words, I¡¯m G-Rank, so I should first take on requests avable to a G-Rank, huh? The purchase is over there, and they¡¯ll buy up all the materials other than the items specified in the request after an assessment.¡±

    I see, I see, it¡¯s the standard temte. As G-Rank I can only collect things, pick up trash or clean. I¡¯m good at cleaning since I can do it with magic, but currently I can¡¯t stand the idea of doing work that would bring joy to the people of this world. And I¡¯d be troubled if I felt an urge to kill them after they started toin about my work being sloppy.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take the collection requests. They¡¯re permanent and don¡¯t have a time limit, right?¡±

    It¡¯d be a pain if they had to be handed in before the day was over.

    ¡°Correct. But, if you take too much time, the freshness of the medicinal nts you picked up is going to deteriorate which might lead to the request failing.¡±

    ¡°Got it. So it¡¯s okay for me to gather a bigger amount!¡±

    ¡°Eeehh!¡±

    A big smile as service, and a big service for you as well, miss!

    ¡°¡­If you like I can contact a reliable party I know of, and introduce you to them?¡±

    I got startled when she brought this up.

    What¡¯s with her voice that totally sounds like that of a local guide¡¯s bribed rmendation to a certain shop¡­

    ¡°No, I have absolutely no interest in joining up with anyone! The people of this can¡¯t be trusted after all!

    I clearly turned her offer down. Thedy looked disappointed.

    ¡°Eh¡­but¡­¡± She nced sideways.

    ¡­¡­I see.

    ¡°Thanks for your help, miss.¡±

    ¡°Huh? W-Wait a moment!¡±

    After erasing my smile and coldly giving her my thanks, I left the ce.

    In short, the group she wanted to introduce me to was already awaiting me. But no thanks, I don¡¯t want to go along with such a shady invitation.

    After leaving the guild, I headed back the way I used before, arriving at the checkpoint.

    ¡°Ooh? Lad, you¡¯re¡­¡±

    I¡¯m nod, for heaven¡¯s sake.

    ¡°I¡¯m not ad, but Indra. ¡­Here you go, my adventurer card. I¡¯d like to go outside. I¡¯ll be back tomorrow.¡±

    The official looked around while bewildered.

    ¡°Huh? Outside? And you say you¡¯ll be back tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to gather medicinal nts.¡±

    ¡°No, I mean, you¡¯ll be back today then, right? The gate will be closed at night, so it¡¯ll be difficult toe back here, you know? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to wait until tomorrow morning?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m scared of what the people of this world would do to me if I were to spend the night in town, so no thanks.¡±

    The official was taken aback when I answered him melodiously.

 Chapter 17

    {Sword}

    The receptionist apologized to me.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I failed.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s got a tad of a quick temper, so no problem.¡± I answered her with a sullen face.

    ¡°No, isn¡¯t it actually your fault considering the way you phrased it?¡± The guild master hissed.

    ¡°!! S-Shut it! Okay, okay, I¡¯ll admit that I messed up a bit!¡±

    ¡°Not only have you messed up, you actually abandoned her, didn¡¯t you?¡± The guild master rebutted after havin¡¯ watched the whole scene earlier.

    ¡°¡­Ugh¡­¡±

    I staggered, holdin¡¯ my chest as his words had deeply stabbed my heart. He¡¯dpletely and utterly hit bull¡¯s-eye.

    ¡°The idea that you can simply make her get some friends is ridiculous. You make friends with others naturally. Then again I guess you¡¯ve got no clue how that works since you¡¯re a loner.¡±

    Havin¡¯ this bluntly remark thrust at me, I felt like shit.

    ¡°¡­So, where did she go?¡±

    ¡°She epted a gathering request, and left just like that. Several parties tried to call out to her, but she didn¡¯t even spare a look at them.¡±

    ¡°Figures. Even I wouldn¡¯t be able to get along with some random folks right after the guy, whom I depended on to the extent ofing all the way here, told me ¡¸I¡¯m awesome, so farewell¡¹.¡±

    ¡°Shut up, shut up, shut up!!¡±

    My visual field became blurry because of the tears wellin¡¯ up in my eyes.

    ¡°Ahh, that girl is so pitiful. I¡¯m pretty sure anyone with a weak mentality would have killed themselves right then and there.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    I rushed out of the guild.

    £ª

    Lookin¡¯ ¡¯round, I searched for her but couldn¡¯t spot her anywhere.

    Havin¡¯ epted a request means she left town already? But¡­it¡¯s evenin¡¯. No wait, that girl can immediately finish the request with her abilities.

    Asking the gatekeeper, he confirmed my suspicion.

    ¡°However,¡± the gatekeeper tilted his head, lookin¡¯ somewhat mystified, ¡°¡­I tried to stop her, telling her that it¡¯d be better to not go out at this time of the day since the gate would be closed for the night, but¡­she told me that she¡¯s scared of what the people of this world would do to her if she were to spend the night in town¡­maybe I¡¯ve misheard her though¡­¡±

    Oh damn. It¡¯s be a far more serious issue than I thought. It looks like she went right beyond ¡ºScorn¡», straight for ¡ºDistrust of other human beings¡». Lettin¡¯ alone havin¡¯ her make friends, she gotta start from bein¡¯ able to believe in other people, goddammit.

    Anyway, first I gotta find her.

    £ª

    When I searched for magic element responses, I found a ridiculouslyrge cluster in like no time. Smack down in the forest where it wasmon for monsters to pop out.

    As I continued to carefully advance¡­I discovered a moron sleepin¡¯ under a big tree while lyin¡¯ spread-eagled.

    What¡¯s that girl thinkin¡¯¡­? She hasn¡¯t even put up a barrier. Simply sleepin¡¯ there like that. However, it¡¯s kinda bafflin¡¯ why she¡¯s not gettin¡¯ attacked either.

    Either way, she ain¡¯t stickin¡¯ to a single damn thing I taught her!

    ¡°¡­Hey.¡± Somehow I got pissed off ¡®n called out to her. But she didn¡¯t even twitch. ¡°Why are you sleepin¡¯ in a ce like this? You eager to die or somethin¡¯?

    She ignored me.

    ¡­Should I give this moron a good kick?

    ¡°Why you not stickin¡¯ to anythin¡¯ I taught you? I told you, ¡ºDurin¡¯ campin¡¯, keep a fire goin¡¯, have one person stand watch at all times, sleep in shifts, and in case of being solo, protect yourself as much as possible by deployin¡¯ a barrier¡», didn¡¯t I? In the first ce, I told you, ¡ºFind a party and make your way up to C-Rank¡», so why are you sleepin¡¯ out here by yourself?¡±

    She kept sleepin¡¯ without a single change on her face. And then I sensed how the magic elements around her were rapidly gettin¡¯ thicker.

    ¡°¡­Tsk, do whatever you want then. If you wanna croak out here, it¡¯s up to you.¡± I told her bluntly, and left¡­or rather, pretended to leave while in fact watchin¡¯ over her from the shadows.

    Why the hell must I do somethin¡¯ like guardin¡¯ her from the shadows!? If she gets attacked by a monster, I ain¡¯t goin¡¯ to her rescue until she¡¯s half dead!!

    ¡­That girl¡¯s not even twitchin¡¯. She¡¯s not dead already or somethin¡¯, right?

    £ª

    The sky became faintly bright.

    ¨D¨DIn the end, not a single monster had shown up. I don¡¯t really think that this forest is such a safe ce, though¡­

    Well, it¡¯s got only monsters I can handle with ease¡­and her as well, but the monsters ¡¯round here aren¡¯t suchx enemies that you could sleep without a damn care. Even though they¡¯re weak, there should be many of ¡¯em ¡¯round. And yet not one popped out all night long. ¡­Did the ecosystem ¡¯round here change?

    As I stifled a yawn while feelin¡¯ sleepy, she woke up. After carefreely stretchin¡¯, she folded and put the cloth she¡¯d spread out away, and strolled off.

    Seein¡¯ how she made a beeline for the spot with the medicinal nts, she apparently knew the location. After harvestin¡¯ them, she went back to town.

    £ª

    ¡­In other words, I underestimated the environment she grew up in. When her mother died, her father came back with his daughter from another mother, and while dotin¡¯ on the new girl, he treated her cruelly. It was a story you¡¯d often hear among nobility, so I thought this was the full extent of it.

    However, she was on the brink of hatin¡¯ all human beings because of that, and I delivered the finishin¡¯ blow.

    The guild master in this town is quite easy-goin¡¯ and I¡¯d also partied with him for some time in the past. His flexibility to amodate her was the reason why I brought her to this ce to get her registered. I even had selected a party for her to join in advance.

    Ability-wise she¡¯s well beyond C-Rank, but since it¡¯s kinda impossible to have her join up with C-Rank folk as a newly registered adventurer, I picked an E-Rank party of girls who¡¯re all two or three years older than her. With her strength, she¡¯d leave E-Rank, let alone F-Rank, behind in a whiff.

    She¡¯s got a nasty mouth, but since she takes care of others, it might have resulted in her actually lookin¡¯ after them.

    Thinkin¡¯ ¡¯bout it like that, I checked back with the guild master, refined the n, and carried it out.

    But yep, it was aplete failure.

    No matter what she¡¯s bein¡¯ told by anyone, at this point she only gets her business done, leaves, and lives in the forest whilepletely ignorin¡¯ everyone ¡¯round her to such an extent that you¡¯d think she¡¯s actually shuttin¡¯ out any sound with magic.

    It sounds like she ns to leave this ce once she reaches F-Rank. That¡¯s the information a reception girl got out of her for me. She also seems to be wary of the girl, who weed her first,pletely avoidin¡¯ her nowadays. I got totally scolded for that with her bein¡¯ on the verge of tears.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that cutie totally hate me now!?! When talkin¡¯ with one of the others, she always smiles, and yet, she bes expressionless as soon as she spots me, you know!? Do you know how much that hurts me!?¡±

    ¡­Consider yourself lucky since she still allows you to make eye contact with her. Someone like me¡­is air? She doesn¡¯t meet my gaze, okay? It goes so far that I actually wonder how she pulls it off. I mean it¡¯s like I don¡¯t exist for her.

    Haah¡­

    I¡¯ve been even considerin¡¯ whether I should beg for her forgiveness at this point, but even if air like me apologizes, she very likely, no, definitely won¡¯t even listen to me. It¡¯s set in stone that she¡¯s gonna walk away on me in the middle of my apology!

    In the end, I clung to the guild master in tears, tryin¡¯ to have him intervene in my favor.

    ¡°¡­Won¡¯t you forgive Sword? That guy is clumsy, and although he acted with your benefit in mind, it backfired on him, and now he¡¯s regretting it all.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Who was that again? ¡­¡­Ah,e to think of it, there was some dude calling himself a ¡ºBig-shot¡». I¡¯ve already forgotten about that person. What should I forgive? I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything that would require my forgiveness?¡±

    ¡°¡­If you put it like that, it¡¯d even stab my heart, you see? ¡­Well, anyway, if you¡¯re no longer angry with him, could you deal with him normally? He¡¯s also reflecting on what he¡¯s done¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait, I deal with him normally, you know? I treat him normally as ¡ºperson of this world I mustn¡¯t ever trust¡». ¨D¨DWell, I don¡¯t trust any humans of this world without any discrimination. If they have some use to me, they¡¯ll enter my field of vision, but I don¡¯t bother looking at people without value, and I also make sure to not perceive whatever sounds they make.¡± She dered while starin¡¯ with cold eyes at the guild master. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m dealing with him normally without being angry or anything like that. I¡¯m just living my life as I please ording to my own ideas. Well, I believe that someone like me is going to die sooner orter anyway in a world overflowing with such humans. ¡­This world is really a shit hole with nothing worth seeing, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    In the middle of her speech, I felt like using the spell for shutting out sounds which I had memorized. After finishin¡¯ the conversation ¡®nin¡¯ back, the guild master red at me.

    ¡°¡­Dude, just what the hell did you tell the girl for her to be so deep in darkness? That¡¯s already an illness. It¡¯s impossible for me to persuade a child who¡¯s fallen so deep.¡±

    ¡°¡­What should I dooo then!?¡±

    ¡°How the hell should I know!? ¡­Basically, she was maltreated by her parents under the pretext of discipline? Only the daughter of another mother was favored? She had her hair cut in a way that she¡¯d be mistaken for an ordinary boy by anyone since she had no money to get it cut properly despite being a girl? And on top of that, as soon as that noble girl, who called herself a ¡ºFreeloader¡» on her own ount, was brought to town by a man, who took her out of that home, she was told by that very man to get lost right after registering at the adventurer guild. That means she trusted you after you showed up in a ce with no one she could trust, and yet youpletely double-crossed her.¡±

    Ughh!

    ¡°¨D¨DIn the first ce, I don¡¯t know whether your head actually works when you thought that a noble girl, who¡¯spletely ignorant of the world, would be only depressed when suddenly being told something like ¡ºI¡¯m more awesome than you, so farewell¡» after having been taken to amoner town! ¡­For a long time now, you always pissed off others by dropping lines that easily went beyond being insensitive, didn¡¯t you? ¡­Ah, this time it¡¯s not only you being hated, but it¡¯s actually reached a level of her being ill and on the verge of death.¡±

    My heartpletely broke, and I bawled like a little brat.

    £ª

    At longst, that girl encountered monsters. Moreover, quite the ferocious ones. It was a huge wolf monster called Giant Wolf.

    I thought that I¡¯d immediately save her if she got into trouble, but¡­yep, instant death. I knew it.

    ¡°¡­If you don¡¯t attack me, I won¡¯t go out of my way toe for you, okay?¡± She told the monsters, makin¡¯ me want to retort, ¡°What are you tryin¡¯ to show off for with monsters as your opponents!?¡±

    Of course, the monsters ignored it, and swooped down on her.

    Neck chop, neck chop, done.

    By the way, the weapon used by her was a handmade wooden sword. She named it ¡°Bokto¡± or somethin¡¯ like that. A thin, single-edged de¡­then again, a wooden sword¡¯s de doesn¡¯t have any sharpness, and yet, she easily cuts things apart with it, though I¡¯ve got no clue how she does it.

    Oh, maybe it¡¯s a magic weapon!

    £ª

    She tossed the dead monsters into her magic bag, went back to town, sellin¡¯ the corpses at the guild.

    ¡­She¡¯s been drawin¡¯ a lot of attention. It¡¯s because she showed up here with me.

    So yeah, I¡¯m a big-shot, and not just someone callin¡¯ himself one! I¡¯m the adventurers¡¯ idolized <strong>¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿</strong> Sword!

    And yet she¡¯s callin¡¯ me self-proimed big-shot. Isn¡¯t that way too mean?

    Having appeared with a man like me, she got chatted up by all kinds of people for various reasons, rangin¡¯ from party invitations to pickin¡¯ a fight with her in the name of teachin¡¯ her the ropes, but she ignored all of it. Since the folks, who got ignored, weren¡¯t overly amused, they got even more aggressive in their approach, but she ignored that as well.

    It¡¯s a vition of the rules for higher rankin¡¯ folks to mess with a G-Rank for no reason, and thus, thanks to the guild staff applyin¡¯ pressure by makin¡¯ full use of their res, it luckily didn¡¯t develop into a problem.

    But¡­

    ¡°Haah? You say you hunted a high-ranking monster as a G-Rank? You¡¯re obviously lying. This piece of shit here swiped my prey!¡±

    ¡­in the end she got into a fight with one of the rowdier folk.

    I secretly prevented the guild staff from interferin¡¯.

    If I make my entrance here, it¡¯s goin¡¯ to improve her opinion of me! It¡¯s a chance to redeem myself!

    She¡¯s been ignorin¡¯ the bloke, but when he blocked her way, she finally lifted her face in annoyance.

    ¡°Pipsqueak, hurry up and fork over the money. It¡¯s mine. You cheekily took the prey I killed, came back here, and sold it. You a pesky thief¡­missy?¡±

    ¡­He had probably intended to ridicule her with the final ¡ºMissy¡», but that girl is a genuine youngdy after all.

    The other adventurers were watchin¡¯ the show in amusement. Some of them even spurred on the guy to go further.

    Just when I stepped forward, thinkin¡¯ that it was ¡¯bout time for me to intervene, she proposed, ¡°I understand. In other words, you¡¯re telling me to lop off your head, and prove that the cut end of the monster I sold earlier and the cut end at your neck are the same, right?¡±

    ¨D¨DOh shit, her magic elements are swellin¡¯ up.

    ¡°Hah? In the first ce, it¡¯s questionable whether you can even cut anything with the wooden stick hanging at¡­¡±

    In the next instant, I threw a nearby table at the man. The man got blown away after the table mmed into him, and within the next split second, the sword she¡¯d drawn bisected the table. Using all my speed, I wedged myself between the man and her while drawin¡¯ my own sword.

    At that moment, she swung her sword, targetin¡¯ my neck.

    ¡­That damn lunatic is seriously goin¡¯ for the kill!!

    I parried her sh with my sword, but she cut at my neck with so much strength that I was about to get pushed back.

    ¡°You¡­!¡±

    When I tried to force her back, our eyes met. After not havin¡¯ looked at me for a long time, her eyes met mine. Looking into those eyes I saw no sadness or anger, but only the cold will to kill an opponent. In that moment I knew that this girl would be a world-famous murderer if left alone.

    She¡¯d kill those tryin¡¯ to harm her without a shred of mercy. She¡¯d also kill those trying to prevent her from doin¡¯ so.

    That would be her path of righteousness.

    Once I started to chant a spell in a whisper, she swiftly distanced herself, apparently wary of the magic.

    The instant I finished the spell to strengthen my body, I received a barrage of attacks.

    ¡­This girl is a major pain in the ass since she can use taijutsu in addition to swordsmanship. shin¡¯ with the sword, kickin¡¯ with her feet, and strikin¡¯ with her elbows. And top of all that, she¡¯ll friggin¡¯ use magic without chantin¡¯.

    The unprecedented case of an S-Rank gettin¡¯ killed by a G-Rank looks likely to happen here.

    When I was ¡¯bout to take a hit at longst after bein¡¯ pushed into a purely defensive battle,

    ¡°If you continue this any longer, I¡¯ll have you pay a fine.¡±

    As soon as the guild master yelled this, she suddenly stopped. And apanied by a click of her tongue, she kicked off the floor, takin¡¯ some distance. I unconsciously spat out a deep sigh.

    ¡°The fine only applies to that man and the one over there, right? I just tried to show proof that ¡ºI truly hunted the monster myself¡». Have the guy, who made the request, and the guy, who got in the way, pay up.¡± She calmly told the guild master.

    ¡°I know, I know, none of it is your fault. The guy, who destroyed the guild¡¯s furniture by throwing it, is the main offender here. So, please cease your rampage, okay?¡±

    She finally sheathed her sword.

    Well, even without her sword, she¡¯s quite capable of hand-to-handbat and magic warfare¡­

    Seein¡¯ her leave the guild, the adventurers opened a path for her while nervously drawin¡¯ back. It looks like they¡¯ve finally realized that the girl they¡¯ve been underestimatin¡¯ all this time is actually someone ridiculously powerful.

    Take a hint from me havin¡¯ brought her along¡­

    £ª

    ¡°Hey, are you okay? I sure don¡¯t think so, but it seemed like you were in quite a predicament there.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just as you¡¯ve seen, I was in a pinch. She excelled me by leaps and bounds in closebat.¡±

    The peanut gallery went astir.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m still better than her when ites to speed, but when ites to power, let¡¯s say¡­we¡¯re even. She¡¯d still lose to<strong>¡¾Peerless Strength¡¿</strong>though. As for magic arts, I¡¯d have a chance for victory if I could finish chantin¡¯ a big spell without her noticing andndin¡¯ it on her, but if not, no one can win against her. I think it¡¯d be even impossible for <strong>¡¾Bloody Witch¡¿</strong>.¡±

    Everyone who heard my words froze on the spot.

    ¡°¡­Is she human?¡±

    ¡°No clue, but the folks who seem to be her parents are human, I guess. She herself probably won¡¯t be willing to admit it, but she resembles her father perfectly, if not for her hair and eyes. Her mother seems to have been the daughter of a duke, so I¡¯d say she¡¯s a human.¡±

    ¡°¡­Hey¡­! You¡¯ve kidnapped a youngdy from a ducal house!?¡±

    ¡°Stop it with the groundless nder. She herself told me that it was her wish to leave. Besides, her father doesn¡¯t recognize her as his daughter, and she doesn¡¯t recognize him as her father either, so it¡¯s fine either way.¡±

    ¡°¡­So you brought along a sheltered nobledy, who grew up in a brutal environment while possessing superhuman strength that seems capable of suppressing an S-Rank, and then pushed her aside? Now listen¡­how about you think about the trouble you¡¯re causing to us with this!! If you release such a dangerous girl into the wild, you¡¯ll never know what she¡¯s going to do!! Moreover, even if she causes a mess, no one will be able to stop her through physical or political means!! You better put a rope around her neck and manage her properly, you damn fool!!¡±

    I got totally trashed by the guild master. Though I couldn¡¯t talk back since he was correct in all aspects¡­

 Chapter 18

    ¡°Are you going to collect today too?¡± The governmental official at the gate asked me.

    Recently, I¡¯ve be acquainted with him.

    ¡°No, I decided to leave this town.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see. Well, that¡¯s how adventurers operate, I suppose. Though I think it¡¯s somewhat too early for you¡­ Anyway, be careful out there. You¡¯ve got an appearance like a lovely girl after all.¡±

    ¡­<strong>Like</strong> a girl? What¡¯s with the <strong>like</strong> there!?

    ¡°¡­Oh well, whatever. So, do you have a direction you¡¯d rmend.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s up with that? ¡­Let¡¯s see, if you head in that direction you¡¯ll find a flourishing town called Laer. Its prosperity also means that the guild offers lots of requests.¡±

    ¡°I see. Thanks.¡±

    When I started to walk off, the official called out to me in a hurry, ¡°Hey!! That¡¯s the opposite direction!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why. ¡­Doing the opposite of what the people of this world rmend is the correct choice.¡±

    After grinning at him over my shoulder, I walked away without looking back anymore.

    £ª

    Suddenly my legs froze. It looks like they had magic cast on them. But, I can break something of this level in an instant.

    ¨D¨DJust as I thought that, something rolled over at my feet.

    ¡°¡­It was my fault! Please! Forgive me! Please! For heaven¡¯s sake, please! ¡­I¡¯m terribly sorry¡­!¡±

    I was dumbfounded.

    ¡­It seems prostrating yourself on the ground exists in this world as well. Prostrating himself, or rather, clinging to my legs? Moreover¡­he¡¯s crying, despite being a grown man.

    I drew back.

    The man timidly lifted his face, and furthermore, wed his way upwards, kinda like a zombie would crawl up your legs.

    Scary.

    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry¡­!¡±

    As I felt a chill run down my spine, I reflexively pped his mug.

    ¡°Disgusting!¡±

    £ª

    ¡°¡­Disgusting! ain¡¯t the first thing you¡¯d say to someone apologizin¡¯ to you, is it?¡±

    ¡°Get away from me since you¡¯re disgusting.¡±

    I tried to draw away from him as far as possible by averting my face, but he was strangely powerfully glued to me, and even when I pushed him away, he remained coiled around me.

    ¡°Disgusting.¡±

    ¡°Stop repeating that word all the time! I¡¯ll let go of you if you forgive me!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­What am I supposed to forgive you?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I mean¡­! You misunderstood me, so please let me exin. I didn¡¯t mean to betray your trust! I had absolutely no intention to discard you or anythin¡¯ aftering to town! It¡¯s just, even if a newbie adventurer like you were to party up with an S-Rank like me, you wouldn¡¯t be able to learn the basics of adventurin¡¯!¡±

    ¡°Aahh, you were a self-alleged ¡ºBigshot¡», weren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°It ain¡¯t self-alleged! Don¡¯t say it like I¡¯m scum! You might not know what an S-Rank is, but¡­¡±

    ¡°As far as I can imagine, it¡¯s a rank you obtain after having your abilities and achievements approved as an A-Rank. Something like that?¡±

    ¡°That! It¡¯s just as you say!¡±

    Humph, so S-Ranks exist after all, huh?

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s why I took measures allowin¡¯ you to learn what bein¡¯ an adventurer is ¡¯bout by partyin¡¯ with folk close in rank to you. I¡¯ve got a friendly rtionship with the guild master in this town, so I¡¯d be able to inconvenience him to an extent. I¡¯ve been justyin¡¯ the groundwork!¡±

    ¨D¨Dording to him:

    Bring me to this ce -> have me temporarily separate from Sword and form a party with girls close to me in age, who were rmended by the guild -> do requests while repeatedly piling up mistakes as normal for beginners and having a good time with the girls -> party up with Sword again after umting some experience.

    That was apparently the n he¡¯d set up.

    ¡°¡­Besides, you¡¯re somehow precocious and you weirdly act like a grown-up because you were always surrounded by adults, right? You don¡¯t have any friends your age, so I thought you¡¯d make some friends on this asion!¡±

    ¡­¡­I wonder how I should answer this?

    ¡°¡­First of all, I¡¯d like to straighten out some things. You don¡¯t make friends by having them assigned to you. People ¡ºbe¡» your friends naturally. You don¡¯t get it because you¡¯re a loner without any friends yourself, but even if you have some random people assigned to you, it¡¯s not said that you¡¯ll get along with them. And as a matter of fact, it didn¡¯t look like I¡¯d ever be friends with my little sister as we didn¡¯t get along at all.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be called ¡ºLoner¡» by you as well!!¡±

    Oh, it sounds like someone already told him.

    ¡°Now on to the main issue. Considering all that, why didn¡¯t you tell me? What you did was not only to bring a young nobledy, who had never visited a town, to apletely unknown ce instead of somece in her family¡¯s territory, but you also discarded her right there. In such a case, it¡¯d have been better for me to turn down your invitation, investigate a nearby city over the next two years, and leave home by myself after getting everything in perfect order. Since I thought you¡¯d act as my guide, I left two years earlier than nned while being ill-prepared, and yet I was abandoned by you without having been taught anything. So what did you think would happen after doing all that?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m regrettin¡¯ for havin¡¯ made a mistake. I¡¯m entirely to me here! I¡¯m sorry!¡±

    I see, so that¡¯s why he started to talk about ¡°Forgive me¡± and ¡°I¡¯m regretting.¡± Or rather, what did he expect me to do while not knowing all that?

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ve now understood why the guild master said ¡ºPlease forgive him¡» and why the receptionist, who weed me at first, said ¡ºThere¡¯s a party I¡¯d like to introduce to you¡». ¨D¨DBut that¡¯s the point. Why didn¡¯t you personally tell me, ¡ºWe¡¯ll go to a guild where my friend works as guild master. First learn the basics of adventuring over there by forming a party with girls who I¡¯m going to introduce to you. It¡¯ll be okay since I¡¯ve properly talked it over with the other parties. They¡¯re all girls close to you in age, so it might be possible for you to befriend them as well¡»?¡±

    He was at a loss for words.

    ¡°¡­I panicked!¡±

    Haaah?

    ¡­Immediately following, he stood up and hugged me.

    ¡°¡­You see, I¡¯ve gotten to like you quite a bit! Damn it, don¡¯t make me say it! ¡­Why would you have to enter some low level party just to learn the basics of the basics!? Even without knowin¡¯ all that, you¡¯ve already got strength rivalin¡¯ an S-Rank, so wouldn¡¯t it be just fine for you to always party with me!? But, since the guild masterined that you¡¯d need to be able to handle things on your own for the time when I¡¯d be gone, I put on that act earlier. It couldn¡¯t be helped! And then I didn¡¯t know how to bring it up with you, freaked out, and said some weird shit!¡±

    What the heck? I didn¡¯t understand a thing. Maybe the trantion of the otherworldnguage is malfunctioning?

    ¡°¡­Anyway, I¡¯ve made up my mind. I¡¯ll keep lookin¡¯ after you myself.¡±

    ¡°From the start, no one has looked after me.¡±

    ¡°Up until now I did, didn¡¯t I!? I¡¯m your teacher, no!?¡±

    ¡°Haah? What are you bbing? I¡¯ve told you to show me various things as part of a deal we struck, but I don¡¯t remember having ever asked you to take me as your pupil. To begin with, what kind of teacher are you supposed to be? My martial and magic arts are all self-taught, you know? I had you show me your stances and spells, but not once did I ask you to teach me anything, nor did I imitate you. I mean, honestly, what you showed me didn¡¯t even serve as a reference because our methods are way too different.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re terrible!!¡± He kept hugging me even tighter while saying so.

    This middle-aged dude is¡­a child, huh?

    ¡°Okay, okay, I get it, I get it. You had a proper reason and you didn¡¯t abandon me. Since your n didn¡¯t go well, you¡¯ll act as my guide. That¡¯s what you¡¯re saying, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve understood the reason now, so it¡¯d be alright for me to enter that girl party or whatever, and have them teach me the ropes while enjoying my time. Even if they might have selfish characters, I¡¯d be more willing to overlook it for them than some middle-aged guy since they¡¯re still children.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re terrible!!¡±

    He told me once more.

 Chapter 19

    {Sword}

    ¡°Just so you know, I was thinking of leaving the town¡­.¡±

    Pullin¡¯ Indra against her will, I headed back towards the town.

    ¡°You said you wanna sightsee, didn¡¯t you? That won¡¯t work if you hole up yourself out in the woods all the time.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no way that I could sleep in ces overrun by the people of this world, is there?¡±

    ¡°Come on, your way too distrustful of others! ¡­Half of it is my fault though¡­ But! I did what I did while thinkin¡¯ of you, okay!?¡±

    ¡°I told you already: I got that part. However, it¡¯s still a fact that the people of this world are selfish, not giving much of a thought about others.¡±

    ¡­Each time she¡¯s been mentionin¡¯ it, it made me wonder¡­

    ¡°You keep sayin¡¯ ¡ºthis world¡». What¡¯s the deal with that!? You make it sound like you came from another world¡­¡±

    Then I realized.

    ¡­Hey, hey, just a moment. Is that how it is? No, that can¡¯t be, I mean, her origin is indisputable, right? Her face even resembles her father.

    ¡­But, wait, she mentioned somethin¡¯ ¡¯bout havin¡¯ almost died at one point, didn¡¯t she? Didn¡¯t she actually mean she died instead of just almost dyin¡¯? And then this girl hijacked the body after arrivin¡¯ from another world, or somethin¡¯ like that?

    It¡¯s a crazy idea, but ain¡¯t like it¡¯s unheard of. I remember hearin¡¯ ¡¯bout corpses gettin¡¯ possessed. If that¡¯s the case here, she¡¯s¡­

    Seein¡¯ my reaction, she sighed.

    ¡°¡­Well, it¡¯s something close to what you¡¯re probably thinking. I was born into this body while possessing the experience and knowledge of another world. At the age of five I saw those memories in a dream, causing me to remember them.¡±

    ¡­For real!?

    ¡°Out of the eyes of someone who¡¯s equipped with the knowledge of the other world, this world is filled with nothing but terribly cruel and selfish people. Truly a shithole. ¡­In the ce where my otherworld self lived it was normal to help others in trouble without demanding anypensation. Well, not at the expense of getting into trouble yourself though. Of course the other world also had many people incapable of consideration and thoughtfulness towards others, but at the same time it also housed many people quite capable of it. But this world doesn¡¯t have any of thetter, right?¡± After narrating while looking into the far distance, she revealed a cruel smile. ¡°I want to die after destroying this world so that I won¡¯t be ever reborn into this world again.¡±

    She¡¯s ill. Shit, I hadn¡¯t expected for her mind to have gotten so fucked up.

    ¡°¡­I-Isn¡¯t there anything else? Some other impression of this ce¡­¡±

    ¡°Sure, it¡¯s filthy.¡±

    What an incrediblement.

    ¡­I see. Her love for cleanliness stems from her otherworldmon sense, huh?

    ¡°My otherworld self had been born into a country priding itself to be one of the safest and cleanest environments in the world. Differences between social statuses yed almost no role in that country, and most of its ces were safe and sanitary. My otherworld self was what you¡¯d call amoner, but she led a cleaner life than the nobles of this world. ¡­The first product I made was detergent to wash my own body. It was a product limited by what a five-years-old could do, but it was still much better than simply pouring water on myself in the name of washing.¡±

    ¡°Whoa¡­ Then again, it does remind me your tenacity when ites to washin¡¯ yourself.¡±

    Also, I understood one more thing.

    ¡°So that weirdposure of yours that doesn¡¯t fit a child and rather got a touch of belongin¡¯ to an old persones from the time you lived in that other world? How old did you be?¡±

    ¡°No idea. It¡¯s not like I recall my entire life over there. Though I know that it¡¯s not like I died young. By the way, it goes without saying, but I also had friends and a lover.¡±

    ¡°Shuuut up!!¡±

    Sorry for not havin¡¯ either!!

    ¡°Noble childrenck childishness just the same, though. The family head¡¯s daughter was childish as she was amoner originally, but when we went to a tea party, the other noble children drew back from her, you know? My way of acting was the standard.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ I suppose that¡¯s how nobles are. Fuckin¡¯ conceited and stinkin¡¯ of arrogance. ¡­Well, this stuff doesn¡¯t matter anyway.¡± I pulled on her hand, drawin¡¯ her into my embrace. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll guide you through this world. I¡¯ll also teach you themon knowledge of this world. So, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­ Now listen.¡± She forcefully pushed me away, freeing herself.

    Eh? What?

    ¡°Your lines just now, I¡¯ll act like I didn¡¯t hear them if it¡¯s right now. Withdraw them and leave. But, if you don¡¯t do it, I¡¯ll butcher you with a ¡ºgrand spell that had been banned in the other world¡» if you should ever do something like this again. I¡¯ll cast curse magic on the elementsposing your human body, resulting in them evaporating and getting blown away. Even if you block the spell, you¡¯ll still die a slow death of breaking apart as if getting eroded. I¡¯ll use that spell to kill you.¡±

    At the same time of thrustin¡¯ me away, she looked straight into my eyes with a powerful gleam dwellin¡¯ in her eyes.

    ¡°¡­Sure, you got a deal.¡±

    I unintentionally burst intoughter.

    As I thought, this girl got pissed by me pushin¡¯ her aside. And yet she still felt inclined to trust me once more, huh?

    ¡°With that outta the way, let¡¯s go.¡±

    I grabbed her hand once again, and started to pull.

    ¡°¡­Today I don¡¯t really feel like doing much, though. The forest is safe, so how about we camp out in the forest?¡±

    ¡°Sayin¡¯ that forest is safe is proof of your weird misconceptions. Quite a lot of monsters inhabit those woods, you know?¡±

    ¡°Monsters are basically cowards. Their senses are a lot sharper than those of humans. If they perceive someone strong nearby, they won¡¯t approach. Completely different from retarded humans who can¡¯t tell strong people apart.¡±

    Looking over my shoulder, I stared at her.

    ¡°¡­Seriously?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s something I found out after lodging in the forest for thest few days.

    ¡°So, just recently!?¡±

 Chapter 20

    I was dragged along after being told that we¡¯d first report back to the guild.

    Before actually entering the guild¡¯s building, Sword emphasized, ¡°Even if there¡¯s some moron unable to discern your strength, don¡¯t kill ¡¯em, okay?¡±

    Wouldn¡¯t it be fine for you to not bring me here then? I mean the ce is crowded with idiots, you know? I tried to ignore their existence by magically blocking off sound waves, but since I couldn¡¯t cut them offpletely, I faintly perceived how people were talking nonsense to me.

    The people of this world are stupider than monsters.

    £ª

    Once we entered, all eyes turned into our direction. How annoying.

    ¡°So you made up, huh?¡± The guild master approached us.

    ¡°I understood why you told me things like ¡¸Please forgive him¡¹ or ¡¸He¡¯s regretting it¡¹.¡±

    ¡°¡­Argh, so that was already part of what you didn¡¯t understand?¡± He pped his forehand with his open hand.

    When I looked at the receptionist, it made her jump.

    ¡­I wonder what¡¯s going on with her. This receptionistdy, who weed me at first, is reacting very oddly, or rather, excessively¡­

    ¡°¡­Also, I understood why she suddenly started to say, ¡ºI¡¯m going to introduce you to nice partners, okay?¡». To be honest, I suspected her possibly wanting to earn some money through a mediation fee or sell off a newbie adventurer, who doesn¡¯t know anything, to some shady adventurers, but now I know it wasn¡¯t that.¡±

    No sooner than bing pale, the receptionistdy suddenly became all teary-eyed, and finally started to bawl for real.

    I drew back from her.

    ¡°All of it is Mr. Sword¡¯s fauuult¡«¡«! I only did as I was asked¡«¡«£¡And it all it earned me was to be regarded as a nasty wench on top of getting avoided¡«¡«!¡±

    ¡°¡­No matter how you look at it, aren¡¯t you treatin¡¯ people way too terrible?¡±

    He said, but didn¡¯t she mention something about all of it being Mr. Sword¡¯s fault?

    ¡°That much is as easy as pie for the people of this world, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°¡­No, the folks goin¡¯ that far among the guild staff¡­¡­ Well, I guess it¡¯s better to be safe than sorry. Can¡¯t be helped.¡±

    The crying receptionist threw a dagger at Sword with an amazingly fast motion!

    ¡°Just die! You haven¡¯t taught him anything decent, and your way of talking sucks, so you tainted Indra, that cute and innocent boy, with your darkness! You¡¯re a pest for society!¡±

    Wow.

    The self-alleged bigshot doesn¡¯t seem to be all that respected, I¡¯d say. Also, I¡¯m a girl.

    ¡°Oh, right. The guy, who almost had his head cut off after picking a fight with you, had his adventurer license revoked. From now on he won¡¯t ever be able to work as an adventurer again.¡±

    The guild master told me, but well¡­

    ¡°You mean over here, right? If he re-registers elsewhere¡­¡±

    ¡°Idiooot, your so ignorant. Ain¡¯t no way that¡¯s possible. Don¡¯t look down on the guild. When a license is revoked, the information will also be passed on to all other ces. Usin¡¯ a guild-exclusive magic tool, all guilds are bein¡¯ notified about registrations and revocations at the same time.¡± The self-alleged bigshot found some fun in berating me.

    ¡°An £ÛExclusive Network System£Ý!? They¡¯re quite advanced in that regard, I guess¡±

    ¡°¡±Huh?¡±¡±

    I was asked when I unconsciously mumbled that out loud.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind me. I¡¯m just talking to myself. But, what¡¯s going to happen if he uses an alias or a disguise?¡±

    ¡°Look, even if you change your name or appearance, you remain you, and I remain who I am, right? This adventurer card here is a magic tool and recognizes the person themselves, no matter how their outward appearance might have been changed. Same applies for the guild¡¯s magic tool.¡±

    ¡°Oh, £Ûbiometrics£Ý!?¡±

    Why such cutting-edge technology in a ce like this!?

    ¡°Again with those cryptic words¡­it might be fine for nobility even without gettin¡¯ somethin¡¯ like that card, but for amoner it¡¯s a must. It¡¯s a precious, precious card that proves their identity. It also got the convenient function of releasin¡¯ a shin¡¯ as warnin¡¯ if it¡¯s in the hands of someone else. If your registered as criminal, let alone gettin¡¯ your card revoked, the information is also passed on to the magic tools of the knight order, guard stations and checkpoints. Otherwise they wouldn¡¯t be able to arrest criminals, right? The only ones not possessin¡¯ this card are nobility and people born as children of robbers.¡±

    Whoa, it sounds like nobles and robbers are on the same level in this world, doesn¡¯t it? Looks like they have no clue of what noblesse oblige means.

    ¡°I understand. ¡­Biometrics, huh¡­? That¡¯s truly impressive.¡±

    Hearing my reply, Sword nodded in satisfaction.

    ¡°Finally you realized that <strong>this world</strong> got some points of note as well, right?¡±

    ¡°Treating nobles and robbers as the same kind shows what kind of a hopeless case this world is. ¡­Anyway, please ask them about the matter we¡¯ve been talking about before. You call yourself distinguished and important, don¡¯t you?¡±

    The guild master and the receptionists burst intoughter.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been tellin¡¯ you it¡¯s not self-alleged, dammit! ¡­Hey, guildmaster, give this girl some ¡ºSorcery Liquid¡»!¡±

    ¡°Wut?¡±

    Magic tools can be exined as electronic devices in terms of the other world. They always require a magic crest to be drawn onto them. Such crests are superb technology that won¡¯te off even when washed or chafed.

    I was taught that these magic crests are drawn with something called Sorcery Liquid. As far as I can tell, magic crests are programs running on a programmingnguage. That means, if I had a dictionary for the programmingnguage and Sorcery Liquid, I could basically create magic crests myself, right? And I¡¯m good at programming!

    But I¡¯ve been told that such dictionaries don¡¯t exist and that it¡¯smon practice to be taught how to make magic crests by bing an apprentice of a sorcerer who¡¯s proficient at creating magic crests. Seriously, that sucks.

    ¡­Hmm, but wait a second, what exactly is that Sorcery Liquid anyway?

    You require £ÛSoftware£Ý to assemble program code and execute a program. In other words, Sorcery Liquid is a medium to execute a magic crest through magic elements so as to transform it into a spell. A processor handles the same task.

    So, when I told Sword that I¡¯d like to know how to make Sorcery Liquid, he told me, ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯d be the apprentice of a sorcerer!¡±

    So it¡¯s a requirement for this as well!?

    ¡°Or rather, the idea that you could easily build magic tools is weird. I mean, just clocks are already items that have been finallypleted after investin¡¯ huge amounts of time and money. Back then, the sorcerer, who wanted to create it, had to persuade the king by tellin¡¯ him that he wants to establish a standard for this world. The way how to make clocks has been revealed to the public for the sake of allowin¡¯ it to spread. Nowadays you can get your hands on them at a rtively cheap price since the country is subsidizin¡¯ them. But you see, basically, other magic tools are sold by the folk who made them, so some among ¡¯em are stupidly expensive even if the magic tools are nothin¡¯ special.¡±

    After thatment, he scrutinized me really intently.

    ¡°You think you¡¯d be able to make magic tools if you could get your hands on Sorcery Liquid?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t say anything for certain as long as I haven¡¯t analyzed the liquid first. ¨D¨DI suspect that spells are imprinted with Sorcery Liquid. Kind of like this spell will be invoked if you use the following characters. Though it might be actually far moreplex, considering they¡¯re being made by folks who adhere to secrecy. Anyway, you draw characters on the medium you want to move with Sorcery Liquid. The liquid interprets the characters, passes on instructions to the magic elements, and the magic elements carry these instructions out, resulting in the magic tool operating. ¡­¡­Probably.¡±

    ¡°Such a weak endin¡¯ after talkin¡¯ all confident!?¡±

    £ª

    After we had that conversation, Sword mentioned that I might be able to obtain the liquid if he acts as intermediary.

    ¡°You know that it¡¯s nothing I can hand over just like that, don¡¯t you!?¡±

    Sword thrust his adventurer card into the face of the guild master.

    ¡°Hand it over.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­ People like you¡­! Just ¡ºClock¡»! Come with me!¡±

    Does he mean the Sorcery Liquid of a clock?

    After following him, we entered a room through a door with a <strong>¡¾Guild Master¡¿</strong> te. Removing the seal on a shelf that seemed to be a magic tool, he took out and handed over a heavy jar.

    ¡°Here. ¡­What are you nning to do with it?¡±

    ¡°Analyzing. I love this kind of work.¡±

    Come to think of it, my otherworld self made a robot to automatically clean her desk with her summer vacation¡¯s crafting set. Different from the other world, everything in this world is made with magic, even without exclusive tools and materials!

    (Note: The only ones capable of that are people at Indra¡¯s level)

    £ª

    Afterwards I got tired from insistently being told that he wanted to watch me analyzing the liquid, or at least be taught about the results of my analysis.

    ¡°Since I¡¯m going to do it with magic, anyone can do the same, no? Besides, you could get it exined to you by bing the apprentice of a sorcerer, couldn¡¯t you? I hate to take an apprenticeship for each and every little thing, so I usually analyze things myself. Then again, I don¡¯t know whether it¡¯ll be possible to analyze it.¡± I turned the guild master down.

    After carefully storing it away, I retrieved some liquor from my magic bag to distract him.

    ¡°Here, as thanks.¡±

    Sword¡¯s eyes flew wide open.

    ¡°¡­Hey!! That¡¯s the booze that has ripened for three years which you called £ÛBrandy£Ý, isn¡¯t it¡­!?¡±

    ¡°Oh? Even though you ran away from home, it still shows that you¡¯re of noble origin. Isn¡¯t it a rather sophisticated way to thank someone by giving them liquor?¡±

    Sophisticated? Still it sure looks like this world got plenty of drunkards. Especially when considering that production methods are being concealed.

    ¡°No, no, no, no, noooo! Give it back!!¡± Sword tried to snatch the brandy out of the guild master¡¯s hands.

    ¡°It¡¯s not yours, is it?¡± I retorted, but he didn¡¯t listen at all.

    However, the guild master defended it to thest, ¡°She gave it to me!¡±

    ¡°Your a hundred years too early to drink this!¡±

    ¡°Sword! Someone like you can get as much high-ss liquor as he wants, right!? For me it¡¯s not easy to obtain drinks that would be drunk by the nobility!¡±

    ¡°That ain¡¯t no nobility booze! It¡¯s a drink made by her!¡±

    The guild master quickly looked my way with his eyes wide open.

    ¡°¡­You can produce liquor?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s something simple, yes. The one I gave you can only be made if you can use magic.¡±

    The guild master stared at me, bbergasted. Meanwhile Sword drew close to me.

    ¡°Hey! Why did you give it to that guy!?¡±

    ¡°I said moments ago that it was an expression of my gratitude. The fact of him taking the liquid out of a magic shelf must mean that it¡¯s quite difficult to get your hands on it, right? In such a case I must also thank him with something appropriate.¡±

    ¡°What ¡¯bout your thanks towards me!?¡±

    ¡°It has been offset with your rude behavior.¡±

    Sword froze after suffering a heavy shock. The guild master, on the other hand, smiled broadly.

    ¡°¡­In short, it¡¯s such a wonderful drink that Sword would go into a frenzy over it, and a high-quality product you can¡¯t make unless you can freely employ magic that would cause the <strong>¡¾Bloody Witch¡¿</strong> to run away in terror, huh? I¡¯m looking forward to drinking it then.¡±

    Just now he said <strong>¡¾Bloody Witch¡¿</strong>, didn¡¯t he? Is the trantion not working or something? Well, whatever.

    ¡°It won¡¯tst long once you open it. It¡¯d be best for you to empty it within a few days after unsealing the lid. If you can¡¯t drink all of it, you could also use it for cooking.¡±

    ¡°As if I¡¯d be able to do something so wasteful!¡±

    He says¡­but, why is everyone iming that it¡¯s a waste to use alcohol for cooking?

    ¡°¡­Also, please give this to thedy who had been bawling. Tell her from me that I¡¯ve just been cautious and that it¡¯s not like I hate her or anything.¡±

    She seems to have been hurt to such an extent that she threw a dagger at Sword.

    I¡¯m sorry, okay?

    ¡°She can put the end of this stick into the container, wind the content around it and lick it, or smear it on bread. Adding it to fruits works as well.¡±

    I passed him some starch syrup.

    ¡°Is this liqour as well?¡±

    ¡°What would be the point in giving liquor to a woman? Honey exists in this world, doesn¡¯t it? It¡¯s a simr kind of food.¡±

    ¡°Oi¡­ Her Noble Ladyship, honey is a high-ss ingredient, you know? You really fine with handin¡¯ it over so readily?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that it¡¯s honey. It¡¯s foodstuff that can be made easily and cheaply. It¡¯s no honey, so don¡¯t get all formal on me as if expecting something out of it.¡± I answered and entrusted the guild master with the syrup and my message.

 Chapter 21

    After Indra and Sword left the guild, the guild master headed over to the reception, and passed Indra¡¯s present to the receptionist who had been on the receiving end of Indra¡¯s wariness.

    ¡°Look, it¡¯s a present from Indra for you. She says she doesn¡¯t hate you and she¡¯s just been cautious of you.¡±

    The receptionist had yet another crying fit after receiving the gift.

    ¡°Indraaaaa¡«¡«!¡¡You¡¯re too kind¡«¡«!¡±

    ¡°Stop crying. The adventurers are all backing away from you. Anyway, you¡¯ll find there something with a taste simr to honey but cheaper in price, she said.¡±

    Hearing that, the other reception women became frenzied, and quickly swarmed towards the one who received the gift.

    ¡°How nice¡«¡±

    ¡°Just a bit! Share a little bit with me!¡±

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you girls had it nice!? You were able to smile together with cute Indra!¡±

    When she stopped crying and suddenly scowled at them, the other receptionists looked at each other, shrugging their shoulders.

    ¡°But, we had to pay a lot of attention to not say anything problematic, you know?¡±

    ¡°Since we didn¡¯t know what would hurt her feelings, we had to tread carefully, always smiling, as if tip-toeing around a wounded animal.¡±

    Indra had received a reasonably decent VIP treatment.

    ¡°I¡¯m curious as well, so please open it.¡± The guild master said.

    Being urged by all her colleagues, the receptionist reluctantly opened her present, just to find a dark reddish-brown liquid inside the container.

    ¡°I suppose it¡¯s no honey. It smells differently.¡±

    ¡°But, it¡¯s a nice smell! ¡­Somehow I feel like I know it, but then again not¡­?¡±

    ¡°What do you do with this?¡±

    Everyone was talking across each other.

    ¡°She also gave me a stick, and said that you should thrust the tip of it into this, and wind the liquid around the tip. Afterwards, you can smear or apply it on something as you wish.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Would Indra really say something so vague?¡±

    ¡°How am I supposed to remember? Just passing on her verbal message is already more than enough for me.¡±

    The receptionist epted the stick, timidly soaked its tip into the liquid. When she lifted it back out, the liquid formed a thin, gooey line between the stick and container.

    ¡°Whaa! It¡¯s stretching!¡±

    ¡°Hmm, it does look like it won¡¯t work unless you wind it around the stick.¡±

    The receptionist winded it around, and licked the tip.

    ¡°?!!!!¡± She covered her mouth in reflex.

    ¡°Eh? What? Is it bad?¡±

    ¡°What kind of taste does it have?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Super sweet¡­¡­The hell is this!? So dreamyyyyy!¡±

    ¡°¡±Give me a bit too!¡±¡±

    ¡°Nope!¡±

    Ignoring the adventurers, the receptionist women kicked up a fuss as they squealed and chatted.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m definitely looking forward to the drink now as well.¡± The guild master murmured, stole back to his office, opened the bottle¡¯s lid, and took a gulp.

    ¡°What the hell is thiiiiiiiiiiiis!?¡±, he screamed.

    £ª£ª£ª

    ¡°It¡¯spletely unrted to you what I do with my share of the brandy, isn¡¯t it? In the first ce, you didn¡¯t n to meet me for the next while, right? Assuming the alcohol and seasoning would be gone after I treated the people you wanted me to befriend in the meanwhile, you wouldn¡¯t be able to get your hands on it again, even if you partied with meter on again, or am I wrong?¡±

    Sword waspletely at a loss.

    ¡°I told you I freaked out! I didn¡¯t even think of such an important matter! ¡­Hey, how much have you taken with you?¡±

    Isn¡¯t this guy an utter addict already?

    ¡°¡­I secured a barrel of each as your share, and gave them to you, don¡¯t you remember?¡±

    ¨D¨DThe magic tool Sword gave me as part of the deal was a magic bag.

    When I told him that I¡¯d prepare alcohol for him exclusively if he could prepare two bags with high capacity since I wanted to have two more of them, he told me, ¡°This is the only existin¡¯ magic bag!¡±

    Because he gave it to me, I prepared a special Sword version of the alcohol with carefully selected ingredients. I made him pay for the ingredients, though. But that was only logical since I didn¡¯t possess any money.

    He stuffed the barrels into the biggest and finest existing magic bag, and carried them around while they were maturing in the bag. By the way, even though Sword and I were both carrying around several barrels, it posed no problem since we had enough strength to not even feel the weight.

    ¡°Unless you prepare them now, I won¡¯t be able to drink them in ¡®nother three years!¡±

    ¡°At present I have no ns to brew. It¡¯s impossible without a base. I told you that alcohol is alive, didn¡¯t I? It won¡¯t be any good if I can¡¯t let it quietly rest in a dark and cool ce.¡±

    I have several years worth of alcohol for cooking, and I¡¯ve also set aside some for giving them away as presents.

    ¡°I think the servants might still be continuing to brew wine, so go back to them in a year and have them share some with you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m nnin¡¯ to do just that, but I also like the strong booze with the gem-like, transparent color that seems to parch your throat. That one¡¯s a bust without your magic, right?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t do anything to change it, so give up on it. At any rate, if I had chosen to enjoy some merrymaking with the girls you had prepared for me, you wouldn¡¯t have gotten your hands on any of it anyway.¡±

    ¡°Your so damn insistent! It was my fault, sorry! So please, give me some booze!¡±

    What a good-for-nothing buffer.

    £ª

    That very buffer took me to an inn.

    ¡°I could have also stayed at a high-ss inn, but we¡¯ll go with a typical inn for the sake of your education.¡±

    That means it¡¯s going to be a normal inn overflowing with fantasy. Kinda like a tattered youth hostel?

    After being told my room, and opening the door¡­

    *bang*

    I mmed the door shut right away.

 Chapter 22

    {Sword}

    Seein¡¯ how my n went awry, I¡¯ve decided to teach her the basics of adventurin¡¯ myself. For me it¡¯d be no biggie to stay in a high-rankin¡¯ inn, but since it¡¯d be bad for her education, I gritted my teeth and chose a cheap inn.

    It¡¯s an inn where folks ¡¯round D-Rank would stay, so it¡¯s kinda iffy whether it¡¯s the right ce for a G-Rank, but I don¡¯t wanna stay at a really cheap ce.

    Anyway, apparently full of curiosity, she entered the inn cheerfully, and then opened the door while bein¡¯ fidgety.

    ¡­So she does have some cute parts, doesn¡¯t she? That behavior of hers perfectly fits her age¡­

    And then she suddenly mmed the door shut, and slowly looked up to me.

    Tremblin¡¯ like a newbornmb.

    ¡°¡­No. Definitely, no! I can¡¯t stay in such a small and dirty ce! Small and dirty is impossible for me.¡±

    Come on! There¡¯s gotta be a limit to cleanliness, right!? If you had partied with those girls, you¡¯d be stayin¡¯ at ces much shabbier than this!

    Just when I was about to scold her, tears welled up in her eyes all of a sudden.

    Eh?

    ¡­She¡¯s cryin¡¯ while quiverin¡¯ all over!!

    ¡°¡­I want to go back to the forest.¡±

    ¡°G-Gotcha! Let¡¯s change inns. It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m an S-Rank, so we can stay at a higher-rankin¡¯ inn. It should be okay over there!¡±

    Pullin¡¯ her hand in panic, I rushed out of the inn after yellin¡¯, ¡°Sorry, we¡¯re cancelin¡¯,¡± in passin¡¯.

    She¡¯s loudly sobbing.

    ¡­Whoa, just a sec, you didn¡¯t cry when bein¡¯ abused, runnin¡¯ across ferocious monsters, or gettin¡¯ into a fight with a violent guy, but just because the room¡¯s dirty, you start bawlin¡¯?

    I felt bbergasted, but to be honest, her finally actin¡¯ appropriate for her age as a girl was cute.

    £ª

    Taking a cryin¡¯ girl ¡®long with me earned me some harsh looks by the people ¡¯round us. After walkin¡¯ for a bit, we arrived at the high-ss inn.

    The folks at the reception scrutinized me, as might be expected, but I made them shut up by showin¡¯ my card.

    ¡°Give us your best room.¡±

    ¡°As you wish.¡±

    And then, after gettin¡¯ there, I slowly opened the room.

    ¡°I-Is this ce goin¡¯ to be alright?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She finally lifted her face and scanned the room. Timidly approachin¡¯¡­she suddenly let off some kind of magic art.

    ¡°Hey!¡±

    Even while I tried to stop her, she cast one spell after the other.

    ¡°Disinfection, Cleaning, and Washing finished. ¡­With these, it somehow passes.¡±

    ¡­When she was done, the room was so clean that it looked like new and would likely startle even a noble.

    £ª£ª£ª

    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s camp outside from now on, after all. It¡¯s a waste to pay money for this room. If we use magic and tools, camping out will be much more pleasant than this. Let¡¯s do that, okay?¡±

    ¡°Gotcha. I don¡¯t care anymore, so do as you like.¡± Sword gave me that irresponsible answer when I was sitting next to him, clinging to his arm while desperately persuading him.

    ¡­I feel sorry for making him pay money because we didn¡¯t stay at the previous inn, but that one was a no. It was small, had no window, stunk, was dirty, and I¡¯m absolutely sure it was full of bugs.

    Isn¡¯t it weird to take money for something like that? You¡¯ve still got space on your plot ofnd, so make the rooms bigger. Also, clean the damn ce.

    ¡­When I thought that, Sword grinned broadly.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°I just thought that you finally act like a nobledy your age. To cry over somethin¡¯ like a room bein¡¯ dirty¡­¡±

    Being reminded of it, I got scared and cried again.

    ¡°Wai¡ª-! I¡¯m sorry! I won¡¯t tease you anymore!¡± Sword was in panic.

    ¡°Dirty and small is scary.¡±

    ¡°Gotcha. I understand, so don¡¯t cry anymore.¡±

    He frantically stroked me.

    (Note: Going by standards of the other world, Indra is quite obsessed with cleanliness. Even during her time at the mansion, she used her cleaning magic for the rooms and toilet. She¡¯s pretty good at tidying up with magic. But, there are limits when ites to dirty rooms. If they aren¡¯t clean to some extent, she won¡¯t even feel motivated to tidy them up herself.)

 Chapter 23

    When I entered the guild the next morning, I was weed very warmly.

    ¡°Please tell me the recipe for the liquor you gave me!¡±

    ¡°Indra! That food was a dream. Thanks a lot!¡±

    The guild master begged me while I was being hugged by the receptionistdy.

    ¡°Ah man, you folks are so damn noisy. ¨D¨DAlso, we¡¯ve got somethin¡¯ to discuss with you.¡±

    We headed over to the guild master¡¯s room.

    ¡°Rent us one of the warehouses run by the guild. Or have the guild manage a warehouse I¡¯d buy.¡±

    ¡°¡­Now listen, I¡¯m not a convenient troubleshooter¡±

    ¡°Look, I¡¯d be troubled if someone sneaked in on an off chance ¡®n stole things from there.¡±

    The guild master scratched his head, looking rather bothered by this, ¡°¡­Would it be an issue to go with a merchant¡¯s warehouse?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m lookin¡¯ for a ce to store liquor. If the merchant found out, they¡¯d give me an ear full, no?¡±

    ¡°Alright, I got it. I¡¯ll arrange everything.¡±

    ¡­Just what did you get?

    ¡°If you had a dark and quiet ce at hand, you¡¯d be able to brew alcohol, right?¡±

    ¡°Pretty much. But, the cook and the servants had been faithfully cleaning and checking the quality regrly, you know?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll handle that part.¡±

    Somehow the guild master is full on board with this all of a sudden?

    ¡°¡­It sounds like I¡¯m quite the clean-freak, but yet they kept it so clean that I couldn¡¯t find a single fault with it.¡±

    I told them, just in case.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, leave it to me.¡± The guild master drummed on his own chest.

    ¡°¡­Oh well, whatever. It¡¯s just about the alcohol you people are going to drink anyway. If it fails, we just need to make it anew.¡±

    ¡°We won¡¯t get anywhere if we assume it¡¯ll fail. We¡¯ll make this town our base. Even if we were to go on a journey, things will be fine as long as wee back several times a year to check, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­The tools avable in this world are pretty sloppy in their making. Just look at the barrels. When we gathered them, we had to trash 80% because they were leaking, don¡¯t you remember? Seeding on a first attempt would be close to a miracle under these circumstances. It¡¯d be much safer to beg the cook and the servants, and buy their wine for a big amount of money.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already taken measures on that end.¡±

    ¡°Hah?¡±

    Did that guy strike a bargain with them or something? Moreover, he totally looks as if he let something slip he didn¡¯t want me to know.

    ¡°¡­Hey, if you don¡¯t want me to unveil the great spell that will destroy everything on this right here and now, spit out everything.¡±

    The guild master pped the back of Sword¡¯s head, ¡°For heaven¡¯s sake, you¡¯re always such a goddamn troublemaker!¡±

    £ª

    ¡­This sneaky bugger apparently got all chummy with the cook and the servants behind my back. Isn¡¯t he awfully sociable considering he¡¯s got no friends whatsoever? No, I guess it¡¯s his resourcefulness rearing its head when ites to things that are of advantage to him.

    Anyway, it looks like he brought up the idea with them to continue the alcohol brewing and sell the products since he¡¯d finance them after I was gone. Apparently he went even as far as dering that they¡¯d suffer no losses since he¡¯d buy up everything they couldn¡¯t sell. Almost everyone, with the cook in the lead, agreed to his proposal.

    However.

    ¡°All of this depends on Lady Indra giving her approval.¡±

    So said the cook.

    ¡°Hoh, so you¡¯re saying I¡¯ll be able to buy that liquor if I go to the brewery involved with Sword?¡±

    ¡°Ah, sorry. I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll sell you the liquor I gave you, guild master.¡±

    I robbed him of any false hope early on.

    ¡°Why not!?!¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t make that liquor without magic. I won¡¯t say it¡¯spletely impossible if you create the appropriate magic tools or utilities, but even though I know the underlying principle, I wouldn¡¯t know how to go about actually making the necessary tools. I¡¯m sure it¡¯d be a series of trials and errors at the start. Then again, you should know that it took me quite a number of failures when I created the liquor I gave you at first.¡±

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s because you were aimin¡¯ for perfection, no? When I asked the cook n¡¯ the others, they seemed to be confused as to why you¡¯dbel your trial products as failures.¡±

    They sure don¡¯t get it, do they? If I say it¡¯s a failure, then it¡¯s just that.

    ¡°T-Then, please let me have a taste of the liquor they¡¯re selling. Just to sample it.¡±

    So early in the day?

    Oh well¡­if it¡¯s just sampling, it should be okay, I suppose.

    I took out wine from the cooling magic bag.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, I won¡¯t give you all of it. Just a cup for testing.¡±

    ¡°Eeeehhh!?¡±

    ¡°Me too!¡±

    ¡­¡­

    With a sigh, I filled their cups.

    ¡°Such a tiny amount!?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t drink wine so early in the day. Aponent called <strong>alcohol</strong> is included in it.¡±

    ¡°Gotcha, just taste testin¡¯, okay?¡±

    Sword chugged the whole thing down in a breath.

    ¡°The taste is really different when it¡¯s cooled.¡±

    ¡°It loses some of its aroma, I think. Well, I¡¯ve opened this wine several times for cooking, so this also ys a role.¡±

    ¡°Awesoooooooome!!!¡±

    I got super startled when the guild master shouted all of a sudden. Dude, you made me jump up from my chair!

    ¡°This is great stuff! It¡¯s easy to drink since it¡¯s cooled, and this aroma! It¡¯s marvelous! This is wine, right!? How is it so different from the stuff avable for sale on the markets!?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d say because they¡¯re sloppy in their brewing procedures. Wine is alive.¡±

    It¡¯s just that they haven¡¯t realized that fact. Or to go even further, they aren¡¯t even aware of the living beings contained in the air or water. You people should really try using your brain why things are rotting, sheesh.

    ¡°I see¡­ It¡¯s alive, huh¡­? So you¡¯re saying it bes so lovely, if you raise it dearly¡­?¡±

    Ah, the personification of alcohol has started.

    £ª

    I got suddenly promoted to D-Rank. It¡¯s said that the guild masters can promote people to D-Rank on their own authority.

    Since you must take an exam to move up to C-Rank, I was told to keep my eyes open for the next chance, and take it then.

    Given that I was in a party with Sword, I¡¯d be able to take S-Rank work as well, but because it was rare for such work toe around, it¡¯d apparently get moved to the rankless, pending cases handled directly by the guild.

    £ª

    While checking the request board, I said, ¡°Somehow I¡¯ve started to feel like being an adventurer isn¡¯t suited for me.¡±

    ¡°At longst?¡± is what I got in response.

    ¡°I don¡¯t get the meaning behind killing monsters. Isn¡¯t it actually the humans of this world that attack them? To me it seems like it¡¯d be better for the life-forms other than humans to kill the monster-like humans.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t babble stuff the demon king would say. They might have left you alone, but other humans are gettin¡¯ attacked by monsters. ¡­Rather, why are the monsters leavin¡¯ you alone anyway? That¡¯s the really mystery here.¡±

    They did attack me every once in a while though.

    ¡­Still.

    ¡°So a demon king does exist?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? ¡­Ah, I s¡¯pose it¡¯s impossible for you to know. Yep, he exists.¡±

    ¡°Do heroes or simr possibly exist as well then?¡±

    ¡°Yep.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the difference between an S-Rank adventurer and a hero?¡±

    ¡°¡­A big one. Rather, they can¡¯t bepared. A hero is chosen by the Kingdom as its representative with the goal to invade the demon king¡¯s country. S-Rank signifies an adventurer who had ¡ºtheir actual abilities and achievements¡» approved by the adventurer guild.¡±

    Oh, somehow he¡¯s talking about it as if it contains some hidden implications.

    ¡°S-Rank adventurers asionally fend off monsters which would destroy a country. Heroes go to someone else¡¯s country and try to destroy it. Does that summarize it in a nutshell.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a great way of describin¡¯ it.¡± He praised me while ruffling my head. ¡°Stay away from heroes as much as possible. The folks chosen as heroes are fairly strong in martial arts and magic, as might be expected from ¡¯em havin¡¯ been chosen by the country, but when unknownmoners suddenly get promoted to such a high rank, many of ¡¯em act as they please, knowin¡¯ that the country got their back, and since they¡¯re gettin¡¯ pampered, their elitism demeanor is much worse than that of nobles. They¡¯re nothin¡¯ but trouble if you get involved with ¡¯em.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the perfect way to raise a g, really.¡±

    ¡°Huh? No, I think it¡¯ll be alright. The current generation¡¯s hero hasn¡¯t appeared yet. And even if he does, you ain¡¯t goin¡¯ to meet him if you stay clear of the royal capital until he departs to the front.¡±

    ¡­Well, for the time being, this ce will be my base. After all, I have to brew alcohol.

    ¡­Mmh? In that case¡­

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t we call over the cook and the servants? In that case we could leave everything to them, and onlye back here every now and then to handle the parts requiring magic, no?¡± I voiced my thoughts.

    Sword scrutinized me closely. ¡°Your a really smart girl.¡±

    ¡°¡­Though I expect them to say that it¡¯s impossible and that they¡¯ll do it over there. I¡¯d prefer having them make the liquor here, but I don¡¯t know how much we can rely¡­on that guild master when pushes to shove. Can he actually be trusted? I mean I don¡¯t know what kind of uproar it¡¯s going to trigger in that town when that man finds out. Isn¡¯t it highly likely that he¡¯d seize the liquor, the profits, and the knowledge at the very least? And if he discovers my involvement, I¡¯m sure he¡¯d destroy all the barrels and falsely charge them for something so that they wouldn¡¯t be allowed to ever make liquor again, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll contact ¡¯em right away and try to have ¡¯eme here.¡±

    An immediate reply!

    But, transport, huh? If ites to this world with its crappy means of transportation for liquor¡­

    ¡°The liquor will likely get spoiled, I think¡­¡±

    When I mumbled that, he got totally startled.

    ¡°W-Why?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re going to move with carriages, right? The liquor will be exposed to the carriages¡¯ strong vibrations over a long time. Moreover, it¡¯ll be stowed away on the load-carry tray, so no one knows how hot it¡¯s going to get up there. I told you, didn¡¯t I? Alcoholic beverages turn into poison if they aren¡¯t allowed an environment where they can ¡ºrest peacefully in a dark and cool ce¡». If things go totally south, the barrels could even explode.¡±

    ¡°¡­Alright, you and me are goin¡¯ to carry ¡¯em. In the worst case, I¡¯ll drink up everythin¡¯.¡±

    I thought he¡¯d say that.

    £ª

    Sword quickly advanced the preparations for us to head over to the ce of the cook and the servants. As for me, I worked together with the guild master to select a good ce, and performed analysis and development on magic tools.

    Somehow I¡¯ve totally stopped doing anything adventury, haven¡¯t I? At least I don¡¯t feel like the other adventurers are doing what I am.

    Then again, I still don¡¯t get what adventurers are doing anyway¡­

    Suddenly I recalled that I had said it¡¯d get spoiled when transported as load on a carriage.

    ¡°¡­Honestly speaking, it¡¯d have been fine even without bing so neurotic about it, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    In the other world transport by ne or boat was avable, but in the past they used carriages as well, didn¡¯t they? Leaving aside liquor, distilled liquor seems to be quite resilient to its environment.

    Even if the taste degraded a bit, the heavy drinkers around here would still drink it without any problem, I¡¯m sure.

    But, using that method despite knowing that the taste is going to suffer from it spells a failure as a craftswoman, doesn¡¯t it? After all, I¡¯m the maker and not a merchant. I do have some ideas for carriages suited for transport, but I¡¯ve got no idea whether they¡¯d work in this world.

    As I was pondering about all this, I got contacted by Sword.

 Chapter 24

    In the end, it was decided that the cook, servants, and maids woulde here after negotiating some conditions with Sword. They settled the whole affair by agreeing that those remaining behind would henceforth never make any of the things I had developed and stay silent about everything they might know about it.

    I created a magic tool that could roughly determine locational information. Using that, a one-month trip was shortened down to three days. In any event, we stuffed all the liquor into our magic bags, which I had revised, and returned to our base.

    ¡°If you¡¯re going to use this town as a base anyway, you might as well buy a house and set up a brewery there, don¡¯t you think? Sword will provide the money, so just grab yourself a ce of your choice.¡± The guild master said and took us to a stately mansion which he and I had already pretty much decided on.

    ¡°Heeey! What the hell is this ce!?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a safe and secure brewery of the scale you¡¯d hoped for. While at it, you can also live there. The miss over here is genuine nobility, and you¡¯re an S-Rank. I think a mansion of this size should meet your standards.¡± The guild master nonchntly exined when Sword got upset.

    ¡°The deposit and improvements are already done.¡±

    ¡°Indra!?¡±

    I had improved this ce after deeming it to be a good ce for living.

    The toilet flushes, and the bathroom has a proper bathtub! Since I had the chance, I also added a disposer to the kitchen, and the sewage processing is perfect thanks to a magic tool.

    ¡°I used the full extent of my knowledge, reforming it into a living space with afort close to the ce I lived at before. As it is, I can live here without crying, okay?¡±

    When I told Sword all of this with a smile, he sighed.

    Why the sigh?

    £ª

    The cook and the others arrived, and immediately <strong>gathered around me</strong>, kneeling down for some reason.

    ¡°Lady Indra, it is our pleasure to see you after such a long time.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s been a while. But let me get something straight first. I¡¯m no noble anymore, just a simplemoner like you guys. And the one who negotiated with you was Sword. That¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°Even so, we came to this ce because of your wisdom, Lady Indra.¡±

    ¡­Okay, I wonder what¡¯s going on¡­? Just why does it feel like all of them are somewhat fanatic?

    ¡°Anyway, please ask Sword for further instructions. Sword and I are partners, but you guys are basically Sword¡¯s assistants.¡±

    I outsourced them to Sword.

    ¡°No need to be so cruel to ¡¯em, is there? You could at least get their feelings of bein¡¯ happy over the possibility of meetin¡¯ you once more.¡±

    ¡°That makes no sense, does it? Why would they be happy about seeing me? I¡¯m sure they must have considered me to be no more than some weird noble who possesses the knowledge how to make foodstuff and liquor for some odd reason while at the same time suspecting that I might be hated by the mansion¡¯s lord. It¡¯s unlikely for them to have embraced any other thoughts or feelings about me, and even if they had, it wasn¡¯t visible in any way.¡±

    At once, all of them cast down their eyes with their heads hanging.

    ¡°¡­Now listen, girl, your always tellin¡¯ others that they can¡¯t guess the feelings of others, but do you realize that your just the same?¡±

    I became dumbfounded at what Sword told me.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you understand their regret of bein¡¯ unable to do anythin¡¯ although they wanted to help you somehow when bein¡¯ forced to watch you gettin¡¯ abused? It sounds like your sayin¡¯, ¡ºFeelin¡¯ something while bein¡¯ unable to do anythin¡¯ to fix it is the same as not feelin¡¯ anythin¡¯ to begin with¡», but ain¡¯t that somethin¡¯ totally different? I mean that¡¯s like sayin¡¯ you can¡¯t understand their feelings since you can¡¯t put yourself in their shoes. ¡­Get a clue why these guys came to you and bowed their heads, geeze.¡±

    ¡­¡­Certainly, he got a point. I was fully convinced that I couldn¡¯t get anyone to understand my circumstances. It was the same before and after my memories revived.

    The butler, the head maid, the maids, the servants, and the cook¡­now that I think about it, they¡¯ve looked out for me in various ways. It was the butler who organized the money at the end, bringing it to me against the will of the family head.

    Even though she¡¯d never taken care of private business during work, it was the head maid who stopped me before leaving to give me all kinds of stuff. The servants and maids had also chipped in some things for me. The cook politely bid farewell from me, but my answer to her was cold and curt.

    While recalling the line, ¡°I don¡¯t know about the part with the many years toe,¡± and simr, I realized how nasty I¡¯ve been.

    ¡°Argh! I¡¯m sorry! I didn¡¯t mean to me you!¡± Sword spoke up to me in panic, suddenly taking me into his arms.

    And then he excessively and roughly stroked my head.

    ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯m an ungrateful person, am I not?¡±

    ¡°No way that¡¯s true! Don¡¯t worry, your not! You¡¯ve got a nasty tongue, but your basically a gentle person. You even forgave a guy like me, and didn¡¯t you also look out for your half-sister one way or the other!? It¡¯s just that you¡¯ve be too distrustful of other people because of your shitty environment! Originally your someone who¡¯s considerate of others!¡±

    ¡­It looks like I ended up crying again.

    After sobbing for some time while clinging to Sword, and him wiping my face with a towel, I finally turned around. Just to notice how everyone present looked bbergasted.

    ¡­¡­.?

    Sword cleared his throat, ¡°¡­Even if she acts all grown-up, she¡¯s a kid in the end. If she gets too worked up, she acts like a normal girl. Since she¡¯ll immediately cry as soon as she sees a dirty ce, make sure to keep the mansion clean.¡±

    ¡°¡±¡±As you wish.¡±¡±¡±

    They all replied at once.

    How promising.

    £ª

    ¡°The cer has been set up in the basement of the mansion.¡± I exined while guiding everyone around. ¡°The barrels we brought over have already been stored away down here to ripen. The preparation room is above this ce. Since the carpenter and I added it on the spot, it¡¯s turned out somewhat unshapely, but please deal with it as it¡¯s a workshop.¡±

    I set up the areas above and below the ground to be big so that it¡¯d be possible to add distition apparatuses in the future and to stock up plenty of liquor for ten or even fifteen years.

    Even though I was justifying it to myself that it¡¯d be fine as long as we were to drink it by ourselves, everything was heading towards a genuine brewery.

    ¡°As for the living space, I¡¯ve decided on my room. After Sword chose his room, you guys are free to choose whichever rooms you like.¡±

    Everyone froze on the spot.

    ¡°No, that is¡­¡± The cook looked at Sword with a troubled face.

    ¡°Hmm? That¡¯s no good, Sword?¡±

    ¡°Ain¡¯t it just fine? In short, you¡¯re sayin¡¯, ¡ºI¡¯ll leave the management of this mansion to these guys¡», right?¡±

    I nodded.

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of rooms. I want a big, pretty room, but I don¡¯t need several of them. Please clean my room when I¡¯m not here. Dirty and small ces are scary.¡±

    ¡°¡±¡±Certainly, Mdy.¡±¡±¡± The maids acknowledged humbly all at once.

    ¡­Eh? Huh? Somehow they seem to be super understanding? Like emitting an aura that tells me to leave everything to them?

    Sword stroked my head, ¡°Indra burst into tears with her body tremblin¡¯ all over after seein¡¯ a lodging room that¡¯d be used by normal adventurers.¡±

    I mean, anyone would cry after seeing it. That was no ce for people to enter. It was so awful that I spent all night awake, crying, while remembering all kinds of things and asking myself why anyone would cower all by themselves in such a dirty and small ce.

    ¡°You took Lady Indra to such a foul ce!?¡±

    ¡°Just what have you done!?¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t ever take her to such a filthy ce ever again! Otherwise we shall shatter all barrels!¡±

    For some reason the maids seemed awfully agitated.

    Huh? I don¡¯t remember having been such a popr person, though?

    One of the servants suddenly nted himself in front of me as I was brooding.

    ¡°Originally the residences of the master and their servants should be separate, Mdy.¡± The servant, who seemed to be something like a leader ¨C probably ¨C told me with a grim face.

    ¡°Right now I¡¯m amoner. And Sword is a self-alleged ¡ºBigshot¡».¡±

    ¡°You can leave the self-alleged away!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s iming to be awesome, but in the end he¡¯s a guy who got told to die and had a dagger thrown at him by a receptionist.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°The money to buy this ce has been paid by Sword and me. But, a mansion has something you¡¯d call maintenance costs. It¡¯s fine for you to live here as you please. But, you¡¯ll handle the cleaning and keep things in order. That¡¯s your rent. We won¡¯t pay you any wages. That¡¯s all.¡±

    It looks like they came to terms with that.

    ¡°¡­Also, don¡¯t invite anyone else over. The brewery is especially off-limits. After all, the liquor is going to turn into poison if carelessly touched. Even bad liquor might taste good, but if we¡¯re doing it anyway, we might as well aim for new heights. Strict management by people with the right knowledge is crucial for that. Liquor is alive.¡±

    You never know what balls of curiosity like humans might do, and that¡¯s not just limited to children. Moreover, they won¡¯t even be aware of the harmfulness of their own actions. Thus it¡¯s best to not let them get anywhere close in the first ce.

    Everyone bowed simultaneously.

 Chapter 25

    Roughly two yearster.

    I¡¯ve been working hard on improving the mansion even further with Sword raising the necessary funds for the materials. In addition, I¡¯ve been brewing liquor and teaching cooking. It reached the point that not just the cook, but even the maids learned from me how to cook. The servants have started to dabble in farm work (mostly in favor of produce rted to liquor).

    Basically, we all aimed for a house that would be asfortable for living as possible while regrly talking it over. Nowadays, things have broadly settled down.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to finally get back to my real upation.¡±

    Upon my deration, Sword became puzzled.

    ¡°Real upation?¡±

    ¡°Adventurer.¡±

    ¡°Haaah?¡±

    He really stressed the ¡°What¡¯s this girl talkin¡¯ ¡¯bout all of a sudden?¡± to the limit.

    ¡°At this point you¡¯ve got no need to be an adventurer anymore, have you? If you joined up with our cookin¡¯ team, rented out some ce, and opened a restaurant, it¡¯d likely boast of such a poprity that even nobles would swarm to it like bees to honey, no? The cookin¡¯ team wouldpensate for theck of wages with that as well. Besides, if you started sellin¡¯ the magic tools of this house to noble mansions, you¡¯d make a killin¡¯ without so much as liftin¡¯ a finger, right? I mean, even royalty doesn¡¯t live in afortable ce like this.¡±

    He started to gradually get riled up.

    ¡°Why does watere out if you twist this knob!? Why does water stream in the toilet, making the waste vanish somewhere!? Just what the hell is this magic tool that allows you to regte fire!? If you spend your life in suuuuuuch a pleasant and rxin¡¯ ce, you¡¯ll rot as a human!!¡± He thundered while letting his spit fly all over.

    ¡°But, aren¡¯t we just spending money right now? We made up our mind to start selling the liquor we brought with us, but in the end it yielded us no ie yet as the selection is still pending. I want to earn some money quickly and without much effort.¡±

    It¡¯s true that I¡¯ve still got some of the extortion money over, but that¡¯s not the issue here. I want to earn my own money. Even if I were to open a restaurant, I¡¯d first need some funds. Besides, I¡¯m not doing my initial objective of ¡¾Otherworld Sightseeing¡¿.

    ¡°¡­Sword, you¡¯re doing adventure-like things like gathering materials and raising funds, aren¡¯t you? Up until now I couldn¡¯t do the same because of the plethora of things I had to do, but I¡¯ve finally got some time now. I¡¯d like to go on an adventure with you.¡± I whimpered while sadly casting my eyes down.

    In response, he quickly became affectionate, ¡°I guess your right. I did say that I¡¯d teach you, didn¡¯t I? Gotcha! Let¡¯s go on an adventure!¡±

    Men are so easy.

    £ª

    ¡°So for that reason we¡¯ve decided to leave this ce for a while. Take care of the rest here, ¡®kay? Seein¡¯ how you¡¯ve stuck with us through joyful ¡®n painful times, I doubt you¡¯d do anythin¡¯ bad in this house, but be careful. I¡¯ve put up a request and hired a party of adventurers as guards. Moreover, Indra mentioned somethin¡¯ ¡¯bout a really scary crime prevention magic tool, so I think you guys are goin¡¯ to be alright over here.¡±

    ¡°In case you get contacted by the guild master, or even when you feel in danger without any prior notice, immediately press this here, and take refuge in the cer. So that you won¡¯t get caught in the interception patterns which are going to deal with the potential crimes I could think of. The cer has been turned into a ¡¾Shelter¡¿. You¡¯ll be safe there as long as the itself doesn¡¯t blow up.¡±

    The maids all at once pressed on Sword.

    ¡°By all means, no matter what you might do, please take good care of Lady Indra!¡±

    ¡°Make sure to not take Her Ladyship to any weird ces!¡±

    ¡°If you make Her Ladyship cry, we shall haunt you for eternity!¡±

    Somehow I feel like they¡¯re saying some really scary things? Is the trantor broken again?

    ¡°G-Gotcha. It¡¯s goin¡¯ to be fine. Leave her to me.¡±

    I nodded as well, ¡°I developed a tent with a function to fold up on one touch. I¡¯ve also resolved the toilet issue with magic. Rather than worrying about me, you people need to be careful of yourself. If you run out of money, palm off some liquor to the guild master without any worries. Same applies for the ¡°Wheat Honey,¡± okay?¡±

    ¡°¡±Oka¡«ay¡±¡±

    Everyone answered somewhat listlessly.

    You cannot escape a dire problem without making some sacrifices, right? Stuff like the revised starch syrup, ¡°Wheat Honey,¡± only takes time and effort to concentrate while not requiring any time to ripen.

    £ª

    ¡°Alright, we¡¯re off then.¡±

    ¡°¡±Please have a safe trip!¡±¡±

    We left our home while being seen off by everyone.

    Now then.

    ¡°Ryoku, switch to optical camouge once we leave town.¡±

    ¡°Aye sir!¡±

    I haven¡¯t spent all my two years doing nothing but improving and maintaining our mansion. Since I got my hands on the omnipotent tool called magic, I really wanted to build a robot with my own hands, at any cost.

    At any cost!!

    My otherworld self adored the robots who fought shy battles in space wars, but I gotta say the ultimate robots are those with a soul.

    Thus I built my robots even while having to listen to Sword¡¯s annoying bickering.

    £ª

    ¡°Why the hell did you shape it like a huge friggin¡¯ spider!?¡±

    ¡°Spiders are useful.¡±

    ¡°Useful!? They only coil you up in threads, inject poison into you, and eat you startin¡¯ with the head!!¡±

    Oh, that¡¯s the kind of spiders they got in this world?

    ¡°Mmh, ording to my otherworld knowledge, spiders and slimes are like human friends.¡±

    ¡°Like hell! The only difference between ¡¯em is one eats you after wrappin¡¯ you up in threads, and the other eats you after meltin¡¯ you into syrup!!¡±

    Hmm, how regrettable.

    ¡°Oh well, whatever. This is a golem. A battle golem with a learning function. Its name is ¡¾Ryoku¸oñx¡¿.¡± 1

    ¡°Its naming is a mystery, too.¡±

    ¡°It means Famous Horse in the otherworld¡¯snguage.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a damn spider and not a horse!!¡±

    He said this and that about Ryoku, but I like it!

    I got all the basics down!

    £ª

    ¡­of the parts sink called Ryoku. It only allowed me to build two of them.

    Of course I¡¯ve linked them together with a parallel, exclusivework system! Despite it being limited to two participants!

    ¡°When I¡¯ve learned even more amazing magic after finishing this trip, I¡¯ll include them in my robots.¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t. If they should ever go out of control, they¡¯re gonna be a lot more formidable than a dragon, won¡¯t they?¡±

    ¡°Even if they wanted to go berserk, they can¡¯t. Although it¡¯s quite possible for them to think and talk based on magic elements alone, they¡¯d require magic elements and fuel to move. Without a human being nearby to maintain them, they¡¯d quickly run out of steam and deteriorate.¡±

    Sword sighed.

    ¡°¡­That so?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s how it is.¡±

    £ª

    A little time after we headed out to adventure, Sword started to talk while being somewhat unmotivated.

    ¡°Just in case, I¡¯m gonna teach you, a newbie adventurer, the ropes of an ordinary adventurer¡¯s travelin¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Confined and dirty, scary.¡±

    ¡°I know, I know, don¡¯t worry we¡¯ll avoid such ces. Usually adventurers move by foot or with carriages ¡®long the main roads. Except for times when they don¡¯t rest, they¡¯ll spend the night at campin¡¯ spots. Since those ces usually have a good outlook, it¡¯s easy to spot any monsters, and it makes it simple to get in contact with folks campin¡¯ like ¡¯em since they¡¯re gatherin¡¯ ces for other travelers. When ites to people like me, we don¡¯t run often into enemies that¡¯d give us trouble¡­the same might apply to you as well, but it still makes it simpler to work together with the other people at such campin¡¯ sites to fend off possible enemy attacks. For all these reasons, they¡¯ll camp at campin¡¯ spots as much as possible. Do you understand?¡±

    I nodded deeply.

    ¡°I got it. Basically you¡¯re telling me to stay away from the camping spots since they¡¯re dangerous because of the people there.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I said.¡±

    Eh?

    Suddenly he pressed his knuckles against my head and started to grind.

    ¡°N-o-w l-i-s-t-e-n, g-i-r-l! If you keep yappin¡¯ such stuff, I¡¯m goin¡¯ to stop teachin¡¯ you. If you feel like it, you can also stay in the belly of that giant spider your callin¡¯ Ryoku, can¡¯t you? It¡¯s safe in there, right? We¡¯ve brought the tent with us because you told me you want to camp out like adventurers do, didn¡¯t you!? I¡¯m goin¡¯ to destroy it!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Once I apologized despite not quite understanding what his problem was, Sword released my head, and brushed up his fore bangs after sighing once more.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m an S-rank, so I wanna avoid campin¡¯ while minglin¡¯ with normal adventurers. But you see, bein¡¯ an adventurer means encounterin¡¯ all kinds of situations. Some requests require a big number of people, and not just you ¡®n me. Such requests are ¡ºirrefutable¡».¡±

    Eh?

    ¡­But, hmm, it makes sense, somewhat. If it¡¯s requests that are gged as ¡ºirrefutable¡», they must be quite urgent or important. If you turn them down, you might be forced to resign as adventurer, I¡¯m sure.

    ¡°¡­By the way, are those escort requests or some such?¡±

    ¡°It ain¡¯t gonna be ¡ºpeople¡», if it requires S-Rank escorts. Unless it¡¯s ¡ºsomethin¡¯¡» that could get attacked by cmity level monsters, no one would ask an S-Rank for an escort. The ¡ºescort for nobles or royals¡», which you seem to have in mind, aren¡¯t left in the hands of adventurers, even not S-Ranks. And even if such request came up, it¡¯d be ¡ºrefutable¡».¡±

    I felt relieved when hearing that.

    ¡°¡­Of course, I¡¯ll do it, if asked to cooperate, since it¡¯s not like I¡¯m that much of a savage who doesn¡¯t know what solidarity means. But, the people of this world always care about themselves first, and sometimes they¡¯ll try to use others for their own gains.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t deny that. That¡¯s why you should use ¡¯em while keepin¡¯ your own good in mind as well. If I remember correctly, I told you that¡¯d always stay by your side, and I intend to follow up on that. But unfortunately I feel like unforeseen situations always mess up my predictions. Put your own safety first until Ie to help you.¡±

    Having him tell me that gave me peace of mind.

    And when I realized that I ¡ºfelt relieved¡», I also understood that I always wanted to have someone to rely on deep down in my heart. Sword showed up when I had no one to depend on, and the people rted to me by blood were such assholes, so I ended up relying on him before I noticed it myself.

    That¡¯s also the reason why I flew into such rage on that day. I think I was desperate.

    ¡°W-What¡¯s it all of a sudden?¡± Sword got startled when I leaned against him.

    ¡°¡­It looks like I¡¯ve started to trust and depend on you at some point without being aware of it myself. Apparently I actually wanted to rely on someone. That¡¯s something Iprehended just now.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    He gently ruffled my hair.

    ¡°I know. I¡¯ve also been thinkin¡¯ ¡¯bout your well-bein¡¯ in various ways. There are a few parts where I made mistakes, but¡­ But, I¡¯ve always been actin¡¯ while certain that it was for your sake, okay? Well, next time I¡¯ll desist from pushin¡¯ you away with a force as if pushin¡¯ someone off a cliff, even if it might be for your own good. I mean, if I did that, your quite liable to destroy the world with your great taboo magic thanks to your mental illness.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m happy to hear that I got you to understand.¡±

    ¡°No, rather than acting happy ¡¯bout it, I¡¯d like you to abandon that idea altogether.¡±

    Iughed.

 Chapter 26

    ¡°Ah.¡± Sword suddenly raised his voice. ¡°I think you should take the rank-up exam in the next town. That said, let¡¯s dive into a dungeon.¡±

    He mentioned out of the blue.

    Then again, I know that he tends to be rather abrupt in his words and actions.

    ¡°In other words, you¡¯re saying a dungeon is conveniently nearby?¡±

    ¡°Yep. It think it¡¯s goin¡¯ to be a breeze for you, but it¡¯ll be your first time in a dungeon, right? Let¡¯s go check it out.¡±

    Dude, you¡¯re saying it with a mood as if telling us to go check out a game center since it¡¯s right around the corner.

    £ª

    ¡°So, what¡¯s a dungeon in the first ce?¡±

    Why did Sword¡¯s expression immediately screw up when hearing that?

    ¡°¡­You sure love theoretical stuff, don¡¯t you? No one thinks ¡¯bout what a dungeon might be.¡±

    No, you should actually think about it.

    ¡°That means it¡¯s different from a simple cave which got infested by monsters?¡±

    ¡°Indeed. ¡­Well, how to say it¡­it¡¯s at least not that. ordin¡¯ to one theory, dungeons seem to pop up at ces where magic elements umte, but the details are unknown. A dungeon core exists in the deepest part of the dungeon, and if you break that, the dungeon is goin¡¯ to disappear, but that¡¯s forbidden.¡±

    ¡°I get the reason more or less, so I¡¯ll pass on asking any further.¡±

    ¡°As you¡¯ve guessed, dungeons are quite profitable. A dungeon won¡¯t be destroyed unless it¡¯s an emergency. Breakin¡¯ it counts as a serious crime. Then again, you won¡¯t be able to return alive either way.¡±

    Figures. If the dungeon copses because the dungeon core has been destroyed in the deepest part, getting out sounds unrealistic.

    ¡°So, don¡¯t break the core, even by mistake.¡±

    ¡°What should I do if I don¡¯t know what the dungeon core looks like?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯lle along as your navigator. Don¡¯t let go of my hand and do as I tell you, ¡®kay?¡±

    ¡°Got it. ¡­What about Ryoku?¡±

    I wonder whether the dungeon is wide enough for him to enter.

    ¡°You¡¯ve brought him, so just take him with you. He¡¯s your golem. Take him to the exam as well since he¡¯ll be counted as a weapon. ¡­That¡¯s only if you get him registered as golem, though.¡±

    I didn¡¯t mean it like that, but it sounds like he¡¯ll fit in the cave. In that case, I¡¯ll of course take him with me! I¡¯ll have him learn lots and lots of new stuff!

    ¡°¡­For heaven¡¯s sake, that thing is more like a tamed monster than a golem. He¡¯s been regrly strikin¡¯ up conversations with me.¡±

    ¡°The same applies to you as well. Ryoku¡¯s learning function is doing its job. He¡¯s memorized a lot of things already, hasn¡¯t he?¡±

    Sword turned red.

    He always acts cold and indifferent towards Ryoku in front of me, but whenever I¡¯m not looking, he¡¯s chatting away with Ryoku like an old granny. With a feel closer to teaching a mynahnguage than training a dog to shake hand.

    I guess he must have been quite happy about Ryoku remembering and then doing or saying whatever Sword casually taught him.

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go!¡±

    Yeah, yeah, good job at glossing over your embarrassment.

    £ª

    ¡°I think doin¡¯ a dungeon run yourself is quite a challenge. If a map of the ce is bein¡¯ sold, you should get it, even if it¡¯s somewhat costly. I¡¯ve got the map for this ce, but this time we¡¯ll go without map, just as it¡¯s done durin¡¯ the exam.¡±

    Hmm, so they got the concept of mapping in this world? It¡¯s that, isn¡¯t it? What I¡¯ve done in a game a looong time ago¡­writing a map on a piece of paper!

    When I tried to enter the dungeon, I got stopped.

    ¡°It¡¯s dark inside a dungeon.¡±

    Eh? Really?

    ¡°The dungeon core isn¡¯t tactful and provides illumination or something simr?¡±

    ¡°What do you take a dungeon core for? You won¡¯t receive the same hospitality in a dungeon as in a noble mansion, idiot.¡±

    ¡­I see. What a bummer.

    When Ibined my otherworld knowledge and the stories I¡¯ve heard, dungeons kinda sounded like attractions to draw in customers.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Since it couldn¡¯t be helped, I equipped amp on my head.

    ¡°¡­Hey, what¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a <strong>Light</strong> magic tool. With this shape, it¡¯ll allow me to use both my hands on top of illuminating the area ahead of me.¡±

    ¡°Usin¡¯ light magic without a care, eh¡­? Usually you¡¯d use a torch, you know?¡±

    ¡°Do you want to die?¡±

    If you use fire in a cave with no venttion, you¡¯re going to suffocate!

    ¡°Why would it turn out like that¡­?¡±

    ¡°Fire steals an element from the air while burning. Humans have to breathe that element for their bodies to work.¡±

    ¡°For real!?¡±

    ¡°¡­Before considering me to be too much of a theory nut, it¡¯d be smarter for you to ask yourself how things work, I think? Certainly, it¡¯s not like themon sense of this world and the otherworld align in everything, but I¡¯ve already proven that fire burns on that principle.¡±

    This world is based on magic elements. You can do anything as long as you¡¯ve got magic elements. But, it¡¯s also true that otherponents are required as well.

    Yet, the people here think that nothing else is needed as long as you have ess to magic elements. Though my thinking is gradually getting infected by that ideology, too.

    ¡°Torches might be fine if there¡¯s an airflow, but I want to keep my hands free. Because of that, this way is more convenient. ¡­Has no one ever built anything like this? I mean torches might have a certain charm, but theyck user-friendliness, don¡¯t they?¡±

    ¡°You ain¡¯t usin¡¯ ¡¯em for appearance sake. Also, I¡¯ve never seen such a magic tool. Even if someone had created it before, I¡¯m sure it¡¯d cost exorbitantly. Or do you think sorcerers capable of usin¡¯ light magic grow on trees!?¡±

    That¡¯s the problem? I mean this doesn¡¯t even use light magic to begin with, but whatever.

    £ª

    While advancing through the cave, I exined what I¡¯ve been thinking about.

    ¡°¡­In my eyes, you and other magicians are amazing. Once you chant a spell, fire takes the form of an arrow and flies off or simr, right? Things like golems move by simply ordering them to fight. I have absolutely no idea how that works.¡±

    ¡°If you tell it to fight, it¡¯s got no choice but to do that, no? Moreover, golems do nothin¡¯ but in swingin¡¯ their fists or tryin¡¯ to trample somethin¡¯.¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s actually amazing. When I tried to build my golem, I had to first teach it what it means to <strong>walk</strong>.¡±

    ¡°Hah?¡±

    ¡°No need to get so surprised. People will walk if you tell them to do it because they know what kind of action it is. It¡¯s impossible to expect that something that doesn¡¯t know the concept of walking would be able to walk just because you tell it to do so, right? It could only walk after learning to understand that walking means ¡ºLift your right foot, and lower it frontwards. Lift your left foot and lower it further frontward than your right foot¡». And yet even that bespletely unnecessary by just telling a golem to ¡ºFight¡»¡­ Making it actually understand all the motions included in that action is super, super difficult, you know?¡±

    Sword was lost for words.

    ¡°¡­How are you makin¡¯ Ryoku move then?¡±

    ¡°The basic movements have been handled through £ÛProgramming£Ý. In short, he can do them even without having to learn them first.¡± I smirked broadly, or at least intended to do so.

    ¡°I got it that your proud of it, but don¡¯t give me that gross smile while linin¡¯ up an array of iprehensible terms.¡± Swordmented, and pulled on my cheeks.

    ¡°But, please teach Ryoku a lot more things. By just teaching him what you can, he¡¯ll memorize it and be smarter.¡±

    After all, it¡¯s possible that a soul might form in an AI when ites to this world!

    I gently caressed Ryoku.

    £ª

    Fundamentally, I can do anything Ryoku can do. But, since I want him to learn, I let him do it.

    ¡°Mapping of the first floor finished.¡±

    Ryoku disys the map with a hologram.

    ¡°Gaah!?¡± Sword got totally startled.

    ¡°Good boy, well done.¡± I stroked Ryoku.

    ¡°WeLl dOnE, iS, GeTtINg prAiSeD.¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    ¡°Aww¡« you make me all shy.¡± Ryoku became bashful.

    ¡°Oi! Ryoku has¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, sorry. This is part of his basic functions. It¡¯s not that he memorized it.¡±

    I just wanted him to do it since it¡¯s cute.

    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s with you wastin¡¯ functions on such nonsense!?¡±

    For some reason I got scolded.

    ¡°What are you saying? Cuteness is justice, you know? ¡­Anyway, Ryoku, ¡ºThis¡» is a trap, ¡ºThis¡» as well.¡±

    ¡°THiS iS trap. THiS AS wElL, trap. THiS AS wElL, trap.¡±

    He immediately learned it, and became capable of identifying other traps after understanding traps.

    ¡°Well done¡«¡±

    ¡°Aww¡« you make me all shy.¡±

    ¡°¡­Good grief,tely I¡¯ve been wonderin¡¯ whether your not actually a nutcase.¡±

    The conversation between Ryoku and me earned me a very cold look from Sword.

    £ª

    We came all the way to the boss room without running into any problems.

    ¡°As expected, dungeon clearing with the support of a map is boring. It doesn¡¯t let me feel the excitement of being on an adventure whatsoever.¡±

    ¡°¡­Listen, never say that in front of ordinary adventurers, got it?¡± Sword hurled a warning at me.

    I got it. I¡¯m a woman who learns.

    I looked up at the door leading to the boss room.

    I¡¯m sure no one has wondered how this door came to be. It¡¯s pointlessly extravagant with many ornaments, so it¡¯d be ridiculous if this door had be like this naturally.

    ¡­Oh well, whatever. It just means that anything goes with magic elements.

    Coming to that conclusion in my mind, I opened the door. The boss orc was sitting on its throne.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry, okay. But it looks like you¡¯ll be revivedter anyway. Please forgive me since I¡¯ll at least do you the favor of killing you in an instant.¡±

    ¡°Once again, why the hell are you talkin¡¯ to monsters while actin¡¯ all cool?¡±

    I was asked by sword, but don¡¯t you think it¡¯s awful to selfishly trespass into one¡¯s home and ughter its inhabitants? If a monster were to trespass into my home, I¡¯d certainly get angry, so it¡¯s way too arrogant to consider it as fair to trespass into their homes.

    Even though I say all that, I trespassed and killed the boss. I ran up to it in an instant and delivered a neck chop. Immediately following, the corpse turned into dust and disappeared.

    ¡°So there are monsters leaving behind corpses while others don¡¯t, huh?¡±

    ¡°The monsters created in dungeons belong to thetter category.¡±

    I see, I see.

    After the dust had dispersed, a magic stone and a treasure chest became visible.

    ¡°¡­Hey! Why does a treasure chest appear after defeating the boss? This is definitely a present from the dungeon core.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind the small stuff. Come on, open it.¡±

    It¡¯s not small stuff!!

    ¡°What is a treasure chest to begin with? Who has ced it there and why? Is it the management? The dungeon management?¡±

    When I opened the chest while unleashing that flurry of mutteredints, Swordmented, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a winner!¡±

    It contained a medicine bottle.

    ¡°¡­There are winners with treasure chests? It¡¯s bing more and more like an attraction. I suppose this is a giveaway for the sake of entertaining the customers, aka the adventurers.¡±

    When I unleashed yet another flurry of grumbles, Sword retorted, ¡°Not like it¡¯s a problem. You ain¡¯t losin¡¯ out on anythin¡¯, so stop bickerin¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much, kind Sir Dungeon Core. I shall humbly ept your gift and go back.¡±

    If I remember correctly, it went like that.

    £ª

    On our way back out, no monsters appeared and no traps got activated either. The dungeon core might as well have provided a door with ¡¾Exit¡¿ written on it.

    £ª

    After we stepped outside, Sword faced me.

    ¡°Now then, I¡¯m in no mood to criticize the dungeon clearin¡¯ itself since your way too entric. But I¡¯ll at least tell you what you need to watch out for when takin¡¯ the C-Rank exam.¡±

    Eh? So he¡¯s not going to teach me the tricks of clearing dungeons?

    ¡°First off, I¡¯ll allow you to bring along Ryoku from now on. It¡¯d be best to expose him to many people for the sake of allowin¡¯ him to be well-known, if your goin¡¯ to act together with him in the future. However, even though the mappin¡¯ will be fine, that thing, you know the one that brightened up the area in front of you, is a no go.¡±

    ¡°Eeehh!¡±

    ¡°If you show off somethin¡¯ like that, you¡¯ll draw the attention of the army, idiot! Your already standin¡¯ out by just bein¡¯ together with me, so try to avoid to stand out even more!¡±

    ¡°Oh, it came out, your excessive self-consciousness.¡±

    ¡°Did you say something!?¡±

    I fervently shook my head.

    ¡°I mean, you bbed ¡¯bout the clearin¡¯ bein¡¯ borin¡¯ while lookin¡¯ at a map, didn¡¯t you? So show me how you do it without the light thingy!¡±

    ¡°Sure¡­¡±

    Is it going to be fun by doing just that? ¡­Oh well, nevermind. I understand. I¡¯m going to enjoy it while thinking of it as an attraction!

    A map is boorish when visiting an attraction! It¡¯ll be the best if I can feel excited by not knowing what might pop out!

    Raising a fist in the air, I pledged, ¡°You¡¯re absolutely right! I¡¯ll enjoy it with self-imposed restrictions! The thrilling feeling of an adventure is indispensable. I mean it¡¯s my job after all!¡±

    ¡°Though I believe it¡¯d be better for you to stop bein¡¯ an adventurer ¡®n focus on magic tool creation.¡±

    How terrible!

    Once I pouted, he stretched my cheeks again.

    ¡°Y-o-u! Get it into your head that your upsettin¡¯ people by just breathin¡¯! Adventurers are quick to pick a fight and very short-tempered, so it¡¯s dangerous if you run around while naturally pissin¡¯ off people!¡±

    ¡°Eiih donchdo aniiffin liek dat.¡±

    ¡°You do! Realize it, idiot!¡±

    Pah, that¡¯s not true!

 Chapter 27

    We arrived at the next town, Koda.

    ¡°Come to think of it, what are your ns goin¡¯ forward? You mentioned that you wanna tour the world while sightseein¡¯, but there¡¯s the matter with the liquor, and leavin¡¯ for years on end would worry the folks back home.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go to the capital before the hero appears. Going to the most prosperous and flourishing ce if you¡¯ve got the chance is the pet theory of any sightseeing tour, don¡¯t you agree? Afterwards, I feel like heading back alongside the sea, as long as we don¡¯t have any requests forcing us to do otherwise.¡±

    ¡°Oh! Seafood, huh!? Great idea! I¡¯m sure you can make great dishes with stuff caught at sea, or am I wrong?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d rather say it¡¯s my specialty¡­ But you see, the ingredients differ whenparing this world with the other world. Besides, I¡¯ve been struggling a lot since there¡¯s many ingredients I can¡¯t get my hands on.¡±

    I created substitutes for miso and soy sauce. But they¡¯re only substitutes because I can¡¯t find any yeast nts.

    ¡°You might be callin¡¯ it different or wrong, but it¡¯s pretty obvious goin¡¯ to be quite delicious. You ain¡¯t out to make food for royalty, so know somepromisin¡¯, girl.¡±

    I¡¯ve not been talking about it being delicious or disgusting, just that it¡¯s not matching the taste I¡¯m aiming for.

    When I pouted with both cheeks puffing up, Sword pulled on them.

    £ª

    Now then, we¡¯ve arrived at the guild after causing many people to get overly frightened and startled when seeing Ryoku.

    ¡°This girl is goin¡¯ to take the C-Rank exam. Please take care of the formalities.¡±

    Leaving those words, Sword called the guild master and went over to talk with him. Staying behind, I chatted with the receptionist.

    ¡°The C-Rank examination is going to take ce in three days¡­¡± She said with a lost look.

    ¡°So I¡¯m in time to take it?¡±

    ¡°If you n to do so, you can still register. However, the preparations¡­¡±

    Preparations?

    ¡°I haven¡¯t heard anything from Sword besides it taking ce in a dungeon. Is there anything I¡¯d need to prepare?¡±

    ¡°¡­Umm.¡±

    At that moment, the surroundings burst into roaringughter.

    ¡°This girl is nning to take the C-Rank exam without even knowing that much?¡±

    ¡°Stop, stop, you better give it a rest, missy. You¡¯ll fail anyway.¡±

    ¡°It ain¡¯t no exam a littledy can take and pass!¡±

    ¡°Look, even if you¡¯ve got to D-Rank through connections, C-Rank isn¡¯t so easygoing.¡±

    The peanut gallery kicked up a fuss.

    ¡°Sorry, miss. I couldn¡¯t quite hear what you said, so could you repeat it please?¡±

    ¡°¡­Do you have any experience in diving into dungeons?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I went to one just the other day. ¡­Somehow it was like an attraction. I grasped that it¡¯s a ce you can only enjoy for its thrill without making a map.¡±

    The noise died down.

    ¡°So, what are those preparations you speak of? Are there any materials I need to prepare in advance by killing monsters?¡±

    The receptionist vehemently shook her head, ¡°N-No, if you have already experienced diving into a dungeon, you know what you need to prepare for it, right?¡±

    ¡°I see. That¡¯s what you were talking about. I¡¯m in the middle of a trip, so I have most of my things on me. But, I¡¯ve made up my mind to go with self-imposed restrictions. Otherwise I won¡¯t be able to feel any of the thrill of an adventure¡­ Ouch, ouch!!¡±

    My head got grabbed!

    ¡°Y-o-u i-d-i-o-t! I told you to stop upsettin¡¯ everyone ¡¯round you, didn¡¯t I!?¡±

    ¡°Who am I upsetting anyway!? You yourself said that it¡¯d be bad if I were to show stuff¡­¡±

    ¡°In your case, talkin¡¯ is just as bad! Stay silent!¡±

    How terrible!

    Sword removed his hand from my head, breathed out, and looked at the receptionist.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be alright. Despite her appearance, this girl is definitely capable. At least the idea of ill-preparedness doesn¡¯t exist with her. She¡¯s got enough ability to take and pass the exam, be it in three days or right now.¡±

    ¡°I-Is that so? I shall register her then.¡±

    Next Sword powerfully red at the adventurers around us.

    ¡°It¡¯s gonna be you people who¡¯ll be looked down upon after judgin¡¯ a book by its cover and doin¡¯ some stupid stuff, you know? Try to spout the same lines in front of me after she¡¯s easily passed the exam. It¡¯ll be you morons who¡¯ll lose face.¡±

    I shrugged.

    ¡°It¡¯s because adventurers are idiots who can¡¯t discern strong people.¡±

    ¡­In the next instant my head got grabbed once again!

    ¡°Gyaa!¡±

    ¡°I t-o-l-d y-o-u t-o s-t-a-y q-u-i-e-t, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°I got it! Ouch, ouch, it hurtsss!¡±

    Tears filled my eyes.

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go. We¡¯ve got a request. We have to subjugate a fang boar.¡±

    ¡°Oh, tonight we¡¯re going to have boar stew then. Let¡¯s eat it with a salty-sweet seasoning. I want some veggies to go with it, so make a detour on the way.¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡±

    He apparently became cheerful right away, and stroked my head.

    £ª

    The boar hunt ended with a neck chop. After washing, draining its blood, drying, and stuffing it into my cooling bag, we returned to the guild. After they assessed the materials, we bought back the loin and thighs, and left.

    When I was about to go back to the forest again, Sword gently grabbed my arm.

    ¡°I rented a house.¡± He whispered.

    ¡°I¡¯d be fine with the forest though¡­¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine every now and then? No need to be so overly pessimistic.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it. It¡¯s just a waste to pay money even though the stay in the forest is roughly the same infort. You seem to be a rich guy, but money should be used more constructively.¡±

    Also, I hate Sword paying for everything. I¡¯ve got my fair share of problems with having him finance everything just because he¡¯s rich. I¡¯d love to reach a point where I¡¯ll be able to pay for myself when we¡¯re together, but it looks like Sword also has to keep up appearance¡­or rather, his dignity. He doesn¡¯t appear to be willing to allow a child to pay for herself.

    Well, then again I¡¯d probably feel the same about it if I were in his shoes. Inside I¡¯m an adult, okay?

    Sword ruffled my hair whileughing and notmenting on what I told him.

    £ª

    Now I¡¯ve understood why he rented a house. He apparently wanted to get dead drunk.

    ¡°I told you before! If you drink so much, you¡¯ll get addicted on the £ÛAlcohol£Ýponent in the liquor!¡±

    ¡°Ain¡¯t happenin¡¯! ¡®s fine every once in a while! In the forest you sleep like a log without givin¡¯ a damn ¡¯bout anythin¡¯, but I can¡¯t settle down like that over there!¡±

    ¡°Even towns are full of dangers, aren¡¯t they!?¡±

    ¡°I sure would love to meet the burrs who break into a house rented by an S-Rank adventurer!¡±

    How naive! Sword, you¡¯re way too naive! That¡¯s why you¡¯ll someday get beaten by someone going beyond your expectations!

    ¡­is how I got angry at him, but it¡¯s certainly true that Sword seems sleep-derived, going by his badplexion, so I give up on scolding him.

    ¡°¡­Very well then. I¡¯ll have Ryoku stand guard, so get some rest.¡±

    ¡°What are you goin¡¯ to do?¡±

    ¡°Sightseeing, of course.¡±

    ¡°Wait, take Ryoku with you. I doubt any idiot would pick a fight with someone who¡¯s got a golem with her.¡±

    ¡°I highly doubt that. This ce seems to be teeming with morons who can¡¯t tell the amazingness of a golem, let alone discern strong people.¡±

    ¡°Alright, now you¡¯ve got me worried. I¡¯ll also¡­¡±

    I stopped Sword by brushing his hair, shaking my head with a gentle smile.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry and get a rest. If I walked through town next to you, whobines alcohol stench with an old man smell, I¡¯d throw up everything I¡¯ve eaten this morning on the sidewalk.¡±

    ¡°Shut up and get lost!¡± He thundered despite having said that he¡¯s worried just moments ago.

 Chapter 28

    I walked through town while teaching Ryoku all kinds of things. Since he asked me whether I wanted to get on in the middle of our little outing, I confirmed and climbed on top of him.

    Of course, this is part of his basic functions.

    £ª

    When we were strolling around, kids started to chase after us, saying ¡°How cool,¡± ¡°Wow!¡±, ¡°It¡¯s a monster!¡±, and a lot more.

    ¡°This is a golem. His name is Ryoku. Ryoku, greet the boys and girls.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you! I am Ryoku!¡±

    Of course, this is part of his basic functions.

    ¡°Oh, it talked!¡±

    ¡°Whoa!¡±

    It looks like they got super curious about Ryoku. But that¡¯s nice since it fits perfectly.

    ¡°Boys, girls, currently Ryoku is in the middle of learning. Can I ask you to teach him various things?¡±

    ¡°Learning?¡±

    ¡°A golem is?¡±

    The children were puzzled.

    ¡°There exists a lot this golem doesn¡¯t know. For example, what¡¯s that store?¡±

    ¡°That one? It¡¯s a <strong>Weapons dealer</strong>! A ce selling weapons!¡±

    After having listened to the child¡¯s answer, Ryoku started to talk, ¡°ThAT oNE iS wEapOnS DEaleR wEapOnS DEaleR sELl wEapOnS.¡±

    ¡°¡±Coool!!¡±¡±

    I got off Ryoku and let him y with the children. They were just like Sword. The children started to cheerfully talk to him, trying to teach Ryoku various things like training a mynah.

    When it¡¯s just the two of us, the learning doesn¡¯t really make much progress. It¡¯s because I unintentionally end up teaching him only about the things piquing my interest.

    This should also increase his vocabry. While at it, I¡¯d like him to memorize a childish way of speaking. The default speech pattern is me. He¡¯s way too stiff in his patterns except for the cute talk that¡¯s part of his basic functions.

    £ª

    ¡°Ah!! You¡­¡±

    Hmm?

    When I looked in the direction of the surprised voice, I spotted a girl with scarlet hair. Having said that, she seems to be older than me.

    ¡­I feel like she¡¯s staring my way? But, I don¡¯t know her. Probably she doesn¡¯t mean me.

    When I removed my attention from her, trying to keep the girls and boyspany, she roared, ¡°Wait a moment!! What do you n to do with the children!?!¡±

    ¡­It looks like she actually meant me. She¡¯s probably mistaking Ryoku for a monster.

    ¡°This is a golem. His name is Ryoku. Ryoku, greet the girl.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you! I am Ryoku!¡±

    The greetings and gestures are default functions. Maybe I should add a little more spice to it?

    No, I¡¯ll pin my hopes on the learning function.

    ¡°As if such a golem could exist anywhere! It¡¯s a monster! You kids, move back!¡±

    I furrowed my eyebrows.

    ¡­Mr. Sword, Mr. Sword, can you hear me? In the end strong people or golems are fated to get entangled with idiots.

    People gathered around us while the girl got ready to attack.

    ¡°¡­Seriously, you can truly find nothing but idiots among adventurers. They can¡¯t tell apart golems or strong people, really.¡±

    I brushed up my hair.

    ¡°What was that!?¡± She thundered while pointing her wand at me.

    ¡°¡­H-Hey, bro, are you going to be okay?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, but boys, girls, you¡¯ll be in danger¡­or not. Stay close to Ryoku. Ryoku, deploy barrier.¡±

    ¡°Aye sir!¡±

    Yes, it¡¯s part of the basic functions.

    Oops, I forgot to make a retort towards the boy, about me being a woman.

    £ª

    Very headstrong, was the impression I got from the girl as she loudly snarled at me, ¡°Let me warn you! Hurry up and get lost before you get injured!¡±

    ¡°Back at you. You¡¯re still young, and yet you are okay with losing your adventurer license? I¡¯ve just been walking through town, and the boys and girls have been teaching words to my golem. Then you suddenly showed up, started to shout without listening to anything others tell you, and now you¡¯re about to attack me, who¡¯s not even resisting. No matter how you look at it, you won¡¯t be able to talk your way out of this. If it¡¯s now, I¡¯ll overlook all of this in light of your adorable face.¡±

    She should be older than me, but she¡¯s a fairly small and cute girl. It¡¯d be a pity for her to have her license revoked.

    At that moment, she became bright red.

    ¡­Why is she angry? I thought I praised her?

    ¡°I-I-I-I-I won¡¯t be d-d-deceived b-by that s-s-s-sleazy line!!¡±

    ¡°¡­Somehow we¡¯re talking past each other, I think. Just what is it that frightens you and why are you so upset? I¡¯ve been just sightseeing, and yet you called out to me and then started to yell. Do you see the problem with that?¡±

    I give up.

    When I sighed, she flew into a rage, ¡°¡­You¡­! Last time, and today as well¡­to take me for a fool¡­! Don¡¯t look down on others just because you¡¯ve got an S-Rank as a teacher!!¡±

    She started to chant.

    ¡°Haah? We¡¯ve never met before, have we? I arrived at this town just yesterday, and yesterday I only talked to the receptionistdy, you know? Besides¡­an S-Rank as teacher? Wait, do you possibly mean Sword? He¡¯s not my teacher. He hasn¡¯t taught me anything to begin with. That guy is my partner.¡±

    Just as I finished rattling down all that, I could hear thest words of her chant, ¡°Oh Explosive mes! Reduce her to ash!¡±

    I didn¡¯t understand what she was saying about Sword and so on, but it was easy to follow her chant.

    mes were heading for me.

    A fire emission spell, huh? In that case I¡¯ll get rid of it by removing its oxygen and magic elements.

    The mes were drawing closer while roaring, but I dealt with them in an instant. Over.

    ¡°There was no need to have Ryoku deploy his barrier, huh? What a waste of fuel.¡± I mumbled.

    ¡°¡­¡­Eh?¡±

    She was surprised by the sudden disappearance of her mes.

    ¡°If it hadn¡¯t been me, it could have been dangerous¡­maybe. Then again, Ryoku would have also been able to handle an attack of this level.¡±

    After having quieted down, the boys and girls broke out into loud cheering.

    ¡°Bro, you¡¯re awesome!¡±

    ¡°That was so cool! How did you do it?¡±

    They swarmed towards me.

    ¡°You should try to think about why fire is burning.¡±

    ¡°How is it burning?¡±

    ¡°Aponent helping it to burn is contained in the air. And the source of magic. If you remove those two, it¡¯ll vanish in an instant.¡±

    ¡°¡±Wooow!!¡±¡±

    Mmh, my mood has improved a lot after getting praised.

    ¡°Boys, girls, I¡¯m no Bro. Call medy.¡±

    ¡°No, you¡¯re a bro, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Listen to me! I¡¯m a woman, damnit!

    ¡°I understand, then call me Indra.¡±

    ¡°Bro Indra!¡±

    ¡°Do me the favor of using Sis at least.¡±

    ¡°Bro!¡±

    It looks like they want to insist on me being a guy. ¡­Hahaan, in that case they must be hiding their embarrassment, right? I mean I can totally understand, seeing how I¡¯m such a beautiful girl!

    £ª

    Now then, leaving the kids aside¡­this is definitely going to turn into an uproar. It¡¯d be great if they could send someone over from the guild to fix it, but if not, I won¡¯t have any other choice but to have Ryoku turn on his optical camouge, and call Sword.

    ¡­Ah, the authorities showed up.

    ¡°What are you doing!?¡±

    No, I¡¯m not really doing anything, though.

    ¡°The bastard over there! I¡¯ll beat him ck and blue! I won¡¯t get a closure on things unless I wallop him a good one!¡± The girl roared with an angry re.

    ¡°Cathy!? What are you doing here!?¡±

    Another girl with an appearance that screams adventurer has shown up, apparently my opponent¡¯s acquaintance.

    ¡°Look! It¡¯s that man!¡±

    That¡¯s not about me, is it? I mean I¡¯m a woman.

    ¡°Ah! Him¡­!¡±

    ¡°Who casted magic in town?¡±

    Everyone quickly and decisively pointed at the scarlet-haired girl.

    ¡°¡­Wait, someone tell me, what the hell is that thing!? A monster!?¡±

    ¡°No matter how you look at it, it¡¯s a golem, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°¡±Yeah, as if.¡±¡±

    I got myself a retort from everyone.

    Clearing my throat while maintaining my dignity, I said, ¡°¡­It¡¯s a golem I built.¡±

    ¡°You!?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s self-taught, but I understand the principles behind magic arts and magic tool creation. ordingly, I¡¯ve tried to fulfill my aspiration of building a golem in my own way. However, the golem I built won¡¯t move by just giving it a single order like the ones created by other mages and sorcerers. I have to teach it. Thus I was walking through town with the goal of teaching it, and since the boys and girls over there got interested in the golem, I had them help me out. At that moment, the girl over there fired a spell at me for the sake of walloping me a good one. That¡¯s all.¡±

    I was able to exin things in a well-reasoned way. Or rather, it was nothing more than a recount of the facts.

    ¡°Cathy!? Just what are you doing while we¡¯re waiting for the exam!?¡±

    ¡°But, that guy¡­!¡±

    Hoh, that means they¡¯re going to challenge the C-Rank exam, huh?

    ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I? That I¡¯d overlook all of this if it was now. And yet you started to chant your spell.¡±

    The girl, who seemed to be the partner of that Cathy or whatever girl, looked my way, bbergasted.

    ¡°Are you possibly looking for a fight?¡±

    ¡°Why would you take things in that direction?¡±

    This is the point where you¡¯d end things with ¡°I got it, goodbye,¡± isn¡¯t it?

    ¡°¡­Indra!¡±

    I looked over my shoulder in response to the voice.

    ¡°Oohh, great to see you here, Sword! ¡­In the end I got into a fight with a stupid adventurer who can¡¯t discern strength and golems!¡±

    Thisment earned me, ¡°You moron, I told you to stay quiet, didn¡¯t I!?¡±, being hurled at me.

    ¡°¡­Come to think of it, you mentioned something along those lines, didn¡¯t you? Itpletely escaped my memory.¡±

    Ouuuuchh!!

    Sheesh, Sword¡¯s retorts are really getting out of hand as ofte.

    And then Sword held up his card to the official like some seal case. The official quickly fixed his posture by standing upright, showing his respect.

    ¡°The foulmouthed one over here¡¯s my partner. Even if she might have said somethin¡¯ rude, please forgive her for my sake.¡±

    ¡°No, it is not like that¡­ I received a report that a fairly powerful spell had been unleashed in town, so I rushed over to confirm the situation.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Sword scratched his head.

    ¡°I think you understand without me telling you, but it wasn¡¯t me.¡±

    ¡°No need to spell it out since it¡¯s obvious. I¡¯m pretty sure you simply pissed off the other party by makin¡¯ full use of your skill to agitate others.¡±

    ¡°¡­But, I¡¯ve been just ying with Ryoku while keeping the boys and girlspany, you know? Right, children?¡±

    They nodded.

    ¡°¡­Wait, your capable of gettin¡¯ ¡®long with kids!?¡±

    ¡°Of course I am. I am their hero!¡±

    Once I got a bit too cocky, I was told with a cold voice, ¡°Yeah, whenever your dealin¡¯ with Ryoku, your childish side suddenly pops out, I s¡¯ppose.¡±

    The hell is that?

    ¡°I wonder, maybe children are simply immune to your agitation skill.¡±

    He added.

    The surrounding people also attested that I didn¡¯t use any magic and that the children had apparently yed with the golem ¨C although they weren¡¯t sure whether they should call Ryoku like that ¨C and thus I was free to go. The scarlet-haired girl was taken away to get interrogated since the same obviously didn¡¯t apply to her.

    ¡°Is she your acquaintance, Sword? She apparently knew you.¡±

    ¡°No clue. Or rather, plenty of folk im to be acquainted with me on their own ount. I¡¯d think she belongs in that category.¡±

    How irresponsible~

    ¡°¡­For heaven¡¯s sake, I really ain¡¯t no friend of coercin¡¯ others by unting my rank.¡±

    ¡°Sorry about that. But, it¡¯s great that it worked on the official. If it had been me, it¡¯d have ended with me asking ¡ºOkay, so what about it?¡».¡±

    Sword firmly grabbed my head!

    ¡°¡­Yeah, right. ordin¡¯ to you, I¡¯m just a smelly old man!¡±

    ¡°¡­I-It¡¯s alright. You won¡¯t stink if you wash yourself properly. Also, hold back on your liquor.¡±

    ¡°D-o-n-t w-a-n-n-a! Then I¡¯d rather be a smelly old man!¡±

    ¡­You like alcohol so much? Is that really alright with you?

 Chapter 29

    On the day of the exam I went to the designated meeting ce. For some reason, Sword apanied me as well. He argued that he has to supervise me since I¡¯ll start some kind of trouble otherwise.

    As we waited, four other parties showed up, and immediately got startled.

    ¡°¡­How did youe all the way here?¡±

    ¡°I walked, obviously. No, I suppose it¡¯d be more urate to say I ran.¡±

    When I answered while looking at Sword, he was yawning,pletely disregarding the other adventurers.

    ¡°Hey, are you okay? Recently you¡¯ve been drinking every day, haven¡¯t you? You should also drink some water for a change.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine since I¡¯ve taken the antidote.¡±

    Alcohol counts as poison for you then!?

    Looking my way, Sword grinned broadly, ¡°As expected, even you can¡¯tpound medicine, huh?¡±

    ¡°My parent¡­the other one¡­has been a doctor, so it¡¯s not like I can¡¯t as I¡¯ve learned it from watching.¡±

    Sword¡¯s mouth gaped in surprise.

    ¡°But, unfortunately the medicinal nts around here are way too different. I¡¯ve found several I know¡­ Still, it¡¯s something I can¡¯t handle as long as I don¡¯t hear about which effects what nts have by bing the apprentice of a doctor. ¡­Or rather, in this world you can heal everything by just taking a healing potion, and you can detoxify yourself by taking an antidote, can¡¯t you? Based on my knowledge, medicine doesn¡¯t actually work that way. In the first ce, medicine has the task of boosting one¡¯s own healing powers¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Least you¡¯ve realized that you¡¯ve got some limits in what you can do.¡± He roughly stroked my head around.

    £ª

    ¡­Feeling gazes on me, I spotted two parties ring at me.

    One was the party of the scarlet-haired girl who picked a fight with me a few days ago. It looks like her adventurer license hasn¡¯t been revoked.

    ¡­I wonder, what¡¯s the difference between her and the guy who had his license revoked after picking a fight with me?

    The other party consisted of men. I¡¯d say they are kinda simr to Sword. They started to bicker all of a sudden.

    ¡°Shit! So it¡¯s gonna be a rigged exam, eh!? That little bitch sure takes it easy, seein¡¯ how she¡¯s set to pass anyway thanks to her connections.¡±

    ¡­¡­

    ¡°Does it look like that to you?¡±

    When I looked up to Sword, I was surprised to see him pull a cold face I¡¯ve never seen on him before.

    ¡°Rigged exam, eh? I s¡¯pose it makes sense for folk who don¡¯t get why your my partner. Well, you just need to show ¡¯em that your good enough to get through the dungeon without havin¡¯ to rely on my connections anyway, right? Though I hope that their spirit doesn¡¯t break from the difference in ability afterwards.¡±

    ¡­¡­?

    ¡°In other words, you¡¯re telling me that it¡¯d be better for me to not go with my self-imposed restrictions?¡±

    ¡°Clear the dungeon the fastest with Ryoku.¡±

    ¡°I got it! So basically a clearing with the restriction of not stopping at all!¡±

    Kind of like a sidescroller game, I guess.

    ¡­Suddenly the scarlet-haired girl nted herself in front of me.

    ¡°It¡¯s nice to see that they didn¡¯t take your license away.¡±

    ¡°Obviously they wouldn¡¯t!? I only ¡ºcame to the rescue¡»!¡±

    ¡­Eh? Our conversation isn¡¯t meshing again?

    cing a finger on my temple, I brood deeply.

    ¡°So you interpreted the ¡ºI¡¯ll wallop you a good one¡» as ¡ºcame to the rescue¡»? I was forced to master how to put adults to shame as a child at a very young age, but¡­is there a different way to interpret that when you¡¯re amoner?¡± I asked Sword.

    ¡°Nah. Ain¡¯t no way that I¡¯m gonna finish you off passes asin¡¯ to the rescue or anythin¡¯ like that.¡±

    Figures.

    ¡°¡­S-Shut up! Listen, okay!? We definitely won¡¯t lose to someone like you! Mark my words! I¡¯llugh at you after beating you!¡±

    Watching this scene, Sword casuallymented, ¡°That¡¯s impossible for you.¡±

    ¡°!!¡±

    The girl became bright red.

    ¡°Now, now, it might be impossible, but aren¡¯t you slightly mean to her when you¡¯re so blunt about it? It¡¯s the statement of a determined girl at an age where she¡¯d want to push herself to the limits. Just be tolerant and listen to her in silence.¡±

    As I consoled and soothed Sword, the girl scowled at me with tears in her eyes.

    Why?

    ¡°¡­Once again your natural agitation skill¡¯s rearin¡¯ its head. Haah¡­ Oh well, whatever. Still, I gotta say, sometimes your more of an old man than me, you know?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like you to at least change that part into an old woman.¡±

    Why make a guy out of me?

    Sword shrugged his shoulders.

    £ª

    Next, the other girls from her party arrived.

    ¡°Do you remember having heard the party name ¡¾Crimson Lilies Are a Girl¡¯s Oath¡¿?¡± A girl that screamed swordswoman asked while ring at us. 1

    ¡°¡­Parties have names? I hear about this for the first time.¡±

    Feeling astounded, I looked up to Sword, asking for an exnation, ¡°Hey, we¡¯ve made a party, haven¡¯t we? You didn¡¯t stick such a¡­pathetic name to our party, did you?¡±

    ¡°¡±What was that!?¡±¡±

    Sword caressed me with a sigh.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I haven¡¯t named our party. Rather, I don¡¯t quite get why you girls would cry here. Is there any reason to be so teary-eyed?¡±

    ¡°Uncool, scary.¡±

    When they started to tremble, ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry for bein¡¯ uncool, ¡®kay?¡±

    The other party got angry.

    ¡­But yep, I know this is also partly my fault.

    ¡°Ah. ¡­mmh, everyone has different tastes. It just didn¡¯t agree with my tastes. Don¡¯t mind it.¡±

    ¡°¡±We do mind it!!¡±¡±

    They thundered at me.

    ¡°You, can you finally give it a rest with the condescending attitude!? Don¡¯t get so cocky just because you¡¯ve got an S-Rank as a teacher!!¡±

    I was told once more.

    ¡°Sword isn¡¯t my teacher, okay? This guy hasn¡¯t taught me a single thing. ¡­Ou-ouuuch!¡±

    My temples were ground.

    ¡°Should I have the nickname of Natural-born Agitator added to you?¡±

    ¡°No!¡±

    That¡¯s so uncool!

    ¡°We¡¯ve been active at the town of Ys.¡± The girl, who seemed to be the calmest among the three, started to exin. ¡°We¡¯ve worked our way up to E-Rank by steadilypleting requests. But, at some point we talked about bolstering our numbers with a vanguard since things would be difficult for just the three of us going forward. As if fitting perfectly, we were told by the guild about a kid they¡¯d like us to take care of.

    They told us that she was a beginner at adventuring, and yet should possess the necessary abilities since an S-Rank had been taking care of her. Thus they wanted us to teach her the ropes. Hearing that the girl would be able to attack enemies or assist our party members since she could use sword and magic, it was just the position we¡¯d been looking for to fill for our party. We felt a bit uneasy since she was a beginner, but decided to give it a try anyway¡­ When I saw her show up, I got anxious, but since my two partners were brimming with motivation to train her, I suppressed my worries, and tried to call out to her. ¡­¡­Just to get ignored.¡±

    Ooohh, from back then, huh?

    When I looked up to Sword he¡¯d started to fidget around while looking quite awkward.

    ¡°I see. Sorry about that. Back then Sword had dragged me to that ce after I had never left my mansion¡­err, my house and the woods around it. After he had suddenly announced that we¡¯d split up there since he was a big shot, I was quite sulky. It was a time when I pondered whether I should turn the whole region into a death zone with a big, taboo spell. You weren¡¯t the only ones I ignored at that time, so please forgive me.¡±

    Sword also apologized while scratching his head.

    ¡°Your definitely right¡­I did somethin¡¯ bad to you girls. You see, I¡¯d nned various things, but it all went up in smoke because of my mistake. I thought that it¡¯d be great for girls her age to teach her ¡¯bout adventurin¡¯ since she was a perfectly lil¡¯ sheltereddy, but¡­yep, it¡¯spletely my fault! Please forgive me! And, I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t n to party with anyone other than her anymore!¡±

    Theposed girl shook her head.

    ¡°That¡¯s not an issue anymore. Actually, we¡¯d be actually troubled if you asked us to let you join now. But, after that <strong>he</strong> suddenly rose up to D-Rank, so we couldn¡¯t reallye to terms with that.¡±

    I¡¯m not a <strong>he</strong>, but a <strong>she</strong>.

    Hmm, why is everyone so eager to make a man out of me? Just now Sword described me as a sheltered ¡°lil¡¯dy,¡± and yet she ignored it altogether? Besides, boys with such slender contours don¡¯t exist, okay? The men in this world are kinda like buffed foreigners, aren¡¯t they?

    Sword is on the more slender side, but even he is quite the macho. I don¡¯t think that it¡¯s anywhere close to my slenderness. Or rather, I consider myself to be a beautiful girl, you know!?

    Sword also treats me somewhat like a brat, but I¡¯m a beautiful girl, am I not!?

    £ª

    ¡­As I got upset in my mind, the other two girls joined the conversation as well.

    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s absolutely right! Suddenly bing a D-Rank without doing anything just because you¡¯ve got an S-Rank as a teacher!? What do you think how much time and effort it took us to climb all the way to E-Rank!?¡±

    ¡°In the first ce, isn¡¯t it an unprecedented, special treatment to ask E-Ranks to look after a G-Rank!? On top of that, you ignored us when we called out to you from our side!! And then you became a D-Rank without any achievements! You believe such selfishness will be forgiven just like that!?¡±

    Even if you tell me all that¡­

    ¡°I apologized moments ago for having ignored you. Since most of it is Sword¡¯s fault, bring up yourints with him. Also, the guild master raised my rank to D on his own ord. If you have a problem with it, sort it out with the guild master. If you want, I¡¯ll bring him in front of you next time.¡±

    After shortly being at a loss for words, she gritted her teeth in anger, ¡°¡­I hate that part about you. Throwing your weight around while just borrowing the power of a great man totally sucks!¡±

    Eeeehh?

    ¡°¡­Who is the great man you¡¯re talking about?¡±

    ¡°Me, it¡¯s me. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve told you that I¡¯m not a self-alleged ¡ºbigshot¡». Did you finally get it, idiot?¡±

    I see, Sword was great, huh? I don¡¯t know in what area, but it¡¯d sure help if it¡¯s in regards to political power.

    ¡°Let¡¯s leave it at that.¡±

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t ignore things as you please.¡± He told me in a huff.

    I feigned ignorance, ¡°Throwing my weight around while just borrowing Sword¡¯s power, you say? I don¡¯t recall having said something cute like, ¡°I¡¯ll tattle to Sword on you if you don¡¯t do as I say,¡± though. ¡­Oh well, I suppose that¡¯s the same misinterpretation as turning the threat to beat someone up into having tried toe to a rescue. I suppose it makes sense in that regard. ¡­Sword, the friends you tried to allocate to me are girls like these? Would you be able to be friends with them, loner coot?¡±

    ¡°I know, I know, I¡¯m sorry, okay? Also, don¡¯t add coot to loner!¡±

    I ignored him. Looking at the girl trembling in rage, I sighed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so edgy. The exam is going to start anytime soon, and it¡¯s a waste of your cute face.¡±

    I tried to pacify her by saying that, but¡­

    ¡°It¡¯s a really tough call whether that line was agitation or a sleazy, old manment.¡±

    ¡­Sword butted in.

    Trantion Notes:

    Lily = yuri, but probably not intended here in that meaning. Still, it¡¯s kind of a wordy by the author I guess.

 Chapter 30

    Either way, it¡¯s time for the exam.

    ¡°Well then, let me exin the details of the exam that¡¯s going to take ce from now on!¡± One of the examiners began to exin.

    £ª

    ¨D¨DIn short: Head to the dungeon, go to the boss room, defeat the boss, pick up the token ced further inside the dungeon beyond the boss room, ande back.

    Further inside, beyond the boss room¡­? At the ce where you can find the Dungeon Core? Then I must be extra careful to not break it by ident!

    I suppose that¡¯s all I need to pay attention to.

    ¡°Ryoku, follow me while evading everything. Got it?¡±

    ¡°Aye Sir!¡±

    Yep, he¡¯s so cute.

    I gently stroked him.

    ¡°Tsk! She was even given such a monster-like golem!? Sure makes me jealous how everything goes for S-Rank¡¯s pet!¡±

    ¡­or something like that reached my ears, but¡­why would they describe a darling like Ryoku as a monster?

    ¡°Okay, start the exam.¡±

    Upon that announcement¡­

    ¡°I ain¡¯t gonna lose to some cheatin¡¯ bitch!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go! We definitely won¡¯t lose to someone like her!¡±

    I felt like I heard such voices, but they sounded faint and distant.

    ¡°Gyahaha, what a moron. How far ya think ya¡¯ll get while rushin¡¯ ahead like that?¡±

    ¡°No clue how to tackle dungeons as you got through everythin¡¯ by connections, eh!?¡±

    I had a hunch that I heard some buzzing in the far distance, but I actually think that I¡¯m probably going to finish this exam before the day is over at this rate.

    £ª

    At the dungeon¡¯s entrance area a man, who seemed to be an examiner, yelped after getting startled, and inside the dungeon people cried out after getting surprised as well, but I ignored all of it.

    I¡¯m in the middle of my challenge with the restriction of not being allowed to stop.

    After running through the fairly spacious dungeon, I arrived at the boss room. I opened the door, and killed the boss in the next instant. Leaving the boss room, I headed deeper inside¡­

    Ah, I found a person.

    ¡°What is it!?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m an examinee, so please give me the token.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Examinee, you say¡­? When did it start?¡±

    ¡°Quite a while ago, I think? ¡­I¡¯ve challenged myself to clear it without stopping, but now I¡¯ve ended uping to a halt.¡±

    I had to stop since I¡¯m talking to him. Oh well, no helping it. I simply hadn¡¯t expected that I¡¯d receive the token from someone else.

    ¡°Eh? Ah, are you possibly the pupil of the S-Rank adventurer, Mr. Sword?¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°I¡¯m not his pupil, but his partner. I haven¡¯t learned anything from that guy. Everything is self-taught. Leaving that aside, I¡¯ve been told to return as the fastest, so I¡¯d like to head back any time now. Please give me the token.¡±

    ¡°Oh, sorry. ¡­No doubt, you¡¯re the fastest. You¡¯ve arrived here first.¡±

    He passed me a token.

    ¡°I see. Thanks.¡±

    ¡°Be careful on your way back!¡±

    ¡°Okay. Please give my regards to Mr. Dungeon Core!¡± I bid my farewell to theughing, examiner-like man with a wave of my hand, and started to dash again.

    On my way back I ran into one of the parties who didn¡¯t get involved with me, but I passed them by leaping above.

    ¡°Eh!?¡±

    ¡°Just now, was that possibly¡­?¡±

    ¡°Do your best~ You¡¯re on the right track~¡± I told them in passing.

    £ª

    When I exited the dungeon¡­

    ¡°Huh!? Don¡¯t tell me, you already cleared it!?¡±

    In response I waved the token at them.

    £ª

    Goal!

    Sword looked at me without a care whereas the examiner stared at me nkly.

    ¡°Which reminds me, I didn¡¯t hear what to do after bringing back the token, did I?¡±

    The examiner opened his mouth, but no sound came out of it. Sword spoke up in his stead.

    ¡°A bitte, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I stopped on the way to talk with the examiner person to give me the token. Sorry.¡± I apologized.

    So I¡¯ve been slow after all.

    ¡°Just kiddin¡¯. Or rather, a time like that despite chattin¡¯ with someone in the middle of it, eh? Didn¡¯t you run throughout almost the whole course then?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the kind of challenge it was. It was a bit of fun, you know? I liked it since it felt like an adventure.¡±

    ¡°I see, I see, that¡¯s great to hear.¡±

    Yep, how irresponsible of him.

    When the examiner came back to his senses at longst, he held out his hand.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll hold onto¡­the token.¡±

    I passed it to him.

    ¡­¡­

    ¡°And now?¡±

    Isn¡¯t there some more?

    I profusely tilted my head to the side in confusion.

    ¡°¡­Please wait for the results of the exam.¡±

    ¡°When are you going to announce them?¡±

    The examiner has frozen up, but I wonder why?

    ¡°¡­¡­ Once everyone finishes, all examiners will assemble, and then we¡¯ll go back to the guild. Afterwards I think you¡¯ll be told the result after around an hour.¡±

    I see. So it¡¯s a system where they choose from among everyone, instead of marking everyone individually.

    £ª

    After stretching himself, Sword carried our luggage over.

    ¡°No choice, huh? Guess we gotta wait. The campin¡¯ willst for a while.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I actually prefer, but is it going to take that long?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t judge folks by your and my standards. Normally it takes ¡¯round two to three days, really. Moreover, you don¡¯t often encounter crazy folk who¡¯d break through enemies and traps at your speed. ¡­Around now everyone should have entered the dungeon, I think. Let¡¯s wait for ¡¯em at the entrance area.¡±

    We moved over, joining up with the examiner at the dungeon¡¯s entrance.

    ¡°Oh! You¡¯re the one from earlier!¡± He pointed at me. ¡°So I didn¡¯t mistake you for someone else after all, huh¡­? You seemed like you were being chased by a monster, and yet you didn¡¯t ask for help. I didn¡¯t hear that a tamer would take part in this exam, but¡­you¡¯re a tamer, aren¡¯t you¡­?¡±

    ¡°Ryoku is a golem. Ryoku, greet the examiner.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you! I am Ryoku!¡±

    ¡°Is that also part of its basic functions?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    He¡¯s so adorable.

    ¡°A talking golem¡­¡±

    ¡°The voice actually belongs to her, though.¡± Sword pointed at me.

    ¡°I¡¯ve recorded my own voice to use it for broadcasting. ¡­Oh, now is the perfect time. I¡¯d love you guys to teach Ryoku a bit. Examiner, please exin the C-Rank exam to Ryoku.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°C-RanK eXaM iS D-RaNk adVENturErS wHO aRe taKInG iT DIvE iNtO dunGeOn aND fEtCH toKEn.¡±

    ¡°¡±Eeeehh!?¡±¡±

    Oh, he listened?

    ¡°There, there, well done, Ryoku. So you heard the earlier exnation, huh?¡±

    ¡°Me wElL dONe?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you did well.¡±

    ¡°Yaaay, I got praised~¡±

    Sword watched Ryoku jumping in joy and me caressing him with an ultra scary look.

    ¡°Nothin¡¯ to admire there. This is part of his ¡ºEducation¡». She made the golem so he¡¯d act like that from the very start.¡±

    When he exined this to the examiners, they praised, ¡°Isn¡¯t that in itself really amazing then!?¡±

    Seemingly having their interest piqued, they closely examined Ryoku all over.

    ¡°Where did you get your hands on this? Probably in a dungeon, right?¡±

    ¡°I made him.¡±

    ¡°¡±Haah?¡±¡±

    ¡°I made him.¡±

    Silence spread.

    ¡°You see, there was this multi-legged battle golem which appeared in a story I loved dearly. I wanted to make one for myself, at any cost. I¡¯ve promised myself that I¡¯d have him sing a song with me someday when a soul dwells within.¡±

    I repeatedly nuzzled and stroked Ryoku, causing the examiners to draw back from me.

    ¡°Sorry. You gotta know, this girl got a screw loose. All the folk making magic tools are like that.¡±

    How rude!

    £ª

    Five dayster.

    The examiners put forth a request to rescue the parties which hadn¡¯t returned yet.

    ¡°Alright, I guess we¡¯ll head out then.¡±

    ¡°Mmh.¡±

    ¡°Sending out an examinee on a rescue request is kind of like putting the cart before the horse, but¡­¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s passed anyway. If you say she¡¯s failed, you might as well reconsider my rank.¡± Sword said over his shoulder before rushing into the dungeon together with me.

    £ª

    ¡°Thinking about it now, that was pretty much a g, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    Two parties haven¡¯te back so far. It¡¯s the parties who picked a fight with me. The two parties, who had absolutely nothing to do with me, and especially the party I passed on my run, managed toe back within two days.

    ¡°Because they messed with you? Rather, thinkin¡¯ that any kind of favoritism or riggin¡¯ would work on adventurers is already weird as fuck. In the first ce, what¡¯s the point in worryin¡¯ ¡¯bout others? Us adventurersplete requests while usin¡¯ our own abilities as capital, no? It¡¯s bullshit to believe that they wouldn¡¯t be able to reach C-Rank just because your bein¡¯ favored. Adventurer ain¡¯t such a half-assed upation that you can survive on such a naive way of thinkin¡¯.¡±

    Huh? It¡¯s such a hard mode?

    Well, he¡¯s right in this being physical work. I highly doubt that raising your levels by leeching like in some hunting games will be of any use for something as trivial as clearing a vige quest if you don¡¯t have the ability to go with it.

    We arrived at the halfway point.

    ¡°Now then, I think it¡¯d be more efficient for us to split up, but I sure can¡¯t help feelin¡¯ worried when bein¡¯ apart from you¡­¡±

    Sword looked super hesitant.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯ll be no problem.¡±

    ¡°Obviously it¡¯ll be only problems! If your agitation skill explodes, it¡¯s highly likely for it to develop into a battle with your rescue targets!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll make them faint in such a case. Take Ryoku with you, I¡¯ll go by myself.¡±

    ¡°Hey, you got it backwards, don¡¯t you!?¡±

    ¡°Ryoku and I can talk even when apart. I¡¯ll inform you about the situation through Ryoku. Also, Ryoku and I can grasp each other¡¯s location. It¡¯s more efficient for you to take him with you.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­ Gotcha. Keep me updated, minutely.¡± Sword gave in with a bitter expression.

    ¡°What are you talking about? This dungeon isn¡¯t that difficult, is it? Rather, it¡¯s extremely boring if you clear it while looking on a map, you know? A game you know how to clearcks any kind of appeal.¡±

    Bang!

    A fist exploded on my head.

    ¡°It¡¯s no game, but a rescue operation.¡±

    ¡°I know that¡­ I¡¯m just telling you to not worry. Everything is ¡ºvisible¡» to me.¡±

    Sword sighed, ¡°¡­Make sure to not have the rug pulled under you because of that conceit, ¡®kay?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too much of a worrywart. I¡¯m just enjoying my life.¡± I caressed Sword¡¯s cheek. ¡°I worry about you too. The things I can do are limited, and so are the things you can do. And it¡¯s my freedom what to think and how to act. That¡¯s what I meant with ¡ºI know that¡». How about you?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Suddenly I got hugged.

    ¡°Watch out to not get injured out of carelessness, ¡®kay?¡±

    ¡°You too. You¡¯re more important than the rescue targets.¡±

    ¡°¡­Now you suddenlye around the corner with such corny lines, eh? Are you hittin¡¯ on me, a grown-up?¡±

    ¡°Why would you interpret it like that?¡±

    How did the topic switch from me being worried about him to me hitting on him?

    With a sigh, I separated from him.

    ¡°Kids don¡¯t need to worry ¡¯bout adults.¡±

    ¡°My body is that of a child, but my insides are those of an adult.¡±

    ¡°Come to think of it, you mentioned bein¡¯ a middle-aged man, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Why does he take me for a guy?

    Sword headed down one of the paths whileughing.

    Now then.

    I let out a deep sigh¡­they¡¯re pretty deep in, aren¡¯t they? Three of them, huh¡­? Unless they¡¯re dead, it¡¯s the three girls party. I suppose I picked the winner here. I¡¯ll leave the foul-mouthed middle-aged idiots to the guy around their age.

 Chapter 31

    {Cathy}

    ¨D¨DThe S-Rank adventurer <strong>¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿</strong> was someone I admired. Because I was a little magician, I publicly pretended to support <strong>¡¾Bloody Witch¡¿</strong>, but in my heart I adored that man who¡¯s outstanding in swordsmanship and magic.

    Hence I got super happy and excited when the guild approached us about looking after the pupil of <strong>¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿</strong>. I was jealous of that child, but I¡¯ve heard he¡¯s got some special circumstances, and well, if they¡¯re asking us to do it, we might as well do it, right? Then again Liz seemed quite eager about this whole thing, too.

    In the first ce, Liz belongs to the <strong>¡¾Peerless Strength¡¿</strong> faction, doesn¡¯t she? Or, wait¡­ Does she actually admire <strong>¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿</strong>?

    ¡­W-Well, such things happen sometimes, I guess. But, if he can use magic, I¡¯ll teach him!

    £ª

    While sparks flew between Liz and me, the appointed day arrived. Waiting in the back for our turn, we secretly watched from the shadows.

    ¡­Oh my, isn¡¯t that a pretty boy right there?

    Sure, he¡¯s still a child, and small, but he looks promising. He¡¯s inferior to <strong>¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿</strong>, but okay, why not? I like him, so I¡¯ll take care of him.

    That¡¯s what I thought, but!

    The receptionist nced our way with a troubled look. It seemed like the conversation didn¡¯t go as well as nned. The pretty boy quickly left the counter, about to leave the guild.

    We chased after him in a hurry, and spoke up to him from the side.

    ¡°Hey, boy. Interested in forming a party with us?¡± Sasha called out to him as the one who¡¯s the most sociable and approachable among us, but without even trying to stop or look our way, the boy left the guild.

    ¡­What¡¯s his damn problem!?

    Sasha lookedpletely bbergasted, too.

    The receptionist apologized to <strong>¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿</strong> who had shown up. Apparently it had failed. But what exactly?

    ¡­ording to the story I heardter on, they hade up with some kind of n, but not only didn¡¯t it work out as intended, but that guy stopped listening to anyone after getting upset.

    The receptionist apologized to us, but isn¡¯t that boy¡¯s willfulness at fault here? I mean, I can understand that you¡¯d have a hard time to bid your farewell as pupil of <strong>¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿</strong>, but consider all the trouble you¡¯re causing to your teacher, sheesh.

    £ª

    For several days afterwards, hepletely blocked out anyone and everyone trying to talk to him, but ording to rumors, <strong>¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿</strong> gave in and they formed a party in the end.

    ¡­What the hell? There are limits to screwing around with others, okay!?

    And that wasn¡¯t even the end of the bullshit!! They say he skipped all the way to D-Rank after doing some collection requests and hunting for a bit!!

    I thought that my veins might have popped when I heard that. As soon as he acted like a selfish prick, he became the partner of <strong>¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿</strong>? And then he even became a D-Rank without putting any work into it just because of <strong>¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿</strong>?

    How can such nonsense even be allowed!?

    When Liz heard about it, she got so pissed that she butchered a monster to such an extent that the guild didn¡¯t want to buy it from us anymore. Sasha gave up, saying that this was how the world works, but she had changed her opinion, now saying that we should do our best with just the three of us instead of getting a new member. I fully agreed with that.

    I¡¯ll show that asshole how we¡¯re going to reach C-Rank before him!! Luckily connections and influence are worth nothing when ites to C-Rank. You¡¯ve got to pass a test to get it.

    Once I¡¯m a C-Rank, I¡¯ll find that guy andugh at him, saying, ¡°You¡¯re still a D-Rank? Aww, too bad that D-Rank is the highest you can get through connections. Looks like you can¡¯t pass the exam because of the influence of <strong>¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿</strong> either, eh?¡±

    £ª

    ¡­I ran into him before that though.

    As he yed dumb when I called out to him, I snapped, and unleashed my magic at him. When I did, even I realized that I might have gone too far, and became pale as not only him but even the children might die from my spell.

    Just when I was about to cry as it fully hit me that not only wouldn¡¯t I be rising to C-Rank, but I¡¯d actually be a criminal with this, it vanished. My spell was suddenly gone.

    Seeing that guy standing there so nonchntly that it actually pissed me off, I understood that he¡¯d erased it. The children all looked pale as well, but then they started to praise him all at once.

    ¡­Of course, the authorities showed up. I was sure that my license would be taken away with me heading straight for jail, but that boy gave some exnation and scurried off right afterwards, so when I fervently argued that the golem looked like a monster and that I tried to defeat it in a hurry out of fear for the children¡¯s safety, the officials bought that excuse.

    Since no one got injured and probably because it wasn¡¯t an overly powerful spell either, it all came to a close with me spending one day in prison. It looks like the officials thought I got startled by the golem and tried to chase it away¡­that in itself was quite mortifying, but Liz, who had apanied me to the guard station, kicked my shin under the table when I was about to act up, resulting in me leaving it at an anxious-looking nod.

    £ª

    On the next day, after I had pulled myself together, Liz and Sasha gave me a sermon, saying, ¡°Make sure to control your temper, okay? You¡¯d end up biting the dust anyway before you could even beat up that boy.¡± Then we got on the carriage, and headed over to the exam site.

    And over there I saw <strong>¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿</strong>!

    Yay! So he¡¯se as well!

    £ª

    ¡­¡­together with that boy. Somehow it actually feels like even the C-Rank exam is going to be rigged, doesn¡¯t it!?

    I wasn¡¯t the only one thinking so. Another party flew into a rage after seeing <strong>¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿</strong>.

    By the way, one of them thered, ¡°Female brats takin¡¯ the C-Rank exam!? Ain¡¯t no way they gonna pass. Best would be for them to run back home to weed the fields!¡±, which resulted in me almost firing a spell at him, but with Sasha and Liz holding me back, we managed to avoid any further incidents.

    ¡­If I were to use what that boy had used against me, I¡¯d run out of mana, unable to cast any other spells for a while, I think. Since mana potions are anything but cheap, I don¡¯t really want to rely on them much.

    I¡¯m far from liking these guys, but I¡¯ll at least praise them for what they said to that boy. However, when they did, <strong>¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿</strong> answered them with a super scary face instead. That face of his was the same expression as it was drawn on his portrait. Since he looks quite friendly when he¡¯s with that boy, I wonder whether that¡¯s actually his real expression, but¡­somehow, it pains me a bit to see him like that.

    The rumors I¡¯ve heard about <strong>¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿</strong> said that he¡¯s a cold-hearted man, so it made my heart throb when I learned of his kind side by taking a pupil with some special circumstances, but¡­somehow it¡¯s like he¡¯s only showing his gentle and caring side to that boy. It does make me a tad jealous.

    ¡­Wait, now¡¯s not the time for that! I¡¯ll also dere my war on that boy!

    As soon as I did, <strong>¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿</strong> said that it¡¯d be impossible for me, and that guy treated me like aplete retard. As expected, even Liz and Sasha looked super pissed, so we secretly agreed that the three of us would show him who¡¯s boss.

    £ª

    And then the exam started¡­

    Eeeeehhh!?

    That boy rushed off at an unbelievable speed. What¡¯s the idea here!?

    Even those creepy guys, who had been scheming to get in the boy¡¯s way, howled like sour losers as it looked like all their little ns went bust.

    But, true, it¡¯s not like any of us knows how long he¡¯ll be able to keep up going at that pace. If he runs out of steam inside the dungeon, it¡¯ll spell his death. Moreover, when being solo.

    Even if he might have a golem with him, that thing should use quite a bit of mana, so it should be apanied with quite a bit of danger to go at such a pace.

    I¡¯m sure he ran away because of all the bullying, and is now hiding somewhere!! I¡¯ll totally poke fun at him if I spot him!!

    £ª

    We finally arrived at the dungeon entrance. We kept looking for that boy all the time, but he was nowhere to be found.

    He must be quite skilled at hiding. He got my praise for that.

    An examiner stood in front of the dungeon entrance.

    ¡°¡­Did I see wrongly after all? Somehow it looked like a child entered the dungeon while being chased by some kind of monster¡­¡±

    Hearing him mumbling that, I pinned my eyes on the examiner in surprise, ¡°¡­He¡­entered already?¡±

    ¡°When!? How long ago!?¡±

    ¡°Eh? So my eyes didn¡¯t y a trick on me then!? It¡¯s been quite a while ago. More than 40 minutes by now.¡±

    Eeeeehhh!?

    Those scummy guys, who¡¯d arrived here at the same time as us, were shocked as well.

    ¡°¡­Gotta be havin¡¯ fun by using that golem, right? Ahhh, I¡¯m so damn envious of a piece of shit who gets pushed everythin¡¯ into her ass by an S-Rank!¡±

    How can it make things easier by using a golem!? Don¡¯t look down on magic arts, okay? Even just having it walk around all over the ce while following you eats lots of mana!

    ¡­But, if it¡¯s a golem <strong>¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿</strong> obtained, it might have some function to not use mana? As I thought, he¡¯s a cheat!

    £ª

    We blundered on our pacing. Since we wanted to get away from the guys who had been bitching all the time, we somehow managed to lose them halfway.

    Wanting to finish the exam faster than those idiots and that boy, I pushed my party members and advanced while limiting the breaks to the minimum.

    ¡°Huh¡­? I feel like we¡¯ve passed this way some time ago¡­?¡±

    ¡°No way. You properly drew a map, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Wha-, of course I did! But, I was a bit in a hurry, so I might have made a mistake.¡±

    Not drawing a map in a dungeon is fatal. If you fail at it, you should head back the way you came. But, since I was impatient, I plunged onwards.

    ¡­and gotpletely lost.

    No examiner is to be found anywhere, and we don¡¯t know any safe areas either.

    As we continued on, still not taking a rest, my feeling of time slowly started to fade. And just when my exhaustion reached its peak¡­

    Those monsters showed up.

    We should have retreated here. But, in the end we underestimated the enemy. I mean, it was just two goblins.

    ¡°Wait! It¡¯s dangerous to take them on in our current state! I¡¯ll cast a barrier, so let¡¯s use that moment to fall back!¡±

    Ignoring Sasha¡¯s warning, I rushed ahead.

    ¡°We can easily get rid of two lousy goblins, right!? We¡¯re a party that¡¯s going to be C-Rank!¡±

    ¡°True. Defeating them will allow us to get rid of some stress even if we¡¯ll retreat in the end, won¡¯t it? ¡­And to be honest, I don¡¯t know whether I¡¯ll have enough stamina to get away if they chase after us.¡±

    When I cast a fireball as a restraint and Liz tried to cut into them¡­

    ¡­my fireball shed against another spell and vanished.

    Huh?

    On top of that, the other spell continued heading my way.

    ¡°¡­Oh wall, block everything!¡±

    Sasha¡¯s barrier spell was in time, resulting in the spell getting repelled. But, at the same time Sasha ran out of mana. She crumbled down on her knees.

    ¡­I had used too much offensive magic, so I ended up drinking Sasha¡¯s share of mana potions. It was all because I wasted my spells out of impatience.

    ¡°Ughh!¡±

    Liz had her thigh stabbed by the other goblin. I looked at the goblin in surprise.

    ¨D¨DThis is no ordinary goblin! It¡¯s an <strong>evolved</strong> one!

    ¡°Liz!¡±

    I threw the bomb magic tool. This was a very expensive item, but I bought it just in case.

    Using the opportunity, Liz somehow managed to fall back to us and drink a healing potion. It apparently stopped her bleeding, but the wound itself didn¡¯t heal.

    ¨D¨DWe prepared all kinds of things in order to pass the C-Rank exam in one go. All the money we¡¯d earned so far went into it.

    We went this far, and yet it was all in vain.

    That and everything else was my fault. I got impatient and didn¡¯t even consider our pace. Even though I messed up with the map, I continued onwards without admitting so. I attacked pointlessly, resulting in me using up even the mana potions of someone else.

    ¡­Yep, it was really hard, but we somehow managed to reach D-Rank. But, I never felt my life was in danger. I didn¡¯t understand the meaning behind having the skill allowing you to reach D-Rank through connections, why you had to take a proper exam for C-Rank, and why it was said that you could only call yourself an adventurer after bing a C-Rank.

    Now that I¡¯m about to die, I¡¯ve finally realized it.

    The reason behind the pledges I agreed to before taking the exam: ¡ºNo matter what happens, the guild won¡¯t be held ountable for anything, even if the examinee dies during the exam¡» and ¡ºPlease write a will in advance. In case you die or go missing, we will hand your belongings to the people mentioned in your will after the exam has ended¡».

    Very likely, those are a Goblin Warrior and a Goblin Mage.

    After those two squealed as ifughing at us, the Goblin Mage cast a fire spell. Therge-scale ze spell I specialize in.

    ¡­Yeah, I did something bad to that boy. And yet he was able to calmly deal with such a spell being used on him.

    It¡¯s inevitable for me to be totally scared of that approaching fire¡­

    ¡­No! I don¡¯t want to die! No, no, no! Please no¡­!

    ¡°I wonder whether it¡¯s more stylish to hold up a hand?

    I mean, it surely gives the feeling of ¡ºusing magic¡».¡±

    Eh?

    When I lifted my head, that boy was standing in front of me. With the mes having disappeared.

    Eh?

    When I looked at him in sheer amazement, he stared back at me, and smiled, ¡°Yo, sorry for making you wait!¡±

 Chapter 32

    Hi, Indra here. Your local heroine who showed up as promised!

    Yep, you could put it like that, right? Anyway, it seems like things have gotten slightly hairy.

    I wondered what I should do since I hadn¡¯t been taught whether it was alright for me to poke my nose into the battles of other adventurers, but if they die because I didn¡¯t help them, I¡¯d feel like it was my fault, and if that argument doesn¡¯t fly, I¡¯ll just allow myself to get scolded, yep.

    In the first ce, the monsters don¡¯t really seem to be all that tough. Is something wrong with them? Are they maybe tired or something?

    Well, it¡¯s obvious that they¡¯re exhausted, I suppose. Maybe they enjoyed the thrill of going without a map a bit too much and got lost?

    ¡°T-These guys are evolved goblins! A Goblin Warrior and a Goblin Mage! Normal methods won¡¯t work against them!¡±

    Thanks for the exnation.

    In short, they¡¯re strong¡­? They are shivering in fright as they¡¯re looking at me, though?

    ¡°¡­They don¡¯t appear to be all that strong, though¡­¡±

    ¡°Is this the time to look down on the enemy!? If you do something like that, you¡¯ll die right away!!¡±

    ¡°But, they seem to be scared of me, you know? Monsters can discern strength, so they have to be weak enemies since they¡¯ve be afraid after seeing me.¡±

    ¡°¡­Eh?¡±

    The girl looks at the monsters, apparently stunned.

    Hmm, it¡¯d go against my style to kill those who don¡¯t attack me out of fear. Then again, I don¡¯t really have a style.

    ¡°If you leave now, I¡¯ll let you go. So, get lost.¡±

    When I said so to the goblins, they scurried away in a hurry. Yep, as I thought, they were weak.

    ¡°Wait a sec!? Why are you letting them get away!?¡±

    ¡°My current request is to rescue stranded examinees. Not the killing of monsters. Besides, if I killed scared, non-resistant monsters, it¡¯d leave a bad aftertaste. Getting joy out of tormenting frightened monsters is a fairly trashy fetish to have.¡±

    Since my remark caused everyone to look dumbfounded, it looks like I¡¯ve messed up again.

    ¡­I¡¯ll ignore it!

    I took out a hand-held magic tool formunication.

    ¡°Sword, Indra speaking. I¡¯ve seeded in rescuing one party of the rescue targets.¡±

    ¡­With a crackling, I can hear various line such as ¡ºHey Ryoku, how can I talk to her?¡», ¡ºEh? This? Rather, your goin¡¯ to talk?¡», and ¡ºGive it a rest ¡®n pass it to me. I want to talk to her!¡».

    ¡ºCan you hear me, Indra?¡»

    ¡°Loud and clear.¡±

    Then I heard, ¡ºOhh, so you can hear me!¡», ¡ºEh? You want to talk with her?¡», and ¡ºNo, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll talk with her¡».

    You, who have are currently chatting veeery normally with Ryoku, always look at me coldly whenever I talk with Ryoku!

    ¡º*cough* We are¡­done on our side. I think it¡¯s fine to call it like that. We had some troubles over here, but I¡¯m gonna toss them into Ryoku¡¯s pod and head back¡»

    ¡°Ehh!? Wait a sec! Could you spare me from throwing filthy, old men into my cute Ryoku? Those guys stank quite a bit, okay? I¡¯m 100% sure that they don¡¯t wash themselves!¡±

    ¡ºDon¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll wrap ¡¯em up in nkets! Anyway, I¡¯m goin¡¯ back, so hurry back yourself as well!¡»He yelled at me.

    I disconnected themunication device with a shrug, and faced the girls. They were still frozen in sheer amazement.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­I guess I¡¯ll first take care of your injuries.¡±

    Since one of them had been stabbed, I treated her.

    ¡°¡­What¡¯s this?¡±

    That¡¯s what draws her attention?

    ¡°¡­Ah, around here you can heal everything with a medicine called healing potion or something like that, right? I don¡¯t really like that. Medical treatment should be carried out slowly through your own bodily healing functions. Then again, it¡¯d be bad to leave the wound alone. Once you carefully wash out the wound opening and block it with fat, it¡¯ll heal up nicely through your own regenerative powers. This here is a special ointment I made myself whichbines detoxifying, antibacterial, and anti-inmmatory effects. On top of that it does skin care and repairs the flesh tissues. If you apply this, cover it with a jelly pad, and rest for a bit, your wound will heal uppletely in a week. Probably.¡±

    Probably because I haven¡¯t tested it myself yet since I didn¡¯t get injured so far. But, the ointment is a special creation that uses the ingredients I found after capitalizing on the knowledge of my otherworld self. Hence it ought to work, I think.

    I smeared it on her wound, and applied a handmade jelly pad.

    ¡°Okay, all that¡¯s left is to carry you girls.¡±

    ¡°¡±¡±Haah¡­?¡±¡±¡±

    I took out a special wooden rack with shoulder straps. With its bench shape, three girls can easily fit on it.

    ¡°¡­Wait a minute! Are you possibly nning to put us on that thing and then walk while carrying us!?¡± The strong-willed girl pointed at the rack, trembling all over.

    ¡°No need to guess the obvious, is there? Don¡¯t worry, a girl¡¯s weight is famous for being lighter than that of a feather.¡±

    ¡°¡±¡±Who would believe such nonsense!?¡±¡±¡±

    It¡¯s clearly true! My weight is lighter than that of a feather, after all!

    I had the unwilling girls sit down on the rack, and then fastened them to the rack and tied them together.

    ¡°Alrighty, make sure to not bite your tongues since it might be a somewhat bumpy ride. I¡¯ve warned you, okay?¡±

    ¡°Wait a sec. This is a crazy idea!¡±

    ¡°Stop, please stop. Seriously!¡±

    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m wounded, or did you forget!? What are you going to do if things end up in a disaster by you trying to do the impossible!?¡±

    They keep quacking, but luckily I don¡¯t hear aaanything thanks to my soundproofing spell.

    ¡°Okay, now hold out for a bit. Also, grit your teeth, relying on your willpower as girls, to avoid puking, got it?¡±

    After lifting up the rack on my back, I dashed off at full speed.

    ¡°¡±¡±Nooooooo~~~~~~~~~ooo!!!¡±¡±¡±

    We arrived after around five minutes.

    £ª

    ¡°Oh, there you are.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, one of them was wounded, so I had to treat her.¡±

    Sword was already waiting for me. After opening the pod, he retrieved some old dudes from within.

    ¡°¡­Sure made somethin¡¯ weird again, haven¡¯t you? Or rather, don¡¯t you have any pity with ¡¯em?¡± Hemented while looking at the girls who were ghastly pale while still fastened to the rack.

    ¡°No, I actually think you should use this as well. This one here is a lot more stable.¡±

    ¡°No thanks. It¡¯d be a huge pain if they started to piss themselves.¡±

    Oh, I hadn¡¯t considered that possibility.

    ¡­Peeing, huh?

    ¡°Did you know? The watering out of a girl is called ¡ºHoly Water¡». I hear some men will pay big amounts of money for it.¡± I informed him with a broad grin of what I had suddenly recalled.

    ¡°Hey, old man, gimme a break with weird ass noble knowledge.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong. It¡¯s knowledge from the other world.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s even worse!¡±

    ¡­When I quickly nced at the old men Sword had pulled out of the pod, several of them were dead.

    ¡°You weren¡¯t in time, huh?¡±

    ¡°Two have survived.¡±

    The two men rolled out of the pod, their clothes in tatters. The instant they came out, one started to yell at Sword.

    ¡°It¡¯s all your fault! You! If you hade to save us earlier¡­! Moony, Sig, and Nick wouldn¡¯t have died!!¡±

    ¡­¡­

    What is he ranting about?

    I kicked him for good measure.

    ¡°Uuuaagh!¡±

    Sword scratched his head, ¡°Come on, don¡¯t kick ¡¯em. It¡¯d waste my savin¡¯ them if you kill ¡¯em here, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°The request has beenpleted since we¡¯ve rescued them. We¡¯re now free to do as we please, aren¡¯t we? It¡¯s amon urrence for the people you rescued to turn against you or switch into being your enemy. If they¡¯re not happy with being rescued and cut their ties, I¡¯ll kill them.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡±

    I reluctantly nodded since Sword held me back. I guess I¡¯ll keep it at a level where they won¡¯t die.

    I looked at one of the old buggers, ¡°Hey, you there. If you im that we¡¯re at fault for your party members having died because we came toote to your rescue, how much responsibility do you carry for having taken the C-Rank exam?¡±

    ¡°W-What was that!?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m asking you how much responsibility you bear for letting your friends die in such an easy dungeon because you didn¡¯t even possess the ability to protect them.¡±

    Sword pped his forehead.

    ¡°Hey, give him a break. He lost his cool because his friends died. You gotta understand that he can¡¯t cope with it unless heys the me on someone else.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s you then? I don¡¯t get the reasoning¡­ The people of this world are truly selfish. I got to say, this ce seems to be teeming with folks who me their own mistakes on others.¡±

    ¡°¡­Hey.¡± Sword ced a hand on my shoulder.

    ¡°He¡¯s ming someone else because he lost his cool? And you get med even though it¡¯s not even your fault? I don¡¯t understand how this kind of logic would even work. ¡­You, exin it to me. Tell me why Sword¡¯s havinge toote for the rescue would be at fault for your party members having died? Did you ask Sword to help you? I was always at his side, but I¡¯ve never heard you utter any such words, you know? Havinge toote for the rescue would mean that you had at least requested Sword to rescue you guys and that Sword epted that request, right? Of course it¡¯d havee with the term that he¡¯d need to take responsibility in case you died, no? ¡­But, I don¡¯t know anything of such an exchange between you two. Come on, hurry up and answer me.¡±

    ¡°¡­Shut up! In the first ce, our pace got messed up because you went ahead so quickly!¡±

    Whoa, how scummy. Now this guy is trying to push the me on me.

    In the next moment, Sword kicked him, blowing the moron away.

    ¡°¡­I feel like it was you who warned me to not kill them.¡± I retorted, but got ignored.

    ¡°¡­I can forgive it if you stick to min¡¯ me. I¡¯m an S-Rank, so I¡¯ll ept the me if I hadn¡¯t been in time despite ¡¯em still bein¡¯ alive when I headed out for the rescue. But, why¡¯d you me an unrted adventurer who took the same exam as you? Also, care to tell me what you¡¯ve said to her before the exam started? Well?¡±

    Sword grabbed the guy by the hair with a somehow scary face, and started to question him.

    ¡°You said ¡ºShe¡¯s set to pass this rigged exam thanks to her connections¡», and you ridiculed her with ¡ºOnly an idiot would run so quickly¡» even after the exam started, didn¡¯t you? In other words, you considered her to be someone who¡¯d pass through her connections without even havin¡¯ the ability to back it, right? So? Why would such a superb adventurer like you fail to pace himself due to the existence of a stupid D-Rank adventurer who doesn¡¯t know how to pace herself in a rigged exam? Come on, tell me! Why? Exin it in a way I can understand!!¡±

    After having been kicked, the guy started to bawl while groaning. Sword clicked his tongue, threw him on the ground, and gave him another kick.

    I looked down at the idiot, tilting my head to the side.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we rather say that he¡¯s the one to be med the most for his party members having died? In short, he¡¯s desperately pushing the me on you and me because he wants to shirk his own responsibility, and not because he lost his cool, don¡¯t you think? It¡¯s a reallymon trick among selfish old men with a big pride who specialize in shifting the me.¡±

    He reminds me of my otherworld¡¯s boss!

    When I looked up, I noticed that everyone was watching us with indescribable expressions.

    ¡°¡­It is very reasonable for you to have taken offense, but please leave it at that. We still have some business with these guys.¡±

    ¡°¡­Okay, okay.¡± Sword spat out a deep sigh, and turned around.

    ¡­¡­Somehow Sword seems to be acting weird.

    £ª

    It looked like we¡¯d be given a ride on a carriage on the way back to town, but I didn¡¯t want to get on something that shook so much.

    Hence, I¡¯ll ride Ryoku!

    ¡°I can take those who are injured or totally exhausted with me, if you like? If you¡¯re worrying about peeing or puking, don¡¯t worry. I can give you a lift after making you faint.¡±

    I said out of deepest kindness, but everyone shook their heads at ultra-high speed.

 Chapter 33

    When we arrived at the guild, they immediately announced the results. With me passing with flying colors. The ones failing were predictably the two parties we rescued.

    Moreover, the rescue operation resulted in a penalty for them. But why? Didn¡¯t the guild request their rescue on its own ord?

    I asked Sword, ¡°¡­Say, are there any people unwilling to pay the fine while bickering that they¡¯d have been able to escape by themselves and thus didn¡¯t need the rescue decided upon by the guild?¡±

    I mean, it totally sounds like something the people of this world would brazenly do.

    ¡°They exist.¡± He answered simply.

    Figures~

    ¡°In other words, they get what they want by whining?¡±

    ¡°Whether it¡¯s a gain for them depends on the person, I¡¯d say.¡±

    Hmm?

    I looked in the direction Sword pointed at with his jaw.

    ¡°¡­Such¡­Such a huge amount of money!?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t screw around! You decided by yourself to rescue us, and on top of that, three of our party members died! So why would we have to pay a fine!?¡±

    They red up at an examiner.

    Yep, they fit the temte quite perfectly.

    However, looking at the girl party, the calm girl calls out to the girl with the short fuse.

    ¡°Cathy. ¡­We would have likely died back then if he hadn¡¯te to rescue us, you know?¡±

    The swordswomanish girl also joined in to stop Cathy by grabbing her shoulders and shaking them lightly.

    ¡°¡­I know.¡±

    It looks like that stopped her fit of anger.

    As for the remaining party, the examiner sighed, and after casting a nce our way, turned around.

    ¡°¡­We should have exined the rules behind making a rescue request to you before the exam. In the first ce, you should have been told about it when you joined the guild. ¡ºIn case you ept dungeon and timed requests, there will be cases when the guild puts up a rescue request if the deadline has been exceeded by more than two full days¡». In case it¡¯s unnecessary, inform us in advance. All of this should have been covered during the short training course.¡±

    I vehemently shook my head.

    I haven¡¯t heard about any of this!

    When I looked up to Sword, he was smiling wryly, ¡°¡­Come to think of it, there was a short trainin¡¯ course, wasn¡¯t there? Totally slipped my mind.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a fairly important piece of information? It¡¯s my first time hearing about what he said just now!¡±

    ¡°Not like it matters since your with me anyways, right?¡±

    That¡¯s no good, is it? I¡¯ll try to take the short training course next time. Yep, let¡¯s do that!

    ¡°I haven¡¯t agreed to anythin¡¯ like that!¡±

    See, I¡¯ve got arade in this. An middle-aged dude, though.

    ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t see why it¡¯s necessary to pay a fine for a rescue that wasn¡¯t even in time! I ain¡¯t gonna pay a dime!¡±

    The other middle-aged dude seems to have no energy left to say anything. He¡¯s merely sitting there like a lifeless doll. It appears he¡¯s trying toe to terms with his party members having died.

    Or rather, his reaction is the normal one as far as I know. Why is the other old man so lively?¡±

    ¡°¡­Sword, the fine is basically our pay forpleting the request, right? Does it mean we won¡¯t get paid for the request if that guy gets what he wants?¡±

    ¡°Who knows. That depends on the guild. If the guild decides that they won¡¯t pay us ¡¯cause he¡¯s imin¡¯ that he hasn¡¯t been rescued, we¡¯ll go empty. Otherwise, we¡¯re goin¡¯ to be paid, no matter what that guy does.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ ¡­Say, do such things happen often to you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯smon. By the way, one time it was the other way ¡¯round too.¡±

    Other way around?

    I tilted my head in confusion.

    ¡°Folk imin¡¯ that they rescued me showed up, demandin¡¯ cash for achievin¡¯ the request.¡±

    Huh? Something like that works?

    ¡°Before I knew it, I was stranded. The folks with whom I had partied back then reported the ident, and the guild epted. The request was epted as soon as it was put up. I joined up with the folks, who had epted it, halfway. When I went back to the guild without knowin¡¯ anythin¡¯, I was told to fork over the money for the request.¡±

    Wow. He¡¯s totally been set up.

    ¡°Did you pay?¡±

    ¡°Would you have done it in my case?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d ughter those guys without paying. Don¡¯t ask the obvious.¡±

    ¡°Hey, hey, just a sec, okay? I didn¡¯t ughter them or anythin¡¯.¡±

    Just do it.

    ¡­As I was thinking that, Sword coldly looked at the old dude bickering with the examiner.

    ¡°If you say you won¡¯t pay, very well. Then the guild will never ept a request from you in the future, no matter what kind of.¡±

    The man froze up.

    ¡°¡­What was that!?¡±

    ¡°It means the guild will take appropriate measures towards adventurers, if they don¡¯t follow the rules. If you don¡¯t like it, quit being an adventurer and leave the guild right now. Especially seeing how it has been your fault for letting your friends die. ¡­You say they¡¯re at fault for not being in time to rescue them? Aren¡¯t you taking the job of adventurer way too lightly? Adventurers are the ones doing the saving! If you im that it¡¯s only natural for you to get rescued, stop being an adventurer and be a viger!¡±

    Oh, so everyone thought the same after all, huh?

    ¡­Hmm, I feel like he somehow said something important there?

    ¡°If you don¡¯t pay the fine, will the guild stop epting your requests?¡±

    ¡°Yep.¡±

    What about Sword who didn¡¯t pay back then? When I looked up to him, he answered, ¡°¡­It¡¯s just as you suspect. Even nowadays I can¡¯t submit any requests with the guild, and they won¡¯t put up any rescue requests for me either.¡±

    ¡°In other words, they won¡¯t ever be able to trick you with the same scam again?¡±

    ¡°I guess so.¡± Sword smiled bitterly.

    ¡°Humph¡­ Then I¡¯d love for the same to apply to me as well. If someone used that scam right in front of my nose, I¡¯d want to kidnap them, drag them deep into the mountains where no man visits so that no one can put up a rescue request for that person, and bury them in the ground up to their neck.¡±

    ¡°Your way too extreme!¡± After shouting, he ruffled my hair. ¡°Well, even if I were deep down in the shit, I don¡¯t think the guild would be able to contact anyone capable of savin¡¯ me. Also, I¡¯ll rescue you whenever necessary, so don¡¯t worry. You won¡¯t need to rely on the guild, ¡®kay?¡±

    ¡°Nah, you don¡¯t need toe even if something happens to me.¡± His hand stopped. ¡°If it¡¯s something I can¡¯t handle, the same would likely apply to you as well. So don¡¯t waste your life. I have no attachments to this world, and I n to use the taboo spell right before my death. Since you¡¯d be polluted if you were nearby, stay away. ¡­Wai-, ouch ouch!¡±

    He¡¯s grinding my temples!

    ¡°Whaa¡«at¡¯s up with you showin¡¯ off as you please, pipsqueak?! Just be a nice girl n¡¯ wait for me to rescue you!¡±

    I¡¯ve just told you that you don¡¯t need toe, sheesh.

    ¡°Where¡¯s your reply?¡±

    ¡°Stay away. Ouch ouch ouchh!!¡±

    My temples are ground once more.

    ¡°¡­Saying all that, you¡¯d want me toe? I mean, I¡¯d be about the only one who might be able to help you if you get yourself in trouble, right?¡±

    He removed his hands.

    ¡°¡­I really wonder. I can¡¯t even begin to imagine such a situation, though.¡±

    ¡°You could get deceived by someone, no? In such a case I¡¯d ughter everyone involved.¡±

    ¡°Stop it, please. After all, you sound like you¡¯d really do that.¡± He requested of me.

    £ª

    The girls carried their belongings to the guild and turned them into money, somehow managing to pay off their fine. The middle-aged dudes became debt ves.

    ves!

    When I got startled hearing about very, Sword gave me an exnation. It¡¯s just that the implications of the term are bad. In reality it seems to simply entail unpaid work as a live-in with food provided.

    As expected, it looks like the guild¡¯s request ban is pretty nasty. Even if you stop being an adventurer and pick another job, you won¡¯t be able to rely on the adventurer guild for anything, and assuming you continue as adventurer, they won¡¯t move in any way to save you if necessary.

    As for me, I safely got my rank-up to C-Rank. The next goal is B-Rank!

    I also took a short training course. Many of the participants were children at the same age as me. And I fully realized why Sword had told me that I wouldn¡¯t need it.

    The course mainly focused on how to use weapons and methods of gathering!

    The parts you really need to watch out for haven¡¯t been exined much. No, actually they did exin them, but I didn¡¯t listen. After all, they limited it to a rough summary at the end.

    ¡°¡­I think it¡¯d be better if you exined the most important stuff at the very beginning. What¡¯s the point in doing it at the end when everyone¡¯s ability to focus has already waned?¡± I voiced my opinion at thest part of the training course, the question and answer section.

    The people around me looked at me nkly, and the guild staff member smiled bitterly.

    ¡°Those things will naturally be a deeply ingrained part of your life if you continuepleting requests.¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t there just recently a guy who fell into very because it didn¡¯t be a deeply ingrained part of his life? Since I¡¯ve taken the short training course to prevent this from happening, put more emphasis on that than the way of handling weapons.¡±

    The ways of how to handle weapons is nothing you can learn in a day in the first ce. But, if you¡¯re once told, ¡°If you dislike paying a fine for getting rescued, then exclude the option from the beginning,¡± most people would be able to understand.

    £ª

    When I came back, the old drunkard, who had already downed quite a bit before sunset, asked me, ¡°So, how was it?¡±

    ¡°I was popr!¡±

    ¡°Haah!?¡±

    After the short training course finished, I received party invitations from almost everyone. When I turned them down, exining that I already had a party and that I took the training course because I didn¡¯t know of its existence, all of them became disappointed.

    ¡°I was super popr among the boys and girls! See! I do have some charisma!¡±

    When I threw out my chest in pride, he replied something outrageous with a sleepy, indifferent attitude, ¡°Your just makin¡¯ your belly stick out by emphasizing that washboard of yours.¡±

    !!!

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk about something that¡¯s been bothering me as weeeeell!!¡±

    ¡­My current self is somewhat different from my otherworld self. I¡¯ve been telling myself that I¡¯d get my secondary growth spurt anytime soon, but¡­my otherworld self already wore a bra when she was as old as I am now, didn¡¯t she? Her periods had already started as well, no?

    I already felt like it¡¯s a bit too little, but isn¡¯t it actuallypletely t?

    Sword poked fun at me whileughing, ¡°Been worryin¡¯ ¡¯bout it? But look, you got nothin¡¯ womanly to you anyway, seein¡¯ how your insides are those of a middle-aged guy, and your appearance that of a boy, right?¡±

    ¡°Shuuuut uuup!! ¡­It¡¯s fine. In exchange, my legs are beautiful!!¡±

    My otherworld self had a big chest, but her legs were thick. In short, she was chubby. This body looks awfully t, but its legs are very beautiful.

    I lolled my leg in front of Sword. But he just looked terribly annoyed.

    ¡°With my current body, I¡¯m going to win any contest with my legs!¡±

    ¡°You nnin¡¯ to tempt a grown-up with that childish figure!? Get real! Sorry, but I like my tits big. I¡¯ve got no cravin¡¯ for the legs of a littless.¡±

    ¡°Oh! You like big chests, huh? How unexpected!¡±

    ¡°¡­Old man, you too, eh? Now that¡¯s unexpected.¡±

    His reply feels totallyckluster though.

    ¡°You misunderstood. My otherworld self had a big chest.¡±

    Once again he looked at me as if annoyed.

    ¡°My legs were thick, though! But! I had confidence in my upper body and hands!¡±

    ¡°What kind of confidence? Even though your a kid, the knowledge of a perverted old man runs deep in you. Restrain yourself a bit.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m talking about my appearance! I was often praised for the whiteness and smoothness of my skin from cor to chest. My lover back then had a leg fetish, though¨D¨D¡±

    He told my otherworld self that it was still better than having no chest at all, but that he preferred older women with pretty legs. Since he went out with me, who was younger and had thick legs, despite that, it probably means that there¡¯s simply a difference between ideal and reality.

    ¨D¨DAh.

    A drop of water suddenly dropped down. Sword stared at me with a surprised face. His face became blurry.

    ¨D¨DAahh, I see. I guess I did love him.

    I can¡¯t recall his face anymore sinceing to this world, but I do remember his bad personality. We fought frequently. But, seeing how we went out with each other for a long time, both of us must have liked the quarreling.

    I wonder what he¡¯s doing now? Was he reincarnated like me?

    ¡­When I came to, I noticed that I was being hugged by Sword. Him stroking my head.

    ¡°¡­What, you want to meet that man?¡±

    ¡°No, I just became somewhat sentimental. ¡­I finally got pretty legs, and even though I wanted to show them off to him, I simply remembered¡­the guy, who would praise them so much, isn¡¯t around anymore.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s somethin¡¯ that happens often.¡±

    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why you don¡¯t need to mind me. ¡­You yourself are a worrywart. When ites to me, and the guys from the other day.¡±

    Sword¡¯s body froze with a twitch.

    ¡°The £Ûalcohol£Ý contained in liquor dulls your thinking. You temporarily stop thinking about things you¡¯d like to forget, and you think and act on ideas you wouldn¡¯t usuallye up with since your normal discernment is gone. It¡¯s fine as long as you enjoy that, but if you don¡¯t, stop drinking liquor and escaping into the embrace of women. You might as well use your drunken drive to getpletely naked bottom down and make merry by bouncing and dancing around out on the streets.¡±

    I immediately earned myself a fist with this!

    ¡°H-E-Y! Your ideas are way too messed up! As if I could ever do that as an S-Rank!¡±

    Ou-Ou-Ouch!

    ¡°¡­I really can¡¯t tell whether you¡¯re someone trying to act cool or not. It¡¯ll be alright. It¡¯spletely normal for drunkards to pull off something like that. It was the same in the other world as well.¡±

    ¡°That other world of yours sounds totally scary.¡±

    ¡­Guess so. The other world wasn¡¯t filled with that many of such people, but I wonder why my entire environment was overrun with them?

    There was even a drunkard who got arrested after driving a stolen bike (in front of a train station) right into a police box, wasn¡¯t there?

    ¡°Also, it¡¯s fine to run away into the embrace of a woman, but take proper responsibility for whateveres out of it. Or to be precise, marry her.¡±

    ¡°Could I have you stop gettin¡¯ on with the story on the assumption that I¡¯ve somethin¡¯ goin¡¯ on with a woman?¡±

    I mean, haven¡¯t you been staying out all night recently? I¡¯m totally aware that you¡¯ve been washing yourself secretly so that I wouldn¡¯t notice whenever you came back, you know?

    Standing up, I gently ced my hands on his shoulders.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Inside I¡¯m an adult. I know all about sex. I also understand the workings of guys. I won¡¯t pry into what you¡¯re doing with some random woman, nor am I going to hold any sermons about it. But you see, you can¡¯t fuc¡­copte in a way that prevents children in this world, can you? Unfortunately I¡¯m the product of two people who couldn¡¯t restrain their sexual desires and made me without any love involved whatsoever. Thus I can fully understand the pain of children like me. So make sure to take responsibility and give your kids the love they deserve!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been tryin¡¯ to tell you, I haven¡¯t been doin¡¯ it. Could you spare me from arbitrarily pushin¡¯ responsibility on me while interpretin¡¯ things as you like?¡±

    You don¡¯t want to take responsibility that much? But, just so you know, I¡¯m going to make you take responsibility if any victims of your irresponsible acts show up.

    Seeing me sulk, Sword grinned broadly, ¡°The guy your goin¡¯ to marry is goin¡¯ to have it tough. Well, the first issue would be whether it¡¯s actually a man you¡¯d marry.¡±

    Is he trying to tease me?

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have no intention to marry, be it man or woman. I¡¯ve got absolutely and utterly no desire to hook up with anyone, nor to allow my bloodline to continue in this world. If I¡¯m lucky enough to survive, I n to live my remaining years surrounded by Ryokus.¡±

    Sword froze once more.

    ¡­And then he hugged me once again.

    ¡°¡­Then how ¡¯bout carefreely livin¡¯ with me? It¡¯s a coincidence, but I got no ns to marry either. Nor do I feel like leavin¡¯ behind offspring. I thought that I¡¯d probably continue fightin¡¯ strong enemies and then die someday after runnin¡¯ into an enemy I can¡¯t defeat, but I s¡¯pose I¡¯ll live with you for as long as I survive.¡±

    ¡­I wonder what that guy is talking about.

    ¡°No, you have to take responsibility, right?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve friggin¡¯ told you that I didn¡¯t do it!!¡±

 Chapter 34

    I recalled a conversation we had.

    ¡°If I make a Ryoku, do you want one as well?¡±

    ¡°Yes, please.¡±

    An instantaneous reply.

    ¡°The £ÛParallelization£Ý¡­to describe it, let¡¯s see¡­the Ryokus use a system where all Ryokus memorize what a single Ryoku learns, but if you¡¯re okay with that, I¡¯ll prepare a personal Ryoku for you. We received the money forpleting the request, so I¡¯ll be able to make it if I gather a few more materials.¡±

    ¡°Tell me anythin¡¯ you need. I¡¯ll get it for you.¡±

    He wants one so badly? Even though he looked so coldly at my Ryoku in the past?

    ¡°Is it okay for me to specify a color?¡±

    ¡°Sure, but¡­I don¡¯t know whether I¡¯ll be able to mix the color as you want. Also, exclusive functions for the frame are no option. It¡¯s possible if it¡¯s an extra function through the removal of other parts. But if not, your Ryoku might not be able to move properly.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind either way, so please make one for me.¡±

    Ever since the liquor, it¡¯s the first thing he¡¯s really eager about.

    ¡°I can also change its size. What should I do?¡±

    ¡°Makin¡¯ it too big is, well¡­it won¡¯t be able to fit through narrow ces, right?¡±

    ¡°Most likely, yep. So far there¡¯s been no problem, but I¡¯ve been wondering whether a slightly smaller version would be better.¡±

    In the end he told me to keep the size as it is now and use a white color.

    ¡°I was sure you¡¯d ask me for red.¡±

    ¡°Why would you bring up red of all things? Red is the personal color of ¡¾Bloody Witch¡¿.¡±

    Eh? Is that how it works? And, Sword¡¯s personal color is white?

    ¡°If we¡¯re speakin¡¯ ¡¯bout the personal color of ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿, it¡¯s obviously gotta be white¡­¡±

    ¡°Eh? What was that?¡±

    Just now I heard some weird words? Do your best, Mr. Trantor!

    What I heard¡­what was it again? Mr. Trantor has ceased working in my brain!

    ¡°¡­¡­Nevermind. Anyway, my personal color as ¡ºS-Rank Adventurer Sword¡» is white!

    That¡¯s what I told you!¡±

    ¡°I-I see. Some strange words reached my ears, and my brain rejected tranting them. It must have been my imagination, yep! Okay, I see, I see, S-Ranks have personal colors, huh? Come to think of it, I¡¯ve heard that you can choose a color once you made a name for yourself.¡±

    The ace pilot of the other world¡¯s ducal army also had red as personal color! Over here red seems to be assigned to Ms. Bloody. Still, that sure is a crazy name.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be able to pick one as well once you be an S-Rank, you know? Rather, I feel like folks selfishly set the color, goin¡¯ by what you use preferably as your personal color, though.¡±

    ¡°Blue-green is the only choice for me.¡±

    Alright, I¡¯m going to actively use blue-green on everything from now on!

    ¡°¡­Which reminds me, what are you goin¡¯ to use for the frame? Unless your fixated on iron, even Mithril or Admantite would be possible since I¡¯m gonna pay¡­¡±

    ¡°No, I won¡¯t use any metals. If I did that, automatic self-repair wouldn¡¯t be possible in case of damage, right? Maintaining the painting would be a pain as well, and above all, it¡¯d make the Ryoku heavy. That¡¯s why it¡¯s best to go with a carapace simr to insects and crustaceans. If it gets damaged to such an extent that the automatic self-repair can¡¯t fix it anymore, it¡¯ll repair itself by molting.¡±

    Sword¡¯s smile froze.

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s totally like a spider, isn¡¯t it!? Molting? Why the hell molting!?¡±

    ¡°The Ryokus are a lot more amazing than spiders. After all, they can automatically repair most of the damage they might receive. A normal spider can¡¯t do that, can it?¡±

    If you throw magic elements into the mix, it¡¯s really anything goes.

    (Note: Indra-san was at an age of five already at a level where she could read and write difficult books, but when her memories revived, thenguage from her previous life entered her brain. What made matters worse is her not having talked much with other people of her current world ever since then, so thenguage of her thoughts has be that of her previous world. Basically she¡¯s bilingual, but when she¡¯s confronted with words she doesn¡¯t want toprehend, she¡¯ll deliberately trante them as ¡°What does this expression mean?¡±)

    £ª

    Several dayster.

    ¡°I¡¯m done.¡±

    If you got the design specifications, a Ryoku is easier to build than assembling a stic model. Magic is so convenient~

    ¡°I have registered your biometrics. He¡¯ll listen to my orders as well, but you have the highest authority.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you, Mr. Sword! I am, Ryoku!¡±

    He gives a cute greeting while lifting a hand.

    Oh drat, he¡¯s so friggin¡¯ cute that I might die from an overdose of sweetness!

    ¡°¡­Why are all of ¡¯em called Ryoku?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t ept any requests for name changes.¡±

    Ryoku is Ryoku. Period!

    ¡°Haaah¡­well, whatever. Best regards.¡±

    No matter what he might say, he seems happy. He¡¯s pleased with his Ryoku.

    ¡°Did the extras work?¡±

    ¡°Yep, that side is okay.¡±

    The extra addition Sword suddenly came up was ¡°to fire lightning spells from the grenadeuncher and not the usual 40 mm bomb spells.¡±

    In other words, it¡¯s that, isn¡¯t it? The ninjutsu sounding like the cry of a chidori that was used at the early stage by a copy ninja of the other world. 1

    The Ryoku back at the mansion can¡¯t use it, but since it¡¯s an extra, I got to avoid letting it waste away by not using it after assigning it. Let¡¯s make sure to make it usable while doing the maintenance once I get back to the mansion.

    ¨D¨Dording to the information pulled through the parallelization, the Ryoku back in the mansion seems to be helping with the farming, ys and giggles around with the maids, goes shopping with the cook, and so on. He appears to be so convenient that the mansion¡¯s guards are asking whether Ryoku wouldn¡¯t be plenty to handle the entire guard protocol.

    Moreover, the mansion Ryoku has be able to talk adorably! Why!?

    Why is only my Ryoku different despite both Ryokus supposedly being connected!?!

    £ª

    After I made him his own Ryoku, Sword finally started to distance himself from liquor. I suspect ites from me having secretly added a warning as a basic function, telling him, ¡°Mr. Sword, drinking too much liquor won¡¯t only damage your main body¡¯s internal devices, but it will also create processing dys of your operational circuits and memory lines, you know? Here you go with some water.¡±

    When I felt relieved about that part, he stroked my head, ¡°¡­Sorry, I made you worry, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°Your liquor is bad liquor. Enjoy drinking it to the extent of marching around with Ryoku while singing loudly without exposing your bottom half. Just make sure to remember that the idea that it¡¯ll be alright since you¡¯ve drunk an antidote won¡¯t work.¡±

    ¡°Gotcha. ¡­Your really clear-cut, aren¡¯t you? What would you think if a person died because they received a request for fun as if yin¡¯ a game?¡±

    ¡°As in them dying out of carelessness? I think that¡¯d be their bad luck at work then. Something like someone sneaking in during a test run of a Ryoku and getting identally shot, for example?¡±

    Sword shook his head.

    ¡°I meant when that person got killed in front of your eyes after eptin¡¯ a request without a care because they believed it to be a walk in the park.¡±

    ¡°You mean the thing from the other day? That¡¯s why I said ¡¸What about it?¡¹. ¡­If it was so hard on you, it¡¯d have been fine if I had handled it instead of you.¡±

    He shook his head once more.

    ¡°Such people have never died in front of your eyes, right? I wonder whether you¡¯d be so clear-cut ¡¯bout things if you had seen such a scene¡­¡±

    ¡°The only person I¡¯d want to rescue is you.¡±

    Sword came to a grinding halt upon those words.

    ¡°The things you¡¯ve seen as someone, who only knows this world, and the things I¡¯ve seen as someone, who¡¯s lived in this world and the other, are different. It¡¯s no like I don¡¯t feel anything either. But, in my eyes, this world is far too brutal. I won¡¯t bother to worry about what happens to the people of this world to the extent of whittling down my own spirit. I¡¯ll get angry if a Ryoku gets destroyed, and if you get killed, I¡¯ll destroy the world alongside your murderer. However, I won¡¯t care about other people to such an extent.¡±

    Sword¡¯s bitter smile gradually deepened.

    ¡°¡­The guy, who was your man in the other world, might havee to this world as well, no? And yet you¡¯d destroy the world?¡±

    ¡°My otherworld self and my current self are different. That¡¯d be the same for the man who was my lover in the other world. Even if we met each other, we wouldn¡¯t recognize one another, and even if he¡¯s now living in this world, I¡¯ll stick to my previous words: The only one <strong>I</strong> would want to rescue is you alone.¡±

    ¡°¡­I understand.¡± Sword caressed my head.

    ¡­Things have be slightly worrisome. It¡¯s because Sword is kinda crying.

    If it¡¯s so hard on you, I¡¯ll handle all the rescue missions from now on.

 Chapter 35

    {Sasha}

    <strong>¡¾Crimson Lilies are a Maiden¡¯s Oath¡¿</strong> has mostly ceased its operations nowadays. Since we¡¯ve turned everything into money, even selling off our equipment, we wouldn¡¯t be able to take on anything but collection requests and odd jobs like we did as G-Ranks. Thus we¡¯ve decided to do individual jobs to earn money.

    Cathy is working at an inn as a live-in. Given that people capable of using fire magic are highly valued, she seems to be given a fairly decent wage. The other day she smiled bitterly, bickering, ¡°Isn¡¯t it totally outrageous that this job earns me more than working as an adventurer?¡±

    Some adventurers ridicule and jeer at us for being in such a mess, but on the other hand, some encourage us. Thetter seem to grow in number the higher their rank as adventurers.

    ¡­I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s because they know. That having survived is more important than being broke. And that we¡¯ll be able to make a living as adventurers again as long as we continue without bing discouraged.

    In the past, our party would have belonged to the group of people ridiculing and looking down on others. But, now it¡¯s different.

    ¨D¨DWe¡¯ve started to honestly do our best.

    But, I was naive in many respects. I never realized it until I felt death looming over me. Being pulled along by Cathy, I pushed all responsibility on her while leaving all decisions to her. Even though I knew that we should have headed back a lot earlier, I didn¡¯t say a word. Just for the reason that it¡¯d be troublesome to persuade and pacify Cathy.

    But, that was wrong.

    We¡¯re a party, so we have to talk with each other since it involves the lives of all of us. I¡¯m sure <strong>he</strong> also shares <strong>his</strong> opinion, even if <strong>his</strong> partner is an S-Rank adventurer. I¡¯ve got to follow that example a lot more.

    ¡­¡­As a matter of fact, I¡¯ve been meeting and talking with <strong>him</strong> while keeping it a secret from Cathy and Liz.

    Cathy always flies into a rage thanks to her personality, but in reality it¡¯s pretty obvious that she¡¯s head over heels for <strong>him</strong>. I also didn¡¯t miss how Liz became as bright red as an apple when <strong>he</strong> gave her medical treatment.

    But, at that moment ¨C the instant <strong>he</strong> nted himself in front of us in the blink of an eye and erased the spell ¨C I also fell in love with <strong>him</strong>.

    ¨D¨D<strong>He</strong> answered me normally when I chatted <strong>him</strong> up during a normal situation.

    <strong>He</strong> is younger than me, but has a very pretty face. <strong>He</strong> is a bit slender, but not only <strong>his</strong> magic, but also <strong>his</strong> swordsmanship seem to be amazing. And <strong>he</strong> was strong enough to run while carrying us three with ease. What gave me the finishing blow is <strong>his</strong> silky hair and <strong>him</strong> not stinking like the other men!

    When I spotted <strong>him</strong> the other day, I boldly called out to <strong>him</strong>. I worried what I¡¯d do if I¡¯d get ignored again, but <strong>he</strong> stopped and looked back at me.

    ¡°¡­We had to even sell off our equipment to pay the fine, and currently we¡¯re earning money by doing odd jobs. Oh, I almost forgot! I¡¯m deeply grateful to you for saving us, and no, that¡¯s no sarcasm or anything! I firmly believe it, because being alive allows us to keep being adventurers as long as we do our best like this! That¡¯s why, umm¡­thank you for saving us!¡±

    <strong>He</strong> smiled gently, ¡°I see, but please give your thanks to Sword. I just epted the request because he¡¯s my partner. ¡­Sword has been unlucky since the guys he rescued insulted him for it, so he got hurt and has been feeling down. I think he¡¯d be delighted to hear that you¡¯re grateful. Also, I share your opinion. Making great efforts while being positive about the future isn¡¯t for anyone¡¯s sake but your own. The process of persevering while believing that you¡¯ll achieve your dreams one day is very important.¡±

    I got to see <strong>his</strong> modesty and diligence. When I met <strong>him</strong> for the first time, <strong>he</strong> only seemed very peevish, but now <strong>he</strong> is treating me very gentlemanly.

    £ª

    When I called <strong>him</strong> Mr. Sword¡¯s pupil, <strong>he</strong> denied it over and over again. <strong>He</strong> is iming that <strong>he</strong> learned everything <strong>himself</strong>!

    That¡¯s awesome!

    <strong>He</strong> exined that <strong>he</strong> met Mr. Sword by chance, and when Mr. Sword invited <strong>him</strong> to work as adventurers together, <strong>he</strong> simply epted it.

    But now it makes sense. I mean everyone would be pissed if you agree on something like this, and yet get dumped the instant you arrive at a town.

    That golem¡­is something <strong>he</strong> built after teaching <strong>himself</strong> how.

    How dreamy.

    To be honest, it looks like a monster, but¡­but the longer I look at it, the cuter it seems to me. It¡¯s also wonderful how it¡¯ll repeat what you¡¯ve taught it.

    £ª

    As I kept listening to <strong>him</strong>, I understood <strong>his</strong> amazingness and how much <strong>he</strong>¡®s cherishing Mr. Sword. Whenever we talk, Mr. Sword will pop up as a topic, so it¡¯s obvious that <strong>he</strong> is worrying about Mr. Sword.

    ¡­Some people in town are against Mr. Sword. In reality, Cathy is one of them as well.

    ording to her, he¡¯s drinking booze at bars while treating folks to expensive liquor every night. She also mentioned that he¡¯s recently going around with a white golem that looks just like <strong>his</strong> golem, boasting that it¡¯s his exclusive golem. Cathy seems to have heard all of this from the inn¡¯s customers, and felt disappointed about it.

    ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t that the cash he got from our fine!? Even that guy, who did nothing but bicker around, fell into very because he couldn¡¯t pay up. And yet he uses that money to treat himself and others to booze, and to buy a golem? ¡­Why don¡¯t you feel anything after hearing that? Wouldn¡¯t it have been okay for them to at least lower the fine!?¡±

    ¡°¡­But, isn¡¯t it a normal reward forpleting a request? Even we would have hated it if someone told us how to spend our money when wepleted requests to save vigers, no?¡±

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s true, but¡­¡±

    ¡°It looks like various things happened to Mr. Sword during that rescue, and he has been feeling down ever since, trying to drown his pain with liquors. Moreover, it¡¯s not like his liquor has been bought with the money for saving us. It seems it¡¯s the liquor he¡¯s brought with him from his own brewery¡­Besides, I heard he didn¡¯t buy that golem, but ¡°he¡± made it for him. They said ¡°he¡± built it for Mr. Sword as encouragement¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Sasha? Don¡¯t you know awfully much about all of this? Howe?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s the gossip of the town, you know?¡± I deceived her with a cheerful smile.

    No matter what, I won¡¯t ever tell her that I¡¯ve heard it from <strong>him</strong>.

    £ª

    When I heard that <strong>he</strong> would leave town, I cried.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best, so you do the same. Let¡¯s meet again as adventurers.¡±

    I nodded at <strong>his</strong> words.

    ¡°¡­Oh, andstly, I¡¯m no <strong>he</strong>, but a <strong>she</strong>. Please address me like that when we meet next, okay?¡±

    ¡­¡­¡­Eh?

    <strong>He</strong> departed, leaving those cryptic words behind.

    Wait, ehh!? <strong>She</strong>? What¡¯s that about?

 Chapter 36

    We moved to the next town.

    ¡°Listen, stay clear from rescue requests! I¡¯ll take care of those! You do other requests!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been tellin¡¯ you, I¡¯ve got it. Sorry for makin¡¯ you worry.¡±

    Somehow it looks like Sword is fairly sensitive despite his insensibility. As soon as he gets med just a bit, he immediately starts feeling depressed. I¡¯d love to tell him to learn the soundproof spell and simply ignore the whining.

    ¡­Suddenly I got hold up in Sword¡¯s arms.

    ¡°You¡¯ve never seen anyone die before, have you? You might suffer a far heavier shock than me if you actually witness it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve lopped off monster heads and dismantled their bodies with these hands, you know? Should I prove to you that I can kill a person by doing it in front of you and dismantling them?¡±

    I was thrown on the ground.

    ¡°Your senses are totally messed up! What? Are people and monsters on the same level in your other world!? What kind of world is that supposed to be!?¡±

    I rubbed the ce that hit the ground.

    ¡°Ou-Ouch¡­ Some people over there didn¡¯t consider them to be of the same level, but I see no difference between them. What¡¯s up with the idea of regarding only humans as holy even though animals, fish, insects, and even nts are alive just as much? If you say they¡¯re different just because ofnguageprehension, then I can assure you that the animals I kept when I lived in the other world understood my words just fine. If those guys got killed, I¡¯d have definitely grieved and I¡¯m confident that I¡¯d have murdered the one who killed them, even if it was another human.¡±

    Sword sighed.

    ¡°¡­In short, all that matters for you is whether you cherish someone, huh?¡±

    ¡°The people of this world lead wars, don¡¯t they? So they warrant killing other humans as long as they regard it as justified, but only when a human gets killed by a monster, do they mourn their death? Actually I¡¯d say I don¡¯t understand your view on this. When people, who calmly kill other people, get attacked by monsters, you try to rescue them, and wail in sadness if you fail at it. That makes absolutely no sense. Personally I¡¯d mourn if a monster, who loved me, got killed by some human for the sole reason of it being a monster.¡±

    Sword groaned while being at a loss.

    ¡°¡­That¡­might be true, but¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m telling you that I¡¯ll do it. Between us two I¡¯m the one who¡¯s capable of carrying out a task indifferently as part of a job.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Roger.¡±

    The middle-aged man looked dispirited.

    £ª

    As I was checking out the requests at the guild after we arrived at the next town, I inly announced, ¡°Sword, let¡¯s split up and work separately.¡±

    Sword became dumbstruck.

    ¡°Haah?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a request I want to do. Since I can handle it myself, I¡¯d like to work solo on this one.¡±

    It¡¯s a request that has piqued my interest.

    ¡°Wait. Sure, it might be proactive to go with a murder request, but I¡¯m worried because it¡¯s likely that you¡¯d get totally off the right track. I told you that you don¡¯t have to show me how you dismantle a human, so please give it a rest, ¡®kay?¡±

    ¨D¨DJust what does he consider me to be? There¡¯s no way that I¡¯d actually show him how I dismantle a human, is there? Of course I¡¯d do it if asked, but I don¡¯t have the hobby of dismantling useless materials that won¡¯t even sell.

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong. ¡­Do you want to do it together with me then? Oh right, I guess you can do this while I¡¯m being taught.¡±

    I pointed at a gathering request. Sword furrowed his eyebrows.

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s quite a few different types. Moreover, it¡¯s time-limited and the reward is cheap, too. ¡­Hey, this is certainly a request no other adventurer epts, but you see, it ain¡¯t a request we should do either.¡±

    ¡°I want to ept it. It might be easy for you, but I want to learn a bit about the various types of medicinal nts.¡±

    Sword sighed very, very deeply.

    ¡°¡­Your ¡ºI want to learn¡» means you n to make medicine, right? But, you¡¯ve never gotten injured yourself, have you? The other day you said you used somethin¡¯ you made yourself, but honestly, even without you goin¡¯ out of your way like this, we can cover everythin¡¯ with a single healin¡¯ potion. Also, I¡¯m an S-Rank, you remember? I¡¯ve got plenty of cashyin¡¯ ¡¯round. I also own special grade healin¡¯ potions, not to mention all the high grade potions.¡±

    That¡¯s not the issue here!

    I puffed up my cheeks and pursed my lips.

    For some reason it caused Sword to flinch.

    ¡°¡­I hate such a loveless medical treatment. If you get injured I want to properly heal your wounds with something I made with my own hands.¡±

    ¡°Gotcha. ept the request. And if I get injured, you¡¯ll heal me.¡±

    The old man¡¯s bashful side seems to havee out. Either way, I got his permission.

    ¡°¡­Your really¡­maybe it¡¯s that otherworld knowledge of yours, but sometimes you sure say stuff that can be easily mistaken as a pick-up line.¡± Sword mumbled under his breath.

    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯ve been telling you that this world is way too brutal. Having the parent apply the healing with their own hands if a child falls over, or having a pretty woman apply the medicine on the wound with her white, slender fingers if a guy gets injured engenders feelings of gentleness and calmness, right?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just casually drop a line you¡¯d hear from a perverted old man in there?¡±

    I ignored him.

    ¡°In short, what I want to tell you is to not drink healing potions unless you¡¯re in a situation where you¡¯ll be killed if you don¡¯t heal yourself right away.¡±

    ¡°I HA-VE UN-DER-STOOD. Since I have a boy with the mind of a middle-aged guy at my side, I¡¯ll let myself get healed by him.¡±

    ¡­¡­That¡¯s a nasty thing to say.

    £ª

    I epted the request, and visited the client first. Sword apanied me as well.

    It looks like he wants to make sure that it¡¯s safe.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s in a fairly remote location, eh?¡±

    The location of the client was deep in a ce that would be described as<strong>¡¾Slum¡¿</strong> in the other world. At the end of a row of houses that looked like they¡¯d fall apart at the first earthquake.

    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s see. Oh! This is the ce!¡±

    <strong>¡¾General Pharmacy¡¿</strong> was written above the door.

    £ª

    When I tried to energetically enter, Sword grabbed my shoulders, stopping me.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    When I looked back, Sword was looking at me with an indescribable expression.

    ¡­This face, if I remember correctly, he had pulled the same expression in the first town we visited, hadn¡¯t he? I reflexively put myself on guard.

    ¡°¡­Your nnin¡¯ to be the apprentice of a pharmacist?¡±

    ¡­Eh? Why?

    ¡°No? In the first ce, I don¡¯t even know what the pharmacists of this world do. Just, there are some nts I need, but I don¡¯t know how they look in this world. I¡¯ve been merely nning to try asking whilepleting the request.¡±

    He let go of me with relief written on his face.

    I became slightly sullen, and added, ¡°¡­You as well, don¡¯t start telling me to be a pharmacist apprentice to experience some of the world, okay?¡±

    He roughly stroked my hair.

    ¡°As if I¡¯d do that, silly.¡±

    ¡°You looked like you would.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Haah? I didn¡¯t even think about it, so why would I pull such an expression?¡±

    That¡¯s what I want to know.

    I quickly turned my face away, ¡°¡­¡­No clue. ¡­¡­Previously, when we went to the first town, you had the same face.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    No idea! I haven¡¯t be uneasy or anything! And if I say I haven¡¯t be uneasy, then it¡¯s a fact!!

    Finishing the talk, I opened the door.

    £ª

    Once I entered the pharmacy, my excitement rose due to the characteristic fragrance tickling my nose.

    Yep, this is the smell of crude medicines I know so well!

    Sword looked somewhat doubtful.

    ¡°¡­Oh my, you¡¯re quite the lovely customer, aren¡¯t you?¡±,mented the granny inside the pharmacy.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not a customer. I¡¯m the adventurer who found and epted the request you put up with the guild.¡±

    ¡°Oh, Ms. Tiny Adventurer, you¡¯re going to handle my request?¡±

    ¡°Correct. The one behind me¡­well, please don¡¯t mind him. So, it¡¯s a bit abrupt, but as a matter of fact, I¡¯m not very well-acquainted with medicinal nts. I¡¯d like you to give me some pointers for when I¡¯m going to gather them.¡±

    ¡°I suppose I should slowly exin it to you over a cup of hot water then.¡±

    Seeing the hot water she served, my eyes widened.

    ¡°£ÛStarch Gruel£Ý!?!¡±

    ¡°Haah?¡± Sword retorted while the granny tilted her head in confusion.

    ¡°This here is one of the nts I wanted to find! It has, you see, an effect of warming your body! Also, the £ÛGinger£Ý inside also heats up your body! If you make £ÛArrowroot Tea£Ý by mixing this and several £ÛNatural Remedies£Ý, it¡¯ll work against all early, light ailments! It¡¯s also effective against stiff shoulders! Though I never confirmed it myself! It also contains £ÛEphedra£Ý, £ÛJujube£Ý, £ÛCinnamon£Ý, £ÛPeony£Ý, umm, umm.¡±

    ¡°Hey, calm down. I¡¯vepletely stopped understandin¡¯ what your talkin¡¯ ¡¯bout!¡±

    Sword shook me back and forth.

    ¡°¡­¡­I understand. I¡¯ll calm down.¡±

    I breathed in deeply.

    I breathed out deeply.

    ¡°¡­Excuse me, I just got a tad excited.¡±

    The granny stared at me, her head still tilted.

    ¡°¡­Ms. Tiny Adventurer, are you a pharmacist?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not. My parents have worked in a simr upation. I just got a smattering of knowledge about it. But, in this world you can heal everything by just drinking healing potions, can¡¯t you? That¡¯s quite hard to swallow for me. And then, today! Right here! Medicines! These are real medicines!¡±

    ¡°Wait. Calm down. We understand, so settle down. Just get a clue that we don¡¯t get what your talkin¡¯ ¡¯bout, really.¡±

    He shook me back and forth once more.

    I breathed in deeply.

    I breathed out deeply.

    Since the granny silently held out the starch gruel to me, I calmed my mind by drinking it.

    ¡°¡­Anyway, you got to see that there are hundreds of ways to contort medicine with medicinal nts, but themon medicine are limited in types, so as long as I know those, well¡­I should be somehow able to handle smaller illnesses one way or another. Since I want to make such medicine, I¡¯d like you to teach me about medicinal nts. I don¡¯t mind if you keep the details to a level equivalent in value to the ¡ºamount of money you offered for the request¡».¡±

    Sword opened his mouth. The grannyughed.

    ¡°Sure, we¡¯ve got a deal then.¡±

    ¡°Please take care of me.¡±

    I held out my hand.

    £ª

    ¡°So, as you¡¯ve heard, I¡¯m going to frequent this ce for a while. You take another request. However! If it includes saving other people¡¯s lives, leave that part to me! Don¡¯t do it yourself, no matter what!¡±

    ¡°I already told you that I understand. ¡­Still, you¡­do you really hate bin¡¯ someone¡¯s apprentice so much?¡±

    Huh? Why?

    When I tilted my head in puzzlement, Sword exined, ¡°It was the same with me, and you said somethin¡¯ simr to that old grandmother as well. Whenever you request to be taught somethin¡¯, you¡¯ll always suggest a bargain. Is that how it¡¯s handled in the other world?¡±

    Eh? Isn¡¯t that normal?

    ¡°No? It¡¯s not like that, but if you take the benefit of both sides into ount, this way won¡¯t turn into one side exploiting the other. Since it¡¯ll be necessary to thank her if I get her to teach me either way, I¡¯ve suggested this method before it turns into an argument.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°Even you would be more willing to do something if asked while getting offered liquor in exchange than getting asked with nothing but words, right?¡±

    ¡°Ah, just now I totally got it. You sure are a great girl.¡±

    He stroked my head around.

    ¡°So, what are you gonna ask me for that liquor bottle?¡±

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t drink any liquor until you take the antidote. Somehow, I hate it.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­ Gotcha, I won¡¯t promise you with absolute certainty, but I¡¯ll refrain.¡±

    I finally got him to say this, eh?

 Chapter 37

    Several dayster. I went to the ce granny told me, dried the nts, and delivered them to her. In exchange, she kept her side of the deal, teaching me the effects of the medicinal nts every day.

    Sword has been abstaining from alcohol just as he had announced. He¡¯s also avoiding any requests that involve saving the lives of others. Or rather, those requests seem to be rather rare.

    Which reminds me, it appears he hunted some amazing monster during a subjugation request, but I haven¡¯t seen it.

    ¡­Sword sure is living the life of an adventurer. Me, on the other hand, I haven¡¯t done any adventuring in a while. I¡¯m making robots and contorting medicines. Or in other words, nothing you could describe as adventuring.

    ¡­But, it¡¯s fine! Right now I¡¯m in a period of learning! Once I¡¯m done with this, I¡¯ll adventure again! I want to hunt monsters¡­no, it¡¯s pitiful to hunt them indiscriminately, so let¡¯s go for a dungeon next! I¡¯ll have Sir Dungeon Core pump out formidable enemies for me!

    £ª

    ¡°¡­Hey, don¡¯t add weird functions to my Ryoku!¡± Sword scolded me aftering back.

    ¡°Eh? Did something trigger?¡±

    ¡°He started to tell me, ¡ºMr. Sword, my tummy hurts, so can we go home? Pwetty please?¡»!¡±

    Yikes! What was thaaaaaaaat!?

    ¡°That one got triggered!? How enviable¡­!!¡±

    ¡°Moreover, smack down in the middle of the guild!! I had absolutely no idea what to do, you know!?¡±

    ¡°Just answer him, ¡ºWhere was your tummy again?¡».¡±

    ¡°As if I¡¯d say that, silly!¡±

    What!

    Sword¡¯s iron w came down on my head while I was angry since it was obviously a standard answer, so he should have known it.

    ¡°Ouch ouch ouch!!¡±

    ¡°N-O-W L-I-S-T-E-N, don¡¯t waste all your effort on bullshit, girl!¡±

    That¡¯s no bullshit!

    ¡°¡­So, how are things on your side? Are you about done?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m already done.¡±

    ¡­is how it turned out at least.

    £ª

    It looks like this request is a regr type. A request I shouldn¡¯t have epted as it¡¯s always done by the same local adventurer. Since it pays way too little for the effort it takes, no one other than that girl had been epting the request, but then I came along and took it up.

    It¡¯d have been great if the guild staff would have told me all that in advance, but since the staff member knew about the usual adventurer having injured herself and thus being unable to do the request for a while, he had apparently let me do it since he saw no harm in it.

    When the adventurer in question wondered about the request not being up after having recovered, she heard about me having epted the request in her absence and kept doing it all the time ever since then, flying into rage.

    She then stormed into the pharmacy, yelling, ¡°So it¡¯s you!? The one who stole my request!!¡±

    Granny and I stared at her nkly.

    ¡­Was she talking to me?

    And then granny exined the situation to the angry girl. She had apparently also thought that I, who had interest in medicines, had been sent here instead of the injured girl.

    ¡°I see. It¡¯s my bad then.¡±

    ¡°You think all will be fine with that!?¡±

    ¡°Obviously. Has anyone suffered any loss from this? Why haven¡¯t you simply taken another request?¡±

    That caused her topletely stall. But, she recovered.

    ¡°¡­You¡¯re just causing trouble for the pharmacist!!¡±

    Once I looked at granny, she shook her head. ¡°I haven¡¯t had so much fun in a while now. Due to her not only being curious, but also very passionate and knowledgeable, it motivated me quite a bit as well.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it was a big help for me. I¡¯d be troubled if weird side effects would appear from my medicine because they were nothing more than handmade contortions of a novice, but I think Sword and I would have been fine either way. However, after getting your advice, I¡¯ve gained a bit of confidence.¡±

    We both smiled at each other, thinking from the bottom of our hearts that it¡¯s great to have found a soulmate on this!

    ¡­But.

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s obviously a lie!! Isn¡¯t it totally impossible that you haven¡¯t caused her trouble!?¡±

    As she was screaming and ranting around, people started to gather. And she began to ther about me being a scoundrel and criminal who nned something evil to deceive granny. Granny tried to calm her by objecting, but the surrounding people had already sided with the girl, and at this point the situation started to go out of control, requiring suppression by force.

    Having Ryoku act as a messenger, I exined the circumstances to the authorities through the guild staff. The officials hauled in all the rioting folks, and had them stay in prison for having staged an uprising. Since I didn¡¯t want Sword to hear about this, I kept it a secret.

    Anyway, after I exined the situation to the guild staff, he admitted his own mistake, and exined things to the girl.

    I don¡¯t know whether that got her to calm down¡­no, it¡¯s evident that she¡¯s still upset, I suppose. It¡¯s a foregone conclusion that she¡¯ll pick another fight with me. Therefore I formally stopped doing that request ever since that day. I didn¡¯t go to granny to bid farewell either, but it can¡¯t be helped since I can¡¯t get close to her anymore.

    £ª

    ¡°Okay, the requests on my side are done as well, so let¡¯s leave soon. ¡­Or rather, this town been an unexpected waypoint anyway.¡±

    ¡°Taking detours is what adventuring is all about!¡±

    ¡°¡­You know, sometimes I¡¯m really jealous of your bottomless positive view of adventurin¡¯.¡±

    It¡¯s nothing special!

    ¡°¡­My training period is finally over! All that¡¯s left after having obtained the necessary knowledge is to put it into practice!¡±

    ¡°Leavin¡¯ ¡®side the golems, what¡¯s the point in a trainin¡¯ period for obtainin¡¯ knowledge about medicines that aren¡¯t even healing potions!?¡± He thrust a finger at me, looking sullen.

    ¡°For your information, I can now make any medicine, be it healing potions or antidotes!¡±

    Sword jumped, apparently startled.

    ¡°Haaah!?¡±

    ¡°Those are magic tools! Magic tools you drink! And I can make magic tools!¡±

    ¡°Huh!? Healing potions are magic tools, you say!?¡±

    ¡°You have magic elements dissolve in liquid¡­well, it¡¯s just in water though¡­by adding herbs with a high density of magic elements. Once you drink that, it triggers a spell that converts into cells simr to those of a healthy body. Injuries and illnesses are cured thanks to this effect. Antidotes work in a simr way.¡±

    ¡°¡­Seriously?¡±

    He was looking at me, dumbfounded, but it¡¯s true.

    ¡°You¡¯re right, I think it¡¯s amazing and iprehensible how this world¡¯s magic returns something to its previous state by just chanting something like ¡ºReturn to normal¡», but I¡¯ve be capable of analyzing how magic elements work! And recreating those analyzed spells is my specialty! So you see, <strong>magic elements</strong> contain extremely crucial potentials, but since they¡¯re elements that didn¡¯t exist in the other world, I want to heal without relying on them as much as possible. For this reason I studied medicinal nts.¡±

    After being lost for words, he stroked me.

    ¡°You really love studyin¡¯, don¡¯t you? I feel like that part clearly shows your noble origin. You won¡¯t find any adventurers who like desk work, you know?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about desk work, but I prefer knowing over not knowing. I want to make decisions for the future after I¡¯ve understood things. However, I should add the limitation ¡ºto a certain extent¡». ¡­In short, for the reasons I told you just now, when pushes to shove I can make healing potions, and before that, I can also rely on magic, but since it goes against my principles, I made medicines.¡±

    I held out two paper packages to Sword.

    ¡°Take this before drinking liquor. It will strengthen your £ÛLiver£Ý¡­the organ responsible for disassembling alcohol, and it¡¯ll also improve your water metabolism. If you¡¯re gued by painful feelings, take this one. It¡¯ll allow you to sleep soundly without seeing any nightmares while also improving your sleep¡¯s quality.¡±

    Sword stared at me stupefied for a while.

    ¡°¡­In other words, you went there because you wanted to make these?¡±

    ¡°¡­Pretty much.¡±

    Afterwards he kept staring at me nkly for a while longer, and then showed me a smile that was so gentle as I¡¯d never seen it before.

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­It has a bitter taste which the people of this world aren¡¯t used to drinking, but put up with it.¡±

    ¡°Gotcha.¡±

    He took the packages from me and stored them in his pocket.

    ¡°¡­If you n to spend your remaining years with me, don¡¯t drink too heavily, okay? You¡¯re a middle-aged guy, so if you indulge in liquor too much, you¡¯ll croak early, got it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s none of your business! ¡­But, I¡¯ll be careful.¡±

    Sword had been looking at me with a soft face all the time.

    ¡­Suddenly the phrase, ¡°I¡¯ll show you that I¡¯ve got the same feelings even ten years down the line!¡±, crossed my mind. I said them to my lover, didn¡¯t I?

    I also remembered the lines ten yearster.

    ¡°See, even ten yearster I haven¡¯t changed a bit, have I?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I realized as much even before that.¡± He had answered me as if it was only natural.

    That¡¯s what I¡¯ve recalled now.

    ¨D¨DIn other words, I thought the same about Sword. That I¡¯ll feel the same even ten years down the line.

    There¡¯s no romantic love nor affection between us. He isn¡¯t my lover nor my friend. But, I¡¯m sure, we¡¯ll still be together ten yearster.

 Chapter 38

    After having prepared everything for our departure, I suddenly noticed that Ryoku was gone.

    ¡°Eh? Huh? Do you know where Ryoku is?¡±

    ¡°No? Won¡¯t hee runnin¡¯ as soon as you call him anyway?¡±

    He¡¯lle running if I call him, sure, or rather, it¡¯s kinda unthinkable for me that he¡¯s wandered off somewhere on his own ord.

    ¡­Just as I thought that, he stealthily showed his face from the roof.

    ¡°Oh, Ryoku! ¡­Why are you in such a ce?¡±

    ¡°¡­Umm, I¡­¡±

    Huh?

    Did some kind of basic function trigger?

    ¡°i ReCEiveD a reQuEsT frOM ThE pHArmaCy gRANnY¡±

    What was that!?

    After exchanging a look with Sword, Ryoku and I turned on the optical camouge, and headed to the pharmacy like that with Sword probably unable to see either of us. On the way, I exined to him that the guild had told me to not get involved with them since it had actually been a regr request.

    ¡°¡­I see. Already wondered why it was so low payin¡¯. A time limit for a gatherin¡¯ quest is weird, too.¡±

    ¡°Her exclusive adventurer should have resumed after getting over her injuries, so things should be over with this¡­¡±

    Once we arrived at granny¡¯s ce, Ryoku drew close to her.

    ¡°Oh, I see, you called her over, haven¡¯t you? You¡¯re a smart boy.¡± She stroked Ryoku.

    ¡­Wait a sec!! Why do you get attached to people other than me!?

    ¡°¡­I heard from Ryoku that he epted a request or something like that¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°Wait a moment, the guild told me to not ept any requests from you. You have your very own adventurer working for you, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s about that girl.¡±

    Unbelievably that girl had rushed out of the pharmacy to head deep into the forest to gather nts out of some feeling of rivalry with me even though it was well beyond her abilities.

    ¡°Well, no need to worry then. The guild is going to put up a rescue request after the delivery time passes. If shees back safely, all will be fine, and if not, they¡¯ll send someone to rescue her.¡±

    Granny shook her head with a sad look.

    Huh? Isn¡¯t that how it works?

    Looking at Sword, he frowned, ¡°¡­In short, your tellin¡¯ us to rescue her for free without goin¡¯ through the guild?¡±

    Hmm? What¡¯s this about?

    When I tilted my head to the side in confusion, granny started to talk with a somewhat desperate tone, ¡°¡­You can tell from looking, can¡¯t you? This ce is where the penniless gather. That girl was also born and raised here. The reason why I¡¯m running a pharmacy over here is to treat the injuries and illnesses of those who ¡ºdon¡¯t have the money to buy healing potions¡». I have no problems with that. Rather, it makes me happy if my knowledge can be of use to others.¡±

    Granny sighed, ¡°¡­I taught that girl all kinds of things as I wanted her to be like me, but she hated it. She rushed out, saying ¡ºI¡¯ll be an adventurer and earn lots of money!¡». ¡­But you see, shecksposure and is careless. Above all, with her slender arms and her not having the money to buy equipment, being an adventurer is asking too much. That¡¯s why I put up a request to make her gather nts safely.¡±

    ¨D¨DSo that regr request was an expression of her kindness!

    That means¡­I did something bad by having epted it. But, that girl is misunderstanding! Adventurer isn¡¯t a job to earn lots of money, but an upation to go on adventures!

    ¡°¡­Therefore, if that girl has to pay a fine because of that request¡­ It¡¯d still be okay if she can pay it, but I¡¯d feel terrible if she fell into very because of it. But, even I don¡¯t have any significant savings to pay the fine for her. But, if it¡¯s you, I can ask you to save her.¡±

    No, I¡¯m not that easy-going, you know?

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t feel like saving her. That girl is the typical type of person who returns good with evil. I¡¯d love to grant your wish, but since my feeling of not wanting to save her dominates, I have to turn you down this time.¡±

    Sword cast a sidelong nce at me.

    ¡­Yep, ¡¸You keepin¡¯ somethin¡¯ from me?¡¹ is totally written on his face! Perceptive guys are unpopr!

    As I feigned ignorance while facing Sword, granny took something out with a rustling.

    ¡°¡­This is a medicine of perpetual youth. Well, it¡¯s just being called like that as its effect doesn¡¯t go that far, and it won¡¯t do much good unless you take it every day. Even so, it has the achievement of having healed people, who got afflicted by unknown illnesses, after making them take it.¡±

    My eyes flew wide open, and adrenaline rushed through my veins.

    ¡°¡­An effect of £ÛReactive Oxygen£Ý removal!?¡±

    ¡°Haah?¡± Sword immediately reacted.

    Granny, whose face was somehow dyed with exhaustion,ughed.

    ¡°Idiot! You don¡¯t know £ÛReactive Oxygen£Ý? It¡¯smon knowledge! £ÛReactive Oxygen£Ý, you see, was the reason for many of the human illnesses in the world I used to be. It¡¯s an extremely harmfulponent to humans! £ÛOxygen£Ý is essential for the human body, but £ÛOxygen£Ý also has some very harmful traits. If a body takes in too much £ÛOxygen£Ý, it¡¯ll turn into £ÛReactive Oxygen£Ý. The £ÛReactive Oxygen£Ý will then damage the cells in the human body-dy-dy-dy-dy.¡±

    I was violently shaken back and forth.

    ¡°I got it~~~~! All¡¯s fine now, so calm down!¡±

    I breathed in deeply.

    I breathed out deeply.

    Granny guffawed.

    ¡°It sure sounds like I¡¯ve got your interest with this. So, are you going to take up the request?¡±

    ¡°Wait. Teach me the raw materials too. The material containingponents with the highest removal effect I know of is the skin of £ÛMelons£Ý which can be harvested in big farming nations, but what would be the equivalent over here? Or are there any nts with an even higher effect-ect-ect-ect-ect.¡±

    I¡¯m being shaken again.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get so riled up!

    I breathed in deeply.

    I breathed out deeply.

    ¡°Got it, I¡¯ll ept the request.¡± I answered clearly.

    ¡°¡­You¡¯ve definitely made a mistake with your job choice. You should have be a schr and not an adventurer.¡±

    Hearing that remark, grannymented with augh, ¡°She¡¯s young, so she can still choose her own way in life, can¡¯t she?¡±

    Certainly, she got a point there.

    ¡°Well, you might be right about that, but I don¡¯t want to do this as a job. It¡¯s one of the things I can enjoy because it¡¯s just a hobby. Besides, I haven¡¯t adventured yet. You make sure to tell that girl that being an adventurer isn¡¯t about earning big money but about going on adventurers, once shees back safely, okay?¡±

    This time Sword burst intoughter.

    ¡°True, it¡¯s just as she says. There¡¯s a bunch of other good job for earnin¡¯ lots of dough. You can tell her from me: If you can¡¯te to terms with all the absurdity and irrationality, you won¡¯t get far. And if you can¡¯t cope with unreasonable violence and nder, your goin¡¯ to barely manage to make a livin¡¯ without ever makin¡¯ any profit as adventurer.¡±

    Sword looks like he¡¯s making a good profit though? Is it some kind of scheme where he¡¯s making good money with some side job?

    £ª

    On the way to the destination of the request, he questioned me, as I had already expected would happen.

    ¡°Hey, your hidin¡¯ somethin¡¯ from me, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Look, men shouldn¡¯t persistently interrogate women about their secrets! Besides, being somewhat thickheaded is the key for any popr guy!¡±

    When I jerked my head the other way with a huff, it earned me the usual grinding.

    ¡°Ain¡¯t no women ¡¯round anyway. In the first ce, I¡¯m not goin¡¯ for bein¡¯ popr!¡±

    ¡°Ou-Ou-Ouch. ¡­It¡¯s no major issue. I told you when we went to the pharmacy, didn¡¯t I? I epted the request without knowing about it being regr.¡±

    ¡°So, you got in a fight or somethin¡¯?¡±

    ¡°It caused a tiny ruckus, but that got resolved without a hitch.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been tellin¡¯ you to expand on that ¡ºtiny¡» of yours!¡±

    ¡°¡­Well, the person we¡¯re going to rescue apparently disliked me having epted the request on my own ord, and started making an uproar. Without listening to granny¡¯s soothing, she shouted something about me having deceived granny, resulting in some old blokes appearing from all over the ce. Since they began to scream around after getting together, I called the authorities through the guild to help me by taking them in for being a nuisance to the neighborhood.¡±

    After bing dumbstruck, Sword thundered at me, ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t hide somethin¡¯ so important!!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re exaggerating, you know? The uproar died down when I gently stroked them a bit before things escted, and the guild employee admitted his own blunder and apologized to me. However, he told me that it¡¯d be better for me to stay away from the pharmacy, and thus I nned to leave the town just like that. I had already found out what I wanted to know about the medicinal nts, and thepounding was finished as well. So I had just been going to granny because it was so much fun to discuss medicinal nts with her.¡±

    Sword opened his mouth, about to say something, but then closed it again. Then he caressed my head.

    ¡°So? Your sayin¡¯ we¡¯re goin¡¯ to rescue the one who¡¯s responsible for the uproar and your bein¡¯ forbidden to go there again?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. ¡­For her to offer me this must mean that granny is dotting quite a bit on that girl.¡± I showed him the medicine I got.

    ¡°Though, you¡¯d be about the only person who¡¯d move a finger for that. That granny is quite cunnin¡¯ when ites to askin¡¯ for things.¡±

    ¡°No kidding.¡± I nodded.

    When I looked at the medicine again, Swordughed, ¡°¡­If it holds such a big value for you, I s¡¯pose there¡¯s worth doin¡¯ a request you hate.¡±

    Pardon?

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not like you need toe with me though?¡±

    Once I turned him down, Sword looked at me with surprise written all over his face.

    ¡°What are you talkin¡¯ ¡¯bout all of a sudden!?¡±

    It¡¯s nothing that unusual, is it¡­?

    ¡°Even during simple rescue missions, you¡¯ll take damage without knowing it, mental one that is. So, stay away.¡±

    ¡°Obviously I¡¯m goin¡¯! Rather, I should actually take your ce instead!¡±

    I frowned, not understanding what he meant.

    ¡°Why would you take my ce? I¡¯ve been telling you for a good while now. I¡¯ll take care of all lifesaving.¡±

    ¡°You goin¡¯ to save someone who made others gang up on you while treatin¡¯ you like a criminal!?¡±

    ¡°I expect her to grumble about not wanting to be saved, and she¡¯ll likely yell at me even after I rescued her.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re still goin¡¯ despite knowin¡¯ all that!?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the value it has.¡±

    ¡°¡­You mean the medicine you received?¡±

    I nodded deeply.

    Sword looked at me and sighed.

    ¡°¡­Gotcha. But, I¡¯lle with you. I¡¯m worried.¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯m worried about you¡­¡±

    I¡¯d really like him to stay out of this when considering him suffering so much mental damage that he starts drinking heavily again.

    When I sighed as well, he ground my temples again.

    That¡¯s so unwarranted!

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m tellin¡¯ you that I¡¯ll worry ¡¯bout you. Rather, you should take a tiny bit of mental damage yourself!¡±

    I was told something terrible by an awfully sulky Sword.

    ¡°If this much were to be enough to cause mental damage, I¡¯d never have survived as noble. Besides, I lived in a far crueler environment when I was little. Compared to that time, this here is no more than a gentle breeze.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Whaaa!¡± I got startled when I was suddenly lifted up by Sword.

    ¡°¡­Sorry, I wasn¡¯t aware of your past environment.¡±

    I sighed once again.

    ¡°That¡¯s why¡­I don¡¯t want you to suffer damage from the little bit I told you. You need to reflect on things and be more thoughtful, but there¡¯s no point in you getting hurt by unnecessary sensitiveness. You¡¯re an old guy whose period as a sensitive boy has long passed, after all.¡±

    I was dropped on the ground.

 Chapter 39

    We arrived in the target area.

    ¡°¡­We¡¯ve got luck that it¡¯s not raining.¡±

    Apparently she got attacked by monsters. Traces of blood were left on the ground.

    ¡°Going by the amount of blood, she should still be alive, unless she got swallowed whole.¡±

    The blood around here was a bit toocking for a fatal wound.

    ¡°Guess we follow the blood traces then? Though she might have been finished off after runnin¡¯ out of steam, or gotten devoured.¡±

    True.

    Judging by the dryness of the blood, we won¡¯t be in time even if we hurry, but then again we don¡¯t really need to be anyway.

    We followed the traces while keeping a watch on our surroundings.

    ¡­And then.

    ¡°A boar.¡±

    ¡°Looks like a fang boar. It¡¯s possible to evade these guys if you find a ce to hide, but if not, you won¡¯t be able to get away. ¡­Now then, I wonder which of both applies here.¡±

    The boar spotted us. It looked this way while shuffling its forefeet.

    ¡°It¡¯s got a wild temperament. Don¡¯t get attacked. Ryoku, take refuge on a tree.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m goin¡¯ to kill it, ¡®kay?¡±

    ¡°No other choice. We¡¯ll have it serve as a side dish for dinner.¡±

    Sword kicked off the ground with augh, and beautifully stabbed the area around the boar¡¯s heart just as it was about to charge at us. Blood spewed out, and the boar stumbled a step forward, just to copse in the next moment.

    ¡°I¡¯d really love to process it right here and now, but the requestes first, I suppose.¡±

    After advancing a bit further, a depressed rock came into sight. Its surface was roughly scratched and shaved off. The boar must have tried to destroy it by thrusting itself against it many times over.

    Within the rock I discovered a trembling, ghastly pale girl.

    ¡°Sword, I found her. I¡¯ll take her back, so please process the boar.¡± I said to Sword over my shoulder as I peered into the rock.

    ¡°We¡¯re adventurers who epted a rescue mission for you. I¡¯ll guarantee your safety until we reach town. For starters,e out from there.¡±

    Hearing that, the girl started to cry, apparently feeling relieved.

    She came out while quivering. Her lower arm past the elbow was bent. Its bones werepletely fractured and the muscles were severed as well. Normal methods would only allow for her left hand to be amputated at this point.

    I swiftly applied emergency treatment, and fixated her left arm.

    ¡°Here, it¡¯s a painkiller, so take it.¡± I passed her a medicine that acts against wound festering, fever, and sepsis.

    ¡°¡­This is¡­¡±

    After closely scrutinizing the medicine, she lifted her face, looking at me. Gradually her expression changed into one of surprise.

    ¡°Take it. Its effect is¡­well, I guess it¡¯s alright. I can¡¯t tell since I was never injured myself, but it should work for the most part.¡±

    I used giant worm for the antifebrileponent, but was it actually correct? It¡¯s simr to the antifebriles I know.

    When I asked Sword, he said it¡¯s not poisonous, so I think it should be fine.

    After getting startled, grannyughed, saying that she never used that ingredient.

    ¡°You¡­You¡¯re the one from back then!!¡±

    She was trembling all over.

    She¡¯s unexpectedly lively. Or rather, good job being able to chatter away like this when your arm has turned into such a mess. Most adventurers are brimming with vitality if you rescue them. Even if they were on the verge of death moments ago. In a certain sense, they have my respect for that.

    ¡°I¡¯ll carry you to town.¡±

    ¡°No need! If I¡¯m going to be saved by the likes of you, dying would be¡­¡±

    She faded out. Dying would be? What¡¯s the continuation?

    ¡°Dying would be? Better?¡±

    She stayed silent.

    To be frank, you having died would have been better for our side as well.

    ¡°Unfortunately you don¡¯t have a say in this. I¡¯ve already received the reward for the request.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡± She looked very relieved.

    ¡­I don¡¯t really get her. But, well, whatever.

    I¡¯m only aplishing my request.

    ¡°¡­Then, give me a healing potion and not some medicine like this!¡±

    What¡¯s with the rude way of referring to my medicine?

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any healing potions. I think Sword has some on him, but I¡¯m the one who epted the request.¡±

    When I turned around, I got startled as he had drawn super close.

    ¡°Eek! ¡­Hey, don¡¯t get so close! I¡¯ll handle the rescue request, so take care of processing the boar!¡±

    ¡°Right now, Ryoku¡¯s in the middle of drainin¡¯ its blood.¡±

    Why have Ryoku do it?

    ¡°¡­Please! Please give me a healing potion! This arm¡­won¡¯t heal without a healing potion! Let alone being an adventurer, I won¡¯t be able to lead a normal life anymore!¡±

    Ehh¡­? You¡¯re going to rely on a healing potion? Weren¡¯t you the pupil of a pharmacist?

    Sword looked coldly down at her.

    ¡°Five silver coins for a low-grade healing potion.¡±

    She froze.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll work and pay it back! I¡¯ll definitely repay you!¡±

    ¡°By the way, the injury of that arm won¡¯t be healed with some low-grade healing potions.¡±

    She gasped, ¡°¡­¡­No way.¡±

    ¡°Obviously, no? Healin¡¯ lost body parts with only five silver coins? If that flew, there¡¯d be a lot less reasons for adventurers to retire or die. A high-grade potion only heals ruptured muscles and flesh as well as bone cracks. So you need a special-grade potion to recover lost body parts. Besides, if it¡¯s broken to such an extent, it¡¯ll be toote to do anything once a day passes. It¡¯s different when you immediately stick back an arm that got cut off, but regrowin¡¯ an arm requires quite a few special-grade potions. Special-grade potions cost one tinum coin per piece. I wonder how many you¡¯d need to use of those to get this healed. Can you pay all that? Someone like you? During your lifetime? Like no way.¡±

    Makes sense.

    ¡°Adventurer is a job where you gotta live with those kinds of risks. Gettin¡¯ injured, losin¡¯ an arm, dying, or being exposed to corpses; if you get cold feet from stuff like that, it¡¯s the wrong job for you. I don¡¯t know what kind of dream you¡¯ve got for bein¡¯ an adventurer, but you should have understood by now, right? ¡­In the first ce, you ran away because you hated bein¡¯ poor and hated studyin¡¯ despite of the great chance of havin¡¯ an excellent pharmacist teach you the ropes. You don¡¯t wanna do a job that requires workin¡¯ hard because you don¡¯t feel like puttin¡¯ some effort into it. That¡¯s why you¡¯ve be an adventurer where you can do as you please? That arm is the price for learnin¡¯ it the hard way. If you finally woke up from that dream of yours, go back to the pharmacist granny, lower your head, and beg her to teach you.¡±

    She started to cry.

    ¡°¡­C-Can¡¯t I have you somehowpromise? With this arm, even if I were to aim at bing a pharmacist¡­ I beg you. Please help me.¡±

    ¡°Even if you were to offer me your life, it wouldn¡¯t be enough to pay off the costs. Then it¡¯d be better for you to croak. That way I could use my precious special-grade potions in a more useful way than wastin¡¯ them on some stupidss.¡±

    The stupid girl was lost for words.

    ¡°No, it¡¯d be a problem if we let her die now. In the worst case I¡¯ll take her back after knocking her out.¡±

    When I retorted calmly, Sword cast a sidelong nce at me.

    ¡°¡­Your as calm ¡¯bout all of this as ever. Haah¡­anyway, let¡¯s take her back. The pharmacistdy is goin¡¯ to handle the rest one way or ¡®nother, right?¡±

    ¡°Correct. ¡­Hey, take this medicine.¡±

    When I tried to hand it over to her, she pped it down.

    ¡°¡­She doesn¡¯t have the cash to pay for healing potions, so why not give her this¡­poor-man¡¯s medicine to ease her mind? Is that what you¡¯re trying here!?¡± The instant she yelled that, Sword pped her.

    ¡­Just what is that guy doing¡­? She¡¯s my rescue target, and wounded on top of that.

    Moreover, he grabbed her by the hair afterwards.

    ¡°You bitch! Don¡¯t you know that some folks can¡¯t even get such a medicine!? There are limits to actin¡¯ like a lil¡¯ spoiled brat! Stuff like healin¡¯ potions ain¡¯t anythin¡¯ you can buy easily, even not as an adventurer! Adventurers don¡¯t have potions for healin¡¯ injuries, but for killin¡¯ their enemy after deceivin¡¯ them that you got injured durin¡¯ battle!¡±

    ¡­Eh? For real?

    I feel like Sword is the only guy who¡¯s so extreme, though¡­

    ¡°¡­That pharmacist granny contorts medicines and sells them for cheap to poor people like you. With her level of knowledge she should have been a famous schr or clergywoman. Worryin¡¯ ¡¯bout the future of a young girl, she said she¡¯d teach her the knowledge she obtained herself, and yet thess herself looks down on her as a poor pharmacist, and ps away her medicine because of that. Haah. Your truly a rescue target that¡¯s not worth savin¡¯ at all!¡±

    ¡°Wait, wait. Calm, calm.¡±

    Why is he getting so riled up?

    ¡°No, the one who made that medicine is me. I wanted to test out its effectiveness, but neither you nor I know injury or illness, right? Since that girl got injured anyway, I¡¯ll use her as a sample to see whether it works as intended and whether it has any side effects.¡±

    Both of them froze with a crackling.

    ¡°It¡¯s the perfect opportunity, Sword. Hold her down just like that.¡±

    ¡°Haah?¡±

    I forced her mouth open and poured the medicine into it against her will.

    ¡°Now then, it¡¯d be great if it works, but¡­worms were small and narrow in the world I used to be. The worms over here are big, aren¡¯t they? I have no idea whether they¡¯ll trigger the same effect¡­ Well, it¡¯ll probably be alright¡­is what I want to believe.¡±

    Sword and the girl¡¯s expression cramped up.

    ¡°¡­¡­Hey? Just now you said something about worms and so on, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Correct. I think it was called giant worm or something like that. That¡¯s in there. It has an effect of lowering fever, and alleviates pain.

    ¡­Hmm?

    Once Sword let go of her, the girl copsed on the spot like a pole that lost its bnce.

    ¡°Huh? It looks like she¡¯s asleep, but¡­it shouldn¡¯t have any effect to promote sleepiness.¡±

    ¡°¡­She fainted. She suffered a shock from bein¡¯ fed worms.¡±

    Umm? Why would she faint from that?

 Chapter 40

    We returned to the pharmacy while I carried her on my wooden rack. Granny thanked me profusely while sobbing.

    ¡°She¡¯s really such a stupid girl¡­¡±

    ¡°I fully agree with that. But then again, adventurer is a job that attracts idiots.¡±

    Sword guffawed, ¡°You got a point there.¡±

    After entrusting the girl to granny, I stood at the door, ¡°We¡¯re going to move on. Thanks for everything, I owe you. ¡­Oh, right.¡±

    I went over to granny and handed it to her.

    ¡°¡­This is¡­ Don¡¯t tell me¡­!¡± Granny threw her eyes wide open.

    Sword tilted his head while watching, and then widened his eyes as well.

    ¡°¡­Hey! That¡¯s¡­you gotta be kiddin¡¯, right¡­!?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a ¡ºHealing Potion¡» I made myself. It¡¯s different from the ones avable on the market as I¡¯ve tampered with it a tiny bit.¡±

    I showed them the medicine I received from granny as reward for the request, and lightly shook it.

    ¡°If you give me this here as reward for the request, it¡¯s overpaying. Therefore I prepared something to offset the imbnce. ¡­Well, it¡¯s handmade, so making it didn¡¯t really cost me much anyway.¡±

    Granny stared at me nkly.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s something with a simr effect. I doubt you¡¯ll be able to sell it to the guild¡­under my name. If you put forth Sword¡¯s name, they should buy it off you since this guy seems to be some kind of bigshot. One tinum coin, was it?¡±

    Sword was dumbfounded as well, but came back to his senses upon my question.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ve got no doubt that they¡¯ll check it out. But, if they can prove its effectiveness, well, half of that¡­no, we¡¯re talkin¡¯ ¡¯bout you here, so maybe they¡¯re goin¡¯ to set the price to twice that. Can you estimate how much of an effect it¡¯s got?¡±

    I ced a hand on my chin, ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­hmm, bones or parts regarded as bones will regrow.¡±

    The two stared at me in shock.

    ¡°But, they will just regrow, you know? I don¡¯t know whether they¡¯ll work normally again since I never used it myself. It¡¯d just be an ¡ºarm made with a healing potion¡». I guess you could also call it <strong>¡¾Ultra High Speed Cultivation for Transntation¡¿</strong>. In short, it¡¯d be an arm made by copying an arm.¡±

    ¡°You totally lost me there.¡±

    It¡¯s difficult to exin.

    If you chant a spell along the lines of ¡°Arm, grow~¡± in this world, the arm will regrow in the same way as before for some reason, but I don¡¯t get the principle behind that. But even without fully understanding it, I know a spell that will transform magic elements into cells to create a tissue, so I mixed up the spell form for that.

    It¡¯d be much simpler, if the usage had a clear specification, but when ites to creating a general purpose application, it¡¯s kinda tough. Since I assembled the spell form like program code, I enjoyed doing it despite it being a challenge.

    ¡°¡­This only makes it more clear to me that you¡¯ve totally made a mistake in what path to take in life.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got fun with it because it¡¯s a hobby. But, this world¡¯s ¡¸an arm will grow if you drink this¡¹ is amazing. I don¡¯t understand the theory behind it at all.¡±

    After gazing at my handmade healing potion, granny shifted her eyes to me.

    ¡°¡­Is it okay for me to take this?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s something made by me. And this is something made by you. So, it¡¯s an exchange. However, the medicine over here is more valuable than the one over there. The one over there contradicts the providence of nature. ¡­Though it¡¯s ultimately just the ¡ºProvidence of Nature¡» as I perceive it.¡±

    Grannyughed, ¡°¡­How regrettable. You¡¯d make a great pharmacist if you seriously aimed for it.¡±

    ¡°I want to run live experiments on people, but I¡¯d hate to take responsibility if one of the specimens dies because I made a careless mistake. Also, I like making medicine, but long observations to confirm its efficacy is a major pain. Therefore I¡¯m not cut out for it. I¡¯m an adventurer, an upation where I go on adventures.¡±

    Once I threw out my chest, proudly stating so, Sword burst intoughter.

    ¡°If one listens to your talkin¡¯ ¡¯bout adventurers, they could get the impression that it¡¯s awfully rxed and enjoyable.¡±

    ¡°But it is! Just having to take care of your own life is rxed and fun, no? As a business that makes things and sells them, you must take responsibility for whatever you sell, you know? Something like that is obviously a big no for me. It¡¯s a hobby, and it¡¯s just fine as a hobby. No one is going toin about something made as part of a hobby.¡±

    Now even granny started tough.

    ¡°¡­Thanks. Then I¡¯ll take you up on your offer. I¡¯m free to use it as I like, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll use this here as I please, too.¡±

    ¡°Thanks. Then goodbye and farewell.¡±

    ¡°Farewell.¡±

    We left after I waved my hand. Granny kept waving hers all the time until I couldn¡¯t see her any longer.

 Chapter 41

    ¡°You know how that pharmacist is goin¡¯ to use that potion, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Obviously I¡¯ve taken into ount that my handmade potion would be used on family and friends without ever being sold.¡±

    Swordughed at my response, ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound like it¡¯s somethin¡¯ made by some vige child. In a certain sense, it¡¯s more amazin¡¯ than ¡ºspecial-grade¡», isn¡¯t it? It canpletely regrow bones, can¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Sure can, but¡­what if we ask whether it¡¯s really going to be a part of your own body? It¡¯s going to be a bone made out of magic elements, you know? I wouldn¡¯t be able to put my faith into it. Do you know how babies are made?¡±

    ¡°For the most part, yeah. ¡­But if you¡¯re goin¡¯ to doubt that part, it¡¯ll immediately turn into a question why people are alive, no?¡±

    ¡°Correct. That¡¯s why we should limit its use. In short, I¡¯d like you to not consider it as ¡ºRegrowth¡», but rather as ¡ºRecement¡» of a missing, natural body part through magic elements. For this reason you can¡¯t really describe it as amazing.¡±

    ¡°¡­Well, if you say so.¡± He caressed my head. ¡°On another note, if you im that your handmade potion is obviously goin¡¯ to be used on family and friends, you¡¯ve made handmade potions for me as well, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯d be much better to not rely on them, you know? Rather, you¡¯ll get careless if you have the option, won¡¯t you? You¡¯ll believe that everything will get healed as long as you drink the potion, right?¡±

    ¡°You think I¡¯m such a careless bloke? Just think ¡¯bout it. I wouldn¡¯t be alive right now if I was so careless.¡±

    I guess he got a point there.

    I took them out.

    ¡°Oh, these are mine?¡±

    ¡°Let me tell you in advance. Those are potions exclusive to you.¡±

    Sword looked at me with a stupefied look, ¡°¡­Haah?¡±

    ¡°These are healing potions with your body¡¯s information registered, so I¡¯m telling you to not use them on anyone else.¡±

    Sword froze.

    ¡°¡­¡­Waaaaaaaiiit!? J-J-J-J-ust when did you do somethin¡¯ so scary!?¡±

    ¡°Shut it! It¡¯s better topensate for the loss with your own cell tissue, isn¡¯t it!? It¡¯s much easier for your body to get ustomed to them! After all, it¡¯s going to have the same ¡°gic information¡±!!¡±

    ¡°Once again a bundle of iprehensible, technical words¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s how these things are called! Probably! By chance it might work, regardless of whether it¡¯s made out of magic elements or something else altogether, but you¡¯d also hate it if I tried it on you and it didn¡¯t work as intended, right!? Safetyes first, and if it¡¯s based on the same cell information, it should be mostly identical to the rest of your body!¡± I shouted.

    In response, Sword ruffled my hair and epted the potions.

    ¡°¡­Good grief, just what am I goin¡¯ to do with you¡«? But alright, these are exclusively for me then.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve also given some to Ryoku. Either way, now you¡¯ve got some as well. Don¡¯t make any mistakes, okay?¡±

    Sword grinned broadly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Ain¡¯t like I¡¯d let anyone drink special-grade potions except for you.¡±

    Just what is that guy thering!?

    ¡°Don¡¯t make me take any of them either!! It wouldn¡¯t be funny at all if I ended up bing a guy!!¡±

    What should I do if I suddenly grew out a dick!? Sword is guffawing, but it¡¯s not funny at all, for heaven¡¯s sake!!

    £ª

    After stifling theughter and putting away the potions, he looked at me with an apologetic expression, ¡°¡­Somehow I¡¯m only receivin¡¯ stuff from you.¡±

    Since he suddenly brought it up, I replied with a sullen look, ¡°¡­It¡¯s the other way around. Aren¡¯t you paying for almost everything?¡±

    No matter where we go and what we do, Sword pays for all of it. I know that it¡¯d hurt his pride if he made a small child pay for things, but it troubles me.

    ¡°I do get your wish of wantin¡¯ to be equal, but you see, there¡¯s no way I could make you pay for stuff. It¡¯s a matter of honor for me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been letting you pay without saying anything because I¡¯m well aware of that. Since I let you pay for things even though I have my own thoughts on the matter, I want you to ept what I give you without anyints, even if you have your own thoughts about it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡±

    Shrugging it off, he swiftly put his arm around my neck.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°I like that part of you. Any ordinary Joe would have told me to cough up the dough since I¡¯m rich as S-Rank anyway, you know?¡±

    Well, I can understand that notion. It¡¯s the same feeling, or maybe I should call it weirdness, when a boss invites his subordinates out for drinks and then asks them to split the costs or when men and women pay evenly during a mixer.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s all well and good. It follows the principle of getting treated in your young years, and then, in exchange, treating the young when you¡¯ve grown old.¡±

    ¡°No? Also, how ¡¯bout not treatin¡¯ me like an old man on the fly?¡±

    He strangled my neck.

    ¡°¡­I-I¡­don¡¯t¡­want to¡­owe you¡­I¡­want¡­to pay myself¡­rather than¡­feeling¡­inferior¡­People¡­should¡­be¡­equal.¡±

    Though it might be a way of thinking that doesn¡¯t exist in this world. The difference in standing, the disparity between men and women, and the disparity of wealth are so striking over here. That¡¯s the very reason why I dislike this world.

    I¡¯m a woman, and I only have the money I cheated out of that man. But, I don¡¯t want to bend my knee to some ruler either. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t want to always feel inferior to Sword while being around him.

    £ª

    Atst Sword rxed his hold on me.

    ¡°That somehow sounds like an interestin¡¯ concept. Was it like that in the other world?¡±

    ¡°As a concept, yeah. It was normal for men and women to be equal, social status to y no role, and being able to eat and wash your body every day even as a poor person. Though I should add that I¡¯m talking about the country my otherworld self was born in. ¨DIn this world, noble women are political tools of their family¡¯s patriarchs,moners are disposable tools for nobles, andmoner women basically have no rights to speak of, correct?¡±

    I want to be equal to Sword while holding up my head high without having to bend my knee to some absolute authority. You might call it a boring insistence on my own pride. But, I will firmly keep that attitude for the sake of standing next to Sword and seeding as an adventurer.

    £ª

    ¡­Guessing my feelings on the matter, Sword caressed my head.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Gender disparity or difference in social status doesn¡¯t exist for adventurers. However, a distinction by rank is part of the show.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s no problem. Such concept is called ¡ºAbility-ism¡» in the other world. Anyway, as I had thought, adventurer is truly my calling.¡±

    Swordughed, ¡°You sure happy-go-lucky ¡¯bout this. Other adventurers don¡¯t think ¡¯bout it like that. It¡¯s just that they¡¯re ill-suited for other work. Adventurer is a job chosen by those with no money who hate havin¡¯ to lower their head, gettin¡¯ abused, or bein¡¯ pushed ¡¯round.¡±

    That in itself is alright, though.

    Suddenly I tried asking him something that popped up in my mind, ¡°How was it for you?¡±

    ¡­The instant I asked, Sword froze. Kinda like he thought I wouldn¡¯t ask.

    ¡°¡­¡­Me? Your askin¡¯ ¡¯bout me, huh¡­¡­? ¡­¡­I wonder. I feel like I had some dreams and hopes in the beginnin¡¯. But, those got crushed and trampled underfoot somewhere along the way, and before I realized, I had be an S-Rank.¡±

    ¡­That¡¯s just like a song I¡¯ve heard somewhere.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I had any particr dreams and hopes beforending here. I won¡¯t start preaching something like ¡ºLet¡¯s go on a big adventure to find the big treasure the pirate king hid away before getting captured and executed!¡», you know?¡±

    Sword exploded intoughter.

    He finds it hrious without actually understanding the meaning?

    ¡°Did you be an adventurer in the past while harboring such exaggerated dreams and hopes? Or does such a legend possibly exist?¡±

    When I asked him with a tinge of admiration, he roared, ¡°As if! Are you sayin¡¯ that for real? I really don¡¯t get you, girl.¡±

    He was bbergasted, but I think this would be an objective for adventuring that¡¯s very easy to understand, and it¡¯d be the very definition of what it means to have a dream.

    Sword ced a hand on his jaw, brooding.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ Let¡¯s see¡­seein¡¯ how I¡¯ve finally obtained you as my partner and since we¡¯re talkin¡¯ ¡¯bout having dreams, how about we head to the dungeon in the capital, the Kingdom¡¯s most challengin¡¯ dungeon which no one beat so far, and clear it with just the two of us?¡± Sword suggested, seemingly havinge up with it on the fly.

    Still, a dungeon, huh? Well, it does have something of a dream¡­I think?

    ¡°You¡¯re right, I suppose that¡¯s a ¡ºreasonable¡» dream to have.¡±

    ¡°Only ¡ºreasonable¡»!?¡±

    I mean, an adventurer¡¯s dream isn¡¯t about exploring known dungeons, but finding new ones, isn¡¯t it? And isn¡¯t it about discovering the riches and treasures hidden in such unexplored dungeons?

    At very least it¡¯s got to be about exploring the toughest and biggest dungeon on this!

    ¡°In that case, we might as well aim for the top dungeon in the world, no?¡±

    ¡°That would be the castle of the demon king country.¡± Sword told me.

    Heeh.

    ¡°Okay, I see. So the Sir Dungeon Core is His Majesty the Demon King, huh? That definitely makes it worthwhile to capture the dungeon.¡±

    Sword rolled his eyes.

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s the least an adventurer¡¯s dream should entail, no? Discovering new monsters or finding untrodden continents; those things are the core of adventuring.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I got it now. I¡¯ve fully understood that your idea of adventurers and the reality of adventurers got absolutely nothin¡¯ to do with each other.¡± Sword nodded as if havinge to some kind of conclusion on his own.

    ¡­Why?

 Chapter 42

    We entered the next town.

    How should I describe it¡­?

    ¡°Wooow, the whole ce is packed with nothing but people wearing magician outfits!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the kind of town it is.¡±

    There¡¯s lots of people walking around in very robey clothes while holding very wandey staffs.

    ¡°The magicians gather in the town¡¯s west while the sorcerers stick to the east. I¡¯d guess you¡¯d be more interested in the east?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not interested. My learning period is over, now I¡¯m adventuring! I¡¯m going to find the ¡¾Big TreasureOne Piece¡¿ that¡¯s been hidden somewhere in the worldon the Grand Line! I¡¯ll be AdventurerPirate King!!¡±

    ¡°The hell¡¯s up with that? You can¡¯t find somethin¡¯ that doesn¡¯t exist, and in the first ce you told me you want me to take you ¡®long on sightseein¡¯. It¡¯s my first time hearin¡¯ anythin¡¯ ¡¯bout that kind of objective.¡± Sword casually retorted.

    It looks like he considers it to be a bother?

    £ª

    As we¡¯re walking across the streets, we draw an awful amount of attention. Or to be precise, the Ryokus are! People are stopping and openly staring at them!

    Maybe they think they¡¯re monsters? Even though they¡¯re so adorable¡­

    ¡­Sword¡¯s exclusive Ryoku has been restlessly observing his surroundings full of keen interest.

    ¡°Mr. Sword, so much information~!¡±

    Wait! He said it!

    ¡°Gaaah! Why has your Ryoku¡¯s hidden function been invoked!? It¡¯s never happened for me, despite me doting so much on my Ryoku!¡±

    ¡­I had my temples ground again.

    ¡°Listen, girl! Why have you added such a totally useless secret function anyway!? It only startles me when he suddenly chats me up! Rather, the people ¡¯round me always look at me with cold eyes since I end up carelessly answerin¡¯!¡±

    ¡­While we¡¯re having such a conversation, the people around us kick up a fuss, saying ¡°¡­It talked¡­!¡± or ¡°How does that work¡­?¡±

    But, you see, just talking is nothing special. After all it¡¯s just a yback of my recorded voice, if ites to the standard lines.

    £ª

    Around the time when we were about to enter the adventurer guild, a grandpa in a navy blue robe cautioned us ¨C at least I think that¡¯s what he intended, ¡°That¡¯s the adventurer guild!¡±

    I exchanged a look with Sword.

    ¡°Is why we¡¯re enterin¡¯ it?¡±

    The grandpa became dumbfounded upon Sword¡¯s response.

    Why?

    ¡°¡­Why would you go there if you operate such advanced golems? I think it would be more fitting for you toe to the sorcerer guild.¡±

    Is it wrong if you don¡¯t go to the sorcerer guild while operating golems? I didn¡¯t know.

    ¡°No, we¡¯re adventurers. These are certainly golems, but they ain¡¯t ancient golems. They¡¯re somethin¡¯ like toys made by her.¡±

    What are you thering, you dummy! My cute Ryokus are no toys! They¡¯re robots! Robots!!!

    ¡­Hmm? Come to think of it, does building robots in reality enter the category of being a hobby?

    The grandpa is dumbstruck. Makes sense. I mean they¡¯re way too big for being toys. ¡­Still, he really looks like a wizard as they appear in that super popr fairy-tale.

    I wonder, is his appearance based on some customs? However, the wands of this world aren¡¯t like conductor sticks, but more like canes that could also be used for mountain climbing or beating someone to death.

    ¡°¡­¡­She made it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I built them. It¡¯s all based on my own trials and errors, so they¡¯re different from this world¡¯s ancient golems or whatever you call them.¡±

    Grandpa froze with his mouth gaping.

    Still, ancient golems, eh¡­? If we¡¯re going by the ¡ºusual temte¡», technology was highly advanced in ancient times, and because they were built with such a sophisticated technology, they probably fight as long as you order them ¡¸Fight¡¹.

    And theories tell us that they perished in the blink of an eye after having developed their technology to such an extent¡­or at least that¡¯s my guess.

    ¡°Oh! I just remembered! A new dream! Let¡¯s go search for ultra-advanced, ancient items sleeping on some unexplored continent!¡±

    This is also a standard temte!

    ¡°Even kids wouldn¡¯t think of bin¡¯ adventurers based on a dream that sounds like sleep-talk. Or rather, ain¡¯t the stuff your makin¡¯ already plenty ultra-advanced? It¡¯s much faster for you to build such items than searchin¡¯ for ¡¯em.¡±

    Where¡¯s the dream in that?

    ¡°Hmm¡­floating inds or some such don¡¯t exist either then? ording to my otherworld knowledge, it¡¯s a convention for ancient ruins and items to be sleeping in such ces.¡±

    ¡°¡­Your talkin¡¯ ¡¯bout dragon nests?¡±

    Dragon nests!?¡± Floating inds have been turned into dragon nests!?

    ¡°As might be expected, all dragons in a nest are goin¡¯ to attack you if you snoop around there.¡± Sword warned me.

    ¡°¡­I won¡¯t do anything as rude as entering the backyard of someone else without asking for permission first. I¡¯d hate it if the ce was full of excrements¡­¡±

    I quickly gave up on the idea.

    ¡­As we¡¯re talking, grandpa reboots, and immediatelyes my way, trying to grab me.

    But, Sword quickly prevented him from getting close.

    ¡°One! Sell me just one of these golems!¡±

    ¡°Eh? Don¡¯t wanna.¡± I instantly turned him down.

    ¡°Please!¡±

    ¡°No, rather than begging me, you just need to ask a sorcerer, don¡¯t you? I built them as part of my hobby, so a genuine sorcerer would be able to build you a proper one, no?¡±

    Grandpa looked at me nkly, ¡°¡­You are no sorceress?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m an adventurer. Not all people capable of using magic arts are magicians, not all people capable of cooking are cooks, and not all people capable of making magic tools are sorcerers. My main job is being an adventurer.¡±

    ¡°Why!? Whyyy!?!? Why are you no sorceress despite being able to make these!?¡±

    ¡°Calm down. Getting too excited might be sometimes good for the blood cirction and for speeding up the thinking of dulled minds because of the £ÛAdrenaline£Ý that¡¯s secreted, but since blood vessels turn more brittle the older you be, it¡¯s quite possible for them to rupture if the blood cirction¡¯s speed or the blood pressure rise all of a sudden.¡±

    ¡°Whoa, your instigatin¡¯ him with a flood of small,plicated details.¡±

    I¡¯m not instigating anyone! I¡¯m just worried about his health!

    ¡°I decide for myself how I live my life. I don¡¯t feel like justifying things to people I met just moments ago, nor do I need to. That¡¯s because he¡¯s someonepletely unrted to me.

    Well then, please excuse us.¡±

    Sword pushed the grandpa aside and we entered the guild.

    £ª

    ¡°I just hope he doesn¡¯t copse. If he loses consciousness after the blood vessels in his brain ruptured, I wouldn¡¯t know whether a healing potion would be enough to fix it.¡±

    ¡°Then he¡¯d have desired it to the extent of his blood vessels rupturin¡¯, right? If he could have made it himself, he¡¯d have done so a long time ago, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°He can make it himself, it¡¯s not that difficult. Moreover, it bes even easier when he gathers a few more people. If you¡¯re asking what¡¯s so difficult about it, it¡¯d be programming ¡ºmovements that any living being performs instinctively¡»! Even just simple walking bes super, super difficult if you have to word it out in detail like this!¡±

    Don¡¯t <strong>ask others</strong> without putting at least that much effort into it yourself! Make things yourself instead!

    Sword consoled me by stroking my head, ¡°Did you also get upset when I simply told you ¡ºto make me one¡»?¡±

    ¡°No? In the first ce, I was the one asking you whether you want one. Just as I told you, the Ryokus always collecting information through £ÛParallelization£Ý and share that information amongst each other. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s impossible for me to build another Ryoku from scratch, but I don¡¯t want to. And I made an exclusive Ryoku and passed it to you because it¡¯s you. Why must I give one of my cute Ryokus to some stranger? Moreover, I wouldn¡¯t know how he¡¯d be treating my Ryoku, would I?¡±

    I¡¯d be troubled if he fed the Ryoku with some weird information.

    ¨D¨DI had considered making the Ryoku I¡¯ve left behind in our mansion join up with us, but he seems to be doted on so much that there¡¯s no need for me to do so.

    Moreover! The Ryoku over there has be capable of chatting very smoothly!! The same can¡¯t be said about my Ryoku even though I¡¯m showering him with so much love!

    ¡­Which reminds me, the Ryoku under my direct control has gone out on a walk on his own ord without me knowing anything about it, and even got doted on by granny!

    Why? Does he have someints about his working conditions!? Then invoke that hiddenmand!

    Sword became puzzled due to me suddenly sulking.

    ¡°What¡¯s up? Somethin¡¯ wrong?¡±

    ¡°¡­I can¡¯t get Ryoku to be emotionally attached to me.¡±

    My shoulders shook with jolts.

    ¡°Wake up, girl. The Ryokus are golems. Not livin¡¯ beings, but golems!!¡±

    I know that!!

 Chapter 43

    We checked the requests at the guild.

    ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t see any requests that¡¯d make my heart skip in excitement.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m really envious of your positive mindset towards adventurerin¡¯, you know?¡±

    Sword said something to me, but I ignored it.

    ¡°Either way, we¡¯ll leave this ce behind as soon as we¡¯ve wrapped up everythin¡¯. This is the territory of <strong>¡¾Bloody Witch</strong>¡¿. If we overstay our visit, things are goin¡¯ to be a hassle.¡±

    What¡¯s with that phrasing as if they¡¯ve got thend split in turfs?

    ¡°I see. So, is there any untroddennd to be found around here?¡± I asked the receptionist.

    ¡°Hey, did you listen to what I¡¯ve said?¡± Sword butted in from the side.

    ¡°I got the part about turfs. But, going on an adventure in unexplorednd is something different altogether, no?¡±

    ¡°Yes, there is.¡± The receptionist told me. ¡°In the northwestern forest you¡¯ll find a gloomy ce covered by ayer of miasma and filled with the cries of monsters, where the sunlight doesn¡¯t reach. It¡¯s said that no one has evere back alive after entering¡­¡±

    ¡°They merely got punished by <strong>¡¾Bloody Witch¡¿</strong>, didn¡¯t they? Stop givin¡¯ her wrong ideas.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so you already knew?¡± The receptionist stuck out her tongue.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°The magician and sorcery guild have a lot of power in this town, and both are on bad terms with the adventurer guild. The goal of the adventurers around here is more about buying magic tools or utensils rted to magic arts. It¡¯s also easier to get requests over at the other two guilds.¡±

    Come to think of it, we got stopped at the entrance to the adventurer guild.

    ¡°The northwestern forest is the dwellin¡¯ of <strong>¡¾Bloody Witch</strong>¡¿. If you enter without permission, you¡¯ll get blown away by all the spells and magic tools hurled at you from all over the ce.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s no untroddennd? People are living over there, right?¡±

    Or is Ms. Bloody a demon? A ¡°Whip-Wielding Corpse Mistress¡± ¨C is that the setting here?

    ¡°I got it! Basically you want to say that Ms. Bloody is no human, right!? I¡¯ll ask her when I happen to run across her.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me, I am terribly sorry. I will never say something like that again, so please forgive me.¡±

    The receptionistdy performed a magnificent dogeza.

    £ª

    After we left the guild, Sword said with a grim face, ¡°As you might have suspected, even I won¡¯t suggest spendin¡¯ the night in an inn over here. Campin¡¯ out is much safer. If your sayin¡¯ you¡¯ve got no interest in magic tools, then let¡¯s finish up the request quickly and hurry ¡®long.¡±

    Sword was awfully on edge. I surveyed the town around me, but yep, it¡¯s got nothing of interest.

    A magic street appearing in a city of fog when you hit some bricks in a certain order would have been extremely fascinating, but the magic tools around here arepletely different. They¡¯ve got no feel of fantasy, or rather, this town is more like a souvenir shop you¡¯d find in a rustical hot spring district¡­

    ¡°If it had been me, I¡¯d want to decorate the storefronts with things like flying brooms, talking pots, books fighting each other, or other such thrilling attractions that would make people¡¯s hearts throb in excitement.¡±

    ¡°Your perception of thrillin¡¯ is totally messed up! What would be the point in showcasin¡¯ such useless things!? Are you lookin¡¯ for toy stores or what?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, a store for assorted mischievous goods would be nice. Sweets where your nose starts bleeding as soon as you eat them or something along those lines¡­¡±

    ¡°Uff, that¡¯s scary as fuck! Isn¡¯t that just in old poison then!?¡±

    I can¡¯t get him to understand.

    ¡°Oh right, a bank run by goblins or simr would be neat as well, I suppose.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯ve got no clue what your talkin¡¯ ¡¯bout.¡±

    I can¡¯t get him to understand to such an extent that he actually apologizes to me.

    £ª

    ¡°I¡¯ve understood that your feelin¡¯ of thrill has gonepletely haywire thanks to your otherworld knowledge.¡± Sword brought up while we were heading towards the summit of a mountain.

    Moreover, hees up with a topic like that, despite being quite vignt.

    ¡°Look, having the mind of a child can also lead to technological development, you know? For example, the Ryokus. They¡¯re modeled after golems I adored very dearly. I¡¯ve also made other things because I thought it¡¯d be nice to have them, but I admire passion towards perfection. It¡¯s not like I want to straddle a broom and fly through the sky on it myself, so I wouldn¡¯t make one for such a reason, but I¡¯d like to create a flying broom because of that passion.¡±

    I¡¯ve got no interest in it myself, but I¡¯d love to see people flying on one.

    ¡°Your ¡¯bout the only person in this world harborin¡¯ such a passion. In the first ce, magic tools are mostly reproductions of ancient items.¡±

    ¡°Huh? ¡­But, that doesn¡¯t apply to clocks, does it?¡±

    ¡°Indeed. But that¡¯s also the very reason it spread so widely as a great magic tool. The folks hidin¡¯ their magic tools are researchin¡¯ how to somehow rebuild ancient items they obtained for the most part. Because of that process, they¡¯ve created tools of lower quality and derived tools to sell them for fundin¡¯ their research. Try to give Ryoku to that old bugger from earlier. He¡¯d gleefully take Ryoku apart.¡±

    Eeeeek! What was that!? Are they dismantling maniacs or something!?

    ¡°I¡¯ll never give them any of my Ryokus!!!¡±

    £ª

    As we were chatting and walking with the ground under our feet crunching, I couldn¡¯t shake the bad feeling of being followed. When I nced at Sword, he sighed. It looks like he had already noticed a while ago.

    ¡°¡­Now then, what are we gonna do ¡¯bout this?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the point in asking? If theye at us, we kill them. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡±

    ¡°Whoa, your truly straightforward, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Want me to show you how I dismantle them? I don¡¯t know whether they¡¯re going to have any edible parts though.¡±

    ¡°Stop it, please, stop it for real. If you go that far, you¡¯ll really leave the path of humanity for good.¡±

    It was just a joke. ¡­But well, thinking about it now, I¡¯m certainly a lot more level-headed than my otherworld self could have ever been. Even though she ate meat and fish, killing living beings was a no-go, and simr¡­ah, but she killed bugs, despite not eating them.

    However, nowadays I¡¯ve be able to kill without any hesitation.

    ¨D¨DYep, as I thought, my otherworld self and my current self are different beings. The me before copsing was different as well. I¡¯ve changed, but a part of me thinks that it¡¯s not really much of an issue. I might have changed while living in this world, but so what? Rather, I¡¯ve obtained a personality that can make pretty clear cuts.

    I¡¯m much more worried about Sword than myself. I mean, adventurer is a job where people can die easily, and yet he hasn¡¯te to terms with that at all.

    ¡°¡­If we¡¯re going for the thrill, intentionally going along with the other side¡¯s n would be an option, too. It¡¯d be much more exciting to resolve things with a big bang after things have grandly escted.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t get at all what your talkin¡¯ ¡¯bout.¡±

    Once again I couldn¡¯t get him to understand to the extent that he apologized. And then I got hit on the head by his fist.

    ¡°Intentionally! Esctin¡¯! Things! Is no fun!¡±

    Ouch ouch ouch.

    I rubbed my head.

    ¡°I mean, you and I can deal with most things without much of an effort, can¡¯t we? Even monsters end up dead in no time. You continuing to work as an adventurer despite being rich means you¡¯re looking for some kind of thrill, doesn¡¯t it? Otherwise you could simply retire with all the money and drink liquor every day, no?¡±

    Sword faltered. And then he averted his face.

    ¡°¡­¡­I abandoned my dreams and hopes. But, sometimes I feel like I might possibly rediscover those dreams and hopes at some point.¡±

    ¡°Right? So, how about we try throwing the other side off their guard on this asion?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not.¡±

    ¡°Okay, in other words, you want to head into a dungeon then, right? Let¡¯s go to some dungeon with moderate difficulty to enjoy a feeling of excitement over what might drop if we defeat the boss! If we can¡¯t get any enjoyment out of a dungeon with moderate difficulty, we could also ask the demon king to let us capture his castle. If we add the condition that we won¡¯t kill him, he might allow us to have some fun, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Sword burst intoughter. And then he ruffled up my hair.

    ¡­Has it been a wise decision for me to not grow out my hair? This guy has the bad habit of always messing up the hair of other people!

    ¡°Your right. That sounds fun. The demon king would be startled too, I¡¯m sure. If we asked him something along the lines of ¡ºWe won¡¯t kill you, so please let us y ¡¯round by capturin¡¯ your castle for the sake of enjoyin¡¯ a thrill¡». Well, if he doesn¡¯t get pissed off by that, I s¡¯pose he¡¯s goin¡¯ to let us have some fun.¡±

    Since he finally gave it a break with messing up my hair, I tidied it up while saying, ¡°If the demon king is a Dungeon Core, I believe he¡¯ll happily let us y since he¡¯ll be able to have a talk with us, you know? Look, dungeons are definitely entertainment facilities made by the Dungeon Cores!¡±

    Ones where you bet your life though!

    ¡°A game with your life on the line?¡±

    ¡°Quite so. It¡¯s very risky, but it¡¯s perfect for humans seeking out thrills. I mean, even if you simply walk on a road, you could lose your life after getting attacked by bandits. Hence, people should rather enjoy it while being aware of the risks.¡±

    ¡°Not like it really matters, but what¡¯s with you always speakin¡¯ ¡¯bout dungeon cores so formally? ¡­Nevermind, it¡¯s about time for ¡¯em to show up. It¡¯s no game, but don¡¯t kill ¡¯em. I wanna talk to ¡¯em.¡±

    I don¡¯t feel like allowing them to talk to you though!? You might take some mental damage again!!

    At the moment when I was about to spell this out, I heard a ¡°¡­Get them!¡± alongside presences quickly closing in on us.

    £ª

    Wind and lightning spells were iing on Sword. On the other hand, the Ryokus and I were confronted with iing rope-like spells.

    Binding magic, huh?

    Sword dodged very quickly and I repelled them with my wooden sword.

    ¡°Ryokus! You have permission to use the Gatling gun after deploying the barrier! Fire at will if the opponents attack!¡±

    ¡°¡±Aye Sir!¡±¡±

    Yep, they¡¯re super adorable.

    The Ryokus jumped up diagonally, and perched on trees.

    ¡°Hey! If they get hit by that, they¡¯re gonna die, no!? Ryoku, no!¡±

    I don¡¯t really think that we need to keep all of them alive though.

    The Ryokus took the middle ground between our instructions, firing their Gatling guns while aiming at the legs of the guys who cast offensive magic. Three of them were incapacitated.

    Meanwhile I erased the binding spells fired at the Ryokus. It was a simple job to flick them away with my wooden sword.

    ¡°Kuuh, damn it! I don¡¯t care anymore even if you destroy them! Just get one of them!¡±

    Whaaaat?

    I charged at the person who gave the order. It was that grandpa.

    ¡°I thought you might have died after getting too excited, but it looks like you pulled through. I guess I should fix it now.¡±

    Grandpa feltpletely shaken.

    ¡°W-What? Do you know who I am¡­?¡±

    Sorry, but I don¡¯t feel like listening to any stereotypical introductions, you know? Some things are better left unknown in this world, right?

    ¡°Indra! Wait! Stop! Don¡¯t kill him!¡± Sword cried out to me in panic.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll pretend he died of a natural cause.¡±

    ¡°You think you can fake it with this many people ¡¯round!? You idiot!¡±

    He was toote.

    ¡°Ah, sorry. You were toote.¡±

    A vacuum pack attack. Space got isted just around the grandpa. He got startled from suddenly being unable to breathe. Given that I was stopped by Sword, I immediately discontinued the spell, but the grandpa still copsed with his eyes wide open.

    ¡°It seems the area around him suddenly turned into a vacuum after the wind flow changed. I guess he died while unable to breathe.

    It was an unfortunate ident. The end.¡±

    Seeing that, the other assants stopped attacking all at once and surrendered.

    ¡°Hmm? Did you lose your will to resist? Even though I¡¯d have been totally fine giving you a little show of dismantling at least one person by <strong>slicing them up and arranging them so that they look alive</strong>. I wonder whether that¡¯d be enough for you to grasp my true ability and grit?¡±

    ¡°Yeah okay, you¡¯ve shown ¡¯em your ability and backbone plentifully with just these words, don¡¯t you think? So, could you stop at that?¡±

    All assants simultaneously nodded at Sword¡¯s remark.

 Chapter 44

    For starters, we had everyone sit in seiza while holding stones as means of reflecting on their wrongdoings. The grandpa¡­didn¡¯t die. Though he might have taken brain damage. For the time being I forced a healing potion down his throat, and now we were waiting to see whether that did the trick.

    ¡°Oh, it wasn¡¯t a big deal after all.¡±

    He came back to his senses.

    ¡°¡­Uuhh¡­¡±

    Sword dropped his shoulders in disappointment. Looking at him, I said, ¡°To be honest, since you suffer mental damage so easily, I¡¯d like you to go over there and wait till I¡¯m done.¡±

    He became lively all of a sudden and ground my temples. ¡°I admit, you¡¯ve got a bold attitude of treatin¡¯ humans unrted to you like monsters. But, for this very reason I¡¯m way too scared to leave things to you!¡±

    Why!?

    £ª

    Grandpa went for the super stereotypical statement of ¡°You think you¡¯ll get away with doing something like this to me!?¡±, but as soon as I stabbed some needles between his nails and into hisher region, he immediately quieted down.

    Me warning, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. These wounds only hurt but won¡¯t leave anysting injuries. They¡¯ll quickly heal up once I pull the needles out. Though I¡¯ll stab them back in again, you know? Let¡¯s count how many dozen times I need to stab you before I get away with it,¡± was probably part of the reason why he became docile.

    After around five times, he reached a point of willingly fessing up his objectives. Two additional stabster I got stopped by my surroundings, and grandpa had been fully reformed.

    One hour after hugging stones, the other guys fell prostrate. Though I think it was partly owed to their legs having be numb.

    ¡°Bah, everything got resolved so easily. And even without having to kill anyone.¡±

    When I muttered that, everyone started to bawl.

    ¡°¡­Yep, I was wrong. Your strong. At this point, you don¡¯t need to prove it anymore. But, I¡¯ve decided to absolutely keep you away from any requests involvin¡¯ other people.¡± Sword dered with a smile.

    The objective of grandpa and his goons were my Ryokus. Just as Sword had said, they apparently wanted to examine them by breaking them apart.

    I scolded grandpa with a grin, ¡°Now listen, okay? Why are you trying to take the easy way by investigating the belongings of others after breaking them? You are a sorcerer and maker yourself, aren¡¯t you? Or is sorcerer a job where you break stuff? Are you a pervert who gets off from destroying things? Are you as a pervert even taking disciples? Wouldn¡¯t it be just as fine to dig holes and bury them? Digging holes and burying them, breaking the soil apart and restoring it, rinse and repeat. That would be the most optimal method which wouldn¡¯t cause inconveniences to anyone. Dig holes and bury them! As long as you master the way how to make Sorcery Liquid, things like magic tools should pose no big problem to make! Building something from scratch with your own hands is one of the biggest joys, and yet you want to destroy things built by others? What¡¯s so fun about that!? Prick up your ears!! The Ryokus are creations I built while pouring my passion into them. Do you know how many hardships I experienced until I finally managed toplete them? Do you know how much information I had to program into them until they could stand up straight!? If you want to build golems, then observe living beings rather than dismantling golems! Even though humans can¡¯t even crawl at first, they be capable of walking on two feet. Carefully and thoroughly observe the entire process! Don¡¯t you know just how difficult it is to reach such a level? ¡­Most likely you don¡¯t. After all you¡¯re a grandpa who¡¯s already standing in his coffin with one leg. No, I guess it¡¯s unrted to your age. I¡¯m pretty sure your character and talent hasn¡¯t changed over time. ¡­How pathetic. You break the things made by others, but you don¡¯t even possess the intelligence to understand such simple coherences. And yet you¡¯re clinging to your pride and authority which only unts your age? Behavior like that is what¡¯s meant with problems caused by the elderly. I think you dying might actually be of benefit for future generations. And notprehending as much just shows how utterly pathetic you are.¡±

    When I finished speaking, he was crying sorrowfully. I¡¯m sure he must have been deeply touched by my wise words, yep.

    You said something great there, me.

    As I was reassuring myself while repeatedly nodding, Sword¡¯s fist visited my head.

    ¡°Why!? I said something so wonderful!¡±

    ¡°Just whaaaaaaaat was wonderful about any of it!?!?! On top of instigatin¡¯ him, you probably broke his heart! Now even I feel pity for him!¡±

    Why!?

    But, he kinda became curious about building things himself, I think?

    £ª

    Although we wasted time unnecessarily, let¡¯s finish up the request.

    We headed for the summit.

    ¡°Fog hase out, huh?¡±

    Suddenly visibility became bad and blurry as the area got covered by thickyers of fog.

    How nostalgic. Come to think of it, back in the other world, my otherworld self used to climb mountains. This feels kinda like that, doesn¡¯t it?

    ¡°¡­Hey, this is¡­ ¡­Indra! Come to me! Ryokus, you too! This is magic! This magic art belongs¡­¡±

    When I turned around towards Sword¡¯s panicked voice, Sword became hazy at a very quick rate. He extended a hand, but before I could grab it, his hand vanished alongside the fog.

    ¡°¡­¡­Eh?¡±

    The fog cleared up. But no Sword was to be found anywhere.

    ¡°¡­¡­Swooooooooooorrdd!!¡± I shouted, but no reply came back.

 Chapter 45

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­Uh.¡±

    I forced my hazy consciousness awake.

    Tsk. Got blood taste in my mouth since I¡¯ve bit myself.

    ¡°As always, you¡¯re quite resistant to magic, aren¡¯t you? Any ordinary person would have slept a whole day.¡±

    I shook my head to sober up since my sight was unfocused.

    ¡°¡­¡­How ¡¯bout not capturin¡¯ me against my will, <strong>¡¾Bloody Witch¡¿</strong>.¡± I said to the intelligent beauty with ck hair and gray eyes peerin¡¯ down at me from above.

    ¡°Don¡¯t use that name!¡±

    Looks like the news that I¡¯vee to thisnd had been immediately passed on to her. ¡­Had to be that receptionist missy, I s¡¯pose. Means she¡¯s an underling Bloody Witch had infiltrate there since she got us to head over in this direction.

    They had put me to sleep on a bed, but I got up and sat down on a nearby sofa.

    ¡°O-Oh my? How about allowing your body to rest a bit longer? No matter how sturdy you might be, the spell still hasn¡¯t worn off, has it?¡±

    ¡°Shut it. You think this here¡¯s a situation where I can sleep without a care!?¡±

    Looks like she truly thinks so. But, I¡¯ve got absolutely no clue what¡¯s going to happen if I don¡¯t get out of here at once.

    ¡°¡­So? What¡¯s your business with me?¡±

    After being at a loss for words, Bloody Witch suddenly shouted at me, ¡°¡­What the hell are those golems!? Moreover, just when did you find one with your own personal color!? Spit it out! Where did you find them!¡±

    ¡­¡­Good grief.

    ¡°¡­I had already expected that it might have been ¡¯bout that. Sorry. I didn¡¯t find it. It¡¯s a present.¡±

    Bloody Witch became speechless.

    ¡°There¡¯s this girl who¡¯s got buildin¡¯ golems as a hobby. I got one from her. You see, since it¡¯s her hobby, she only gives ¡¯em to those she likes¡­or rather, normally she wouldn¡¯t give ¡¯em to anyone else. I mean, she¡¯s someone with a few screws loose, sayin¡¯ she¡¯s goin¡¯ to build ¡¯em as a hobby n¡¯ live her remainin¡¯ years while bein¡¯ served by ¡¯em.¡±

    I burst intoughter when remembering it.

    ¡°Therefore, that¡¯s all I gotta say ¡¯bout this. ordin¡¯ to her, anyone callin¡¯ themselves magician or sorcerer should build ¡¯em with their own hands instead of stealin¡¯ from others.¡±

    Her eyes shot up. Seems like she got pissed off as her pride got hurt.

    ¡°What was that? Does she understand at whom she¡¯s directing that?¡±

    ¡°No matter who it might be and what they might say, that¡¯s the kind of girl she is. By the way, since her sword skills are at my level, you ain¡¯t got a chance of winnin¡¯ ¡®gainst her. Moreover, you won¡¯t find anymon sense in her. I¡¯ve got no idea what she¡¯s gonna do once she learns that her partner is bein¡¯ held in a ce like this, so hurry it up and let me go. Or rather, it¡¯s going to get really dangerous if she goes into a frenzy and uses that big, taboo magic of hers. That said, I¡¯m goin¡¯ back now.¡±

    I can¡¯t really believe that she¡¯d go into a frenzy, considerin¡¯ her usual calm demeanor, but if she were to calmly judge that I was dead and use a spell she herself calls ¡°taboo¡±, things would get really scary.

    ¡°There¡¯s no way that I¡¯ll let you go back just like that, is there? Even though I was finally able to meet you after such a long time¡­¡±

    I ignored her words towards the end. After all, I spotted Ryoku peekin¡¯ into the room from outside the window.

    ¡°Ah¡­shit, it¡¯s already toote.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    In the next instant, magic was rapidly fired from Ryoku¡¯s right hand. The window frame alongside the surroundin¡¯ wall were blown away. My personal Ryoku entered through the wrecked window.

    ¡°Mr. Sword, I¡¯m here to rescue you.¡±

    ¡°Sure¡­thanks, but I could have made it back myself. Also, I¡¯m somewhat scared to ask, but what about Indra?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s drawing enemy attention to her by invading through the front door. I think we¡¯ll be able to join up with her in a little while.¡±

    Bloody Witch got hit by the fragments of the wall and was now covered by dust. Yet, she was standin¡¯ stock still,pletely bbergasted.

    ¡°¡­¡­Hey, just a moment. Didn¡¯t it talk just now? Also, rapid firing magic? Why did it enter through the window? This is a golem, no? It¡¯s no monster, right?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s a golem. He also sheds his skin, but he¡¯s still a golem.¡±

    ¡­Ah, what can be heard through the door are even more amazin¡¯ sounds of destruction and the panicked screams of people¡­

    Somehow I can¡¯t open the door since it¡¯s scary, but what should I do?

    ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s somewhat noisy outside¡­..¡±

    ¡°Get away!¡±

    At once I threw myself on Bloody Witch, who had approached the door, to protect her, resultin¡¯ in us rollin¡¯ across the floor. In the next instant, the entire wall, includin¡¯ the door, exploded and scattered!

    The thick clusters of dust were carried away by gusts of wind, and as might only be expected, an expressionless Indra became visible within the debris.

    Ugh, shit. She¡¯s totally pissed.

    I stood up while scratchin¡¯ my head.

    ¡­Once I staggered a bit, she immediately rushed over, proppin¡¯ me up.

    ¡°Hey! You okay!?¡±

    ¡°Rather, I almost got killed by you! Did you know that I was close to the door!?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. You¡¯re a tough guy, so magic that blows away a wall won¡¯t hurt you.¡±

    ¡°No, it obviously will. Don¡¯t do it anymore, okay?¡±

    Just what do you take me for? Don¡¯t judge me by your standards. If you were hit by a huge rock, the rock would crumble apart, I¡¯m not that sturdy, okay?

    Our eyes met.

    I saw anxiety and fear in her eyes.

    ¡°¡­¡­Certainly if things are blown out of proportion, I could experience a thrill going beyond anything far, but I don¡¯t want to experience thrills to such an extent that I¡¯d go as far as endangering your safety.¡±

    Tears welled up in her eyes, and she began to tremble lightly. Once I hugged her, she hugged me back.

    ¡°¡­You dummy, so you finally got it, huh?¡±

    ¡°I was scared. You were gone all of a sudden. I was worried whether you¡¯re still alive. It was so frightening.¡±

    As I stroked the sobbin¡¯ girl in my arms, I remembered.

    ¨D¨DI used to have a dream. A dream of goin¡¯ on adventures with my friends. Capturin¡¯ dungeons, beatin¡¯ monsters, goin¡¯ on journeys whileughin¡¯ n¡¯ helpin¡¯ each other, and someday we¡¯d be the strongest with our party¡¯s name being famous across the whole world. Back then my friends and I excitedly talked about such silly dreams and hopes.

    But, in reality, only I became strong. My childhood friends with whom I had formed a party in the beginnin¡¯ grew estrange and started to hate me. Our rtionship got twisted, and in the end I withdrew from their party myself. And afterwards I couldn¡¯t ept anyone as friend, no matter which party I joined.

    I got constantly deceived and exploited.

    Because of that, I discarded that dream and started toplete requests by myself. And without me noticin¡¯, I became an S-Rank as solo adventurer at some point, resultin¡¯ in only my name bin¡¯ famous.

    In the same way, I amassed a big amount of cash without me realizin¡¯. Even though I wouldn¡¯t have minded to retire and live somewhere by myself, just like Indra had suggested, I still kept wanderin¡¯ thends, unable to stop bein¡¯ an adventurer. All because I couldn¡¯t fully give up on the borin¡¯ dream of ¡¾adventuring together with my friends¡¿ that I had lost somewhere along the road.

    ¨D¨DThat¡¯s the dream I recalled just now.

    ¡°It¡¯s still way too early for me to croak. I still haven¡¯t found any treasures that might have been hidden by some big bandit. Also, I still didn¡¯t ask the demon king for permission to capture his castle. The value of adventurers lies in adventurerin¡¯ right? So, unless I go on adventures with you, nothin¡¯ is going to start either. ¨D¨DWanna go on adventures with me?¡±

    ¡°Mmh.¡±

    I roughly stroked her head.

    £ª

    So, with this out of the way, I looked around me.

    Okay, their side was at fault, but she went too far. The mansion of Bloody Witch has turned into a half-ruin. I¡¯m prayin¡¯ that no one got killed, but it¡¯d be a miracle if that wasn¡¯t the case¡­

    After nkly starin¡¯ at us for a while, Bloody Witch seemed to finally realize the state of her own mansion, and ran outside while screamin¡¯.

    ¡°Hey!? Everyone, are you alright!? Answer me if you¡¯re okay!!¡±

    While hearing her voice in the distance, I asked Indra, ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯m scared to ask, but I s¡¯pose not askin¡¯ isn¡¯t an option¡­¡­ How many did you kill on the way here?¡±

    ¡°I still haven¡¯t killed anyone. They didn¡¯t seem interested in killing me, so I held back on them.¡±

    I breathed out deeply.

    ¡°¡­The way was somewhat forceful and rough, but I got invited into the mansion so far as it goes. Bloody Witch is that kind of a woman¡­ She kidnaps others without carin¡¯ ¡¯bout their circumstances. I somehow wanted to get out of here before bein¡¯ found out by her, but¡­¡±

    I breathed out once more.

    Well, it¡¯s a blessin¡¯ that no one has died. Otherwise we had definitely turned Bloody Witch into an enemy which would have meant war.

    I¡¯m certain that we¡¯d have won, but I don¡¯t really feel like killin¡¯ someone I fought side-by-side with in the past.

 Chapter 46

    It looks like Sword¡¯s disappearance was a ¡ºFormal Invitation¡».

    As if I could have known that!

    And is Ms. <strong>¡¾Blood Witch¡¿</strong> Sword¡¯s former girlfriend or something? Sword had apparently been paralyzed by her, but not only isn¡¯t he angry at her, but he also seems to be rather considerate of her, considering that she abducted him.

    Does her kidnapping him mean that she¡¯s still got some feelings for him? Are we now going to shift from adventuring to a romantic story aftering here!?

    ¡­Besides, Ms. Bloody is definitely Sword¡¯s type. Especially her breasts. What¡¯s up with those? I¡¯ve never seen such huge breasts. I think my otherworld self¡¯s breasts were a bit more than¡­half as big as hers, but those things¡­wouldn¡¯t they register as I-cup or something like that?

    If she doesn¡¯t do her best with push-up exercises, things will get really bad for her once they start sagging, won¡¯t they? Or rather, maybe she can¡¯t even do any push-up exercises because her chest is in the way.

    £ª

    Sword pped his forehead after stepping out on the corridor and looking downwards.

    ¡°¡­You sure you didn¡¯t kill ¡¯em?¡±

    Because the ce ended up looking like a ruin?

    ¡°I destroyed it shily because I was carrying out a diversion, but I didn¡¯t hit any people, okay? Because they attacked me with paralysis and sleep spells, I went easy on them.¡±

    Several women showed up, and clung in tears to Ms. Bloody. The sight of them hugging each other and celebrating their safety had a super strong lesbian vibe.

    ¡­Hmm? Ms. Bloody is lesbian? Sword¡¯s ex and a lesbian? I kinda don¡¯t get it.

    ¡°¡­Hey! Sword, get down here! How do you intend to pay for this mess!?¡± Ms. Bloody roared up to us from the entrance with veins popping on her forehead.

    Given that Sword went downstairs while scratching his head, I followed suit.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be the one to pay?¡±

    ¡°What!?¡±

    ¡°Look, you abducted me without sayin¡¯ anythin¡¯ to my partner, so she came here to rescue me. This kind of damage is only natural if ites to a rescue mission for an S-Rank, don¡¯t you think? Rather, you should be happy that there¡¯s no casualties.¡±

    Ms. Bloody became bbergasted.

    ¡°¡­¡­Partner¡­you said?¡±

    ¡°Aye. This is Indra, my partner. From now on, us two¡­and the golems are goin¡¯ to form a party.¡±

    Ms. Bloody was dumbstruck. But, why?

    ¡°Hello, my name is Indra. Nice to meet you. In the future, if you have any business with Sword, contact me about it. Since he suddenly vanished, I was surprised and rescued him in a hurry. Since your side went easy on me, I answered in kind, but if not for that, everyone would have been killed.¡±

    Sword pped on my shoulder.

    ¡°You heard her, so don¡¯t kidnap me all of a sudden, ¡®kay? Well, we¡¯re goin¡¯ to leave this area as soon as we finish our request, so goodbye.¡±

    Once I started to walk since I got pushed, Ms. Bloody came to her senses.

    ¡°W-W-Wai-Wait! What do you mean with partner!? Forming a party!? You, as the top S-Rank!? There¡¯s no way that she could measure up to you, is there!?¡±

    She quickly blocked our way so as to detain us. When I looked up to Sword, he shrugged his shoulders.

    ¡°Measure up to me, eh? ¡­I wonder whether I actually measure up to her?¡±

    ¡°In the first ce, can you only be partners if both sides bnce out? I mean I wouldn¡¯t have wanted to party with that girl with the nasty personality whom I rescued the other day, even if she measured up to me.¡±

    ¡°My words. Unless it¡¯s someone I can think of as friend, it¡¯d be impossible for me.¡±

    Ms. Bloody stared nkly at us.

    ¡°¡­But, forming a party, with such a small child? You?¡±

    She¡¯s not wrong, I¡¯m small. At least my current appearance is. Inside I¡¯m an adult woman, though.

    ¡°She certainly looks like a boy at first nce, but don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll find a proper middle-aged guy inside.¡±

    ¡°Stop describing me like that!¡±

    Why is the part about me being a womanpletely excluded here?

    ¡°¡­You¡¯re saying you¡¯re taking her along while being fully aware of how dangerous your requests as S-Rank can be? Do you n to kill that child!?¡±

    Ah, I got it. She kidnaps other people, but she is basically a gentle person as she even worries about some unknown girl.

    ¡°Danger is unavoidable during adventures. I¡¯ll take responsibility for my own life without burdening Sword over it.¡±

    Once I clearly dered so, Ms. Bloody looked at me with her mouth open.

    Swordmented as if to make a joke, ¡°Your truly the definition of manliness, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t get what you¡¯re saying. Rather, I believe myself to be feminine. In the first ce, I feel that it¡¯s the men who tend to push the responsibility of life and death on others in this world?¡±

    Sword apparently reconsidered, ¡°¡­Maybe you¡¯ve got a point there. Well then, let me correct myself. Your very feminine, missy.¡±

    I nodded.

    ¡°Your right, the requests I ept are often dangerous, but as far as it¡¯s limited to this girl here, she¡¯s standin¡¯ at my side because she¡¯s got the ability ¡ºallowin¡¯ her to rescue me¡», you know? I cannot deny that she stillcks experience, and no matter how you look at it, she¡¯s got the habit of takin¡¯ things too lightly, but I¡¯ll cover for those parts. She also covers the parts Ick. ¡­And even if she didn¡¯t have the necessary ability, she¡¯s got the right personality to stand next to me. For this reason she¡¯s my ¡°friend.¡±¡± He ced a hand on my shoulder and squeezed.

    Come to think of it, men sure like friendship and camaraderie, don¡¯t they? That¡¯s a typical pattern you¡¯ll find in any shounen manga.

    But, I¡¯m a woman, right? Is Sword someone believing in friendship between men and women? That¡¯d make him a rare exception for a man, wouldn¡¯t it? I mean, there¡¯s absolutely no way that he¡¯s forgetting about me being a woman, right? Right!?

    ¡°Oh well, I follow the principle of ¡ºAll people are equal¡», so I can stand besides anyone. Besides, I doubt that Sword thinks of me as ¡°liability.¡± I mean, he probably doesn¡¯t want to die yet.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t think anythin¡¯ like that, so don¡¯t consider killin¡¯ me with that big, taboo magic of yours, ¡®kay?¡±

    He roughly stroked my head around. Does he intend to calm me with that?

    ¡°¡­¡­What is this about!?¡±

    Ms. Bloody somehow seemed awfully upset.

    ¡°You turned me down, and yet you party with such a youngster!?¡±

    Okay, it¡¯s set. She¡¯s his ex.

    When I looked at Sword, slightly amused, Sword had be dumbstruck.

    ¡°Haah? I¡¯ve turned you down? Your a weak, magic maniac who always stays indoors, aren¡¯t you!? Why are you suddenly talkin¡¯ ¡¯bout me turnin¡¯ you down when you always hide yourself in here and hardly ever do any requests? In the first ce, you never brought up talks ¡¯bout formin¡¯ a party with me, have you?¡±

    Hmm? Her former boyfriend hasn¡¯t noticed? Wait, is the element of popr guys, ¡°Thickheaded Man,¡± going to suddenly trigger here?

    ¡°Y-You¡¯re right, I didn¡¯t mention it! I didn¡¯t think of it! But, who would expect that you suddenly form a party with someone after having avoided doing so for all the time!?¡±

    Oohhh, Ms. Bloody is a tsundere! A tsundere woman and a thickheaded guy. Isn¡¯t that an exemry temte?

    The thickheaded guy, Sword, is nkly looking at Ms. Bloody exactly because he¡¯s thickheaded.

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think that it concerns you with whom I party though¡­ I wasn¡¯t teaming up with anyone to begin with, or rather, no one seemed willing to seriously form a party with me.¡±

    ¡­.What¡¯s got ¡°seriously¡± to do with forming a party, I wonder? But more importantly, I¡¯ve been thinking so each time, but the type of adventuring in Sword¡¯ mind is quite a hard mode, isn¡¯t it? Kinda like abatant who¡¯s been recruited for an extreme war.

    Adventurers are people going on adventures, you know?

    ¡°¡­S-S-Saying it d-d-doesn¡¯t concern m-me¡­¡±

    Tsundere Bloody ps her mouth open and close like a fish, just for blood to quickly rush into her head.

    But yep, saying that it doesn¡¯t concern her is pretty mean.

    ¡°Sword, isn¡¯t it cruel to say that to your ex-girlfriend?¡±

    ¡°Haah?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    The air froze.

    ¡­Umm? Shouldn¡¯t I have said that?

    ¡°¡­You went out with each other in the past, didn¡¯t you? She¡¯s your type, and I can sense such a mood in all parts of your conversation¡­¡±

    The instant I did a thumbs-up, signaling that I totally got it, I earned myself an iron w!

    ¡°Eeekk!¡±

    ¡°Ain¡¯t no way in hell that we were a couple! Your just dreamin¡¯ ¡¯bout any such mood! Or rather, what¡¯s this about her bein¡¯ my type!?¡±

    ¡°N-No need to be so embarrassed about it¡­¡±

    ¡°I ain¡¯t friggin¡¯ embarrassed!! I¡¯m troubled!!¡±

    But, Ms. Bloody is embarrassed, you know? She¡¯s wriggling while holding her cheeks, okay?

    ¡°W-Wait, something like that¡­ You¡¯re¡­mistaken and it¡¯s a bother¡­ No, not really, but still¡­¡±

    Ah, her dere side hase out!

    The thickheaded guy ignored her and tried to drag me outside while still keeping my head in his tight grip. But, robed women suddenly bustled around us, blocking our way.

    ¡°The madam went out of her way to invite you over, so if you do not mind, how about staying over for the night?¡±

    ¡°I do mind, no thanks. We¡¯re goin¡¯ back.¡± Sword snarled with a sullen face.

    Eh? Why is he so angry about me pointing out that they¡¯d been an item in the past? Did something happen between them?

    ¡°Now, now, allowing guests, who especially came all the way here, to go back just like that goes against the good conduct of our kind madam.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t screw with me. I¡¯ve told you we¡¯re goin¡¯ back. If you keep detaining us by force, I¡¯llpletely destroy the rest of the mansion, got it?¡±

    Sword¡¯s displeasure and attempt to go back by all means are a riddle.

    ¡°Is something the matter?¡±

    ¡°Otherwise I wouldn¡¯t be talkin¡¯ ¡¯bout goin¡¯ back! I¡¯ve gone through terrible experiences each and every single time!¡±

    I see.

    ¡°Makes sense. I sure don¡¯t want to experience anything terrible either.

    By the way, what kind of terrible experience are we talking about?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a goddamn honey trap!!!¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Honey trap, he says!?!

    ¡°Anyway, if your here, you cannot afford to eat or drink anythin¡¯, sleepin¡¯ is out of the question as well, and if you don¡¯t discover a means of escapin¡¯ without bein¡¯ careless, you never know what will be done to you!!¡±

    I was slightly shocked. He doesn¡¯t want to take responsibility to such an extent?

    ¡°Why are you so wary that you¡¯d actually say corny lines you¡¯d normally hear from a virgin? Isn¡¯t it fine? If both of you agree, you can screw her all you want, no? The other party is more than willi¡­ou-ou-ouuuch!¡±

    His fingers are digging into my skull!

    ¡°If I did that, I¡¯d be immediately forced to take responsibility and get locked up here for life, you know?¡±

    ¡°The hell? That sounds super scary. Let¡¯s escape.¡±

    This is the very definition of a witch mansion¡­no, the mansion of an unpopr woman. No wait, isn¡¯t this more like the hive of a wasp spider? Ms. Bloody pretends to be a tsundere, but in reality she¡¯s a yandere!

    ¡°W-Wait a moment! Throwing me off guard and running away is unfair!¡± Ms. Bloody rushed over.

    ¡°No matter how much you want to be together with him, locking him up is a big no-no, you know? Your life is yours to manage, but Sword¡¯s life is his own. If you walk separate paths in life while having differences in what you want to do, you¡¯ll respect each other, so you should honestly follow your own path, okay? That said, we¡¯re going back. I want to go on adventures, and we still haven¡¯tpleted our request either.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m also far from done with adventurin¡¯. Or rather, I just recently realized that I haven¡¯t even started yet. See you. Good luck with your magic studies while secludin¡¯ yourself in here.¡± Sword waved a hand without looking back.

    Considering how much she¡¯s fussing over him, it¡¯s kinda heartless. Well, even so, I don¡¯t want to be locked up in here. Then again, escaping will be easy since we¡¯ve got the Ryokus with us.

    ¡­¡­.Just as I thought that, Ms. Bloody started to tremble all over, and suddenly tears welled up in her eyes.

    ¡°Waaaahhh! And here I was so happy that I could meet you again after such a long time!!¡±

    Oh my, oh my, she ended up bawling.

    ¡°You think your sob story is goin¡¯ to fly with me? In the first ce, that¡¯s a trap as well.¡± Sword said over his shoulder.

    ¡­Just how terrible had been his past experiences with her?

    ¡°It¡¯s working on me to some extent. She looks awfully pitiable, so let¡¯s stay the night.¡±

    Sword widened his eyes.

    ¡°You go back. I¡¯ll keep herpany.¡±

    Sword pped his mouth open and closed.

    ¡°No, I mean, you¡­¡­ What? How do you n to keep herpany?¡±

    ¡°Women have their own ways too, but this time I won¡¯t do anything like that. Rather than that, being confronted with such terrifying traps that they scare you makes me excited.¡±

    Sword became dumbfounded. Since he loosened his grip, I whirled around, and dered, ¡°I¡¯m really looking forward to it! ¡­Sorry, but this time you have to make do with me. Don¡¯t hold back anything ande at me!¡±

    ¡°Now I can¡¯t go back as I¡¯m scared what your goin¡¯ to do!¡±

    The unpopr women looked at each other.

    ¡°Hey, it¡¯d be smarter to let us go without a hassle, you know? This one here got nomon sense, but her perverted mind is nothin¡¯ to scoff at. Your bodies are goin¡¯ to get messed up to such an extent that you won¡¯t be able to marry anymore!¡±

    How rude!

    The unpopr women were wavering about what to do, but since Ms. Bloody desperately insisted that she wanted me to stay, Sword gave up.

    ¡°Feel free to go back.¡±

    Sword sighed, ¡°Leaving you all alone here is too damn frightenin¡¯, so it¡¯s impossible. In a certain sense I¡¯m envious of your ability to get so easily excited. But, protect my chastity, okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I got it.¡±

    For heaven¡¯s sake, he¡¯s such a sissy.

 Chapter 47

    T/N: Cut out some food porn.

    Ms. Bloody and hers first repaired the entrance area.

    ¡°Oh! A mysterious magic spell!¡±

    As soon as Ms. Bloody chanted, the broken wall and ornaments got fixed in a whiff.

    ¡°This much is no more than beginner¡¯s magic, you see?¡± Ms. Bloody grinned broadly.

    ¡°Sword, can you cast it as well?¡±

    ¡°I can, but I¡¯ve got nothin¡¯ to use it on.¡±

    Hmm.

    ¡°Why can¡¯t you regenerate an arm if you can do something like this?¡±

    The room froze into silence. And then everyone except for Sword burst out intoughter.

    ¡°Healing magic and restoration magic are two different pairs of shoes! This is why children, who don¡¯t understand magic, are so troublesome!¡± Ms. Bloody rebuked me.

    But, I objected, ¡°What¡¯s different? Both handle ¡ºBroken Objects¡», don¡¯t they? It¡¯s not like a soul is dwelling in an arm. If you can restore that broken ornament, it only follows logic that you¡¯d be able to fix an arm as well, right?¡±

    I don¡¯t get the idea here.

    Sword sighed, ¡°You might be able to use it like that if you learn restoration magic.¡±

    ¡°¡±¡­¡­Eh?¡±¡±

    Everyone stoppedughing, and stared at Sword and me.

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible since I don¡¯t know restoration magic. And it¡¯s not like I canpensate for it with magic elements. Otherwise something a lot weirder might ur. It interests me, but at present I don¡¯t feel any need to analyze it as long as you can use it.¡±

    The eyes of Ms. Bloody and her maids were fixed on us.

    ¡°¡­¡­Is this child possibly capable of using magic?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s the one who built the golems called Ryoku.¡±

    The Ryokus showed up and greeted Ms. Bloody.

    ¡°Nice to meet you! I am Ryoku!¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you! I¡¯m Mr. Sword¡¯s personal machine!¡±

    Whaaaat!? I¡¯ve never taught him these woooords!?

    I intently stared at Sword¡¯s Ryoku.

    ¡°¡­Why just Sword¡¯s Ryokuuu!? Even though I didn¡¯t teach him those words!! That¡¯s so unfaaaaaaiiir!!¡± I started sobbing.

    ¡°¡­Why are the golems talkiiing!?¡± Ms. Bloody screamed.

    ¡°If I had to describe this girl, ¡ºMad Genius¡» would fit the bill. She¡¯s coninuin¡¯ to invent crazy stuff while shatterin¡¯mon sense with her unique theories. By the way, as you can probably tell from the state of your own mansion, she possesses forceparable to me. And since it¡¯s not just swordsmanship, but also unarmedbat with her, she¡¯s a nasty opponent to mess with. ¡­Well, I can¡¯t reallyin as her partner.¡± Sword gently stroked my head to soothe me.

    ¡­¡­You think doing that is going to heal my broken heart!?!?

    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t cry, okay?¡±

    Ryoku also soothed me.

    ¡°¡­Tadah, I¡¯m back! I wasforted by Ryoku!¡±

    ¡°Ain¡¯t that just a function? I¡¯m really startin¡¯ to wonder whether your an idiot for gettin¡¯ all cheered up by the Ryoku carryin¡¯ out functions you added to them.¡±

    I can¡¯t hear anything.

    ¡°Now then, since it¡¯s such a rare asion, I¡¯ll demonstrate my cooking skills. Otherwise you won¡¯t be able to eat anything, right Sword? Then again, we¡¯ve been nning to camp out anyway, so I¡¯ve prepared myself for cooking.¡±

    Sword openly felt relieved.

    ¡°Whaaat!? Youngster, you¡¯re saying you can cook?¡±

    Ms. Bloody scrutinized me withplete distrust.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve got cooking skills that made noble cooks beg me to teach them.¡±

    Ms. Bloody¡¯s expression became super sadistic, ¡°Heeh¡­a bigshot has shown up, eh? Very well, then please show us what you¡¯re capable of. However, my pte is quite refined, you know? What do you n to do if the taste doesn¡¯t agree with me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you my treasured liquor¡­is what I¡¯d say, but I guess a woman wouldn¡¯t be happy over such a present.

    Oh right! I¡¯ll give you my <strong>detergent</strong>!¡±

    ¡°Detergent¡­? No, I¡¯m fine with the liquor.¡±

    Ah, looks like I found another heavy drinker over here?

    ¡­And immediately following I got a can of whoop-ass opened upon me by Sword.

    ¡°Hey!! Why liquor!? Why!!? That <strong>Wheat Honey</strong> of yours would¡¯ve been plenty, no!?!?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s nobility, isn¡¯t she? Nobles are used to eating honey. Moreover, that stuff is cheaper and has a quirkier taste. Amoner would be delighted by it, but I doubt that it¡¯ll go down well with nobles. If it¡¯s about rarity value, the <strong>detergent</strong>es with that, I¡¯d say. Items rted to beauty are always popr, but since I don¡¯t use anything but <strong>detergent</strong> myself, I can¡¯t give her any other beauty items at the moment.¡±

    She might have happily received face lotion or packs, but I don¡¯t have any of those since I don¡¯t use them. Since the soap and the scalp scrub are made out of oil with herbs, she might be delighted since they smell nicely.

    ¡°It¡¯s just as you say. I¡¯m a noble, but how did you know?¡± She examined me with narrowed eyes.

    Sword replied in my stead, ¡°This girl was a noble, too.¡±

    ¡°¡­So that¡¯s it. No wonder. She¡¯s way too bold for amoner. Moreover, she doesn¡¯t behave humbly either.¡±

    I stopped her by holding up a hand.

    ¡°No, right now I¡¯m amoner. But, because I believe that all people are equal, I make sure to not act menial.¡±

    ¡°¡­Hmm. Still, I feel like that thinking despite being amoner shows that you haven¡¯tpletely stopped acting like a noble.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t n to bend my knee, even when facing royalty. I doubt that¡¯s the attitude of nobility. Rather, it¡¯s the way of an adventurer. Adventurers are treated equally whether they might bemoners or women as long as they take responsibility for their own life! They¡¯re embracing a truly free life!¡±

    When I threw my hands up into a hurrah pose, Sword ground my temples with his hands.

    ¡°You can only entertain such an impression because your simply an entric oddball!¡±

    £ª

    Now then, the kitchen.

    Sword was closely sticking to me. How annoying.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make some side dishes, so sit down over there and drink.¡±

    When I tried to chase him out of the kitchen, he protested, ¡°I¡¯ll get attacked if I be dead drunk!¡±

    Why is he so scared?

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If that happens, I¡¯ll toss you into your Ryoku¡¯s pod.¡±

    He cheered up at once.

    ¡°Oh, that option existed ¡®s well. Alright, time to drink.¡±

    He immediately started to drink.

    ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it.¡± I told him over my shoulder, and started to cook.

    Okay, I guess I gotta make enough for all of them. I got plenty of ingredients, but on the other hand, not much time. I guess I¡¯ll make stew. If I apply pressure with magic, it¡¯ll be done in a short period of time.

    As soon as I added wine to my cooking, Sword howled, ¡°Waaaahh! I¡¯ve told you over n¡¯ over ¡®gain, that¡¯s a waste!!¡±

    ¡°¡­Shut up! Don¡¯t get in the way of my cooking! Or I¡¯m going to throw you into Ryoku¡¯s pod!¡±

    You praise the food as delicious when it¡¯s included, but always bicker whenever I put it in!

    £ª

    I folded my arms, groaning.

    ¡°We¡¯re totallycking bread, aren¡¯t we?¡±

    Since Sword is usually a big eater, I¡¯ve prepared a somewhat bigger portion, but since I¡¯ve been trying to bake new bread once every three days, it won¡¯t be enough even if I hand out all of our stock. Hence I really want to use the bread that has been prepared over here, but leaving aside myself, I¡¯d be troubled if Sword got caught in a trap added to the food.

    No helping it. Let¡¯s go with pasta.

    When I kneaded and cut the noodle dough, Swordmented, ¡°Ohh! Your makin the thing called £ÛPasta£Ý? Sure like that one.¡±

    Well, many men like noodles. If we settle down next time, I¡¯ll make ramen. I even know the method to make noodles with wood ashes instead of water!

    £ª

    Sword watched me prepare the food while drinking his liquor.

    ¡°¡­Lookin¡¯ at you, I feel like you¡¯ve really headed down the wrong way. Multiple spells at the same time without chantin¡¯? I¡¯ve got no clue how that works. I mean, I can use magic better than your average magician, you know? And yet your easily surpassin¡¯ me by leaps n¡¯ bounds.¡±

    Are you already drunk? You¡¯re babbling, dude.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we equal since I can¡¯t use magic that uses chants? I can¡¯t use the restoration magic from earlier. It¡¯s great that we can supplement each other in what we¡¯recking, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡­As soon as I said that, I got hugged by the drunkard!

    ¡°Waah!¡±

    ¡°Your truly nice! Yep, a great girl!¡±

    He rubbed his face against my head, messing up my hair once again!

    ¡°You drunkard! Behave yourself and stick to your booze!¡±

    ¡°Am not drunk yet.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, that¡¯s what every drunkard says. Switch to wine after taking the medicine.

    I¡¯ll also serve wine for the meal.¡±

    I thrust water and medicine in front of his nose.

    ¡°Aye, aye, ma¡¯am.¡± He obediently took his medicine.

 Chapter 48

    ¡°¡­¡­Hey, just a moment? What¡¯s going on here?¡±

    Oh, Ms. Bloody arrived. She was trembling all over.

    ¡°Did you get this girl¡¯s amazingness now?¡±

    ¡°Certainly, it might be like a story¡­you¡¯d find in £Ûmanga£Ý, I suppose? I have to admit that I¡¯m a bit shocked at myself.¡±

    I¡¯m whipping by hand, but the speed and power is as fast as that of a mixer. And the fine-chopping proceeds as quickly as doing it with a food processor. It gives you an unrealistic feel, as if you¡¯re in a food battle manga catered towards boys.

    ¡°Using several spells at the same time!? What¡¯s¡­this!? How does that work!?¡±

    Hmm? That¡¯s the part bothering her?

    ¡°Moreover, without chanting.¡±

    ¡°!?¡±

    Upon Sword¡¯s additionalment, Ms. Bloody stared at him, her eyes wide open.

    ¡°So, you still believe she ain¡¯t suitable to be my partner? I won¡¯t hear any of it.¡±

    Ms. Bloody looks like she¡¯s about to cry once more.

    ¡°Now, now, I¡¯m done over here, so let¡¯s eat. I¡¯ve also made some for those unpopr women¡­err, maids. Since we only got enough bread for ourselves, you have to cover the rest with your own. Just in case, I¡¯ve made this here as a recement for bread. It¡¯s made out of grain, so it should be filling.¡±

    I dished up the food and carried it over.

    £ª

    Ms. Bloody, who was on the verge of tears, apparently cheered up due to the dishes I served.

    ¡°Ohh! These definitely smell nice! It looks like you do have skills rivaling a cook.¡±

    The maids were fidgety as well.

    ¡°Umm, our share¡­¡±

    ¡°I prepared it, at least I intended to. If I didn¡¯t miscalcte the amount, there should be enough for everyone.¡±

    They swarmed into the kitchen while giggling and chattering excitedly.

    ¡°¡­..? They are not¡­maids?¡±

    The maids I know aren¡¯t so easygoing that they¡¯d rush towards a kitchen while leaving their mistress in the lurch.

    ¡°They¡¯re my pupils.¡±

    Pupils!

    ¡°Sometimes they take care of my daily necessities, but usually they¡¯re training magic and analyzing old books over here. We also take our meals together.¡±

    ¡°I see. Sorry for not having served their dishes here then.¡±

    When I apologized, Ms. Bloody waved a hand.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, it¡¯s okay. They can take care of things themselves. Anyway, let¡¯s eat as well.¡±

    Shemented, but I didn¡¯t expect that no one would wait on the table.

    ¡­No choice. I guess I¡¯ll handle it myself.

    ¡°The drinks are missing, right? ¡­Oh well, I¡¯ll treat you as an apology for having broken your mansion and as thanks for taking care of us.¡±

    Sword¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°Aaahhh! Your givin¡¯ away booze again, dammit!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to drink as well, right?¡±

    ¡°Here, please fill my ss.¡± He answered immediately.

    ¡°Hey old man, you¡¯re not going to drink with us?¡± I got asked by Sword.

    But I replied, ¡°Drinking in your childhood can hinder growth. If possible, I want to wait with alcoholic beverages until I turn 20.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s quite a long way off, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Well, if it¡¯s just a bit, it¡¯s no problem. This time I¡¯m going to stick with the juice which is a product from stopping the fermentation halfway.¡±

    It¡¯s bubbly and delicious.

    ¡°Well then, we¡¯re grateful for God¡¯s blessings.¡± I announced while lifting my ss.

    ¡°Whoa, you were a noble for real. Moreover, doesn¡¯t that point to you having been higher-ranking nobility? Your conduct is wless. Completely different from a lowly Baroness like me, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°You got it wrong. This is going to be a sob story, but to get to the point, I was taught manners as a form of mistreatment by my mother, and had it perfectly down at the age of five.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really feel like crying.¡± She took a sip of the wine.

    In the next moment, Ms. Bloody froze. On the other hand, Sword drained his ss down in one go.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to get assaulted if you drink too much.¡±

    ¡°This drink isn¡¯t all that strong, so it¡¯s goin¡¯ to be alright. Please give me a refill.¡±

    I humored him with a sigh.

    At that moment, ¡°What¡¯s this!? What the hell is this!?!? What, so high-ranking nobles were drinking such delicious wines!?¡±, Ms. Bloody rebooted.

    ¡°That¡¯s a wine made by me.¡±

    Ms. Bloody froze again.

    ¡°Eehh, you also have wine?¡±

    ¡°How nice, really nice~¡±

    The maids¡­err, pupils coaxed me into pouring them some as well aftering back with full tes.

    ¡°I got it, I got it. Bring your cups and I¡¯ll give you some.¡±

    ¡°Yahooo!¡±

    ¡°Yaay!¡±

    ¡°Hey!?!¡±

    Sword jumped up with such force that his chair was knocked over.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be such a miser. In the first ce, this is my share, and it¡¯s been intended for cooking, okay? Even if I shared all of it, there¡¯s still plenty more bottles. You also got some with you, don¡¯t you?¡±

    The pupils got super excited.

    ¡°Waaah! Despite being so tiny, you¡¯re such a hottie~!¡±

    Okay, that¡¯s no praise, really. Besides, I¡¯m a woman.

    Afterwards, it turned into a party.

    The unpopr women got totally wasted. But, I was praised a lot since they apparently liked the food, and when I brought out my fluffy pancake with soy milk cream as dessert, they got so moved that they started to cry.

    ¡°Oh damn, I got thempletely drunk. This has halved my feeling of excitement whether they¡¯re going to trap us in some way. Instead, it looks like I¡¯m going to assault them after making them drunk, huh?¡±

    ¡°What scary nonsense are you therin¡¯ there? You won¡¯t attack them, will you? You¡¯d hate to be forced takin¡¯ responsibility for some unknown girls, wouldn¡¯t you?¡±

    I had expected that I could have some fun until going to bed, but¡­some of them are already dozing around there.

    Rather, is this the trap?

    ¡°Good grief, I guess I¡¯m going to carry them to bed.¡±

    After asking the unpopr women who were still conscious, I grabbed several as if towing drowned people, and tossed them into some random bed. Although he said this and that, Sword helped me out as well.

    ¡°I don¡¯t get what¡¯s so dangerous about staying here.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know anymore either. ¡­Oh well, whatever, I¡¯ll tell you the story behind it, so let¡¯s go shower and return to our room.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Even though there should be no danger, he tightly stuck to me, even taking a shower together with me.

    I¡¯m a woman, you know¡­

 Chapter 49

    And then we also went to our bedroom together. Sitting down on the bed, we had a talk.

    ¡­He¡¯s drinking even here¡­a night drink or something like that?

    ¡°You see, my name¡¯s fairly well-known, and I¡¯m not exactly poor. It ain¡¯t just in my head and I¡¯m not boastin¡¯ either, okay? It¡¯s simply proof that S-Ranks are popr. Moreover, I¡¯ve never taken any pupils or anythin¡¯ like that. Since I¡¯ve been wanderin¡¯ thends myself without having a base so far, I¡¯ve got more cash than other S-Ranks. Guess you can see where this is goin¡¯. A flexible, famous bachelor with cash to boot is the perfect prey or target for single women lookin¡¯ to strike rich. You understand, right?¡±

    ¡°Makes sense.¡± I nodded.

    That wasmon sense even in the other world.

    ¡°I mean, it got so bad that women would try to trap me. I got targeted by women who were workin¡¯ for guys with shady jobs in the underworld, and whenever I got careless, they tried to feed me weird drugs or use magic on me. It happened so often that I stopped countin¡¯ at some point. Even the women here, with Bloody Witch in the lead, are thinkin¡¯ of somehow establishin¡¯ facts with me or make up shit to lock me up and wring out my money. Those girls are magic nerds, but they¡¯re buyin¡¯ up expensive, old books like mad, so they¡¯re always broke. That makes me great prey. Right?¡±

    ¡°Well, that might be one of the reasons too, but¡­¡± I nced at him with upturned eyes.

    Sword flinched away.

    ¡°W-What!?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve noticed, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡± He averted his eyes.

    ¡­Yep, just as I thought, he¡¯s only been pretending to be dense.

    ¡°Ms. Bloody loves you, you know?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Don¡¯t say it.¡±

    ¡°Why not? She¡¯s totally your type as well, isn¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°Haah? Your wrong there.¡±

    ¡°I mean, that woman is seriously stacked. They¡¯re way bigger than those of my otherworld self! Sticking it between those two jugs woul-bwwphht!!¡±

    My face got pped with the base of his palm! Moreover, he hit me seriously!

    I groaned in pain.

    ¡°Hey, you old sleazeball. I don¡¯t like dirty talk. Can you tone it down a bit?¡±

    ¡°¡­Why don¡¯t you like dirty talk as a guy¡­?¡±

    Is Sword a weirdo? The guys my otherworld self knew mostly liked it. At the very least, none of them hated it to such an extent that they¡¯d p me over it.

    Sword scratched his head, ¡°Ah, that¡¯s also the reason why I¡¯ve been a loner. Casual banter between guys isn¡¯t my cup of tea. I never yed around with prostitutes either, so I don¡¯t have your frightenin¡¯ extent of knowledge about techniques and such.¡±

    Hmm. Certainly, in an inte-less world, where information goes around by mouth, you¡¯ve got no choice but to learn the tricks and know-how from professionals, I suppose.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll refrain from now on.¡±

    I¡¯ve now understood that some guys hate dirty talk. I¡¯m a woman who can learn.

    ¡°Also, stop talkin¡¯ ¡¯bout Bloody Witch bein¡¯ my preferred type. What are you gonna do if she takes it seriously.¡± He warned me with a serious look.

    But still, does he dislike her to such an extent?

    ¡°I understand¡­I see, so she¡¯spletely out, huh?¡±

    ¡°I already told you, didn¡¯t I? I¡­don¡¯t n on marryin¡¯ anyone. Even if she got serious ¡¯bout me, I wouldn¡¯t be able to answer her feelings. To put it bluntly, that woman¡¯s trouble since she¡¯d try to somehow make it work by kidnappin¡¯ me and creatin¡¯ facts, even if I told her off¡­¡±

    Ah, this is something I wouldn¡¯t be able to ept.

    ¡°I see. ¡­Well, it¡¯s your decision, so I won¡¯t tell you what to do.¡±

    ¡°I mean, you understand where I¡¯min¡¯ from, don¡¯t you? You told me that you wouldn¡¯t marry anyone either, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    I did say that, yes.

    ¡°I think that¡¯s different though. I hate this world. That¡¯s why I also hate the humans of this world.¡±

    Sword¡¯s face cramped up.

    ¡°And while we¡¯re at it, I also hate my current self. I loathe the woman who gave birth to me, and that man. I detest this body which has their blood running through its veins. Marrying someone? Give me a break. I hate this body and to such an extent that I want to erase either from existence.¡±

    Suddenly Sword hugged me.

    ¡°¡­¡­Gotcha. My feelings don¡¯t go as far as yours, but I probably hate myself as well.¡±

    Eh? That¡¯s a lie.

    ¡°Incidentally, I might also hate others. Somethin¡¯ like carefreely datin¡¯ a woman is absolutely impossible for me. Just the idea that she¡¯d try to entrap me makes me want to keep all of them at a distance. ¡­Your resemblin¡¯ me somewhat. And since I felt that, I invited you toe along with me. But, I didn¡¯t want you to end up like me, so I tried to push you away, and yet I couldn¡¯t let go of you. When you told me that I¡¯m like air to you, I became very sad and it felt like the times when I was about to die, so I clung to you and frantically apologized. I knew that you were pissed, but I was happy when I learned that it wasn¡¯t as though you didn¡¯t feel anythin¡¯ about me at all. ¡­¡­I wanted to find friends. That¡¯s the whole reason for me travelin¡¯. That¡¯s why I¡¯m overjoyed that you¡¯ve be my friend.¡±

    ¡­¡­I guess I¡¯ll ignore it as the babbling of a drunk. Come to think of it, the liquor I created in the beginning wasn¡¯t of good quality, so it might have caused a drunken frenzy.

    I consoled him by pping his back.

    ¡°¡­¡­You¡¯re really a hopeless guy, aren¡¯t you? I won¡¯t marry anyone, but we¡¯re going to adventure together. Somehow you seem to not think of me as a woman, but I can¡¯t really think of you as being of the opposite gender either. As long as you can keep your reasoning even when I grow up into a captivating beauty someday, we¡¯ll adventure together.¡±

    He burst intoughter. Loudly, at that!!

    ¡°¡­¡­Don¡¯t worry. Your gonna stay a brat. Your insisting on having small breasts, but in reality, you don¡¯t have any, do you? You¡¯ve got the perfect, t body line of a brat! Moreover, inside hides an old lecher! It ain¡¯t like I¡¯m thinkin¡¯ of you as a guy, but perceivin¡¯ you as opposite gender woulda be too much of a stretch for me. Or rather, the same would apply to anyone else. Even if you were to introduce yourself as a woman, everyone would be sure that your a guy. Even when washin¡¯ right next to you while stark naked, no one would take you for a woman.¡±

    How terrible of him!! And here I was consoling and encouraging him!

    £ª

    ¡­At some point I must have fallen asleep. When I woke up, Ms. Bloody stood next to the bed like a stone statue after having flipped over the bed sheet to take a peek.

    ¡°¡­¡­.WHAT IS THIS ABOOOOOOUT!?¡±

    ABOOOOOOUT as in what? Is she asking how Sword and I ended up in the same bed?

    If I remember correctly, we went to sleep together. But look, we¡¯re wearing clothes and all. Our attires don¡¯t even look messed up as if we had some sex y involving wearing clothes.

    ¡°In short, it is AS YOU CAN SEE. Sorry, but I got my hands full with this girl here.¡±

    Ah, Sword is going with the flow and uses it to casually reject her.

    ¡°It looks like Sword converted to the no-breast faction. Sorry for having said something inconsiderate as I was sure that he definitely belonged to the big-breast faction.¡±

    I also chipped in, exining that he turned down Ms. Bloody because she apparently wasn¡¯t his type. At once Ms. Bloody started to tremble violently.

    ¡°¡­You cheaaaaater¡«¡«!¡± She screamed while trying to punch us.

    Both of us jumped back.

    ¡°Hmm, I wonder who¡¯s meant with that?¡±

    ¡°Probably you, no I¡¯m sure it¡¯s you. Absolutely sure.¡± Sword frantically pushed the me on me.

    ¡°No, that was a joke, you know?¡±

    My part in this is nonexistent, I¡¯m certain.

    Ms. Bloody pulverized the bed she ended up hitting thanks to her splendid, superhuman strength.

    ¡°Okay, just as I thought, my strength is pretty much normal in this world.¡±

    ¡°Wait, wait, Bloody Witch is an S-Rank, just so you know. Also, as for the reason why she¡¯s received a brutal name like Bloody, there¡¯s an anecdote goin¡¯ ¡¯round that she¡¯s punched the countless men, who dumped her, bloody with her fists.¡± Sword calmly retorted.

    Thanks for the exnation.

    ¡°I guess it¡¯s your turn to be bloody next, huh!?¡±

    When I teased him cheerfully like that, Ms Bloody screamed back, ¡°Don¡¯t decide on your own that it¡¯s because I was dumped¡«¡«¡«!¡±

    £ª

    Ms. Bloody does appear to have herculean strength, but unfortunately she¡¯s got no stamina. She immediately started to pant heavily,pletely worn out.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better for you to work on your stamina? While it might be true that you¡¯re a mage, you¡¯d still be troubled if you don¡¯t have enough stamina to go on adventurers seeing how you¡¯re an adventurer as well so far as it goes, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°No, we¡¯d be the ones in trouble if she could chase after us after havin¡¯ be a stamina monster.¡±

    Swordnds a pin-point retort!

    ¡°That in itself would be fine with me since it¡¯d be some fun. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make sure to at least protect your virginity. But, some thrill would definitely be nice.¡±

    Ms. Bloody started to loudly bawl.

    ¡°Anyway, thanks for having taken care of us. We¡¯re off now.¡±

    And yet Swordpletely disregarded it, and bid farewell from her with a refreshed look, intending to quickly get out of here.

    ¡°It got slightly exciting at the very end, but in the end it wasn¡¯t anything worthwhile. Oh well, it can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯m kinda reluctant to leave, but since we¡¯ve still got a request to finish, I¡¯ll have to excuse myself at this point. Let¡¯s meet again if we get another opportunity.¡±

    I opened the window, and jumped down.

 Chapter 50

    The request seemed like it¡¯d take some time because the targets were monitor lizards, which disguised (I think?) themselves as rocks, and were quite resistant against magic, but we wrapped it up in no time, sold the materials for good money, and headed over to the next town.

    ¡°The next town can maybe offer you the thrill you were lookin¡¯ for.¡± Sword grinned broadly.

    ¡°Hoh! Hoh hoh!! I¡¯m looking forward to that!¡±

    His smile is kinda creepy, but it¡¯s about time for me to experience something very adventurous! Since Sword is saying that it¡¯s going to offer some thrill, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll get my fill!

    I¡¯m so hyped!

    £ª

    What stood out when we entered Dayz, the next town, was a church. Of course it was a church dedicated to this world¡¯s gods of myths, and not the one god of the other world.

    I don¡¯t n to deny the existence of gods, but since I¡¯ve never perceived them as being real, it¡¯s limited to me not outright denying their existence.

    One might be under the wrong impression that I¡¯d think otherwise, seeing how I got reincarnated into this world, but as long as I find no proof for their existence, it¡¯d be silly of me to believe in the existence of gods, wouldn¡¯t it? If it¡¯s a church that¡¯s been turned into a tourist attraction, I¡¯d love to take a look at it, but I wonder whether that¡¯s the case here.

    Sword cheerfully called out to me without realizing what I¡¯ve been thinking, ¡°Now then, firstes the dungeon. If you wanna know what kind of dungeon it is¡­it¡¯s one full of undead!¡±

    ¡°Ooohhhh!¡±

    Finally something exciting!

    I shifted my attention from the church to the dungeon. I grabbed Sword¡¯s arm and pulled him.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, hurry, hurry!¡±

    Sword, who had been grinning, became disappointed after seeing my reaction.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s just, asionally, and very rarely at that, you show reactions befittin¡¯ girls of your age, so I was lookin¡¯ forward to it urrin¡¯ this time as well, but¡­¡±

    Ah, kinda like the standard lines of ¡°Eeek, scaaary!¡±, ¡°Ha ha ha, don¡¯t fret. I¡¯m with you so you¡¯re safe!¡± as they happen during haunted house dates?

    ¡°Sorry about that. But I¡¯m the type whose excitement shoots up in haunted houses. Rather, it enters the category of attractions I actually like, I¡¯d say.¡±

    I also enjoyed the super famous biohazard game so much that I cleared it in a breath! As I¡¯ve unfortunately never experienced VR, I must get a good taste of it over here in reality!

    Yahooo! My excitement is going through the roof!

    ¡°Whoa, your gettin¡¯ so excited that it makes me wonder whether it¡¯d have been better to leave it unmentioned. Unfortunately, it¡¯s not that much of a big deal. I mean, you can easily defeat them if your willin¡¯ to spend money.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re charging you for the weapons you need?¡±

    Ehh? Sounds like quite the wicked thing to do. I mean, I won¡¯t go as far as telling others to do it for free, but I¡¯m a fan of low costs. My otherworld self would buy starter packs, but while it may be true that she cleared the games, she¡¯d never get involved in things requiring you to pay additional cash.

    ¡°What¡¯s that about charges? It¡¯s just the church sellin¡¯ an item that works well ¡®gainst undead. If you prepare that item by sinkin¡¯ some cash into it, you can easily clear the dungeon. That¡¯s the extent of it.¡±

    ¡°Item?¡±

    Is it possibly holy water?

    ¡°Holy water.¡±

    Ah, so it was that temte after all. Still, I wonder how they¡¯re making that holy water of theirs. I hope it¡¯s not going to be some pun like the holy water actually being salt water or some such.

    ¡°Well, even without somethin¡¯ like that, it¡¯s goin¡¯ to be a walk in the park for you n¡¯ me since we can use light magic.¡±

    ¡°Haah?¡±

    Just a sec, what did he say just now?

    ¡°You can use light magic, can¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡­¡­

    ¡°If you say they can be defeated with light. But you see, my light magic causes illumination by converting magic elements into £ÛFments£Ý and energy, okay? It¡¯s not like it can produce sunlight.¡±

    Does that mean he wants me to test which light rays work?

    Sword ced a hand on his forehead.

    ¡°You¡¯ve started therin¡¯ about someplicated stuff ¡®gain. Then, wanna buy holy water?¡±

    ¡°Physical attacks won¡¯t work?¡±

    ¡°On some undead they won¡¯t work, yeah. Well, I s¡¯pose I can handle those.¡±

    For physical attacks to not work, that¡¯s quite amazing. Are there possibly mist-like enemies or holograms in that dungeon? Either way, it¡¯s very unusual and interesting.

    ¡°If it¡¯s not too expensive, I¡¯d like to buy one as a souvenir.¡±

    Swordughed out loud, ¡°Holy water as a souvenir! Your really disrespectful, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never experienced anything pointing towards the existence of gods. In the other world, the names and appearances of the deified gods differed depending on the race, and it even went so far that they started wars over differences in belief, but although they waged such wars, the gods never descended to assist their worshipers. ¡­Are you a pious believer?¡±

    I really hate religious fanatics since they¡¯d nonchntly try to force their belief on you. Sword doesn¡¯t show a sliver of such inclination, but you never know what the future holds.

    ¡°Since I¡¯ve never sensed the existence of gods, just like you, I¡¯m not honorin¡¯ ¡¯em or anythin¡¯ like that. Rather, if I had to choose, I loathe clergymen.¡±

    Hmm. I guess clergymen are unpopr in any world.

    £ª

    We headed to the guild, postponing the church for now. On the way, Sword told me about dungeons.

    ¡°Usually dungeons are managed by the guild. Wild dungeons also exist, but under normal circumstances a town with a guild is built ¡¯round any decent dungeon. And the entry permissions are handled by the guild, except for wild dungeons, of course. So, you report your ns, enter the dungeon, and return the entry permission once your done. If you don¡¯t return ordin¡¯ to your schedule, the guild¡¯ll put up a rescue request for you.¡±

    ¡°Rescue requests sure are a pain.¡±

    Most of it was just as I had imagined, but refusing rescue requests each and every single time would be a bother.

    ¡°Ah¡­ While we¡¯re at it, your goin¡¯ to be treated like me if you party up with me, but that okay with you?¡±

    ¡°Did you think it wouldn¡¯t be?¡± I responded to his question with a question of my own.

    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t think so. That¡¯s why we¡¯ll apply for a party on this asion.¡±

    Hmm? He¡¯d been talking about us being partners and a party, but now he¡¯s saying we aren¡¯t a party?

    Having read what I was thinking on my face, Sword scratched his cheek, ¡°Well, we couldn¡¯t form a party because our ranks were too different. At least, that¡¯s one reason. In the first ce, there ain¡¯t no folk who¡¯d form parties with S-Rank adventurers. But, since we get that much of a special treatment, we can instead form parties if we want to. Then again, there¡¯s hardly any A-Ranks ¡¯round either.¡±

    I see, I see.

    ¡°¡­So, what are we goin¡¯ to do ¡¯bout the party name?¡±

    ¡­¡­

    ¡°Ryokus & Happy Friends.¡±

    ¡°Hey! Not only doesn¡¯t it include our names, it doesn¡¯t even cover any human names!¡±

    He ground my temples with his fists.

    ¡°Ouch, it hurtsss. ¡­Isn¡¯t it better than going with some embarrassing name?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s worse than the name bein¡¯ embarrassin¡¯.¡±

    It was obviously a joke to begin with.

    ¡°¡­In that case, wouldn¡¯t it be alright to go with <strong>¡¾Allrounders¡¿</strong>? It¡¯s easy to understand since it¡¯d express our identity, right?¡±

    Sword let go of me.

    ¡°All-purpose Warrior Party? Not bad.¡±

    Ah, it¡¯s probably going to be super embarrassing when expressed in kanji.

    ¡­¡­Oh well, whatever. We might as well go with our guild registration numbers then. That¡¯d be even easier to understand!

    Or so I thought, but it looks like Sword liked the name.

    £ª

    We immediately registered the party at the guild.

    ¡°¡­Umm, are you fine with this?¡± The receptionist confirmed while looking back and forth between Sword and me.

    ¡°Her abilities are S-Rank. Besides, it¡¯s possible to treat her as <strong>special case</strong>, isn¡¯t it? As she¡¯s also said she¡¯s goin¡¯ to join up with me, we¡¯vee to an agreement. It ain¡¯t like I¡¯m tellin¡¯ you to make her an S-Rank, so register the party, will you?¡±

    <strong>Special case</strong> is what? Is that about the ¡ºcan¡¯t put up a request and can¡¯t get rescued¡» from the other day?

    That¡¯d be actually what I want. The receptionist seemed rather unwilling for some reason, but she still registered our party.

    ¡­Hmm? Somehow my card has changed.

    ¡°It¡¯s different from before.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a ¡ºLimited-to-Party¡» S-Rank treatment.¡±

    It became kinda like Sword¡¯s card. Though it¡¯s still got C-Rank written on it.

    ¡°Aight, we¡¯ll head out at once then. Please take care of the dungeon¡¯s entry permission, ¡®kay?¡±

    £ª

    Along the way to the dungeon, I asked Sword about the <strong>¡¾Special Case¡¿</strong>.

    Special case means¨D¨D

    ¨D¨Dan S-Rank can form a party with someone else, disregarding their rank, if the other party agrees to it. Limited to situations where they act as a party, the party members will be treated like S-Ranks, and the contract terms between the guild and the S-Rank in the party are applied to the entire party.

    Also, in normal cases, it¡¯s set that the guild will only ept people to party up if they¡¯re one rank apart above C-Rank and two ranks apart up until D-Rank. The party rank is set by what rank is represented the most within a party (if the numbers of represented ranks is the same, the party can decide which rank to choose).

    Because exams and assessment are carried out for parties, individual ranks basically don¡¯t matter unless for solo-adventurers. Even if you join another party after your old one breaks up or you left it, it¡¯ll be a gathering of simr ranks most of the time.

    Well, that makes sense.

    And! S-Rank party members will have the same card as an S-Rank! A shiny, sparky te! But, if I work by myself, I¡¯ll be treated based on my former rank¡­in short, C-Rank. As long as I don¡¯t leave the party, the party breaks up, or the S-Rank adventurer (in other words, Sword) dies, I¡¯ll apparently be treated like an S-Rank adventurer. Basically it means I¡¯m an S-Rank now.

    £ª

    ¡°Hmm. ¡­Still, that receptionistdy was quite reluctant, wasn¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°¡­Sure was. As might be expected from callin¡¯ it <strong>special case</strong>, it¡¯s usually only used for temporary parties to get support from experts possessin¡¯ special skills or knowledge durin¡¯ special requests. <strong>¡¾Bloody Witch¡¿</strong>, <strong>¡¾Peerless Strength¡¿</strong>, or I won¡¯t even form temporary parties unless it¡¯s a fairly dire situation. That¡¯s why the receptionist prolly suspected that I might be tryin¡¯ to form a party with you for the <strong>sole</strong> reason of ¡ºhavin¡¯ taken a likin¡¯¡» to a powerless kid. Ain¡¯t no way that¡¯s true though. I¡¯d never choose anyone like that as party member. That missy shouldn¡¯t look down of S-Rank adventurers.¡±

    Whoaa, as usual, he¡¯s ying the hard mode.

 Chapter 51

    Before going to the dungeon, we stopped by the church. We settled down on buying one bottle. If it looks like it¡¯s possible to make holy water ourselves, we will do so, and if not, we¡¯ll attack some undead with it.

    ¡°Speaking of churches, it¡¯s all about the structure. Does it have any designs worthy of notice?¡±

    ¡°Huh? You were interested in such stuff?¡±

    ¡°Obviously. Art is bountiful in sensitivity. Culture is the proof of mankind. The same also applies to cooking. You enjoy it with your eyes, nose, and tongue.¡±

    My otherworld self was good at cooking, but she didn¡¯t really fuss over food arrangement and coloring. But she believed that delicious food should also be a feast for the eyes.

    My current self is aiming for photogenic dishes, so far as it goes. The taste is stillcking in some parts, so I also considered adding the visual aspect.

    ¡°Worryin¡¯ ¡¯bout such stuff sure points to you bein¡¯ a Noble Lady.¡± Sword said after taking a long, hard look at me.

    ¡°You think so? Well, nobles certainly might be like that, but¡­ Hmm, you¡¯re right. Art and culture may be built on sacrifices of the weak. Without riches, art won¡¯te into existence.¡±

    Even in the other world, it was always the rich who allowed art to thrive.

    £ª

    The church Sword led me to was¡­

    ¡°Quite new, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    I couldn¡¯t feel any art or history from it. Or to describe it in one word, ¡ºunrefined¡». It might have cost quite a bit of money, but it totally gives off the impression of nuveau riche, or to be blunt, they¡¯ve pointlessly wasted lots of money.

    Moreover, it¡¯s covered all over with shiny gold.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ve already felt so before, but my artistic sense doesn¡¯t mesh with the artistic sense of this world¡¯s inhabitants.¡±

    ¡°Nah, it ain¡¯t my taste either.¡±

    Yep, you can¡¯t settle down in such a thing, can you?

    ¡°The churches in the other world I considered as pretty had¡­colored sses, and windows joined together by those colored sses. They depicted wonderful religious paintings bybining various colors. And the windows were set up to be hit by sunlight, making the whole experience extremely beautiful. The technique of pasting elements together was also used on the ceilings and walls. It was impressive to see how they had meticulously painted on small tiles and pasted them all together into one bigger picture.¡±

    ¡°You can tell just from hearing that it¡¯s gotta be a ridiculous amount of work.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right about thebor itself, but I think it¡¯d have been impossible without a good sense of color. And that¡¯s also the reason why it¡¯s art. I hope they have at least some borate interior decoration and colorful frescoes. I mean, I thought I¡¯d be able to take a look at such things¡­¡±

    I got disappointed.

    ¡°Your previous world was really incredible. I¡¯ve got a hunch that things are far more advanced over there than they¡¯re here.¡±

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because magic didn¡¯t exist. Art that¡¯s created without using magic, only relying on your own hands, is possibly so bewitching a feat that it¡¯s beyond the reach for the people of this world who rely on magic for everything? But then again, nature produces the best art, I¡¯d say.¡±

    I like works made by humans, but I also love looking at breathtaking natural sceneries.

    £ª

    ¡­Just as I was having a discourse on art with Sword, someone approached us.

    ¡°You people look like you might be adventurers. I shall allow you to take me with you, if you head into the dungeon.¡±

    ¡­¡­

    Hmm? What was that? Umm¡­another misunderstanding?

    I looked at the person who had drawn close to us.

    I¡¯d say she¡¯s around my age. A girl with simrly small breasts like me. She¡¯s wearing a cassock that¡¯s a lot more luxurious than the ones I know of. Its color is also very shy ¨C pink and violet¡­and on top of that, it¡¯s got embroideries added to it with golden threads. Is she a cosyer or something?

    I looked at Sword, but he waspletely ignoring her existence. Moreover, ¡°You ignore her as well¡± was totally written on his face.

    But¡­

    I looked at the girl once more.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me? Then let me repeat it once more. I shall kindly allow you to take me with you to the dungeon. Now, follow me.¡±

    ¡­¡­I don¡¯t get the meaning of what she¡¯s talking about. How troublesome.

    I should be bilingual, but on top of having recovered my otherworld memories, I didn¡¯t have much opportunity to talk with others until I met Sword. Maybe because of that, I¡¯m better at the other world¡¯snguage, and every once in a while, there will be times when I can¡¯t understand what the people of this world are saying.

    I sought help from Sword.

    ¡°You see, Sword, as a matter of fact I¡¯m better at thenguage of the other world. Until I met you, I didn¡¯t talk to others much, so it happens that I asionally don¡¯t understand what the people of this world are saying.¡±

    Sword spluttered, bursting intoughter.

    ¡°¡­So, I don¡¯t quite get what she¡¯s saying, but¡­ Sword, what is she talking about?¡±

    The small-breasted girl sighed with a shake of her head.

    ¡°Apparently it was too difficult for people of low birth to understand my words¡­ Although I had my hopes up since your attires are fairly decent.¡±

    Oh, blue veins popped on Sword¡¯s forehead, huh?

    ¡°Now, now, aren¡¯t you a bit too touchy? It¡¯s because you¡¯re drinking too much alcohol.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t me my liquor on everythin¡¯ and anythin¡¯! You as former nobility don¡¯t feel anythin¡¯ when insulted like that!?¡±

    ¡°Well, I can understand that those aren¡¯t the words of the clergy. At least as far as the clergy in memory goes. Isn¡¯t she a noble herself? I mean, that¡¯s how nobles are, correct?¡±

    The small-breasted woman flinched away. After artificially clearing her throat, ¡°My name is Sa. ¡­But I see, so you were of noble descent? On top of that, a decent personal appearance. By the way, you came here to buy holy water, didn¡¯t you? If Ie with you people, you won¡¯t need any holy water. That¡¯s why I am telling you that I shall apany you.¡±

    ¡­I was able to understand around half of it. Granted I didn¡¯t misunderstand it, though.

    ¡°I see. Now that you have introduced yourself, I must do so as well. I¡¯m called Indra. It¡¯s true that I came here to buy holy water. I want one bottle as a souvenir. Since there¡¯s no point in getting you in exchange for a souvenir, I¡¯d like you to refrain from apanying us.¡± I looked at Sword. ¡°¡­You agree with me, don¡¯t you?¡±

    He caressed my head.

    ¡°I¡¯m totally with you on that. It¡¯s a big boon that you¡¯re such aposed girl. Now, if you only wouldn¡¯t treat humans and monsters equally, it¡¯d be even better.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re funny. I¡¯m just making a distinction between ¡ºthose dear to me¡» and ¡ºeveryone else¡». There¡¯s no way that I¡¯d put you and monsters on the same level.¡±

    I think even Sword would destroy any human who destroyed his Ryoku regardless of whether they knew that he¡¯s a golem or not.

    ¡°¡­¡­Pardon me? I feel I might have misheard. You mentioned that you wish to obtain holy water as a ¡ºsouvenir¡»?¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t mishear. That¡¯s what I said.¡±

    The small-breasted woman, now Sa, started to tremble, only to be bright red and yell in anger, ¡°¡­F-For you t-to put holy water on the same level as s-souvenirs!! There are l-limits to how rude one can be!!¡±

    ¡­¡­Once again, I don¡¯tprehend what she¡¯s telling us.

    ¡°Sword, I didn¡¯t understand her again. I think that I received a reasonably good education, but maybe it¡¯s now working against me that I didn¡¯t have many opportunities to talk with others during my childhood?¡± When I asked him, almost on the verge of tears, Sword roughly stroked my head.

    My eyes spun a bit from my head being whirled around.

    ¡°Hmm, just now, you see, she apparently got angry because you pissed her off. She¡¯s insistin¡¯ that holy water should be used properly, ¡®kay?¡±

    Hee.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s set in stone how you ought to use holy water, or is it? In the first ce, it¡¯d be impossible to go around and check how every buyer has used it. Also, using it as a souvenir shouldn¡¯t be regarded as such a bad use. It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve suggested, ¡ºLet¡¯s sprinkle holy water in the toilet since it works great as deodorant!¡», have I?¡±

    Sword guffawed whereas the small-breasted Sa trembled even more furiously.

    ¡°H-How sphemous! I-I won¡¯t tolerate this! You won¡¯t be forgiven until you correct yourself!¡±

    ¡°What, you didn¡¯t know? It¡¯s currently a fad among nobles.¡±

    In response to myment, she froze,pletely lost for words.

    ¡°¡­¡­You¡¯re lying¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, you found out?¡±

    ¡°!?!?!?!¡±

    Sword folded his arm, and stared at me in obvious admiration, ¡°Your instigation skill is truly a ss of its own, you know?¡±

    £ª

    Since she told us that they wouldn¡¯t sell holy water to someone so heretic, I immediately gave up on it, and we left the church.

    Yet, she chased after us.

    ¡°W-Wait a moment! Why are you leaving without buying any holy water!?¡±

    ¡­¡­Somehow I feel like I don¡¯t possess the skill to speak with this girl.

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it you who told us that you won¡¯t sell it to us?¡±

    She groaned.

    ¡°T-That¡¯s right, but why did you leave just like that without buying it?¡±

    I got more confused by the second since I had no idea what she was talking about.

    ¡°¡­¡­I thought it wasmon sense that you can¡¯t buy something that¡¯s not up for sale, but does the church operate on anothermon sense?¡±

    She groaned once more.

    ¡°O-Of course, it¡¯s different!¡± She dered right afterwards.

    So they don¡¯t have the samemon sense as everyone else!?

    ¡°If you promise to correct your ways, wholeheartedly apologize while bowing, and beg while clinging to my legs, it might be possible for you to obtain what¡¯s not up for sale.¡±

    ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t need it to the extent of doing anything like that.¡± I quickly turned her down.

    ¡°Anyway, we had some fun, but now we¡¯ll be off. The church didn¡¯t offer anything we gotta see, but I s¡¯pose it had a rare animal at least.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re treating her like a rare animal?¡±

    ¡°A small-breasted rare anima¡­no, that¡¯s wrong. A woman with a moderate bust.¡± Sword coughed deceivingly

    Afterwards, he pretended to not hear anything she said.

    ¡°Now then, let¡¯s go. We don¡¯t need anythin¡¯ like holy water anyway. If you wanna enjoy that thrill of yours, an item allowin¡¯ you to kill enemies in a whiff would contradict that, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course! I¡¯m the type who clears games without any cash boosts!¡±

    I really wonder what kind of dungeon it¡¯s going to be! I¡¯m so excited!

    Yet, Sa chased after us.

    ¡°Hey!? Just now you said small-breasted rare animal, didn¡¯t you!? Small-breasted!?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just your imagination. ¡­Ah, by the way, Sword and I hate people who act all high and mighty. Remember, even if you try to throw your weight around by borrowing the power of god, it won¡¯t just not work on some people, but there are also people who hate such a behavior.¡±

    I intended to throw cold water on her just as she was about to go ballistic. Swordughed without saying anything. Meanwhile Sa became dumbfounded.

    ¡°S-S-Something l-like t-t-that¡­¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re saying I¡¯m wrong, then practice what I¡¯ve told you just now in the future. ¨D¨DDon¡¯t stand between god and the people offering their devoted prayers to god. Rather, stay in the back and offer your prayers to those pious believers. Lend money to those depending on god without demanding piety in exchange, and don¡¯t be arrogant or proud over doing so. Don¡¯t seek anything from those who don¡¯t pray to god as they don¡¯t believe, and don¡¯t coerce them by unting god¡¯s name. ¨D¨DThat¡¯s the exact opposite of what you¡¯ve been doing, don¡¯t you think? You¡¯re a prime example of ¡ºabusing god¡¯s power for your own purposes¡».¡±

    Yep, I said something great there!

    ¡­Just when I thought that, Sa broke out in tears.

    ¡°Oh boy, you¡¯ve gone way overboard. Once again you¡¯ve broken someone¡¯s mind.¡±

    ¡°Huh? I said something good!¡±

    ¡°Certainly, you did. But look, as someone who got pampered all the time until now, she was never told anythin¡¯ like ¡¸You¡¯re actin¡¯ all high and mighty¡¹.¡±

    Just because she was never told so doesn¡¯t mean that she has to cry over it, does it?

    ¡­¡­Oh well, whatever. She¡¯s just a random stranger anyway. Not like I care. I mean, she was the one who suddenly talked to us, followed us around, and told us to do this or that.

    It¡¯s not like I¡¯m a parasite hunter.

 Chapter 52

    Now then, we¡¯ve arrived at the entrance area of the dungeon.

    And it¡¯s shocking!

    It¡¯s situated on a huge general graveyard, allowing one to immediately get excited¡­moreover, I¡¯m told the sun doesn¡¯t shine here all year round¡­

    ¡°How exciting!¡±

    ¡°For you, yes.¡±

    Although Sword looked so happy earlier, his attitude is gradually bing more irresponsible and apathetic as he watches my reactions.

    ¡°You said you¡¯ve been here before. Don¡¯t you think you should be a bit more excited? Look at this situation! A gloomy sky, swarms of sinister-looking birds, and the groans of the dead we can hear for some reason!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, well, somehow, if you talk so happily ¡¯bout, it all starts lookin¡¯ like some cheap fake, you see.¡± He answered apathetically.

    ¡°You¡¯re such a bore. ¡­Maybe I should go into the dungeon with the guys over there? I¡¯m sure I¡¯d have a st if I went with them.¡±

    A party of men and women was quarreling in a ce slightly away from us. The guys seemed willing to go, but the women were reluctant¡­or rather, scared.

    ¡°I believe it¡¯d be best if that cocky attitude got corrected least once, but the nasty part ¡¯bout you is that you somehow get everythin¡¯ done with ease even with that cocky attitude of yours. You might receive a divine punishment if you get too condescendin¡¯, you know?¡± He cracked a smile.

    ¡°Divine punishments are handed out by gods, right? But look, the gods are no humans, and that¡¯s why it¡¯s unthinkable for them to care whether humans have a cocky attitude or not. I think divine punishments might rather be carried out by other humans.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, gotcha.¡±

    Going into a huff, I pointed a finger at Sword, ¡°But leaving that aside! You yourself said that you want to have more fun, that things were boring despite adventuring, didn¡¯t you!? Just take responsibility for your own life! The lives of others are their own issue! Whether you dive into a dungeon while having a fun stroll or do it with a super gloomy face, it¡¯ll be the end either way if you die as everything turns into nothing. In that case, wouldn¡¯t it be a lot smarter to die after having had fun in a dungeon? Come on, have a st together with me while using everything to that end!¡±

    ¡°You casually stated, ¡ºwhile usin¡¯ everythin¡¯ to that end¡», there, didn¡¯t you?¡± Swordmented with a sigh, just to mess up my hair in the next second. ¡°But, you¡¯ve got a point. Gotcha, I¡¯m going to stop. After all, I¡¯ve made up my mind to enjoy myself while adventurin¡¯ with you, haven¡¯t I?¡±

    I nodded.

    ¡°Now then, with this out of the way, we got to find someone in charge of livening things up a bit. If we go into the dungeon with just the two of us, things are going to be extremely boring.¡±

    Even though he just said that he wants to have fun, he now sighs in response to my mutter?

    ¡­¡­At that moment¡­¡­

    ¡°W-Wa-Wait!¡±

    Once called to a halt by a trembling voice, I looked back, just to spot Sa behind me.

    ¡°Ooohh, small-breasted woman!¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s small-breasted!?¡±

    Ah, damn, I just blurted it out unconsciously.

    ¡°My bad. You were called Sa, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I-If y-y-you t-take me a-along, you w-won¡¯t n-n-need any holy w-w-water!¡± She dered while trembling all over.

    ¡°No, look, we don¡¯t need any holy water to begin with. I didn¡¯t n to use it in the dungeon either. I told you, didn¡¯t I? I wanted it as a souvenir, but if you won¡¯t sell it to me, I don¡¯t need it.¡±

    In addition, Sa had brought a rod with her.

    How to describe this¡­? Trying to force a debt of gratitude on you?

    ¡°We¡¯ve told you that we don¡¯t need it, so get lost.¡± I waved a hand, shooing her away.

    £ª

    ¡°Nooow then, if possible, I¡¯d love to call out to some women who¡¯re going to be cutely scared. Isn¡¯t there a woman-only party around?¡±

    Sword looked coldly at me as I shaded my eyes and scanned the vicinity.

    ¡°Hey, sleazeball. What¡¯re you nnin¡¯? That¡¯s in old pickin¡¯ up of girls, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the problem? I¡¯m just going to have fun with all I can!¡±

    What¡¯s the point in rushing into a haunted house with a dullbination of two men, err, an middle-aged dude and a girl who sadly and boringly shows no reactions whatsoever? The fun part about dares is going around with scared girls who scream around!

    ¡°Listen to me! I¡¯ve been telling you that I¡¯ll go with you!!¡±

    Hah?

    Once I looked back, I found Sa behind me. She was ring my way while trembling like a newborn fawn.

    ¡­¡­¡­.Hmm.

    I ced a hand on my chin and brooded.

    ¡°Ah! A skeleton¡¯s hand has appeared at your feet!¡±

    ¡°Eee~~~~~~eek!!¡±

    Wow, what an amazing scream. And on top of that she jumped up, just to fall down in the next moment.

    ¡­¡­¡­..I see.

    ¡°Alright, you pass. You maye with us into the dungeon.¡± I lent a hand to Sa.

    Sword pped his forehead, ¡°Seriously, your an incorrigible idiot, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    £ª

    Sword asked me with a somewhat angry voice, ¡°Are you goin¡¯ to take responsibility for that girl¡¯s safety?¡±

    ¡°Did you listen to anything I said so far? I¡¯ve said, ¡ºEveryone is responsible for their own lives¡», several times, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    Sword sighed.

    ¡°You¡¯re trying to take on too much yourself! I just want to do a dare while watching a scared woman!¡±

    ¡°Whoa, your really scummy.¡±

    Shut it! Why do you care!? We¡¯ve got an applicant right here! This is a win-win situation for both of us!

    ¡°Anyway, you don¡¯t have a fragment of responsibility to bear. No matter what happens, you don¡¯t need to worry. I¡¯ll repeat this over and over again should you forget it.¡±

    ¡°¡­Gotcha. I won¡¯t mention it anymore.¡±

    It looks like he¡¯s somehow made up his mind, despite looking the other way. Most likely he¡¯s nning to save her somehow himself.

    ¡°Now¡¯s the perfect time I¡¯d want you to drink some liquor. If you be drunk, your judgment will be dull, and you¡¯ll likely be able to enjoy the here and now without bothering yourself with what you should or should not do yourself.¡±

    ¡°Whoa, your seriously awful, you know?¡±

    Why? I¡¯m just looking out for you.

    £ª

    After this and that, we finally entered the dungeon.

    ¡°Why do I have to walk in front!?¡± Sa roared.

    ¡°Of course because we n to proceed ahead while using you as a sacrifice.¡±

    Upon my answer, not only Sa, but even Sword became dumbfounded.

    ¡°Oof, I underestimated just how much of a brute you are. Far from readily considering idental deaths, you actively intend to sacrifice others without a care¡­I didn¡¯t expect you to be so deranged.¡±

    ¡°The only one I¡¯m going to protect is you, Sword. I¡¯ll dly sacrifice everyone else for your protection and my enjoyment.¡±

    ¡°You casually added ¡ºfor your enjoyment¡» in there, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Of course.

    Once I nodded, I had my temples ground.

    ¡°Ouch, ouch, it hurtsss!¡±

    Sa had stopped moving altogether after starting to cry.

    I sighed deeply, ¡°No choice, I guess. Do you want to walk together with me then? While holding hands?¡±

    When I held out my hand, she grabbed it while sobbing.

    ¡°¡­¡­ Are you possibly¡­quite skilled at wooin¡¯ women?¡±

    What¡¯s this guy yapping?

    ¡°You stay away from us a bit. It won¡¯t be any fun if you stick too closely. Also, don¡¯t defeat anything that approaches us, okay? I¡¯ll do it myself.¡±

    ¡°Haaah¡­. Gotcha. But, are you going to be okay?¡± Sword asked after having given up.

    ¡°Of course. Now, let¡¯s be off! We¡¯re going on an adventure!¡±

    Sword finally smiled due to those words, and after she blinked her eyes a few times, Sa stopped crying and smiled as well.

 Chapter 53

    Things were very lively inside the dungeon. Thanks to Sa.

    ¡°Eeeeeeekk!!!¡±

    She screamed when skeletons appeared.

    ¡°Noooooooo!!!¡±

    She screamed when ghouls appeared.

    All the while clinging to my arm while pressing her hard, washboard-like chest against it.

    I could have also used magic from a distance, but I deliberately went into closebat with my wooden sword to have some fun. Sa frantically trying to hide behind me as a shield while being scared was fun.

    ¡°¡­Lookin¡¯ at you from behind, it makes one wonder, ¡ºJust what the hell are these people doin¡¯ aftering into a dungeon?¡», you know?¡±

    I¡¯m sure for outsiders it must look like we¡¯re flirting.

    ¡°I¡¯m getting my fill of enjoyment.¡±

    When I agreed in satisfaction, I was told by Sword, ¡°You really deserve divine punishment.¡±

    Still, this ce is full of slow-moving monsters. If a quickly-moving monster appeared around here, it¡¯d take the thrill to a new level.

    ¡­Just when I thought so, something suddenly showed up.

    ¡°It¡¯s a wraith. Physical attacks don¡¯t work ¡®gainst that thing.¡± Sword exined.

    ¡°I want to test out various things first. What¡¯s going to happen if you get hit by its attack?¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t die instantly. Gettin¡¯ possessed by it would make things annoyin¡¯ though¡­ It¡¯s usin¡¯ mental attacks. In the worst case, I¡¯ll handle it one way or ¡®nother.¡±

    That¡¯s a load of my mind then.

    ¡°But even before that, the woman clingin¡¯ to you should be able to handle it, however.¡± Hemented while pointing at Sa who was stuck to my arm while trembling.

    ¡°No need. She¡¯s here as a mascot to spice up things.¡±

    If she¡¯s this scared for me, it also makes this dare super exciting for me.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already thought that your quite the terrible person, but considerin¡¯ all her condescendin¡¯, cocksure talk, that woman is just as bad as you.¡± He said apathetically.

    ¡°Now, now, don¡¯t be so jealous, Sword.¡±

    ¡°Do you actually know the meanin¡¯ of the word?¡± I was asked in return.

    Now then, a wraith, huh? They¡¯re standard attractions for any haunted house, but to be honest, I¡¯m not really that interested. After all, they¡¯repletely soundless.

    ¡°Ryoku, does that thing show up in your detection?¡±

    ¡°There is a response with infrared rays. Its temperature is low.¡±

    Hmm. That part follows the usual setting.

    Then¡­

    ¡°Eeeeeeekk!! It¡¯s a wraith! A wraith is heading this way! Noooooooo!¡±

    Yep, yep, it¡¯s totally heading this way.

    ¡°Sa¡­¡±

    ¡°Noooooooooooo!¡±

    I waited until the veryst moment, just when things got so exciting that Sword would step in at any moment.

    ¡°Haaah!¡± I tried cutting the wraith.

    And it got cut.

    Sa was crying like a baby.

    ¡°Okay, I could slice it apart.¡±

    Hmm?

    Sword approached me with big steps¡­.and grabbed me with an iron w.

    ¡°Gyaaaa!¡±

    ¡°Hey, there¡¯s limits to how far you take things! That just now was really dangerous!¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t!¡±

    Rather, your iron w is much more dangerous!

    ¡°Now listen¡­!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯ve been telling you to trust me a bit more and enjoy yourself! This is an adventure!¡±

    I got him to release his hand. But there¡¯s still some stinging pain left.

    ¡°You¡¯re such a worrywart. We weren¡¯t in such a big danger that you¡¯d need to kick up such a fuss. The time when you suddenly disappeared was a lot more dangerous.¡±

    Since I honestly didn¡¯t understand the principle behind Ms. Bloody¡¯s magic, it seemed really dangerous to me. It looked like teleportation magic, but if that spell went haywire, a human would be scattered into pieces. Or be a flyman.

    ¡°¡­Gotcha. Sorry for gettin¡¯ in the way of your fun.¡±

    ¡°I keep telling you to enjoy yourself as well. Look.¡± I pointed at Sa.

    ¡°Eeek, a wraiiith¡­!¡±

    She hadpletely broken down.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that girl a prime example of a failed priestess? A dungeon full of undead would usually be the perfect spot for a priestess to show her stuff.¡± Sword mumbled while rolling his eyes.

    £ª

    Now it¡¯s time for our grand adventure to start. Just when I was about to think that, we arrived at the boss room.

    ¡°Eeehhh¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t sound so disappointed.¡±

    My temples got ground once again.

    ¡°P-Protect m-m-me p-properly, got it?¡± Sa demanded with her teeth ttering.

    ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯d do that, is there? The only ones I protect are Sword and the Ryokus. Rather, go in front and be a meat shield.¡±

    I kicked her bum with a verve.

    ¡°T-T-That is p-preposterous a-a-after you b-brought m-m-me all t-the way h-he-here!! T-Take responsibility!¡±

    ¡°As if I¡¯d care. I¡¯ve got the principle of not getting involved andmenting on how others lead their lives. If you believe in a god, cling to them to save you.¡±

    Sword apparently didn¡¯t give a damn about her anymore either, ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±

    Ignoring Sa¡¯s disgraceful behavior and my trash talking her, he urged us on without a care and opened the door to the boss room.

    £ª

    The heavy door opened with a loud creaking and squeaking, totally befitting a haunted house. It¡¯d be super thrilling if something were to jump us the moment the door swung open.

    And, the instant we stepped into the room, a zombie dog leaped at us.

    ¡°Eeek!¡± Sa fell on her butt, and peed herself while at it.

    ¡°Ah, now that it¡¯s reached this point, I guess it¡¯s gone a bit too far.¡± I scratched my head after cutting down the dog.

    ¡°Rather, you bein¡¯ able to deal with it calmly is scary as fuck. Even I got the jitters when I experienced it for the first time.¡±

    I mean, it¡¯s such a stereotyped event.

    ¡°I have absolutely no issues with such attractions. But you see, attractions like this get super boring the instant none of the participants gets excited over them, right? Even the Dungeon Core wouldn¡¯t be very amused if I kept ying all it throws at me indifferently, coldly and looking totally bored, don¡¯t you think? Not getting startled in a dungeon packed with things intended to surprise you would be a depressing blow for the Dungeon Core, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, whatever. Let¡¯s finish off the boss.¡±

    The boss was a lich. Meaning, it was capable ofmunication.

    ¡°Hello.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you the type incapable of conversation?¡±

    ¡°¡­I am, lich.¡±

    ¡°My name, Indra. Mr. Lich, have you ever been allowed to talk with Sir Dungeon Core?¡±

    ¡°¡­That information is confidential.¡±

    I see, too bad. But, confidential basically means a confirmation, doesn¡¯t it?

    ¡°Mr. Lich, do you have an ego?¡±

    ¡°¡­That information is also confidential.¡±

    ¡°If I kill you here, will you be the same Mr. Lich that gets revived here?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Affirmative.¡±

    Alright.

    ¡°Okay, then please excuse me, but I need you to die for me.¡±

    ¡°Wait. I¡¯m also, interested in you.¡±

    Hoh.

    Sword looked back and forth between me with surprise coloring his face.

    ¡°Why did you, try to talk with me?¡±

    ¡°Because I was curious.¡±

    ¡°Curious about what?¡±

    ¡°I consider dungeons to be attractions that have been created by Dungeon Cores. However, the monsters appearing in there aren¡¯t golems, like the Ryokus which I built, but seem to be real monsters. But, if you defeat a monster in a dungeon, it turns into particles and vanishes. This makes it hard to consider the monsters in dungeons as genuine. Thus I wanted to know whether the monsters, which have likely been created by Sir Dungeon Core, possess an ego. I¡¯ve been hoping that my creations, the Ryokus, would also obtain something simr to a fake soul, which you could call an ego, some day. If the monsters created by Sir Dungeon Core are simr to ghosts, it might be possible for a self to dwell in the Ryokus one day¡­¡±

    My words towards the end faded out as they became more and more quiet. The lich, however, burst intoughter.

    ¡°¡­You are really extremely interesting. I¡¯d love to keep talking with you for as long as possible, but I¡¯m bound to this ce here in order to defeat any visitorsing here. With this, our conversation is over.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Okay, then here Ie.¡±

    I drew my wooden sword, closed the distance in an instant, and slew the lich. It turned into particles and vanished. Right afterwards, a treasure chest appeared with a plop.

    ¡°Oh, a treasure chest!¡±

    ¡°¡­Killin¡¯ the lich instantly and frolickin¡¯ so much ¡¯bout its treasure chest, despite havin¡¯ talked so happily with the lich moments ago¡­you¡¯re really unbelievable.¡± Swordmented with a stunned look.

    ¡°If I want to meet the lich again, I just need toe here once more, right? Anyway, I¡¯m going to open the chest.¡±

    ¡­Hmm?

    Once I opened it, I found an essory within.

    ¡°You won¡¯t know what it is as long as you don¡¯t get it appraised. If your unlucky, it could even be a cursed item. Sellin¡¯ it off would be the fastest way to deal with it.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll do just that, I suppose.¡±

    I wrapped it up in a sheet of leather and tossed it into my bag.

    £ª

    Now then, all that¡¯s left is to head back, but what should we do about the girl who peed herself?

    ¡°¡­¡­No choice. I¡¯ll have you change into my spare clothes. I¡¯ll put up the toilet¡¯s enclosure sheets, so get in there, wipe your body off with a towel, and put in the fresh clothes.¡±

    Sa went over to get changed while sobbing with hups. It took her a bit, but then she came out in new attire. Iundered the clothes she wore and everything else.

    ¡°Whaaa!? W-Wait! J-Just what is that!?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯mundering. It¡¯s nice cause it¡¯s easy, right? We¡¯ll head towards the exit while your clothes dry.¡±

    I washed them lightly, dehydrated, and then dried them out. Sa watched it all dumbfounded.

    ¡°¡­Hey, isn¡¯t this quite the high-ranking magic?¡±

    ¡°No clue. It looks like Sword can¡¯t use it, but I can¡¯t use some of Sword¡¯s spells either.¡±

    Sword shrugged his shoulders.

    ¡°¡­Also, this¡­what I¡¯m wearing right now¡­the underwear. It¡¯s for women, right?¡±

    ¡°Obviously.¡±

    ¡°¡­Why do you have women¡¯s underwear on you!?¡±

    ¡°I told you that these are my spare clothes, didn¡¯t I!?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wearing women¡¯s underwear!?!?!¡±

    ¡°Obviously!!¡±

    Sword had a st as he was guffawing.

    ¡°Pervert!¡±

    ¡°Actually I¡¯d be a pervert if I wore men¡¯s clothes!¡±

    ¡°Wearing women¡¯s clothes makes you a pervert!!¡±

    Why the hell!? What, is it a fixed rule that all the underwear of priests is men¡¯s wear without any differentiation between the sexes?

    £ª

    Since the way back became a boring chore, I used the full array of my magic together with Sword.

    I¡¯m not the type of woman thinking that an outing is only over after you¡¯vee back home.

    I could eliminate the undead with my light magic, ultraviolet rays. I guess it has a sterilizing effect. But figures, I mean ultraviolet rays are pretty harmful, aren¡¯t they?

    ¡°What is that magic you¡¯re usin¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Light magic.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t lie!¡±

    I earned myself a retort by Sword since my spell wasn¡¯t shining.

    ¡°¡­Just a moment there! You could use light magic, and yet you defeated the monsters in closebat earlier!? Why!?!¡± Sa shouted at me.

    ¡°I just wanted to enjoy watching you getting scared. Why are you asking something so obvious?¡±

    When I answered her like that, she started to violently tremble, and got totally mad.

    ¡°You idiooot! You¡¯re truly a brute! I hope you receive divine punishment!¡±

    I shook my head with a smile, ¡°I told Sword as well, but gods aren¡¯t human. Thus they won¡¯t scold humans over every little, trivial urrence.¡±

    Hearing that, she totally snapped. And at longst sinceing here, Sword finallyughed out loud at Sa¡¯s reaction.

    ¡°Rather, I told you to defeat them, but well, it was fun, so whatever.¡±

 Chapter 54

    When we came out of the dungeon, some kind ofmotion was going on.

    And just when I looked in the direction, wondering what was happening, ¡°¡­Sa!? What happened to you? What¡¯s with those clothes of yours!?¡±

    A middle-aged dude with a really amazing body build rushed over to us.

    ¡°Father!? W-Why are you here!?¡±

    Okay, going by his outfit, he definitely looks like a clergyman. So he was Sa¡¯s father, huh?

    ¡°T-These clothes, that¡¯s¡­I got a bit dirty, so I borrowed these.¡±

    ¡°Dirty!? What happened? ¡­Don¡¯t tell me, you went into the dungeon!?¡±

    Sa shrunk away.

    Since it looked like things would be annoying, I exchanged a look with Sword, and we tried to casually leave the scene.

    But, we were spotted.

    ¡°¡­Did you people take Sa out!?!¡±

    Sword lifted an eyebrow, ¡°Took out? Don¡¯t babble such bullshit. We¡¯ve repeatedly turned her down, but she clung to us like a leech. Moreover, with an awfully condescendin¡¯ attitude. She knew that an escort would cost her money if she asked a bigger guild, and because she was skimpin¡¯ on the cash, she called out to some random adventurers who happened to pass by. So, we allowed her toe along since we couldn¡¯t stop her from doin¡¯ so, but she was a friggin¡¯ burden on all ounts. An undead dungeon is the perfect huntin¡¯ ground for priests, and yet she only trembled ¡¯round while glued to the girl over here. Well, she should have learned her lesson with this.¡±

    ¡°What did you say!? How conceited for the likes of an adventurer!!¡±

    I tilted my head in confusion, ¡°It¡¯s okay for adventurers to be conceited, you know? It¡¯d be better for you to correct that view of yours.¡±

    Swordughed.

    ¡°What was that, brat!?¡±

    ¡°Elderly people tend to get excited very easily. Since all old people get quickly upset, I always end up worried that they might kick the bucket all of a sudden.¡±

    Sword guffawed. It looks like he¡¯s totally hyping it. But, he¡¯s the only one having a st.

    The middle-aged dude¡¯s face has be so red that he might burst at any moment.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better for you to take ten deep breaths? If your blood pressure shoots up too quickly, you could copse.¡±

    ¡°Shut up! You damn, cheekymoner! I¡¯ll have you pay for the crime of having cheated my daughter!¡±

    ¡°Do you think that I stole her virginity?¡±

    He froze up.

    ¡°¡­¡­W-What did you say?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll apologize for having made her pee. I didn¡¯t expect that she¡¯d get frightened to such a degree. ¡­Ah! I got it! Is that holy water of yours possibly her urine? I see. So that¡¯s how it was. It was the right choice to not have bought it.¡±

    ¡°Woah! Any more of this would be bad! It¡¯s too much of a bad influence on a young girl like her!¡± Swordmented.

    The coot in a priest¡¯s garb pped his mouth open and shut like a fish. By the way, Sa had be bright red and was covering her face.

    ¡°Hey, are you alright? That¡¯s why I told you to take some deep breaths¡­¡±

    That dude suddenly red up in rage and came at me, trying to grab me, but Sword blocked his way. He tried to punch Sword, but Sword easily sped his hand, and used his other hand to thrust his adventurer card into his face.

    ¡°You understand, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°¡­ You think you¡¯ll be able to silence me with something like that?¡± He snorted scornfully.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll make you shut up. You might believe that the church is outside allws, but should I prove to you that it¡¯s not the case after you pick a fight with me? I¡¯ll dly ept your challenge. I don¡¯t know what kind of false charges you n toe up with, but don¡¯t look down on an S-Rank, you piece of shit. If you really believe the likes of a church priest can do anythin¡¯ ¡®gainst me, feel free to give it a try.¡±

    Once Sword dered so with a freezing voice, the old dude ground his teeth in vexation, ¡°¡­¡­You sphemous criminal!¡±

    I¡¯m going to say it once more then.

    ¡°He¡¯d be sphemous if he didn¡¯t respect god, not if he doesn¡¯t respect a priest like you. You aren¡¯t god, so don¡¯t misunderstand. Or, are you pretending to be god?¡±

    The old man became petrified.

    ¡°Are you more esteemed than god?¡± I further pressed on with my questioning.

    In response, the old man exhaled, and answered solemnly, ¡°God has created the humans. The humans are God¡¯s children. thering such nonsense like you being more esteemed than God would only lead to drawing divine punishment to yourself.¡±

    ¡°I think so as well. Assuming god created the humans, then god would be angry if his creations believed themselves to be greater than himself. He might destroy all of humanity while iming that it had been a mistake to create such creatures.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    For some reason, he ended up silent while cold sweat became visible on his forehead.

    ¡°Well, in reality, I don¡¯t know whether this world came to be as <strong>¡¾Miniature Garden Created by a God¡¿</strong>, or if something, which was created through a huge amount of energy, evolved and became suitable for the life-forms on this, but no matter how much you struggle, right now it¡¯s impossible to fly off this. Though, dragons might know about the furthest reaches of this world¡­ ¡­And thus, priest, you don¡¯t need to worry as we didn¡¯t steal your daughter¡¯s virginity. We just admired her being scared and frightened. Thanks to this, things didn¡¯t end in a disappointing way for the Dungeon Core by having an old guy and a girl showing no reactions while ughtering the monsters, which were doing their best to scare us. Anyway, it¡¯s time to go. Farewell.¡±

    Leaving Sa and her father behind, both dumbstruck, Sword and I quickly went back to the guild.

    £ª

    ¡°Your really good at confusin¡¯ others by sayin¡¯ so muchplicated stuff.¡±

    How rude. I just corrected the flow of the conversation at the end as I thought that it got derailed.

    When I looked sullen, Sword stroked my head with a smile.

    ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand me. I want to tell you that it was a big help. With the matter of that priest, and also his daughter. Somehow¡­I got what you wanted to say. I mean, you act like an old man, but in the end your still a kid, and thus you can perceive adventures like that, I s¡¯pose.¡± Sword cast his eyes downwards a bit, his look bing distant. ¡°In the beginning¡­I felt just like you ¡¯bout this, if I remember correctly. The girl from earlier called out to us and treated us with such a condescendin¡¯ attitude probably because she knew about me bein¡¯ an S-Rank. Even if she had asked the guild, anyone would have regarded her as a burden, I¡¯m sure, and with her arrogant attitude, it¡¯d have actually been impossible since anyone would have turned her down. Yet, you didn¡¯t consider her a burden at all. Sayin¡¯ that she¡¯d be in charge of addin¡¯ some excitement, you enjoyed yourself watchin¡¯ her reactions. That really requires a flexible mind, doesn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°¡­So you finally understood something so obvious?¡±

    Swordughed dryly.

    ¡°All kinds of stuff happened until I became an S-Rank. Folks believin¡¯ it¡¯s only natural to get rescued asked for my help without any concern for my own circumstances. Me as well. Because I couldn¡¯t afford to not help ¡¯em as I¡¯ve got the necessary abilities to do so, I had to save ¡¯em. Even when I wanted to have some fun, my surroundings didn¡¯t allow for it, imin¡¯ that I gotta do my best since I got the ability to back it. ¡­Somehow, one way or ¡®nother, I became an S-Rank like that.¡±

    He recited while looking into the distance, but¡­somehow it totally sounded like the the thinking of a tragic hero.

    I rolled my eyes, ¡°You worry too much about those around you. Now listen, helping other people is something where your body moves without you explicitly thinking that you must save them, you know? Don¡¯t think, but feel! And, even if others bicker about you doing whatever you want to do, ignore it. Just tell them that this is what you wanted to do, and be done with it. Some people might not be satisfied with such an exnation, sure. But, who cares? If it gnaws at you, this would be the perfect reason to go to a bar and have someone listen to your whining about how evil the world is.¡±

    Sword exploded intoughter. Afterwards he leaned on me. Heavy¡­

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re goin¡¯ to be in charge of that job from now on.¡±

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t really mind, but if you¡¯re going toin about stuff resulting from us having partnered up, I¡¯d be the main target of it, wouldn¡¯t I?¡±

    Haven¡¯t you been terribly unhappy with me so far as well?

    ¡°At this point, the S-Rank adventurer, Sir Sword, can¡¯t simply go to a bar to bitch ¡¯round. Pretendin¡¯ as if nothin¡¯ happened. Besides, I don¡¯t feel like goin¡¯ there since the booze and snack taste shitty.¡±

    ¡°Ale is a no go as well? Ale is being produced in this world, right? I heard that it¡¯s amon drink in any bar.¡±

    Beer doesn¡¯t exist, but it seems like ale does. Beer is made out of hops, isn¡¯t it?

    Well, since I haven¡¯t seen the genuine articles, I can¡¯t tell which of them uses hops. Hops aren¡¯t used in this world either, or rather, sour ale without any bitterness ismonce here.

    ¡°Your booze is cool, bitter, and doesn¡¯t have any sourness. It tastes awesome if you drink it when thirsty. Once you get used to drinkin¡¯ that stuff, you can¡¯t go back to the normal stuff anymore.¡±

    While listening to Sword, I felt¡­somewhat sorry. I might be at fault for Sword gradually bing more and more of a loner.

    In the past, when he went to bars and treated folks to the liquor he had on him, he was apparently told, ¡¸You¡¯re just bragging around by treating us to expensive booze you bought with the money you ripped off adventurers who got turned into ves¡¹.

    ¡­Sword might have a slight tendency to be visited by misfortune.

    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s see, maybe I should open a stall where you can drink and eat on site at the times when you feel like wanting to go drink at a bar. I have absolutely no clue about the necessary formalities, though! That¡¯d be the perfect opportunity to sh around your authority as an S-Rank. I could run a stall at some suitable ce, allowing you to drink with everyone. If it¡¯s cheap, nasty liquor, I can brew it even while we¡¯re on the move. I¡¯d just need to sell it as liquor catered towards adventurers, right?¡±

    As might be expected, our current stock is too small for using it to treat everyone to liquor.

    Swordughed happily. Then he ruffled up my hair.

    ¡°That sounds like a really great idea. But, you don¡¯t need to worry so much ¡¯bout me. Still since I¡¯m kinda interested in that ¡ºcheap, nasty liquor¡» of yours, please make it by all means.¡±

    In the end it¡¯s all about the alcohol, huh?

 Chapter 55

    In the next town we visited, I got shocked by something I spotted.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­.Eh??¡±

    I rubbed my eyes and took another look.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­.Eeehhh??¡±

    Sword looked at me with a puzzled expression, ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°¡­T-That¡¯s¡­¡±

    I pointed ahead of me with a trembling finger¡­

    At the milk over there.

    ¡°Ah, the milk?¡±

    When Sword asked as if it was nothing, I snapped.

    ¡°Yoooouuuuu!! Y-Yoouuu knew about it, and yet didn¡¯t tell me!? Whyyyy?¡±

    I grabbed his cor and violently shook him back and forth.

    ¡°W-Wait, I-I give up! Stop it! I¡¯m gonna die!¡±

    ¡°Do you know just how much I wanted to get my hands on miiiiiilk!?¡±

    Sure, it¡¯s not indispensable since I can somehow work around it with soybeans. But you see, if I got milk, the taste is totally different, especially for butter! The taste!!

    If it drops with plop due to its vor, the taste reallyes out. Also, sometimes I do have a craving for using fresh cream and simr.

    ¡°Well, I knew about it, but it woulda been pointless to tell you. I mean, it¡¯s a local speciality which you can¡¯t get anywhere else.¡±

    ¡°There has to be animals who produce it, right!? Get those! Now is the perfect time for you to unt the power of an S-Rank adventurer! Show me that you aren¡¯t just a self-alleged ¡ºBigshot¡»!¡±

    ¡°How terrible of you!¡±

    When are you going to use it if not now!? Haven¡¯t you been using that authority even at times when you didn¡¯t have to!?

    I sighed deeply and walked onwards, now with a dry throat.

    ¡°¡­You gettin¡¯ so agitated means you can make somethin¡¯ delicious out of it? I¡¯ve drank it in the past, and well, it¡¯s decent, but for you to desire it to such an extent¡­¡±

    ¡°Right now I¡¯m substituting milk with soybeans, but the taste differs. For starters, I¡¯ll sample it. After all, it¡¯s unlikely that it¡¯s actually ¡¾Cow Milk¡¿.¡±

    £ª

    I went to a milk stall with Sword, bought it, and gave it a try.

    ¡°¡­Hmm, I see, I see!¡±

    ¡°Is it good?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a tiny bit different from the taste I know, but this is great in its own way! Alright, we¡¯ll get our hands on this! Come on, hurry, put that S-Rank of yours to work!¡±

    Sword scratched his head.

    ¡°¡­The merchant guild then, huh? But they¡¯re definitely gonna take advantage of this. That¡¯ll suck badly.¡±

    The stall boy, who had been watching with an astonished face, called out to us, ¡°¡­¡­Are you possibly Sir ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    The one reacting to that was me, whereas Sword instantly turned his face away.

    ¡°¡­Sorry, but I sometimes fail to hear certain words. What did you say just now?¡±

    ¡°Eh? I mean, he¡¯s Sir ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿¡­ ¡­isn¡¯t he?¡±

    Feeling dumbfounded, I looked at Sword.

    ¡°¡­¡­What¡¯s that? This super embarrassing name? What? Thunderp? Whitefang? I totally don¡¯t get the meaning. The name ¡¾Bloody Witch¡¿ is way cooler than that, isn¡¯t it? Rather, it¡¯s so grating on the ears that I¡¯m tearing up. It hurts.¡±

    ¡°¡­Havin¡¯ you say all that makes me tear up as well!¡±

    Both of us became teary-eyed.

    ¡°¡­You¡¯ve adopted such an embarrassing nickname? Oh my god, drop it right away! Otherwise I won¡¯t be able to walk through town with you anymore!¡±

    ¡°Ain¡¯t like I chose it myself! What are you tellin¡¯ me to do ¡¯bout it!?¡±

    No way, this guy isn¡¯t going to go ¡°My right eye throbs, it throbs so much!¡± on me, is he?

    ¡°¡­¡­Let me just make sure, but you¡¯re not going to start muttering that some part of your body throbs or that you can hear things no one else can hear, right?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s with that lunatic treatment all of a sudden?¡±

    It sounds like he won¡¯t do any of that. Pheew, that¡¯s good to hear.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯d just be a typical symptom. People with such names usually mutter things like ¡ºThe Evil Eye that has been sealed in my right eye is throbbing¡­¡».¡±

    ¡°No, even if you seal things, you wouldn¡¯t use your own body for that. That¡¯d be like carryin¡¯ ¡¯round a magic tool that could explode at any moment. It¡¯d be far too dangerous.¡±

    Oh, so sealing in itself is actually being carried out? Just what you¡¯d expect from a fantasy world!

    ¡°Ah, just now my opinion of you improved a bit.¡±

    ¡°Like how?¡±

    ¡°You see, Sealing was a hyped term in the other world.¡±

    ¡°Give it a rest already. I don¡¯t even understand what your talkin¡¯ ¡¯bout anymore.¡± Sword averted his face in a bad mood.

    A short momentter, he proudly said to the stall boy, ¡°It¡¯s just, I formed a party. So remember the name Allrounders from now on.¡±

    ¡°O-Okay!! ¡­That means, is the boy over there possibly¡­¡±

    Sword broke out intoughter.

    Then he introduced me while roughly stroking my head around, ¡°Right, this boy here is my partner. Just as the party name suggests, this guy is likewise an Allrounder. And the golems, too.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you! I am Ryoku!¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you! I am Mr. Sword¡¯s personal Ryoku!¡±

    ¡­Each time I hear this greeting, it ticks me off. Just why doesn¡¯t Sword¡¯s Ryoku use the standard greeting!?

    £ª

    ¡°Should I exin it to you, just in case?¡±

    ¡°What precisely?¡±

    ¡°The origin of my nickname. For better or worse, I had confidence in my speed, and used to be the fastest in the world. ¡­But, once you showed up, I gave up on that title. Anyway, the meanin¡¯ of Thunderp lies in being as fast as lightnin¡¯. Also, because I mainly use lightnin¡¯ magic. Lightnin¡¯ magic basically works on everythin¡¯. Then, the remainin¡¯ Whitefang¡­the white probablyes from my white hair, and I think the fang indicates my attacks bein¡¯ as sharp as a fang since I usually take down my enemies in one blow.¡±

    What¡¯s with that exnation? It totally sounds like an exposition about the theory behind a math form.

    ¡°Okay, okay, I got it. Your nickname has a meaning. My brain rejected tranting it whenever I heard it, but now that I¡¯ve heard the exnation, I can somewhat understand where it¡¯sing from. And I¡¯ve also decided to remain a nameless adventurer for eternity.¡±

    Sword revealed an evil grin, ¡°You think you¡¯ll be able to escape¡¯ havin a nickname stuck on you while adventurin¡¯ with me? I¡¯m pretty sure folks will give you an awfully embarrassin¡¯ nickname, so I¡¯m goin¡¯ to look forward to that.¡±

    I plugged my ears.

    I-CAN-NOT-HE-AR-ANY-THING¡ªLA-LA-LA!

    £ª

    The stall boy seemed to be Sword¡¯s fan.

    ¡°My little brother is a much bigger fan of yours. He¡¯s aiming to be an adventurer to follow in your footsteps!¡±

    The boy said¡­but, when I looked at Sword¡¯s face, he grabbed my face.

    ¡°Mmh-mmh-m-mmh-mmhmmh-mh!¡±

    I can¡¯t talk!

    ¡°It might be because you don¡¯t know the rumors about me, but don¡¯t look at me like that!¡±

    Like how?

    The boy abandoned his stall, and ran off to call his brother.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that wonderful? You¡¯re quite popr, aren¡¯t you? So wouldn¡¯t it be alright for you to get along with your fans?¡±

    I was able to talk again since he finally stopped grabbing my face.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s a bit¡­ I don¡¯t even know what bein¡¯ my fan is about.¡±

    Isn¡¯t it alright to get along with your fans even without being an idol? The other party apparently idolizes him like a god, but if he crushes that deluded idea, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be able to be friends.

    £ª

    The stall boy brought his brother along.

    But, I gotta say, that kid¡¯s outfit totally screams ¡ºadventurer cosyer¡»!

    ¡°Going by his appearance, he¡¯s quite the adventurer!¡±

    ¡°At least whenpared to you.¡± Sword retorted.

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it you who said that armor would be meaningless in my case?¡±

    ¡°Normal enemies wouldn¡¯t be even able to scratch you ¡®n me, even if we were stark naked. And in case of an enemy, who can injure us, armor won¡¯t be of much use either. In such case, I think it¡¯s more feasible to aim for clothes that allow easy movement over heavy armor restrictin¡¯ it. Even this here is sturdy in its own right.¡±

    It¡¯s a suit and mantle made out of some random leather, isn¡¯t it? Moreover, the maids went over the top with the ornaments while iming, ¡°It¡¯s such a rare opportunity, so let¡¯s make something decent!¡±

    In the end, I¡¯m not looking like an adventurer in the least!

    ¡°Whoa, it¡¯s the real ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿! Awesome!¡±

    ¡°Hey, watch yournguage and be more polite!¡± The boy hit the top of his excited brother¡¯s head with a knuckle.

    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s cool. No need to be formal ¡¯round me.¡±

    Sword became somewhat apathetic. It looked like he didn¡¯t like being in this situation.

    ¡°Hey, cheer up, will you? In the eyes of this boy, you¡¯re a hero, right? So act like one, for heaven¡¯s sake.¡±

    ¡°Now listen, if he carelessly aims to be an adventurer because of that, blunders, and dies¡­¡± He red at me.

    ¡°That would be the boy¡¯s way of life then. You wouldn¡¯t be responsible for it. How often do I need to tell you until you get it? On the other hand, he could also follow in your footsteps as an adventurer out of adoration, and achieve great things. Consider that possibility as well. Also, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m telling you to deceive him with some pretense. Just treat him kindly, will you?¡±

    ¡°¡­Gotcha.¡±

    Now then.

    Leaving the little brother to Sword, I talked to the big brother.

    ¡°It¡¯s just perfect to have you here. There¡¯s something I¡¯d like you to tell me if possible.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Me?¡±

    I nodded.

    And then I exined to him that I wanted milk ¨C if possible a regr supply of milk for myself, and asked him whether anything could be done about it as it was apparently only being sold in this town.

    The boy pondered.

    ¡°Hmm, you see, milk can be procured from monsters called Charge Cow.¡±

    Charge Cow? In other words, normal cows?

    ¡°It¡¯s a very cowardly monster that lives deep in the mountains. In addition, they¡¯re somewhat ferocious. If you irk them the wrong way, they¡¯ll charge at you and you¡¯ll get killed. But, they¡¯re ves to their appetite. If you give them fodder, they bepletely engrossed with eating. At that time, they¡¯ll release milk. We fill that milk into tanks, refill it into bottles aftering out of the mountains, and sell it. ¡­If I remember correctly, the milk doesn¡¯tst long, and I don¡¯t know how far it is to the mountains, but you might spoil your tummy if you drink it after around one day has passed¡­¡±

    Figures.

    ¡­But, I got it. Contrary to my idea that they might be raising them, they were actually wild monsters.

    ¡°Would it cause any issues if I caught those monsters and took them with me?¡±

    ¡°Eh? I-I wonder. So far as it goes, they¡¯re monsters famous for only living in this area, and you don¡¯t get into any trouble even if you identally kill them after getting attacked, but neither the adventurer nor the merchant guild would ever buy them off you, you know?¡±

    Alright, let¡¯s take back around two or three while pretending I identally killed them.

    ¡°Sword! Our next steps are decided!¡±

    ¡°Hold back on it for a bit. Don¡¯t make any moves on your own since I¡¯m goin¡¯ to pass it through the adventurer and merchant guild first.¡±

    I was stopped by Sword.

    ¡­Oh well, no choice then. I¡¯ve also experienced adult society in the other world, so I know you¡¯ve got toy the groundwork for a smooth exchange. Though, a part of me thinks that it might be totally fine for me to take back a few for raising since this world doesn¡¯t have any animal protectionws anyway.

 Chapter 56

    9-12 minutes 18.07.2022

    For starters I head to the guild together with Sword. The little brother of the stall boy followed us as well, but why is he ring at me?

    ¡°¡­? Boy, is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°Shut up! Aren¡¯t you a boy yourself!?¡±

    What is he saying while having such a beautiful girl in front of him? Or is he possibly embarrassed?

    ¡°Boy, I can fully understand you being embarrassed when having such a beautiful girl in front of your eyes, but at this point even I¡¯ve had enough of being ridiculed as a boy? Can¡¯t you use another way to address me?¡±

    ¡°Haah? Are you a nutcase or something?¡±

    For some reason, I was treated like a lunatic. Swordughed at that.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m very normal. ¡­Now, now, there¡¯s no need for you to be so bashful.¡±

    ¡°Listen, I¡¯m not bashful! Why would I be in the first ce!?¡±

    Pubescent boys sure are moody.

    Sword simply ignored the exchange between me and the boy, entering the guild. Then, he showed his card.

    ¡°I¡¯m Sword of Allrounders. I¡¯d like to speak with the guildmaster.¡±

    And thus he was led inside the guild. I tried to go after him, but got held back by the receptionist.

    ¡°Huh? ¡­Why?¡±

    The receptionist smiled sweetly, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. I get it that you adore Sir ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿, but he¡¯s currently busy and needs to talk with our guildmaster. Since you¡¯d only get in the way, could you go back for now?¡±

    Eh? ¡­Is she saying this to me?

    Sword looked back and sighed, ¡°Indra, show her your card.¡±

    I rummage through my bag in a hurry while answering, ¡°O-Okay.¡±

    Once I took my card out and showed it to the receptionist, she froze.

    ¡°I¡¯m Indra. I¡¯ve formed a party with Sword. Given that it¡¯s me who has business with the guild to begin with, I don¡¯t think it¡¯d be good to leave everything to Sword, so I want to go with him.¡±

    ¡°E-Excuse me! Please,e this way!¡±

    And thus I was let through.

    ¡°But true, it¡¯s wrong for me to keep leaving everything to you, Sword. I¡¯ll keep in mind to properly show my card from now on.¡±

    ¡°Nah, you were just unlucky this time. You can let me handle this kind of stuff. ¡­Hey, you don¡¯t belong to us, so get lost.¡±

    Hmm?

    Ah, the boy has followed us.

    The receptionist stopped him in a hurry, ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry for all the troubles. ¨DHey, Serge, you hanging around like this made even his partner think that you¡¯re one of us, didn¡¯t it!? Go back home at once!¡±

    Serge scowled at me with a face, clearly telling anyone that he¡¯d pick a fight with me if I rubbed him the wrong way. And while at it, he seemed to be on the verge of tears.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I n to stay single, and thus I don¡¯t n to have any lovers. Boy, take a look around you, and you¡¯ll easily find other girls to offer your love.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s a misunderstandin¡¯ based on your conceit. Ain¡¯t like that boy fell in love with you or anythin¡¯.¡± Sword retorted calmly.

    £ª

    ¡°¡­With that said¡­we wanna catch one¡­no, I guess that¡¯s too little¡­two or three of ¡¯em for research purposes.¡±

    Sword introduced me as a skilled mage and sorcerer, and while at it, also as a researcher on a quest to improve the cooking of this world. When he requested to catch the monsters for research since I had taken interest in the milk of this city, the guildmaster pulled a troubled face.

    ¡°No, the adventurer guild, you see, isn¡¯t that fussy over those monsters, so it¡¯d be alright with me, but¡­although you could call it a special local product, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s possible to export it. We don¡¯t have any visitorsing to this city just for the milk, and even if you buy it, it doesn¡¯tst long. However, since many people are making a living by selling milk, I¡¯d like you to take their circumstances into ount as well.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have no ns to poprize milk. And even if it did spread, there are measures you could take, so I¡¯ll inform you about those as well.¡± I asserted powerfully, but the guildmaster¡¯s face remained as troubled as before.

    ¡°¡­Really¡­?¡±

    Hmm, I couldn¡¯t get him to believe me.

    ¡°¡­No choice. First I¡¯ll let you see some of my research results. I¡¯d like you to consider my request after tasting them.¡±

    I took out my wine. And he immediately bit.

    ¡°¡­T-This? Wine? Huh? You¡¯re making wine?¡±

    I grinned broadly, ¡°In reality no one besides me can make it since it requires you to have a goodmand of magic. Sword is regrly drinking it as well, you know? ¡­Won¡¯t you give it a little test?¡±

    While at it, I also took out a side dish. An open sandwich with pseudo-butter and ham made out of monster meat, using thin slices of bread as base.

    ¡°Please gimme some too?¡±

    Yep, I had expected you to say that, Sword.

    A drink tasting meet.

    ¡°This is great! It seriously rocks! I¡¯ve never eaten and drunk anything like that! It¡¯s way too good.¡±

    ¡°I see. ¡­These are results of my research, but I haven¡¯t publicized them. After all, I¡¯m the only one who can make them. Well, it¡¯s possible that the sale has started at our base, but¡­it¡¯s very likely sold out by now.¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­?¡±

    The guildmaster looked devastated. I took out a bottle and offered it to him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you one as a present. ¡­I assume I can get you to agree with that, guildmaster, but the problem lies with the merchant guild, you see. I¡¯m not sure whether we can get them to go along with this, so could you somehow put in a good word for us?¡±

    The guildmaster energetically nodded his head.

    ¡°Please leave it to me.¡±

    He stood up, called the receptionist and spoke about something with her.

    ¡°Please wait a moment.¡±

    £ª

    Ten minutes after she said so ¨C in the meantime I had provided some more wine and side dishes¡­making this whole thing look like a party, but is that okay with his work? ¨C the door was opened after knocking.

    ¡°Hey! You had me called over because you supposedly had something to talk about, and yet¡­what¡¯s with the drinking bout here!?¡±

    He¡¯s got a point. Anyone would be upset if they ran into a drinking party after having been summoned for business, right?

    ¡°What is it? Hurry up and tell me!¡±

    Oh, he¡¯s not angry. Rather, he looks happy.

    Whilepletely ignoring what he said, the adventurer¡¯s guildmaster introduced Sword.

    ¡°Oh, there you are. Over here we have the famous ¡¾Thunderp-¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the S-Rank party Allrounders. Pleased to make your acquaintance.¡± Sword butted in, introducing us.

    ¡°Oohh! I already heard the rumors in the town. You¡¯re that famous ¡¾Thunder-¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Allrounders!¡±

    Sword smiled. His ears gradually turning red was apparent proof of himself feeling embarrassed about his pitiful nickname.

    The guildmaster then pointed at me, and gave an introduction, ¡°And this is his partner, Lady Indra.¡±

    Ah, now I¡¯m a Lady, huh? I dare say I leveled up in esteem thanks to the wine.

    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Indra. As a matter of fact, I was just in the middle of consulting with the guildmaster as I had a request.¡±

    Then Sword gave the merchant guildmaster the same rundown as he did for the adventurer guildmaster before. The merchant guildmaster listened while pulling a face as if asking, ¡°Eh? I don¡¯t get any wine?¡±

    After he finished listening, his face screwed up into a grimace.

    ¡°Yeah, well, if it¡¯s that, it¡¯s difficult to object, but¡­ I worry that there might be a drawback in the worst case. If we had some kind of gain out of it, it¡¯d be easy to persuade people if something happens.¡± He croaked with his arms folded.

    But, it doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s that much against it either.

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying, as long as there¡¯s a gain, it¡¯ll be okay?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yeah, but what could you offer?¡±

    ¡°For starters, have a taste of some of my research results.¡±

    ¡°Yes! Please let me try them by all means!¡±

    The merchant guildmaster jumped at it as if he had only waited for this.

    He drank a ss of wine, just to cry out, ¡°What the hell is this!?!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a wine brewed by me.¡±

    The guildmaster¡¯s eyes flew wide open, ¡°Y-Y-Y-Yo-You made this¡­? It was brewed¡­by..you, Lady Indra?¡±

    The merchant guildmaster also started to address me as Lady. 1

    ¡°Correct. I¡¯d like to research milk in a simr way. Going by my intuition, it should be quite possible to make something wonderful out of the milk¡­ah, it won¡¯t be any liquor, though. I¡¯ll hand over the results of that research to you. I think it¡¯d be a great idea to use that as a local specialty. As milk doesnst long, it¡¯ll be impossible to reproduce it elsewhere unless you can freely use high-ranking magic to increase the durability of milk and its products. In other words, it¡¯ll be impossible for anyone other than me, but instead you¡¯ll be able to drink it just like that, and if you process it into exceptional foodstuff, that in itself will be a boost for the development of this town, don¡¯t you think? After all, it¡¯ll be ¡ºdishes that can only be enjoyed over here¡».¡±

    The merchant guildmaster audibly gulped down his spit.

    ¡°The cream on the bread is something I created to substitute a ¡ºcertain foodstuff¡» that¡¯s made out of milk. ¨DWell, this is also great, of course, but I¡¯d also like to eat the one made with milk. Therefore, please give me permission to catch some Charge Cows for taking them back with me.¡±

    The merchant guildmaster bit into the bread, and after chewing on it, he looked at me and nodded.

    ¡°Very well, you¡¯ll get your permission. I¡¯ll suppress anyone speaking against it.¡±

    Yahoo! With this, I¡¯ll be able to get my hands on milk!

 Chapter 57

    T/N: This is a shortened version as I kept out the whole stew making business. I kept everything rted to milk processing since it¡¯s interesting as a read.

    The guildmaster had put up a big notice at a conspicuous ce in the merchant guild, announcing, ¡ºIndra ¨D member of the S-Rank adventurer party Allrounders, a great mage, and a grand sorcerer ¨D is researching ground-breaking dishes that use milk as main ingredient!¡».

    I had stored the milk at the guild, filled it into a huge bottle, and was now observing the progress inside the bottle. The adventurer guildmaster was present as well, and so were interested merchants, restaurant aunties, and even the stall boy.

    ¡°¡­As you can see, the upper part has hardened into a more solid body while the lower part has remained fluent, right? This is a sign that water and oil within the milk have separated.¡±

    ¡°¡±¡±Ooohhh!!¡±¡±¡±

    They were amazed, but did they actually understand what I said?

    Well, even if they don¡¯t get it, it might be fine as long as they get the desired results.

    ¡°So, now it¡¯s divided into three sections: a clear topyer, a middleyer, and a bottomyer. You could watch the progress of separation in the milk as I filled it into a bottle for easier observation, but usually you¡¯d put it into a barrel which makes it easier to scoop it outter, so use that method. Also, the barrel you use for this has to be washed out with boiling hot water! That¡¯s absolutely necessary! Doing or not doing it has a big impact on the durability of the milk!¡±

    ¡°¡±¡±Ooohhh!!¡±¡±¡±

    They were amazed, but did they actually understand what I said (second time)?

    ¡°The topyer is rich in fat. As such it already has a wide range of utility even in this state, but what I¡¯d like you to make out of it by all means is¡­¡±

    I filled the topyer into another bottle, and shook it. At high speed.

    It was done in no time.

    ¡°Ah! Somehow it separated!¡±

    ¡°Yes, that! If you shake it, the water and fat will separate even further, resulting in a solid oil. This has a great taste, and if you store it in a cool ce, it¡¯llst longer than milk. Though I can¡¯t tell you how long since I haven¡¯t actually tried it out myself yet.¡±

    I smeared the solid oil on a slice of bread, and bit into it.

    ¡­At once I was on the verge of crying.

    ¡°Great, £Ûbutter£Ý is just a dream!¡±

    The people around me swarmed towards the bread and butter, sampling it.

    ¡°Oh! Amazing! This is superb!¡±

    ¡°It has a milky aroma, but it¡¯s really dense!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, this is definitely great stuff. It¡¯s a tad different from your £Ûpseudo-butter£Ý, isn¡¯t it?¡± Sword remarked while eating.

    ¡°Yep, that one contains various ingredients. ¡­This one here can be eaten just like that, and if you add it to fried food, it¡¯ll give the stir-fry an aroma that makes it taste like high-ss food. Also, since I¡¯m going to use this for the creation of your local specialty, make sure that you¡¯re able to make this while blindfolded. By the way, use the creamy part of the topyer. You can also use the liquid, but it¡¯ll increase the time needed for shaking, okay? I need less than ten seconds, but any ordinary person is going to need around ten to thirty minutes, so resolve yourself and keep shaking.¡±

    Everyone froze.

    £ª

    ¡°Now then, as for the remaining liquid, the middleyer can be drunk just like that. It¡¯s lost its thickness, but in reverse, it¡¯s be possible to drink it easily. As for the bottomyer, I¡¯ll experiment on changing it into another foodstuff next.¡±

    I poured it into a pot, and heated it up over a low me.

    At that point, I got praised, ¡°It¡¯s magic¡­!¡± ¡°Nothing less of a great Mage¡­!¡±

    ¡­I see. I used it very naturally, but for them it¡¯s not thatmon a sight.

    ¡°When steam starts to rise, stop it before bubbles appear on the surface. At this point, you enter plenty of sour fruit juice.¡±

    And then I stirred the mass around.

    ¡°When it cools down, heat it up once more. ¡­I think it should be fine like this.¡±

    I divided it, put it into a cloth, and filtered the water out.

    ¡°Usually it¡¯d be better to filter it after around a day. I¡¯ll leave it to rest like this, but feel free to sample this version which is somewhat watery.¡±

    Before straining, I prepared two versions, one dressed with sweet fruits and another dressed with salty meat, and sampled them.

    ¡°Uuhh¡­it¡¯s £Ûcheese£Ý¡­!¡± I was deeply moved.

    ¡°It¡¯s slightly sour, but still sweet.¡±

    ¡°What a funny taste.¡±

    The evaluation was somewhatcking inparison to the butter.

    ¡°It tastes like it¡¯d go well with wine,¡± was Sword¡¯s assessment.

    ¡°This is something you¡¯d usually use for making sweets, but if you sprinkle it over fruits or grilled veggies, the dish will ¡ºlook high-ss¡».¡±

    ¡°¡±¡±I see.¡±¡±¡±

    Everyone agreed.

    ¡°The remaining juice over here has a high nutritional content even if you drink it just like that, but if you add salt to it and thoroughly pickle veggies in it, they¡¯ll be longsting and sour. Since it¡¯s also good for your body, I think it¡¯d be a great idea to sell it as food pickled in milk acid. Especially during winter when green veggies are scarce, you can eat those as a substitute since the pickled veggies be very longsting if you keep them stored in the coolest ce avable to you.

    Now then, the next part is going to take some time. But it¡¯s totally worth it. It¡¯d be best to use this as your restaurants¡¯ special local dish. I call it ¡ºStew with White Sauce¡».¡±

    The room fell silent.

    ¡°¡­Umm.¡± The boy raised his hand.

    ¡°What is it, boy?¡±

    ¡°Milk stew already exists, you know?¡±

    I grinned broadly, ¡°It¡¯s probably different from what you know. You¡¯ll understand once you try it.¡±

    Afterwards, I meticulously exined how to make white stew and which parts of the milkyers to use while cooking it live in front of them.

    ¡°This here is ¡ºStew with White Sauce¡». ¡ºWhite Sauce¡» has extremely many uses for cooking. You can also roast meat, finely cut up veggies and fry them, and finish it up by pouring the ¡ºWhite Sauce¡» over the meat and veggies. In such a case it¡¯ll ¡ºlook high-ss¡». Also, if you fry the veggies in the pot where you roasted the meat without washing it first, and add the ¡ºWhite Sauce¡» to it, the taste will improve even further.¡±

    I¡¯m calling each and every single dish ¡ºhigh-ss¡», but since those are supposed to be their local specialties, I want them to regard the dishes as important.

    They swarmed towards the table with the food samples like starving wolves, and after eating, they were extremely pleased with the stew.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never eaten anything so delicious!¡±

    ¡°Even nobility doesn¡¯t get to eat something so great!¡±

    ¡°This is going to sell! I¡¯m absolutely sure!¡±

    ¡°Oh, it does resemble the usual soy milk stew you make, but it¡¯s got its differences.¡± Swordmented.

    ¡°That one is fine in its own right, and I¡¯ll keep making it in the future. But, sometimes I crave to eat something richer like this.¡±

    Above all, I can¡¯t obtain milk as easily as soybeans, and since there¡¯s plenty of other dishes made out of butter, I n to keep using soy milk for stew.

    £ª

    Now then, there¡¯s still plenty of other recipes left. I haven¡¯t used the ¡¾Fresh Cream¡¿ yet, but even if I taught them any more recipes, their memorization capacity should have reached its limit around now, so I¡¯d like them to individually research the rest after seeing the dishes. I taught them basic variations, so it¡¯s up to them toe up with ideas how to put them to use.

    £ª

    Given that everyone in the town willingly agreed with me catching a few charge cows, I wanted to go catch them right away¡­but before that I had to prepare a bit. I produced fodder resembling sge (at least I think it¡¯s called that).

    ¡°Now it¡¯s time to depart!¡±

    Sword smiled wryly at me, who was super motivated, but as he apparently understood the greatness of milk-based dishes, he readily got on board with this endeavor.

    Since he said that it might be dangerous, Sword got the guild to put up a notification telling everyone to fetch the milk until noon and stay away from the mountains afterwards since we¡¯d go there in the afternoon. Because of that, the people had already descended the mountains and started their businesses.

    Everyone was amiably waving their hands at me as I headed out in high spirits.

    ¡°Please do your best at capturing them, okay?¡±

    ¡°If you make some new, delicious dishes, teach us as well~¡±

    ¡°Sure! I¡¯ll make sure to properly choose the cows agreeing to apany me! You make sure to develop milk dishes yourself! Milk is a great ingredient with an infinite amount of possibilities!¡±

    When I waved back while replying this, everyone suddenly broke out intoughter.

    Why?

    Sword was alsoughing.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just that bottomless cheerful adventurers are too radiant.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about? You¡¯re the same, aren¡¯t you? After all, we¡¯re a party!¡±

    ¡°Haha,e to think of it, you¡¯ve got a point there. That means they¡¯re thinkin¡¯ the same of me as well, huh?¡±

    Once I nodded, Swordughed once more while caressing my head.

 Chapter 58

    4-5 minutes 21.07.2022

    {Serge}

    I didn¡¯t like him from the very start. That guy who was sticking to the famous ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿ like it was his god-given right.

    He looks a lot frailer and weaker than me. In fact so much that I suspect he¡¯d break down crying if I just nudged him a bit. And yet, of all things, that guy is supposed to be the partner of ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿.

    That¡¯s why I thought I could be his partner as well, and approached ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿ about it.

    ¡°Umm! Please! Me too! Please let me be a member of your party!¡±

    When I begged him, he blinked three times, before answering, ¡°¡­Looks like your kinda misunderstandin¡¯ somethin¡¯. Folk doesn¡¯t be my partner so easily. Especially when ites to ¡ºguys who can¡¯t discern their own strength and don¡¯t have a clue of what it means to be an adventurer¡».¡±

    I was shocked when I was told so.

    He sighed deeply, ¡°¡­Listen boy, did you really think that a brat, who¡¯s ¡¯bout to bawl over somethin¡¯ like this, would be able to kill brutal monsters with me? Don¡¯t get deceived by Indra¡¯s appearance. Your probably thinkin¡¯ that you can be like her, but give up on it. With her bearin¡¯, she¡¯s got more guts than adults, and on top of that, she¡¯s as strong as I am. To be honest, it often happens that I¡¯m bein¡¯ soothed by her. Adventurer, you see, is an upation where you kill monsters with your life on the line. You gotta be responsible for your own life. Other folks don¡¯t matter. ¡­Your family got its own business, no? Then you gotta seed that ce by all means! It¡¯s profitable, safe, and suited for you. Just go ahead and seed the business.¡±

    He told me and then left. I suffered another shock.

    ¨D¨DAfter a while, rumors of that guy became a hot topic. Currently he¡¯s more popr than ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿. People are even respecting him by adding honorary titles. Mom also sings the highest praises.

    ¡°I gotta say, it¡¯s just what you¡¯d expect of ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿¡¯s partner! That kid is amazing! A great mage, a grand sorcerer, and on top of that, a genius at cooking! What else would you call this, if not amazing!? That kid not only paid attention to the development of this town that hasn¡¯t anything but its milk speaking for it, but also made so many different, delicious dishes for us, and moreover, for free! What a wonderful person!¡±

    And then I was told that it was my job to shake a bottle with milk. I didn¡¯t get the meaning behind this, but I shook as I was told.

    ¡­I kept shaking it like forever, but I wasn¡¯t allowed to stop.

    ¡°¡­I still need to shake it? My arms are already numb.¡±

    When I objected, not only Mom, but even bro said with disappointed faces, ¡°¡­Yes, just as I thought, Indra is on a different level.¡±

    ¡°And yet that kid produced milk grease in the blink of an eye despite being the same age as you¡­¡±

    I got pissed off. When I shouted back, ¡°What do you mean by that!?¡±, I was told that he separated the solid mass and the water by shaking a bottle like this at a super fast speed.

    Afterwards, bro and Mom also shook it, resulting in the oil and water being separated properly. ¡­In short, it means my shaking was too weak.

    ¨D¨DEither way, it¡¯s Indra this, Indra that! So annoying! Isn¡¯t he just some crazy freak who¡¯s as frail as a girl!?

    When I heard that he wanted some charge cows and went out to catch some with ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿ in tow, I thought that this would be my chance.

    If I show my true might here and rescue him on the fly while he¡¯s shitting his pants, ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿ might see me in a new light!

 Chapter 59

    11-14 minutes 22.07.2022

    Climbing the mountains, we searched for charge cows. But, we couldn¡¯t find any.

    Yep, I knew it. I¡¯m a woman feared by monsters.

    ¡°¡­Swooord, the charge cows might hate me.¡±

    ¡°Ah, your talkin¡¯ ¡¯bout the ¡ºmonsters can tell strong foes apart¡» thing? Shit, that immediately puts us in a bind. ¡­Okay, no choice, you get off the mountain. I¡¯ll catch some myself.¡±

    No, no, no! I don¡¯t wanna! I wanna catch some with my own hands!

    ¡°Uuuhh¡­¡±

    As soon as I started to whimper with tears in my eyes, Sword tried to calm me by gently caressing my head.

    ¡°No helpin¡¯ it, I think. ¡­Or rather, it¡¯s damn incredible that we haven¡¯t run into a single monster so far.¡±

    Why!? Am I possibly emitting some smell that repels monsters?!?

    £ª

    Just around the time when I was about to start thinking that I might as well leave the mountains after getting calmed by Sword¡­

    ¡°A~~~argh! No~~~o!¡±

    ¡­screams echoed across the mountain.

    ¡°¡­Ah,e on, I told ¡¯em to stay away since it¡¯d be dangerous! And yet there¡¯s still folk left up here?!¡±

    ¡°Or rather, doesn¡¯t it point towards them having been ambushed? The voice just now sounded like that of a boy!¡±

    It was a child¡¯s voice. But since it wasn¡¯t as high-pitched as a girl¡¯s voice, I think it came from a boy.

    Once we rushed over, a monster was in the middle of attacking the boy called Serge. Probably because he had stumbled, he fell on the ground, resulting in him evading the monster¡¯s charge by luck. But, he doesn¡¯t seem to be skilled enough to defeat the monster himself.

    ¡­Hmm? This monster¡­is that possibly¡­?

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like a cow, but¡­is that a charge cow?¡±

    It¡¯s ck and is equipped with magnificent horns. If I had to describe it one way or another, I¡¯d say it resembles a deer in some ways. Its face leans somewhat closer to that of a cow, I think?

    ¡°Hey! Are you a charge cow?¡±

    Addressed by me, the monster looked my way.

    Ooohh! It seems to be intelligent!

    ¡°Ooohh, good boy, good boy¡­Should I give you something to eat right now? It¡¯s special fodder made by me!¡±

    Since it looked like it understood what I was saying, I took out the feed as a test. The boy was taken aback.

    ¡°Ah, does it look like you¡¯ll be able to capture it?¡±

    ¡°Wait, this monster seems to understand me. I¡¯ll try feeding it, and if it likes the fodder, I¡¯ll give persuasion a go.¡±

    ¡°¡­Talk? You¡¯re going to talk with it? Well, okay, why not. Suit yourself. Once you¡¯ve got your fill, I¡¯ll capture it.¡±

    Sword said something disturbing. Meanwhile the boy booted back up.

    ¡°T-This thing t-tried to kill me!!¡±

    ¡°So? What about it? Don¡¯t be such a pain in the ass and shut up.¡± Loud shouting might startle the charge cow. ¡°It¡¯s your fault for surprising it despite being such a weakling. If you don¡¯t want to get killed, behave yourself. ¡­Good boy, calm down, I¡¯ll protect you, okay?¡±

    The boy became astonished again. Meanwhile the charge cow had apparently taken a liking to the fodder, and began to greedily stuff itself after lowing, ¡°Bhmoooh! (Delicious!)¡±

    And since it immediately started to release milk, I took out a container in a hurry, and fetched the milk. I gently brushed it while it was eating.

    ¡°You like the food? ¡­Sword, it seems like it¡¯s taken a liking to me! Once it finishes eating, I¡¯ll try scouting it!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sure, whatever floats your boat.¡±

    Why is he so apathetic about it?

    While I was frolicking around with the cow, the boy apparently recovered, immediately turned bright red, and shouted, ¡°Y-You¡¯re calling me a weakling!? Okay, I got it, I¡¯ll prove to you how strong I am by defeating that charge cow¡­¡±

    ¡°Hey, brat, why are you here?¡± Sword interrupted him coldly.

    The boy jumped with a start, and looked at Sword.

    ¡°I got the guild to put up a notification, statin¡¯, ¡ºPlease stay away from the mountains in order to avoid any danger while we¡¯re capturin¡¯ charge cows¡», didn¡¯t I? Indra taught you people new milk dishes, which she could have used as a source of ie for herself, for free and treated the guildmasters to expensive wine, and this is the result? ¡­Ignorin¡¯ the warnin¡¯ put out by us is your own decision. But, then you¡¯ve got no right to bitch ¡¯bout get killed. Your just a damn nuisance for us.¡±

    The boy started to cry. I ignored the whole matter altogether, and focused on ying with the cow.

    ¡°¡­Hey, how abouting with me? Wouldn¡¯t you want to live on a farm prepared by me? I get it that you like the mount¡­oh, you¡¯re going toe with me!? Great! So you¡¯re going to apany me!¡±

    ¡°Bhmooh!¡±

    ¡°I got it!!¡±

    I tightly hugged the cow.

    ¡°¡­Bah, and just as I¡¯m havin¡¯ a serious talk over here, our crazy genius is pullin¡¯ some silly stunts. Hey, everythin¡¯ ¡®kay with your head?¡±

    Ignore! I¡¯m going to ignore the peanut gallery!

    ¡°Say, I¡¯d like a few more of your friends toe with me. Any ideas for potential candidates? You¡¯d feel lonely all by yourself, right? I won¡¯t be at our base all the time either. Could you get some friends toe with you?¡±

    ¡°Bhmooh!¡±

    It replied, and trotted away.

    ¡°Oi, it¡¯s runnin¡¯ away, you know?¡±

    ¡°As if. I¡¯ve exined the circumstances and we¡¯ve agreed on it persuading its friends.¡±

    ¡°What agreement are you talkin¡¯ ¡¯bout!? All I¡¯ve heard was that cow bhmooin¡¯ ¡¯round!¡±

    How rude! We properly understood each other!

    ¡°For the time being, I¡¯m going to put the milk in vacuum packs. This will lengthen its durability.¡±

    I decanted the milk, and sealed the packs.

    £ª

    One hour of waitingter.

    Sword preached to me, ¡°Give it a rest and give up already, will you? Take the brat and get off the mountain. I¡¯ll catch you some charge cows.¡±

    But, just as I pretended to be deaf, I could hear a rustling, and that charge cow showed up! It hase back with friends!

    Sword and the boy were dumbstruck.

    ¡°Oohh! You¡¯re back! So you got two friends toe with you, huh!?¡±

    ¡°Bhmooh.¡±

    ¡°Moooohh.¡±

    ¡°Boooohh.¡±

    ¡°Nice, nice, you¡¯re good cows. I¡¯m looking forward to working with you from now on. Want to eat some more?¡±

    ¡°¡±¡±Bhmooooh!¡±¡±¡±

    ¡°I see, I see. Wait a sec, I¡¯ll take the fodder out right away, okay?¡±

    In a hurry I took out the feed and fed it to them. And as they started to release milk, I fetched it with containers in a hurry.

    ¡°¡­Holy shit, I feel like mymon sense croaked just now. Yep, I¡¯ll admit it, I¡¯m stillckin¡¯ experience on all ounts.¡± Sword grinned while watching this whole scene.

    ¡°If you get surprised by something of this level, you¡¯re stillcking experience for sure. But, I still have a long way to go as well! I look forward to our future adventures!¡±

    Swordughed out loud, and ruffled my hair.

    ¡°I see, yourpletely right. I still haven¡¯t adventured enough, or rather, this is quite a decent adventurer tale, you know? Somethin¡¯ like talkin¡¯ with monsters and befriendin¡¯ ¡¯em¡­even a tamer wouldn¡¯t be able to pull that off. ¡­And so, these guys are most likely unique monsters, I suspect. Look at their color.¡±

    Hmm? Color?

    The first child is ck. Its friends are white.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t those their usual colors?¡±

    ¡°Ordinarily it¡¯d be light brown.¡±

    Certainly, that color would be possible, too.

    When I lifted my face, ck lowed, ¡°Bhmooh!¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I see!¡±

    ¡°Bhmoomoo!¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay.¡±

    ¡°Bhmoomoomoomoo!¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    When I talked with ck, the back of my head got pped.

    ¡°What kind of sketch are you pullin¡¯ while lookin¡¯ all serious!?¡±

    I rubbed the back of my head, ¡°It¡¯s no sketch. I talked with him. ¨Dording to ck, he was born with this color, and it made him stand out. It caused him to get often attacked by other monsters and humans. He didn¡¯t get fed like the other charge cows, and since I scouted him just as he was about to starve, he brought friends with simr circumstances over.¡±

    Sword looked at me dumbfounded, his mouth gaping open.

    ¡°¡­What? Such magic exists, doesn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°What kind of magic!? Ain¡¯t no friggin¡¯ way for that magic ¨D whatever it might be ¨D to exist, is there!?¡± He thundered at me while sending his saliva flying.

    ¡°¡­But it does, you see? You transmit your will by including it in magic elements and sound. At the same time, you read the other party¡¯s will that got transmitted through their magic elements and sounds. It¡¯s kinda simr to sound waves and light waves. It didn¡¯t work like that in the other world, but as might be expected of this world, it¡¯s really anything goes with magic.¡±

    Sword ced a hand on his forehead and groaned, ¡°¡­Your ¡¯bout the only one in this world for whom this anythin¡¯ goes of yours applies. Just what the hell is that magic?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? ¡­Magic tools exist, don¡¯t they? This spell is simr to the tool used by the guild, you know?¡±

    Sword blinked his eyes in confusion.

    ¡°However, this magic has the downside that you won¡¯t be able to talk with the other party if they can¡¯t read your intent in the same way. They¡¯ll know what you want to say, but they won¡¯t be able to answer you in kind. Of course there are also creatures on whom this doesn¡¯t work at all. Prime examples would be skeletons or ghouls. But I see, that means ck is smart!¡±

    I gently caressed him.

    ¡°Eh? Then what ¡¯bout me who can¡¯t do it?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re dumber than ck. Or to be more precise, you¡¯re on the level of ghouls and skeletons.¡±

    Sword froze on the spot, his shock almost audible. Then, in the next moment, he clung to me.

    ¡°Teach me a bit! I feel like it¡¯d be better for me to be capable of it, so please, teach me!¡±

    ¡°Sure, but¡­even if you ask me to teach you¡­ Besides, aren¡¯t you already able to use it to some degree?¡±

    ¡°Hah?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you awfully sensitive to other people¡¯s bad intentions? Isn¡¯t thating from you picking up their will, albeit only the bad one? To me it seems like you¡¯re constantly picking up all the ill will contained in other people¡¯s words.¡±

    On top of having a tendency to be unfortunate, he possesses magic that allows him to perceive just the bad intents. He sure is a pitiful guy, isn¡¯t he?

    ¡°There, there,¡± I stroked his head. ¡°You just need to train that magic to read the waves of ill-intent. ¨DThen again, I feel like you¡¯d break if you seriously kept training that, but maybe that¡¯s just my imagination?¡±

    ¡°¡­I also think so. I¡¯ll stay ¡®way from it since it¡¯s scary.¡±

    ¡°For you it¡¯d be better to study the magic I use to shut out sound instead. Since you¡¯re insensible anyway, go ahead and learn that.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you casually dissin¡¯ me there?¡± He objected in a bad mood.

    I feigned ignorance. Once I did, he pressed his hands against the sides of my head, and turned it around!!

    ¡°Ouch, ouch, ooouch!!¡±

    £ª

    With this and that happening, the feeding and scouting of the charge cows came to an end.

    ¡°Since we won¡¯t be able to enter town with these guys, let¡¯s camp out! I¡¯m going to wash them, okay? I¡¯m sure their fur will be wonderfully nice and shiny once it gets cleaned up, you know?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, do as you see fit. ¡­Anyway, how long are you nnin¡¯ to stay ¡¯round? Hurry up and go back home.¡±

    The boy, whose existence I hadpletely erased from my mind, was still present. While sitting on the ground grasping his knees with tears in his eyes, he red at me.

    ¡°You¡¯re still bawling? You¡¯re a real crybaby for a guy, aren¡¯t you?¡± I admonished him.

    ¡°Shut up! I hate you! Don¡¯t talk to me!¡± He roared at me while crying.

    ¡°I see, we share that sentiment. It¡¯s very unlikely for me to ever get to like you. Now that we¡¯ve established our mutual loathing, you can freely hate me as much as you like!¡±

    When I told him so with a smile, he got lost for words, and then cried even more.

    ¡°Jeez, your really awful.¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­?¡±

    Wha-? Now it¡¯s my fault!?

 Chapter 60

    8-10 minutes 24.07.2022

    I don¡¯t quite get him, so I left the crying boy to his own devices and washed the charge cows.

    Yes, this! This is the very reason why I bought a brush! And I also splurged on the soap!

    After covering their whole bodies with bubbles, I carefully and thoroughly rubbed them clean with the brush, just to wash down the soapy foam with hot water and dry them with warm air.

    When I loudly eximed, ¡°Yaaaaaay! You guys became so amazingly pretty!¡±, while throwing my hands in the air, I got rebuked with, ¡°Stop bein¡¯ so noisy. Your gonna scare the monsters with your shoutin¡¯.¡±

    I cleared my throat.

    ¡°¡­Sorry. I got slightly too excited. But still, you guys have be sparky clean!¡±

    ck now has a glossy jet-ck fur while White A and B are sparkling pure white!

    Even though he said this and that, Sword still helped out, so I suspect he thinks the same, but he¡¯s simply too shy to admit it. Sword is a bit of a tsundere, isn¡¯t he? Even though he constantly pesters me, I¡¯m sure he actually likes the charge cows. I wouldn¡¯t be too surprised if he starts doting on them anytime soon.

    When I cast a broad grin at him, he grabbed my lips!

    ¡°Mmhpf, mpf, mmmhhph!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t look my way with such a gross face.¡±

    Hey! That¡¯s totally mean!

    £ª

    I¡¯ve been preparing to camp out, but¡­

    ¡°Boy, do you n to leech off us?¡±

    The bawling boy tried to enter the camp we were setting up as if it was his natural right.

    ¡°What was that!?¡±

    ¡°Why are you so surprised? We¡¯re askin¡¯ whether you n to selfishly stay here, and on top of that, shamelessly enter our camp. Or rather, you¡¯ve got nothin¡¯ with you, do you? Why didn¡¯t you go back home?¡±

    The boy immediately became speechless when confronted by Sword and me.

    Just go home, will you?

    Both Sword and I were fed up with him.

    ¡°¡­You¡¯re the prime example of a pampered, little boy, aren¡¯t you? I wonder, domoners usually pamper their children? Why do you shamelessly join the camp ofplete strangers? I mean, I wouldn¡¯t think of doing something like that, you know?¡±

    ¡°Just as you say, he¡¯s been pampered to no end, I¡¯m sure. Or rather, he¡¯s probably never left the side of the town¡¯s residents. He must think that the adults will take care of everythin¡¯ for him, including preparin¡¯ a camp, as long as the children y ¡¯round while stayin¡¯ nearby.¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­? Didn¡¯t he mention something about wanting to be an adventurer? And yet, he¡¯s allowed to act like that?¡±

    So he was just cosying after all?

    Once I looked at him in disgust, he cried once again.

    ¡°¡­You¡¯re truly a spoiled crybaby, aren¡¯t you? Go and call your parents. I feel like they need a proper scolding.¡±

    Since I was treated terribly by my parents, I get an urge to vent my anger at spoiled children who¡¯ve been pampered like him.

    Sword looked at his watch and sighed.

    ¡°¡­Shit, we were toote. The gate¡¯s already closed.¡±

    Wuuuuutt!?

    ¡°¡­I get a bad feeling about this, but has this guy properly told his parents where he¡¯s going to be today? You think a child, who believes that setting up camp is an adult¡¯s duty, would inform his parents that he might be going camping today?¡± I asked Sword while looking down at the boy.

    ¡°Your askin¡¯ me? It¡¯d be better to ask him, but well, doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯ll answer since he¡¯s busy cryin¡¯. Then let me answer in his stead. There¡¯s likely no way he told them anythin¡¯ ¡¯bout this. Maybe he¡¯s even hidden that he came here. Otherwise, it¡¯d be impossible for him to be here after I had a notification put up. Pretty sure the town is in an uproar right now. The adults are goin¡¯ to look for him in town all night long. First thing in the mornin¡¯, a search party selected by the guild is goin¡¯ to head for the mountains as soon as the gate opens.¡±

    The boy became pale.

    ¡°I-I¡­¡­ ¡­¡­What should I do?¡±

    ¡°Like I care.¡± Sword spat out. ¡°That¡¯s why I told you that you ain¡¯t suited for bein¡¯ an adventurer. You can¡¯t assess your own situation, so what kind of adventurer are you supposed to be anyway? What are you goin¡¯ to do if you can¡¯t even predict what¡¯s goin¡¯ to happen and act on that? Don¡¯t ever ther ¡¯bout bin¡¯ an adventurer again.¡±

    Obviously, I agreed with Sword. This kid resembles that debt ve guy, who was the reason for Sword¡¯s heavy drinking, doesn¡¯t he? I¡¯m pretty sure that guy had been pampered by his parents as well.

    Afterwards, he kept bawling aaaaaaall the time.

    ¡°Your crying grates my nerves, so could you go somewhere where I can¡¯t see you?¡± I told him, but he seemed adamant about not moving from his spot.

    Oh well, whatever. I¡¯ll ignore him.

    Sword set up the camp facilities (tent, shower ce, toilet enclosure), deployed a barrier around the camp, and then gave the charge cows their fodder and water.

    Yep, just as I thought, he started to like them, and now he¡¯s dotting on them.

    The Ryokus were patrolling, andter, parallelized with each other. After I installed the toilet with magic, I set up the kitchen kit, and started to cook.

    Since I¡¯ve finally got my hands on milk, I¡¯m going to make all kinds of stuff with it! I¡¯ve already made lots beforeing here though!

    I got various dishes ready, including a grounded-potato, milk soup. I usually ate my soup first while Sword ate hisst.

    ¡°This goes well with wine. Ah, but wait, this has a distinct taste, so I think distilled liquor would be great as well.¡± I said while roasting the bread.

    Sword nodded happily while sitting down on a folding chair.

    Now then, me too¡­

    Just when I thought so, I heard a very loud stomach rumbling. From the direction of the crybaby.

    ¡­¡­

    In reflex, I exchanged a look with Sword, and then gazed at the boy. The crybaby had stopped crying, and was staring this way while looking like a starved wolf.

    Sword sighed, ¡°What are we goin¡¯ to do?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine either way. Though I¡¯ve got some conditions. ¡­Crybaby, if you want to eat,e here.¡±

    The crybaby was about to open his mouth, but closed it again, and came close.

    ¡°No helping it. Since I won¡¯t be able to enjoy my food in peace while being watched by a starving wolf, I¡¯ll share some with you. However, if you say that it tastes bad, or leave anything behind, I¡¯ll get very angry. Should you do anything like that, I¡¯ll chop you up, dismantle you, and feed you to Sword for breakfast tomorrow. Got it?¡±

    ¡°Wait a sec! Stop! Why are you goin¡¯ to feed him to me?¡±

    ¡°Humans have few edible parts. Moreover, no matter how skilled at cooking I might be, I don¡¯t know whether I¡¯d be able to make anything delicious out of human flesh. It¡¯d be way too pitiful to spoil the cow¡¯s stomachs by feeding him to them, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°¡­Hey? Wouldn¡¯t I be pitiful either? Hmm?¡±

    He ground my temples. But even while having that done to me, I said with a serious face, ¡°Listen, I¡¯m not joking. If you n to trash talk my food, then don¡¯t eat it. If you¡¯re going to leave some of it, tell me ahead of time so that I lower the portion.¡±

    Apparently it got through to him that I wasn¡¯t kidding, seeing how he furiously nodded his head while trembling all over.

    ¡°Alright, in that case, I¡¯ll give you some.¡±

    Sword warned the boy with a serious look, ¡°Hey, make sure to never ever say that it¡¯s bad, got it? Don¡¯t underestimate Indra, ¡®kay? She¡¯s a woman who¡¯s mistaken for a guy but follows up on her words. Since she¡¯ll definitely make her wordse true, watch your mouth. Both of us want to greet tomorrow¡¯s morning sun, right?¡±

    He¡¯s using some weird persuasion method. But, he apparently seeded.

    The meal I handed him was greedily wolfed down without a crumb left.

    ¡°We¡¯ll finish breakfast before dawn, and leave the mountains as soon as the sun¡¯s up.¡±

    I nodded at Sword¡¯s words. That meant, we¡¯d arrive before the gate opened.

    Given that the crybaby started to nod off, I rolled him on top of the cloth I had spread out as bed for the charge cows. Sword and I took a shower, and went to bed in our tent.

    Good night~

 Chapter 61

    4-5 minutes 25.07.2022

    {Serge}

    Just as I was sleeping, I got suddenly kicked.

    ¡°Giv-!¡±

    Thinking it was bro, I was about toin¡­

    ¡°Hey, I told you yesterday we¡¯re goin¡¯ before dawn, so how long do you n to stay asleep?¡±

    ¡­just to spot ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿ looking down at me.

    U-¡­Umm, where am I¡­?

    Oh right! Yesterday I cried out of frustration. ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿ and that guy were so mean to me, but I felt scared about going down the mountains by myself. Then I was told that it¡¯d surely cause a huge uproar in town¡­

    ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿ sighed deeply.

    ¡°In my eyes, your nothin¡¯ but a spoilt crybaby. It¡¯s nothin¡¯ unusual for folks to try leechin¡¯ off me, but your lookin¡¯ down on Indra, aren¡¯t you? Moreover, your obviously regardin¡¯ her as your rival for some odd reason. But, I got a big problem with you treatin¡¯ my precious partner as equal or below a lil¡¯ shit like you. ¡­Come, I¡¯ll show you the difference between you n¡¯ her.¡±

    He urged me along.

    ¡°By the way, she¡¯s already gotten up several hours ago. Since I said we¡¯d leave before dawn, she woke up early and finished all breakfast preparations. What did you actually do ever sincein¡¯ here? Indra is ¡¯round your age, you know? And yet Indra had prepared various things ¡¯round the camp yesterday and today, but you haven¡¯t lifted a single finger to help, have you? How ¡¯bout realizin¡¯ that difference between you two for starters? ¡­In the first ce, somethin¡¯ like chowin¡¯ down some food and then goin¡¯ sleep is usually impossible for adventurers! Settin¡¯ up night watches in shifts in light of possible monster attacks ismon sense. On top of that, it¡¯s usually the young, inexperienced rookies who take the initiative in handlin¡¯ such tasks! And yet you¡¯ve been sleepin¡¯ in without a care, snorin¡¯ as loudly as a boar grunts.¡±

    On the way, he continuously showered me with sermons. ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿ was super pissed and scary.

    ¡­After walking for a while, I could hear a sound. Just when I wondered what it might be, I spotted that guy swinging a wooden sword at a terrifying speed.

    ¡°¡­She¡¯s been doin¡¯ this kind of trainin¡¯ before breakfast ever since she was five. Even after she partnered up with me, she¡¯s been continuin¡¯ it all the time. Did you do any practice swings yesterday? That or muscle trainin¡¯, did you do any of it? She might have a knack for it, but her strength bein¡¯ equal to minees mostly from her hard trainin¡¯. I don¡¯t want her to be lumped together with some ordinary bum like you. After all, she¡¯s the <strong>partner</strong> I approve of.¡± ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿ dered powerfully.

    When I timidly looked at his face, he wasn¡¯t angry nor did he look at me. He was staring at that guy. I followed his line of sight.

    ¡­¡­Somehow he looks incredibly cool. He¡¯s brandishing his sword as if performing a dance.

    After we watched for a while, he apparently finished his training, and came over.

    ¡°Your stoppin¡¯ already?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s have breakfast now that you¡¯re awake.¡± He said over his shoulder and started to walk off.

    Despite having moved around so much just moments ago, not a single drop of sweat could be seen on him. His breathing was calm and orderly, too.

    ¡­This guy is truly strong.

    Atst I had also understood.

    ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿ walked up next to him with a puzzled expression.

    ¡°What? Was it wrong of me to have shown him?¡±

    ¡°It distracted me, and my training is unique anyway. If you wanted to show him something, your training would be much more of a reference, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°No, that wasn¡¯t my intent here.¡± ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿ scratched his head. ¡°Sorry for disturbin¡¯ you.¡±

    I was startled. For him to apologize to someone my age¡­

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind it. You followed your own way of thinking, right? Just¡­¡±

    At that point, he grinned broadly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think this could be an exhibition? If he were to memorize and imitate it, it¡¯d lower one of our sources of ie.¡±

    ¡°Wow, your quite the cheapskate, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Then bothughed.

    ¡­Watching from behind, I finally realized that these two were partners in the truest sense.

 Chapter 62

    While having the charge cows wait together with the Ryokus in the meadows, filled with grass they¡¯d likely eat, we entered the town at the same time as the gate opened up. What greeted us on the other side were bleary-eyed adults who had been waiting for the gate¡¯s opening. As we entered, they all immediately looked our way.

    ¡°¡­Yep, just as expected.¡± Sword sighed and headed over to the guildmaster.

    He¡¯s probably going to exin the situation.

    The crybaby huddled up behind me.

    ¡°¡±Serge!¡±¡±

    The stall boy and a woman, who seemed to be their mother, rushed over.

    ¡°Just where have you been!?!? Do you know how much I worried when you didn¡¯t returnst night!?!¡±

    I¡¯m sure it¡¯s been just as she said.

    Going by Serge¡¯s behavior, it was in obvious that he had hid in the mountains (in spite of it having been prohibited) with the single-minded intent of wanting to join us.

    Among the men who had gathered up first thing in the morning, many looked rather annoyed by all the trouble than relieved over the boy¡¯s safety.

    Well, that only makes sense.

    The stall boy hit Serge¡¯s head with a fist after getting close.

    ¡°Ouch!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve given the esteemed S-Rank adventurers so much trouble¡­! And not just that! You caused a lot of trouble for everyone! It¡¯s about time you stopped this make-believe adventurer game!¡±

    The crybaby put on the expression of a child who didn¡¯t want to listen while throwing a tantrum.

    ¡°He¡¯s right! You are almost the same age as Indra, so why can¡¯t you get your act together! Take an example of Indra and be more like an adult!¡±

    Hmm, yeah, that¡¯d be the typical sermon in this situation, but¡­

    ¡°The boy won¡¯t listen to this kind of sermon, you know?¡±

    When I muttered, they all looked at me simultaneously. Especially the crybaby red my way with tears in his eyes. There wasn¡¯t a shred of remorse to be found on his face.

    ¡°Look, that¡¯s a face that shows how he has no intention of reflecting on his wrongdoings whatsoever. It¡¯s the face of someone crying around while throwing a tantrum. ¡­Well, whatever. The boy¡¯s failures are to be med on his parents. In other words, your way of bringing him up is the problem here.¡±

    As I looked straight at the mother, she became confused.

    ¡°It¡¯s your fault. You pampered him, you forgave his every whim as long as he cried and acted up a bit, you didn¡¯t even teach him that he ought to help out, instead you taught him that it was only natural for him to let the adults do everything for him, and you didn¡¯t teach him that he should consider what kind of troubles he causes to others when willfully doing as he pleases without listening to anything, including rules. All of this stems from his wrong upbringing. ¡­So? How do you n to settle this uproar as his parent?¡±

    The mother became white like a sheet.

    ¡°¡­I-I¡¯m terribly sorry!¡±

    She bowed her head. The stall boy as well.

    But.

    ¡°¡­Is this how you apologize to others? Do you think that this brat is going to fully understand how wrong he was after seeing you apologize so half-heartedly? Is that an attitude everyone, whom he kept up all night long with his shenanigans, would be able to ept?¡±

    As soon as I finished speaking, they fell prostrate in front of me. So dogeza does exist in this world as well, huh?

    ¡°¡­Hey!?¡±

    Sword ran up to us, but I stopped him with a wind blow from my palm.

    ¡°Stay away. This is part of his education.¡±

    ¡°Education!?¡±

    ¡°Also, since I¡¯m the type of woman who can¡¯t forgive pampered kids and the parents who spoil them, feel free to take it as envy. Now then¡­¡± I turned back to the other two.

    ¡°Please find it in yourself to forgive my son for his misconduct on this asion. As his mother I beg your pardon while feeling deeply ashamed.¡±

    ¡°¡­My younger brother has caused you a lot of trouble. Please allow me to apologize on his behalf.¡±

    As I towered over them dauntingly¡­

    ¡°Oi¡­stop it! Hey! Why are you acting so bossy!? Mom and bro haven¡¯t done anything wrong, have they!?¡± The crybaby screamed in rage.

    I stared at him coldly, ¡°You¡¯re right, it¡¯s all your fault. But, they¡¯re to me for having raised you to be such a brat. That¡¯s why I¡¯m having them apologize for their failure. ¡­So? Are you going to just throw tantrums? I haven¡¯t heard a single apology or thanks from you since yesterday.¡±

    The crybaby started to tremble furiously, and then dashed away.

    Okay, this guy¡¯s a lost cause. Pretty obviously.

    I brought the little y to an end, allowing his mother and brother to stand up again.

    ¡°¡­Oh well, whatever. Unfortunately, the boy ran off after throwing a tantrum. With this it¡¯s over.¡±

    ¡°¡­Eh¡­? ¡­Umm¡­¡±

    The mother and her older son exchanged a look.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I was talking to myself. After¡ºgiving up¡», I¡¯ll go around to apologize to the town¡¯s residents. Well, I don¡¯t know whether it¡¯ll be over with that, though. Goodbye. We¡¯ll never meet again.¡±

    When I turned on my heels, I was baffled as Sword was nowhere to be seen. And here I¡¯ve pulled this whole thing off so stylishly.

 Chapter 63

    {Sword}

    I ran after the brat who had dashed away. It ain¡¯t anythin¡¯ I wanna to do, but she seemed seriously pissed off, and thus thoroughly trashed the brat. I gotta make him apologize one way or another as I don¡¯t know what she¡¯ll do if she gets really angry.

    All the time bawlin¡¯ like a baby¡­is this brat really a boy? He¡¯s cryin¡¯ ¡¯round as much as a woman. Just as much as Indra¡­no, considering her circumstances, she ain¡¯t cryin¡¯ much at all.

    I almost burst into a shortughter when rememberin¡¯ how she started cryin¡¯ while bitchin¡¯ ¡¯bout the room bein¡¯ dirty.

    The crybaby had holed himself up in a house, probably his home, bawlin¡¯ in some corner. I pped the back of his head.

    Apparently surprised, he finally stopped cryin¡¯.

    ¡°For heaven¡¯s sake¡­are you really a boy? To me you totally sound like a sissy, seein¡¯ how you keep bawlin¡¯ all the time.¡±

    Freezin¡¯ while heavin¡¯ with sobs, he looked my way.

    ¡°So? You ran away and now? What¡¯s the n? You haven¡¯t resolved a single thing. Though I guess your Mom won¡¯t me you even for runnin¡¯ ¡®way. Your lucky to have such a kind Mom. That means even you¡¯re still gettin¡¯ pampered despite bein¡¯ old enough to take care of your own shit.¡±

    The corners of his mouth curved down. Ah, I guess he¡¯s goin¡¯ to start cryin¡¯ any moment again.

    I scratched my head, ¡°¡­You really don¡¯t get just how blessed you are. Let me tell you a bit ¡¯bout Indra. She was born a noble. The result of a political marriage as it often happens among nobility. Her father frequently stayed over at his lover, and her mother med her daughter for her husband notin¡¯ home, always disciplinin¡¯ and chastizin¡¯ her. Thanks to that, she had perfectly mastered noble etiquette andnguage at an age of five. Anyway, when she was five, her mother died, and immediately followin¡¯, her father came back, his lover¡¯s daughter in tow. Her father dotted on his lover¡¯s daughter like your mother been dottin¡¯ on you, but treated Indra like shit. Whatever happened, Indra was med for all of it, you know?

    It was Indra¡¯s fault that the lover¡¯s daughter didn¡¯t know a thing ¡¯bout noble etiquette. It was Indra¡¯s fault that the maids¡¯ trainin¡¯ wasckin¡¯, and it was Indra¡¯s fault for it rainin¡¯ outside. ordin¡¯ to her father, at least. So, she fell ill, wanderin¡¯ between life n¡¯ death. She managed to somehow survive, but in exchange, she¡¯s ¡ºgiven up¡» on all humans, sayin¡¯ that all the humans in this world are selfish and cruel, not bein¡¯ worth the air they breath.¡±

    The brat was listenin¡¯ while dumbstruck. He stopped cryin¡¯, but is he goin¡¯ to reflect on what he did?

    ¡°¡­Well, to be honest, I don¡¯t give a fuck if she¡¯s given up on you. I just don¡¯t want her hate of humans to be any worse. Your a rotten piece of shit, who got saved, fed, and helped by her, and yet didn¡¯t even say a single word of thanks or apology. Your scum who doesn¡¯t think that it¡¯s his fault after seein¡¯ your family apologize, but instead mes the person havin¡¯ them apologize. That¡¯s how Indra regards you. Are you really okay with her judgin¡¯ you to be like that? Don¡¯t you feel anythin¡¯ when watchin¡¯ your mother apologize and getting criticized for having failed with your upbringin¡¯ since your such a fucked up, lil¡¯ asshole?¡±

    And he cried again. Just as I thought that this guy is a lost cause, scratchin¡¯ my head¡­

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t wanna!¡±

    ¡­he shouted.

    ¡°Throwin¡¯ a tantrum while screamin¡¯ don¡¯t wanna, don¡¯t wanna only works on your parents. Apologize and then thank her properly. Otherwise, she¡¯ll keep that image of you for the rest of her life.¡±

    At that point, it looked like he finally felt like apologizin.

    ¡­¡­But, it was already toote.

    ¡°Ooh, I wondered where you went. Thinking that you might have left the city, I headed back to where we left the Ryokus and charge cows, you know?¡±

    Indra had apparently searched for me. She was currently standin¡¯ at the gate. Spottin¡¯ me, she faced me with a smile.

    When I cast a fleetin¡¯ nce at the brat, he was pullin¡¯ a scowlin¡¯ face, displeasure obviously written on it, but¡­

    ¡°It was my bad! Sorry!¡± He apologized in a way soundin¡¯ more like shoutin¡¯ at her.

    Feelin¡¯ relieved, I looked at Indra, but she didn¡¯t spare the brat a single nce.

    Eh? Huh?

    The brat was also lookin¡¯ disappointed, like he¡¯d suffered a heavy blow. Indra¡¯s eyes were focused on me alone as she cheerfully chatted me up.

    ¡°Come on, it¡¯s time to go back! ¡­I¡¯m really sorry for doing this while we¡¯re in the middle of adventuring, but we won¡¯t be able to go to the capital since I¡¯ve got to take the cute charge cows with me. In the end, it¡¯ll result in us heading back to our base, but you¡¯re okay with that, right?¡±

    ¡­Ah, I see. This is the same pattern she used back when she ignored me. It looks like she¡¯s already added the brat to the ¡ºlist of humans to be ignored¡».

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m cool with that. Rather, our liquor stock has also dwindled drastically. You gotta restock ¡¯em once we get back.¡± I said while strokin¡¯ her head.

    ¡­Well, it¡¯s the brat¡¯s fault anyway. Timin¡¯ matters with things like this. He missed his and now it¡¯s toote.

    His mother, big brother, and Indra dealt with the town¡¯s residents.

    I didn¡¯t feel like gettin¡¯ med for anythin¡¯, so I told ¡¯em the truth. And since I can¡¯t put up any requests, I can¡¯t file any protest with the guild about this oue either. That¡¯s why things were finished after I exined the events to the guild.

    But, the town¡¯s residents are probably pissed off that they had to gather first thing in the mornin¡¯ due to an uproar solely triggered by the selfishness of the brat. Above all, it¡¯d definitely have an impact on their sales for today.

    I¡¯ve got no clue about how kind the people of this town are, but after watchin¡¯ the scene with Indra, the town¡¯s residents looked like they calmed down a bit. But, at thest moment, this idiot ran away.

    ¡°¡­¡­? Hey, is something wrong?¡±

    Suddenly Indra peered at me with a worried face.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothin¡¯. ¡­Let me ask you a lil¡¯ somethin¡¯. Can you take a look ¡¯round you and tell me the situation?¡±

    After bin¡¯ puzzled, Indra looked all ¡¯round herself. But, her eyes never registered the brat.

    And it seems the brat also understood as much.

    ¡°Hey! What is it!? I apologized, didn¡¯t I!? I told you I¡¯m sorry! Don¡¯t ignore me!¡± The brat roared while on the verge of cryin¡¯, and tried to grab Indra, but I stopped his hand and shook my head.

    ¡°You were toote. You don¡¯t count as human to her anymore.¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­¡­¡­?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s up, Sword?¡± Indra tugged on my sleeve. ¡°There¡¯s nothing here that would require special attention, is there? This town is a bad ce. It¡¯s also got things I don¡¯t want to ever see again. Since I¡¯m likely nevering back here again, let¡¯s hurry up and join up with the Ryokus and cows. I¡¯m worried about leaving everything to the Ryokus.¡±

    ¡­¡­I see.

    The verdict is ¡ºbad town¡», huh?

    ¡°¡­¡­Gotcha, if you say so, it must be right. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡±

    I urged on Indra.

    ¡°Wait! Sorry! I¡¯m apologizing, so please forgive me! I¡¯m telling you¡­I¡¯m sorry! Heeey! Don¡¯t ignore me! Oi, wait!!¡±

    The brat tried to chase after us, but I shook my head a second time at him.

    ¡°It¡¯s toote. You better go apologize to each and every resident here rather than botherin¡¯ with us any longer. That is, if you don¡¯t wanna be treated by ¡¯em in the same way as Indra treats you now.¡±

    Once I told him that, he stopped.

    £ª

    ¡­¡­Maybe I should have intervened on behalf of this brat. But, I didn¡¯t ask Indra to forgive him.

    I¡¯m well aware that Indra has experienced terrible cruelty by her family. If she put him on her ¡ºlist of humans to be ignored¡» after runnin¡¯ out of patience with his continuous, awful attitude on top of bein¡¯ regarded as a rival by a brat who was pampered and loved by his family, I¡¯ve got no right to remonstrate her for that.

    Not respectin¡¯ the feelings of my cherished partner is unthinkable for me. After all, the brat got a family who¡¯s goin¡¯ to cherish him no matter what happens.

    Even if no one else does it, at least I should treat Indra as the most important person in my life.

    We left through the gate, leavin¡¯ behind the brat who was sobbin¡¯ while rooted to the spot.

 Chapter 64

    I was excessively and thoroughly stroked by Sword, just to get tightly hugged in the middle of it all.

    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong? You¡¯re acting weird, you know?¡±

    ¡°The weird one¡¯s you. ¡­I haven¡¯t said anythin¡¯ since it¡¯d have been useless anyway, but you haven¡¯t forgiven the brat from before, have you?¡±

    ¡­¡­What is he talking about?

    ¡°What did I not forgive?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I mean¡­ ¡­He didn¡¯t want to apologize to thest, right? But back then he apologized, no?¡±

    I tilted my head to the side in confusion.

    ¡°And how does that have anything to do with forgiveness? It¡¯s also different from the story with you. I just don¡¯t feel like ever seeing him again since ¡ºI hate that childish, dependent personality of his, and I also hate his family who¡¯s been pampering him¡». It makes me feel bad as it reminds me of the past. That¡¯s all there is to it. It doesn¡¯t really have anything to do with forgiving or not, okay?¡±

    Sword was lost for words.

    ¡°As for the past matter with you; I misunderstood you having dragged me along without thinking anything, just to dump me right at our destination. But that was wrong as you had prepared all kinds of things while considering my well-being. Since I understood that, I reassessed you to be a human I can trust. I ¡ºhate¡» the pampered brat because he¡¯s been pampered so much. So it didn¡¯t really matter whether he apologizes to me or not. Watching him and his mother simply upsets me as they remind me of that man and his dumb daughter.¡±

    ¡°Gotcha.¡±

    He profusely stroked me.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s nothing you need to worry about, really. Or rather, you should seriously learn the spell to shut out sound. I¡¯ll be troubled if you get anxious each and every single time something like this happens. I don¡¯t care about such people and their shenanigans at all, just so you know.¡±

    ¡°The more you don¡¯t care, the more I do!¡±

    What the hell? I¡¯d like him to give it a rest, seriously.

    To put it into a single word, ¡°Annoying.¡±

    ¡°Argh! How dare you sling mud at my kindness!¡±

    My temples were ground.

    ¡°Ou-Ou-Ouuuuch!¡±

    How unreasonable!

    £ª

    After we returned to our base in Ys as fast as physically possible, I had Sword buy us a farm. Or to be precise, we extended the mansion¡¯s grounds.

    I celebrated my reunion with the home-staying Ryoku by hugging him tightly, introduced the charge cows to the mansion¡¯s residents, and asked them to take care of the cows.

    With this, it¡¯s about high time to pay them wages. Therefore¡­

    ¡°We¡¯ll bring up the liquor brewing to speed! We¡¯llmercialize the wheat honey! We¡¯ll open a restaurant! Thus, it¡¯s time to establish apany.¡±

    Everyone froze.

    A momentter, Sword raised a hand.

    ¡°What is it, Cadet Sword?¡±

    ¡°Captain Indra, I don¡¯t get what you mean bypany.¡±

    Ah, this world doesn¡¯t have a corresponding term for it, huh?

    ¡°¡­The closest to it would be a merchant business, but apany procures and sells goods, I¡¯d say. No, maybe it¡¯d be better to describe apany as a distributor.¡±

    ¡°You mean like stores?¡±

    ¡°Leaving aside restaurants,panies usually don¡¯t sell directly. They do consignment sales. We¡¯ll start by finding trustworthy merchants. Do you have an idea?¡±

    Sword groaned, ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t, but¡­ I think you understand yourself, but we¡¯re goin¡¯ to sell quite expensive stuff. And if transport bes an issue with such things, you¡¯ll need S-Rank adventurers to handle it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just perfect then. I¡¯ll build a transport vehicle.¡±

    ¡°¡­Hey, just a sec, what kind of magic insect do you intend to build this time?¡±

    Magic insect? What¡¯s up with that!?

    ¡°No, this time I¡¯ll stick to a in, old transport vehicle. Anyway, I just need to build one, right?¡±

    ¡°Let me consider it for a bit, ¡®kay?¡±

    Consider what?

    The cook raised a hand.

    ¡°The opening of a restaurant is a dreame true for me. But, are you going to cater it towardsmoners?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s pointless to run a restaurant that targets people with no money, right? Of course you could also doubt whether nobles really have money at hand, but for now we¡¯ll target wealthy people. I¡¯ve still got plenty of the pocket money I obtained from that man, even if I pay you guys a sry, so we might as well build a gorgeous restaurant!¡±

    It¡¯ll be fine if we basically use a membership system. Since nobles are a pain, I don¡¯t want to deal with them, even if they¡¯re rich. Rather than that, the restaurant might be better received by wealthy people who want to experience the splendor of nobility.

    ¡°What about the detergent? Wouldn¡¯t that be quite popr as well?¡± I was asked by Sword.

    But, shaking my head, I answered, ¡°Producing the chemicals, which form the base of the detergent, would be next to impossible. I suspect that no one besides me can produce it with the current technological stage of this world. Should I meet an exceptionally skilled engineer by chance, I¡¯d like to join hands with them and try to build magic tools for producing distilled liquor.¡±

    ¡°I see. An engineer, huh¡­?¡± Sword brooded.

    ¡°Let¡¯s shelve that for the moment. For now the amount I can produce myself should be enough. Sword, I¡¯m sorry, but our adventuring will need to wait.¡±

    Swordughed.

    ¡°Oh well, this is kinda like an adventure as well. Makin¡¯ liquor is fine with me since I enjoy it to be honest. Anyway, let¡¯s do our best at it!¡±

    ¡°¡±Okay!!¡±¡± Everyone answered energetically.

 Chapter 65

    First up is the farm!

    I spread out pea and true grass nts¡­the charge cows should like¡­on the ground, and added a corn-like field on top of that. I also created a magic silo.

    Let¡¯s stock up plenty before the winter or our departures.

    The farm was on a in. When I asked the cows whether they¡¯d be alright with a in, seeing how they grew up in the mountains, they answered me that it¡¯d be a-okay, but that they couldn¡¯t settle down. Also, they looked fatter now.

    ¡°Bhmoo!¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see. Yeah, figures.¡±

    As I folded my arms while talking with ck Fatty, I heard someone asking, ¡°¡­Hey, what you up to?¡±

    When I looked back, I spotted the guildmaster.

    ¡°You can tell by looking, can¡¯t you? I¡¯m talking with the charge cows.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Say, how should I respond to that?¡± The guildmaster looked back, asking Sword.

    ¡°Listen and be surprised. This girl, you see, can talk to monsters through magic.¡±

    ¡°Huuuh!? For real!? Even tamers can¡¯t use such magic!¡±

    ¡°ording to her, folk unable of usin¡¯ it are on the level of skeletons and ghouls.¡±

    The guildmaster suffered a visible shock.

    ¡°¡­By the way, what about you?¡±

    ¡°Me? ¡­I can use it ¡¯round half.¡±

    ¡°Half? Like how is half supposed to work!?¡±

    ¡°Only ill will is bein¡¯ passed on. She told me to stop since she doesn¡¯t know what¡¯d happen to me if I study it any further.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha¡­ha, yep, it¡¯s really better you stop that.¡±

    I stared at the guildmaster. Did hee here to take a look at the cows?

    ¡°So you haven¡¯t put a cor of insubordination around them because you can talk with them? But even so, they¡¯re still monsters, so use the cor.¡±

    Hmm? Cor?

    ¡­Ohh, I got it!

    ¡°You¡¯re right! I totally forgot about the stereotype here!¡±

    Sword looked at my face with a quite bad expression as my tension built up.

    ¡°Bah, it looks like she came up with somethin¡¯pletely retarded ¡®gain, you know?¡±

    It¡¯s not retarded!

    ¡°There, there, I¡¯ll give you guys awesome cors as present, okay? The cows resembling you in my previous world always wore those. They¡¯re super cute, you know? I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll fit you wonderfully!¡±

    Sword and guildmaster looked at each other.

    ¡°I talked about a cor of insubordination, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°Give up. As long as it¡¯s a simr cor, the annoyin¡¯ folks are goin¡¯ to shut up ¡¯bout it.¡±

    I immediately created it as nned! Like taking something out of a four-dimensional pocket.

    ¡°Yay, cow bells~~~!¡± I shouted.

    And earned myself two icy stares by Sword and the guildmaster. Although they don¡¯t even know the story behind it!

    ¡°Say, ck Fatty, what color would you like the belt to be?¡±

    ¡°Bhmooo!¡±

    ¡°Oh, you good with that color!? You¡¯ve got great sense. Blue-green is a color I also love!¡±

    Immediately after painting the cor¡¯s belt, I put it around ck Fatty¡¯s neck.

    ¡°Ooohh, ck Fatty, you look so stylish! How cool!¡±

    ¡°Bhmoo!¡±

    It seems like ck Fatty likes it as well.

    ¡°Whitey and Whiteo, which do you like? Red and cyan? Either color is nice. It¡¯s going to totally suit your white body color. ¡­Ohh, how cute! You guys are so lovely!¡±

    Sword thrust fingers into his ears. The guildmaster stared at me, bbergastet with his mouth gaping open.

    ¡°¡­Should I also register her as tamer?¡±

    ¡°Please do.¡±

    The guildmaster and Sword had such a dampened conversation after some time.

    £ª

    Granting the cows¡¯ wish, I afforested some of the farm. While at it, I also added a hilly sham obstacle course.

    However, the charge cows happily hopped around it. That¡¯s not what cows do, is it? Are those guy actually deer or something!?

 Chapter 66

    Next up was a restaurant.

    What about the liquor, you ask? I¡¯ve already brewed it in great quantities a long time ago!

    To return to the topic; the restaurant is located in the most thriving shopping district of Ys ¨C at the deepest part of it. I rebuilt it, referencing a fancy restaurant I know of.

    Given that a regr building with walls using an earth wall spell would be way too dull, I built the walls with bricks! The pirs use Ionic order as architectural design. The windows are arched, and as for the floor, I went totally out of my way to go through the trouble of staining stones andying them out!

    The tables are rare gems of beauty which I ornamented myself with their legs being made out of iron. The chairs are ordinary, though. The indirect lighting through light magic is spot on. The toilets use a cutting-edge flushing system!

    I also decorated the interior with decorative nts (those didn¡¯t exist as a concept, so I had to create them).

    All in all I feel like it¡¯s be quite cozy and pretty, if I may say so myself.

    ¡°Hey, this ce looks like it wouldn¡¯t be weird for royalty to visit, you know? How about restrainin¡¯ yourself a tad?¡±

    In the middle of my reconstruction work, Sword came over, just to ground my temples.

    ¡°Ehh? You¡¯re exaggerating. A noble¡¯s room is a lot gaudier, okay? Wasn¡¯t that church with its gilded splendor a lot shier as well? Even if I decorate the tables and shelves a bit, it still doesn¡¯t hold a candle to noble mansions.¡±

    Sword sighed deeply.

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. How to describe it? This ce is packed with arts that don¡¯t exist in this world.¡±

    Ah.

    ¡­I get it, somewhat.

    It doesn¡¯t have the pointlessness of eating at a super long table during meals, but the dining room over there had no decorative nts. It didn¡¯t have any indirect lighting either. The illumination came from a huge amount of candles. And those candles stank.

    ¡°¡­You¡¯ve got a point, but still, any noble would be displeased with this little amount of decorations, right?¡±

    The maids and servants nodded.

    ¡°They would at least desire some paintings on the walls.¡±

    ¡°If we are seriously going at it, we would also need a stage for performances.¡±

    ¡°No need. I don¡¯t mind the ce being only reasonably good. The concept is ¡ºa service as you¡¯d experience it in a noble house¡». It¡¯d be meaningless, if this restaurant were to be used as a social gathering ce by upper nobility. But well, let¡¯s hang up any paintings you find and like. Requests for musical performances mighte in as well, so we should consider preparing a space for that. I leave the rest to you.¡±

    I have my knowledge of the other world, but my knowledge about nobility is somewhatcking, I think.

    £ª

    I entrusted the details of the interior design to the staff that would work here. Given that we were recruiting new staff, the maids, servants, and cook apparently called out to their acquaintances.

    ¡°What should we do about the restaurant¡¯s name, Mdy?¡± I was asked.

    ¡°Restaurant that will kick out any customers the prideful owner dislikes.¡±

    Upon my reply, everyone froze. Sword pped his forehead.

    ¡°¡­Your serious?¡±

    ¡°Around half, I¡¯d say. I¡¯m not particr about the name, so feel free to use any name you like if you have any alternatives that don¡¯t include your own names. But, because I¡¯ll likely carry out what I said moments ago, it¡¯s easier to include it in the name than having to exin it to every customer, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­You don¡¯t really feel like invitin¡¯ customers over, do you?¡±

    I shrugged off Sword¡¯s remark, ¡°Well, we¡¯ll turn down any chance customers. It won¡¯t be an issue even if only one group of customers visits every two or three days. In other words, this is just a fun side show for me. After all, I¡¯m an adventurer.¡±

    £ª

    ¨D¨DWhen I tried to pay the maids their wages with gold coins, I got scolded that they didn¡¯t work so much that they¡¯d deserve to receive such a big amount of money.

    Under these circumstances, I¡¯ll be able to pay their wages out of my pocket money for more than ten years. In an instant, ourpany has taken on the form of being a hobby project.

    I mean, I¡¯m an adventurer!

    The essory we got in the undead dungeon the other day also sold for big money. But, the cook, maids, and servants want to have a go at brewing liquor or running a restaurant, so isn¡¯t it fine to give them a chance since it doesn¡¯t really matter if they fail anyway? At least that¡¯s the general idea behind the restaurant.

    The cook, maids, and servants might be able to cope with unreasonable nobles, but I can¡¯t. Therefore, they should stay away before I kick them out once they start acting bossy.

    £ª

    ¨D¨DOh, right, I was taught by Sword that you can basically say: copper coins formoners, gold coins for nobles, and silver coins for somewhat sessful adventurers. Copper, silver, and gold coins aren¡¯tpatible because they have different values (for example: a low-ranking healing potion costs 5 silver and you can¡¯t buy it with copper), but there seems to exist a fluctuating exchange rate.

    Generally it is as follows:

    500 copper ? 1 silver

    100 silver ? 1 gold

    200~1000 gold ? 1 tinum

    The huge fluctuation for tinum coins stems from it being a big amount of money, and thus being greatly impacted by the shifting market prices. Apparently tinum coins had been used as currency in ancient times, and because the excavated coins are made out of a very rare metal and use borate imprinting that cannot be reproduced with this era¡¯s technology, pure and pretty tinum coins will definitely go up to 1000 gold in price while damaged or impure tinum coins are much cheaper.

    Though I feel like Sword is possessing plenty of those?

 Chapter 67

    T/N: Two things:

    1.) The Japanesenguage often uses gender neutral pronouns, and even throughout this novel, Sword has always been talking about Indra in a way allowing space for interpretation. On the other hand, English is pretty bad at neutral pronouns, and writing every sentence Indra (Indra¡¯s) or they (their) would make this whole work sound super awkward. As such, I¡¯ve been using the female pronoun for her when Sword talks about her, when it¡¯s clear the people know about her gender, or when it doesn¡¯t really matter. But in reality, you can assume that everyone besides those knowing about her gender assume that she¡¯s a boy.

    2.) Bennyboy is a typical yankee/yboy type of character. The style you¡¯ll find in many anime as hoodlums, troublemakers, or womanizers etc. I opted against adding a heavy slur or such. I¡¯ll try to make his tone sound as casual and ngy as possible, but my skills in that region are limited. xD

    Leaving aside the restaurant, the liquor sale was the tiger in the room. ording to Sword, it should apparently result in a sum where we¡¯d be able to swim in gold coins. He insisted that our liquor surpasses the quality of liquor drunk by nobles by leaps and bounds.

    Using the nobles¡¯ liquor as standard, Sword exined, ¡°Pretty sure the regr liquor would cost at the very least 1 gold per bottle while the liquor that rested for a while would go beyond 5 gold, as a wholesale price. As for the distilled liquor: your the only one who can produce it, so the cheapest price would start at 10 gold.¡±

    Hearing that, everyone involved in the brewing trembled furiously.

    ¡°W-W-We have been drinking something so expensive without a care¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s okay for the brewers. We¡¯re the ones investin¡¯ the time,bor, and production expenses. The techniques and knowledge might¡¯ve been provided by Indra, but you guys studied all o¡¯ it diligently, right? I¡¯ll provide the fundin¡¯, so don¡¯t pay it any attention and drink as much as you like for free!¡±

    He¡¯se up with some suitable theory, solely because he wants to drink himself.

    But, I also waved it off with a hand, ¡°All of this only matters if Sword converts its value into money. It¡¯s not like we have to sell the liquor just because we¡¯re producing something with rarity value. I don¡¯t mind if we only use it for ourselves either. I mean, it¡¯s not like we¡¯re using any valuable ingredients on this. Don¡¯t fret and just think of it as us palming off what we can¡¯t drink up ourselves for big cash.¡±

    I said while once again reaffirming how much of a hobby-like view I had taken on this.

    £ª

    Atst, the liquor had filled up a third of our storage space. We had also brewed cheap liquor ¨C namely, cider and ale. I really wanted to brew unrefined sake, but without yeast cells¡­ It¡¯s probably a lost cause without researching yeast first.

    In the first ce, I haven¡¯t found any rice so far. But, seeing how milk exists, maybe rice is growing somewhere as well?

    £ª

    ¨D¨DOne day, as I had been pondering such things, we had a visitor. He apparently hade for Sword, but I was called over as well.

    ¡°Yo, man. Lon¡¯ time no see.¡±

    A yboy¡­

    When I looked at Sword, ¡°Hey, long time no see. Sorry for callin¡¯ you over on short term.¡±

    They seem to be old friends.

    ¡°This here is my partner, Indra. She¡¯s makin¡¯ some incredible stuff, and we wanna sell some of it, but I don¡¯t know any merchants besides you. Won¡¯t you act as middleman for us?¡±

    What a super abbreviated exnation!

    ¡°Eh? For real? Sure, why not.¡±

    And that was the end of it.

    ¡°¡­¡­It sounds like the discussion is over, so I¡¯ll leave you two to catch up, okay?¡±

    As I turned on my heels, I was grabbed by Sword.

    ¡°Waaait. Come on, don¡¯t be so hasty. We goin¡¯ to need you here for what¡¯s to follow.¡±

    He said his name was Benjamin.

    ¡°Ben for you. So, let me see the stuff that¡¯s up fo¡¯ sale?¡±

    Huh? Is it really okay for a merchant to be so casual about business?

    £ª

    ¡°¡­Here.¡±

    Once I took out a bottle, the yboy, now Bennyboy, froze on the spot.

    ¡°Huh? Wait? Isn¡¯t this booze?¡±

    ¡°Yep, the liquor I consider the most delicious in this world.¡± Sword nodded.

    Bennyboy looked back and forth between the liquor and me.

    ¡°¡­Anyway, first have a taste of it. Sword has mostly decided on the price. For merchandise, you have to add your profit on top of that, right? On top of that, you see, this liquor is extremely difficult in its handling. If the temperature bes too high, it¡¯ll be unseble. We¡¯ll prepare some countermeasures from our side, but please decide whether you¡¯re going to sell it or not while taking these circumstances into ount.¡±

    A maid immediately poured some of the liquor into a ss for testing.

    Somehow, as might be expected, Sword was positively surprised by her conduct.

    ¡°Just as I thought, the servants of nobles y in a different league, don¡¯t they?¡±

    ¡°Ah, man, no wonder, this is a noble¡¯s ce. And here I was feeling all jittery ever since entering this ce¡­ So howe you¡¯re living at a noble¡¯s ce, Mr. Sword?¡±

    ¡°It ain¡¯t no noble¡¯s mansion. I¡¯ve just be thendlord of a former noble and her former servants. That¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha. S-Ranks are totally different from us ordinary folk, yeah.¡±

    He said otherwise, but I don¡¯t feel a shred of tension or admiration from his frivolous rambling.

    ¡°Then allow me to test it¡­ Wai-! Awesome shit! The hell¡¯s this stuff!?¡±

    ¡°Right? We wanna sell this. ¡­But, ordin¡¯ to Indra, liquor is alive, makin¡¯ quality control essential. She mentioned doin¡¯ consignment sales, but the liquor will spoil in no time without a proper ce to store it. Well, Indra said she¡¯d lend you a magic tool for that, but the issue is this.¡± Sword made a money sign with his fingers. ¡°What price would you put on this? Assumin¡¯ you wouldn¡¯t need to worry ¡¯bout transportation n¡¯ all the other stuff.¡±

    Bennyboy folded his arms.

    ¡°Not beneath a gold coin. How about pawning it off at an auction? It¡¯d be better to sell it after seeing the initial response.¡±

    Now I folded my arms.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go too public with this. Our production capacities are limited.¡±

    ¡°Oh, all the more ¡®n argument for an auction. If you got only a small amount on hand, you¡¯d be in a bind if orders flooded in. ¡¯cause of that, it¡¯d give you less trouble if you sell it off at an auction! Besides, if we don¡¯t do that, I¡¯d need to take it off you and go ¡¯round selling it, or simr, right? If you say storage is a problem, it¡¯d be much easier to store it ¡®ere and just transport it over to the auction house when needed.¡±

    ¡°Makes sense. Let¡¯s go with that.¡±

    In the end, I¡¯m fine with anything as long as we sell it suitably. Even if you put together the costs for the raw materials, facilities, etc., it¡¯s far away from one gold coin. Hence, most of it will be profit.

    I guess I¡¯ll splurge on transportation then.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about the means of transport. It won¡¯t be as simple to operate as a carriage, but I¡¯ll teach you how to drive it, so make sure to learn it.¡±

    ¡°Eh? It¡¯s gonna be a rock lizard or some such?¡±

    Rock lizard? You can use the thing I killed the other day as a substitute for a horse?

    ¡°No. To put it simply, it¡¯s going to be a magic tool, golem¡­or whatever you name it.¡±

    ¡°Eehhh!? Just so you know, I can¡¯t use any magic, ¡®kay?¡±

    ¡­¡­?

    ¡°Even if you can¡¯t use magic, you can still use magic tools, can¡¯t you? ¡­Or maybe not?¡±

    I did it unconsciously, and everyone living in this mansion can use magic.

    ¡°Normally you move these things with your own mana. I¡¯ve never seen magic tools that operate through magic elements like the ones you make.¡±

    Is that so¡­?

    ¡°Okay, well, it¡¯ll require magic stones then. I¡¯ll change the propulsion system to be based on those. Leaving aside the quality, we¡¯ve got plenty of them.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯ll be cool.¡±

    I see. I¡¯m d to hear.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll build it then.¡±

    Sword pulled a super unhappy face. Even without you looking at me like that, I¡¯ll build a very normal, ordinary transport vehicle!

 Chapter 68

    ¡­¡­Once upon a time I also believed I¡¯d build a very normal, ordinary transport vehicle.

    ¡°So it¡¯s ended up being a magic bug anyway!¡±

    I quietly averted my face.

    ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s not that bad, is it?¡±

    I had considered various things. I mean, wouldn¡¯t it be smarter to go with something like a tank in a world as dangerous as this?

    Assuming I add rocketunchers in the front and rear, and movable Gatling guns on the sides, how am I going to defend against all enemy attacks? Going with just four tires would be scary as well, no?

    The Ryokus have six legs (excluding the two front legs), but since the torso part of the transport vehicle is going to be longer, I must increase the number of legs. If I make it rectangr like a truck, it¡¯d be easier to hit it with direct attacks and the frame would be more fragile, so wouldn¡¯t it be better to go with a curvy design?

    I pondered about all this and much more, just to suddenly remember pill bugs. So I made one. Tehe.

    Just a tad more mechanical, okay?

    This time I had Sword choose some light metal, and although it¡¯s hidden by the legs, it also possesses a crawler track. If you open the round windows, you can shoot Gatling guns from there!

    Thanks to a shutter, it looks like the back¡¯s rear would split into upper and lower parts whenever it¡¯s opened. By the way, the driver¡¯s seat also uses a shutter function. You enter it by moving the front ss part up.

    In the unlikely event of the crawler track getting destroyed, the vehicle can still be supported by its multiple legs, and should the legs get destroyed, the crawler track can cover as a driving force. The vehicle itself can automatically judge whether to use track or legs depending on the terrain.

    Only Bennyboy, who built it together with me, was pleased by all of this.

    ¡°Awesome! It¡¯s a dreame true, seriously! I¡¯d love to give it a test drive, though!¡±

    Thanks, Bennyboy. I¡¯ve been encouraged by your kind words. Leading me to get carried away a bit too much¡­

    Since I¡¯d hate for it to be mistaken as a magic bug, I recorded, ¡¸Even though I might look like this, I am a golem! I am helping out with carrying things!¡¹ as a voice track, and made sure that it could be yed through a megaphone.

    ¡°¡­As far as my opinion goes, I actually feel like this thing is goin¡¯ to draw attacks for the sake of obtainin¡¯ it, you know?¡± Sword grumbled.

    ¡°Who cares anyway. It can deal with most stuff thrown at it. Now then, time to give this baby a ride.¡± Happy and antsy, Bennyboy got into the driver¡¯s seat.

    I climbed in as well¡­

    ¡°Unyu!?¡± 1

    Sword also got on.

    ¡°What¡¯re you doing in here!? Weren¡¯t you uninterested in this!?¡±

    ¡°I never said that I¡¯m not interested. Your goin¡¯ to build several more anyway, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯ll also give my advice, soe on, move a bit, will you?¡±

    The heck! Just a while ago he was ridiculing it as a magic bug!! Rather than a bug, it¡¯s be a colony now! 2

    ¡°By the way, what¡¯s this thing called?¡±

    ¡°Multi-legged Transport Golem, but feel free to name it as you like.¡±

    ¡°You were so picky about Ryoku, and now your readily delegatin¡¯ it to an idiot?¡±

    ¡°I built Ryoku while having a clear image in mind. This is the result of me getting carried away as I came up with ideas.¡±

    ¡°Ah, just as I expected.¡±

    Also, when ites to me naming it, I can¡¯te up with any names other than those which mustn¡¯t be used at all costs.

    ¡°Cool, you ¡®kay with me calling him Char then?¡±

    Ben¡¯s naming sense was unexpectedly decent.

    £ª

    The driver¡¯s seat is quite mechanical. It¡¯s crowded with measuring instruments and panels. Of course you can drive Char without looking at all those, and you can also operate it by voice. Or rather, since I set the default driving mode to be auto, things will be fine just like this. But, as someone who loves operating robots, I believe custom voice recognition to be the death of any manual PC settings, and instead wish to fiddle with the detailed settings myself.

    Therefore I set the driver¡¯s cockpit up like that.

    Sword got startled when he saw it, and started to suddenly fidget around. I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯s super curious.

    Bennyboy said, ¡°Whoa! But, do I have to memorize all of this?¡±, with a slightly dejected undertone.

    ¡°No, not really. It¡¯s basically set on automatic. Or maybe I should say, it all runs automatically. You might get an urge to fiddle around with it if you learn how, but just ignore it for now. Instead I¡¯ll have you master the necessary driving skill.¡±

    He openly felt relieved when hearing me.

    £ª

    ¡°¡®kay, time to set out.¡±

    Bennyboy slowly stepped on the elerator. In response, Char quietly started to move.

    ¡°Wow, it¡¯s not shaking whatsoever!¡±

    ¡°Well, yeah, I added something like a shock-absorber. As standard it uses the crawler track, but if the ground gets too rugged, it¡¯ll walk on its multi-legs.¡±

    All for the sake of a rxed traveling, yep.

    ¡°Somehow¡­¡¯tis a reallyfortable drive.¡±

    ¡°Oh! You can tell?¡±

    I became happy since Sword noticed it, and ended up exining, ¡°It¡¯s fully equipped with air-conditioning! The set temperature is £Û22¡ã Celsius£Ý. Ah, please think of it as the current temperature. If you want it to be a bit hotter in here, touch the up-arrow over here, and if you want it to be cooler, touch the down-arrow. In case you want to save fuel, you just need to stop it with the ¡°Turn off¡± next to it. In addition, it¡¯s also equipped with an emission of £ÛNegative Ions£Ý, or what you¡¯d call a forest therapy effect. If you¡¯re in a forest, the air is much cleaner than in town, right? That¡¯s what I mean. Furthermore, £ÛHumidification£Ý, moisture is important as well, hence the steam is being released outside to some extent.¡±

    Sword was dumbstruck.

    Bennyboy answered, ¡°Incredible! Though I didn¡¯t get ¡¯bout half the stuff you said just now.¡±

    ¡°Always driving during long journeys is tough, isn¡¯t it? Falling asleep at the wheel is terrifying. Thus, I¡¯ve tried to create an atmosphere which is asfortable as possible, but has a slightly lower temperature to prevent sleepiness. I don¡¯t know about carriages, but this kind of car¡­err, golem is prone to make one drowsy! If you get assaulted by a spell of sleepiness, you have to stop driving, park on the roadside, and sleep!¡±

    Thanks to the automatic brake system, Char won¡¯t crash into obstacles, but that¡¯s no reason to drive while sleepy!

    ¡°Aye, aye!¡±

    yboy, do you really get it?

 Chapter 69

    The townsfolk are waving their hands, aren¡¯t they? Moreover, their greetings are directed upwards.

    ¡°Hey, by pressing these, you can boot up the cameras. You can continuously check the rear and sides, but these are responsible for the wide-range and upper cameras. It allows you to have an overview in all directions.¡± I point at the touch panel and monitors at the lower part.

    ¡°Heeh¡­¡­ ¡­Wai-! Mr. Sword, why are you pressing them!?¡±

    Sword ended up tampering with the panels.

    ¡°Not like just startin¡¯ ¡¯em up matters anyway.¡±

    He just wanted to fiddle around with it. I¡¯m sure. Absolutely sure.

    When I reflexively smirked at him, he pulled on my cheeks.

    ¡°Nhaa!¡±

    ¡°Tamperin¡¯ with it is fine, isn¡¯t it!?¡±

    I haven¡¯t said anything!

    £ª

    ¨D¨DThanks to that, the feeler-shaped, omni-directional, mobile cameras sprouted upwards. As they reflected the upper part of Char, the reason for the waving immediately became clear.

    ¡°Ryoku!¡±

    ¡­has climbed atop Char!

    ¡°Aww¡« you found me already, huh¡«?¡±

    He¡¯sughing bashfully while sticking out his tongue! How adorable! You¡¯re waaay too cuuute! This is the mansion¡¯s Ryoku, isn¡¯t he!?

    Shit, shit, shit! Why can¡¯t the child that has been apanying me talk in the same way!?

    Bennyboy sighed deeply, ¡°That golem is really a piece o¡¯ work. But, I¡¯ll content myself with this guy here! Time to pick up speed!¡±

    He apparently stepped down on the elerator. Char became faster in a whiz.

    Sword was acting indifferent, but he¡¯s obviously restless. I guess he probably wants to drive himself.

    Looking at Bennyboy from the side, he seems to be enjoying himself¡­or rather, even without looking, it¡¯s clear that he¡¯s having a st. Looks like he¡¯s the type of guy who loves driving cars.

    £ª

    We exited onto a in. I used this opportunity to exin the normal mode. Given that Char can also drive backwards, I got Ryoku to help out with the training on how to park.

    In addition, I also had Bennyboy take hard corners and S-curves.

    ¡°You¡¯re quite good at this, Bennyboy!¡±

    ¡°No, that much is nothing, you know?¡±

    Bennyboy doesn¡¯t know modesty. No wonder he¡¯s Sword¡¯s friend. He¡¯s kinda an oddball.

    ¡°Alright. Seeing how Ryoku is with us, I suppose we should also test out the interception mode. Let me exin: in case of an attack by monsters or bandits, the shutter will be lowered on the front ss in addition to a release of the limiter, a cancetion of the speed limitation, and an unlocking of the magic cannons. You¡¯ll be able to observe the situation outside through the videos shown by the cameras. If you¡¯re being chased, you might be able to get away by raising the speed, but if you ept the fight, you might be hard pressed by yourself.¡±

    The aiming is done automatically and you just need to fire by hitting the switch, but it¡¯d probably be tough to deal with a great number of enemies with just Char.

    ¡°I¡¯ve always made sure to ask my old adventurer buddies to guard me.¡±

    Hee. So he used to be an adventurer, huh?

    ¡°I see. But, Char isn¡¯t built to carry many people, okay? It depends on their build, but six grown men is the limit, I think. One on the driver¡¯s seat, one on the passenger¡¯s seat, and four on the two back seats would be the maximum.¡±

    ¡°Man, what a luxury, I gotta say. I¡¯ll be a-ok with six people!¡±

    Well, it¡¯s got no impact on the driver¡¯s seat, but assuming that the journeys would take many days, I made the interior asfortable as possible.

    ¡°Oh, right! If you enter interception mode, you need to be careful about your driving! I don¡¯t know about carriages, but if you suddenly stop a vehicle like this here, the people inside are going to crash against the walls! If you don¡¯t want people to die, stay clear from sudden stops! And order the passengers to properly hold onto something!¡±

    ¡°Aye, aye!¡±

    ¡­Is it really going to be okay? He¡¯s not taking all of this easy, is he? In the worst case, people could die, you know?

    £ª

    I ordered Ryoku to attack Char.

    Bennyboy was driving in high spirits, looking very happy. Next to me, Sword has been fidgeting around way too much. So annoying.

    ¡°Sword, you might as well test the gunning. Since you look awfully eager to do it, go for it.¡±

    ¡°At Ryoku!?¡±

    I nodded, ¡°As if anything could happen to one of my Ryokus with this fire output. I¡¯ve built him to withstand such a level of attacks.¡±

    Ryoku was enthusiastically attacking us from his side as well. However, his attacks caused no damage to us either. I¡¯ve built Char to withstand such a level of attacks.

    Char¡¯s eyes contain cameras and lighting, but if you shift the hatch, a Gatling gun will be exposed. Unless the enemy isn¡¯t quite the tough nut to crack, they¡¯ll be in for a world of pain.

    Sword stood up, ¡°Ohh! That¡¯s quite the neat outlook. ¡­Heeey!¡±

    He was greeting Ryoku. Moreover, you got a counterattack in response.

    ¡°Whoa! You lil¡¯ shit, I¡¯ll give you shootin¡¯ at me!¡±

    He rapidly fires the gun at Ryoku, but Ryoku swiftly switches to evasion.

    ¡°Mr. Sword sure is all gung-ho ¡¯bout this.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got no doubt that he wants to drive himself. He¡¯s been looking awfully envious of you.¡±

    When I whispered to Bennyboy, I got kicked.

    How unreasonable!

 Chapter 70

    Apparently having had his fill after a while, Sword closed the hatch and came back.

    ¡°Ain¡¯t that just fine? It might be more suited towards archers and mages, but even if you just point the thing in the general direction, the gun will selfishly correct the aimin¡¯. In the worst case, even some amateur could use it, no?¡±

    ¡°Well, if it¡¯s someone at Ryoku¡¯s level, they¡¯ll evade the shooting. But under normal circumstances, it¡¯ll hit, I think.¡±

    ¡°Man, that¡¯s plenty awesome then! It looks like going on a trip with this baby is going to be a st!¡±

    ¡°True. If only it yed music, it¡¯d be perfect, but¡­¡±

    ¡°¡±Haah?¡±¡±

    A navi as it¡¯s usually installed in a car¡­is probably heresy for people who like traveling, but music would definitely be a win, right?

    I mean, the otherworld me totally followed the motto: ¡°No music, no life.¡± Thus I¡¯d love to have some music.

    ¡°Then sing.¡±

    I was told.

    ¡°A cape? Sure, why not, but¡­I really would like to at least have a £ÛCajon£Ý. Of course, a £ÛGuitar£Ý would be ideal.¡±

    Sword looked surprised, ¡°You¡¯ve also got talent in music?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing I learned in this world. But I can y a stringed instrument, you know? However, it¡¯s one with six strings.¡±

    The otherworld me was raised by parents who followed the principle of ¡°Learn everything you can.¡± Moreover, since she was encouraged by the aplishments of Naname 45¡ã, she took lessons in ssical guitar. 1 She also dabbled with the cajon, but never took it to a professional level. Still, since the hollow sound is pretty nice if you beat it, I like it.

    I do like singing, for real, but¡­a cape? Seriously?

    ¡°¡­¡­Okay, then I¡¯ll go with a song I heard when riding a £ÛCar£Ý in my childhood.¡±

    And thus I sang ¡¡¡¾Lovin¡¯ You¡¿.

    My audience was frozen in shock. The two staring at me bbergasted¡­is because they don¡¯t understand thenguage of the lyrics, right?

    ¡°¡­¡­.Never heard that one. You even sang it with a decent rhythm.¡±

    ¡°As it¡¯s been a long, long time since I heard the lyrics, I felt shaky about them.¡±

    But, then again, if they listened to any further rxed songs, they might fall asleep.

    ¡°Hmm, how about this song?¡±

    I sang Requiem of Nausica?¡¯s soundtrack. Since it¡¯s all La, it¡¯s got no lyrics to speak of.

    ¡°¡­Umm, is nobility actually singing in such a manner?¡± Bennyboy asked with a serious expression.

    ¡°I¡¯m a former noble. Also, I might have been nobility, but I was only taught manners and refinement. This is self-taught.¡±

    ¡°Self-taught¡­¡­¡±

    What about it!? Got a problem with it, dude!?

    As soon as I became extremely sulky, Sword soothed me in panic.

    ¡°No, I like it, ¡®kay? Rather, ain¡¯t you quite used to singin¡¯?¡±

    ¡°¡­I often sang in the past.¡±

    At karaoke.

    My otherworld self also went to live concerts, and it¡¯s not like she was tone-deaf or had no sense of rhythm either. ¡­Of course, I don¡¯t know about this body, but since I don¡¯t feel like I¡¯ve missed any tones, I think it should be alright?

    £ª

    ¡°Do you have, like, any lyrics I understand up your sleeves?¡±

    Bennyboy, I don¡¯t know any of the songs of this world. Don¡¯t ask for the impossible.

    Trante on the fly, you ask? If things were so easy¡­oh, wait, that one might actually work.

    While dancing I sang ¡¾No-No Alien¡¿. 2

    Causing a roar ofughter.

    £ª

    ¡°I must say you are quite the all-round talent, Indra.¡± Bennyboy told me after we got back from the test drive.

    But more importantly, Bennyboy had be all formal with me.

    ¡°I¡¯m just a inmoner like you, so no need to treat me so politely, okay?¡±

    Bennyboy waved it off, ¡°No way, that¡¯d be absurd to think. You have that aura going for you.¡±

    What aura?

    Just when I wondered about that, Sword cut in, ¡°¡­Hey, you never treat me with proper respect, so why does Indra get a different treatment anyway? Come on, tell me!¡±, while strangling Bennyboy¡¯s neck.

    £ª

    ¡°Come to think of it, what kind of singing does this world have? You guys, sing something for me.¡±

    As soon as the words left my mouth, the two froze while staring at me. Then they looked at each other.

    ¡°Hmm? Sword, Bennyboy, you went traveling, didn¡¯t you? Feeling ufortable about my songs means that you should have heard quite a few songs on your trips. Give them songs a go.¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m out! In the first ce, I don¡¯t really have all that much spare time to listen to music. Rather than me feeling ufortable, you could say I don¡¯t get in touch with music, so I was simply stunned when you casually started to sing all of a sudden!¡±

    When I shifted my eyes to Sword, he became flustered, ¡°M-Me too!!¡±

    ¡°Liar.¡±

    It was Sword who felt ufortable to begin with!

    ¡°No, you got it all wrong. At times I got invited to noble parties or exhibits of music for example, and that¡¯s ¡¯bout the only times I¡¯ve heard anythin¡¯ in that direction.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t there minstrels or such around?¡±

    The two exchanged a look. For the second time.

    ¡°Those are story-tellers who asionally apany their words with lutes, you know?¡±

    ¡­¡­Like priests with a biwa? 3 Sounds like they¡¯d say, ¡¸All worldly things have sounds¡¹.

    I cocked my head to the side.

    ¡°Eh? Indra, you were trying to imitate a minstrel with your No-no?¡±

    Nooo!

    £ª

    ¡°What songs do you sing when you do?¡±

    The two exchanged a look. For the third time.

    ¡°¡­Typically it¡¯s hymns, I¡¯d guess. I¡¯ve also heard ¡¯bout nobles havin¡¯ musical performances for fun. When I expected you to hum somethin¡¯, you started to sing for real, so I was really surprised.¡±

    Aahh. Now I got it.

    ¡°Well, as for me, that¡¯s just normal. ¡­Or rather, this world has so few fun things to do, so at least singing some songs would seem like a good idea. Wandering lute yersing to a random bar and ying a few pieces for some tips doesn¡¯t happen?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the definition of a minstrel. But, if they went to a bar, no one would listen to ¡¯em. Ordinary folk who love their drinks don¡¯t have such refined hobbies. It¡¯s the women who¡¯re thirstin¡¯ for entertainment, I think. Men go to bars and grumble to others ¡¯bout their wives. Women swarm good-lookin¡¯ minstrels and ecstatically listen to their tales.¡±

    That makes sense.

    £ª

    Afterwards I was pestered by the maids to sing ¡¾No-No Alien¡¿ for them. They forced me to perform a mini-live in our dining hall.

    I went around to track down their source of information, ¡°Swooooooord~~~~~~~!¡±

    ¡°Well, you were lovely! Once I bragged ¡¯bout it to the maids, I got scolded.¡±

    He kept running away while giving me some silly excuses.

    £ª

    And after that, I was given a lute as a present.

    ¡°¡­This thing is different in shape from the instrument I can y. I don¡¯t know how to y it.¡±

    To be honest, I don¡¯t feel like seriously learning it. It¡¯s my sales point to have multi-varied interests, but musical instruments are something for nobles to learn. I mean, usually you¡¯d need to diligently practice them every day, and I simply don¡¯t have the time for that.

    ¡­When I casually looked at the lute at ater time, it suddenly had six strings.

    Whoa. Once more the leak of this information has to be¡­

    When I cast an intense re at Sword, he averted his eyes.

    I sighed, and asked, ¡°Has it been tuned?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    ¡­No helping it. I¡¯ll y. I¡¯ll y it for you, dammit!

    But first I got to build a tuner.

    £ª

    And because of that, I¡¯m going to give a concert¡­

    What? Everyone is thirsting for entertainment? Then, sing and dance!

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while¡­or should I say, I don¡¯t know whether I¡¯ll be able to y well since it¡¯s going to be the first time in my current body.¡±

    When I tried to plunk the strings a bit, the sound was quite soft and dull.

    ¡­Oh well, whatever. For now I¡¯ll try to give it a go. With ¡¾L¨¢grima¡¿. 4

    Unexpectedly, I could actually y it. And to be honest, this body is quite high spec. I could y the piece a lot smootherpared to back when my otherworld self learned it.

    When I breathed out deeply, I received a fervent apuse! When I looked up in surprise, everyone was eagerly pping their hands, and not just that, some of them were even crying.

    Scary. The maids are somehow crying for real there.

    ¡°I have never heard anyone y such beautiful music!¡±

    ¡°It is really¡­really regrettable! Normally you would have been able to make your debut at a salon. I am sure a wonderful gentleman or two would have fallen in love with you on first sight, and you might have had a marriage with a man of such a pedigree that you could easily disregard the Earl Springcoat House, and yet¡­!¡±

    ¡°H-How vexing! If you had performed this musical piece during your birthday party, Lady Indra, all of us could have been very proud of you¡­¡±

    There were some among my maids who were frustrated and deeply touched in some iprehensible way.

    ¡°Please stop. I don¡¯t n on marrying anyone, so it¡¯s actually better for me to have stopped being a noble. Moreover, I¡¯m very satisfied with my current life. My noble lifestyle was full of unhappiness. Being able to do as I please, not having to lower my head for anyone, and being able to beat up and kill anyone I dislike; my current life is a dream.¡±

    ¡°Hey, just a sec, don¡¯t kill anyone, ¡®kay?¡± Sword immediately retorted.

 Chapter 71

    Sword and Bennyboy seem to have taken a liking to Char. Both are driving Char around every day under the pretext of doing test runs.

    Of course, I don¡¯t have any problem with Bennyboy. I mean, it¡¯d be bad if he didn¡¯t learn to drive Char well.

    But!

    Sword, you got your own Ryoku, don¡¯t you!? What¡¯s the point in you bing good at driving Char!? After all, Ryoku runs autonomously!

    £ª

    ¡°You cheater!¡±

    Sword blinked at me in surprise when I screamed in his direction. But, after apparentlyprehending what I meant, his face screwed up into a very awkward expression with him bing uneasy.

    ¡°It ain¡¯t like I¡¯ve got any issues with my Ryoku. He¡¯s ridin¡¯ with me when we drive Char, isn¡¯t he? ¡­But this and that are different. Char ain¡¯t like Ryoku. Ryoku is a golem who approaches humans and talks with ¡¯em while Char is a golem you ride. ¡­Rather, your simply buildin¡¯ too many golems that tickle a man¡¯s heart. Isn¡¯t it then only natural for me to want to have one of my own!?¡±

    So he wants one for himself, huh?

    I sighed, ¡°I¡¯ve nned to build another one as a spare, but since that one¡¯s going to be for transporting stuff as well, I don¡¯t n to give it to you.¡±

    Upon my answer, shock dyed his face.

    ¡°¡­As long as it¡¯s no smaller transport vehicle, I¡¯ll build one for you. We aren¡¯t hard pressed for transport anyway since we¡¯ve got our Ryokus.¡±

    Sword seemed overjoyed. I¡¯m really too soft on him, am I not?

    £ª

    ¨D¨DAnd then I got carried away once again.

    Ah, it¡¯s properly following Char¡¯s shape, okay? A tiny Char version.

    Given that the Ryokus can cover the transport of our luggage, I went with a camping car that would allow the Ryokus to board on top.

    Plus.

    Still, only that much would be boring, right? I mean, we¡¯ve got the Ryokus, don¡¯t we? Thus, if it doesn¡¯t have a few more gimmicks, it¡¯d make the Ryokus obsolete, no?

    Therefore I added wings, enabling it to fly. Kinda like adding ant lion wings to a pill bug.

    Plus.

    Suddenly I recalled something. My otherworld self rode bikes. She actually favored motorbikes over cars.

    And so, I was like, I might as well build a futuristic bike if I¡¯m at it anyway. I¡¯d really love to ride a bike after such a long time.

    My otherworld self rode off-road, but she actually yearned for a sport bike, didn¡¯t she? One of thosepletely cowled ones as they¡¯d appear in manga and anime.

    Therefore, I built one! Tehe.

    £ª

    ¡°Argh! You friggin¡¯ did it again and used a shell for the exterior!¡±

    That was Sword¡¯s firstment.

    ¡°It¡¯s just the weight ispletely different. It¡¯s got functions that only work with a shell.¡±

    ¡°¡®kay, so? What kind of outrageous functions are we talkin¡¯ ¡¯bout?¡±

    ¡­Huh?

    I was sure he¡¯d be happier about this.

    ¡°¡­¡­It flies.¡± I said with upturned eyes.

    In response, Sword froze.

    ¡°¡­¡­

    ¡­¡­

    ¡­¡­For real?¡±

    I nodded, ¡°Ah, but you see, it doesn¡¯t fly all the time. Its appearance¡­is somewhat more insect-like than the one Bennyboy is riding, but everyone has grown ustomed to the Ryokus, right? That¡¯s why I believe it¡¯ll be alright. If you like, I can paint pink heart marks all over its frame to make it look lovelier. I¡¯ll go ahead and just do that, okay?¡±

    I made a heart mark with my hands.

    ¡°Give it a rest. It¡¯d totally ruin my reputation.¡±

    Yeah, okay, it makes sense that a guy would hate having their car stered with heart marks. It¡¯d turn it into a painful car.

    ¡°I see. So it flies, huh?¡±

    I nodded, ¡°Ah, the other one is definitely going to be to your liking, you know? If not, I¡¯ll use it myself, though.¡±

    ¡°Huh? There¡¯s still more of ¡¯em?¡±

    I nodded. Since he¡¯s be a bit gentler, it seems like doesn¡¯t dislike the flying part all that much.

    ¡°In the other world existed a golem that would automatically run on two tires called £ÛMotorbike£Ý. I rode one of those back in that world. I remembered it, became nostalgic, and built one that¡¯s more futuristic than the one I rode there. In a certain sense it¡¯s rather original. It feels like riding a horse, but¡­it can drive across mountain roads, and I made sure that it¡¯s able to go at a fairly high speed. Though it needs fuel. Also, you need to be quite good at driving, and your life might be in danger in the unlikely event of you crashing. But, it¡¯s fun and I like it.¡±

    Apparently that fully drew his interest.

    ¡°Both, please.¡±

    I got a ¡¸please¡¹ from him.

    £ª

    Once I showed him thepleted versions, he was thrilled.

    ¡°So far as it goes, I added offensive abilities to the small transport vehicle, but it¡¯s limited to lightning magic cannons at the front and rear. If the Ryokus get on, they can intercept. As for your exclusive one, it¡¯s the easiest for you to let it run on auto and attack with magic.¡±

    ¡°Heeh. So it can even run by itself, huh?¡±

    ¡°As long as it¡¯s just in, old, driving.¡±

    It¡¯s that; an insect version of Kn¡ðht Rider. I think?

    That¡¯s why I also added a talking function to it.

    ¡°Hmm? Aren¡¯t the buttons somehow different from the ones in Ben¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°This one doesn¡¯t have any modes. Those are safety measures I added because it¡¯s a transport golem and Bennyboy is a normal human.¡±

    ¡°Hey, just a sec, could you not speak of me as if I don¡¯t enter the range of normal humans?¡±

    Well, you aren¡¯t if you¡¯re together with me.

    ¡°The interior has gravity control magic applied to it, making things lighter, but weight matters on the exterior. Please think of it as being able to fly if you have one Ryoku on top, but being unable to do so if you carry two or more Ryokus. If you press this button here, the wings wille out. ¡­They¡¯re quite insectoid, but oh well, I think it¡¯ll be okay. If it causes an uproar, y back the recording. By the way, if the frame leaves the ground for more than five seconds, the wings wille automatically as well.¡±

    Sword pulled a face that made it difficult to tell whether he was happy or not.

    ¡°Wha-¡­I¡¯m happy, I¡¯m happy. Just. I realized this will cause a huge outcry if the royal army finds out about it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say that it¡¯s not suited for military deployment. Given that it has virtually no speed while in flight, it¡¯d be shot down easily, I suspect. Even its driving speed loses out to you and me running seriously, you know?¡±

    ¡°¡­Now listen closely, ¡®kay? Your and my speed are anythin¡¯ but normal. It¡¯s only natural for humans to not be faster than horses.¡± He said with both his arms ced on my shoulders, as if giving me a sermon.

 Chapter 72

    We had a test run. Bennyboy also came along in his Char, apparently being curious. I watched the whole show from atop my Ryoku.

    Thinking it¡¯d distract the driver if someone watched and talked to them from the side, I added a ¡¾Talking Char¡¿ function to the navigational system, so the exnation of the functions should pose no problems.

    £ª

    Sword ¨C as might be expected from him being an Allrounder ¨C managed to drive the camping car without a hitch.

    ¡°That one goes like lightning, doesn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Bennyboy, yours is for transporting goods, so the freight would be shaken around if you went too fast. Also, if a huge bug went on long trips at high speed, people would fall into panic, right? Sword¡¯s car is a toy. Since it¡¯s intended for him to have some fun around here, I fiddled with it to my liking.¡±

    ¡°I s¡¯pose that makes sense.¡±

    After driving normally for some time, Sword¡¯s car jumped.

    ¡°Whoa!?¡±

    I mean, it¡¯s a Kn¡ðht Rider, so a jumping function is a must!

    ¡°D-Didn¡¯t it f-fly just now?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I told you that it¡¯s Sword¡¯s personal toy. It¡¯spletely removed from the idea of transport. Also, it¡¯s jumping. Jumping.¡±

    ¡°Haah?¡±

    After having jumped several times, its wings came out as the flight time had apparently be too long.

    ¡°Whaaa!!¡±

    Sword¡¯s car flew off with a buzz. Gradually the inertial flight time stopped and the speed dropped, resulting in a rxed flight.

    Bennyboy stared with his mouth agape,pletely dumbfounded.

    ¡°Don¡¯t fly up too high~! You¡¯ll draw too much attention~!¡± I informed Sword while empowering my voice with a booster spell.

    After flying around for a while, he apparently had his fill, andnded on the ground again. Then he drove his car over to us, and stopped. I got off Char with my Ryoku.

    ¡°How was it?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t heard anythin¡¯ ¡¯bout it goin¡¯ to jump!¡± He thundered.

    Contrary to my expectation of him enjoying himself, he was startled, it seems.

    ¡°Should I remove the function then?¡±

    ¡°Nah, just leave it there.¡±

    So he did have a st after all.

    ¡°Also, you mentioned a £ÛBike£Ý or somethin¡¯ like that?¡±

    ¡°Yep. In thenguage of this world you¡¯d describe it as <strong>Two-wheeled Golem</strong>, I guess. Let¡¯s see¡­I think I¡¯ll name it £ÛBronko£Ý. It means <strong>Vaulting Horse</strong>.¡±

    Bennyboy was shocked.

    ¡°Just a sec, Indra. Aren¡¯t you pampering Mr. Sword way too much? Building something that¡¯s far more amazing than ancient golems and readily giving it to him just like that¡­in the first ce, Mr. Sword doesn¡¯t even need it, does he? He can run much faster than a golem, right?¡±

    Apparently well aware of it himself, Sword quietly averted his face as he was unable to refute.

    ¡°Now, now, he¡¯s taking care of me in various ways, and I like building stuff. It¡¯s not like he forced me into it. I made it and gave it to him on my own ord, so don¡¯t be so bitter about it.¡±

    Bennyboy sighed deeply, ¡°¡­Somehow, you¡¯re totally like an adult. Men, you see, never stop being little boys, but you don¡¯t follow that rule at all.¡±

    That¡¯s because I¡¯m a woman.

    £ª

    Next, the bike test run.

    Seeing Bronko after it was unloaded by Ryoku, the two men howled, ¡°¡±Uuoooooohhh!!¡±¡±

    The frame imitated that of a fully cowled tour bike, just with a conspicuously futuristic style. I colored it piano white ¨C Sword¡¯s personal color ¨C and entuated it with ck ¨C Sword¡¯s eye color. For the frame I properly used metal, and even coated it!

    However, since it¡¯s not like it¡¯s powered by an engine and gasoline, half of it is hollow!

    ¡°Awesome! It¡¯s so friggin¡¯ cool! The hell¡¯s this!? I can¡¯t believe my own eyes!!¡±

    ¡°You can build such stuff ¡®s well!?¡±

    Leaving aside Bennyboy¡¯s exuberant praise, Sword¡¯sment is rather rude, isn¡¯t it?

    ¡°Actually I¡¯m surprised that you guys consider it cool. I thought you wouldn¡¯t understand the artistic appeal behind this.¡±

    ¡°¡±I don¡¯t wanna be told that by someone who builds insectoid golems!!¡±¡±

    They retorted in sync.

    £ª

    Shaking theirment off, I exined, ¡°It uses biometric authentication. It¡¯ll start up if you touch the handle.¡±

    Sword straddled it, grabbed the handle, and turned the switch on!

    ¡°Whooaa! It¡¯s glowing!¡±

    Lamps went on all over the frame.

    ¡°Wow, this is amazin¡¯. I¡¯m gettin¡¯ totally hyped here!¡±

    ¡°d to hear. It doesn¡¯t matter which side, but if you twist the grip towards yourself, it¡¯ll speed up, and if you twist it the other way, it¡¯ll slow down. If you let go of it, the speed will be locked, but continue to drop over time. You¡¯ll find a lever close to the right hand grip. That one¡¯s the brake. Don¡¯t grab and screw it around with a jerk, okay? You¡¯d experience an impact that would be far worse than a horse suddenly stopping mid-gallop. Since it¡¯s dangerous, it¡¯s set to limit the speed at first.¡±

    I gave him a run-down on the operation.

    You can release the speed limit with the left footpeg. It has three stages: ¡ºNormal¡», ¡ºSpeedy¡», ¡ºUltimate¡». For each stage you have to lift the footpeg while pinning down the level at the left hand grip. Once the bike stops, it returns to ¡ºNormal¡». Otherwise it¡¯d leap up when departing. Etc., etc.

    ¡°¡­Moreover, it¡¯s a hidden function, but this bike can ¡ºJump¡» as well. If you reach under the right hand grip with your thumb, you¡¯ll find a button. Press it while keeping the timing in mind. Depending on how strongly you press it, the jump power will change. When you dismount the bike, press this <strong>stop panel</strong> over here. Stands wille out. Also¡­it¡¯s wrong to merely sit on the bike and steer it with the handle. The trick is to tightly keep the bike¡¯s seat between your thighs and bend the bike to the sides by shifting your center of gravity.¡±

    ¡°Gotcha. I¡¯ll practice.¡±

    Sword immediately got started.

    £ª

    Oof, nothing less of an S-Rank adventurer. He¡¯s already driving it quite proficiently despite being a beginner at it. It makes me slightly envious.

    I want to ride it as well, but since I made it for Sword, my feet won¡¯t reach the pegs thanks to my loli body! And here I had thought that I might be able to rebuild it for my own use if he¡¯d said that he doesn¡¯t want it!

    ¡°How nice, so damn nice! Always pampering only Mr. Sword¡«¡±

    Bennyboy looked super jelly.

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t really mind building one for you as well, but that thing is really dangerous, you know? Sword might survive a fall, but any ordinary human would definitely suffer heavy injuries, and if unlucky, die on the spot.¡±

    ¡°Ugh¡« I can¡¯t ride such a fearsome magic horse! Or rather, is the danger of being thrown off smaller, the less ferocious it is inparison to a magic horse?¡±

    ¡­¡­

    Is it¡­?

    I can¡¯t tell.

    ¡°Oh well, whatever. I¡¯ll build you one.¡±

    ¡°Yahoooooo!¡± Bennyboy danced in joy.

    ¡°But, since it¡¯s going to be dangerous, I want you to wear boots, knee and elbow protectors, and a shock-reducing helmet.¡±

    ¡°Whoa, I¡¯ll be just like an adventurer. But, who cares. It¡¯ll be cool as long as I think of it as a magic horse. I¡¯ll ride it while wearing powerful shock-absorbing armor.¡±

    In the background, Sword had probably shifted the mode afterpletely mastering the driving. Letting the bike race across the in with a loud vrooming, he casually pulled off a lom track, and asionally let the bike leap and jump.

    ¡­¡­Don¡¯t tell me that having built a Char for him had beenpletely for naught¡­!?

    £ª

    Later on I also finished Bennyboy¡¯s bike. It¡¯s a version with the same shape but gray on piano ck coloring!

    ¡°Wow! So shy!¡±

    ¡°Because it seems like it¡¯d fit a yboy.¡±

    ¡°Hah?¡±

    I¡¯d nned to use the reverse color scheme of Sword¡¯s bike, but since that¡¯d have be way too garish, I toned it down. Of course I n to make mine blue-green. But, currently I¡¯ve got no time to y around with bikes.

    Next I must turn my attention back to the restaurant again.

 Chapter 73

    Restaurants apparently achieved a highly appraised ambiance through paintings and performers. As I couldn¡¯t evade this custom, I created gorgeous covers and flowerpots that gave the decorative nts an additional artistic touch, resulting in everyone bing extremely delighted.

    Now then, leaving the interior design at that, I started to work on the management.

    I thought I had hired people capable of ounting to let them handle it, but¡­the people capable of ounting actually couldn¡¯t process the ounting!

    Bennyboy hasn¡¯t only yed around by driving Bronko together with Sword, but he¡¯s also gone along with my consultations. I¡¯ve heard that he¡¯s capable of ounting to a reasonable degree as a merchant, but I quickly realized that ounting on the level of the other world would be impossible.

    ¡°¡­You are truly a box full of surprises when ites to versatility, Indra. What¡¯s the deal with you being better at ounting than me?¡± Bennyboy said in astonishment.

    ¡°I¡¯m not an Allrounder for show. ¡­But, I¡¯m in a bind. Is it something that can somehow be handled through education?¡±

    Even in the other world, the number of people capable ¡ºof properly noting down the figures in ordance to the set rules¡» were limited. I wonder whether this world has any of them¡­

    £ª

    ¡­At that point, an employee¡¯s child raised its hand.

    ¡°I¡¯m good at writing, so I¡¯ll memorize it, even if it costs me my life!¡±

    Eh? You don¡¯t have to go that far, seriously.

    ¡°Umm, there¡¯s other people who are good at it as well, so would it be alright for them to learn it as well?¡± I was asked.

    ¡°If they¡¯re motivated, I¡¯ll teach them, but their employment will depend on whether they¡¯re good enough at it afterwards,¡± I warned in advance.

    Bennyboy was apparently going to join in as well, stating that now wasn¡¯t the time to y around.

    £ª

    I held a bookkeeping course for several children and adults (somehow they increased in number) who had be my pupils.

    I¡¯ll be troubled if I can¡¯t get them to master a receipt journal at the very least as absolute basics. Using a presentation with holographic panels, I exined what the course would be about and what a receipt journal was used for.

    ¡°It¡¯s a method to note down figures, eventually allowing anyone to easily tell how much profit has been made, how many goods are still left on stock, and whether it matches with the ount book, if you aim for perfection, but this world doesn¡¯t require all that. For starters, it¡¯ll be for simply tracing the money flow.¡±

    Given that this world had only simple paper, I created paper bundles with grids simr to registers at high speed with my magic. Because the currencies were divided in this kingdom, it made things slightly annoying.

    And then I gave a lecture on how to write a cash book. For the calctions I built a magic calctor! I also used an abacus, so I gave them a lecture on how to use abacuses.

    I strictly instructed them to use the magic calctor for the final verification of ounts and to always check back three times if they found any errors.

    When I told them that they could do mental arithmetics if they felt confident in that, all of them shook their heads.

    Bennyboy raised his hand.

    ¡°It might be no more than an absurd idea, but don¡¯t tell me, can you actually calcte these figures in your head, Indra?¡±

    ¡°Obviously.¡±

    Everyone stared at me with their mouths agape.

    £ª

    Not just Bennyboy, but even other merchants came to me in order to receive my lessons on ounting for some reason. It was in as day that Bennyboy was the criminal behind spreading the information.

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible for me to teach them free of charge. Bennyboy, you¡¯re Sword¡¯s friend, and we n to explo¡­have you help out without profit now and in the future, so it¡¯s an investment into the future.¡±

    ¡°You said exploit right there. I totally heard it!¡±

    Bennyboy became naggy.

    ¡°¡­It suddenly struck me, but Bennyboy, aren¡¯t you too loose-tongued?¡±

    ¡°Huh? You haven¡¯t heard?¡±

    Heard what?

    £ª

    ¨D¨DIt seems like Bennyboy¡¯s loose tongue was the trigger for him to get acquainted with Sword in the first ce.

    Back when Sword tried to sell treasures he had obtained in a dungeon to the merchant guild, Bennyboy apparently went against the rules by interfering with the trade and calling the price in question. For Sword it was a wee meddling, but it was still taboo to do so in the merchant guild.

    Apparently they follow the guideline that the one getting cheated is at fault and should take it as a lesson.

    Under normal circumstances Bennyboy should have had his merchant guild¡¯s license revoked as he broke that taboo, and moreover smack down in the middle of the merchant guild, but the one getting cheated was Sword.

    Sword got really pissed, it seems.

    ¡°¡­Hee, I should take it as a lesson, eh? Then lemme give the merchant guild a lesson ¡®s well. Especially, you little bastard. From now on I¡¯ll never ept a request of the merchant guild. Even if you get attacked by a dragon; as long as the merchant guild is affected, I won¡¯t move a single finger, even if I¡¯m gonna lose my license over it. I¡¯ll publicly announce that I was ¡¯bout to get mugged by this guild and that the guild revoked the license of the sole merchant who tried to prevent it. Oh well, I s¡¯pose that somethin¡¯ like this is just a normal practice for you people. But, if you believe that such shit flies outside this guild, I¡¯ll give you a proper lesson ¡¯bout the value of such a thinkin¡¯. You better be ready for it, fuckers.¡±

    As might be expected, even the guild considered this a very bad deal, and immediately apologized while reissuing Bennyboy¡¯s license, but ever since then Sword never did any business with the merchant guild, always selling stuff directly to Bennyboy. Later, when the adventurer guild started to purchase his dungeon treasures at a fair price, this story spread like the wind, resulting in the guildmaster and his staff of the merchant guild in question being sacked. The end.

    £ª

    ¡°Hoh! Sword sure is a patient man. I¡¯d have taught the merchant guild what happens if you cheat people by blowing the whole building to smithereens right then and there!¡±

    ¡°Whoa, nothing less of a former noble! You definitely don¡¯t shy away from drastic measures!¡± He told me in admiration.

    ¡°Well, if that were to help Sword, it¡¯d be fine, but I¡¯d hate it, if it caused trouble for him. In short, there are good and bad times to speak up, you know Bennyboy? I guess it means I can¡¯t tell you anything I want to keep secret.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got so little trust in me. I mean, even I wouldn¡¯t ther about something that¡¯s supposed to stay confidential.¡±

    Can he be trusted? Right now, in this situation.

    But, the merchants attending the lesson through Bennyboy were young and modest. They were also paying for the lessons. Therefore, I taught them how to keep an ount book, how to extract lists out of the ount book, and how to draft documents based on analysis of the ount book. Using a merchant who had been keeping book rtively decently as an example, we did his ounting once more with what we¡¯d learned so far, fixed it, did assorted journalizing, ssified the ounts, and created lists.

    ¡°If you do it like this, it¡¯s easy to tell what the money has been spent on, right? You¡¯re also able to say how much profit you made with this paper here. Even the entries written down here are easier to understand if you keep book. If you continue filling out these papers regrly, you¡¯ll be able to grasp the money flow over time. Until now you might have done it by feeling, but numbers are precise and don¡¯t lie. I think you¡¯ll reach a point where you¡¯ll be able to analyze the fluctuations in the amount of money of stocked goods.¡±

    It made me feel slightly good how the merchants were full of admiration. Bennyboy praised me highly as well.

    ¡°Maaan, don¡¯t you think it¡¯d have been better to not have quit being a noble after all? I mean, you¡¯d be able to develop your fief at an incredible rate if you used your awesome abilities to manage a territory.¡±

    He told me, but all of this is at the level of managing a household¡¯s ount book in the other world, you know?

 Chapter 74

    I ended up making a nice profit with the short courses. Since I also sold the ount books, I raked in quite a bit of money.

    After being troubled about what to do with all the cash, I decided to give that ie back to my mansion and its residents. First I expanded the brewing area. Moreover, I created a storage magic tool with a function to adjust the temperature, for the sake of making the workce asfortable as possible. In addition, I added a room where sterilization,undry, and drying could be done in one swoop.

    £ª

    Deciding to leave the brewing area at that, I extended the mansion itself.

    Thus we bought newnd!

    Apanying that, I increased the number of Ryokus. Since it¡¯d be difficult to move around now that the grounds had be fairlyrge, I told the Ryokus to allow a ride if requested.

    The spare Char would be avable for a ride as well, as long as it wasn¡¯t rented out by anyone else.

    But!

    The only ones allowed to ride Char were registered drivers who had passed the driving exam by Instructor Sword. Moreover, I made sure to add a ¡ºSlow-Speed¡» mode, and set it up so that it¡¯d be impossible to change modes without permission.

    ¨D¨DA huge number of people applied to be drivers. Almost everyone, even the women, attended the driving lectures, and everyone passed the exams.

    Still, what¡¯s up with that!? Won¡¯t it be just fine to use the Ryokus to move around?

    £ª

    ¡°Next is¡­¡±

    Sword rolled his eyes at me as I brooded, ¡°There¡¯s still more? Rather, isn¡¯t it ¡¯bout time to open the remodeled restaurant?¡±

    True.

    Maybe that¡¯s the reason why I feel an urge to do other stuff. I mean, such things happen, don¡¯t they? Once the deadline for stressful work or studies draws close, you¡¯re drawn towards distracting yourself with other things.

    After staring at Sword, I leaped at him.

    ¡°Whoa!¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s just that I¡¯m slightly nervous. I¡¯m constantly worrying that something might happen during the opening. Well, it might be fun if something does happen, but I don¡¯t really feel too thrilled about it.¡±

    Sword hugged me while gently stroking my head.

    ¡°That¡¯s just normal for ¡®nyone. It¡¯s actually weird to feel thrilled when ites to organizin¡¯ big events.¡±

    ¡°You might have a point, but¡­I¡¯m sure it¡¯s simply that my senses got messed up thanks to all that¡¯s been going on during my childhood. I¡¯m not easily perturbed by things¡­but somehow I can¡¯t quite get a read on what¡¯s going to happen this time. My otherworldly knowledge is more of a hindrance here as I don¡¯t know what kind of people the rich of this world are.¡±

    ¡°¡­Well, I doubt ¡®nyone would be as crazy to pull shit at a restaurant with the name ¡ºHaughty Restaurant¡» that¡¯s bein¡¯ run by me, an S-Rank adventurer, and you, a former youngdy of an earl family. But, it¡¯s certainly true that things always escte way beyond my expectations. I¡¯lle with you on the day of the openin¡¯, so don¡¯t kill anyone in a fit of short temper, ¡®kay?¡±

    Iughed.

    £ª

    Basically, it¡¯s a restaurant we started based on the idea of wanting ¡°to showcase the skills we¡¯ve nurtured so far¡± and ¡°to allow other people to eat our food,¡± and not for the sake of earning lots of money.

    Given that I¡¯ve set up the restaurant because the master cook and those below him bitterlyined, ¡°We have be able to make such wonderful dishes, and yet we can only feed it to a very limited number of people,¡± I¡¯ve been thinking that it¡¯d be no problem to let them do as they please.

    It won¡¯t matter even if it goes bankrupt, and I won¡¯t mind it being in the red either. After all, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m looking for profit here.

    I voiced those thoughts to the master cook and his staff, but since they enthusiastically reassured me that they wouldn¡¯t allow that to happen, I ended up getting infected by their tension as well.

    On the nervously awaited day of the opening, I was forced to wear a dress and even had a wig nted on my head.

    ¡°¡­This hair ispletely identical to my natural hair. Where did you obtain it?¡±

    ¡°We took custody of the hair Mdy had Lady Primrose cut off, and processed it into a wig.¡±

    Scary! That¡¯s a story from like eons ago! It¡¯s already been more than five years, no!?

    Still, it seems toe in handy now.

    Seeing me with my hair up, Sword got so startled that he jumped.

    ¡°Whoa! Hey, why are you crossdressin¡¯ as a woman!?¡±

    ¡­¡­

    £ª

    What¡¯s wrong with him to blurt out something like that despite me constantly telling him that I¡¯m a woman? Moreover, Bennyboy isn¡¯t any better either.

    ¡°Eh!? Indra, why are you dressing like a woman!? Are you cosying? No matter how you look at it, ying a female noble is too much of a stretch!¡±

    Wait? I mean, you¡¯ve always been thinking that I¡¯m a noble, haven¡¯t you!?

    I kicked the two at full force, and headed back to the maids.

    £ª

    The maids and servants¡­

    ¡°Lady Indra, you are so beautiful!¡±

    ¡°It reminds me of your childhood! You are very lovely!¡±

    ¡°Haah¡­ Finally we could dress up Lady Indra properly! I have always longed for this day! You are truly beautiful and it suits you exceedingly well, you know?¡±

    ¡­praised me to no end.

    I returned to the two, groaning dudes.

    ¡°Sword, you can escort nobles to some extent, can¡¯t you?¡± I asked.

    In response, he stopped groaning and became confused instead.

    ¡°I can, but¡­I¡¯m not good at it, ¡®kay? I mean I unwillingly memorized only what I needed to know when I got invited by royalty or nobility.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s plenty. As you might expect, it¡¯d be silly to walk around like an adventurer without any escort while wearing this dress. Everyone would feel dejected if I did that.¡±

    After ncing at the maids, Sword scratched his head, ¡°You got a point. They went this far to doll you up, so yeah¡­ Okay, gotcha. I¡¯ll escort you.¡±

    He stood up.

    ¡°Nothing less of Mr. Sword. Despite knowing a term like escort, he doesn¡¯t even know what it entails.¡±

    Bennyboy, that¡¯s no praise, nor is it the time for that.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be stuck learning it yourself soon enough. If you start sellin¡¯ booze, you¡¯ll get your own invitations. You might be goin¡¯ through brokers, but even so, low-ranking, rich nobles work quickly. I believe they¡¯ll invite you personally in no time, you know?¡±

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    Bennyboy became as white as a sheet. But it makes sense. I mean he¡¯s a yboy, so he¡¯s obviously going to have problems learning all the etiquette.

    Do your best~

    £ª

    We got the Ryokus and Chars, but we headed over in a carriage. It¡¯s a custom of nobility, that¡¯s why.

    ¡­Maybe I should build a limousine next¡­hmm¡­

    Even though it was a short trip, it was ufortable, and my butt hurt. Sword seemed to think the same.

    ¡°Yo, how ¡¯bout you build us an exclusive, decent ride for the next time?¡± He asked.

    I got out of the carriage while being escorted by him. The doorman, who threw a quick scrutinizing nce at me, bowed deeply and opened the door for us.

    By the way, Sword was in full dress, too. He apparently owned several outfits for hours of need, but the maids pestered him, ¡°Please get a suit that matches Lady Indra!¡±, resulting in him having a new one made.

    ¡°It looks just like the outfit of some high-rankin¡¯ noble!¡±

    The suit was exquisite enough to make Sword scream. Then again, my dress didn¡¯t lose out in that respect either.

 Chapter 75

    When I stepped inside the restaurant, today¡¯s invitees had their breath taken away while straightening their backs.

    On this fine day we were holding the Pre-Open Reception. On the first day, the owners, Sword and me, would personally greet the guests.

    Well, I¡¯m going to be the only one doing the greeting, though. Sword haspletely refused it, hands down.

    ¡°Deardies and gentlemen, you have my deepest gratitude for having followed our invitation to attend our humble feast today despite your busy schedule. My name is Indra, and I am the owner of the ¡ºHaughty Restaurant¡». I am delighted and pleased to make your acquaintance.¡±

    After the customary greeting, I exined all the key points of this restaurant such as the store¡¯s concept, the methods of ordering, the means to reserve a table, the requirements forpanions, what to do if they¡¯d like to introduce acquaintances to this ce, and so on.

    ¡°Since we will ept requests to take out the leftover food, feel free to ask at any moment. However, the food will notst long, so please make sure to eat it up on the same day. I can already foresee that thedies and gentlemen, who are fond of drinks¡­or maybe I should say, liquor, will be very eager to purchase the liquor that is going to be served today. But, at present, we do not have any ns to sell it.¡±

    The venue became noisy. Some of the guests even looked shocked.

    Huh? Were they hoping to buy a stock here or something like that?

    ¡°The reason is grounded in my personally producing only small amounts. Unfortunately the supply would not be able to keep up with the demand. I believe currently the only ces for you to buy the liquor will be this restaurant and an auction where Sword¡¯s friend, a merchant, is going to sell some of the liquor. Also, since it is a product that is difficult to store, sales to individuals will have to wait for the time being. To make up for this, the first cup will be free of charge for you. We have a drink menu, and you can pick any of the drinks listed there for free. However, starting with the second cup, we will need to charge you the price as it is listed on the menu.¡±

    Cheers welled up.

    Sword cast a nce at me.

    But, don¡¯t worry. Rather than them tenaciously pestering us about selling the liquor to them, it¡¯s better to run a first-cup-free campaign.

    ¡°¡­Now then as you can see, I am former nobility, but nowadays I am amoner and adventurer. That said, I might know noble etiquette, but I don¡¯t n on bothering you with it. This restaurant is intended formoners as a ce to visit when they feel like enjoying some extravagance.¡±

    I stopped talking for the moment, and took a look around me.

    Shrugging my shoulders, ¡°¡­¡­That¡¯s why, no need to act all stiff and formal. Although it¡¯s bound to the condition of not causing any trouble to others, you can enjoy the liquor and food to your heart¡¯s content. ¡­Oh, before I forget, no matter how much money you might have, don¡¯t overdo it with the drinking. If you go on a rampage or act inappropriately, you¡¯ll be kicked out and won¡¯t be allowed to drink any liquor in this restaurant anymore. Well then, please enjoy yourself to the fullest.¡±

    Laughter suddenly broke out. Sword smiled wryly, too.

    £ª

    For the time being, I had Sword escort me to the waiting room.

    ¡°Now then, I think we¡¯ll help out where needed while keeping an eye on things.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­even if you say that, all I can do is carry the luggage, you know?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s plenty. How about you go entertain the guildmaster for a bit?¡±

    He came since we sent him an invitation, but he looked somewhat overwhelmed by all of this.

    ¡°Sure, why not. I¡¯m gonna call out to all the folk thinking they came to the wrong ce.¡±

    Sword disappeared towards the floor.

    £ª

    As I was looking around, the first thing I noticed were the people who couldn¡¯t decide on their first drink. Since I suspected that some people would fill their cups to the brim if left to their own devices, I had the staff walk around with trays that were loaded with pre-filled cups of different drinks.

    People were looking at the selection while groaning.

    A normal drink would be filled to the brim together with ice. The cups with cider and ale were filled by 70% without any ice. The smaller, ornamented sses with wine were likewise filled by 70%. Brandy and whiskey could contain ice, but they were usually one-shots and the sses were half full.

    We also mixed brandy and whiskey with carbonated drinks, turning them into Highballs.

    I had hired staff for the sake of <strong>only </strong>working the drinks, and had thoroughly taught them all I know about it. To be honest, I had expected that some of them might steal liquor, but not a single one has done so. On the contrary, they were holding the bottles and sses with trembling hands while looking scared (because all of it was expensive stuff).

    When I rudely asked some of them, ¡°Don¡¯t you sometimes feel like stealing and selling the liquor , seeing how you¡¯d be able to earn manifold your wages?¡±, they shook their heads furiously.

    ¡°I¡¯d definitely get exposed! This is the only ce selling these, so I¡¯d be caught in no time.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have the balls to steal and sell something belonging to an S-Rank adventurer.¡±

    ¡°If I did anything like that, my life would be forfeit.¡±

    They answered.

    Ah, I guess it¡¯s what Sword talked about a while ago: ¡°No one would sneak into the house of an S-Rank adventurer.¡±

    Seeing how it apparently happened quite a few times in reality, I can¡¯t describe you as anything but naive and too good-hearted. Don¡¯t be toocent just because you¡¯re an S-Rank adventurer! is what I thought, but it looks like normally people don¡¯t steal and sell your stuff.

    £ª

    Once everyone had finally chosen a drink, people toasted all over the ce. Even the guildmaster, who had been acting meek and frightful so far, seemed to have rxed a bit after chatting with Sword, and cheerfully clinked sses with him.

    The guildmaster went with a Highball, I think. Sword chose ale.

    How unusual¡­for Sword to pick ale¡­ Oh, I got it. It¡¯s because he alone can drink as much as he likes. Well, I think he¡¯d drink as much as he wants even without the permission to do so, but I wonder whether he understands that it¡¯s a bad idea? Can he actually read the mood?

    I told a waiter to not give Sword any refills, even if he asked. As soon as I also added a message for Sword, telling him that he should read the atmosphere as we couldn¡¯t have him being the only one in the room getting as many refills as he wanted, the waiter headed over to inform Sword.

    The guildmaster who watched and listened from the side broke out into roaringughter at Sword¡¯spletely bbergasted face. Sword immediately blew a fuse, and rushed over to me.

    ¡°I¡¯m one of the owners, so what¡¯s the issue!?¡±

    ¡°Then you should read the situation all the more. The guests around you can¡¯t drink as much as they like, can they? If only you were to down one drink after the other, you¡¯d draw extremely envious and reproachful looks on yourself, wouldn¡¯t you?¡±

    After being at a loss for a moment, he headed back on the floor once more. There he went on the stage I had used for my greetings earlier, and gave a rather messy speech himself.

    ¡°I¡¯m the owner Sword. Thanks forin¡¯ to our restaurant today. Today it¡¯ll be my treat. Drink as much as you like¡­well, if I said that, Indra would get pissed and beat me ck n¡¯ blue, so three cups! Up to three cups is free of charge for everyone!¡±

    The hall burst into loud cheers.

    Still, he wanted to drink his liquor so much that he went even as far as doing something he¡¯s bad at like giving a speech?

    £ª

    The Full Course Menu is as follows:

    ¨C Amuse-bouche and Goug¨¨re

    ¨C As hors d¡¯oeuvre: a threeyered terrine, monster meat in a chilled, fermented orange-mint sauce, and one item from the assorted tter of appetizers.

    ¨C As supper: a potage made out of potatoes and fermented apples.

    ¨C As main: monster meat saute and a portion of wine-based stew.

    ¨C As dessert: cheesecake with fermented berry sauce.

    Lastly, the guests could choose between cold water with a shot of orange-mint and regr, hot water. One cup was free of charge here. ck tea cost extra. So did the bean tea I had developed.

    This was the menu the master chef and I came up with after pooling our ideas. Given that we could use as much milk as we wanted nowadays, we adopted it in many dishes.

    I mean we made mountains of Goug¨¨re.

    Mmh? Eggs?

    You¡¯re asking where I found eggs in this world?

    Hihihihi.

    That¡¯s something I caught as well! No! I scouted it!

    A cockatrice! Moreover, a unique kind!

    ¨D¨DIt was tiny. On top of that, its plume had an eye-popping blue color!

    Since it told me, ¡°I was shunned by my brethren for being small, and thus I¡¯ve been living in hiding since I¡¯m weak,¡± with its body trembling all over, I answered, ¡°Then, how about I provide you with a safe ce to live in exchange for you giving me eggs?¡± And thus the scouting wasplete.

    Of course I also had it invite its friends. They were red and yellow, resulting in me having various thoughts on the matter, but I didn¡¯t mention a single of them.

    After exining the situation to the charge cows, I got both to live together.

    Since the cockatrices said, ¡°Our cock-spurs and the fangs of our snake part have poison nds, but no poison wille out unless we will it,¡± I prepared a magic antidote tool and an antidote that could be drunk at any moment as a precautionary measure.

    But, they lived so peacefully together that it didn¡¯t look like it¡¯d be needed, and the cockatrices produced masses of eggs for us as well.

    £ª

    Still, that was really a big help.

    Until now I had diligently walked around and picked up eggs whenever I found some, but with this I¡¯d finally be able to have a stable supply. Their fodder was very cheap too, since they had apparently taken an extreme liking to the leftovers from our liquor brewing.

    The charge cows liked those leftovers as well, so they heartily feasted on it together.

    In addition, they pecked at malt or pea nts, and their snake part apparently ate the smaller monsters that showed up every once in a while.

    They sure are peaceful. Their colors are super close to being a traffic light though. ¡­Oops, I spilled the beans.

    £ª

    The eggs produced by those colorful cockatrices had colorful shells, but their content was ordinary. The colorful shells made it seem like we were having Easter every day, but they were a lot more delicious than the ones I had gathered so far!

    The vor was deep.

    By the way, the milk from my charge cows was also more delicious than the one I drank at the milk stand a while back.

    That¡¯s a unique species for you!

    £ª

    ¨D¨DAs I nkly thought about the events around the cockatrice, the menu had progressed all the way to dessert.

    Around a third of the people wanted to take out some food. The guildmaster was among them, too.

    The dessert was especially a dish all of them wanted to take out. It looks like they¡¯re going to share it with their wives and children.

    How very kind! I¡¯m sure most of the family-oriented people opted for take-out.

    The drinkers turned down a digestif for the reason of having to sober up. Quite amazing, that.

 Chapter 76

    Apparently the opening reception was a full sess on the whole. The event itself was quite some work, but there was no real chaos, and the master chef and his staff were overflowing with a sense of aplishment.

    The guests seemed nervous at first, but after Sword went around, calling out to several people, and when they drank some liquor, people started to rx a bit. Also, Sword probably drank way more than three cups. Each time he went to a new person, he was holding a new ss.

    ¡­Oh well, all¡¯s fine as long as it¡¯s not been exposed.

    £ª

    When the guests headed back home, Sword and I bid them farewell at the door while personally handing each a small souvenir, and that was the end of the whole event.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have a review meeting tomorrow. For today, let¡¯s celebrate the sessful opening. After a short cleaning, we should enjoy some liquor and eat the leftover appetizers. If that¡¯s not enough, I¡¯ll make some more.¡±

    Everyone broke out in loud cheering upon my words. After putting the first part of my words into practice by giving the venue a rough tidying, we lined up the leftovers. In addition I made some pasta, and then all of us toasted.

    ¡°Man¡« We somehow managed to get through this!¡±

    ¡°In the end it became a lot busier than expected.¡±

    ¡°But, I think we can still call it a sess.¡±

    The cooks chatted cheerfully.

    The part-timers seem happy as well. I hear all of them are going to be official staff. But, they¡¯ll have to run through the staff training courses, starting from the lowest position. Either way, I¡¯ll leave that stuff to my servants.

    ¡°Sword, you were a big help. Thanks to you making the rounds, things went down smoothly for the most part.¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s just what you¡¯d expect from carefully chosen guests. All of ¡¯em were gentle, well-mannered rich folk. So even someone like me could handle it one way or ¡®nother.¡±

    As we were talking, the master chef drew close.

    ¡°Your Ladyship Indra, please allow me to congratte you on your sess.¡±

    ¡°Master cook, you also performed your duties exceptionally well.¡±

    The cook smiled wryly after we exchanged courtesies.

    ¡°Your dress suits you perfectly. You have also be a master at giving greeting speeches¡­ And yet you are not going to return to being a noble?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. It¡¯s too stiff and cramped for me. Themoners¡¯ dislike and insults are simr to a faint, gentle breeze whenpared to noble abuse, malicious harassment, and extreme bullying, you know? It¡¯s pretty obvious that I wouldn¡¯t be able to put up with that. And the best job where you don¡¯t have to put up with anything is being an adventurer! Look at Sword. He lives as he pleases, earns tons of money, and if things go south, even royalty lowers their head in front of him, probably?¡±

    ¡°Hey, could you stop phrasin¡¯ thest part like a question? Doesn¡¯t that make me look like a wannabe?¡±

    The cookughed, ¡°I guess you have a point there¡­ But true, as long as you stay at Sir Hero¡¯s side, you will be safe.¡±

    ¡­¡­What was that?

    After cocking my head in confusion, I shifted my eyes to Sword, and then looked back at the cook.

    ¡°¡­¡­You¡¯re saying he also has such an alias?¡±

    ¡°Alias? No, Sir Sword is a patriotic hero of this Kingdom. You did not know?¡±

    ¡­¡­What was that?

    I shifted my eyes to Sword once more.

    ¡°¡­¡­What does that mean?¡±

    Sword scratched his cheek with a troubled expression, ¡°I was designated as S-Rank Adventurer because I repelled a dragon and demon who had attacked the Kingdom. The ones fighting at my side back then were the guy with the alias ¡¾Peerless Strength¡¿, and ¡¾Bloody Witch¡¿ whom you met the other day.¡±

    ¡°However, the one fighting to the bitter end, carrying away heavy injuries, and ultimately making the enemies flee was the Hero ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿.¡±

    ¡­¡­

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Among the nobles, some dislike this fact while others are thankful. But, I have heard that the royal family had been deeply grateful. And for themon people, he is a hero.¡±

    For there to exist such a deep meaning behind Sword being an S-Rank¡­! So he wasn¡¯t a self-proimed ¡ºbigshot¡»!

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Sword looked at me like a beaten dog,pletely disappointed, ¡°That¡¯s all you got to say ¡¯bout this?¡±

    ¡°I suppose in the end you weren¡¯t a self-proimed ¡ºbigshot¡».¡±

    He grabbed my face!

    ¡°Mmmpffmmmppffmpff!?¡±

    ¡°I gotta take my hat off in light of your admirable calmness!¡±

    Okay, but why are you grabbing my face then!?!?

 Chapter 77

    Some adventurers came around to visit Bennyboy. It looked like he was going to depart at longst.

    Nowadays he hadpletely settled down in our mansion as one of its residents by shrewdly securing himself a room. On top of that, he was earning some pocket money after having opened up a street stall for our eggs, milk, and processed goods. But the adventurers¡¯ visit reminded me that he was actually a peddler.

    ¡°Heeey, Lady Indra, let me introduce you! This is the party I belonged to back when I was an adventurer myself, ¡¾Pale Moon of Dawn¡¿.¡±

    ¡­¡­Totally sounds like a bad omen. Or did they choose that name because of their exceedingly weak presence?

    Somehow I managed to nod at the inconspicuous quadruplet of small people.

    ¡°Ah, you must be thinking something rude, am I right!? Don¡¯t be deceived by their appearance. They¡¯re excellent B-Rank adventurers.¡±

    I widened my eyes in slight surprise.

    It seems like there¡¯s almost no A-Rank adventurers around these days. Well, Sword and ¡¾Peerless Strength¡¿ used to be two A-Rankers, but both became S-Rank. There was another party, but they were missing ever since the dragon attack. So you could rightfully im that B-Rank was essentially the highest rank among adventurers.

    ¡¾Pale Moon of Dawn¡¿ consisted of two men and two women. Both of the women held wands, but also shouldered bows. One man was equipped with a short spear and daggers while the other had a club and bow.

    ¡°We mostly do escort requests, as a party that focuses on ranged attacks.¡± A woman said after noticing my stare. ¡°I¡¯m the leader of ¡¾Pale Moon of Dawn¡¿, Shine. It¡¯s an honor to meet you, the partner of ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿.¡±

    She held out a hand.

    ¡°I¡¯m Indra, Sword¡¯s partner. Nowadays we go under the name ¡¾Allrounders¡¿. We n to have Bennyboy sell our liquor in the near future. Please take care of him and the goods as his escort.¡±

    When I sped her hand, she had quite the grip, as might be expected of an archer. Probably. All I can sense is her probably trying to apply pressure. Maybe?

    ¡°¡­Hey, what you doin¡¯ there?¡± Sword turned up.

    ¡°Hmm? As you can see, we¡¯re exchanging greetings.¡±

    Just as I answered, my hand was suddenly released.

    ¡°Mmh? Is something the matter?¡±

    ¡°N-No, nothing at all.¡±

    She cracked a smile at me while seeming flustered, so I replied with a smile of my own.

    ¡°You have quite the grip. I guess that¡¯s only to be expected of an archer. It¡¯s proof of your diligent training, I¡¯d say.¡±

    Then again, it makes sense for the training regime to be different when ites to B-Rankers.

    The other party members looked back and forth between their leader and me, grinning broadly.

    ¡°Is it alright for me to greet you as well?¡±

    Ah, we¡¯ve got another yboy over here, too.

    ¡°I¡¯m Tran!¡±

    I shook his hand.

    ¡­

    ¡­¡­

    ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Could I have my hand back anytime soon now?¡±

    He let go of my hand while looking crestfallen.

    What¡¯s going on? Is it something like a handshake event because I¡¯m such a beautiful girl? I wonder whether I should sing and dance a song.

    All of them requested a handshake from me.

    Am I kinda popr? Am I¡¯m in the period where I draw the most romantic interests?

    When I looked back at Sword, he was watching with narrowed eyes, and yet a fed-up expression.

    ¡°Am I possibly popr? Did they want to shake my hand because I¡¯m such a beauty?¡±

    Bennyboy immediately burst intoughter.

    Pfft! He went Pfft! on me!!

    ¡°Maaan, that¡¯s Lady Indra for you! I must lower my head at your calmness of handling everything at your own pace, seriously.¡±

    ¡°Then lower it.¡±

    I grabbed his head and pushed it downwards.

    ¡°Ouuuch! I give up!¡±

    Once I let go, Sword stroked me.

    ¡°Yep, your a bundle of conceit while bein¡¯ quite strong. It ain¡¯t because your popr, just so you know. Also, your looks aren¡¯t bad, sure. But, no one would ever think of you as a beautiful girl, you know?¡±

    What was that!?!?

    ¡°That¡¯s not true! The maids and servants keep telling me that I am!¡±

    ¡°Ahhh, them, huh¡­¡­? They¡¯re special. They blindly worship you, no matter what you might do. In reality, it¡¯s already weird to consider you as a woman.¡±

    How terrible!!!

    Sword looked at the other adventurers, ¡°So, you with your prided grip? What did you think of my partner¡¯s hand grip? Or rather, your aware that my partner grabbed your hand as carefully and kindly to not crush it like a ripe tomato, are you? All while misunderstandin¡¯ it as her bein¡¯ popr.¡±

    ¡°That stung! Nothing would be weird about a beauty like me holding a handshake event! It isn¡¯t odd in any way if everyone crowds towards me while wishing to touch my hand!¡± I snarled loudly in anger, but Sword didn¡¯t listen.

    ¡°You had luck that it was someone like her. My partner is a dud. I mean she¡¯s really so silly to misunderstand somethin¡¯ like folk lungin¡¯ at her as being popr. Otherwise you¡¯d be stuck gulpin¡¯ down healin¡¯ potions ¡¯round now.¡±

    Dud!? What¡¯s with him calling me a dud!?! I¡¯m no disappointing beauty!

    ¡°Now, now, calm down. It¡¯s just their usual way o¡¯ greeting people. Please don¡¯t get so pissed at them, okay?¡± Bennyboy went between the two parties.

    ¡°A handshake event is a greeting? No, shaking hands is normal, isn¡¯t it? Sure, I won¡¯t deny being a clean-freak, but just because the other party¡¯s hands are dirty, I wouldn¡¯t do something as rude as shaking their hand with a glove on.¡±

    ¡°Yeah okay, thatment just now went out of bound in rudeness.¡±

    The adventurers all stared at their hands. Meanwhile Sword sighed very deeply.

    £ª

    Afterwards, the adventurers apologized to me. They exined that they alwayspared grip strength in the name of performing a greeting with people who ridiculed them for being small and powerless.

    ¡°Wait, I didn¡¯t ridicule you in any way, though, did I? I just thought that you were unfortunate to have a thin presence just like your party name suggests.¡±

    ¡°Whoa, that¡¯s even worse.¡±

    All of them felt dejected.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you d? This girl here doesn¡¯t shy away from callin¡¯ other folks¡¯ party names as pathetic into their face. Yours is still better as an evaluation, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Sword¡¯s nickname is so bad that my brain refuses to trante it. It¡¯s so painful on the ears that it almost drives tears into my eyes.¡±

    Immediately following I was grabbed by an iron w.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make you forget by squeezin¡¯ it outta you just like that.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ve already forgotten!¡±

    It was a prickling pain. As I stroked the ce he¡¯d grabbed, the adventurers looked at us, dumbfounded.

    ¡°No doubt, ¡¾Allrounders¡¿ is a nice party name. It fits you two to a tee,¡± Bennyboymented.

    ¡°Eh¡­this girl, too?¡± Their leader asked.

    ¡°Lady Indra is incredible! She can use magic arts and build magic tools! I¡¯ve also seen her train the sword. It was friggin¡¯ awesome!¡±

    He said friggin¡¯ awesome just now, didn¡¯t he? 1 That doesn¡¯t really sound strong.

    ¡°She¡¯s capable of cuttin¡¯ a big rock apart with the sword at her waist.¡± Sword pointed at my wooden sword.

    The adventurers were lost for words.

    ¡°At some point I¡¯ve simply be able to do so. Very likely, the only thing I can¡¯t cut with this is £ÛKonjac£Ý.¡± 2

    ¡°¡±Haah?¡±¡±

    ¡°¡­Nevermind, just ignore it.¡±

    This world has no konjac, so yeah¡­

    ¡°Anyway! It¡¯s time to unveil the transport golem Lady Indra built and lent to me!!¡±

    Bennyboy is super excited. He totally looks like he wants to brag.

    Previously we¡¯d have gone to the barn with everyone, but now the golems are stored away in a golem parking lot.

    ¡°¡±Eeeeeekk!!¡±¡±, the two women shrieked.

    ¡°A-Ain¡¯t t-t-hose m-m-monsters!?¡±

    They don¡¯t look anything like monsters, do they?

    ¡°You¡¯d think so, I guess. But, Lady Indra is a genius. If she makes up her mind to build something, she simply goes ahead and finishes it in a whiff. Though, for some reason she¡¯s obsessed with bugs. But! Despite that, their performance is marvelous!!¡±

    Once Bennyboy passed through the infrared sensor, apanied by a peep, the windscreen slid down with a whoosh.

    ¡°Eehh? W-What was that just now?¡±

    ¡°Awesome, isn¡¯t it? It moves independently, you know? Now,e on and hop in. Hurry, hurry!¡±

    Bennyboy beckoned them over.

    ¡°It totally feels like willfully entering the mouth of a crazy-ass demonic bug just to be eaten¡­¡±

    How awful! But, it looks like they got startled when they took a look at the interior.

    ¡°Wow!! The inside is as incredible as an ancient city!¡±

    ¡°Eh? Ben, can you control all of this?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, around half of it, I think. Basically it¡¯s fine as long as you don¡¯t start fiddling around with it. Ah, but Mr. Sword loves to y around by tampering with this and that, so I learned some from that, I guess.¡±

    When I directed a powerful re at Sword, he quietly averted his face.

    ¡°Wheee! Contrary to its exterior appearance, its insides are the height offort, aren¡¯t they!?¡±

    ¡°What the hell!? The seats are all fluffy and soft, you know?¡±

    ¡°Oh my, this seems like the ideal ce for sleeping¡­¡±

    Bennyboy was beaming with pride.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been practicing driving this baby every day, so I think I¡¯ve got the basicspletely down. Anyway, lemme give you a little ride around here!¡± He said and then they soon drove off.

 Chapter 78

    After they came back, the adventurers prostrated themselves before me.

    ¡°¡±¡±¡±Your Grace, please give us your permission for a rental registration! We beg you!!¡±¡±¡±¡±

    ¡°Yo, that¡¯s quite a change in attitude, isn¡¯t it? Didn¡¯t you people look down on Indra?¡± Sword asked.

    Hmm?

    ¡­¡­AHH! Once again this guy has perceived malicious intent, hasn¡¯t he!?

    ¡°We will earnestly and humbly apologize for any rudeness and impolite behavior! Please forgive us!¡±

    They apologized, but I shook my head, ¡°I don¡¯t really remember you having been rude to me, nor do I feel like you changed your attitude. ¡­Sword! I don¡¯t want you to listen to my talks with other people any longer! I¡¯ve been telling you over and over again to shut out the ill will of others, haven¡¯t I!?¡±

    Sword ducked his head.

    ¡°¡­I know that. If you insist on believin¡¯ that others desire a handshake with you because your a beautiful girl, I¡¯ll just go ¡®long with that dream of yours, no matter how disappointin¡¯ it might be.¡±

    It¡¯s not disappointing, for heaven¡¯s sake! It¡¯s reality! The maids confirmed it as well when I asked them!

    ¡°There is no mistake! Sir Sword is the odd one out here! Anyone would feel a desire to shake hands with a beauty as lovely as you, Your Grace!¡±

    That¡¯s what they told me!

    ¡°Uuhh¡«¡­¡±

    ¡°I got it, it¡¯s just as you say. You and your maids arepletely right. So stop lookin¡¯ at me with teary eyes!¡±

    When I groaned in frustration, Sword soothed me by stroking my head.

    ¡°¡­Goddammit, the maids are a lost cause as well, aren¡¯t they? Because of their pamperin¡¯, yourpletely on the way of bin¡¯ a dud who immediately starts cryin¡¯ ¡¯round out of conceit and misunderstandin¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Did you say something?¡±

    ¡°No, nothin¡¯.¡±

    I felt like he said something terrible about me, though.

    ¡°Well, whatever¡­ Bennyboy, what¡¯s your take on this?¡±

    Bennyboy got startled when I suddenly brought him into y and pointed a finger at himself, ¡°Y-You mean me?¡±

    ¡°Registering them for rental would be proof of our trust in them. You should be quite aware what kind of item that thing is. Right? You were brought along by Sword, and because you¡¯re trusted by Sword, I trust you as well, which is the reason why I allowed you to get registered for rental. Sword has declined their registration since he doesn¡¯t believe them, and I can¡¯t really make a call since I haven¡¯t known them for long. Bennyboy, what do you think? You had to do with them the most among us three, and you¡¯re going to remain connected to them in the future as well, aren¡¯t you? If we increase the number of registered rental users, the number of potential traitors grows in proportion. That¡¯s directly linked to the possibility of your own death and a theft of Char. So, what would you like to do?¡±

    When I asked Bennyboy, Sword sighed and scratched his head, ¡°Your askin¡¯ all that now n¡¯ here¡­?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? No, it¡¯s something I should ask now and here, isn¡¯t it? Bennyboy is the merchant we contracted to sell our liquor, and he¡¯s the one in charge of the transport with Char. And they¡¯re adventurers who have been merely hired as guards. Their positions arepletely different, no? That¡¯s why, if Bennyboy says that he can trust them while considering the future and the harshness of the current situation, where only he can drive, if disaster strikes, I might be willing to register them for rental after adding some limitations. However, if Bennyboy says that it¡¯s too dangerous for his life and that it¡¯d be possible for Char and the liquor to be stolen, I won¡¯t register them. After all, it¡¯s likely nothing Bennyboy could ever reimburse. Leaving aside the liquor, Char¡¯s value is priceless.¡±

    The adventurers all let their heads hang all at once.

    ¡°You should give it a rest if you just wanna drive the thing ¡¯round because it looks fun. Sure, it¡¯s a st to do so, but look, this is a battle golem for supply transport to begin with. If you attack with that thing, no one will be able to handle it unless it¡¯s me, her, or the golems she built. In reality it ain¡¯t anythin¡¯ that should be driven ¡¯round without the necessary precaution.¡±

    Sword, you were the one who coaxed me into making it!

    Once I stared at him, he grabbed my face once again!

    ¡°Mmpfmmpfmmmmpfff?!¡±

    As I struggled, Bennyboy replied, ¡°No? I¡¯m totally cool with it. These guys¡¯re my friends. You can trust them as much as you trust me. Hence, please register them for rental,¡± without any hesitation.

    Sword stopped arresting my face, and I stopped wriggling.

    ¡°I see. I¡¯ll register them for rental then. You might want to take a break because of exhaustion after driving Char for a long time, so you¡¯d need someone to switch with you, I guess. However, they won¡¯t be allowed to change the modes. They¡¯ll be allowed to drive Char for one hour per day on normal mode. With all four of them, that¡¯ll be four hours per day. I think that should be enough time for you to take a rest, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. Please do it like that.¡±

    Things were quickly settled in such a manner.

    ¡°¡±Ben¡­¡±¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    ¡°Ben, you¡­¡±

    The adventurers were touched by Bennyboy¡¯s chivalrous spirit.

    ¡°Oh right, it¡¯s not really a recement, but I can register you guys for renting out Bronko, you know? That¡¯s a golem I built with the sole intent for being a toy. It¡¯s something simr to a horse. Moreover, it¡¯s a dangerous vehicle. It requires proper driving skills, and it¡¯s not easy to handle, but if any of you¡­¡±

    ¡°No, that one¡¯s out!!¡±

    I got interrupted.

    ¡°¡­Eh¡­?¡±

    ¡°That one¡¯s a no! I borrowed it! Didn¡¯t I tell you to paint it with me in mind!?!¡±

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s certainly true, but¡­¡±

    Huh? Char is okay, but Bronko is out? Just why? Bronko doesn¡¯t have any particr attack magic, and it¡¯s something like a horse that¡¯s running on magic stones. In the first ce, motorbikes are hobby items.

    The adventurers all zoomed in on Bennyboy in the next moment.

    ¡°¡­Somehow I get what you¡¯re nning. You¡¯re thinking that you¡¯ll drive around that golem while letting us run the transport one, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Bennyboy¡¯s body shook as he gulped. And then he started to fidget around.

    ¡°No, I mean, of course I like Char, okay? But, there are times when I wanna feel the wind. Bronko, you see, kinda allows me to be one with the wind, unlike a horse.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah, I can totally rte to that. Char¡¯s automatic drivin¡¯ andfort that protects you from any weather is great, but Bronko allows you to directly feel the weather while givin¡¯ you a feedback when movin¡¯ it with your whole body. Drivin¡¯ Bronko and going back to a rxed drive with Char when tired is the bestbo.¡±

    ¡°Absolutely!!¡±

    After getting all riled up like that by themselves, the two suddenly withered away. Probably because the adventurers and I were staring at them super coldly.

    ¡°Hmm, I wonder, should I add a usage limit for Bennyboy¡¯s Bronko¡­?¡±

    When I mumbled that, he started to bawl while clinging to me.

    £ª

    When told to show his Bronko, Bennyboy, and Sword as well for some reason, triumphantly showed their bikes off. A little whileter, four people were lying in the dust in front of me once again.

    ¡°Your Majesty, please grant us your permission to borrow a Bronko!¡±

    ¡°Ben has grumbled that he definitely wouldn¡¯t lend out his Bronko, so please take some pity with us!¡±

    ¡°If you tell me to lick your feet, I shall immediately get to it! Please call me ve from now on! So please, please, please, lend it to me!¡±

    ¡°Your Majesty, I shall be your faithful manservant who will never betray you, no matter what happens. So please lend a Bronko to me!¡±

    It looks like I obtained a manservant, and also a ve.

    ¡°I got it, I got it. You¡¯re really hopeless. I¡¯ll build a new one since Bennyboy would cry otherwise. But, you have to properly do your work, okay? Don¡¯t spend all your time ying around with Bronko, got it? Also, practice how to drive Char!¡±

    ¡°¡±¡±¡±As you order, Your Majesty!!!¡±¡±¡±¡±

    I built another Bronko since I had no other choice. The bikes are crazy popr, aren¡¯t they? But, they require quite the reflexes and technique, they¡¯re dangerous, and they need a reasonable amount of maintenance, you know?

    I told the same to Sword and Bennyboy, but those two apparently tended to their bikes gleefully.

    Hmm, what should I do about the color? I love bikes with shy colors. Given that Sword imed his personal color to be white, that was a valid choice, but since I colored Bennyboy¡¯s to match with that, I¡¯m already out of options in a certain sense, am I not?

    Because I n to paint my own one blue-green, that one¡¯s a no-go. And because red is Ms. Bloody¡¯s personal color, that one¡¯s out as well. Then again, if I used their party name as a basis, I¡¯d need to go with a transparent coloring. Pfft, pupupu.

    £ª

    At the end of some fretting over the color, I went with metallic silver! I also added ck and vivid red color points!

    ¡°Is it okay like this?¡±

    ¡°¡±Woooooooo!!¡±¡±

    ¡°¡±OMG!!!¡±¡±

    It looks like they¡¯re happy with it.

    ¡°I¡¯m first!¡±

    ¡°No! Me!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to ride it!¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m first!¡±

    They were so damn noisy.

    ¡°Don¡¯t fight over it. If it bes a reason for bobbery, I¡¯m going to revoke your rental registration.¡±

    They calmed down at once.

    ¡°Oh! On another note, you aren¡¯t allowed to drive it like that. Ask Bennyboy, and get the necessary outfit ready first. Ask him also about how to ride it. If you¡¯re unlucky, it won¡¯t just end with some injuries.¡±

    They became speechless upon my warning.

 Chapter 79

    ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re off then.¡±

    Atst, Bennyboy and the members of Pale Moon of Dawn departed.

    Oh, yes! Since I came up with the idea before their departure, I made sure that one of Char¡¯s feelers could be used for releasing warm water as a makeshift-shower. After all, I don¡¯t want any dirty humans to ride my Char.

    Just in case, I added a cleaning function inside Char and insistently warned Bennyboy to regrly use it, but considering how easygoing Bennyboy is with everything, I¡¯m really worried whether he¡¯ll properly follow my instructions.

    When I passed a partition screen, a drainboard, and detergent to the adventurers, apanied by a stern advice that they had to absolutely wash themselves, they nodded meekly.

    £ª

    Now then, I wonder how much we¡¯re going to make at the auction. It looks like Bennyboy isn¡¯t going to sell the wheat honey at the auction, but in the capital at a price cheaper than honey. He¡¯s set the price to 50 silver. Apparently he¡¯s going with bullish pricing at the beginning, aiming for customers who would buy it for its rarity value. Afterwards he¡¯s going to keep lowering the price.

    I agreed to all of it since I left things in his hands.

    What¡¯s left is¡­at present there are no problems with the restaurant as it seems to be a sess.

    The guildmaster and some of the moderately rich people approached me about the possibility of ordering single items out of the menu course and drinking a bit since the price for the full course was too high for them. After consulting with the master chef, we set up a counter and adjusted the system so that guests could eat just the main course, desserts, or drink liquor with hors d¡¯oeuvre as a side dish. But, we didn¡¯t make the liquor free of charge.

    We gave the counter a moody ambiance with the seats being kept dark while focusing the lighting on the bar. The guildmaster visited with his wife, and she was apparently very happy. Also, the guildmaster¡¯s wife was young and cute, I heard.

    £ª

    Sword and I nned to head out adventuring again after settling a few more things. Last time we ended up returning right before arriving at the capital, and we couldn¡¯t get our hands on seafood either.

    Aren¡¯t there any leviathans or some such? I really wanna see some pirate ships. As for the capital, Sword is quite excited about clearing the dungeon over there, so I¡¯m looking forward to it as well.

    If we¡¯re on time, I¡¯d love to watch the auction, but I didn¡¯t ask Bennyboy when it¡¯d be held.

    As for the mansion: Although the number of Ryokus has increased, so has the workload for everyone, and thus it has been gradually bing more difficult to keep up. Thus we hired new people with the condition that they could be trusted.

    We got six applicants as live-ins and ten applicants asmuters. The part-timers at the restaurant became live-ins on the term that they¡¯d work as servants in the mansion outside the restaurant¡¯s opening hours.

    Yep, that makes them perfectly normal servants at this point, doesn¡¯t it?

    The local grannies, who wouldmute, gave as the biggest reason for applying that the Ryokus are cute, so I hired them on the spot without any further questions asked!

    Even if it¡¯s funny, it seems normal for the people of this world to go out earning money after their children have be independent. Since they¡¯re locals, there¡¯s no doubt about their background either. In the first ce, criminals are usually not locals.

    Also, strangers are apparently beaten down if they infiltrate the mansion without knowing that it¡¯s the home of an S-Rank adventurer.

    Now that I think about it, Ys seems to be a decent town. The only w would be the slightly strong monsters if you enter the mountains, but the same doesn¡¯t apply to the surrounding ins. There¡¯s a river and the soil is fertile, allowing for productive farming.

    Given that some ces also have rock salt deposits, there¡¯s nock of salt either.

    Because the area only hosts the two extremes of strong and weak enemies, it seems to be unpopr among adventurers, though¡­

    By the way, the enemies I encountered when entering the mountains were therge wolf-lookalikes (back when I broke up with Sword), the cockatrices which had been hiding deep in the mountains out of fear when I searched for them all over the ce to scout them, and a slime that I found near the river.

    This slime was yet another unique species. I kinda wonder¡­isn¡¯t my encounter rate for unique species a tad too high or something!?

    It was possible for me tomunicate with the slime, but unlike the one in the illustrations of that super famous mangaka, this slime looked more like dough. Kinda like soft rubber. Itbined blue and yellow as colors. Normally it apparently camouged itself to have a color simr to mud.

    Or rather, if it continues to eat something while remaining in one spot, it adopts the color of what it was eating. But then, you have to ask what it ate to be blue and yellow¡­

    The person¡­err, slime itself didn¡¯t seem to know either.

    Apparently, it suddenly had an ego. And then it was discovered by me.

    £ª

    And then it suddenly dawned upon me!

    Up until now, our sewage was amassed in a tank after flowing through the drainage. There the water was separated into air, magic elements, and filth which then got freeze-dried. As might be expected, the tank and drainage would be quite dirty when regrly exposed to filth. Taking that into consideration, we made sure to regrly wash off the filth clinging to the walls with a magical jet water stream, but naturally it¡¯d be impossible topletely get rid of all filth despite all our efforts.

    At some point, we requested G-Rank adventurers to clean the drainage and tank, but as those adventurers had sloppy work attitudes and thus didn¡¯t do their job properly, we stopped asking the guild for help, and instead cleaned it ourselves.

    I wonder, can¡¯t I have the slime to do that cleaning for us?

    When I asked it, ¡°Won¡¯t youe to us? If you¡¯re not particr about your food, I¡¯d like you to clean the drainage for us,¡± it readily agreed. I felt terribly guilty about it, but when it told me that anything would serve as nutrients for it except for water and that it¡¯d dly eat up our filth, I had it live there as a test.

    It was a huge sess. Therefore, we stopped doing it with magic tools, and had the slime do all the cleaning for us.

    Slime cleaning seems to be very normal for nobles, I heard. The maids knew about this method as well. But, apparently it was tough to handle the slimes. Since everything worked as food for them, they wouldn¡¯t limit their efforts to just filth, but instead begin to dissolve the building as well, if you were unlucky.

    I told the slime to inform a Ryoku, if it didn¡¯t have enough food, and the Ryoku would get him more.

    And thus wepletely resolved any issues with our filth disposal. It made things a bit easier on the servants. Whenever they spotted the slime slithering about nonchntly, the servants and maids pampered it by feeding the slime. Once they did, it went back to the tank. Even without catching a Ryoku.

    By the way, I wanted to use a slime for the restaurant as well, and when I asked the slime whether it knew any other slime whom I could scout, it split.

    I was totally startled.

    Anyway, I asked it to handle the restaurant¡¯s filth disposal, too. Itmuted to the restaurant, and it properly waited for further orders aftering back home. Quite the clever slime.

    £ª

    I nned to also take the slime along on our journey.

    Sword flinched away,menting, ¡°Eh¡­? You n to feed a talkin¡¯ slime the stuff we shit out?¡±

    Isn¡¯t it fine as long as it¡¯s going to eat it for us!? To begin with, camping is totally fine with me! Camping rocks! Rather, the toilet situation in towns sucks!

 Chapter 80

    The rtionship between Earl Springcoat and his butler had hit rock bottom. Although the earl had returned, he still repeated his usual tomfoolery of just withdrawing money and staying over at his lovers¡¯ ces without even trying to manage his territory.

    Recently he hadpletely lost all his restraints. Being forced to raise the taxes to maintain that lifestyle, the residents started to leave the earldom in droves and the earl¡¯s reputation went, ordingly, down the drain, resulting in business stalling gradually. It went as far that Earl Springcoat himself was asked to repay the debts he had made for fooling around on the streets.

    If Earl Springcoat had a son, the butler would have educated him, convinced his father to retire and made the son cut all rtions with his father.

    Again and again the butler pressed his master to adopt an excellent child of some rtive, but the earl didn¡¯t listen, always iming that Primrose was more than enough.

    The butler always retorted that if Lady Indra had been here it would be one thing, but Primrose was beyond any hope. This only earned him a harsh, angry chiming despite the butler being the one supposed to be angry here.

    ¨D¨DCertainly, in the eyes of Earl Springcoat, Primrose might be cuter. After all, she¡¯s as much of a useless bum as her father.

    It was impossible to hope for Primrose to have any capability to manage the territory, and so the butler had no choice but to hope for a suitable marriage partner for her, but seeing how that partner hadn¡¯t even been decided yet, it remained unclear whether anyone would actually marry her in the first ce.

    She hadn¡¯t learned any manners, and her behavior was so bad that evenmoners couldn¡¯t hold a candle to her. Not to even mention her noisy eating style, she actually used her hands to stuff the food into her mouth, resulting in her dress always being a dirty mess after a meal.

    She didn¡¯t know the concept of walking quietly, and not only that, she couldn¡¯t even greet others properly.

    In short, refinement was alien to her.

    Just who would take such a wild beast of a girl as a spouse?

    At longst, the family head started to talk about enrolling her at the academy in the capital and she received strict training from the head maid, but Primrose made no progress as she always cried, whining about being mistreated.

    As such, the butler performed his official duties while constantly having a headache.

    ¡°¡­¡­several years left where we can keep this up.¡±

    Earl Springcoat repeatedly made debts without any hopes to ever pay them back. The earl house¡¯s ie couldn¡¯t even maintain the status quo, and it was bing harder and harder to pay for the remaining servants and the mansion itself.

    By now they had sold off most of the furniture in the guest rooms and unused rooms. The antique heirlooms and goods had all been sold off long before that.

    Suddenly the butler sensed the aroma of ck tea. Once he turned around, he found the head maid having poured him some ck tea.

    ¡°¡­Those are not the leaves used by the servants, are they?¡±

    ¡°This is my own stash of ck tea. When the maids left this ce, they handed it to me as a farewell gift.¡± She said, holding out the cup to the butler.

    ¡°¡­Then I shall gratefully ept your kindness.¡± He breathed in the tea¡¯s aroma before taking a sip.

    ¡°¡­¡­What are you going to do from now on?¡± The butler asked the head maid all of a sudden. ¡°You came to this ce together with thedy of the ducal house, didn¡¯t you? Even if it would buy you the resentment of the earl house, you don¡¯t have any obligation to remain here. No one would be troubled even if you quit your job. You wouldn¡¯t need to teach Lady Primrose manners while having her scream at you that you are bullying her and that she hates it, all while crying loudly, right?¡±

    The head maid smiled bitterly, and then looked out of the window.

    ¡°¡­¡­This is my punishment.¡± She muttered in what sounded like a monologue. ¡°I should have stopped the madam, Lady Isadora. I knew that he was a man who would never be able to make her happy, on top of it not having been a political marriage either. ¨DI should have stopped her, clearly telling her that only his appearance was somewhat good, and that he would use nicely sounding words to tter her only at the beginning, while at the same time having lovers all over the ce, and trying to woo other noble daughters. If this hadn¡¯t hindered her, I should have approached her younger brother, who adored his elder sister, to have him stop her. If it hade out of the mouth of her beloved, little brother, I¡¯m sure even Lady Isadora would have given up on that man. But I was naive, believing that he would certainly change for the better once he got married.

    ¨D¨DAnd on top of that, Lady Isadora¡¯s desire to monopolize him also¡­ I had not expected even in my wildest dreams that things would end like this. Moreover, I couldn¡¯t even prevent that, hence it¡¯s my punishment for the sins towards Lady Indra.¡±

    The butler stared at her, and then smiled, ¡°¡­Then please allow me to apany you on serving the Springcoat House towards the nearing end as it is by now no more than a mud castle which is being dissolved by rain. It won¡¯tst another five years. And once that is over, so will be our punishment.¡±

    The head maid turned around to him, and performed a polite curtsy, ¡°I am looking forward to working with you for the remaining time.¡±

    ¡°So do I.¡± The butler stood up, and returned her curtsy with a bow.

 Chapter 81

    Before I noticed, I turned 13, and the maids threw a grand birthday party for me. From the very start, the servants, and especially the maids for that matter, loved to doll me up.

    Since they¡¯ve been insistently telling me to grow out my hair, I¡¯ve followed their request.

    And after they dolled me up, the servants, who have been with me since my days at the Springcoat mansion, praised me highly for my beauty. On the other hand, Sword and the new servants watched all of this with slightly strange looks.

    Sword even went as far as telling me to my face, ¡°Somehow, you know¡­you still look like your crossdressin¡¯ as a woman. I prefer your usual outfit, to be honest.¡±

    £ª

    After the celebratory gifts, I gave a closing remark.

    ¡°Because things have settled down now, I¡¯ll return to adventuring again,¡± I announced, using the lucky opportunity of everyone having gathered.

    Everyone agreed with Sword when he answered while scratching his head, ¡°For starters we¡¯ll visit the capital and the sea. I mean, Ys is simply too small for Indra.¡±

    While being regretful to part with them, I also informed my pets (cows, chickens, and slimes) about it.

    £ª

    For those reasons, we started to get ready for traveling. Sword would apparently take Bronko and Char with him, out of sheer obstinacy.

    Bronko would be fine since it could be stored away in his Ryoku, but Char is quite big. It has the size of an average minivan.

    I told Sword to give up on it since it¡¯d be hard to cross the mountains like that, but he imed that he¡¯d stuff it into a huge magic bag and carry it himself if it became necessary.

    Well, then it should be alright, I guess.

    Char is a mobile home, and it¡¯d definitely be morefortable to travel in it during rain. Toilet matters can be handled inside as well, as long as I ask the slime Sli-rin (simple) to handle the cleaning. So it¡¯s perfect.

    As might be expected, it¡¯d be asking too much to have a function to shrink down a golem with one touch. Should I develop that capsule which would allow cars and airnes to appear alongside a boom and some smoke, if you pressed a button and tossed it?

    £ª

    At first we departed in Char.

    I think we¡¯d have been faster if we had ran by ourselves. But, oh well, whatever. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re in any hurry with our journey.

    Thus we had leisurely set off with everyone waving us goodbye.

    On the road, Sword suddenly started to tell me to sing. He even brought my lute with him!

    ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯m not really nning to be a songstress, so I won¡¯t take any money for this, but if a girl as beautiful as me sings a song, it¡¯d be very reasonable to demand a wage for it, you know?¡± I added before I started to sing.

    My songs covered everything from nursery songs to rock.

    Swordughed, ¡°You always start dancin¡¯ as soon as you sing, don¡¯t you? Is that also normal in that other world of yours?¡±

    ¡°There are times where I sing while remaining still. Or rather, my otherworld self didn¡¯t dance. This body tends to start dancing when I sing, for some reason.¡±

    I also think that it¡¯s kind of weird, but my body simply dances on its own ord. Well, since we¡¯re inside Char, I haven¡¯t danced that much yet, but if I sang outside, my body would dance wildly, I¡¯m sure.

    Which reminds me¡­when I gave the mini-live in the dining hall, I also danced, didn¡¯t I?

    £ª

    Since Sword started to pester me about wanting to ride Bronko a little whileter, I offered ¡°Then, how about we let Char run on auto, and I ride with you in the back? It¡¯d be a tandem touring.¡±

    Sword immediately warmed up to that idea.

    ¡°Can the auto control runpletely independently?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible to make Char follow Bronko. You can also set the location where Char will follow. However, you¡¯ll need to ride Bronko while considering the road¡¯s width for Char, okay? It¡¯s a function I added, expecting that you might ask to let you ride Bronko. Well, it¡¯d also be possible for me to drive, but¡­¡±

    I¡¯ve grown much taller, but I¡¯m still much shorter than Sword. His legs are long too. In other words, I don¡¯t know whether I¡¯ll be able to reach the pedals.

    I¡¯ve made sure that you can adjust the seat as needed, but since it¡¯s Sword¡¯s exclusive Char, there are limits to this. I simply didn¡¯t take into consideration that I¡¯d drive Char myself.

    Then again, there¡¯s also the remote controller as an option. Just, driving inside Char while steering it with the remote controller¡­that¡¯s way too oundish, seriously.

    £ª

    We did a tandem touring with Bronko.

    It¡¯s really been a long time since Ist rode a motorbike. Moreover, in a tandem set up. No, it¡¯s my first time over here, isn¡¯t it?

    ¡°Yep, the wind feels really nice.¡±

    ¡°Right!? Thank you lots and lots for havin¡¯ made this, seriously!¡±

    So he likes it that much, huh?

    £ª

    All of a sudden, Sword asked, ¡°¡­Did you ride like this with a man in your previous world too?¡±

    ¡°No, not that I remember. It was limited to the instructor, who taught me how to drive, and friends who liked riding a bike just like me. You get the highest kick out of enjoying something with people who share your preferences. Given that bikes were more of a niche hobby, I didn¡¯t have that many friends riding one either.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    I was startled when he asked me out of the blue.

    ¡°What is it all of a sudden?¡±

    ¡°Nothin¡¯ in particr. Just thought you remembered somethin¡¯ ¡®gain because your voice became so nostalgic.¡±

    So that¡¯s the reason.

    ¡°Well, rather than nostalgic, it¡¯s a first for this body. The bike I rode before had a different shape. The previous one looked more like a locust¡­¡±

    ¡°Then it¡¯s good you didn¡¯t build a locust! Thank you very much for using this design!¡± He shouted his thanks at me.

    A locust shape is cute as well, you know?

    £ª

    Our journey proceeded well. The people we passed were surprised by Char and the Ryokus, but once they yed the standard greeting, we got them to understand that they¡¯re golems¡­apparently.

    It seems they coulde to terms with the line ¡ºSword¡¯s exclusive¡» the most.

    Come to think of it¡­the Ryokus learned the songs I sang (or rather was asked to sing) often. At some point they began to sing together with me!

    ¡°It¡¯s proof that music is essential for adventuring! By just singing a song you already feel like you¡¯re on an adventure!¡±

    ¡°Well¡­I s¡¯pose that does apply for the song your singin¡¯. They¡¯re all cheerful.¡±

    When I sang ¡¾Tiny Adventurer¡¿ while making a random parody out of it in thenguage of this world, it received raving praise, and Sword started to request it often. 1

    Since I sang often, the Ryokus became very decent at it as well. When they started to sing on top of Char after announcing, ¡°I¡¯m going to sing a song from now on!¡±, the adventurers around us first got startled, but then soon started to apud. To the Ryokus.

    ¨D¨DAs such, our journey was going well, but it seemed like Bennyboy had a fair share of trouble on his side.

    That¡¯s super weeeird! He said that S-Rank adventurer held quite a mettle as title, and moreover he also added the line, ¡°I may look like this, but I¡¯m actually a friend of the S-Rank adventurer Mr. Sword! Ahem!¡±

    On one asion he almost had his cargo stolen by governmental officials during a gate inspection, so he contacted us through the wirelessmunication device.

    Since I was looking forward to things happening, I eximed, ¡ºWe¡¯re going to head over right away! If you like, let them steal the cargo! I¡¯ll get there at once, and tear off their skin while they¡¯re still alive! Then I¡¯ll paste their skin to the walls of their homes! It¡¯s okay! As long as I use my own healing potion, they¡¯ll heal up! Probably! Since I¡¯ve never tested it myself, they¡¯ll be the perfect specimen for test runs! Also, I wonder how much I should torture them? Oh well, whatever, I¡¯ll try out various things once I get there! Make sure to note down their names! Though it¡¯d also be great if you could make sure of their looks! Yahooo! This got my blood pumping!!¡»

    My conversation with Bennyboy was audible from the speakers, so when the officials heard what I said, most of them ran away. The guy, who seemed to be the leader of them all, was caught by Pale Moon of Dawn.

    I hear he apologized with his whole body trembling while in tears.

    ¡ºAh, S-Rank Sword speaking. I think you got it after having heard my partner, but she has a screw loose. She believes she can do anything as long as it doesn¡¯t kill you in the end. If you don¡¯t wanna go through an experience that would make you beg to be killed, you should stop messin¡¯ around, I think¡»

    ¡ºMr. Sword, just let me tell you in advance, but they all ran away after having heard Lady Indra¡¯s previousment¡»

    Since Bennyboy said so, I snatched the microphone out of Sword¡¯s hand.

    ¡ºWhat about the cargo? Was it stolen? It was stolen, right!? I¡¯ming over right away! What, with my ability we can catch them all in one swoop! It¡¯ll be easier than catching dirty rats! I mean, it should be fine to treat crooks, who steal the belongings of others, worse than dirty rats! After all, dirty rats don¡¯t steal other¡¯s belongings! Alright, wait for me! Be right there!¡»

    ¡ºWait a sec, stop, stop. You meant this seriously? Were you going to pull off a torturing worse than what you did to the sorcerer gramps before?¡»

    ¡ºDon¡¯t ask the obvious! Something like stabbing needles between nails and theher region doesn¡¯t even count as torture! Also, didn¡¯t I fix him up nicely with a healing potion afterwards?¡»

    ¡ºAh, Lady Indra, I¡¯m terribly sorry to interrupt you while you¡¯re having fun, but nothing has been stolen. Also, the leader guy has been begging us while prostrating to hand him over to the guards. Also, could I have you stop now since the story just now caused the guys to pop a boner?¡»

    I got fervently soothed by the two. With the goods safe and the checkpoint¡¯s supervisor (quite a bigshot) apologizing while prostrating himself, Bennyboy¡¯s side could apparently pass without any further issues.

    Just, I wonder, why do I never experience such thrilling events?

 Chapter 82

    <¨C Table of Contents ¨C>

    In a town on the way, Sword suddenly blurted out, ¡°Oh, look, they¡¯re doin¡¯ the B-Rank exams. Go n¡¯ join ¡¯em.¡±

    He said it in a way as if talking about taking a look at a festival that¡¯s conveniently being held.

    ¡°¡­¡­Does the B-Rank exam take ce in a dungeon again?¡±

    ¡°No, not that I knew of. You gonna defeat a monster. What they throw at you depends on the guild and circumstances. Then again, you¡¯ll be fine whatever they throw at you ¡®nyway.¡±

    ¡­¡­

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to defeat monsters that are scared of me, you know? I¡¯m no fan of pointless ughter.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll obviously pass as long as you subdue ¡¯em perfectly.¡± He told me, but¡­

    £ª

    ¨D¨DTwo parties other than me took the B-Rank exam.

    Looks like adventurers don¡¯t challenge this exam unless they¡¯re quite confident in themselves. Why? Because they¡¯d die.

    When I applied for the exam at the guild, the receptionist was at a loss before asking me something obvious after a while, ¡°¡­Umm, are you going to take the exam by yourself?¡±

    ¡°Ah, you see, this guy is already an S-Rank, so I must quickly catch up to him. However, it¡¯s going to be limited to A-Rank for now until the next time a dragon attacks the capital, I guess.¡±

    Sword sighed deeply while the receptionist became speechless.

    ¡°¡­¡­I understand. I shall register you for the exam.¡±

    And thus it was decided that I¡¯d be able to take part in the exam.

    £ª

    Apparently my turn would best. After emphasizing that they should prepare a fearless, mighty monster for me, I waited.

    In the middle of it, Sword was called over by people on several asions. During thest time, it developed into an argument.

    ¡°Special grade costs a tinum coin, ¡®kay? You can afford that?¡±, reached my ears before Sword handed over something akin to a healing potion and received some money in exchange.

    ¡°Hmm~? Is something the matter?¡±

    ¡°I sold a special grade potion made by you.¡± He admitted.

    ¡°I don¡¯t particrly mind. ¡­Wait, you didn¡¯t give them your exclusive one, did you?¡±

    ¡°As if I¡¯d do that. Neither of us would like to see our cells in the hands of others, right?¡±

    Indeed, I¡¯d hate the idea as well.

    ¡°Does that mean someone got injured during the exam?¡±

    ¡°Looks like it.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see. Then give them these as a bonus.¡±

    I handed him an ointment, antifebriles, and suppuration blockers.

    ¡°Oi¡­¡± Sword put on a grim expression.

    But, why?

    ¡°Last time we left before confirming the results of the human experiments. I want to know the effect this time, so tell them that I¡¯ll give them these for free if they tell me how they worked.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Roger.¡± Sword left while scratching his head.

    Seeing how an examiner came to call me, my turn would apparently be up before he came back.

    £ª

    I entered a ce simr to an arena. Just, it had a dome andcked the spectator stands.

    ¡°Are you really fine with doing this yourself?¡±

    ¡°Of course. You¡¯ve prepared a strong enemy for me, right? Well, I guess a monster with a strong will will do as well. Prepare a fearless enemy for me, okay? If you don¡¯t, I won¡¯t kill it.¡±

    The examiner was astonished.

    ¡°I mean, it¡¯s obvious that monsters be scared if you¡¯re together with ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿. ¡­But whatever, you were chosen as a partner by ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿, so show us your true ability.¡±

    As soon as he told me that, the monster appeared.

    ¡°A manticore, was it?¡±

    It was a huge monster with a face like that of a frowning ape. Ah, it¡¯s kinda like a namahage! 1

    The tail is usually that of a scorpion¡­was it? But, it looks more like a hedgehog rather than a scorpion tail, I think? Or a dandelion.

    It was wearing a reaaally thick cor, however.

    ¡°It¡¯s quite worked up, so be careful, okay? The ve cor¡¯s function will be temporarily disabled upon mymand. If I think that it¡¯s going to be dangerous, I¡¯ll have your partner do something about it.¡±

    ¡°Got it. I¡¯m ready whenever you are.¡±

    Now then. It¡¯s really been a while since Ist saw a monster. It does look quite fiendish, so I¡¯m thrilled! Let¡¯s see how it¡¯s going to let me enjoy this.

    £ª

    ¡°¡­Begin!¡±

    The manticore cried alongside the examiner¡¯smand. And then I swung my wooden sword with a sh, beating down all the needles it had shot at me from its tail.

    In the meantime, the manticore came running at me. But, around ten steps before entering my strike range, it suddenly stopped. And not only that. It actually bent down.

    ¡­¡­What¡¯s the deal here? Is it going tounch a new attack?

    I tilted my head in confusion while remaining cautious for a while.

    Maybe it¡¯s looking for an opening? Shooting needles again¡­is not an option since it has hidden its tail between its thighs¡­wait, maybe it¡¯s nning to attack me from below?

    Once I took a step forward, it squeaked cutely! CUTELY!

    ¡°Hey, right after we started you were all eager to have a go, right? Are you afraid or something? I haven¡¯t done anything yet, you know?¡±

    As I approached, it gradually fell back while prostrating itself for dear life. And then, after hitting the wall behind it, it started to whimper cutely while trembling.

    ¡­¡­

    ¡°Hey, examiner. I told you to bring out a fearless monster, didn¡¯t I? I can¡¯t kill a monster that¡¯s shivering in fright like that!¡± I thundered at the examiner.

    He was dumbfounded, babbling incoherently, ¡°Eh? No? Huh? Why?¡±

    ¡°Please bring out a monster that¡¯s stronger and more stouthearted. Monsters are apparently able to tell strong people apart, so I almost never encounter any of them. Every once in a while, some are dumb enough to challenge me, or I find their hiding ce, but otherwise, they stay out of my sight. Bring out a monster that¡¯s a lot more powerful and reckless than this guy here!¡±

    I phrased thest part as an order. The examiner consulted with his colleagues. Meanwhile I soothed the scared monster.

    ¡°There, there, you really can¡¯t be helped, can you? I¡¯ll disregard you having shot your needles at me. So, be a good boy and go back into your cage. I won¡¯t kill you, so you don¡¯t need to tremble so much.¡±

    I gently pushed it towards the cage while stroking it. And it obediently entered.

    Yep, it¡¯s impossible. I can¡¯t kill it like that, can I?

    Damn it, at this rate I won¡¯t be able to pass the B-Rank exam. If only the examiners could bring out a monster which doesn¡¯t fear me.

    Wait, wouldn¡¯t it be fine if they let me beat up humans who can defeat this manticore instead? In that case, the only one currently present is¡­

    £ª

    ¨D¨DJust as I started to entertain such an idea, the examiner approached me.

    ¡°After also confirming it with ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿, we decided to summon a monster that definitely won¡¯t be afraid of you. However, this monster is A-Rank ¨C a demon. The only one capable of defeating it in this ce is ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿,¡± he told me in a super grave, depressed, and serious tone.

    ¡°If they¡¯re fearless, some stupid adventurers might take it on as they can¡¯t tell strength apart anyway, but I can handle it. So hurry up and summon that demon or whatever.¡±

    Soon after, several magician-like people showed up. When they began to cast, a magic crest appeared on the ground.

    ¡°We¡¯ll summon the demon with a time limit of five minutes. After five minutes, it¡¯ll disappear. So try to handle it within that time frame.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡­Still, a good dozen of people were chanting aaaall the time. While sweating buckets.

    Are they actually alright over there?

    Since it looked like it¡¯d take quite a while, I sat down cross-legged and waited for them to finish.

 Chapter 83

    One hourter the magic crest activated.

    ¡°Ooohh! Congrattions!!¡± I apuded reflexively while the magicians pulled faces screaming, ¡°We did it!¡±

    Ah! Something hase out.

    ¡°¡­My goodness, it has really been a long time since I was summoned, but the circumstances seem rather boring. The desires arecking.¡±

    Okay? It¡¯s the type capable of conversation!

    ¡°Hello.¡±

    ¡°Oh? You¡­¡±

    ¡°Since I was told that I only have five minutes, I¡¯d be happy if you could allow me to have some greetings and a light questioning session while keeping in mind that I also have to defeat you within that time frame. Would that be alright for you?¡±

    Sword pped a hand against his forehead in the background. Meanwhile the others around me were taken aback.

    But look, if he can talk, you¡¯d want to use that opportunity, no? Knowing that I can talk with life-forms other than humans in this world, I feel an urge to use such chances.

    ¡°Nice to meet you, youngdy. I am a nameless demon.¡±

    ¡°My name is Indra. Where did youe from?¡±

    ¡°Spirit world is the best term to describe it, I would say. It is a ne outside the material world.¡±

    ¡°That sounds like there is yet another incredible ce to be found in this world. I am sure it must be a ce where the concept of time does not matter, right?¡±

    ¡°Oh? ¡­Nothing less of you who possess such a huge amount of magic elements despite being stuck in a physical form. It is only natural for you toprehend such things, I suppose.¡±

    Hmm? Hmmmmm? I feel like he said something important just now.

    ¡°Magic elements aren¡¯t¡­physical?¡±

    ¡°Oh, so you did not know?¡±

    ¡°I just recently learned about the existence of magic elements. A while ago I lived in a world that did not even have any magic elements.¡±

    ¡°I see. I suspect magic elements were attached to you while in the material world since you did a ¡ºSoul Crossing¡». You are a very interesting youngdy, I must say.¡± He broke into a grin.

    Hmm, I want to talk a lot more with him, but Sword is gesturing to me to defeat him, so it looks like I won¡¯t be able to keep this conversation going for much longer.

    ¡°I¡¯m also very interested. I really am, but¡­ ¡­By the way, what happens to you if I defeat you?¡±

    ¡°It depends on the way you defeat me, but I think it is impossible for someone of the material world topletely eradicate the existence of us spirit world dwellers. At most you can return us from being material to only exist as spirits again.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I got it. I¡¯d love to continue our conversation for much, much longer, but time is running out. This is the material world and as such the concept of time works here. ¡­I wonder, would you respond to my call if I were to summon you someday?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I shall be looking forward to our next meeting. ¡­But,¡± the demon¡¯s smile deepened, ¡°it is also an option to release you from the shackles of the material world and invite you over to the spirit world. As for me, I would like to rmend that method.¡±

    His magic elements burst forth.

    So he¡¯s truly not afraid of me. Nice, that¡¯s really nice. Hihihi.

    ¡°Then let me show you my real power as a present for not being afraid of me.¡±

    I gathered magic elements. Nowadays I¡¯ve reached a level where Mr. Fluff would immediately rush over as soon as I pulled him to myself just a tiny bit.

    That¡¯s why an incredible amount gathered in no time. Even from the demon.

    The demon¡¯s smile disappeared for an instant, but immediately returned. However, this time it was a smile full of resignation.

    ¡°¡­I give up. It looks like I foolishly made my judgment of you after seeing only a fraction of your real power. Even if I were to be destroyedpletely, I would have no room toin.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯d be troubled. I desire knowledge. As much as possible. That¡¯s why, let¡¯s meet again. For now, go back to the spiritual world.¡±

    One sh with my wooden sword, and the demon disappeared.

    £ª

    I think the exam is over, but I wonder whether I¡¯ve been able to make my way to B-Rank? As I wondered about that while waiting, I was called over.

    ¡°You have passed the A-Rank exam.¡±

    I see, that¡¯s great! I safely passed the A-Rank exam¡­hmm, wait?

    ¡°Just now you said A-Rank exam?¡±

    ¡°The monster you defeated moments ago was a being even an A-Rank party would struggle with. If they didn¡¯t have at least one light magic user with them, it¡¯d be out of the question, and just that would naturally be far from enough. The theory states that you bring down an incarnated demon with the strongest light magic while enduring its onught. The only one who brought one down by himself so far is ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿.¡±

    Hee. So that¡¯s how it is.

    ¡°¡­To defeat that demon with one blow without even using any magic¡­¡±

    Sword came over.

    ¡°Figures. If she and I fought, she¡¯d likely be thest one standin¡¯. At one time it also looked as if I¡¯d get killed by her.¡±

    He means the case where he covered for that scummy adventurer?

    ¡°That was your own fault since you covered for such a trashy adventurer.¡±

    The examiners were dumbfounded.

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s yet another brilliant adventurer you¡¯ve found.¡±

    Brilliant? Are they talking about me? I see, that¡¯s a great way to describe me!

    Just as I got cocky while folding my arms, my head was pinned down with my hair being ruffled up.

    ¡°She¡¯s quite ill, though. Despite bein¡¯ kind to monsters, she shows absolutely no mercy to rude humans.¡±

    ¡°Why should I mercilessly ughter frightened monsters who show no will to fight? And why must I be kind to rude humans who try to kill me?¡±

    ¡°¡­Well, as you can see, that¡¯s the kinda girl she is.¡± Sword said to the examiners without answering my question.

    Anyway, I¡¯m an A-Rank now! Just one more rank to catch up to him!

    But!

    ¡°S-Rank might be difficult, huh? I wonder whether a dragon won¡¯t visit anytime soon? Or should I visit them myself?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m tellin¡¯ you to stop it. Don¡¯t wake any sleepin¡¯ dogs. No one wouldin ¡¯bout raisin¡¯ to A-Rank. The difference between S-Rank and A-Rank can only be found in whether you¡¯ve participated in the previous battle or not.¡±

    Really?

    I see. It¡¯s unfortunate, but let¡¯s give up (on reaching S-Rank and killing a dragon).

 Chapter 84

    We finally arrived at the capital. It was surrounded by a really, really tall wall. And a long line had formed in front of the checkpoint.

    Since it¡¯d very likely cause a stir if we drew close in Char, Sword put it away and carried it.

    £ª

    Now then, going by the temtes, this would be the perfect time for some delinquent adventurers to mess with me, but I had Sword with me. And with him being here, no one would pick a fight with me since he worked like a charm against evil.

    ¡°Sword, go and y around with Bronko for a bit.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s it all of a sudden?¡±

    ¡°As far as my knowledge is concerned, it¡¯s amon urrence for a frail-looking adventurer like me to get messed with by delinquent adventurers when standing in a line like this. But, they¡¯re staying clear of me because you¡¯re here. It¡¯s the same reason why most of our journey was as peaceful as taking a stroll through our backyard. It¡¯s about time that I¡¯d like to experience some of the adventurer standard temtes.¡±

    Sword narrowed his eyes, ¡°Why the hell are you tryin¡¯ to deliberately cause problems? ¡­Ahh! Hey!! Your still pissed because you couldn¡¯t vent on the folks who messed with Benny the other day, aren¡¯t you!?¡±

    Ugh. N-No way, t-that¡¯s n-not true!

    ¡°¡­No? I just want to enjoy a thrilling situation for a bit.¡±

    Once I averted my face, he grabbed my head and forced it his way.

    ¡°G-I-R-L-Y!! Aren¡¯t you actually the delinquent adventurer here? Do you understand what your sayin¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Y-You¡¯re wrong!¡±

    ¡°Acting all cute only at times like this won¡¯t get you anywhere!¡±

    He used an iron w on me!!

    ¡°Gyaaaah!!¡±

    £ª

    In the end, I queued up together with Sword.

    ¡­And as predictable, nothing happened. Boooooh!

    ¡°I miss out on all the standard events with you! It¡¯s not like I¡¯m nning to torture anyone, okay? I just want to enjoy the situation! The situation! Look! Aren¡¯t those guys over there like the perfect specimen for causing one of the events I desire!? I also want to have some fun while you enjoy your Bronko! ¡­Ouch!¡±

    He hit my head with his fist!

    ¡°Aren¡¯t youpletely n¡¯ utterly lookin¡¯ down on life!? You¡¯re ¡¯bout the only person in this world who¡¯d get involved with ill-bred folks on purpose!¡±

    ¡°I mean, Sword, even you¡¯d be able to fully enjoy adventuring if you started to have some fun with such situations while blocking your reception of malicious intentions, you know? As if I¡¯d care what kind of malice they embrace when they pick a fight with me! Instead, I want them toe at me! I¡¯ll use all of them for my own entertainment!¡±

    ¡°No, I have more than enough of a st with ridin¡¯ Bronko, ¡®kay?¡±

    What a boring and dull guy he is!! He¡¯spletely unsuited for being an adventurer!

    ¡°¡­You know, you¡¯re perfectly suited to be an inhabitant of the other world. You made a mistake in your birthce, really. The world over there was overrun with guys who enjoyed a reserved life like you do.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­I also had an inklin¡¯ that it might be the case after hearin¡¯ you talk ¡¯bout that ce. They¡¯ve got vehicles like Bronko or Char, liquor that¡¯s better than the one I¡¯m drinkin¡¯ these days ismonce, and there¡¯s almost no difference between the rich n¡¯ poor, right? I definitely prefer the world over there.¡±

    Hero of the lower middle-ss¡­pfft, hahaha.

    The instant I thought that, he immediately grabbed my mouth!

    ¡°Mmmpf mmmpf!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s damn obvious from your face what your thinkin¡¯.¡±

    £ª

    Atst our turn came, and we showed our adventurer cards.

    The government official immediately straightened his posture! On top of that, he saluted!

    ¡°Sir ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿! Wee to our fine city! We would have let you through right away if only you had called out to us, so please do so next time! Please call out to us!¡±

    I was dumbfounded. While I gawped at him with my mouth gaping, Sword looked troubled. The people around us became super noisy, too.

    Just when I wondered whether they¡¯d start protesting our permission to cut the line, many of them started to say, ¡°He said Sir ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿¡­!¡±

    ¡°No, I formed a party. This girl here is my partner, ¡®kay? Please call us ¡¾Allrounders¡¿ from now on.¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­¡­¡­?¡±

    For some reason, the peanut gallery was lost for words.

    Huh? What¡¯s the matter? Is Allrounders a bad name? Though I thought that it¡¯s a fairly decent name?

    ¡°Is our name so uncool?¡± I asked while tilting my head.

    Coming to his senses, the official furiously shook his head, ¡°N-Not at all! B-But¡­it might have been better to include the alias of Sir ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿ in the party name¡­¡±

    This time it was my turn to shake my head furiously.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to have anything to do with such an uncool name!!¡±

    In the next moment, I received another iron w!!

    ¡°I also like Allrounders. It¡¯s a namin¡¯ that fits <strong>us</strong> very well.¡± He talked to the official,pletely unperturbed by my loudints.

    The official was startled!

    We passed through the gate while Sword dragged me along with his iron w. After we left the gate area, he finally let go of me.

    After stroking my head, I lifted my face, just to be surprised.

    It¡¯s fantasy!! A fantastic world out of a m?rchen!!

    ¡°¡­Ooohhh!¡±

    Swordughed, ¡°Oh, finally curiosity has kicked in, eh?¡±

    ¡°Yep! This is a sight just how I had imagined it to be!¡±

    The roads were maintained and even though they were frequented by carriages, there was enough space. The pedestrians weren¡¯t filthy either. The buildings were tall. Moreover, instead of being simple, square houses with holes in them, the buildings were ornamented with wood and stones, and their windows were properly made out of wood or ss.

    Not an assortment of leftover, wild trees, but nts that had been systematically nted colored the cityscape. The river flowing through the city allowed for a guess that the city also might possess water and sewer services.

    ¡°Yep! It totally looks like a sanitary city!¡±

    ¡°Well, if youpare it to the towns we visited so far¡­¡± Sword mumbled.

    Once I looked at him, he smiled bitterly, ¡°But, to be blunt,pared to our mansion, it¡¯s no different from all the towns we¡¯ve visited until now. It ain¡¯t at a level you¡¯d approve of.¡±

    I see¡­¡­..

    Then they should prepare themselves for a substantial price reduction.

 Chapter 85

    We wandered past the various street stalls without buying anything.

    ¡°I see! Mmh, mmh, I see, I see!¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Found somethin¡¯ of interest?¡±

    ¡°I did! There¡¯s an abundance of different types of strongly fragrant and tongue-whetting leaves and nuts!¡±

    I was unable to easily get my hands on different spices in Ys and the earldom. I was told by Bennyboy that he¡¯d get some for me, but I felt like buying them here to give them a try first.

    ¡°Excuse me, prettydy, I¡¯d like a little bit of all these kinds. How much does it cost?¡±

    Sword was taken aback.

    ¡°Oh my, you silly thing! Despite looking so young, you¡¯re quite the experienced smooth talker, aren¡¯t you? So you want all types?¡±

    ¡°Yep. I love cooking, and you see, I had a strong feeling that I¡¯d be able to make great food if I used these!¡± 1

    Having an extended talk with the sturdy-built stall owner who was in her forties, I got her to tell me what taste the different spices had and for which dishes they were suited the most before buying samples of all types.

    Sword paid for it, but only then the stalldy noticed his existence.

    ¡°S-Sir ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿!?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Sword of the party ¡¾Allrounders¡¿. This one here is my partner. He may look like this, but he¡¯s an amazin¡¯ cook who can whip up dishes that¡¯d make the royal family¡¯s cooks scurry to the winds. We might regrlye to buy at your ce, so please take care of us then, ¡®kay?¡±

    ¡°O-Of course! I-I¡¯d be more than d-delighted to do so!¡±

    The stalldy immediately became scared stiff.

    ¡°Miss, there¡¯s no need to be so tense around us. Sword is a good guy, despite his rougher outward appearance, so you¡¯ll be fine talking with him normally as long as you don¡¯t send any malicious intents his way, okay? It seems like he¡¯s done some great things, but that was long ago, even before I was born¡­ou-ouuuch!¡±

    An iron w descended upon me once again!

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to tell you, ¡®kay? But it wasn¡¯t that long ago, you know? You just didn¡¯t hear ¡¯bout it since you were cooped up indoors all the time.¡±

    Eh? So it was a story that took ce at a time I had already been born¡­?

    He grabbed the scruff of my neck.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright for you to be normal ¡¯round us, just as he says. We¡¯re simple customers. ¡­This fellow has a honey mouth, but he¡¯s extremely rude and tends to blurt out stuff that pisses off folk to no end, so please try to look past his shenanigans as much as possible. He¡¯s got no evil intent. Probably.¡±

    While the stalldy was repeatedly bowing, I said, ¡°See you again, miss.¡±

    I casually waved my hand, but while being dragged away by the scruff of my neck.

    ¡°Hey, how old do you think I am!?¡± Sword roared at me after the stall wasn¡¯t in sight anymore.

    ¡°Hmm¡­it¡¯s hard to tell the age of life-forms in this world. Going by the standards of the other world, you¡¯d long passed your thirties. Yep, I¡¯d guess you¡¯re something around forty?¡±

    Sword froze. No, it¡¯s better to call it petrified.

    ¡­¡­Oops, it looks like I went a little too high with my estimate.

    ¡°Umm¡­anti-aging technologies are quite advanced in the other world, you see? I¡¯d estimate the young man over there to be around thirty.¡± I pointed at a youth walking in front of us.

    ¡°Ah, so it¡¯s not like your judgmentbels me as old.¡± Sword¡¯s petrification was lifted.

    ¡°¡­By the way, how old are you?¡±

    Silence followed my timid question. After a painfully long spell of quietness, he whispered,

    ¡°¡­¡­25.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I got it. I¡¯ll create some beauty products. I forgot that being an adventurer is a job where you¡¯re often exposed to the sun. Sunlight consists of several light rays. Some of them are also harmful to the human body. If you keep exposing your skin to them, it gets burned by those rays and ultimately hurts. The skin tries to resist those sun rays, resulting in an elerated aging. Since some of the sun rays are also necessary for your body, it¡¯d be bad to avoid all sunlight, but as with everything else, keeping it moderate matters. Alright, I¡¯ll do my best to normalize your skin again, okay?¡± I rattled down in a hurry.

    Sword seemed to be on the verge of crying.

    Sorry, I didn¡¯t expect you to be so young. You gave me a dad-like impression. Until now, that is. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve thought that various things might have withered away, though¡­

    ¡°I¡¯ve been regrly drinkin¡¯ healing potions, you know?¡± He appealed with a tear-choked voice.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to tell you, but <strong>skin aging</strong> is a normal cell reaction. For this reason, healing potions won¡¯t help with beautiful skin. It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ve asked the pharmacist to teach me various things for this very asion. And now is the perfect time to test the results of all my studying!¡±

    It¡¯s fine. We¡¯re in the capital, a ce that¡¯s overflowing with all kinds of resources, items, and products.

    ¡­Having said that, it¡¯s impossible to obtain Vitamin-C derivatives and W377 in this world. And as might be expected, I don¡¯t know how to make them either.

    Resveratols seem to be good as well, but I¡¯ve heard that you can only get grapes from the big farming nation¡­

    So it¡¯s only ceramides, huh¡­? Well, it¡¯s still better than not tending to your skin at all, I suppose. Then again, it¡¯d be scary if he suddenly had weirdly beautiful skin.

 Chapter 86

    I grabbed Sword¡¯s hand and pulled the ball of depression along, walking around for a bit longer. And on the way I justified my line of thinking.

    ¡°Look, you¡¯re rtively calm for your age, aren¡¯t you? In the other world, men at your age get seduced by any women theye across, even if they know that those women are honey traps. You didn¡¯t feel perturbed when seeing me naked either. That¡¯s why I thought you had reached an age where you¡¯re used to such things. Once men pass their thirties, they grow ustomed to female bodies, and they stop getting jumpy when they see them, you know?¡±

    ¡°¡­No, well, I doubt anyone would show a reaction to your body, though?¡±

    WHAT!?! How terrible of him.

    And here I was trying to console him! I¡¯m not quite sure about this world, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to find people with a fetish for loli bodies over here as well! There were some among the leg fetishists! And the small-breasts faction!

    After grunting something akin to an approval, Sword scratched his head, ¡°¡­Your right. Your a woman, and you probably bathed together with me because you thought I was close in age to your father. I s¡¯pose your belief of us having a big age difference led to thement about you not considerin¡¯ me a guy, huh?¡±

    ¡°No, that was unrted to our difference in age. It¡¯s because you don¡¯t look at me with horny eyes.¡±

    ¡°¡­I think that would apply to most guys, though?¡±

    SHUT IT!!!

    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ve understood that anti-aging is important. I thought that the number of guys using such products was low, but maybe surprisingly many guys applied them in secrecy in the other world. I¡¯ll use medical creams and also adjust my diet suitably. I can¡¯t afford to be careless either.¡±

    ¡°You? Isn¡¯t that way too early?¡±

    ¡°What are you saying? Just starting with anti-aging early is already going to have an effect. I haven¡¯t used medical creams or some such to take care of my skin, but I¡¯ve been shutting out £ÛUV£Ý, you know?¡±

    ¡°Haaah!?¡±

    ¡°I have absorbed the harmful sun rays with magic elements and scattered them with magic, which is the reason for my pretty, white skin, you see?¡±

    Sword stared at me with his mouth agape, ¡°You¡­I had already wondered why you didn¡¯t get any sunburns and thought that it might have to do with you havin¡¯ been a noble, and yet you¡¯ve been doin¡¯ somethin¡¯ like that¡­!?¡±

    You¡¯re saying something that¡¯s simr to denying nobles being humans.

    ¡°Even nobles get sunburns. They¡¯re humans just like you, after all. What matters the most is how often you¡¯re exposed to sunlight, and right after, what measures of prevention and skin care you use.¡±

    ¡°Let me do it as well. Please!¡± He clung to me.

    £ª

    We looked around the other stalls and did some shopping over the next few hours. There was also a liquor stall. It was a novel sight for me, but¡­

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­Okay?¡±

    I got a dreadful feeling from what was being sold there. This has¡­ a somewhat dangerous smell. Is that stuff really safe?

    Once I looked back at Sword, he smiled wryly, ¡°This is normal. If your unlucky, you can also run into booze that¡¯s undrinkable thanks to its bitterness and sourness.¡±

    ¡°Ah, then it just has turned into something else after having fermented too much, I¡¯d say.¡±

    ¡­But, certainly! Fermented food might be great for the body, but just as some germs are good for the body, others are bad! If it¡¯s full of only bad germs, it¡¯ll naturally upset your stomach!

    £ª

    After touring the stalls, we went to the adventurer guild.

    Somehow we got weed there in an exuberant friendly way. They were so humble that I thought I stepped into the wrong ce.

    The receptionist called the guildmaster, and we were shown into the most luxurious room to date.

    When Sword was shown the deferred requests, he flew into a rage, snarling with the voice of a mafia gang member, ¡°¡­This ain¡¯t anythin¡¯ I gotta do. This one neither. Rather, did you make a mistake in the piles of documents? Isn¡¯t this pile here full of weird shit?¡±

    Hearing himining like that, I also took a peek.

    It was all stuff like ¡ºAttend the birthday party of Earl X¡» or ¡ºEscort Marquis X to his marchesse¡».

    Yep, figures. Sword would get pissed at that.

    £ª

    ¡°I can take care of those if it¡¯s okay for me to torture and ughter them if they take an attitude with me, you know?¡±

    Both men froze.

    ¡°Haha¡­ha¡­you¡¯re saying some funny things, young boy.¡± The guildmaster answered in a manner of seeminglyughing but then again, not for real.

    ¡°You think she¡¯s kiddin¡¯ around? You¡¯ve seen her rank, right? She¡¯s already A-Rank at this age. Much faster than me, you know?¡±

    The guildmaster¡¯s strained, artificialughter disappeared.

    ¡°She¡¯s someone who walks ¡¯round while wearin¡¯ arrogance like a dress. She never got injured or lost either. You believe a brat, who¡¯spletely lookin¡¯ down on life, would bow her eyes to the likes of mere nobles? It¡¯s in as day that they¡¯d look down on her as ¡ºLuggage Carrier¡» with a condescendin¡¯ attitude. I don¡¯t really wanna watch how this girl here peels off their skin in response, okay? We¡¯re definitely turnin¡¯ down all requests for escorts and party attendances.¡±

    ¡°You just don¡¯t need to watch? It¡¯s okay. No matter what I do to them, I¡¯ll patch them back up, no problem. The folks, who used my healing potions and medicines, have been sending me letters of thanks and responses to my questionnaires.¡± I informed him with a cheerful smile while throwing out my chest and hitting it with a hand, ¡°Just leave everything to me! I¡¯ll make sure to train the super cheeky guys to a level where they¡¯ll happily lick the soles of my shoes! To the extent that they wouldn¡¯t even imagine in their wildest dreams to send malicious intent your way! ¡­Gyaaaah!¡±

    Another iron w!

    ¡°Hey, you still wanna pass ¡ºthese requests¡» to me? Then I¡¯ll bring ¡¯bout the results desired by you together with this girl, ¡®kay?¡±

    The guildmaster withdrew the documents in a hurry.

    £ª

    How boooring. Certainly it¡¯s very likely that I¡¯d have been treated horribly at a noble¡¯s party or while working as a guard, but that¡¯s also exciting in itself. After all, it¡¯d totally match what you¡¯d call a ¡ºtemte development¡»!

    But, it looks like I be too talkative once I be excited. I readily bbed about things I should have kept to myself. As a result, it proceeded into the temte development of nothing happening, except for me suffering from Sword¡¯s iron w.

    Even though I always promise myself to keep my trap shut¡­

    When I swung my legs around on the chair while booing, I got kicked by Sword.

    (Note: ¡ºLuggage Carrier¡» is an upation. Their task is to follow adventurers around while carrying their baggage. It¡¯s amon urrence for debt ves to be used for that sort of work. Usually the guild takes care of organizing carriers for adventurers above average. The adventurers have to guarantee the lives of the luggage carriers. If they let them die, the adventurers will be forced to pay a penalty and shoulder the debts, if the carriers used to be debt ves.

    It¡¯s not like there exist absolutely no frence luggage carriers though. Adventurers with strong legs and loins, who can¡¯t fight for one reason or another, do it, and it often happens that veteran adventurers make rookies carry their stuff if they take them along.

    For all these reasons, the job of a luggage carrier is regarded as a lowly job.)

 Chapter 87

    Sword resolutely declined an invitation to what would have be simr to avish reception, and we headed over to Bennyboy¡¯s location. Bennyboy had apparently rented out a house for us in the outskirts of the city.

    When we arrived at our destination, Bennyboy was standing in front of what appeared to be a mansion.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve been waiting for you!¡± He waved his hand energetically.

    ¡°Yo, everything¡¯s alright on your end?¡±

    ¡°Thanks to you, somehow, is the feeling I get! Anyway, we were under attack throughout almost all of our journey! Man, it was really tough, but luckily we had Char with us. Thanks to him, it was no problem to repel all attackers!¡±

    ¡°I see. It sure sounds like you had lots of fun.¡±

    Uuhh, it makes me totally jelly! I also want to try to repel attackers with Char!

    As I thought that, Bennyboy cast a cold re at me, and said¡­

    ¡°Lady Indra, you might be a genius, but you¡¯ve got way too many screws loose in your head.¡±

    ¡­or something like that¡­

    ¡°Oh, yes! The theft prevention for Bronko is awesome! I leaped to my feet in the middle o¡¯ the night.¡±

    Yep, bikes are prone to get stolen. My otherworld self had hers stolen as well. That¡¯s why I added a theft prevention function to the Bronkos.

    If a person, who¡¯s not registered for rental, tries to touch the handle and move the bike, an rm will ring with a loud roar, and the thief will be stunned by electricity magic through the handle. That¡¯s no offensive magic, okay? It¡¯s prim and proper crime prevention magic!

    It sounds like Bennyboy managed to catch several thieves with this function. Still, I wonder, why do I never experience such interesting fun events¡­?

    Well, partly it might be because the Ryokus have been patrolling and guarding our vicinity, I suppose.

    £ª

    Before entering the mansion, cleaning came first.

    ¡°Holy smokes!¡± Ben cried out in surprise, but I just cast magic to sterilize, clean, and dry, as well as a spell to blow out all the dust. That was all.

    Bennyboy was dumbstruck, ¡°¡­The hell was that just now?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I told you to not underestimate Indra¡¯s obsession with cleanliness. She¡¯s someone who¡¯ll start bbin¡¯ ¡¯bout campin¡¯ out in the wild being much better than stayin¡¯ at an inn. Just now she used her standard cleanin¡¯ magic for when we live in rented houses or inn rooms. The rooms be so shiny that it¡¯d even shock nobles.¡± Sword exined with a worn-out tone.

    ¡°I¡¯m perfectly fine with camping out. But, Sword can¡¯t settle down in the wild, it seems. To be honest, I think it¡¯s a waste of money to pay for rooms, but¡­¡± I sighed deeply.

    Bennyboy lined himself up next to me, dering to Sword, ¡°Only this time I¡¯m on Lady Indra¡¯s side!¡±

    Sword looked at Bennyboy full of surprise.

    ¡°To be frank, I¡¯ve been staying over at inns for appearance¡¯s sake. Those guys have spent their nights in Char, always telling me that they want to save on the inn fees or some other usible stories. For this reason, they¡¯ve bought magic stones or gone out to hunt monsters for magic stones. I confronted them about it being cheaper to stay in an inn in such a case, but only got to hear that they had be unable to stay at cheap inns once they experienced thefort of Char.¡±

    Makes sense. I mean, since it¡¯s no car, there¡¯s no worry about using up the battery by spending the night in the car, and I have set up the sofas inside with a bed function by pushing down the backrest.

    There¡¯s something simr to Urethane foam among monster materials. I¡¯ve used that for the seats, so it should be quite nice to sleep on them since it¡¯s a rtively soft material. If they squeeze together, sleeping inside with four should be possible, I think.

    ¡°Well, you¡¯ve got a point there, but¡­I gotta keep face as well. An S-Rank adventurer always campin¡¯ out will be seen as bein¡¯ stingy on the inn expenses, right?¡±

    So that¡¯s the reason, huh? That¡¯s why he¡¯s going for inns with excessively high prices.

    £ª

    After going inside, Bennyboy gave us a report on the auction.

    ¡°Really, you¡¯ll be totally shocked if you hear this! Rather, I was astonished myself as well!¡±

    First the auction items were appraised. It looks like the standard temte of any fantasy story, <strong>Appraisal</strong>, actually exists in this world as well.

    Seriously, that totally screams fantasy!! I wanna learn it as well!!

    ¡­Anyway, as soon as they knew that the item was not fake, thanks to the appraisal, the item received an authentication certificate. They drew up a gorgeous certificate parchment with a few keywords, a stamp, and a sales pitch provided by Bennyboy.

    At that time, they figured out from my name Indra and my attribute former noble that I used to be the daughter of Earl Springcoat. After also investigating the gossip (actually the truth) I spread back in a distant, distant past, my liquor was introduced as product of a ¡ºThe Tragic Genius Daughter of an Earl¡». Even that alone was already plenty to bait lots of people, but once I was further introduced as a sessful partner of the S-Rank adventurer ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿, the auction hall went abuzz.

    One bottle of wine went for 60 gold, one bottle of whiskey for 80 gold, and one bottle of brandy for 90 gold. A bundle of five liquors, which also included ale and cider, was sold on thest auction day and went for 320 gold per set.

    All of the bottles were handed over in cooling boxes with handwritten cards from me, titled ¡ºRyo¡¯s Fantastic Way of Drinking!¡»

    And then one of the buyers started a sampling event (apparently they took money for the participation), and poprity of my liquor went through the roof. Bennyboy immediately became a star merchant, and all kinds of people swooped down on him in droves, requesting to do business with him.

    ¡­And yet he¡¯s standing so nonchntly in front of this house?

    £ª

    ¡°The wheat honey was immediately sold out. The liquor inquiries were incredible, but after I exined that it required careful storing, time, and awesome, advanced magic to reach its taste, I got people to give up on it.¡±

    Nobles, who had heard of the liquor, tried to get information out of Bennyboy in all kinds of ways, iming that it should be attempted with their breweries and wineries, but it¡¯s not like Bennyboy knows how to make my liquor.

    ¡°I boasted: I¡¯ve only heard that storing the liquor is super difficult, and that the means of transportation is very simple and prompt¡­ Oh, and Lady Indra is an amazing magician, and a great sorceress! So the liquor can¡¯t be made by anyone but her!¡±

    Saying things that wouldn¡¯t even count as an answer, he brushed them off.

    ¡°I see. It must have been tough on you. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re exhausted from all this. I guess we should have a celebration party today then.¡±

    ¡°Yahooooo!¡±

    Bennyboy was obviously all in favor.

    Business as usual with you, I¡¯d say. In a certain sense, you¡¯re truly a fine, young man.

    ¡°Is it okay for me to invite those guys over as well?¡±

    ¡°Of course. There¡¯s some dishes I¡¯d like you guys to sample, so I look forward to your impressions.¡±

    Sword smiled wryly, but didn¡¯t say anything.

    Yep, I¡¯ve finally gotten Sword to understand that testers are indispensable for human experiments.

 Chapter 88

    In the evening Pale Moon of Dawn arrived in Char. Sword and Bennyboy went to take a bath, and then drank some ale ahead of the party.

    That¡¯s fine with me, but well¡­

    ¡°Nice to see you again after such a long time, Your Grace Indra!¡±

    Pale Moon of Dawn immediately came to me for greetings.

    ¡°Hey, you guys are truly quickly topletely change your allegiance, aren¡¯t you!? Greetin¡¯ Indra before me, and then even go all honorary on her!?¡±, said Sword with a sulky voice.

    ¡°Well, I mean¡­right, everyone?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re indebted to His Grace for sooo many things, and it¡¯s going to continue from now on as well.¡±

    ¡°The feast and liquor will be all provided by His Grace, so courtesy is a given!¡±

    ¡°I wanna rent out Bronko a bit more! I am His Grace¡¯s ve!¡±

    Sword rolled his eyes.

    ¡°Now, now, don¡¯t be so hard on them. They must have worked hard to guard Bennyboy. That¡¯s why we have this celebration party. But, first. Enter the bath, okay?¡±

    You guys stink.

    ¡°¡±¡±¡±Okaaaay¡­¡±¡±¡±¡±

    It looks like I hurt their feelings. But why? It¡¯s not like I voiced it out, or did I?

    ¡°Oh right! There¡¯s something I¡¯d like the women to try out!¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    I made lotions and oils.

    Lowering my voice, I whispered to the two, ¡°¡­As a matter of fact, adventurers are often exposed to sunlight, and the skin easily dries out from that, right? A while ago¡­I offended Sword a bit by making a careless remark, you see? So I made these beauty products here.¡±

    The two audibly swallowed.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like they¡¯re going to show their effect right away¡­ But, it¡¯s still better than nothing, so I made them with the idea that it¡¯d be nice to have some skin care. Could I have you two test them for me? It¡¯s a human experiment. No, I guess that¡¯s a misleading way to phrase it. You¡¯ll be testers. Please apply these on your skin and tell me about the progress of your skin. However, if you feel like your skin is getting worse, stop it at once, and inform me. I¡¯ll give you a remedy I prepared just in case.¡±

    ¡°¡±Huh?¡±¡±

    They seemed to draw back a bit, but in the end their curiosity won out, and they agreed to test the beauty products for me.

    £ª

    Immediately after they left the bath, I could hear noisy footsteps, and then found myself being embraced.

    ¡°Indraaaaa!¡±

    ¡°Sell! Sell them to me! I¡¯ll buy them at your asking price!¡±

    I¡¯m being hugged here by the two while they¡¯re only wearing their underwear¡­

    Also, the two were small, but the parts supposed to stick out were properly bulging. Remembering my own two breasts cast a distant look into my eyes.

    The guys¡­ah, not Sword, however¡­are staring our way with their eyes wide open.

    ¡°How did it go? Going by your actions, it already had an effect, I guess?¡±

    ¡°Yep! It¡¯s incredible! My skin is all springy!¡±

    ¡°The pores disappeared! And the skin has be whiter!¡±

    ¡°I see. I¡¯m d to hear that. Sword didn¡¯t tell me anything¡­¡±

    Is it because of their youth? Does the restorative effect of the products work better the younger the user?

    ¡°Bah, your thinkin¡¯ somethin¡¯ rude ¡®gain, aren¡¯t you!?¡±

    At once I got yelled at by Sword. Is this guy an esper or something?

    £ª

    We toasted with everyone.

    And then, a bitter, Bennyboy told me, ¡°Somehow a reeeally appetizing smell is hangin¡¯ in the air, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°True. As you¡¯d expect of the capital; it¡¯s got a bounty of spices! It¡¯s a menu using those spices! There are several dishes, but the main dish is the £ÛCurry£Ý over here. ¡­Let¡¯s see, you can call it ¡ºSpicy Stew¡». Please eat it while putting it on this tbread.¡±

    All the members of Pale Moon of Dawn looked my way when I said that.

    ¡°¡­¡­Umm? It¡¯s just a guess, but has all of this possibly been cooked by you, Your Grace?¡±

    ¡°No need to guess, you know? Even the fish you ate earlier was something made by Lady Indra¡­but I didn¡¯t tell you, did I?¡±

    They all violently shook their heads.

    ¡°I was sure His Grace ordered some cooks to make it and then brought it here by using his incredible magic!¡±

    Why?

    ¡°Your Grace, you have been a noble, haven¡¯t you?¡±, asked the leader with a trembling voice. ¡°Why can you cook¡­?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m amoner right now. Besides, I told you that I made the liquor, didn¡¯t I? In addition I also made the Ryokus, Chars, and Bronkos. I simply love creating things. Well, since I used to be a noble, I¡¯m also good at sewing and embroidery, I guess. Once I gave some of my creations to the maids, they cried tears of joy and promised to keep them as family heirlooms.¡±

    It¡¯s because of the specs of this body, but I was able to finish beautiful, precise embroideries much faster than any machine could. Since I also possess magic, I already feel like I can make anything I want as long as I know about it.

    £ª

    The women looked at me with shock dyeing their faces.

    Looking at them, Bennyboy teased the two, ¡°Shine, Taylor, wouldn¡¯t it be better for you to follow Lady Indra¡¯s example? Your cooking and sewing sucks¡­¡±

    Without even being able to finish, he got punched by the two. Rest in peace, Bennyboy.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine to just make the dishes you like, when ites to cooking? Our cooks are all guys, you know? The maids have also learned how to cook, but not to the extent of being able to make a living from it. They seem to prefer sewing and embroidery. I also do it solely because I like it.¡±

    ¡°Rather, if you can do all that only because of such a reason, is there anythin¡¯ you hate?¡±, asked one of the guys.

    ¡°I¡¯d say it¡¯s listening to others, forgiveness, and going easy on someone.¡±

    Everyone pretended to not have heard anything when I answered like that.

    ¡°Come ooon! Let¡¯s toast!¡±

    ¡°¡±Cheeeers!¡±¡±

    ¡­

 Chapter 89

    Curry was one of the dishes universally loved by all people in the other world. My otherworld self often ate ¡¸Traditional Curry¡¹ when eating out, but the ones she made at home were all weird versions full of various mixed spices.

    That probably stemmed from her having liked things resembling thepounding of medicines. She also liked investigating the efficacy of a drug.

    So, using that knowledge from my otherworld self, I mixed the spices together while relying on my nose.

    I dub it: ¡ºOrc Curry Cooked in Fermented Tomatoes and Oranges¡».

    It looks really amazing, just not edible.

    By the way, I used orc meat for Sword¡¯s sake. The meat near the skin.

    Yep! It¡¯s cogen!!

    Orcs possess a skin simr to that of humans, and on top of that, their skin is quite beautiful, so I used it for the dish under the impression that it might contain a bounty of cogen and ceramide. I also made skin care oil with it.

    Obtaining a beautiful skin from in and outside is the goal here.

    In addition I served the standard garnishes of yogurt and chopped pickles, fried beans barded with spices, tandori cockatrice, and many more. I also made assi-like drink for myself since everyone else was all-liquor.

    Yes, even the women wanted liquor. But even so, all of them wolfed down the food while delighted by its taste.

    £ª

    ¡°Haa¡« If only I could marry Indra, I¡¯d be set for a rosy life¡«¡±, said one of the two women (she was called Taylor or some such) with an entranced look.

    The room froze.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m going to stay single for the rest of my life. I don¡¯t n to marry anyone, be it man or woman,¡± I answered, causing the guys to feel relieved for some reason.

    Hmm? Are they possibly all aiming for Taylor?

    Ugh, damn it! It¡¯s her tits, right!? It¡¯s because she¡¯s got nice tits, I¡¯m sure!

    ¡°Eh? Indra, you also consider guys an option?¡±, asked their leader Shine.

    ¡°I told you moments ago that neither men nor women are an option, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    What is she asking?

    ¡°Indra is originally a woman, you see?¡±

    ¡°¡±¡±¡±Eeeehhh!?¡±¡±¡±¡±

    Bennyboy, you said something outrageous there, you know? What¡¯s with the <strong>originally</strong>!? I¡¯m still a woman!

    ¡°That¡¯s why the maids at the mansion call her ¡ºLady Indra¡», and every once in a while she also crossdresses as woman.¡±

    ¡°Bennyboy, do you possibly want me to kill you?¡±

    At once he violently shook his head. Sword guffawed, drawing the looks of everyone to himself.

    After stifling hisughter, he smiled wryly, ¡°Well, she is a woman. It¡¯s just easy to forget.¡±

    ¡°¡±¡±¡±Eeeehhh!?¡±¡±¡±¡±

    ¡°A tragic noble¡¯s daughter, right.¡±

    Aah¡­that¡¯s the source, huh? Well, I did spread it at a party in the past. Though I believed that story had already been long forgotten.

    ¡°That hair¡­¡± Taylor pointed a trembling finger at my head.

    ¡°Oh¡­this is, you see, a story perfectly fitting for a tragic noble¡¯s daughter, I suppose. In the past, when I was still nobility, I was shunned by the guy who marched into my home after my mother died. I couldn¡¯t get him to even fork over a single copper. Of course my hair didn¡¯t care about that and grew out. Usually my status would have allowed me to call over a professional hairdresser to cut it for me, but naturally that guy didn¡¯t call anyone like that for me, and I didn¡¯t have any money to call one myself either. Therefore I asked the girl, who had arrived together with that guy, to cut it for me. For the sake of not making it obvious that it had been messily cut by the hands of a child, I had her cut it short.¡±

    The room froze, except for Sword, whomented, ¡°When we met, you imed that it was for an easier washin¡¯ of your hair though.¡±

    ¡°Yep, that¡¯s another point.¡± I nodded.

    ¡°Heck, you¡¯ve really had a tough time there, Lady Indra.¡±

    Out of your mouth, Bennyboy, it doesn¡¯t sound like a tough time at all.

    £ª

    Everyone ate up all the dishes, spelling the end of the party. Using magic, I immediately washed all the tableware. And while at it, I also cleaned the room.

    The leader, a mage, gawped at that.

    ¡°¡­¡­ Somehow¡­I feel like I¡¯ve just seen something impossible?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. No need to lose heart. I can¡¯t do it either. Neither can ¡¾Bloody Witch¡¿. That¡¯s her original magic.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Oh, I see,¡± said Shin after getting consoled by Sword.

    ¡°Yep. In exchange, I can¡¯t use some of the magic you guys use. That¡¯s why we¡¯re even.¡±

    When I consoled her as well, she blinked her eyes in surprise, and thenughed.

    £ª

    Everyone stayed the night. We had enough rooms for them. Though the members of Pale Moon of Dawnmented, ¡°Hmm, a hard bed for the first time in a while, huh?¡±

    Sword and Iid out a memory foam mattress and slept underneath a duvet, however.

    I mean, it¡¯d be ufartably hard otherwise, right?

 Chapter 90

    On the next day, Bennyboy brought the money from the auction sell-out.

    ¡°Usually we go with a rate of 6 to 4 or 7 to 3, but this time you covered most of the expenses, so we¡¯ll go with a rate of 8 to 2!¡±

    Thus, our stock of gold coins grew once again. But, since this money is the crystallization of the brewing team¡¯s hard work, I¡¯ll note it down in the ount book and then use it for future financing.

    The environment is definitely essential for good liquor, but good raw materials are at its root! So this money is going to be used for obtaining those materials, and also to pay back Sword who has funded the production so far.

    ¡°I¡¯ll head back to Ys while stocking up, but what are you guys nning to do?¡±

    I exchanged a look with Sword.

    ¡°Well, we¡¯ve got a dungeon trip ahead of us, I¡¯d say.¡±

    ¡°It sounds like I¡¯ll be able to enjoy myself quite a bit.¡±

    Bennyboy looked surprised, ¡°Eeeh!? The dungeon in the capital!? You mean the one which no one has fully explored thus far, right!?¡±

    I nodded.

    ¡°We¡¯ve stocked around one year worth of provisions. We¡¯ve also stocked water just in case, but then again, I can create water anyway.¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­water produced through magic isn¡¯t drinkable, is it?¡±

    ¡°Naturally, since it¡¯s 100% pure water. But, if you put stones and ash into it in advance, it bes drinkable over time.¡±

    Sword shook his head, ¡°Your right, the water made with ¡ºmagic we use¡» isn¡¯t drinkable. But, you can drink the water created by her magic. When we ran out of water durin¡¯ our travels and no river was nearby, I drank the water created by her.¡±

    ¡°In the first ce, do you understand why it¡¯s raining?¡±

    When I tried to exin the mechanism behind it¡­

    ¡°No, but it¡¯s okay. As long as I understand that you can do godlike things, Lady Indra, it¡¯s plenty for me.¡±

    ¡­I got interrupted.

    But yep, he doesn¡¯t get it at all, does he? I¡¯m no goddess, okay? It follows an underlying principle, you know?¡±

    £ª

    ¡°Please take care of the spices and grain, okay?¡±

    ¡°I know! I also got an idea about the grain you were desiring, Lady Indra!¡±

    Ooohhh! For real!?

    I want rice, and thus I requested him to look for something simr to it. I also told him that I¡¯d buy up any other unusual grains he might find, but it looks like he got a lead on my first and foremost desire, rice.

    I¡¯m looking forward to it!

    £ª

    After bidding farewell to Bennyboy and Pale Moon of Dawn, we headed to the adventurer guild. We nned to clean up some of the pending requests.

    ¡°It ain¡¯t urgent, but this one here can only be done by me, I guess. The rest is also doable by B-Ranks.¡±

    Sword said after choosing¡­

    Wyvern!

    Wyveeeeeern!

    ¡°Oohh, so you¡¯ve finally grasped what adventuring is about, eh!?¡± I shouted, just to getughed at by Sword.

    The guildmaster blinked his eyes in surprise.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Sounds interestin¡¯ ¡¯nuff, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course! Wyverns are a standard monster! Theories about its meat tasting good or bad are split, though. Which applies here?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s delicious. Its scales are tough, but¡­well, your skin is harder, I guess,¡± said Sword, making it sound like my skin was made out of metal.

    ¡°Just what are you saying about such beautiful skin?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a superbly hard stone skin, so you won¡¯t suffer a single scratch, is what I¡¯m sayin¡¯,¡± I got retorted by Sword. 1

    £ª

    ¡°Once this request is over, we¡¯ll dive into the dungeon. You can already register us without a time limit.¡±

    The guildmaster widened his eyes, ¡°Are you possibly¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah, together with this girl here, I¡¯ll be able to go all the way, I think. Ah, let me tell you in advance, but we won¡¯t save anyone on the way, ¡®kay? We¡¯re not goin¡¯ in to rescue folks but to travel the dungeon, after all.¡±

    ¡°I know that. Please leave it to me. I¡¯ll announce it ahead of time!¡±

    The guildmaster was terribly gung-ho about this.

    ¡°Hmm, aren¡¯t you quite into it? As I expected, a dungeon exploration is a fairly thrilling event for adventurers, huh?¡±

    Sword and the guildmaster looked at each other when I asked, and broke out intoughter.

    ¡°¡­You¡¯ve got quite the guts. That¡¯s the partner of ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿ for you. I¡¯ve taken a liking to you.¡±

    Eh? Why?

    ¡°Is that so¡­? I¡¯m not all that excited about dungeons, though. However, it might be different when ites to the demon king¡¯s castle¡­¡±

    This caused the guildmaster to be dumbfounded. Sword roughly stroked my head.

    ¡°ording to this girl here, dungeons are attractions created by the dungeon cores, or somethin¡¯ like that, right? Anyway, since I¡¯ve got no proof to reject it, I¡¯ll go along with that story n¡¯ enjoy the capital¡¯s dungeon. She also mentioned that if we ask the demon king to let us y and tell him that we¡¯re not nnin¡¯ to kill him, he might humor us.¡±

    After pping his mouth like a fish on drynd while looking dumbstruck, the guildmaster burst intoughter.

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s really amazing! For some reason it has made me all excited, too!¡±

    ¡°Right? I believe that adventurer is an upation where you get a thrill out of exploring the unknown. Sword thinks too much like a petty bourgeois despite being an adventurer himself, so I¡¯m quite troubled since he doesn¡¯t enjoy hims¡­gyaaahh!¡±

    My head got ground from both sides by his fists.

    ¡°Sorry for bein¡¯ a petty bourgeois. And yet, I¡¯m still a hero, just so you know.¡±

    ¡°Calling yourself a hero, pfft haha¡­gyaaahh!¡±

    My temples got ground once again. Meanwhile the guildmaster was guffawing.

    Don¡¯tugh! Stop Sword instead!

 Chapter 91

    ¡°If your with me, my image goes down the drain!!¡± Sword thundered at me.

    ¡°In the first ce, it¡¯s in weird to worry about your image ever since you clung to me and apologized while bawling like a little kid. Aren¡¯t people treating you super casually anyway in ces like Ys?¡±

    ¡°That ce houses many acquaintances who know me since my beginner days. Many of ¡¯em haven¡¯t quite realized that I¡¯ve be an S-Rank adventurer, and thus they haven¡¯t changed their ways, treatin¡¯ me like normal! But, I¡¯ve got quite an image to uphold in other towns and cities like the capital!¡±

    Reaaaally? Oh well, whatever.

    ¡°Take me for an example, I don¡¯t pretend to be anyone other than myself, so I¡¯ll keep things like that.¡±

    ¡°No, you should pretend a bit more, you know? Ah, but sometimes you actually do. I mean, what the hell was up with that actin¡¯ towards the spice-sellin¡¯dy the other day? Also, sometimes you shower the guild¡¯s receptionists withpliments. Isn¡¯t that no different from a womanizing swindler?¡±

    ¡°I act in such a way when I¡¯m looking to get a freebie from the other party. I also do it with men, but it¡¯s not as effective as it is with women.¡±

    Wouldn¡¯t it be awful to have a beautiful girl call out to you with a smile and then having something shady done to you by her?

    ¡°Bein¡¯ called ¡ºhandsomed¡» by a brat ain¡¯t anythin¡¯ but shady.¡±

    Hmm? Did he say something?

    £ª

    A wyvern subjugation! It gets my blood pumping, but not to the extent of a dragon.

    ¡°Have you ever subjugated a wyvern?¡±

    ¡°Just once. Well, I got lucky. ¡­Those things can fly, so they immediately scoot if they¡¯re at a disadvantage. Because I had a spear with me by chance, I was able to take it down with a throw.¡±

    A long throw, huh? Then again, the dragon knight of a certain RPG performs such a jump that it makes even wyverns pale, and skewers them with his spear.

    Suddenly recalling that, a question popped up in my mind.

    ¡°¡­Hmm? You¡¯re good at lightning magic, aren¡¯t you? Wouldn¡¯t it be easy to take out wyverns with a bolt or two?¡±

    In response, he thrust his hand in front of my face, ¡°First, wyverns are one of the few monsters that are immune to lightnin¡¯ spells.¡±

    Hee, I didn¡¯t know.

    ¡°Second, your lightnin¡¯ magic and regr lightnin¡¯ magic are like day and night.¡± Sword raised a third finger, ¡°Third andstly, your able to strike down lightnin¡¯ from the sky, but you see, usually no one can use lightnin¡¯ magic like that!!¡±

    I see.

    ¡°Can you use any ranged,rge-scale magic?¡±

    I got lost in deep thought when he asked me.

    ¡°Yep. Well, I won¡¯t know unless I try it out, but I¡¯ve got options. The simplest one would be £ÛNuclear Power£Ý¡­you can call it explosion magic, but if I use this, the whole area and its surroundings will be contaminated. It¡¯ll have asting effect for a super, super long time, and in case you get polluted, you¡¯ll have a condition where I can¡¯t say whether an antidote would help you fix it. By the way, this is the ¡ºBig Taboo Spell¡» I often mention.¡±

    ¡°Okay, that one¡¯s sealed.¡±

    I thought he¡¯d say so.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ve got a spell to create a vacuum. This works against living beings who need to breathe, but it won¡¯t have an effect on monsters that don¡¯t require any air, like ghouls or skeletons. And, the magic that can kill those mobs as well would be wave magic, I¡¯d say. If I shower them with several harmful waves, most monsters will fall prey to it, though I¡¯m not quite sure about mud and sand monsters. It¡¯s kinda like light magic that doesn¡¯t shine.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, the one you used back in the dungeon, right?¡±

    I nodded.

    ¡°Hmm, then this light magic of yours would be the safest approach?¡±

    I folded my arms, ¡°Well, we won¡¯t be able to loot any materials then. After all, the wyvern¡¯s body would be in a worse state than getting burned by fire. It¡¯d get vaporized, carbonized, and its intestines would even spill out of its skin.¡±

    ¡°Gotcha. Askin¡¯ you will be the final measure,¡± answered Sword.

    £ª

    Now then, how are we going to take that thing down?

    If ites to fighting airborne enemies¡­

    ¡°Yep, in the end, as a romanticist, you¡¯d go with the theory of a beautiful girl straddling a broom to fly up there.¡±

    ¡°If you can fly while straddlin¡¯ a broom, you can also fly without broom, right?¡±

    That¡¯s indeed true! But! Where¡¯s the dream in that!?

    Since it wouldn¡¯t be fun otherwise, I made a broom out of a random, nearby tree. All the while with Sword coldly staring at me as if watching the antics of a retard.

    £ª

    When I started to sing a magical girl song I recalled, Sword burst intoughter.

    ¡°Your really happy-go-lucky through and through, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯m 100% sure no one but you would head out to defeat a wyvern in such a cheerful mood.¡±

    Don¡¯t just admire me, and be cheerful yourself as well.

    £ª

    And, just as I warbled my song, the wyvern appeared. It immediately shot a fireball at us! Quite the hot-blooded one, isn¡¯t it?

    But, it was still a good distance away. It was circling high up in the sky, obviously wary of us.

    Sword shaded his eyes, looking up to the wyvern.

    ¡°Fair way up there. Hmm, what are we gonna do ¡¯bout this?¡±

    ¡°Of course, fly up!¡± I straddled my broom. ¡°Come on, toss me towards the wyvern! Like throwing a spear! Hurry, hurry!¡±

    Sword opened his mouth, but then gave up, apparently having switched his thinking.

    ¡°Oh well, whatever. You won¡¯t die from it ¡®nyway.¡±

    He lifted the broom and me up with a jerk and shouldered us.

    ¡°¡®Kay, here we go. Go n¡¯ take it down¡­¡±

    ¡°And you make sure to not miss¡­waaaaaahhh!¡±

    I flew off in a straight line with a whoosh, like a bullet.

    £ª

    I¡¯m flying on a broom. No, that¡¯s a lie. Even without a broom I¡¯d fly. But! It¡¯s quite the event anyway!

    It¡¯s that. That! That super popr fairy-tale about wizards where they fly around on brooms! This feeling of speed! The thrill! I¡¯m a SEEEEEKER!!

    £ª

    ¡­as I thought all that, I immediately arrived underneath the wyvern. The wyvern got extremely startled, freezing with its mouth agape.

    Sorry, but I¡¯ll take you down in a whiff.

    The theory for flying magicians is to defeat enemies with magic, but with this momentum, it¡¯s much faster to wrap it up with a neck chop.

    In passing, I quickly drew my wooden sword and delivered a single sh of a sh.

    ¡°¡­Haah, once again I had to cut down something boring.¡± 1

    After muttering that standard line, I swung my sword, causing a gust of wind and braking my ascent.

    So, currently I was crashing down together with the wyvern. But, on the way, I used gravity magic to slow the fall beforending safely.

    Sword came over while guffawing.

    ¡°Your the best. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯veughed this much.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so you enjoyed it! Next time you try it as well, okay?¡±

    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll do so when a wyvern crops up next time.¡±

    For a change Sword was positively interested in going along with it.

    £ª

    Given that the blood of wyverns seemed to be valuable, I bottled it up as I drained its blood. Afterwards, I washed the remains, and tossed them into my cooled bag just like that.

    Once we entered the guild, we were warmly weed again.

    The guildmaster said, ¡°Looks like a wyvern is going to appear on the market for the first time in a while. Its materials are definitely going to sell for a hefty sum!¡±

    ¡°I see. I cut off its head and drained its blood, but since Sword told me that the blood can be sold as well, I¡¯ve stored it away separately. We want to eat the meat as well, so keep some of it back for us. Make it all parts that can be eaten, please,¡± I requested, just for the entire guild to freeze. ¡°Mmh? Did I say something weird?¡±

    The guildmaster pointed at me, and timidly asked, ¡°Has that boy defeated the wyvern?¡±

    But, who does he mean with ¡®boy¡¯?

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right,¡± answered Sword andughed again as he obviously recalled the whole scene once more. ¡°She got on a broom and told me, ¡ºThrow me towards the wyvern!¡». While wonderin¡¯ whether I should chastise her a bit or somethin¡¯, I threw her up there with all my strength. While flyin¡¯ she chopped off its head, and after showin¡¯ off like some weirdo, she fell together with the wyvern, you see? Thinkin¡¯ she¡¯s a lost cause of an idiot who cannot be saved anymore, I let go off all my worries and decided to simply enjoy myself.¡±

    What¡¯s with you!?

    ¡°Flying while riding a broom is etiquette!¡±

    ¡°For you at least, yeah. But, well, it does look fun, I s¡¯pose.¡±

    ¡°Of course it is! I full-heartedly enjoy every situation! That¡¯s what adventuring is about!¡±

    When I threw my hands in the air, the entire guild broke out inughter.

 Chapter 92

    After safely wrapping up the wyvern hunt, the dungeon was next on the agenda. Sword said he cleared it all the way to the 50th floor by himself.

    ¡°In this case, I suspect it¡¯s got around 100 floors. Going by cliche, an ancient dragon would be the final boss,¡± I said, resulting in Sword bing dumbstruck.

    ¡°For real?¡±

    ¡°Of course. An ancient dragon, huh¡­? Doesn¡¯t it get you all excited? I¡¯m 100% sure it can talk, so I must speak with it at all costs.¡±

    If it¡¯s been locked after the dungeon waspleted, it probably wouldn¡¯t know about the situation outside ever since then. Oh well, I¡¯ll get it to tell me about the genesis then.

    ¡°You still desire more despite already possessin¡¯ so much knowledge?¡± Sword asked while rolling his eyes.

    ¡°I do possess knowledge of the other world, but my knowledge about this world iscking. Besides, there¡¯s lot of things I want to know. Let me tell you just in case, but that¡¯s what adventuring is about, at least supposedly. Schrs debate the information provided by adventurers in their chambers. Adventurers go out into the world on a quest to find out what they want to know while encountering the unknown. asionally they¡¯ll hunt, collect, explore, or talk. Do you understand?¡±

    I energetically thrust a finger at him!

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I got it. So, that means you also enjoy the times when hunting, collecting, and talking?¡±

    ¡°Yaaaaaaa!¡±

    Swordughed at me while stroking my head.

    Ah, now he finally looks a bit like you¡¯d expect of his age. As expected, the effect of the beauty products is also showing on him.

    £ª

    On the way towards the dungeon, we were being treated super friendly for some reason¡­

    ¡°¡­¡­?¡±

    When I tilted my head, Sword caressed me with a fed-up expression.

    ¡°Sure, I told them we¡¯d explore the dungeon, but this wasn¡¯t part of it. Are they tryin¡¯ to pressure us or somethin¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? It just means everyone is excited about the dungeon exploration, doesn¡¯t it? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to greet them then? We should share the joy of being thrilled with everyone!¡±

    I nimbly climbed atop my Ryoku, and shouted with the assistance of an amplification spell, ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen! Thank you for being so excited about the dungeon exploration together with us! Sword and I are going to go to the lowest floor of the dungeon, talk with the boss there, and take it down! If there¡¯s any story worthy of being told about our adventure down there¡­I¡¯ll tell youter, so look forward to it!¡±

    They all cheered, and for some reason, some evenughed.

    ¡°Sword, you get up here as well! You have to make the same oath!¡±

    Sword pped his forehead, but after sighing, he apparently made up his resolve and climbed on Ryoku.

    ¡°I¡¯m the adventurer Sword! I¡¯ve formed the party ¡¾Allrounders¡¿ with Indra who¡¯s standin¡¯ next to me! From now on, this girl here, the golems, and I are goin¡¯ to dive into the dungeon! We¡¯ll definitely make it all the way to the lowest floor!¡±

    This time we got engulfed by a cacophony of loud cheering without anyoneughing.

    ¡°Why did peopleugh at me?¡±

    When I tilted my head in confusion, Swordughed, ¡°It¡¯s cause your feelin¡¯ of thrill is kinda silly,¡± and told me something awful.

    £ª

    Things were quite heated even in front of the dungeon. Kinda like when yers enter a stadium under the loud apuse of their fans.

    ¡°Is it a custom that you can¡¯t enter without giving everyone a high-five?¡±

    ¡°As if! What kind of festival would that supposed to be!?¡±

    ¡°Okay, figures. If anything, I¡¯d like them to do this when we¡¯ve safely cleared the dungeon.¡±

    Sword considered it for a moment, and then muttered, ¡°Ah, that might be somewhat excitin¡¯,¡± apparently having just imagined it.

    £ª

    Sword asked me in a way of making sure, ¡°I know the answer, but I¡¯ll ask just in case. I explored all the way to the 50th floor and I possess a magic tool allowin¡¯ to use a shortcut to the 50th floor. Wanna use it?¡±

    I furiously shook my head.

    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought. A map¡­is unnecessary, right? The maps created by the Ryokus and you are much more urate ¡®nyway.¡±

    ¡°Are you going to be bored about passing through a route you already passed once before?¡± I asked him in reverse. ¡°If you¡¯re not interested, you just need to go ahead to the 50th floor and wait there for me, okay? It¡¯s my first run, so I want to go through things in order.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you! We¡¯ve decided that we¡¯d have fun, haven¡¯t we!?¡±

    Oohh! He finally feels up to it!

    ¡°Very well. Since the upper levels are going to be easy anyway, I¡¯d like to add the rule of passing through them non-stop. You can use the rule of doubtlessly following my footsteps.¡±

    Sword¡¯s smile froze, ¡°¡­Ain¡¯t the difficulty a tad too high like that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s going to be alright! Someone like you will be able to easily pull it off!¡±

    ¡°Hold back a bit, okay? I¡¯m an ordinary human, you know? Don¡¯t lump me together with a superwoman like you.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about, oh Hero!? Pffthaha.

    The instant I thought that, my mouth was seized again, ¡°Mmpf!¡±

    ¡°That face of yours pisses me off.¡±

    How irrational!

    £ª

    I handed him an SF-like wristband, looking like a smartwatch.

    ¡°This is a magic tool for long-distancemunication. It¡¯ll allow us to stay in contact, but it¡¯s easier to talk and listen when you bring your arm close to your head. Also, if you tap the disy or give it a voicemand, it¡¯ll show you the map created by the Ryokus.¡±

    Mine is blue-green while Sword¡¯s has a white coloring.

    ¡°Every once in a while you really produce some awesome stuff. Does it have any other functions besides showin¡¯ the map?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I guess you can count the disy of your body¡¯s state as one. It¡¯ll tell you your own health status. It also works as a clock. That pocket watch I got from you is nice as a retro item, but this one here is much better for adventurers. It moves through magic elements, but please press a magic stone against it for a while, depending on the remaining amount of magic elements. I can also £Ûinstall£Ý other £Ûapp¡­err, sorry, functions, you know? Don¡¯t be shy and tell me if you have any requests.¡±

    ¡°Roger!¡± He answered happily.

    It¡¯s pretty obvious that Sword loves gadgets. I think he¡¯s the type who would get totally hooked on SF anime, if he were to live in the other world.

    £ª

    ¡°Now then.¡±

    We began with calisthenics. I smiled at the meaninglessness of the Ryokus doing it as well. It¡¯s sooo cute!!

    When it was our turn to enter the dungeon, Sword yelled out to boost his spirit, ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s go!¡±

    And then we rushed inside.

 Chapter 93

    ¡°There¡¯s a boss room every ten floors. And we should expect waitin¡¯ lines on the upper floors,¡± Sword immediately made use of his wirelessmunication device.

    ¡°I suppose that¡¯smonce. No choice. Let¡¯s make a stop at the tenth floor then,¡± I answered while dashing across walls and ceilings in order to avoid other people.

    I didn¡¯t n on killing any monsters. They¡¯d probably try escaping anyway.

    £ª

    I arrived at the tenth floor in the blink of an eye.

    ¡°Was it around 5 minutes? It¡¯d be great if we could have skipped a bit more.¡±

    ¡°Well, yeah. These floors are no problem after all.¡±

    No waiting line awaited us, but the door didn¡¯t open as there apparently were people inside.

    ¡°If we keep going at this rate, it looks like we¡¯re going to clear this dungeon by today, but¡­starting with the 50th floor, it¡¯s going to be uncharted territory for you, so let¡¯s go at a slower pace then.¡±

    ¡°Sure. ¡­I think we¡¯ll be able to keep up this pace down to the 30th floor, but if I remember correctly, the floors in the thirties were jungles infested by insects, so I don¡¯t feel like it¡¯ll be that easy to get through ¡¯em, you know? The floors in the forties were overrun by undead. Anyway, they stank and I got attacked by swarms of ¡¯em, so they were a major pain in the ass. I went further down into the fifties as a test, but the floors there seem to be endless ins that thwart any mappin¡¯ attempt. Moreover, the sight is bad down there ¡¯cause of the high grasses. All of this made it really inefficient as a solo adventurer, so I pulled back.¡±

    Oh, interesting. That does sound fun.

    ¡°Come to think of it, is there anything we should hunt or gather in the dungeon?¡±

    The basics of any hunting game dictate that there¡¯s loot you can only obtain at certain ces.

    ¡°Parties other than ours usually reach the floors in the thirties, so I think we don¡¯t need to bother until then. The forties¡­are quite unpopr. Folks capable of usin¡¯ light magic are rare, and they run quickly out of mana thanks to the sheer number of monsters. Besides, the demand for loot from undead is very limited.¡±

    It sounds like it¡¯d be better to simply cut across those floors.

    ¡°So, we¡¯re going to y the hunting game, starting with the fifties, huh? The standard for ins would be frogs and locusts, I suspect.¡±

    Frogs, huh¡­? If I¡¯m not wrong, those can be eaten, can¡¯t they? I don¡¯t want to eat locusts, however. Even If I¡¯m told they¡¯re a delicacy or some such, it¡¯s impossible for me.

    ¡°Now then. ¡­Oh, it¡¯s open.¡±

    When we went inside the room¡­a bear?

    Gaooh!

    It roared something like that at us. What¡¯s this? It¡¯s kinda cute.

    But, just as I thought that, Sword quickly killed it.

    ¡°¡®Kay, let¡¯s move on.¡±

    He quickly opened the treasure chest and then urged me on.

    ¡°¡­¡­ You call me cold-hearted or some such, don¡¯t you? But I mean, even you killed that lovely bear with its adorable pose as it roared ¡°Gaooh!¡± with one blow, showing no hesitation whatsoever.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because I wouldn¡¯t consider a monster as ¡ºLovely¡». Come on, go, go. We¡¯re runnin¡¯.¡±

    Why not!? Even though it was so damn adorable!

    £ª

    We advanced down to the 30th floor at a good pace. The waiting time in front of the boss room took us longer than getting there. Many parties headed back up after that boss.

    ¡°Quite a lot of people don¡¯t go any further, huh?¡±

    Or to be more precise, it¡¯s all parties who turn back. But, why?

    ¡°Things likepatibility with insects depend on preferences. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll love them, though.¡±

    Hmmmhhmm. That¡¯s not really true, you know? It¡¯s just that the things I¡¯ve built look like insects by coincidence!

 Chapter 94

    We arrived at the insect area ¨C a jungle. Insects in a jungle¡­isn¡¯t that way too cheap?

    ¡°For now, let¡¯s head for the boss room.¡±

    In response, Sword scratched his head, ¡°Sure, why not. Is there anythin¡¯ of interest for you in this area?¡±

    ¡°I follow the doctrine of not eating cooked locusts,¡± earned me a knuckle on my head.

    ¡°Listen, even I don¡¯t eat ¡®nythin¡¯ like that! That ain¡¯t what I was askin¡¯! Military bees appear on these floors!¡±

    Bees with a camouge pattern? I mean I like a military look, so I have some interest, but going this far¡­

    ¡°The loot item they drop is honey!¡±

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s hunt them down to thest. Bees are living beings, hence, arge-scale vacuum spell will work against them. I¡¯m going to annihte them quickly.¡±

    When I immediately stated my opinion, Sword became bbergasted.

    ¡°Your totally gung-ho ¡¯bout this, aren¡¯t you¡­? But, you can produce honey outta wheat, no?¡±

    ¡°Wheat honey and normal honey arepletely different. Honey, you see, can be used for making liquor. High-quality honey bes high-quality liquor.¡±

    ¡°Gotcha! Leave it to me! Though it¡¯s not reachin¡¯ your level, I can use wide-area spells as well!¡±

    The Ryokus also made their fighting spirit known by dancing. All of us were roaring to go!

    £ª

    Rushing through the locust, caterpir, moth, praying mantis, and spider floors, we headed straight for the honey floor.

    ¡°They¡¯re gonna start appearin¡¯ after two more floors. They¡¯re strong and attack in groups, but that doesn¡¯t concern us, right? We¡¯ll pass the first floor where they appear since we¡¯ll be hindered by other folks.¡±

    In other words, we¡¯ll gather, no, hunt honey right before the boss floor.

    ¡°Fuhahaha! You may call me ¡ºPoo-san¡»! Or ¡ºSeiran-san¡» would work as well!¡±

    I go hunting while being super excited

    ¡°Uooohh!! You shiiitts, be liquor for meeeee!¡± Sword¡¯s inner voice, his soul scream, echoed throughout the jungle.

    We hunted them down to the extent of not a single bee respawning anymore.

    ¡°Okay, it¡¯s noon, so time for lunch, I¡¯d say,¡± I announced after a look at my watch.

    ¡°Your right. While at it, please prepare some liquor for me too,¡± responded Sword.

    £ª

    Since it was a special asion, I made the food and drinks while using the honey we obtained. I grilled some spicy honeyed grilled chicken (styled), then roasted it together with some veggies, and finally used it as a filling for bread. I also gave Sword a honey-lemon High Ball as a freebie. I drank the same, but without whiskey.

    ¡°Ohhh!? How very kind of you!!¡±

    Don¡¯t say it as though I¡¯m usually an unkind woman. The mansion¡¯s servants and Bennyboy keep telling me that I¡¯m pampering you way too much.

    £ª

    Sword went for the High Ball first.

    ¡°Aaahh! This rocks, really! It¡¯s sweet, but it makes the whiskey¡¯s vor taste even better. This one here tastes much better than the usual High Ball, when ites to a light drink as aperitif.¡±

    ¡°The vor and fragrance of high-quality honey seems to go well with whiskey. The lemon¡¯s sourness and aroma further enhances both.¡±

    After Sword downed the drink in one go, he looked at me, ¡°Your really¡­¡­ It ain¡¯t like your drinkin¡¯ liquor yourself, so howe you know how to make such an incredible liquor?¡±

    Being very seriously stared at, I answered in kind.

    ¡°¡­¡­That¡¯s probably because you drink and eat everything while repeatedly calling it delicious.¡±

    ¡°Hah?¡± Sword was dumbstruck.

    ¡°The dishes made by me aren¡¯t the one and only gourmet food. Depending on individual preferences, those eating it should have some parts they like and some parts they hate. In the first ce, there¡¯s a bunch of people that are picky about ingredients, right? Even our restaurant uses that principle as foundation, and we have guests, who book a reservation, tell us about their preferences in order to make a menu catering towards their taste. ¡­You don¡¯t say anything like that. You empty your te while obviously enjoying the food. You also tell me that it¡¯s great. For a cook, you see, that¡¯s the highest praise they can get. The cooks and I always say that we prefer being told that something tastes good over being buried with money. As a matter of fact, when I finally told the cook that his food was good, he cried. ¡­¡­Even though I always ate up everything he made.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± After taking a long, hard look at me, Sword smiled, ¡°I see. So, does that mean I¡¯m the perfect partner for you, after all?¡±

    ¡­¡­He started prattling something outrageous.

    When I averted my face in a huff, he hugged me.

    ¡°Heeey!!? Ain¡¯t that the moment where you¡¯d usually answer, ¡ºDon¡¯t state the obvious, idiot¡»?¡±

    ¡°As if I care!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s with you? Are you shy? You consider me the perfect partner, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°No clue what you¡¯re talking about!¡±

    Don¡¯t ask me something so obvious, idiot!

    £ª

    ¨D¨DSince the bees didn¡¯t respawn even after we wasted time with such a conversation, we gave up on waiting and headed to the boss room.

    The boss was a queen bee. She¡¯s really huge. Amazing! Moreover, she¡¯s got all this fluffy, gorgeous fur.

    ¡°Ah, I think I know what we¡¯ll find inside the treasure chest of this boss.¡±

    ¡°Huh? What is it?¡±

    A single sh of my wooden swordter.

    ¡°It¡¯s £ÛRoyal Jelly£Ý!!¡±

    ¡°¡­The heck¡¯s that?¡±

    Hmm, how is it called over here¡­?

    ¡°Umm¡­I guess you can call it ¡°the meal of the queen military bee.¡± It should be something the bees spat out together with their saliva after having eaten pollen and nectar beforehand.¡±

    ¡°Ugh, listenin¡¯ to that exnation, I don¡¯t feel like eatin¡¯ it ¡®nymore.¡±

    Why!?

    ¡°The nutritional value is supposed to be quite high. Eating this or not should also decide whether a military bee is regarded as queen¡­but, the one over here is summoned by the Dungeon Core.¡±

    When I opened the chest while exining, it was inside, just as suspected.

    ¡°Yep, no surprise.¡±

    ¡°Can you use this for somethin¡¯?¡±

    I ced a hand on my chin, brooding.

    ¡°¡­Hmm. It¡¯s definitely good for your health, but mostly for its high nutritional value. It¡¯s unnecessary for us young ones.¡±

    Sword blinked. Then heughed.

    ¡°Until now you¡¯ve totally treated my like an old man, so what¡¯s this ¡¯bout?¡±

    ¡°I simply didn¡¯t know your true age. For you to have been such a fledgling¡­.. Isn¡¯t that an age where you¡¯ve barely be half a man?¡±

    This time he looked at me full of surprise.

    ¡°Eh? Men at my age were treated like that in the world where you lived before?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. At your age they¡¯d be in the third year of their first workce? It¡¯s an age where guys are often pushed around by their bosses as the neer underlings they are.¡±

    This gave Sword a shock.

    ¡°This healthy food can wait, let¡¯s see¡­I think at an age past forty it¡¯d make sense. To begin with, I¡¯ve created an £ÛAnti-Oxidation£Ý medicine, you remember? That¡¯s an elixir of perennial youth. It¡¯s much more effective than this one, too.¡±

    ¡°Guess we sell it then. Let¡¯s also add your exnation to it,¡± decided Sword and tossed the jelly into his magic bag.

 Chapter 95

    Now then, on to the next floor, but¡­

    ¡°Going into a haunted house with this lineup¡­?¡±

    It¡¯ll probably turn into a haunted house with zero scare. Though it¡¯s a cave this time.

    ¡°Just gotta get quickly through this, right?¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± is what I thought, but¡­

    £ª

    ¡°Whoa! This has a pretty nifty design, doesn¡¯t it?¡± I was startled when we entered the next floor.

    It¡¯s totally got the atmosphere of a cemetery! Although this ce is inside a cave, it¡¯s set up so that you have to enter the basement of a mansion to go down to the next floor!

    ¡°The Dungeon Core is really pullin¡¯ all stops, isn¡¯t it?¡± Swordmented indifferently.

    ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s a rare chance, so let¡¯s honor its efforts by ying around a bit. We¡¯ll go with a game for you who¡¯s so apathetic about it.¡±

    I took something out of my magic bag. Immediately following, Sword¡¯s eyes flew wide open, sparkling.

    Good grief, he really loves this kind of stuff, doesn¡¯t he?

    ¡°I¡¯ve got several types, but each of them has its own quirks and limitations. Make sure to remember them, okay?¡±

    £ª

    I created several types of guns powered by magic elements, using a famous shooting game as reference.

    ¡°The shotgun fires a single volley of six shots at a time with a cooldown of two seconds. Once you shoot it, you must reload¡­well, act as if you¡¯re reloading it. The submachine gun can consecutively shoot ten bullets, but you need to wait for five seconds once those ten shots finish. This also requires you to reload after the ten shots. Theser gun perforates, but it has a time limit on its usage. Once it exceeds one minute, it needs to cool down for one minute. If you let it rest for ten seconds after using it for ten seconds, you can use it again for its longest period of one minute. The Gatling gun can shoot forever on end, but it requires low-quality magic stones to run, so it¡¯ll stop working once it runs out. Andstly, the grenades,¡± I pass him five, ¡°If you throw them, everything within a range of a hundred¡­err, a fairly huge circle around their center is going to definitely die. Throw one at the enemies from a good distance to not get hit yourself.¡±

    ¡°Your a fanatic, do you know that!? I mean your really poolin¡¯ all your efforts into havin¡¯ fun!¡±

    ¡°Obviously. Iboriously prepared everything for the sake of this day!¡±

    I don¡¯t want to do something as boring as dispassionately proceeding through a haunted house. But, if you have these, it¡¯s going to be fun! Definitely! I totally dig shooting games!

    Moreover, preparing a set of rules guarantees that you¡¯ll have fun!

    ¡°Ah, by the way, be careful where you use these since everything is going to die, be it monsters or people. It¡¯s a sorcery ball that emits the harmful light waves I mentioned a while ago.¡±

    ¡°Wow!¡±

    I thought he¡¯d bicker about it, but it looks like I was wrong. Far from it. He gleefully checked out each of the guns.

    £ª

    ¡°I¡¯m happy to see that you¡¯re keen to go along with it.¡±

    ¡°Mmh?¡±

    ¡°What follows next is the way of usage in the other world. We¡­of course including the Ryokus as well¡­are going topete for points until the boss room while freely using these guns. Since I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to appear, the points will be added depending on the number of kills and the gun¡¯s efficiency. Killing with a shotgun gives you the most points, but then again, its power is the weakest, too. We¡¯re both able to use magic, but kills with magic don¡¯t count at all. You can check your rank and the total number of points on your wristwatch. You just need to order the wristband to show them, okay? Since you might be getting more handicapped the less enemies that can be seen with the naked eyes are around, I¡¯ve set the program to use a factor of 1.5 on your points.¡±

    ¡°No need. I¡¯m cool with yin¡¯ under the same conditions as you,¡± he refused bluntly.

    Oh, Sword is quite eager about this, isn¡¯t he?

    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll readjust the program to count the points normally then,¡± I smiled at Sword as I fixed the code. ¡°Have I made a mistake in how I¡¯m enjoying my life? Do you think it¡¯s weird for me to turn this life-threatening situation into a game where you vie for points?¡±

    After blinking in surprise for a moment, Swordughed, ¡°Yeah, your totally nuts. Your a mad girly for sure! But, if we¡¯re doin¡¯ it ¡®nyway, we might as well enjoy it for at least this much! We¡¯re goin¡¯ to have some fun with a life-threatenin¡¯ gamble! The chip will be our lives! But that¡¯s just fine with me!¡± Sword yelled and thenughed madly, ¡°Haha! For there to be someone who¡¯s more broken than I am; life has finally be fun! I never even considered the meaning of dungeons! I see! So they exist for the sake of enjoyin¡¯ ¡¯em like this, huh!? In that case, I¡¯ll have a st with ¡¯em!¡±

    ¡°No, if cute, frightened girls were with us right now, that in itself would be fun, you know?¡±

    When I retorted like that, he faced me with a cold look, ¡°That only applies to an extreme sadist like you, no?¡±

    ¡­

    £ª

    ¡°Check the map. Though it¡¯d also be bad if you got tripped up while looking on the map all the time.¡±

    ¡°I know, I know. I ain¡¯t no S-Rank just for show, ¡®kay?¡±

    Rather, I¡¯m a gamer, you know? For him to aim at higher rankings in a game he¡¯s never yed before without any handicap¡­

    ¡°Well, the upper ranks will probably be taken by the Ryokus anyway. They have no rules tying them down. In short, they can use superior guns without reserve.¡±

    ¡°Uff, you could have told me earlier.¡±

    I met Sword¡¯s eyes and we both smiled.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go then!¡±

    ¨D¨DWe scattered in all directions.

    ¡°Yahooo! I¡¯m goin¡¯ for it!¡±

    That was Sword¡¯s personal Ryoku. And at once, he unleashed his rocketuncher, bing first at once.

    My Ryoku jumped undauntedly and fired bursts of its Gatling gun.

    Damn it!!

    I used my frustration to throw a grenade into a pack of zombies in the distance. Sword is¡­ah, he¡¯s shooting his shotgun.

    £ª

    Three hourster. Atst, everyone had arrived in front of the boss room.

    ¡°Did you set it to stop showin¡¯ the rankings in the middle o¡¯ the game¡±?¡±

    ¡°Yep. When I arrived by myself on the floor of the boss room, I made sure that the rankings wouldn¡¯t be shown any longer. It¡¯s no fun otherwise, is it?¡±

    Going ahead without considering the respawn or arriving after annihting all of the respawn would be both fine. Just in case I had also included the speed of arrival at the destination into the total ranking. It can be checked within the ranking information.

    ¡°Now then! Ryoku, please tell us the ranks!¡±

    After voicing out something simr to a drum roll, Ryoku projected a hologram on the boss room¡¯s door.

    ¡°Yay, I did it!¡±

    ¡°Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo!¡±

    Sword was first. And I¡­

    ¡­wasst.

    ¡°Why!? Why, why, why!!!¡±

    I¡¯m the person who built those guns, am I not!? I¡¯m the one who set up the rules, am I not!? So why am I inst ce!?

    As I was mortified, hitting my fists on the ground, the other three consoled me.

    By the way, the Ryokus had the same points.

    £ª

    ¡°Why has aplete and utter beginner at this secured the first raaaaaannk! Even though I¡¯ve been doing it over and over again in the other world!!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s obviously because of the difference in experience between us. You might have done it in that other world of yours, but it¡¯s your first time in here, right? I¡¯ve cleared this area by myself in the past. The information from back then has imprinted itself in my head.¡±

    What was thaaaat!?

    £ª

    After feeling bitter about my loss while sobbing profusely, the boss room was next up on the agenda. It was a lot less exciting than the game of clearing up to here.

    ¡°The first rank is to clear the room as a reward.¡±

    ¡°Stop bein¡¯ so sulky.¡±

    Given that king skeletons were unable of normal conversation, it dampened my motivation even further, and thus I had Sword defeat it.

    When my cheeks puffed up, Sword caressed me in constion.

    ¡°Don¡¯t pout. It was fun, you know? I could fully enjoy myself as well. So, thanks for that, ¡®kay?¡±

    ¡­As he got me with a surprise attack, my peevish mood was blown away in one go.

    ¡°¡­¡­I guess it¡¯s okay then¡­¡±

    ¡°I had a st as well. Wepeted. I couldugh loudly after winnin¡¯ ¡®gainst you while you were mortified over losin¡¯ ¡®gainst me. All while we enjoyed it together.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Mmh.¡±

    ¡­¡­¡­If he had so much fun, I suppose it had merit that I made the guns and yed together with him.

    ¡­¡­But.

    ¡°Either way, it still sucks that I lost!!¡±

    Sword guffawed in response to my yelling.

 Chapter 96

    We arrived in the sixties.

    Hmm. A grassy in as far as the eye can see, huh?

    ¡°¡­This is¡­¡±

    ¡°Does it remind you of somethin¡¯?¡±

    I do remember having seen something like this before.

    ¡°Yep, a marsnd zone.¡±

    The safety-zone-like in right after we descended the stairs has no swamps, but it¡¯s pretty likely that we¡¯ll run into a swamnd if we proceed further through the grassy in. And, it¡¯d only follow the typical pattern for there to also be poisonous swamps.

    ¡°Going by theory, this floor is a marsnd, and although it won¡¯t apply to the entire floor, we can expect poisonous swamps, too. I have no idea about the poisons of this world, but you should be poisoned if you enter any such poisonous swamp.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­I know. Gotcha.¡± Sword scratched his head.

    I looked upwards, but although it was a cave, it didn¡¯t seem to have a ceiling.

    ¡°Taking the easy way out would be flying in Char while almost grazing the ceiling. However, assuming it follows the cliche, we can assume the floor to be inhabited by monsters who catch their prey by extending their tongues. It¡¯d be typical for the ceiling to still be within their attack range. Now then, what should we do¡­hmm,¡± I said as I folded my arms.

    In response Sword pped his hands together, ¡°Well, let¡¯s take our time thinkin¡¯ it through after settin¡¯ up our camp since it¡¯s ¡¯bout time for that anyway, ¡®kay? I¡¯m pooped from before and this ce is a safe area, which means drinkin¡¯ some booze won¡¯t be any problem either!¡±

    ¡­¡­

    That¡¯s fine with me, but still¡­

    ¨D¨DSword made me shower with him without losing any of his high spirits, and then he grandly rejoiced when I provided him with some grilled meat-skewers after starting a campfire, stabbing the meat on twigs, and roasting them over the mes.

    ¡­Aren¡¯t ordinary adventurers doing stuff like that?

    Just as I wondered about that, Sword brought the lute over, holding it out to me.

    ¡°Please y somethin¡¯.¡±

    ¡­¡­

    ¡°Certainly, that¡¯s the standard when sitting around a campfire. But, why do you know about such a cliche?¡± I asked while taking the lute.

    ¡°Somehow, it just felt right. Probably,¡± he answered.

    Oh shit, this guy¡¯s ability to deal with things flexibly cannot be underestimated.

    ¨D¨DSince it¡¯d be a problem if he got too excited, I yed the standard song for ssic guitars, ¡¾Jeux interdits¡¿. 1 Afterwards I sang severalmon campfire songs while suitably adapting their lyrics to thenguage of this world, but they were more popr than I had expected.

    ¡°¡­You know, you could totally be a songstress. You might even fill the capital¡¯s theater, you see?¡± Sword told me, seemingly drunk.

    ¡°A songstress requires a patron. At least ording to my knowledge. ¡­They¡¯re allowed to sing their songs while giving their body to someone as coteral. I¡¯ve got absolutely no intention to do anything like that!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Hmm, so that¡¯s how it works for musicians?¡±

    Probably. But in the first ce, do songstresses actually exist in this world anyway?

    £ª

    ¡°¡­y a cheerful song at the end,¡± demanded Sword.

    ¡°¡­Okay, but you sing as well since the lyrics are pretty simple.¡±

    Sword stared at me nkly, ¡°Haah?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t act like a fool. That¡¯s what music is about. It¡¯ll be fine even if you hum or just usel or lelele, so match my singing. Come on, swing this. That¡¯s how it¡¯s usually done.¡±

    Since I had no spring onion, I plucked some grass and passed the bundle to him.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s start. ¡¾Ievan Polkka¡¿.¡± 2

    I sang while thrumming the lute. Once my singing started to repeat itself since I only knew a part of the song, Sword also joined in. Even the Ryokus had apparently learned it once it started to repeat it.

    ¡­Eventually even the monsters memorized it, it seems. A jovial polka song could be heard from all over the ce.

    £ª

    ¨D¨DNow then, the morning sun hasn¡¯t risen, but it¡¯s morning anyway.

    ¡°I guess we¡¯ll fly in Char,¡± I said after deciding. ¡°It¡¯ll only apply to this floor, but I¡¯vee up with an effective method. While flying high up, we¡¯ll think of a new countermeasure for the next floor.¡±

    ¡°Okay, and what kind of method is it?¡±

    ¡°£ÛSinging in a canon£Ý!¡±

    Sword didn¡¯t show any reaction to that.

    ¡°Memorize the song we¡¯re going to sing from now on.¡±

    Sword became bbergasted.

    £ª

    ¡°¡­What¡¯s that, the song you just sang?¡±

    Sword became even more bbergasted when I finished singing.

    ¡°How should I answer that anyway? Rather than that, did you memorize it?¡±

    ¡°¡­Well, it¡¯s easy enough, but¡­¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll £Ûsing this in a canon£Ý with everyone on this floor!¡±

    ¡°Now listen, did you realize that the words you said just now make absolutely no sense?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just that I haven¡¯t found any proper words in this world¡¯snguage to describe it. Hmm, I suppose you could call it a trailing song? First the Ryokus and I¡¯ll have a go at it. Ryokus, once I say ¡ºYes¡», sing the song I sang one after the other.¡±

    ¡°¡±Ayessir!¡±¡±

    ¡°Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit, rib, yes!¡±

    ¡°Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit, rib.¡± ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit, rib.¡±

    As the three of us sang, Sword also started as he had apparently understood the principle.

    ¡°Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit, rib.¡±

    As we were now singing with the four of us, the monsters had apparently understood as well, seeing how they started to sing, too.

    ¡°Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit, rib.¡±

    Sword appeared to have understood the situation even without me exining, and after I matched my eyes with his, both of us got into Char. While singing.

    Then we flew off while letting the canon re through Char¡¯s megaphone.

    We didn¡¯t get attacked at all. Yep, we didn¡¯t get attacked, but the chorus was terrifying. We passed through this floor while apanied by a thundering canon.

    ¡°If they had attacked us, I¡¯d have killed them without hesitation, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to indifferently ughterrades who sang together with us yesterday evening. It¡¯s great that we could wrap this up without killing any of them.¡±

    Sword smiled wryly, ¡°Monsters who like singin¡¯, huh? Are they sirens or what?¡±

    Oh, sirens exist?

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard it¡¯s best to sing together with sirens while being out of tune to avoid being bewitched by them, you know?¡±

    Sword burst intoughter, ¡°Deliberately singin¡¯ out of tune? Sounds like a high-level technique to me!¡±

    ¡°About that¡­you don¡¯t know since the people of this world don¡¯t sing, but there¡¯s lots of people who¡¯re basically tone-deaf, okay? Rather, the number of people unfamiliar with music might be much more predominant.¡±

    Sword¡¯s body shook with a start.

    ¡°¡­¡­What ¡¯bout me?¡±

    ¡°Your music was proper, wasn¡¯t it? No need to worry.¡±

    Hearing that, Sword appeared to be relieved from the bottom of his heart.

 Chapter 97

    The following floors were the problem. Sword and I probably wouldn¡¯t be harmed by poison, but I didn¡¯t know how much the Ryoku¡¯s shell could take.

    Normal poison wouldn¡¯t work on it. But, the poisons in this world most likely aren¡¯t normal. That¡¯s why you have to ¡ºcure them with an antidote¡».

    ¡°¡­The magic elements of this world are quite troublesome. Even if you call it Poison, there exist many kinds, and yet it¡¯s all bundled up into one word with Poisonous Swamp. Don¡¯t you think that it makes no sense that entering there will be your end as you¡¯ll be poisoned no matter what equipment you might wear?¡±

    Sword shrugged his shoulders, ¡°Well, your ¡¯bout the only one ponderin¡¯ ¡¯bout the meanin¡¯ behind it. No matter the poison, the antidote is goin¡¯ to cure it. Also, it¡¯s not like poison is goin¡¯ to work on you, right?¡±

    ¡°What are we going to do about the Ryokus?¡± I retorted.

    He rolled his eyes at me, ¡°Hey, you don¡¯t even worry ¡¯bout me, but you do worry ¡¯bout golems¡­err, the Ryokus!?¡±

    ¡°Poison doesn¡¯t work on you either, right? But, it might work on the Ryokus.¡±

    ¡°Rather, it definitely won¡¯t work on the Ryokus, damnit! Look, I¡¯m a normal human! Got it?¡±

    What is he talking about? A normal human would never rank above me in a shooting game.

    ¡°¡­I guess we can proceed normally if it doesn¡¯t work on the Ryokus.¡±

    ¡°No wait, it does work on me! Normal poison is somethin¡¯ I can handle somewhat, but I¡¯ll die from deadly poison!¡±

    I can¡¯t hear aaaanythiiing!

    Ignoring him earned me a grinding of my temples.

    ¡°Ouch, ouch, ouuuuch! It¡¯ll be okay. Sword, you¡¯re a hero and an S-Rank, right? Isn¡¯t it often said that ¡ºHeroes don¡¯t die¡»?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of that!¡±

    After grinding my temples, he sighed and then started to chant something under his breath.

    ¡°Ryokus, deploy the magic element barrier. It looks¡­like it won¡¯t work on you guys, but it¡¯s better to be safe than sorry.¡±

    ¡°¡±Yessir!!¡±¡±

    They deployed the barrier after saluting.

    As for me¡­I¡¯ll think about it when I get poisoned.

    £ª

    We ran through the grass fields.

    Certain Death! Ninja-style Running! Yep! I mean the one where you wonder whether they¡¯re able to move across water if they tap the foot off the surface before sinking.

    Well, in reality it¡¯s impossible to run across water in such a way, but I¡¯m running while using my reaction speed and gravity control. I also cast a floating spell on the Ryokus.

    Sword seems to somehow cope with magic as well.

    ¡­At the same time, insects flew at us! Like bullets!

    I flicked them away with my wooden sword, the Ryokus repelled them with their magic element barriers, and Sword cut them down or simply dodged them altogether.

    ¨D¨DHmm? Sword has started to chant something?

    Just as I wondered, he apparently used a wide-area spell, giving off a loud cracking. The grasses were scorched, and the bugs died as they dried up with crunch.

    ¡°¡­So fuckin¡¯ annoyin¡¯!¡±

    Looks like they pissed him off.

    £ª

    Even afterwards, we continued to run in such a manner, arriving at the 60th floor in no time. We didn¡¯t get poisoned either.

    Rather, I feel like strong acidic swamps, chlorine swamps, or very alkaline swamps would have been much more of a danger to us, if they had been around.

    Anyway, nothing extraordinary happened, so I guess we¡¯ll charge into the boss room just like that.

    Or so I thought, but Sword raised a hand in front of the boss room, ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m bummed out. I¡¯d like to take a break.¡±

    Hmm, yup, he looks kind of unwell.

    ¡°I see. You do look pale. Okay, let¡¯s camp out here for today.¡±

    As soon as he nodded, he flopped down. He waspletely exhausted.

    ¡°How about sleeping inside Char? I¡¯ll get everything ready.¡±

    ¡°¡­Thanks, I¡¯ll take you up on that.¡±

    Once I took out Char, he crawled inside.

    ¡­Is he suffering from some kind of abnormal condition? ¡­Hmm, are Sword and I the same, and yet slightly different? Or am I different?

    I wonder why¡­I can¡¯t really believe that it¡¯s connected to my parents and family lineage, though¡­ Oh well, whatever. I don¡¯t have any interest in the lineage of this body.

    £ª

    Since I¡¯d be troubled if he died on me, I went to check his condition.

    ¡°¡­Are you still alive?¡±

    ¡°¡­Barely.¡±

    What¡¯s wrong with him? Up until now, he never felt sick.

    ¡°Was there a poisonous swamp on the way? ¡­I didn¡¯t notice any.¡±

    ¡°¡­No, ain¡¯t¡­poison. Used a bit¡­too much¡­mana.¡±

    Mana?

    ¡°I drank¡­mana potions, but¡­wasn¡¯t enough.¡±

    Mana potions?

    ¡°¡­Is there no other way to recover your mana?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll regenerate¡­naturally¡­over time.¡±

    ¡­What should I do?

    ¡°Mana is magic power. And, you recover it with mana potions. Or, over time. ¡­¡­. Oh, I got it!¡± 1

    I understand! It¡¯s fuel, huh!?

    ¡°Wait a moment! I¡¯m going to make it!¡±

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t mind me and let me sleep,¡± I was told.

    But!

    I¡¯m going to make it! Anyway! I wanna make it!

    Once I finished and brought it over, Sword was already asleep. Since I felt bad about waking him up, I pulled a nket over him, ced the energy drink down next to him alongside a note from me, and went outside again.

    £ª

    Since I was bored after preparing the camp, I had Sword¡¯s personal Ryoku watch over his master, and went out hunting again.

    The bullet insects seem to drop carapaces. Hmm, they¡¯re kinda¡­hard. I¡¯ll use them as reference for Ryoku and Char¡¯s shell. If I change the server program for the next update, their shells might be tougher during their next shedding!

    I also found some frogs. They dropped poison sacs! But, I have no use for those.

    The frog meat looks like it¡¯s edible, kinda? But, dungeon monsters disappear when they die, don¡¯t they? And then they seem to be revived again.

    £ª

    Once I returned to our camp, Sword was back on his feet.

    ¡°Oohh! You¡¯re awake! Are you alright? Did you drink my energy drink?¡±

    ¡°Rather, what¡¯s that? It worked a lot faster than a mana potion.¡±

    Hisplexion had visibly improved.

    ¡°Really? I mixed milk liquor and apple vinegar, and added liquefied magic elements to it. Hehehe, I got it totally right! In short, you were in the same state as the Ryokus when they¡¯re out of fuel!¡±

    ¡°Ugh.¡±

    Sword became speechless, for some reason¡­

    ¡°It worked, didn¡¯t it? The nutritional value of milk liquor is high, and apple vinegar removes one¡¯s exhaustion! It¡¯s perfect against physical weariness! Well, it¡¯d also have been fine to let you drink Ryoku¡¯s fuel just like that, but then it¡¯d have tasted dully, you know?¡±

    Sword stared at me while still remaining speechless.

    ¡°¡­Sword? Is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°¡­Tell me, is it really alright to drink that stuff?¡±

    I tilted my head, ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it be? In the first ce, magic stones can be retrieved from monsters, you, and me. In other words, they¡¯re internal organs, right? They should be made out of something consisting of body parts and magic elements. If you heat them up, they¡¯ll liquify. It might be possible to extract the magic elements if you let them soak in alcohol, but I never did that.¡±

    ¡°Please use that method next time.¡±

    Ehh? Even though the liquefied version has proven to work¡­

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing you¡¯d dislike, though? It¡¯s the same as eating monster meat, you know?¡±

    Sword pped his hands together, ¡°I see. You might be right. No, I¡¯ll just consider it to be like that.¡±

    ¡­I don¡¯t quite get it, but he seems to havee to terms with it, despite apparently disliking it.

    £ª

    Just like that we had a meal which simultaneously counted as lunch and dinner. For today¡¯s menu I went with a tender stew with high digestive and nutritional value for Sword¡¯s sake. The bread was a soft, steamed bun this time, too.

    ¡°¡­Magic stones, you see, are basically nothin¡¯ you¡¯d eat normally, so I feel somewhat avert to doin¡¯ it. They¡¯re bein¡¯ used as fuel for cksmiths or as power source for magic tools. Well, your right that you can probably eat ¡¯em if you think of eatin¡¯ magic stones as eatin¡¯ meat¡­no, I s¡¯pose that¡¯s only natural.¡±

    ¡°Yep, it¡¯s natural. Of course, even I wouldn¡¯t eat hair since there¡¯s no good way to make it taste good, but if ites to bones, they can be used to make great soup if you cook them thoroughly, right? Sometimes they¡¯ll also reinforce your own bones if you drink bone powder. ¡­Still, you draw the power for your spells from the magic elements in your body, huh? That¡¯s incredible.¡±

    ¡°Your the incredible one for bein¡¯ able to use magic without usin¡¯ mana! You¡­never run out of mana ¡¯cause you don¡¯t use mana for your magic in the first ce, do you¡­?¡±

    I mean, I¡¯ve learned all my magic through self-study! Even the books didn¡¯t mention anything like ¡ºYou¡¯ll need to use your own magic elements¡», okay?

    Sword sighed, and then requested, ¡°¡­Please prepare ten potions for me. The mana potions I have on me have a bad efficiency and on top of that, they taste like shit.¡±

    I wonder, how are those made anyway? I tried sampling a liquefied magic stone, but it didn¡¯t really taste like anything.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll make them while adding your beloved distilled liquor. Adding alcohol will also make themst longer.¡±

    ¡°Yahooo!¡±

    He cheered up at once.

    £ª

    Afterwards I received an exnation by Sword. Healing and mana potions apparently came out of dungeon treasure chests. However, great wizards could create low-grade healing potions.

    ¡°High- and special-grade healin¡¯ potions are impossible to make for ¡¯em.¡±

    Or so he said.

    ¡°Putting special-grade healing potions aside, low-grade healing potions frequently appear in dungeons. We also got one in your first dungeon, remember? High-grade healing potions can drop in any dungeon as well, but with a lower probability. Mana potions only have one type, and they drop at the same rate as high-grade healin¡¯ potions, but since demand for ¡¯em is low and because of their nasty taste and low efficiency, they¡¯re bein¡¯ treated as misses and sold off for cheap,¡± Sword exined in detail.

    Trantion Notes:

    A little exnation¡­I usually trante Ä§Á¦ (maryoku) as mana since it¡¯s amon fantasy measuring unit, but normally it¡¯d be more proper to call it magic power (MP). Sword used the word ¡°mana¡± here while Indra has always been using magic power. That¡¯s why Indra¡¯s confusion.

 Chapter 98

    The bosses were a huge locus and frog. Killing them swiftly, we advanced to the next floor.

    When we entered the first floor, I was astonished.

    ¡°Whoaaa!¡±

    It was a magma floor.

    ¡°¡­Hey, what are we goin¡¯ to do ¡¯bout this?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, the simple solution would be to board Char as it¡¯ll be no problem whatsoever if we cool the surroundings with magic, but that would be boring, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Is the question whether it¡¯s borin¡¯ really the issue here?¡±

    It is. We came here to have fun, so it¡¯s an absolute no-go to cheat our way through the dungeon.

    ¡°Okay, I understand. I¡¯d be troubled if you ran out of mana again, so I¡¯ll cast the magic.¡±

    I cast a freezing spell.

    ¡°Ah, it immediately became less stuff.¡±

    I see. This is just like the volcanic area of that hunting game, isn¡¯t it? It totally looks like those wiggly-wiggly things, which I utterly hated for jumping out at any moment, are going to be around as well.

    ¡°Let¡¯s assume that we¡¯ll also suffer locational damage. I mean, if you step into magma it¡¯s going to hurt.¡±

    ¡°Girl, you really regard havin¡¯ fun your purpose in life, don¡¯t you? Even though you¡¯ve got the power to invalidate the effects of this floor, your deliberately goin¡¯ as far as takin¡¯ damage for the sake of fun?¡±

    Of course, I am.

    ¡°What kind of enemies do you expect to show up?¡±

    ¡°Fish, or rather, dragons who can swim throughva, I think. It¡¯d be funny if they peeked out of cracks or came attacking by leaping at us.¡±

    ¡°Gotcha. ¡­If we keep avoidin¡¯ any predicaments by castin¡¯ offensive magic while maintainin¡¯ defense magic, we should be able to cope somehow, I s¡¯pose,¡± said Sword and took a sword out of his magic bag. ¡°This one is probably goin¡¯ to work. It¡¯s also got a cold touch.¡±

    I quickly stretched my neck, taking a look at it, ¡°An ice sword, huh?¡±

    ¡°Yep. ¡­You don¡¯t seem to have much interest in swords, or rather, you¡¯re wrappin¡¯ up everythin¡¯ with that wooden sword of yours anyway, so I didn¡¯t mention anythin¡¯ since it ain¡¯t like you need to gather expensive swords by buyin¡¯ or havin¡¯ them made for you like me and other folks. But, just like this ice sword here, I¡¯ve got a collection of swords with different attributes to match any potential enemy.¡±

    ¡°Of course I know about it! Even in the other world it was customary to handle it like that!¡±

    ¡­But, it¡¯s also true that you can cover all of it if you got one sword that delivers extremely high damage.

    When I started to sing the soundtrack of that hunting game, Swordughed out loud.

    ¡°You can actually sing in such a situation?¡±

    ¡°For the time being, avoid stepping into magma! It¡¯d hurt you enough to make you cry out that it¡¯s crazy hot. Also, watch out to not get hit by spraying magma, okay?¡±

    ¡°Yep. Normally anyone would croak from that, no?¡±

    That might be the case, but in the hunting game it doesn¡¯t go as far as dying.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure swarms ofrge monsters are also¡­ah, how nice that would be. I have no clue what they could drop, but I¡¯m looking forward to it. Let¡¯s go then.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing.¡±

    We rushed onwards.

    £ª

    Come to think of it, I forgot the temte for zones like this one. Just as I thought so, I saw a monster appearing.

    And here I was just thinking of fire spirits! Smander! Spotting a zing lizard, my tension leaped.

    ¡°Ooohh! Ipletely forgot about your existence!¡±

    ¡°I thought you were talking about these guys,¡± muttered Sword and unleashed a sh.

    The lizard turned into particles.

    ¡°Noooooooo!¡±

    The lizard! The cute lizaaaard!

    ¡°Girl, stop admirin¡¯ monsters. They gonna pop up in swarms anyway.¡±

    He¡¯s got a point, but still!

    £ª

    No choice. Since they appeared in numbers that made it hard to admire them, I triggered huge hail to fall over a wide area.

    ¡°Whoa, your ice magic is friggin¡¯ awesome.¡±

    I nkly stared at Sword.

    ¡°No? That just now wasn¡¯t ice magic. Don¡¯t you have those days when thick clouds suddenly gather on a hot day, just to be followed by a hail of ice over here in this world? That¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, gotcha. It¡¯s alright. I fully understand that your a very smart genius.¡±

    He didn¡¯t even let me finish all I wanted to say¡­booohh!

    £ª

    The smanders were kind of like small fry. Smander, huh¡­? Wasn¡¯t there a song with such a title?

    When I started to sing it while hunting, Sword rolled his eyes at me.

    £ª

    ¡°As expected, they¡¯ve be more ferocious the further down we go.¡±

    The floors were quite huge as well, so it took us quite some time to work our way through. In addition, enemies as big as floor bosses also started to appear.

    I mean wisps¡­or maybe it¡¯d be better to call them bombs! They¡¯re definitely going to explode, I¡¯m 100% sure!¡­believing that, I erased them with my vacuum spell the instant they appeared.

    ¡°That now was vacuum magic, wasn¡¯t it? Why did those monsters disappear despite not being living beings?¡±

    ¡°Fire can¡¯t burn without air.¡±

    Sword became dumbfounded.

    ¡°¡­So you use vacuum magic and not water or ice magic against fire magic?¡±

    ¡°Water can cause unexpected coteral damage, you know? The temperature of the water after getting heated up by the fire and turning into steam goes beyond 100¡ã C. In short, it¡¯s a temperature hot enough to easily cause burns and since it¡¯s a gas, it¡¯ll burn not only your skin, but also your lungs. As a result of that, you¡¯d die.¡±

    ¡°Ugh.¡±

    ¡°As for ice¡­ If you throw a solid, ibustible object at fire, you can consider it to act like a stone or rock, but the fire itself won¡¯t vanish unless you hit its core, you know? The rules of magic in this world might be different, but if you want to extinguish a fire as quickly as possible, using a vacuum is the fastest method.

    But anyway, no matter how you do it, the crucial part in extinguishing fire lies in isting the air, the element essential for allowing fire to burn.¡±

    Sword stared at me,pletely stunned.

    ¡°¡­Just as I thought, your really incredible. You can make such great booze. The wisdom mentioned by the cooks is ¡¯bout this stuff, huh?¡± He suddenly blurted out.

 Chapter 99

    While taking some breaks along the way, we arrived in front of the boss room. This time it took us quite a while. Even monsters like huge, double-headed iguana showed up, and the monsters were generally much stronger than those on the upper floors.

    As might be expected, even my stamina was drained by all this.

    ¡°Should we just camp out in Char for today? It¡¯s a camping car to begin with. I mean, even I wouldn¡¯t be able to calmly enjoy dinner and a good night¡¯s rest amidst this bloodthirsty, brutal scenery.¡±

    Sword shrugged his shoulders, ¡°That¡¯s¡­great to hear. Well, then again I¡¯d nned to sleep inside Char anyway, even if you¡¯d persisted on sleepin¡¯ outside.¡±

    How awful!

    £ª

    Inside Char I set the cooling magic and an rm for the unlikely event of us getting attacked.

    Well, this ce seems to be inside a safe zone, so I don¡¯t think that magma is suddenly going to spew out of the ground¡­

    Anyway, the Ryokus were patrolling outside in shifts. Even though I haven¡¯t even asked them to! What praiseworthy children!

    Sword hadpletely changed his attitude. He totally made himself at home on the sofa as if havingpletely forgotten about us being inside a dungeon¡¯s volcanic zone right now.

    Meanwhile I sorted our loot.

    ¡°Atst some magic stones dropped after we came all the way down here.¡±

    As I had been using them as fuel, I wanted some to drop along the way, but they didn¡¯t want to drop at all, as if avoiding us! Thanks to the smanders and double-headed iguana dropping them for us, I was finally, finally able to get them at the source!

    ¡°Well, yeah. But I¡¯ve still got quite a bunch myself so don¡¯t worry. Or rather, we haven¡¯t been usin¡¯ them up at all!!¡±

    So far Sword has been providing the magic stones. ¡­Since I usually don¡¯t encounter monsters, I¡¯ve got no choice but to buy them, but after telling me that I don¡¯t need to buy any since he¡¯s got a huge stock himself, Sword has used his magic stones to cover my needs. It looks like he¡¯s also left quite a lot at the mansion. Though he¡¯s also given the maids some money, telling them to put up a request at the guild, if they run out of magic stones.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have them because you need them yourself?¡±

    ¡°Mhm? Hmm, I do need them, yea, but¡­since I¡¯ve been told that they¡¯re needed for makin¡¯ swords and armor or runnin¡¯ magic tools, I¡¯ve kept them on me without pawnin¡¯ ¡¯em off. Even scrap magic stones sell for quite a bit at the capital since the city got its fair share of magic tools, so I brought ¡¯em with me, but I totally forgot ¡¯bout sellin¡¯ ¡¯em.¡±

    Hmm.

    ¡°Or rather, nowadays I¡¯ve stopped usin¡¯ most of my magic tools anyway. If I ask you, you can make much better ones, right? So I was going to sell ¡¯em off.¡±

    ¡°Wait a sec! Show them to me before you do that! I didn¡¯t even know that you¡¯ve got so many on you!¡±

    Even though you should know that I¡¯m interested in magic tools!!!

    ¡°Ain¡¯t like I got that many. ¡­Look, this is a magicmp. But, the one on your head is much better, right? This here is a magic tool that emits water. However, the released water vanishes after a few minutes, so it¡¯s impossible to drink it.¡±

    He took out one magic tool after the other.

    Hmm, I see, I see.

    ¡°This is¡­what was it ¡®gain? Ah, a magic tool for ignitin¡¯ fire. This also vanishes after a few minutes, so it¡¯s meaningless. This one¡­got an rm timer. You made one like this as well. Moreover, yours isn¡¯t such a huge chunk either.¡±

    They kepting out of his magic bag like a flood. ¡­But yeah, now I understand what he means. These things are all trash, aren¡¯t they?

    ¡°Were these made on a yful whim or something?¡±

    ¡°The creators would break down in tears if they¡¯d heard your line just now,¡± retorted Sword.

    After taking them all out, he tossed them into another bag.

    Still.

    ¡°You¡¯re carrying around quite a bunch of things, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    He¡¯s got magic stones, money, and magic tools. On top of that, he¡¯s also carrying liquor and Char with him.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got a magic bag, so yeah¡­ Even when it became somewhat heavy, I didn¡¯t care, and soon forgot ¡¯bout it after gettin¡¯ used to the weight. But now¡¯s the perfect chance. I¡¯m gonna pawn these off after we leave the dungeon.¡±

    Guess they¡¯ll be recycled in that way.

    £ª

    It looked like Swordpletely had his cleaning-switch flipped. He took out all kinds of stuff, just to put it away again or sort it into another bag.

    ¡°If it¡¯s junk, you could burn it by throwing it into the magma, you know? It¡¯d be an efficient way of disposal through incineration.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a great idea!¡±

    Apparently having finished his sorting, he went outside, heading straight for the magma.

 Chapter 100

    {Sword}

    I went outside after Indra cast a coolin¡¯ spell on me. She told me it was for the sake of me not dyin¡¯ even when hit by magma while I clean up my stuff.

    But, what¡¯s up with that? That girl is clearly more powerful than I am. Wouldn¡¯t she actually be able to clear this dungeon by herself?

    While sulkin¡¯ as I was gued by those doubts, I headed over to the magma, and dumped the whole lot inside my bag into the hot, gooey mass.

    ¡­¡­Why did I keep all this stuff ¡®nyway¡­..? A cheap sword matchin¡¯ with those of my friends back when I started out as adventurer, or a bracelet I got from my lover in a party I thought I¡¯d be able to finally settle down with. Even though I was sure I¡¯d thrown that stuff ¡®way long ago¡­

    All these things were swallowed by the magma and disappeared for eternity.

    Vacantly watchin¡¯ it happen, I felt, ¡°¡­Ain¡¯t hot at all.¡±

    Even though I was standin¡¯ almost inside theva, I didn¡¯t feel any heat whatsoever. ¡­That girl is really too much of a worrywart, isn¡¯t she?

    She¡¯s takin¡¯ life lightly and deliberately does all kinds of dangerous stuff, and yet she makes sure for no one to die. In spite of sayin¡¯ weird stuff ¡¯bout me bein¡¯ invincible and so on, she cast magic, worryin¡¯ that theva might hurt me in some way.

    It was the same when I ran out of mana and was recoverin¡¯ gradually by sleepin¡¯. She suddenly started to worry and made some weird drink.

    I wonder whether she¡¯s aware how much of a devoted, jealous meddler she is.

    Anyway, she¡¯s much stronger than me, and yet I don¡¯t know whether she realizes that she¡¯s not bein¡¯ proper evaluated for her skills, and simply gets treated as my hanger just because she¡¯s partyin¡¯ with me. Then again, she wouldn¡¯t say ¡®nythin¡¯ even if she noticed it¡­no, she¡¯d be happy, prattlin¡¯ ¡¯bout having some material for torturin¡¯.

    That girl¡¯s definitely a huge sadist. Or maybe it¡¯s better to say that she¡¯s ill, seriously.

    I sighed.

    ¡­¡­Even though she¡¯s such a gentle person in reality. It was that environment of hers where she wouldn¡¯t have pulled through if she didn¡¯t break and give up on everythin¡¯.

    I guess the same applies to me as well, though. That¡¯s why she¡¯s with me.

    ¡°Mr. Sword, let¡¯s go back anytime soon~ Otherwise mother is going to worry~¡±

    ¡°Sure. Sorry, I was just spacin¡¯ out a bit.¡±

    Being told so by Ryoku, I turned around. The bag had bepletely empty. I dumped all the junk I collected up until now.

    From now on I¡¯m goin¡¯ to cram this bag with new stuff. It¡¯s prolly goin¡¯ to be toys made by her and loot I obtained after gettin¡¯ that feelin¡¯ of thrill she always talks ¡¯bout.

    ¡°Alright. It¡¯s just been emptied out, but I s¡¯pose I¡¯ll immediately fill it up with those £ÛGun£Ý toys we used earlier.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s have apetition over who can hold more, oki?¡±

    ¡°Oh, sure sounds fun!¡±

    ¡­This guy¡¯s a golem, isn¡¯t he?

    Somehow he¡¯s talkin¡¯ very casually, though? ¡­Oh well, whatever. Since he¡¯s been created by her, it¡¯s ¡®nythin¡¯ goes ¡®nyway, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯s a livin¡¯ bein by now either way.

 Chapter 101

    On the next day, we got up after a peaceful night and headed over to the boss.

    As far as I predict, the boss is going to be a huge version of a smander or a me dragon. Or possibly Akantor!

    Going by the patterns so far, it¡¯s going to be a huge smander, though¡­

    Still, the enemies have been clearly bing stronger, and thus the magma floors have beening at us for real.

    Even Sword said that they¡¯d be tough to solo for him and that it¡¯d be impossible without him returning to the surface once to resupply before charging onto those floors.

    I wonder how it¡¯d be for me? Well, I guess I¡¯d cope one way or another, but it¡¯d be no fun, definitely. Since I¡¯d undoubtedly run out of magic stones, it¡¯d probably result in me rushing through these floors on Ryoku¡¯s back.

    Ugh, that sounds so boring. Where¡¯s the point in entering a dungeon if you do stuff like that?

    ¡°¡®Sup?¡±

    ¡°Well, I was just specting whether it¡¯d be a huge smander or a me dragon next.¡±

    Sword stared at me.

    ¡°So you think a dragon is goin¡¯ toe out after all?¡±

    I nodded, ¡°If it does, next will be an ice and snow zone with an ice dragon as boss. And below that should be the final floor of the dungeon, I think. If it¡¯s a huge smander, I feel like the dungeon is going to continue for a long time toe.¡±

    Sword scratched his head, ¡°Hmm, so neither would be a wee oue, huh?¡±

    I looked up to him, ¡°Well, it might continue all the way to 1000 floors or it might be soon over after a dragones out. We¡¯ll very soon know which of both applies. If we get tired of it, we can also hop into Char and just race through the whole lot.¡±

    After casting a sidelong nce at me, Sword ruffled my hair.

    ¡°I¡¯m countin¡¯ on you, partner.¡±

    ¡­¡­Hmm?

    ¡­¡­I feel like he said something weird.

    ¡°¡­¡­You¡¯d be able to finish off a dragon yourself, wouldn¡¯t you? I mean, even without me here, you¡¯d actually be able to clear this ce, and yet¡­¡±

    ¡­you¡¯re saying something like that?

    Swordughed, ¡°Why are you actin¡¯ all bashful? In reality your able to clear a dungeon yourself as well, no?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that suuuuuuuuuper boring? I definitelyck magic stones to do it myself. And climbing on Ryoku and running through all of it; what kind of penalty game is that supposed to be?¡±

    This time Sword broke out in loud, brightughter.

    ¡°Whoa, sure sounds borin¡¯. It¡¯d be a dungeon clearin¡¯ without a sliver of thrill.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­That¡¯s why, I also, umm¡­ ¡­¡­No, forget it.¡±

    I was grabbed by his iron w!

    ¡°Gyaaa! Why!?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t stop mid-sentence.¡±

    And that¡¯s the reason for you using an iron w on me!? Isn¡¯t that way too irrational!?

    ¡°I-I just thought that it was great that you called out to me back then!¡±

    He let go of my head.

    ¡°Alright, well said,¡± he praised me and then caressed my head.

    ¡­¡­Wouldn¡¯t anyone consider him to be at the age of a Dad if he does stuff like that? It kinda smells like an old man, doesn¡¯t it? He¡¯s reallycking youthfulness.

    ¡°Gyaaa!¡±

    He used his iron w on me, once again!!

    ¡°You just thought some weird shit again, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    This guy is 100% an esper!!!!

    £ª

    We charged into the boss room.

    ¡°So it¡¯s gonna be thest floor very soon,¡± muttered Sword.

    Pretty clearly the boss was no smander, but a huge lizard with magnificent scales. Apparently a me dragon.

    Since it looked like it¡¯d roar any second, I cast my soundproof spell! And just as predicted, it roared nicely. But I gotta admit, it was an incredible roar I could hear even through my soundproofed ears.

    ¡°Did you do somethin¡¯?¡±

    ¡°I cast a soundproofing spell. But even so, its roar was still amazing. Even high-ss earplugs wouldn¡¯t be able to block this.¡±

    ¡°¡­The hell are those? Are you gonna create another magic tool ¡®gain?¡± Sword asked loudly while rolling his eyes.

    ¡°They¡¯re necessary for you.¡±

    After grinning at him, I faced the dragon. For starters I went with a sh of my sword as a preliminary test.

    ¡°¡­Oohhh!¡±

    It was repelled with a ng.

    This means I need to get serious!

    ¡°Did you see, Sword? This guy seems to be strong!¡±

    ¡°Whoa, I really respect you for rejoicin¡¯ over that,¡± answered Sword while running up to the dragon as well, and unleashing a sh of his sword.

    Ah! Sword hurt it!

    The dragon thrashed around while screaming in agony. Sword breathed out.

    ¡°¡­Looks like it¡¯ll work one way or ¡®nother.¡±

    Alright, I gotta do my best as well!

    Just when I psyched myself up and tried to attack after gathering Mr. Fluff, the dragon did a certain motion.

    Ah, this is¡­

    ¡°Indra! It¡¯s gonna breathe fire! Watch out!¡±

    The instant Sword finished shouting¡­

    Kabooom.

    Sword felt dumbfounded by the unexpected explosion.

    ¡°Oki, it seems like this is going to fly.¡±

    The dragon¡¯s head had be a bloody mess.

    ¡°¡­¡­What did you do?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just an educated guess, but a dragon¡¯s fire breath can¡¯t be blocked by vacuum magic. It¡¯s effective for extinguishing fire that continues to burn, but since a dragon also spits out fuel alongside its mes, a vacuum has no effect on it. That¡¯s why I gathered air at its head while creating a vacuum around it so that the air would catch fire and blow up right before the dragon spit out its breath.¡±

    Sword appeared to be dumbstruck with his mouth being agape, but he immediately pulled himself together.

    ¡°Well, I s¡¯pose it¡¯s fine as long as you¡¯ve got a countermeasure. Means we don¡¯t need to pay any attention to its breath any longer.¡±

    Carelessness is your greatest enemy, you know?

    £ª

    Unable to breathe its fire, the dragon went berserk, apparently having be quite angry. It tried to trample us underfoot and p us with its tail, but it was simply too slow.

    Should I say that famous line of ¡°If it doesn¡¯t hit¡­and so on¡± here? No, since it looks like I¡¯d die if I got hit by any of those attacks in the first ce, I think it¡¯s better to leave it unsaid.

    ¨D¨DSwordboriously added small cut on small cut while I chose to look for openings tond big techniques.

    ¡°¡­Eat this! Dragon Cutter!!¡±

    I managed to cut off its tail. I¡¯m stripping it off its raw materials!

    ¡°Fuhahaha, Dragon Cutter! Cut through the battlefield and turn everything to ash!¡±

    Iughed loudly while admiring my wooden sword.

    ¡°No, look, that thing¡¯s a wooden sword, ¡®kay?¡±

    Sword gave me a retort even at a time like this. And then the tail turned into particles!

    ¡°Oooooooh? The tail became particles and vanished!?¡±

    So it wasn¡¯t possible to obtain it as material!?

    Getting really pissed after having its tail cut off, the me dragon increased its rampage and roared all over the ce. This thing¡­rather than being like Akantor, it¡¯s more like a Tiger Rex.

    In the end, Sword found an opening and neck chopped it. The dragon turned into particles and disappeared.

    ¡°Now then, I wonder whether we¡¯ll get a reward for destroying a part.¡±

    ¡°There existed a high-score-rule for cutting the tail? That¡¯d be news to me, you know?¡±

    Sword ground my temples even though it was obviously a joke.

    We opened the treasure chest and peeked in together.

    ¡°Oohh, that¡¯s amazin¡¯.¡±

    It was stuffed with so much stuff that it earned Sword¡¯s admiration.

    I was¡­dumbfounded. Gems¡­cut gemstones were in there, but how does that work?

    ¡°¡­¡­Just a sec. I¡¯d still understand if it contained gem ores, but for the gems to have already been cut and polished¡­ What¡¯s going on here!? Someone tell meeee: who processed these!?¡±

    Sword rolled his eyes at me, ¡°You know, whenever you get upset, you start talkin¡¯ like some ill-bred woman.¡±

    That¡¯s what he told me, but I am a woman.

    ¡°Now, now, isn¡¯t it just fine? Sir Dungeon Core splurged for us, right? These are worth quite a lot of money.¡±

    Humph. But, Sword and I aren¡¯t short for money, so it¡¯s nothing that auspicious, is it?

    ¡°It¡¯s worth quite a bit of money, but that alone shows how rare it is. On top of that, the chest also contains loads of dragon materials, and those can be used for all kinds of stuff, right?¡±

    ¡°I see!¡±

    I might be able to use them for new magic tools and materials for the Ryokus and Chars!

    Sword looked at me andughed. And then he stroked my head.

 Chapter 102

    We went down the stairs. Next was¡­¡­yep, I knew it. An area of ice and snow. I immediately cast my heat instion spell.

    ¡°Thanks, that¡¯s a big help. ¡­Still, this makes any snowball fightin¡¯ obsolete, damn it¡­¡±

    Just when I thought he was praising me, he started toin.

    ¡°While we¡¯re at it, I¡¯ve got new toys.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll dly take ¡¯em. Thanks!¡± He held out both hands.

    ¡°It¡¯s a drawback that you can only see the visible light spectrum, right? There are times when it¡¯s better to see the other light spectra too, even if you might have many years of experience, so I made tools for that.¡± I dropped them into his hands. ¡°Those are sses. They allow you to also perceive visual information outside the visible light spectrum. It might make you feel slightly dizzy, if you¡¯re not used to it. And this one is the goggle version of the sses. Ites with a wider visual field and makes it easier to see underwater than the sses. Both cut off the light in case the visible light bes too powerful. So far as it goes, I¡¯ve added a function to turn them off. If you touch the rim of the right lens, you can turn them on or off.¡±

    He immediately put the sses on, turning into a bespectacled, young man.

    ¡°Hee! So that¡¯s how your visual field feels like. ¡­Or rather, ain¡¯t everything in in sight!? The hell¡¯s this!? I¡¯m totally handycapped here, am I not!?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I don¡¯t understand how you won at the shooting game.¡±

    It remains a mystery to this very day. To the point of me wondering whether the Ryokus might have somehow messed up the point tallying.

    After tampering around with the sses in various ways, Sword took them off.

    ¡°If I get used to these, it¡¯ll be really dangerous when shit hits the fan.¡±

    Or so he said.

    ¡°I actually gave them to you because I want you to grow ustomed to them for critical moments¡­¡±

    One¡¯s in eyes aren¡¯t of much use in this blizzard, are they? The wind¡¯s howling is quite loud too. Wouldn¡¯t it be quite a disadvantage if one couldn¡¯t rely on their senses of hearing and sight?

    If it¡¯s already like this on our current floor, I¡¯m sure the storms are going to get much worse the lower we go¡­ Or is Sword nning to spot enemies with what¡¯smonly referred to as ¡°sixth sense?¡±

    ¡°If things get really hairy, I can put it on. Besides, I¡¯ve also got your wristband. So things will work out one way or ¡®nother.¡±

    ¡­¡­Sword is quite the amazing guy, isn¡¯t he?

    £ª

    Now then, speaking for ice and snow areas¡­

    Yeti! Snowmen! Copper ngonga! 1

    All of them talk about the same¡­oh wait, I guess thest one is another type. ¡­Either way, I¡¯m talking about swarms of such big, furry apes roaming the ins. Moreover, mobs simr to wolves might be around as well.

    ¡°¡­Why would apes and dogs be together?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Is it wrong for ¡¯em to team up?¡±

    I mean, isn¡¯t the rtionship between dogs and monkeys usually like that of cats and dogs? Themon sense of this world is totally messed up!

    £ª

    ¨D¨DSword is amazing after all.

    How can he tell enemies apart in this blizzard where you can¡¯t really hear much because of all the noise and see beyond your own hands because of the bad visibility (on top of him only being able to see the visible spectrum of light in the first ce)!?

    What? Does something like detection magic exist? Even then, he¡¯d be in incredible, no?

    After finishing off enemies in a whiff, we took a break in a cave that seemed to be a safe zone.

    ¡°Sword, you¡¯ve earned my respect.¡±

    Sword stared at me with a super suspicious look, however.

    ¡°¡­What kind of joke are you pullin¡¯?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no joke! ¡­How can you find the enemies!? The Ryokus and I ¡ºsee¡» them. I mean, if I feel like hearing a sound, I can pick it up while shutting out the wind¡¯s howling, okay? That¡¯s why I can tell, but you¡¯re fighting enemies after detecting them while being unable to rely on your hearing or sight, aren¡¯t you!? Don¡¯t you understand just how amazing this ability is!?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    He suddenly became cheerful, apparently happy over my praise.

    ¡°Now that you mention it, I just know where the enemies are. Somehow I simply get it through intuition.¡±

    ¡°Oh! There it is! The infamous ¡°sixth sense¡±!¡±

    ¡°The heck¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Humans possess five senses. Vision, hearing, taste, touch, and olfaction. However, you spot and destroy enemies without using any of those, correct? This act of sensing information outside the five senses is called sixth sense.¡±

    ¡°Hee, sounds awesome.¡±

    I¡¯m talking about you!!

    When I intensely red at him, Swordughed, ¡°Well, I¡¯ve got my fair share ofbat experience. As I was workin¡¯ alone over long periods of time, I was liable to run into dangerous situations at any moment. At one time I also happened to fight ¡®gainst a pack of wolves inside a blizzard like this, you know? Though I s¡¯pose this time it¡¯s at least better in regards to me not feelin¡¯ cold.¡±

    Whoa, it¡¯s his usual hard mode.

    Then he muttered in admiration, ¡°I see. So your limited in various ways just as your capable of various things, huh?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only natural to be limited by things you can¡¯t do, no? Aren¡¯t you actually much weirder than I am!?¡±

    I seem to be perceived as superwoman by my surroundings, but even so, I¡¯m just manipting magic elements based on my knowledge, so I¡¯m doing something very normal here!

    In the first ce, I think thebat experience Sword is talking about and regrbat experience are twopletely different things. Usually you¡¯d follow the theory of learning the enemy¡¯s attack patterns and ways to take them down, right? But Sword said that he mastered his ultra-super-duper-intuition while fighting, didn¡¯t he?

    From which manga did he get something like that!?

    £ª

    Swordughed again.

    ¡°I see, I see, so in your eyes I¡¯m an incredible guy, eh?¡±

    ¡°I think anyone would consider you incredible, though. Or is that normal to the people of this world?¡±

    Nothing less of a fantasy world. For an ultra-super-duper-intuition to bemonce¡­ I wonder whether I¡¯ll be able to learn it at some point as well.

    Ah, but, it sounds like it¡¯d make me painful to look at. I mean, that would be a perfect trigger for starting to say stuff like, ¡°My right eye throbs.¡±

    When I pondered about such things, he scowled at me, but why?

    ¡°¡­Aren¡¯t you thinkin¡¯ somethin¡¯ rude ¡®gain?¡±

    I violently shook my head many times over.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got no clue whether everyone¡¯s capable of it. I was acting alone for a long time. ¡­But, you can¡¯t do it, huh?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡±

    Or rather, I think those incapable of that make up the majority¡­

    When I was looking nkly, Sword smiled gently, and stroked my head.

    ¡°As I got you to prepare and build all kinds of things for me, I started to think that your an almighty god. It ain¡¯t Ben¡¯s line, but most people of this world would think of lettin¡¯ ice rain from the sky or makin¡¯ lightnin¡¯ strike from up there as divine works. I see, your eager ¡¯bout givin¡¯ detailed exnations for everythin¡¯, but I don¡¯t wanna hear any of those!¡±

    I had my mouth blocked just when I was about to exin.

    ¡°I know. You ain¡¯t no almighty god. If you say there¡¯s a theory behind it all, so be it. But, we don¡¯t get those theories, and I suspect we wouldn¡¯t be able to understand ¡¯em either. That¡¯s also why the name Allrounder fits you perfectly. ¡­Or so I thought, but there¡¯s stuff I can do and you can¡¯t. And probably I¡¯m the only one capable of it. ¡­When I grasped that, I was a bit happy.¡±

    ¡­¡­

    I looked up to Sword, ¡°When I teach you songs, you¡¯re able to sing them without missing a tone or making any mistakes with lyrics that use anguage you don¡¯t understand. You immediately grasped how to drive Char and Bronko. And when I taught you how to use guns, you even got a higher score than me. ¡­Ah, just thinking of it grates on my nerves.¡±

    So upsetting¡«

    At once my head was ruffled.

    ¡°¡­So you were devastated over having things you can¡¯t do yourself, huh?¡±

    ¡°I guess. It¡¯s because I¡¯ve be slightly conceited. I was sure no one would be able to be better¡­, no, to be at my level. No one saw the same views I saw. No one experienced the same sensations I did. That¡¯s why I thought I¡¯d always be alone.¡±

    It doesn¡¯t seem like we¡¯ve got the same senses. I mean, I don¡¯t have a sixth sense, okay? Isn¡¯t it just Sword alone?

    Ah, but I¡¯ve be ¡°someone possessing the same senses as him¡± by relying on science.

    ¡°And then you lined yourself up next to me. I thought you were equal to me or a little bit behind. But, as you learned new things and absorbed them, you overtook me by leaps n¡¯ bounds. Your growth rate is much higher than mine. I got panicked, thinkin¡¯ that you¡¯d leave me in the lurk at this rate.¡±

    ¡­¡­Pardon?

    ¡°¡­Look, I won¡¯t grow anymore, you know?¡±

    ¡°Haah?¡±

    Sword became dumbfounded.

    ¡°I¡¯m a woman. Let me tell you once more just to make sure: I am a wo-man! The growth period of womenes much earlier than that of men. I¡¯ve already reached its peak. At most it¡¯llst until the age of 15, I guess. Or, if I¡¯m unlucky, it¡¯s already stopped at my current age.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡± Sword looked very doubtful.

    Did he forget about me being a woman? ¡­No, he obviously forgot, didn¡¯t he!?

    I thrust a finger right at his face.

    ¡°Now listen! I am a woman! My growth has already stopped! I won¡¯t grow any further!¡± My voice became louder towards the end. ¡°¨D¨DExcept for my chest!¡±, I added with an even louder voice. ¡°EXCEPT FOR MY CHEST!!!¡±

    Important things have to be said twice.

    However, Sword looked at me with a fed-up expression.

    ¡°¡­¡­Isn¡¯t your chest the part that¡¯s stopped growin¡¯?¡±

    What was that!?!?

    ¡°It hasn¡¯t stopped! A woman¡¯s chest¡­my chest, you see, is something that will grow all life long! It was the same in the other world!¡±

    When I was on the verge of tears, Sword took me into his arms and stroked me.

    ¡°Right, right. ¡­Come to think of it, you were a woman, weren¡¯t you? Your chest¡­let¡¯s see¡­it bin¡¯ big sooner orter¡­sure would be nice.¡±

    What¡¯s with his stuttering!?

    ¡°¡­Men are different from women. Their real growth begins after 15. The growth periodsts until around 20, and afterwards it begins to slow down, but it slows down a lot faster for women. If you say that one can grow by just training themselves, unrted to gender and age, it not only applies to me, but you as well. The gap between us shouldn¡¯t be filled that easily.¡±

    ¡°I see. Makes sense in a way.¡±

    Just when I thought he was praising my knowledge, he put his arms under my armpits and lifted me up.

    ¡­Am I a cat to you, or what?

    ¡°Your a smart girl.¡±

    ¡°¡­What¡¯s with that cute talk as if you¡¯re speaking to a pet?¡±

    ¡°Reared creatures? Are you talkin¡¯ ¡¯bout tamed monsters?¡±

    It¡¯s different, but I guess the people of this world don¡¯t understand the concept of buying small animals to care for them as pets.

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk to a 13-years-old, beautiful girl while lifting her up by her armpits. I¡¯m no little girl for heaven¡¯s sake.¡±

    Sword burst intoughter.

    ¡°Sorry. ¡­Somehow I can¡¯t rid myself from viewin¡¯ you as the lil¡¯ runt you were when we met for the first time.¡±

    Isn¡¯t that the reason why you¡¯re like a Dad? No, old man, I suppose.

    In the next second I was dropped on the ground again, although I didn¡¯t say anything.

 Chapter 103

    We arrived in front of the boss room.

    But I got to say, just as you¡¯d expect of the floors before thest one, they¡¯ve been truly brutal.

    Apes and dogs attacked us in swarms while working together! Weren¡¯t you guys supposed to be on really bad terms!?

    Moreover, huge yetis made an appearance as well! And gigantic wolves too! They were giving instructions to the swarms, making things super annoying.

    £ª

    Given that we¡¯d be exhausted, we pitched a camp in the shade of a grotto, a safe zone. Sword didn¡¯t insist on charging the boss room just like that either.

    My body shouldn¡¯t feel cold, but for some reason it had cooled down to the core. Therefore I entered the bath in Char.

    ¡­¡­Together with Sword.

    What¡¯s the deal here? We¡¯re man and woman, so far as it goes, no? Only lovers enter a bath together, right? And yet, entering the bath together like that makes us almost seem like parent and child, doesn¡¯t it?

    No, it is parent and child, isn¡¯t it?

    But even then, entering the bath together with Dad would be too much of a stretch for a 13-years-old, wouldn¡¯t it?

    ¡°Laa?¡± I sang while thinking all that.

    ¡°How did you make all this foam?¡±

    Currently we were in a bubble bath. A bath in carbonated water to get warm.

    ¡°Are you telling me to exin the theory behind it?¡±

    ¡°No, thanks. I just felt like askin¡¯ a bit.¡±

    ¡­I don¡¯t know what Sword is thinking. But, I wonder whether Sword might possibly not have spent a normal childhood either, seeing how he doesn¡¯t really understand the implications of doing stuff which normally would only be done by man and woman. Is he yearning for skinship or something?

    He did emphasize ¡¸solo¡¹ and ¡¸alone¡¹ awfully much, didn¡¯t he? Then again, I might have entered the bath with him without thinking anything in particr about it, if I didn¡¯t possess my otherworld knowledge.

    £ª

    After we entered a bath to warm us up, we ate a stew to warm us up even further. It became very cozy and snuggly.

    ¡°It makes you totally forget that your in a dungeon, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Swordmented in a rxed manner while drinking a brandy.

    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing that you coaxed Char out of me. I¡¯m always hyped about camping being all about tents, but even I¡¯d feel depressed to stay in a tent during such a blizzard. We wouldn¡¯t be able to enjoy the luxury of gazing at the harsh weather outside from inside a warm,fortable room, if we didn¡¯t have Char with us.¡±

    ¡°You and your sadistic remarks, really. I didn¡¯t consider things that far, ¡®kay?¡±

    Boo, I¡¯m no sadist!

    After deeply sighing, Sword stretched out on the sofa, ¡°Just what¡¯s with this homely vehicle that feels morefortable than a high-ss residence or an expensive room in the capital?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m particr about the necessities of life. You provide the funds necessary for me being fixated on it while I provide the technology. As such, this is just a natural oue. ¡­Anyway, food and living space are set with this. Next would be clothing, I guess? ¡­Hey, don¡¯t you have an idea about fabric made out of the threads of insects?¡±

    The main stream for clothing in this world was woolen material won out of animal and monster pelt. The people wove the long strands of monster fur together, creating clothes that werefortable enough to not call them bad. But, the summers were hot around here.

    Commoners apparently used nt-based clothes. Not really hemp or cotton, but well, I guess it was close to hemp. They wove sturdy, soft fibers together, resulting in ufortable clothes simr to soft hemp or stiff cotton clothing. But, the winters were cold around here.

    £ª

    I don¡¯t dislike natural fibers. Rather, I like them as LOHAS. However, number one for me are threads of insects¡­silkworm threads!! The touch and gloss of silk is top notch, and on top of that, the threads¡¯ponents are outstanding to help with a beautiful skin, too!

    In the other world it was impossible unless you went with silkworms, but I wonder, how things are over here?

    ¡°They exist. Or rather¡­you like bugs that much?¡±

    ¡­Don¡¯t look at me with such a pitying expression!

    ¡°NOO!! The highest quality cloth products in the other world were woven out of insect threads! They were super glossy, had a nice touch, and were way beyond any animal fur or nt-based clothes!¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­if it¡¯s like that¡­well, it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have any connections. ¡­But, are you possibly capable of makin¡¯ clothes as well?

    ¡°Pretty much. Embroidery is a pastime of nobility, and sewing is a field I excel in. Since my otherworld self also took lessons in three-dimensional patterns, I can also make pattern papers based on the human body. In other words, I could run a dress shop in this world.¡±

    I¡¯m generally good at anything that¡¯s rted to home economics.

    ¡°Anyway, isn¡¯t the underwear I made your personal favorite?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Sword smacked his own waist.

    The belly wraps and pants, made out of woolen materials and nt-based clothbined with ribbing of the stic parts, were regrly used by everyone in the mansion. I made several myself, and the maids used my creations as reference to make their own variations. I created the ribbing in S, M, and L with big lily yarn, which the maids knitted together in a team effort. I wanted to make it possible for them to use a machine for weaving, but I didn¡¯t know how to build a weaver.

    ¡°¡­You made these!? Those groundbreaking pants with the hole in front? The ones that are so nice because you don¡¯t need to take them off each time when your takin¡¯ a piss? The ones where you don¡¯t need to untie a string each time you take them off?¡±

    I nodded.

    ¡°In reality, you see, I could make it even morefortable if only I had stic materials. If you use things like frog tongues as a recement for ropes, they¡¯ll stretch if you pull on them, and thus fit your body as needed. Do you have a clue where to find such material?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­I do.¡±

    Ohh! This will allow me to secure rubber material! The skin of amphibian monsters is quite flexible in its own right, but that¡¯s the only good part about it. It doesn¡¯t possess a softness at the level of rubber.

    Just as I wondered what I¡¯d make with it, I got hugged by Sword.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Will you make clothes for me?¡±

    ¡­¡­.What¡¯s going on with him? Is he drunk?

 Chapter 104

    On the next day we charged into the boss room. As predicted, it was an ice dragon. What made it a lot more fiendish than the me dragon was its ice breath for which we didn¡¯t have any countermeasures.

    In the first ce, the existence of a huge living being with a body temperature below freezing point is weird. Well, it must have adopted itself to its environment, yep. I¡¯m sure. That must be it.

    £ª

    Immediately following our entry, the battle began. The room temperature was -35¡ãC. Moreover, it was a whiteout.

    You¡¯d freeze into a solid block if you became careless and stood still, and although Sword was shing away with his fire sword, the parts that melted from his cuts immediately froze again. This was looking to be a difficult fight.

    ¡°¡­Damn it. Got any ideas how to deal with this?¡± Sword asked me after stopping his attacks for a moment.

    ¡°Yeah¡­ It¡¯s heresy to do it like that, though¡­¡±

    ¡°Still better than a war of attrition, ain¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°I could remove the limiter on theser gun which would allow us to shoot through it.¡±

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go with that.¡±

    He was totally hyped by the idea.

    ¡°I think your light magic would work as well, though. Also¡­oh, I¡¯ve got something even better! It should be more suited for you, too!¡±

    What I took out was a lightsaber as it was used during certain space wars. You could probably call it a standard item for space battles.

    ¡°It¡¯s aser sword! This will definitely be able to burn through it! And not just melting it, but actually vaporizing it!¡±

    ¡°Gimme,¡± he held out both hands.

    ¡°The switch is at the guard. Watch out, okay? I¡¯m not kidding, but it can basically burn through anything.¡±

    Once he pressed the switch, theser extended with a buzz.

    ¨D¨DThis was a superior weapon that used quite a bit of knowledge and technology to affix its starting and end point. I would never have been able to put it into practice with just my otherworld knowledge. The clincher here was gravity control!

    By the way, I couldn¡¯te up with a theory for extension magic. However, I could reproduce it since I was able to grasp how to control magic elements, although I don¡¯t understand the principle behind it.

    Anyway, I digressed.

    ¡°You can adjust its length by turning the guard. Set it to the length you like and chop the dragon up.¡±

    ¡°Roger!¡±

    Sword happily tuned the beam sword¡¯s length.

    ¡°¡­Still, I gotta say, she really excels in buildin¡¯ toys that tickle a man¡¯s heart, doesn¡¯t she¡­?¡± Sword muttered under his breath.

    Well, look, Sword. That¡¯s just because you love SF stuff, okay? I mean, a guy with no interest in that direction wouldn¡¯t hype it so much either.

    £ª

    With Sword looking very happy, we challenged the dragon once again. The Ryokus¡¯ Gatling guns and rocketunchers already were effective because of their bursting shells, therefore they kept going just like that.

    ¨D¨DMe? I can cut everything.

    This is something I don¡¯t understand at all, but wouldn¡¯t you think that cutting something like ice would be child¡¯s y if you can cut through rock with wood?

    Even when I was turned into a snowman after getting directly hit by the dragon¡¯s breath, I only had to shake the snow off without needing any evaporation agent or anything.

    ¡°Whoa, just as I thought, you ain¡¯t no human,¡± or some such said Sword, but I don¡¯t want to be told that by a guy who kills his enemies with his sixth sense.

    In the end, Sword cut off its tail, and I used that chance to chop its neck, killing it in the process.

    ¡°¨D¨DIf you cut off the tail, the loot in the treasure chest increases, was it?¡±

    Sword said, selfishly making up rules as they suited him. This was ament directed at Sir Dungeon Core.

    £ª

    After the ice dragon turned into particles and vanished, a treasure chest appeared.

    ¡°Ooohh!¡±

    ¡°Whoa!¡±

    Probably because Sword had earlier talked about us getting unnecessary stuff, Sir Dungeon Core splurged for us.

    There were two treasure chests! A second had appeared!

    I put my hands together, praying towards the treasure chests.

    ¡°Thank you very much, Sir Dungeon Core. I cannot thank you enough for being as kind as going along with Sword¡¯s selfish rule making afterining about only getting unnecessary items. ¡­Gyaaah!¡±

    Sword¡¯s iron w lunged at me!

    ¡°Hey, you¡¯ve been the one talkin¡¯ ¡¯bout tail this n¡¯ that, so I went out of my way to cut it off at great pains, so what¡¯s with all your bullshit now!?¡±

    That was me talking about games! It¡¯s not like I imed that you¡¯d get a high-score for cutting off the tail or anything like that!

    Moreover! Probably because Sir Dungeon Core heard my booingst time, the gems were inside ores this time around.

    On top of that, ice dragon materials, tinum coins e to think of it, it looks like tinum coins and healing potionse from dungeons after all), and even a huge magic stone!

    ¡°Yaaay! Truly, thank you very much, Sir Dungeon Core! That¡¯s an incredible magic stone! I think I¡¯ll use it for the Ryokus¡¯s server~¡±

    I had used the best magic stone in Sword¡¯s possession to run the server, but this one here is bigger by several sizes.

    ¡°And if you do? Then¡­wait¡­aren¡¯t magic stones embedded in the Ryokus?¡± Sword asked me with a puzzled expression.

    ¡°They are, but those are for the data load, or what you¡¯d call a temporary storage device. The server stands in the mansion. The magic stone over there is so important that I¡¯ve programmed all Ryokus to eliminate anyone approaching the server room except for me. The information obtained by all Ryokus is being stored on the server and likewise distributed to all Ryokus. That¡¯s why they shouldn¡¯t have any individuality.¡±

    ¡­But, individual personalities have started to appear. I cannot help but feel that it¡¯s quite strange. No, it¡¯s actually scary instead.

    ¡°I¡¯ve built the Ryokus with the intent of being able to revive them at any time if they get physically destroyed by just building the machine anew and loading the data on the new unit. And yet¡­¡±

    ¡­the Ryokus possess personalities. The only exnation I can think of is that their personalities are stored on the magic stones for the data load. What if an emotion of being a separate ¡°individual¡± has been stored there? Since that¡¯s no information, it won¡¯t be uploaded to the server. However, the most crucial data is contained in the part that¡¯s not being uploaded.

    Sword knocked on my head as I was hanging it in contemtion and then stroked it.

    ¡°I know. The golems made by you are alive as they possess emotions. This is what you¡¯ve wished for all the time, isn¡¯t it? Thus, it¡¯s a good thing. The Ryokus protect me. And you and I protect ¡¯em. So they won¡¯t get destroyed. Gotcha?¡±

    ¡­¡­

    ¡°I see.¡±

    We just need to protect them. If they don¡¯t get destroyed, the Ryokus with souls won¡¯t die. As long as they¡¯re alive, I¡¯ll keep giving them maintenance. And at a time when I¡¯ve passed away, they will recognize Sword as ¡°Dad¡± if he¡¯s still alive at that time, or they will run on an autonomous program if Sword is dead as well.

    Hence, if they possess a soul as individuals, they might live on while following their own, independent wills.

    £ª

    Now then, the next floor is going to be¡­

    ¡°Hmm, if Sir Dungeon Core has done his best and prepared maps and dragons that are a lot more fiendish, we might have another ten or twenty floors ahead of us, but I¡¯ve got trouble to imagine maps that would much more brutal than the ice and snow maps we just passed.¡±

    ¡°I agree. Anyway, whatever mighte at us, I¡¯m sure you n¡¯ me can deal with it one way or ¡®nother.¡±

    When he cast a broad grin at me, I quickly averted my face. And thus I had to suffer from another iron w, which forced my face back to look at him.

    ¡°Gyaaah!¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s your reply?¡±

    ¡°O-Of course! Something like an event you and I can¡¯t beat doesn¡¯t exist!¡±

    Seemingly satisfied, he released his iron w and stroked me instead.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go then?¡±

    ¡°¡­Mmh.¡±

    Somehow, he¡¯s quite irrational.

 Chapter 105

    {Sword}

    ¨D¨DWhere¡¯s this?

    If I remember correctly, I¨D¨D¡ºwe¡» should have conquered the dungeon. We got close to thest floor¨D¨Ddefeated an ice dragon¨D¨Dand then¡­

    Oh right, that girl should have said that us two would be able to handle ¡®nythin¡¯, even if it was somethin¡¯ unexpected, before the two of us charged into the next area. But, this ce¡­

    Did I die?

    I¡¯ve been tossed into a pitch ck world where I can¡¯t hear a thin¡¯ or feel ¡®nythin¡¯ ¡¯round me. Thest area was an instant-death area?

    ¨D¨DOr wait, is that girl a¡¯right?¡±

    I don¡¯t mind dyin¡¯. I¡¯ve been livin¡¯ while thinkin¡¯ that, so I got no regrets, really.

    But, even if I don¡¯t care, what ¡¯bout her? Even if we might¡¯ve entered an instant-death area, I can¡¯t believe that she¡¯s died.

    In that case, what is she thinkin¡¯ while lookin¡¯ at my corpse? Ain¡¯t that seriously dangerous?

    Ugh, can¡¯t I get back to life somehow? I mean, even Sir Dungeon Core shouldn¡¯t wish for the end of this world, right?

    Oh shit, if I don¡¯t get back to life, that girl¡¯s goin¡¯ to destroy the world¨D¨D

    Just as I thought all that, a gentle light filled my sight. It had her shape. And immediately followin¡¯, the Ryokus emerged as lights. And at the end, I could see my own body shinin¡¯ as well.

    ¡°¡­¡­You okay? Nothing less of someone possessing a sixth sense. You¡¯re a ss of your own. Being able to stay so calm even without the sses, huh¡­?¡±

    Her voice sounded relieved.

    ¡°No, I panicked a bit. I¡¯m a normal human, you know?¡±

    Isn¡¯t she somehow¡­let¡¯s see¡­yes, overestimatin¡¯ me way too much? With that thought in mind, I¡¯ve been repeatedly tellin¡¯ her that I¡¯m a normal human.

    ¨D¨DHonestly! And I mean it! I do hate bein¡¯ considered inferior by her! But, won¡¯t she totally mistake me for some crazy superman of sorts if I don¡¯t keep tellin¡¯ her that I¡¯m a normal human!?

    Of course, if I¡¯m told to follow in her footsteps or some such, I¡¯ll do it! But, it ain¡¯t like I can do it with a yawn all the while ¡®kay? It¡¯s something I can pull off while concentratin¡¯ all my efforts on it, you see?

    Usually you¡¯d die if your hit by magma, and you¡¯d also die if you carelessly stepped into a poisonous swamp. Somethin¡¯ like takin¡¯ on an ice dragon¡¯s breath, just to shake off the ice as if nothin¡¯ happened is impossible for me!

    ¨D¨DOnce I pulled myself together, I looked ¡¯round me.

    ¡°¡­Where are we?¡± I asked a very ordinary n¡¯ reasonable question.

    ¡°We probably entered thest area. I see, so that¡¯s how he¡¯s going to y it, huh¡­? A space of zero gravity, no sound, and no light. Is it representing space or something else altogether¡­? Either way, it¡¯s very interesting,¡± said Indra while lookin¡¯ extremely excited.

    So even this room doesn¡¯t make her change her ways, eh? She¡¯s a truly reliable partner!!

    ¡°¡­Hmm? Wait, you said no sound, didn¡¯t you? How are we talkin¡¯ then?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re transmitting our thoughts through soundless waves. The Ryokus and I had been able to do so from the very start, but you were limited to perceiving malicious intents. However, feeling the danger of this nullifying space, you¡¯ve be able to do it as well, I guess? As I thought, you¡¯re really incredible. Your ability to perform without any practice is quite astonishing.¡±

    ¨D¨DI¡¯m bein¡¯ praised by her, but somehow I feel happy and at the same time got the urge to insist that I¡¯m a normal human¡­

    Suddenly an idea struck me.

    ¡°Ah. ¡­Have you been able to stay calm since you can ¡ºsee¡» even without it bein¡¯ bright?¡±

    ¡°That ys a part, too. But, there¡¯s probably no setting that would go beyond this as an area above an ice and snow region. And if there is, I¡¯d sure love to see it.¡±

    ¡­¡­I see. Because she¡¯d prepared herself after bein¡¯ unable toe up with ¡®nythin¡¯ followin¡¯ this, now that we went through magma, ice, and snow, she coulde to terms with this ce, is what she¡¯s sayin¡¯?

    ¡­But yeah, she¡¯s gotta be right about there bein¡¯ nothin¡¯ beyond this.

    I mean, I thought I¡¯d died.

    ¡°What are we goin¡¯ to do?¡±

    The shinin¡¯ Indra pointed below when I asked.

    ¡°The deepest floores after we descend ten floors, right? As far as I can see, there exist no walls, ceilings, or floors. I don¡¯t see any enemies either. All we have to do is descend. It¡¯s going to be a £ÛSpace Walk£Ý, I suppose,¡± she said happily.

    ¡­¡­Amazin¡¯. I seriously respect her. She¡¯s havin¡¯ fun in this situation?

    ¨D¨DThen, teach me how to have fun as well!

    ¡°Wait, your sayin¡¯ somethin¡¯ iprehensible ¡®gain.¡±

    ¡°My knowledge might not apply to this world. That¡¯s why let me warn you: all that follows stems from my otherworld knowledge. This world, or better, this has gravity¡­in other words, the power causing things to fall to the ground. You, me, and many other things are being dragged down. So what would happen if that power pulling us would wane? The answer is our current situation,¡± exined Indra and spread both her arms.

    Her appearance as she was floatin¡¯ while shinin¡¯ brightly looked like that of a goddess.

    ¡°The power pulling us has its limits. Umm, what do you think would happen if we suddenly jumped out of the power¡¯s range? The answer would be this here. Light, sound, and everything is energy. And that energy would be for naught. However, only magic elements alone can¡¯t be erased. That demon said it before. Magic elements are energy based on a concept existing outside the normal framework.¡±

    ¡­

    She¡¯s gleefully exinin¡¯ it all in detail, but sorry, none of it registers with my head.

    But, I got it.

    ¡°It¡¯s gonna be thest floor once we get down all the way to the bottom, right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed. This ce has air, unlike £ÛSpace£Ý. That means it¡¯s also possible to manipte air. You¡¯ll be able to descend to the bottom, if you cast wind magic.¡±

    With her bright smile, Indra truly looked like a goddess.

    ¡°¡­Why are you shinin¡¯?¡±

    This light is weird as heck. Different from light magic, it¡¯s much more frail and solemn¨D¨D

    ¡°Oh? You realized? This is, you see, a new technique! This light is called £ÛChemiluminescence£Ý. It doesn¡¯t emit any heat, and its intensity is low, but it¡¯s extremely useful to let others know of my position in a pitch ck darkness like this! I know of two luminescence methods, but I implemented this one as¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah, okay, okay. I totally get that it ain¡¯t solemn.¡±

    ¡­This girl gets really scary when she starts exinin¡¯ while all high-strung. She always rattles down some nonsensical theories with such a rough nasal breathin¡¯ that it makes you think it¡¯d¡¯ve been better not to have asked. If not for that, it¡¯d have ended at me regardin¡¯ her as solemn¡­

    She¡¯s truly and utterly a disappointment as a person!!

    I spat out a sigh and snorted glumly.

    ¡°What? You are interested in this light, no? Sure, it doesn¡¯t have the intensity to brighten up my surroundings, but in exchange, it¡¯s not being hot even when I¡¯m d in it like this, you know? Quite amazing, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s awesome. But, I simply got slightly devastated after havin¡¯ to listen to your exnation that totally spoiled my admiration of it bein¡¯ divine work.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no divine work! As if I¡¯d be ever able to pull off something crazy as that! Rather, you people are doing divine works! Magic that ignores all logic and that ridiculous super-duper sixth sense of yours are the very definition of divine acts in my eyes!¡±

    She thrust a finger at me.

    ¡°Hee¡­Well, I guess you¡¯ve got a point. Your always talkin¡¯ ¡¯bout all this tedious, small stuff, but all of it is based on theories you canprehend while my actions are based on theories you can¡¯tprehend, huh?¡±

    She¡¯s right, though. I don¡¯t have a clue why we can use magic by just chantin¡¯ a spell. I don¡¯t understand, but since it works either way, I haven¡¯t given it much thought.

    ¡°There even exists a reason for the morning sun to rise in the east, and yet you can make magic explode by just chanting a spell. I don¡¯t get the principle behind that. I¡­all these developed theories aren¡¯t anything I came up with. I¡¯m merely putting on a face as if I¡¯d know the differences of the theories researched by schrs based on findings of adventurers.¡±

    ¡­¡­Oh. I said something bad. It looks like I made her all depressed. I wanna console her, but my hands won¡¯t reach.

    ¡­No, she said it¡¯d be fine if I used wind magic, didn¡¯t she?

    ¡°¡­Uff,¡± I crashed into Indra once I cast it.

    But, as expected of a superwoman. She didn¡¯t budge in the slightest even without any foothold.

    ¡°¡­Even if I understood the theories behind it, the one usin¡¯ all of them is you, right? I¡¯ve received all kinds of stuff from you thanks to those theories. So, don¡¯t worry and keep usin¡¯ your knowledge as much as you want from now on. Ain¡¯t like you puttin¡¯ ¡®nyone on the spot ¡®nyway.¡±

    When I hugged and stroked her, she apparently became mellow.

    ¡°¡­¡­Then I¡¯ll take you up on that.¡±

    Or some such she muttered under her breath.

 Chapter 106

    We descended towards thest floor. I told Sword to put his sses on as well. This wasn¡¯t the time for him to act stubborn and insist on relying only on his sixth sense or whatsoever.

    Even electromaic waves didn¡¯t allow me to discover any ceilings, floors, or walls on this floor. You can¡¯t do anything about what doesn¡¯t exist either.

    Wouldn¡¯t it be terrible to crash after charging? Though, in such a case, it¡¯d be the other party that would break, I think! Yep, I¡¯m sure!

    £ª

    We descended further. I felt like the descent itself took quite a bit of time. Of course we could take a break in Char, if necessary, but since it¡¯d somehow feel like watching a movie and then not being able to see the end, I want to float all the way to thest floor.

    On the way back, I¡¯ll spend a leisurely time in Char though! I think it¡¯d be really fun to return while making toys out of the dungeon drops.

    As we were descending while I was thinking all that, the sixth-sense-guy suddenly said,¡±¡­I can see something down below.¡±

    Ryoku had apparently spotted it with his far-sight function, reporting, ¡°It¡¯s kinda like a boss. A humanoid one.¡±

    When I looked in the same direction¡­our eyes met. It grinned at me? I tried waving a hand at it.

    ¡°Hey, what you doin¡¯?¡±

    ¡°It grinned at me, so I waved back. ¡­Hmm, if I should exin, I¡¯d say, I was trying to give a friendly first impression?¡±

    ¡°Whoa, thanks for makin¡¯ no sense.¡±

    Weren¡¯t you the one asking!?!?

    £ª

    Atst we arrived at a ce which was very likely thest boss¡¯s area. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t an ancient dragon.

    But, it has a humanoid shape! In other words,munication is possible!

    ¡°You, who possess wisdom and courage, well done to have reached this ce,¡± it addressed us from its side.

    ¡°Hello. I wouldn¡¯t im to have that much courage, but I desire wisdom and I¡¯m also aware of possessing some. How long have you been here?¡±

    Sword grumbled telepathically, ¡°It¡¯s started ¡®gain,¡± but I didn¡¯t hear anything.

    ¡°Who knows. This ce does not have a concept of time. Plus, time is not anything I need to concern myself with either.¡±

    ¡°Okay, then let me rephrase the question: Where have you been beforeing to this ce?¡±

    ¡°In a ce without time that resembles this ce quite closely.¡±

    That means¡­

    ¡°In short, this ce is simr to the spirit world, huh?¡±

    ¡°Hoh. ¡­One with wisdom, why do you know of that ce?¡±

    ¡°A while ago I had a short conversation with a being that manifested from the spirit world.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see. That is very interesting.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m also interested. I thought that this ce is simr to space, but I suppose this is the feel of the spirit world. Even if I can process a timeless dimension as information, it¡¯s still a phenomenon I can¡¯t understand logically. What kind of ce is a dimension with no past or future?¡±

    ¡°A dimension where an instantsts but an eternity. You are free to visit.¡±

    Don¡¯t ask the unreasonable.

    ¡°I like the tangible world. Because it¡¯s a dimension where an instant doesn¡¯tst an eternity, everything has an end, and in itself hides beauty within. I prefer an universe that¡¯s filled with enough energy to permit life over a ck hole, even if both are dominated by darkness.¡±

    I scattered light like a star with my luminescence spell. Though, rather than a star, calling me¡­a firefly would be more appropriate, I guess. If you actually look at fireflies, theyck cuteness, don¡¯t they? But, the light of fireflies looks fantastical in the darkness. I think, those are also lights that burn through their lives in an instant.

    ¨D¨DBeing illuminated by my luminescence, the humanoid had a very pretty form. White porcin skin, ck, silky, long hair, and ruby lips¡­or such you¡¯d describe its traits, wouldn¡¯t you? But, itcked all humanity. It was the beauty of artificial molding.

    But, I doubt it matters to a spirit world dweller which is disconnected from its own and others¡¯ appearances.

    ¡°¡­I believe not knowing has good and bad sides to it. Your form is something that would be described as beautiful, but I¡¯m sure for a spirit world dweller that¡¯s irrelevant. If you learn of its beauty, it might trigger emotions, but if you don¡¯t, you wouldn¡¯t care either.¡±

    The personughed, ¡°Your soul is beautiful as well. That radiance of trying to greedily devour anything you desire definitely is an alien concept in the spirit world.¡±

    Hey, that¡¯s no praise at all!!

    And then the humanoid added, ¡°Also, just now you made me realize that we are not in the spirit world, but the material world. ¡­I see. The material world is beautiful in its own right. I also learned that you could describe it as ¡ºfantastical¡»,¡± while looking at the chemiluminescence that appeared like gently floating fireflies.

    ¡°Well, you might be right about the appearance. Because the material world possesses a set of principles, this is yet another oue, okay? The material world stores energy in matter, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Just a sec there. I get it that your all happy ¡¯bout discussin¡¯ all this stuff, but give it a rest with all the tedious details. In the first ce, you think a spirit world dweller would understand all your lil¡¯ theories if you exin ¡¯em in full detail?¡± Sword chimed in.

    ¡­He¡¯s right, I wouldn¡¯t understand detailed ounts about the spirit world either. After all, I haven¡¯t lived there.

    ¡°You got a point, it would be difficult. But, you are beautiful. You taught me that burning through your short, transient life in the material world was beautiful, and Iprehended it. ¡­Therefore I want to ascertain that burning with my own eyes.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯sin¡¯,¡± warned the superman with his sixth sense.

    Because the magic elements are gushing? But, I don¡¯t feel any fighting spirit from the humanoid.

    ¡°¡­¡­Then let me ask onest thing. Did anyone ever visit this ce before us?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­but, they died upon entering this area. It seems like the dwellers of the material world cannot endure this ce which resembles the spirit world so much.¡±

    Well, anyone would panic if they were plunged into a room of nothingness without any background knowledge. Sword was incredibly calm about it, though. I guess because he¡¯s seen me.

    £ª

    ¡°Very well, here Ie.¡±

    I readied my wooden sword. Sword took out hisser sword from the get-go, too.

    By the way, Sword¡¯sser sword has a white hilt and a fluorescent-greenser beam. The fluorescent-green color can be turned off, but being unable to see the beam would be scary. As for me, I naturally went with a green-blue hilt and a magenta beam! It¡¯s just I never use it! I mean, I somehow cope with everything using my wooden sword!

    If I can¡¯t cut this enemy with my wooden sword, I¡¯ll give theser sword a try! Yep, let¡¯s do it like that!

    I charged at the humanoid together with Sword. The being took our attacks head on without budging, and got cut up just like that.

    ¡°¡­¡­Why, didn¡¯t he dodge?¡± Sword muttered, and then shouted, ¡°Bastard, you¡¯ve seen our attacks. You should have been able to dodge ¡¯em, if you felt like it. So why didn¡¯t you do that!?¡±

    The humanoid smiled, ¡°It is because ¡ºI saw the future of me losing to those visiting this ce¡».¡±

    We became speechless. Sword and I exchanged a look.

    ¡°Future exists in the material world, but not in the spirit world. All the spirit world possesses is the eternity of an instant. The event of me losing to those visiting this ce had been decided within that eternal instant. ¨D¨DI am going to return to the spirit world temporarily. I enjoyed our meeting, bearers of courage and wisdom.¡±

    ¡°Wait, my name is Indra. And that guy is Sword. Names are important in the physical world. It¡¯s aponent defining an object for what it is. Keep that in mind. These two are Ryokus.¡±

    ¡°I understand, Indra, Sword, Ryokus. ¡­I wonder if we will be able to meet once again?¡±

    I nodded, ¡°If you desire, we¡¯lle back.¡±

    Starting with the next time, we¡¯re apparently going to use Sword¡¯s shortcut tool, allowing us to reach this ce in around a day if we run at full speed while ignoring all else.

    ¡°Then, let us meet again,¡± said the humanoid, turned into particles, and vanished.

    ¡°¡­¡­.Somehow, quite the lonesome guy,¡± mumbled under his breath.

    Well, if you spend your time all alone here, you¡¯d be lonesome, I¡¯m sure¡­

    ¡°¡­¡­Though it¡¯s questionable whether spirit world dwellers know the emotion of ¡ºloneliness¡».¡±

    Did he establish this situation out of free choice? Then again, he called a sight simr to fireflies bustling about pretty, so it might be different?

    ¡°Okay, and what about the treasure chests?¡±

    Sword rolled his eyes at my murmur, ¡°Your truly way too calm ¡¯bout everythin¡¯! Immediately shiftin¡¯ your interest to treasure chests without immersing in any kind of sentimentality!¡±

    What¡¯s your problem? You¡¯re not looking forward to the treasure chests? Besides, the humanoid said he¡¯d go back to the spirit world temporarily, didn¡¯t he? It¡¯s not like I¡¯d need to indulge in sentimentality then¡­

    Suddenly a door opened up ahead of us with a screeching, dragging me out of my thoughts.

    Eh? ¡­That guy wasn¡¯t thest boss?

    After exchanging nces with Sword, wariness quickly washed over his face, and we headed towards the door, just to spot a figure on the other side.

 Chapter 107

    At once Sword reached for hisser sword.

    Wait, wait, no need to be so hasty! Talkes first!

    ¡°Hello.¡±

    Sword immediately dropped his shoulders in disappointment, ¡°Your truly the definition of calmness. Wherever we go, you go at your own pace!¡±

    Shut it.

    Ignoring Sword, I looked at the person. That person had, as expected, a beautiful form. But, it was rather obvious that it was artificial and not human, just like the humanoid from before. As such, you could call this one a humanoid as well.

    ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± answered the humanoid.

    ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°I am what you people call ¡¾Dungeon Core¡¿.¡±

    The instant the humanoid told us that, Sword¡¯s and my eyes turned into dots.

    ¡°You are Sir Dungeon Core!?¡±

    Oof, then we¡¯ve been super rude! Especially Sword!

    I used my full strength to p down Sword¡¯sser sword.

    ¡°Hey!?!¡±

    ¡°Excuse us, our Sword has been impolite. Nice to meet you, too. My name is Indra. It is an honor to have the opportunity to meet you.¡±

    I performed a knight bow.

    ¡°I am happy to see that you are interested in me.¡±

    The humanoid doesn¡¯t look happy at all, but he seems to rejoice. I¡¯m the type of person on whom lip service doesn¡¯t work.

    ¡°Oh, is that so? I would like to ask you a few questions, but would that be alright?¡±

    ¡°There might be only a little I can answer you, but please go ahead.¡±

    Hmm? When I previously questioned the lich, it hid quite a lot of things, but is that how it works?

    ¡°Sir Dungeon Core, have you existed ever since the creation of the world?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Does that apply to all Dungeon Cores?¡±

    ¡°Noment.¡±

    ¡°Sir Dungeon Core, did you have your current appearance from the start?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Have you ever taken a look at the outside world?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Ooohh? A confirmation for this question, huh!?

    ¡°¡­Does that possibly mean that humanoid Dungeon Cores have originallye from the outside world?¡±

    ¡°Noment.¡±

    Whoa, really!? Then I can¡¯t carefreely kill other people, can I? After all, I might end up killing a Dungeon Core in the process.

    ¡°¡­Would it be okay to ask a question from my side as well?¡± Sir Dungeon Core asked.

    ¡°Of course, go ahead. If it is something I can answer, I will dly oblige.¡±

    ¡°¡­How do you create that light? It is very fantastical. Almost as if you are a part of the night sky.¡±

    Mmh? Sir Dungeon Core is curious about chemiluminescence?

    ¡°This is a luminescence triggered by two materials reacting and emitting energy. I have altered it through magic elements. This light is not visible unless you are in a darkness such as this.¡±

    I was about to rattle down the chemical form, but seeing Sword rolling his eyes, I gave up on it. Well, as he said before, Sir Dungeon Core wouldn¡¯t understand even if I exined it.

    ¡°¡­You could imitate it if I showed you how?¡±

    ¡°Let me try.¡±

    Nothing less of Sir Dungeon Core. Once I showed him how to do it, he apparently tested it himself right away. Fluffy light started to float around him. Sir Dungeon Core held a hand into the dancing light, spellbound.

    ¡°Aahh¡­how pretty.¡±

    No, you are actually prettier, is the pick-up-line I almost blurted out.

    ¡°¨D¨DOn another note, youpared it with the night sky, but to be precise, the stars in the night sky are as big or bigger than this. Because those stars are fairly huge and emit light, their light energy reaches this, allowing us to see them with the naked eye. If you were to look at them from nearby, their energy and size would be so big that you would not be able to look at them directly. For example, £ÛFireflies£Ý. You could imagine it as£ÛFireflies£Ý flitting around a waterside during a hot night.¡±

    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s that something-something-term?¡± Sword chimed in.

    Sir Dungeon Core was looking at me nkly, too.

    ¡°Shining bugs.¡±

    ¡°Bugs again!?!?¡± Sword roared in the next instant.

 Chapter 108

    ¡°Well then, as thanks for having taught me this magic, as a reward for having defeated the demon earlier, and as amemoration for clearing my dungeon for the first time, I shall award you these treasures.¡±

    A swarm of huge treasure chests spawned with loud popping sounds, simr to the shadow clones of a certain ninja.

    Whooaaa¡­!! I¡¯m happy about all the nice gifts, but will we be able to carry all of this? Oh, wait, Sword emptied out his magic bag, didn¡¯t he? In the worst case, I¡¯m going to stuff some of it into the Ryokus and have them carry the rest as we head back.

    ¡°Feel free to take the chests as well, okay?¡± Sir Dungeon Core offered with a grin.

    ¡°¡­Good thing I dumped the rubbish on the way. Looks like all of it is goin¡¯ to fit somehow.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great to hear. I had already nned to tie them together with ropes so that we could carry them, if we ran out of space.¡±

    If we were allowed to take the chests with us, it¡¯d be feasible for me to carry them as well.

    ¡°¡­Also, I am going to pass you these,¡± Sir Dungeon Core added, drew close, and handed something to me.

    ¨D¨DOof, his hand is cold. And it¡¯s even whiter than my hand.

    ¡°What are these?¡±

    ¡°¡­The teleport stones for this ce, huh?¡± Sword muttered under his breath.

    ¡°Correct. These stones can only be used by you two and allow you to go anywhere within this dungeon.¡±

    Hoh. That makes them sound pretty valuable¡­but teleportation, huh¡­? I¡¯m somewhat afraid of teleporting around. I know that it¡¯s a standard element of many SF and fantasy stories, but if they¡¯ve got elements of horror, things be quite scary, don¡¯t they? I¡¯d much prefer an elevator or some such.

    ¡°Will you be able to understand if I describe it as connecting two points by distorting space?¡±

    ¡°Hoh! Interesting, indeed!¡±

    In that case, it might not be scary¡­maybe?

    ¡°Eh? No way. Sir Dungeon Core is the same kind of geek as Indra?¡± Sword mumbled, but his initial premise was mistaken.

    Sir Dungeon Core is not a person, so we can¡¯t be of the same kind.

    ¡°Pleasee visiting again,¡± requested Sir Dungeon Core as he saw us off.

    ¡°Yeah, I had a st! Our dungeon lover Sword looked like he was able to enjoy himself as well! So we¡¯ll definitely be back!¡±

    ¡°No, wait, it ain¡¯t like I¡¯m a dungeon lover¡­bah, listen to me!¡± He sighed, and then added, ¡°Oh well, whatever. Cya, we¡¯ll be back.¡±

    We waved our hands as we left. Given that the path in the inner part of Sir Dungeon Core¡¯s room was connected to the surface, we¡¯d be able to get back quickly to the surface, once we followed it. As we walked up a flight of stairs, we soon encountered a door.

    And when we opened it¡­

    ¡°Oohh, the sun is so bright!¡±

    ¡­we were greeted by the outside world.

    £ª

    Sword sighed deeply, bickering, ¡°I¡¯m so pooped,¡± as he flopped down on his bed.

    ¨D¨DOur clearing of the capital¡¯s dungeon immediately became widely known, even without us explicitly reporting it. But that makes sense. Many people witnessed how an incredibly gorgeous teleportation gate suddenly manifested, only to be followed by us stepping out as soon as its doors opened.

    I mean, of all things the gate had appeared close to the dungeon entrance we had used to depart at first, you know? The people present at that time couldn¡¯t do much more but to stare at us with their eyes wide open and their mouths agape,pletely dumbstruck. Watching us nonchntlye out of the door as if we were on a walk, they had be speechless, just to break out into excited cheering momentster.

    For a reeeeeally long time we were dragged around to give our report to the guild, talk about our experiences to all kinds of folks, and participate in feasts and banquets. Because the adventurers and citizens were all very curious, I got atop Char and loudly recited our tale on a za as if holding a concert at some point.

    ¡°Sir Dungeon Core eagerly awaits for people to visit thest floor! Adventurers, sail forth to meet Sir Dungeon Core!¡±

    The audience burst with excitement. And, ¡ºSir Dungeon Core¡» became a new trend word.

    In addition, I got carried away, and further announced, ¡°This is what a beautiful idol is about!¡±, just to start singing and dancing. The people lionized me, but I soon suffered an iron w from Sword.

    Two weeks flew by amidst such hustle and bustle.

    Because Sword was oddly insistent on keeping up his appearance, he got extremely exhausted from all this. Even though he¡¯d have no problems if he simply acted natural. Whether he pretends to be a nice guy or simply allows his true self to shine through, he¡¯s going to pick up ill intent, so in the end, it¡¯s two sides of the same coin anyway.

    ¡°Are you alright? Want me to give you a massage?¡±

    ¡°No, thanks. If you massaged me with your superhuman strength, I¡¯d end up a bloody pulp,¡± he barked back such rude stuff, even though I was just trying to be considerate of him.

    ¡°I¡¯m going out to shop. What about you?¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll head out after restin¡¯ up for a lil¡¯ longer.¡±

    ¡°How about taking it easy for today?¡±

    ¡°I made a promise. But, could you prepare dinner for me?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Promise? Is he talking about the woman from the other day? Well, considering that he doesn¡¯t look like he hates it overly much, I suppose she¡¯s at least no honey trap. Either way, all will be fine as I can have Ryoku rescue him when necessary.

 Chapter 109

    {Sword}

    The uproar after we cleared the dungeon was, in all honesty, worse than back when I repelled the dragon. Well, lots of folks croaked at that time and those who managed to survive felt terriblynguid. Some even doubted my repellin¡¯ it.

    Rather, some still do nowadays.

    This time it¡¯s gotta be owed to Indra¡¯s impact, I¡¯m sure. She had used ropes to tie together several treasure chests that didn¡¯t fit in our bags, and carried ¡¯em. Of course I told her, ¡°How ¡¯bout puttin¡¯ ¡¯em into the Ryokus?¡±

    But she immediately chided, ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯d let the Ryokus carry something so heavy, is there!?¡±

    ¨D¨DIprehensible, that girl.

    She dotes on ¡¯em excessively. At this point I really doubt whether she understands the purpose of golems.

    When Indra, carryin¡¯ huge chests, stepped out of an extravagant teleport gate that had manifested in the most crowded ce at the most conspicuous spot near the dungeon entrance, everyone must have thought that this had to be proof of her havin¡¯ cleared the dungeon.

    £ª

    That girl, seriously¡­sometimes I think she¡¯s a natural-born bigshot.

    ¨D¨DYeah, yeah, I¡¯m just a tiny shot anyway, I know! A petty bourgeois!

    Everyone said they wanted to hear what happened. Though I think 80% were just jealous of her. Anyway, she took their words seriously, climbed atop Char on a za, and gave a speech.

    Moreover, she riled up everyone listenin¡¯ to her.

    Look, if you tell folks, ¡°Sir Dungeon Core is eagerly awaitin¡¯ you,¡± ¡®nyone callin¡¯ ¡¯emselves adventurer would want to head straight into the dungeon.

    To make matters worse, she gotpletely carried away, and despite bein¡¯ jeered at as ¡°cute missy,¡± she took it ¡°positively,¡± shoutin¡¯ back, ¡°Oohh! You sure have discerning eyes! If a pretty girl such as me stands here, she must seem like diva to you, right!? No helping it! I¡¯ll sing one song for you guys!¡±

    And then she started to sing and dance. I could only p my forehead. Everyone was dumbstruck at first, but soon they started to enjoy ¡¯emselves, cheerin¡¯ and apudin¡¯.

    However, just as Indra was ¡¯bout to get caught up in the moment even further, I grabbed her head and made her stop. She¡¯s really a bigshot, and, at the same time, an utter idiot.

    ¡­But, I¡¯ve been saved by that stupid bigshot. It¡¯s fun to be with her. No matter the situation, you gotta enjoy it, I was unable to follow such a simple principle, but now I¡¯m able to have fun without any reservation.

    That girl¡¯s a heinous sadist, but I¡¯ve started to believe that it¡¯s fine for her to be like that.

    ¨D¨DOn one asion, she got into a fight with an adventurer.

    ¡°¡­My friends died in that dungeon. And yet, you¡¯re talking about it as if it¡¯s a paradise, instigating others to head into the dungeon, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    The surroundings looked at us while enjoyin¡¯ the show. Indra, on the other hand, looked at the adventurer nkly, not understandin¡¯ what he was on ¡¯bout.

    ¡°Hmm? I see. So, what about it?¡±

    The people around us and I became speechless.

    That guy froze for a moment too, before roarin¡¯, ¡°¡­How do you intend to take responsibility if people die in that dungeon because you induced them to go there!?¡±

    Indra looked dumbfounded once more.

    ¡°Why would I take responsibility? What are you talking about, dude? The responsibility will lie with the retarded adventurers who recklessly charge into the dungeon after getting riled up by my words without even having a grasp of their own strength,¡± she shot him down tly.

    That guypletely froze.

    ¡°Even the deaths of your friends or whatever are their own fault and, of course, yours since you didn¡¯t save them despite them being your friends, no? I¡¯ve got nothing to do with that, do I? I¡¯m an unrted stranger. It¡¯s everyone¡¯s own decision what they do and how they take my words. Just like my words and actions are based on my own decisions. As if I¡¯d give a damn about someone like you. Your friends died because they were dumb and weak adventurers, and you having been unable to save them is your own fault for being a weakling.¡±

    ¡­Well, she had a point, sure. But, that was way too blunt and outspoken.

    ¡°On top of that, you¡¯re also a cowardly, foolish adventurer who tries to pin your wrongdoings on apletely unrted stranger in order to dodge your own responsibility.¡±

    After havin¡¯ hurled all that at him, the adventurer became ghastly pale, crumbled to his knees, and started to cry.

    ¡°¡­If you were a cute girl, it might have¡­stirred my heart to an extent, but¡­even if a dirty badger bawls around shamefully, it¡¯s nothing but disgusting, you know?¡±

    This was the finishing blow. At this point, she had exceeded being an extreme sadist. He couldn¡¯t say ¡®nythin¡¯ ¡®nymore.

    ¡°Okay, could you give it a rest ¡¯bout now? I mean, now even my heart got stirred¡­out of pity.¡±

    ¡°Really? Your heart doesn¡¯t move the slightest when watching a pretty girl cry, but as soon as it¡¯s a middle-aged dude, you sympathize with him because you feel a fellowship¡­ou-ouch, oooouch!¡±

    I grabbed her head and gently stroked her skull.

    £ª

    Everythin¡¯ went down in such a manner.

    ¨D¨DI might be a lost cause as I pick up too much maliciousness if I¡¯m not with Indra. I wonder whether I should get those high-grade earplugs and use ¡¯em¡­

    As I walked while ponderin¡¯ ¡¯bout that, I heard someone callin¡¯ out to me, ¡°¡­Sword!¡±

    ¨D¨DThe ones callin¡¯ me Sword and not ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿ are only old acquaintances. This is probably the reason why I stopped at all. Usually I ignore such calls. After all, each time it¡¯s someone pretendin¡¯ to be an acquaintance, just to lure me to some suspicious ce.

    After havin¡¯ been fed tons of drugs, my poison and paralysis resistances have gone through the roof.

    I looked at the face of the one callin¡¯ me while harborin¡¯ such thoughts.

    ¡­

    I feel like I¡¯ve seen her somewhere before¡­

    ¡°Long time no see. For the first time in twelve years, I think.¡±

    And then I remembered. ¡­I see, twelve years change people, duh. It¡¯s a span of time allowing boys and girls to grow into fine adults.

    ¡­Yep, she¡¯s¡­

    ¡°Long time no see, Karen.¡±

    ¨D¨DShe was a member of my first party when I left the vige after bein¡¯ invited to be an adventurer together with ¡¯em.

 Chapter 110

    She told me that she wanted to have a chat since it¡¯s been a long time, and I had no reason to refuse.

    Well, in the past I¡¯d have probably turned her down, tellin¡¯ her that we¡¯ve got nothin¡¯ to talk ¡¯bout.

    ¡­But, if it¡¯s ¡ºnow¡», I¡¯ve got no problem with it.

    ¡­¡­¡­Theoretically.

    Still, I gotta admit, it¡¯s fun to be with Indra. Seriously. That girl¡¯s instigation skill is nothin¡¯ to scoff at, but she¡¯s capable of ignorin¡¯ malice, and goes even as far as usin¡¯ it against ¡®anyone givin¡¯ her beef.

    I, on the other hand, am very sensitive to ill intent, and immediately end up bin¡¯ servile, don¡¯t I? Then again, I¡¯ve been definitely called a sessful person, and in fact, I¡¯m ¡ºnow¡» seedin¡¯. Bein¡¯ on the receivin¡¯ end of jealousy would be no wonder, ¡ºnow¡» that is.

    I mean, ¡ºnow¡» I have a Ryoku, Char, and Bronko. On top of that, I¡¯ve got a cool watch and sses with incredible functions. Moreover, a sword that cuts through everythin¡¯ and even ranged weapons capable of pratin¡¯ ¡®nythin¡¯. And as if to round it all up, I¡¯ve acquired stacks of gold coins through the auction, and possess booze that cannot be bought with money.

    It really wouldn¡¯t be odd for me to draw envy.

    £ª

    I put on the clothes Indra had made for me and went out.

    Once I bought cloth woven out of bug threads, that bug-lovin¡¯ girl leaped in joy, immediately sewin¡¯ all kinds of stuff. One of her creations was a shirt for me.

    ¡­Sure, it does feel nice on the skin.

    In addition, she also made a jacket and pants, both tight and stylish, for me. The pants were affixed to the waist with a button instead of a string. The entire outfit is simr to a noble¡¯s attire, but it¡¯s much easier to move in.

    Because she also added pockets at various ces, it¡¯s possible to walk ¡¯round empty-handed.

    ¡ª¡ªSeriously, if not for her bug obsession, all the stuff she¡¯s sewn is really awesome. But, why is she so particr ¡¯bout bugs?

    Man, I¡¯m reeeally d she didn¡¯t turn Bronko into a locust.

    £ª£ª£ª

    As I thought ¡¯bout all that while walkin¡¯, I arrived at our meetin¡¯ ce. It looked like Karen just got here, too.

    ¡­¡­¡­

    She sure has grown old. Well, I¡¯m no exception to that, though.

    If you get used to Indra¡¯s youthful, smooth and springy skin¡­ah, yep, let¡¯s not go there. Once I get back, I¡¯ll carefully apply Indra¡¯s direct application pack or whatever it¡¯s called.

    She¡¯s grown old, but she¡¯s also be taller. Indra probably wants to grow as tall as her. Her chest also became somewhat bigger, it seems.

    ¡­¡­¡­

    What¡¯s going on? Am I bein¡¯ influenced by Indra?

    Given that thoughts teemin¡¯ with the stench of an old lecher started to pop up in my mind, I stopped thinkin¡¯ altogether.

    ¡°Right on time, huh?¡±

    ¡°Yes. ¡­As always, you¡¯re a punctual man.¡±

    Hmm? Was I always like that? I didn¡¯t carry a clock for most of my life, so I couldn¡¯t have determined whether I was on time or not, kinda?

    £ª£ª£ª

    We went to the pub Karen had rmended. It was certainly a dim and cozy ce, apparently frequented by many couples, so I was grateful to her as I wouldn¡¯t draw any attention to myself.

    I ordered ale.

    ¡­Ah, I had an urge to pay for the ale, sayin¡¯ that it¡¯d be my treat. But, thest time I did that, I was told that I¡¯m treatin¡¯ people with the money I got for turnin¡¯ folks into debt ves. That¡¯s why I¡¯m not doin¡¯ it ¡®nymore.

    Still, if it¡¯s ¡¯round this much, it should be no problem.

    When the waitress brought the ale over, Karen tried to pick up the ss, but I stopped her and chanted in a whisper.

    ¡°¡­Eh?¡±

    The ss froze over, coolin¡¯ the ale down.

    ¡°It tastes better when cool. Recently I¡¯ve gotten really hooked on that, y¡¯see.¡±

    After being confused for a moment, Karenughed and said, ¡°Using offensive magic in such a way is so like you.¡±

    But, it ain¡¯t my idea. After all, I ain¡¯tckin¡¯mon sense.

 Chapter 111

    We toasted n¡¯ drank our ale.

    ¡­Well, okay, it¡¯s drinkable ¡¯cause I cooled it down, I s¡¯pose. A tad sour, but let¡¯s just take it for what it is, yep.

    ¡°Oh, how nice! Cooling it down makes it easy to drink!¡± Karen cheered in delight.

    £ª

    After a short time, a waitress served Karen¡¯s rmended dishes. I took a bite, and stopped.

    ¡­Yep, my taste¡¯s be daintily. I see. That¡¯s me havin¡¯ be sessful.

    No, that¡¯s wrong. It¡¯s all because of Indra.

    ¡°¡­Still, I must say, you haven¡¯t changed at all. I immediately recognized you out on the street,¡± said Karen while scrutinizin¡¯ me with a serious look.

    ¡°Eh? Did I age so much?¡±

    I was slightly shocked. Indra has been tellin¡¯ me that Ick youthfulness, but bein¡¯ told so even by an acquaintance from my youth is really a bummer.

    ¡°No, you got it wrong. It¡¯s the opposite! You haven¡¯t aged at all!¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m not that youthful n¡¯ spunky, ¡®kay?¡±

    Indra said that my skin recovered a lot and I think so as well, but if your next to a genuine 13-years-old, bein¡¯ told you haven¡¯t changed from back when you were thirteen years old is¡­ Ah, I¡¯ve been exposed to the sun for god knows how long, so my skin¡¯s bein¡¯ damaged for just as long, I guess.

    ¡°¡­Eh? Why do you look so depressed?¡±

    ¡°¡­No, I¡¯ve just been thinkin¡¯ that I had dry skin since back in the ole¡¯ days.¡±

    Karen burst intoughter, ¡°You¡¯re a guy, and yet you care about dry skin? As I thought, you¡¯ve changed, Sword.¡±

    ¡°¡­It ain¡¯t like I¡¯ve been carin¡¯ ¡¯bout it all the time or ¡®nythin¡¯. It¡¯s just, my partner started talkin¡¯ ¡¯bout me being forty, so I got incredibly worried ¡¯bout it.¡±

    Karen became bewildered again.

    ¡°¡­You formed a party?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I finally found someone.¡±

    Indeed, ¡®finally.¡¯ It took me twelve years for that ¡®finally¡¯ toe true.

    ¡°¡­What kind of person are they? Umm, it¡¯s the kid who was with you the other day, right? He looked awfully young, though¡­¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s actually young. That girl turned thirteen just recently.¡±

    Karen was lost for words.

    ¡°Well, her inner self is that of an old man, though. Moreover, she¡¯s a total sadist. At the undead dungeon she started therin¡¯ ¡¯bout it goin¡¯ to be borin¡¯ without a scaredy-cat. When somepletely useless priestess called out to us in a high-handedly way, she let here along, gettin¡¯ a kick out of watchin¡¯ the priestess gettin¡¯ scared to death and bawlin¡¯. Seriously, she¡¯s the worst.¡±

    ¡­Honestly, that was an incident whichpletely flipped over my views. Takin¡¯ along a useless, domineerin¡¯ priestess whose sole aim was to mooch off me, Indra actively used her as shield instead of coverin¡¯ for her, deliberately killed enemies in front of her eyes to scare her, kicked the woman whenever she told Indra to rescue her all while threatenin¡¯ her to be exploited as human meat shield. It was truly incredible. I realized that I¡¯d been wrong until then as Indra¡¯s handlin¡¯ was a good way to deal with such people.

    ¡°¡­Why that girl? You¡¯d be able to form a party with anyone, wouldn¡¯t you? Why did you join a party with such a kid despite being able to choose anyone you like?¡±

    Karen¡¯s tone was sullen and full of me, but thinkin¡¯ back on it now, I did call her somethin¡¯ like ¡ºthat girl¡». It¡¯s my bad.

    ¡°No, sorry. She ain¡¯t someone you¡¯d describe as ¡ºthat girl¡». She cherishes what¡¯s precious to her. She¡¯s a softhearted, loyal meddler. Sure, she¡¯s an extreme sadist, but she simply outsses everyone, you see? Whenever folks lunge at her or talk shit ¡¯bout her, she readily wields her instigation skill, simply droppin¡¯ her opponents into the deepest recess of self-loathin¡¯. She¡¯s a nice girl who can be kind to those who are kind to her.¡±

    Once I exined things, Karen fell silent, and then hung her head.

    ¡°¡­¡­I¡­see. Sorry, I¡¯ve been rude, haven¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s me who¡¯s at fault here. She¡¯s myrade, so I inadvertently started to nitpick a bit ¡¯bout her, but you see, at some parts, she¡¯s really a great person.¡±

    It¡¯s because I¡¯ve been only talkin¡¯ with the maids and servants so far¡­ Since those fanatics do nothing but sing her praises, I¡¯ve started to unconsciously refute ¡¯em, but if I talk like that to someone who doesn know her, they¡¯ll naturally consider her to be a bad person.

    ¡°¨D¨DShe¡¯s a nice girl. Always worryin¡¯ ¡¯bout me. Bein¡¯ with her is rxin¡¯. She made me realize that ¡ºit¡¯s fine to consider things like this¡». ¡­She¡¯s the first one who made me feel that I made a partner.¡±

    When I looked at Karen while praisin¡¯ Indra like that, her face became gloomy.

    ¨D¨DAh, I see.

    ¡°¡­I think I¡¯ve wronged you guys.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­Huh?¡±

    ¡°Back then I was still a brat who was happy over havin¡¯ found ¡°friends¡± for the first time in his life. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t consider your feelings, believin¡¯ that all would be fine as long as I handled things somehow. But, I¡¯ve finallyprehended how wrong I had been. ¡­No, I was a lost case. No matter how you look at it, I was a total failure, wasn¡¯t I? In the end I couldn¡¯t even support you guys, could I?¡±

    £ª

    ¨D¨DWhen I grasped what was going on around me as a child, I was already isted. Most of the vige ignored my existence.

    But, some folks called out to a loner like me, tellin¡¯ me to be an adventurer together with ¡¯em. I was really happy. That¡¯s why I thought all would be fine if I did my best and protected ¡¯em. And they, except for Karen, also thought that it¡¯d be fine since I was doin¡¯ my best for ¡¯em.

    Karen followed me around, but followin¡¯ me was all she could handle. And that reality hurt and tormented Karen.

    ¡°I can¡¯t follow you anymore. I don¡¯t even see any meaning in me being with you,¡± she told me atst.

    I decided to leave our party. My friends had been unable to keep up with me for a very long time now, only living from the money I earned by killin¡¯ monsters. The one who¡¯d turned them into useless bums was me.

    £ª

    ¡°¡­Well, I guess things got back in order once I was gone, right? How are the others doin¡¯? It¡¯d have been fine to bring them along today for a reunion,¡± I said cheerfully, but her face became even gloomier.

    ¡°¡­¡­Well, the party immediately dissolved after you left, Sword. I¡­wasn¡¯t confident about getting along with the other guys, so I left the party as well, and so the party naturally broke apart. Sam¡­went back home, I think. Then again, it seems like he only became an adventurer because everyone dragged him along. Jack and Tom¡­tried to continue as adventurers, but it didn¡¯t go well for them, and they became debt ves, eventually dying from that. Den¡­¡­ ¡­became a bandit, is the rumor I heard out on the streets. Who knows whether he¡¯s still alive?¡±

    ¡­¡­

    ¡°¡­I see.¡±

    ¡°Yep.¡±

    ¡­¡­Now that she mentions it, a number of my acquaintances have died. So it was weird to think that everyone else would be fine just because Karen was still alive and workin¡¯ as adventurer.

 Chapter 112

    ¡°Ah, you see, I¡¯ve be C-Rank with my current party!¡±

    Karen mentioned cheerfully, getting our talk back on track in an obvious attempt to expel the awkward atmosphere.

    ¡°Hoh, then you¡¯ve cleared the dungeon exam, huh?¡±

    ¡°Yep! ¡­Well, I¡¯m still no match for you who cleared the capital¡¯s dungeon, am I? Hehe,¡± she smiled wryly.

    ¡°For me alone it¡¯d have been impossible. Especially thest part. I¡¯d have never managed if not for Indra.¡±

    Karen looked surprised, ¡°¡­Is that kid strong?¡±

    ¡°If we fought, she¡¯d win, so yeah.¡±

    She stared at me, speechless.

    ¡°She¡¯s above me in swordsmanship and magic. On top of that, she can build magic tools. A genuine ¡¾Allrounder¡¿, I¡¯d say. ¡­But even a genius like her said that I can do stuff she can¡¯t, you know? That¡¯s why we can support each other. I can do the stuff she desires. For this reason, I¡¯m the ideal partner for her.¡±

    Of course, she¡¯s the ideal partner for me as well. She¡¯s quite the diligent busybody, so I¡¯ll do my best to let her enjoy her care-taking. I¡¯ll enjoy all the food and booze she makes, and I¡¯ll gleefully y with the toys she creates. I¡¯ll even happily wear the clothes made out of bugs because they¡¯re made by her.

    Yep, that¡¯ll definitely round up our rtionship perfectly!

    A hollowugh escaped Karen¡¯s lips, ¡°¡­Somehow, it all sounds like you¡¯re speaking fondly of a lover.¡±

    ¡°No, we don¡¯t have such a rtionship.¡±

    She¡¯s a woman, but her body is awfully close to that of a guy. She¡¯s yappin¡¯ ¡¯bout havin¡¯ small breasts, but in reality she¡¯s as t as a board. There¡¯s no bulgin¡¯ to be found there. None at all. Can¡¯t think of her as ¡®nythin¡¯ but a guy who¡¯s missin¡¯ somethin¡¯ below.

    ¡°I know. ¡­The rumors are saying that ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿ has woken up to homosexuality, though. Haven¡¯t you heard?¡± Sheughed impishly.

    Such rumors were circtin¡¯? Still, that¡¯s fine, but¡­no, it ain¡¯t fine at all. It¡¯d be a major pain in the ass if guys started to make passes at me as well.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any interest in men or women. ¡­Or rather, well, I guess your right¡­ No matter how you look at her, she sure doesn¡¯t look like a woman¡­¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°No, Indra is a woman, you see. She totally looks like a guy for sure, but she¡¯s a woman.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­Eh?¡±

    Karen¡¯s face became gloomy again. I held her back with a hand.

    ¡°No, don¡¯t say it. I mean, she¡¯s started to worry ¡¯bout it as well, apparently. She¡¯s been goin¡¯ on about havin¡¯ some chest and legs bein¡¯ the match winner, but I think only idiots would fancy a brats¡¯ legs. Still, since it seems to weigh on her mind, I¡¯ve decided to not mention ¡®nythin¡¯.¡±

    She herself believes that she¡¯s sexy, but the word sex appeal ispletely lost on her. No, it¡¯s even worse. Her totalck of any sexiness is actually pitiable.

    ¡°A-Ahahaha¡­what, so she was a girl¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s easier to assume the opposite. Even though she¡¯s insistin¡¯ on bein¡¯ a woman, everyone thinks of her as a man, so I can associate with her without any romantic feelings bein¡¯ involved.¡±

    ¡°Oh! So that¡¯s how it is!¡±

    Suddenly her voice bounced and got lively again.

    However, then I suddenly noticed and, while scratchin¡¯ my head, I said, ¡°¡­Sorry. I¡¯ve been only talkin¡¯ ¡¯bout me all this time. How are things on your end? Have you been long in your current party?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Ah, yeah. Let¡¯s see, I think you could call it long¡­,¡± answered Karen evasively.

    ¡­Are things not going smoothly for her? But if she¡¯s C-Rank now, it shouldn¡¯t be that bad, I think.

    If you consider her age, she¡¯s a bit of ate bloomer, but on the other hand, if she managed to reach C-Rank at her age, it means she¡¯s in a stable party.

    ¡°Things aren¡¯t bad now that your a C-Rank, are they? It¡¯s proof of a stable party. ¡­I also understood for the first time after formin¡¯ a party. It¡¯s fun and gives you a peace of mind if youplete requests and dungeons while supportin¡¯ and bein¡¯ supported by your peers!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Mmh, that¡¯s true.¡±

    Right. I was finally able to experience it personally and that made me quite happy.

 Chapter 113

    Once I mentioned that it was ¡¯bout time for me to go back, Karen invited me to another ce, ¡°Ah! ¡­Just one more ce. I know of another nice store I wanted to visit with you!¡±

    ¡°Sorry. I¡¯ve kept Indra waitin¡¯, so it¡¯d be bad if I don¡¯t get back soon.¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­? Ah, I see, well¡­¡±

    I used my skill for wardin¡¯ off honey traps I had honed over the years.

    ¡°See you. Make sure to stay healthy, ¡®kay? I¡¯ll tell you just for caution¡¯s sake, but don¡¯t try the impossible. Overestimatin¡¯ yourself is a big no, got it?¡±

    ¡°Oki, thanks.¡±

    I raised a hand and tried to leave, just for her to call out to me, ¡°Sword! ¡­Can we meet again?¡±

    I shook my head, ¡°We don¡¯t have any need to meet again, do we? We both have foundrades and now we¡¯re walkin¡¯ different paths. This time I just wanted to report back to you, someone who partied with me in the past, that I had also found arade.¡±

    Karen looked like she was on the verge of cryin¡¯. But I pretended to not notice, and continued, ¡°I¡¯m no longer the solo adventurer ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿, but Sword of the party ¡¾Allrounders¡¿. I wanted to tell you that, and I wanted to make a clean cut with my past. Tellin¡¯ you that I¡¯m not a loner ¡®nymore. Bye. The next time you see me, don¡¯t call out to me ¡®nymore. Let us both move on while facin¡¯ the future.¡±

    With those words, I turned around and left.

    £ª

    After several strides, Ryoku suddenly showed up andmented, ¡°Mr. Sword, you held back on the alcohol. I¡¯m sure Mother will praise you, you know?¡±

    ¡°Whoa! Hey, peepin¡¯ isn¡¯t a nice thing to do, ¡®kay?¡±

    ¡°I was guarding you!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not what you say, but how you say it, eh?¡± Iughed.

    This guy¡¯s learnin¡¯ ability is seriously amazin¡¯!

    £ª

    ¡°Wee back. Did everything go well?¡± Indra hade out to greet me.

    ¡°I¡¯m home. And, what should have gone well?¡±

    ¡°You being ensnared by a honey trap or you drinking too much after sensing some weird malice. Basically, I¡¯m asking whether you¡¯vee back without any such things urring.¡±

    ¡­¡¯kay, Indra¡¯s overprotective mindset towards me has reached a level simr to her excessive care for the Ryokus.

    ¡°Fortunately, somethin¡¯ of that level is a breeze for my veteran evasion skills¡­wait, was it possibly you who sent Ryoku to watch over me?¡±

    ¡°I believe he¡¯d have voluntarily done so even without me saying anything, but since I was worried, I told him to save you when needed.¡±

    Whoa. Just what the hell have I done for a golem to be worried ¡¯bout me?

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s just I met this woman who was a member of my first party, so I felt somewhat nostalgic¡­or maybe, I just wanted to brag a bit?¡±

    ¡°Haah?¡±

    Walking in front, Indra looked back at me.

    ¡°Did you see!? I¡¯m no loner anymore! That kind of stuff.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­I see. Well¡­¡­..sure, why not.¡±

    ¡°Oh? What¡¯s with that ambiguous phrasin¡¯?¡±

    Indra crossed her arms behind her head, and continued without mindin¡¯ myment, ¡°All¡¯s fine as long as you had fun. However¡­I just wonder whether that woman, who used to be in a party with you long ago, didn¡¯t have something she wanted to consult you about.¡±

    Heh, considerin¡¯ how she¡¯s doin¡¯ everythin¡¯ at her own pace, she¡¯s surprisingly quick on the uptake ¡¯bout such things, isn¡¯t she?

    ¡°¡­¡­Pretty much, yeah.¡±

    ¡°Ah, so you yed the dense guy despite having realized it!? You sure use that trick quite often, don¡¯t you? But look, you gotta be careful since ites with the danger of you bing even more popr!¡±

    ¡°I mean, you¡¯d be troubled if I¡¯m suddenly asked to let someone in our party, no?¡± I asked and peered at her face, wonderin¡¯ how she¡¯s goin¡¯ to react.

    ¡°Ugh¡­you¡¯re right, that¡¯d be a problem. Or rather, you¡¯ve got the choice to turn it down, no?¡±

    Oh? Is this girl thinkin¡¯ that I have a choice here?

    ¡°Hmm¡­ Turnin¡¯ em down sure is hard,¡± I probed to trigger more reactions.

    ¡°Really?¡±

    And that was the end. How disappointin¡¯.

    ¡°¡­What do you think ¡¯bout it?¡±

    ¡°Me? Wouldn¡¯t it be fine to let them enter the party if it¡¯s a talented person who would fit us in your eyes?¡± She calmly responded.

    ¡°Huh? That¡¯s a¡¯right with you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have a reason to be against it in the first ce. If you let a woman, who loves you, join, you¡¯ll be the one troubled.¡±

    ¡­I guess she¡¯s got a point there. It¡¯s just as she says.

    ¡°But, let me give you a warning. If you let a woman, who loves you, into our party and don¡¯t change your attitude towards me, that woman might try to kill you and me after bing half-crazed orpletely insane,¡± she added all of a sudden.

    ¡°Huh? Why?¡±

    ¡°Bloody Witch is a prime example. We merely slept in the same bed after having a long talk, and that alone was enough for her to pulverize the bed, wasn¡¯t it? If she had seen us bathing together, she might have immediatelyunched fatal, wide-ranged destruction magic.¡±

    ¡­¡­Eh?

    ¡°Ah, so bathin¡¯ together is kinda out?¡±

    I¡¯ve been yearnin¡¯ to bath together with myrades, though.

    ¡°If you base it on the other world¡¯s values, it¡¯s definitely out. I¡¯ve got no clue about this world, though. In the first ce, nobles don¡¯t bathe all that often, not to mentionmoners. Should I try to ask our maids? However, if it¡¯s a no go, they¡¯ll try to murder you in a fit of craziness.¡±

    ¡°Oof, I can clearly picture that, so please don¡¯t.¡±

    I see, so it was out, huh¡­?

    ¡­¡­Huh?

    ¡°Do you hate enterin¡¯ the bath with me?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care either way,¡± answered Indra, obviously not giving much of a damn.

    ¡­¡­So she doesn¡¯t care, huh? I¡¯ve been yearnin¡¯ for it though? Didn¡¯t you look like you¡¯ve been enjoyin¡¯ it quite a bit, too?

    ¡°¡­What, and here I thought you enjoyed it as well.¡±

    When I responded with a sulky voice, she became puzzled.

    She stared at me, her eyes repeatedly blinkin¡¯, but then looked as if she¡¯d grasped somethin¡¯, sayin¡¯, ¡°I see. ¡­Okay, so that¡¯s your take on the matter, eh? But, why not. I didn¡¯t know that you wanted to enter with me, but apparently you want to invite someone to bath with you since you experience it as ¡ºfun¡». I see. Now I¡¯ve got it.¡±

    Huh? Why is she agreein¡¯ there and to what?

    ¡°Why? What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind it. It¡¯s a story you¡¯d hate. You can simply interpret it as me saying, ¡ºLet¡¯s bath together since it¡¯s fun¡».¡±

    ¡­In other words, perverted stuff, huh? Then it¡¯s better for me to not probe ¡®ny further.

    ¡­¡­¡­No, wait.

    That means her ¡®out¡¯ in regards to men and women bathin¡¯ together was about doin¡¯ ¡°that kind of stuff¡±? ¡­Hey, hey, we¡¯ve bathed together on many asions, haven¡¯t we? She wasn¡¯t afraid or ¡®nythin¡¯, right?

    ¡°¡­Did you possibly dread bathin¡¯ with me?¡±

    She gawped at me, bewildered, ¡°Dread it? Why would I just because your ppy, shriveled dic-gueeehhh!¡±

    I strangled her neck with an arm.

    ¡°Dear Indra, were you sayin¡¯ somethin¡¯ just now?¡±

    ¡°N-N-No-Not at a-all. I-I-I wasn¡¯t s-scared, I-I just s-s-sa-said.¡±

    I loosened my hold, causin¡¯ her to cough violently.

    ¡­Seriously, that girl¡¯s got no delicacy whatsoever!!! And you tellin¡¯ me I should think of someone like that as a woman!?! Like, no way in hell!!

 Chapter 114

    After sorting the loot we obtained in the dungeon, we sold off the unnecessary items (together with Sword¡¯s junk). As we were waiting for the guild¡¯s appraisal, a messenger from the royal pce arrived. Sword became terribly worried, firmly resolving himself to go to the meeting himself.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m scared imaginin¡¯ what you, as someone who doesn¡¯t kneel to anyone, would do in front of the king, so I won¡¯t take you with me.¡±

    Or so he said.

    ¡°Oh I¡¯m sure the people will live on without much of a problem even if the pce perishes, you know?¡±

    ¡°Seriously, please don¡¯t. The king isn¡¯t such a bad man,¡± remarked the master at sensing evil intent.

    Hmm? Can good people actually survive kingship? Oh, right! If the people around him are evil, it should work, I guess.

    £ª

    Even after Sword went himself, it turned into an argument. If it¡¯d end up like this anyway, we might as well have gone together.

    No helping it. Time for me to make an appearance.

    ¡°What are you arguing about so loudly?¡±

    Spotting my approach, Sword sighed.

    ¡°As you can see, she¡¯s a kid. Moreover an insolent and arrogant kid. It¡¯s impossible. I mean, I¡¯m a rude fellow as well. But, if things go south, it¡¯ll turn into a battle between us and the knight order.¡±

    I immediately objected, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It won¡¯t be much of a battle. With your and my powers, we¡¯ll transform the pce into ash in the blink of an eye.¡±

    Sword pped his forehead.

    ¡°As for the survivors, hmm, let¡¯s see¡­oh, how about we toss them into thest area of the dungeon? No normal person will be able to endure that ce. But if they persist, allowing them to see that spirit world dweller down there, it¡¯ll mean they got some promise and as such they¡¯ll serve as a great way for the spirit world dweller to stave off some boredom. And even if they cause some kind of issue, Sir Dungeon Core can ughter them all in an instant, I¡¯m sure.¡±

    Just as I finishedmenting in a good mood, Sword¡¯s fist came down on me.

    ¡°Ouch!¡±

    ¡°¡­She¡¯s someone who would carefreely yap ¡¯bout all that in the pce, and on top of that, in front of the king without givin¡¯ a damn. Are you sure you want me to take her with me? By the way, what she said just now wasn¡¯t a joke. She¡¯s also got the strength to put it into practice. She¡¯ll be a lot more troublesome to handle than the demon and dragon who attacked the capital in the past. ¨D¨DEven if those two were toe ¡¯round ¡®gain, I¡¯ll win. But, I can¡¯t even imagine me winnin¡¯ against his one here.¡±

    And so the messenger went back after casting a re at Sword and me.

    ¡°If they still try to push their will through, it¡¯d be better to just march into the pce and ughter everyone, no? Let¡¯s go to the demon country next after bidding farewell to Sir Dungeon Core over here! We could also take everyone from the mansion with us. I¡¯m going to build arge Char with all the materials we obtained in thest dungeon run, so it won¡¯t be such a bad idea to go on a journey with everyone, right?¡±

    Kinda like a wandering circus troupe.

    Just when I started to wonder why Sword was looking at me expressionlessly, he broke into a broad smile. And then he caressed my head.

    ¡°Your right, that¡¯s a nice idea.¡±

    Looking at his face, I thought that my beauty products were obviously showing effect. He¡¯s started to look much younger again. His skin has recovered and improved visibly. His current face looks like that of a slightly older boy!

    ¡°Mmh? What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Your face right now looks like that of an 18-years-old. So I got happy over seeing how my beauty products are showing effect.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see,¡± said Sword with augh. ¡°Down to eighteen from forty in one breath, eh? I kinda feel like that might be a bit too much rejuvenation, but well, it ain¡¯t ¡®nythin¡¯ bad either, so why not.¡±

    I mean, regardless of gender, it¡¯s always better to look young. Also, there¡¯s a big difference between growing old properly and looking old because of a bad lifestyle.

 Chapter 115

    Once again we were visited by someone from the pce.

    ¡°Hmm, looks like we have no other choice but to use force to get our point across!¡±

    When I threw my arms in the air full of motivation, Sword and the pce¡¯s messenger stopped me in a hurry.

    ¡°I¡¯m an unofficial messenger.¡±

    Huh?

    ¡°¡­You showin¡¯ up means there¡¯s somethin¡¯ cookin¡¯, huh?¡±

    Hmm? Is the messenger an acquaintance of Sword?

    ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you who has be Sword¡¯s partner. My name is Shadow. I am His Majesty¡¯s aide, and as such I have been entrusted by His Majesty to lead the discussions whenever it concerns informal matters.¡±

    ¡°My name is Indra. I am also pleased to make your acquaintance.¡±

    Given that he greeted me in line with a male noble¡¯s etiquette, I answered in kind.

    But then heughed at me, ¡°You are following a male noble¡¯s etiquette despite being a woman?¡±

    ¡°Following a noble woman¡¯s etiquette doesn¡¯t suit the asion if you don¡¯t wear a dress. The difference between men and women is to be found in how differently they dress. Hence, it makes more sense for me to use etiquette fitting my current outfit, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    The messenger chuckled, ¡°You are quite right. Very well, then please allow me to insist on you wearing a dress while exhibiting manners that befit a female noble when visiting the pce.¡±

    ¡°After my maids made such a great effort to tailor a dress for me, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to sully it when the pce goes up in mes. Thus I have to disappoint you here.¡±

    Because Sword sighed deeply, I tilted my head while asking, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°I just thought that I truly respect you for that blunt frankness of yours.¡±

    Humph.

    The messenger froze for a moment, but immediately recovered his smile. As expected, he must be a high-ranking noble.

    ¡°Nothing of that sort is going to happen, so please do not worry.¡±

    ¡°Whether it happens or not entirely depends on my mood. If I fancy annihting it, the pce will vanish, no matter how you struggle. Between us both, I believe it is you who should worry.¡±

    Finally, the messenger¡¯s smile froze entirely.

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s why I told you over n¡¯ over ¡®gain, didn¡¯t I? Since everything¡¯s like that with her, it¡¯s impossible to bring her to the pce. Doin¡¯ so would inevitably lead to a war with the knight order with the oue bein¡¯ heaps of corpses strewn all over.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind going. Your repeated intrusion here is starting to grate my nerves. So I¡¯ll go to that pce of yours and make sure that you¡¯ll wish that I never visit again. While at it, I¡¯ll carve it into your body so that you won¡¯t ever be able to think of anything else.¡±

    The messenger started to lightly tremble.

    ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s wrong? Did you suddenly start feeling cold?¡±

    ¡°Thanks to your agitation skills, even this arrogant guy has be unable to rein in his violent rage.¡±

    I didn¡¯t say anything that drastic, though.

    ¡°¡­Are you saying all of this seriously?¡± He mustered his voice to ask.

    ¡°Of course. Or did it sound like a joke to you? I¡¯m not fond of joking around. Lip service doesn¡¯t work on me either!¡±

    ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s why your takin¡¯ everythin¡¯ at face value?¡±

    Sword apparently realized only now after all this time.

    ¡°Listen, dude, you should also take everything at face value without trying to read the intent and meaning behind other people¡¯s words or picking up on their ill intent each and every single time! Just work with what people tell you! I mean, even if you try to read between the lines, people will obviously shrug it away, saying, I¡¯ve never said anything like that. So you might as well ept their words at face value since everything else is too much of a hassle anyway!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do just that from now on.¡±

    Good!

    After getting Sword to agree, I faced the messenger, whose anger had apparently gained in intensity, once more, telling him, ¡°That¡¯s what you want from me as well, right? And I¡¯ll dly answer your expectations. Sorry, but I don¡¯t approve of anyone being above me. The only person I recognized as strong is Sword. But, Sword is my ally. Therefore, no matter what you might say or do while deluding yourself that you¡¯re standing above me, for me your threat level is equivalent to that of ants¡­wait, ants are huge and dangerous in this world, aren¡¯t they? Then¡­yes, slimes¡­your threatening is like that of slimes!¡±

    ¡­Hmm? Slimes can be a considerable threat as well, right? Moreover, they¡¯re useful.

    ¡­Oh well, whatever. It was a bit disorganized, but I think I got my point across.

    ¡°¡­I see. Pride and insolence going far beyond any expectations. So this is your partner, ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿?¡±

    ¡°Yep. This is my partner, and we¡¯re ¡¾Allrounders¡¿. The next time dragons or demons appear, they won¡¯t pose a threat ¡®nymore. This girl can kill ¡¯em in an instant.¡± Sword took one step forward to cover for me.

    ¡°Hehehe¡­I see. Certainly, right now you are the ¡¾Patriotic Hero¡¿, but that can also changepletely into ¡¾Evil of the World¡¿, can¡¯t it?¡±

    Sword narrowed his eyes. Sheesh, did he pick up malice again?

    ¡°Indeed. That could very well happen,¡± I agreed, causing both to look at me.

    Apparently not having expected to receive a confirmation here, the messenger guy¡¯s face turned slightly pale.

    ¡°Just like Sword had repelled a dragon on a whim, I could massacre all humans in this world when I feet like it. If you believe that I¡¯m just talking big here, try me. I¡¯ll prove it to you by eradicating the pce, leaving only you behind. And then I¡¯ll tell you, ¡¸How about this? Did you watch it? It wasn¡¯t just talk, was it?¡¹!¡± My mood soared when I got going with my speech. ¡°¡­Okay, now I¡¯ve warmed up to the idea! Come on, try me! Hurry! Say it! Well, I guess it¡¯s fine even without you saying anything! Alright, I¡¯ll step out for a bit and ughter¡­gyaaa!¡±

    An iron w!!

    ¡°Lettin¡¯ you guys meet was a slightly bad idea. It¡¯s dangerous to mix two strong poisons. ¨DThis girl here¡¯s an extreme sadist who loves torture and such, so it¡¯ll trigger crazy shit to let her meet a tricky sadist like you. I beg you, could you go back now? Otherwise, this girl¡¯s goin¡¯ to follow through on her words, seriously.¡±

    The messenger guy stared at me as I wasining, came to his senses, rxed a bit, and loosened the clothes around his neck.

    ¡°¡­I am terribly sorry for having made a statement that invited a misunderstanding. Of course I do not dare to think that your words, Lady Indra, Sir Sword, were nothing but bragging, so please forgive me.¡±

    Sword finally let go of me. My head is tingling~

    ¡°¡­You sure? I don¡¯t particrly mind you taking it as me bragging, you know? That way it¡¯d be a lot more interesting.¡±

    ¡°No, that has not been my intent in the slightest.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see.¡±

    How boring~

    I¡¯ve umted some stress again, so maybe I should visit Sir Dungeon Core for a bit? Maybe that spirit world dweller will let me y with him for a bit?

    ¡°You head into the dungeon and get that demon to entertain you. That guy¡¯s goin¡¯ to revive no matter how often you destroy him. Since I doubt that he feels any pain, he can take care of you,¡± said Sword.

    ¡°You¡¯re right, I guess. Or maybe it¡¯d be fun to meet with Sir Dungeon Core and create dungeon floors that are more brutal and heinous. Wouldn¡¯t it be great if we made something amazing that would be impossible to clear even for me, unless I cheat?¡±

    ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡±

    Both silently looked at me with scary smiles.

    ¡°¡­Say, if I went there, I¡¯d probably die, right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay! If it¡¯s you, it¡¯ll be a walk in the pa¡­gyaaa!¡±

    Another iron w!!

    ¡°Hey! Give it a rest with constantly overestimatin¡¯ me! I¡¯m a normal human! I¡¯ll die when hit by magma, I¡¯ll die when just one of my feet sinks into a deadly, poisonous swamp! Had I been alone, I¡¯d have died on thest part the instant I entered! Come on, understand it, will you!?¡±

    ¡°I-I got it! I¡¯ll make sure that you won¡¯t di-gyaaa!¡±

    The w¡¯s pressure went up by a notch.

    ¡°Your obviously not gettin¡¯ a thing!¡±

    Sword snapped totally for a change. Whyyy!?

 Chapter 116

    The messenger loosened the clothes around his cor even further, sweating profusely.

    ¡°¡­I have fully understood that she is an irrational person with herck ofmon sense exceeding all limits.¡±

    ¡°What counts most is that you¡¯ve finally got it. That¡¯s why it¡¯s impossible for her to go to the pce. You guys gottapromise here. It¡¯s somethin¡¯ like keepin¡¯ a dragon or a fiendish monster. Tamin¡¯ her is impossible. You¡¯ll be annihted for just harborin¡¯ the idea, ¡®kay?¡±

    ¡°¡­I shall inform my Liege of this.¡±

    After having such a conversation with Sword, the messenger left.

    Then, while stroking my head after it had suffered from Sword¡¯s iron w, I asked, ¡°Hey, are you acquainted with that messenger guy?¡±

    In response, he remained silent for a while, before answering, ¡°¡­Somewhat.¡±

    Hmm? That¡¯s an awfully evasive answer, isn¡¯t it?

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to talk about it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it, but¡­¡­ ¡­Well, if I tell you to keep somethin¡¯ a secret, you¡¯ll do just that, I s¡¯pose.¡±

    A secret?

    ¡°¡­The present king took the throne after the dragon attack. It¡¯s because the previous king had been killed by the demon. Back then, the crown prince, who¡¯s now king, fought the dragon together with me, so he came out unscathed in the end.¡±

    Hee, quite the courageous guy. Or I guess he¡¯s a king with a strong inclination towards military matters.

    ¡°¡­He was an entric crown prince who often slipped out of the castle while pretendin¡¯ to be amoner. And during one such time, I rescued him by chance, leading to us gettin¡¯ acquainted.¡±

    ¡°If it had been a princess, it¡¯d have made for a beautiful story.¡±

    ¡°Who cares about that! ¨D¨DHearin¡¯ ¡¯bout me wantin¡¯ to learn magic, he got me into the academy as a schrship student. And that¡¯s when I learned ¡¯bout him being the crown prince since everyone called him ¡¾His Highness¡¿ over there. Him preferrin¡¯ to repay his debt by lettin¡¯ me enter the academy over the risk of me findin¡¯ out ¡¯bout his true identity showed that he¡¯s a guy with a strong sense of duty.¡±

    I see. So Sword called him a good king because he¡¯s actually got some achievements to back it, huh?

    ¡°At that time, the guy from before was always stickin¡¯ next to the king. He¡¯s a tricky sadist who worships the king. When you started to ther ¡¯bout destroyin¡¯ the pce, I was on tenterhooks, worryin¡¯ ¡¯bout what he might do.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. No matter what he might try, it won¡¯t be able to shake either you or me.¡±

    ¡°I know. But, don¡¯t overdo it with pickin¡¯ fights, ¡®kay?¡±

    Bah!

    Though, as long as it¡¯s Sword¡¯s request, I¡¯ll try to abide as much as possible.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be too unreasonable. My priority lies with you and the Ryokus. Then the residents of our mansion and Bennyboy¡¯s party as runner-up. I¡¯ll use all my power to rescue you and the Ryokus, but as for the others, I¡¯ll only help them if I get the time to do so. Hence, if you¡¯re tied down, it¡¯s tough for me to make any moves.¡±

    Sword hugged me.

    ¡°¡­¡­.Gotcha. For me your the highest priority as well. Because of that, I don¡¯t n to ask you the impossible.¡± Suddenly he let go of me. ¡°¡­But you know, you were somewhat scary when you got excited. To the extent that I wanted to scream at you, ¡ºSnap out of it!¡». What was that ¡¯bout? What triggered you all of a sudden?¡±

    ¡­¡­

    Yep, I¡¯m well aware of it myself, okay?

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll be careful¡­¡±

    But, it¡¯s probably no use.

    £ª

    In the end, Sword was summoned to the royal pce. Since I got worried, I deployed all Ryokus to the pce in stealth mode after telling them to contact me and rescue Sword if something happens.

    I think this should cover his side~

    Though it¡¯s unthinkable for Sword to not pick up any malicious intents when being in a den of treacherous snakes like a royal castle. Today I¡¯m going to treat him to a feast, and on top of that, I¡¯ll splurge a bit on the alcohol since it can¡¯t be helped.

    ¡­Ah!

    I got a nice idea! Let¡¯s set up a stall! I¡¯ll rent some ce where I can open a stall!

    I rushed out of the mansion.

    £ª

    And then, when I consulted with the store owners I often frequented for shopping such as the spicedy or the greengrocerd, they all told me they¡¯d help out since they liked the idea. The butcher rented out a ce for me, and then I prepared the food together with everyone. Over time female adventurers and the bakery miss joined in as well, saying they want to help.

    ¡°Whoa, you can use spices like that!?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you cut off this part! That makes it more delicious if you cook it together, right?¡±

    They apparently made several new discoveries for themselves.

    Since I didn¡¯t have the right containers and skewers, I left the city, chopped down a few trees, and made what I needed on the fly.

    After having made around a thousand bowls, I stopped, thinking that it¡¯d be enough. Probably.

    Everyone who had watched me, had be bbergasted.

    ¡°¡­Just as I thought, S-Rank adventurers are in a league of their own,¡± I was told, but you see, I¡¯m an A-Rank adventurer.

    It¡¯s a crude stall born out of a spontaneous idea, but oh well, whatever.

    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s done!!!¡±

    Everyone apuded and cheered.

    Okay, all that¡¯s left now is to wait for Sword toe back from his mission at the pce.

 Chapter 117

    {Sword}

    Since it sounded like the king had some business with me, I went over by myself. That cunning Shadow bastard didn¡¯t show up a second time either. However, he sent an awfully polite letter.

    What he wrote was terribly round ¡¯bout, but it basically said, ¡ºShow up at the pce if you don¡¯t feel like makin¡¯ enemies out of us. If you do, I¡¯ll use any means to crush you. Make sure to absolutely keep this a secret from Indra¡».

    As I thought, he apparently realized that he can somehow handle me, but the same couldn¡¯t be said ¡¯bout Indra. No choice, I s¡¯pose. I¡¯ll drop by for a bit.

    Officially I was told to report on the dungeon clearin¡¯ and present a part of the loot as a gift to the king.

    Well, since I figured as much, I presented some jewels, which I¡¯d have offered ¡®nyway, together with a jewel box. The nobles persistently bickered ¡¯bout it bein¡¯ too little or toomonce, makin¡¯ me think that they sure are cheeky to run their mouth despite not havin¡¯ contributed ¡®nythin¡¯ themselves, but their behavior was well within the range of what I¡¯d expected.

    No matter how much I handed over, they¡¯d never be satisfied either way. Even if I gave ¡¯em all our loot, they¡¯d obviously spout some crap along the lines of ¡°Bein¡¯ able to only fetch so little, no wonder, considerin¡¯ yourmoner trash that¡¯s posin¡¯ as adventruers.¡±

    Me thinkin¡¯, Very well, let¡¯s kill one of ¡¯em and steal all their jewels n¡¯ ornaments in such a case, clearly stems from me bein¡¯ influenced by Indra. That girl would definitely say somethin¡¯ like that. Or rather, she¡¯d actually go through with it.

    £ª

    The king raised a hand, causin¡¯ the nobles to quiet down. I heard they didn¡¯t take him serious back when he got enthroned, but it looks like he made them shut up forcefully by crushin¡¯ any opposition with his own martial prowess and the schemes of that cunning sadist.

    Hence, no matter how dissatisfied they might be, the nobles aren¡¯t showin¡¯ any of it on their faces.

    ¡°We shall gratefully ept the presents offered by you. You achieved a great deed by clearing the dungeon. Everyone, leave us alone.¡±

    Amotion ran through the audience hall, but Shadow loudly said, ¡°It¡¯s a royal decree. All of you, leave the hall. Knight Leader, make sure that they find the way out.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±

    The Knight Leader followed Shadow¡¯s instruction.

    A wave of malice washed over me. They gotta be lookin¡¯ down on me as upstart, huh? Or seem to n killin¡¯ me and stealin¡¯ all my assets.

    ¡­Man, I really wanna get out of here as soon as possible and drink some booze.

    ¡°Hero ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿, I¡¯d love to have a little chat with you. ¡­Shadow, prepare a room.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­As you wish, Your Majesty.¡±

    Whoa, the cunnin¡¯ sadist looks totally ¡®gainst it. That bastard probably doesn¡¯t want me ¡®nywhere near the king after havin¡¯ lost the verbal argument ¡®gainst Indra.

    ¨D¨DThen again, he¡¯s been wary of me ever since my academy days. Or to be precise, he¡¯s wary of everyone except for the king.

    Anyway, seems like he¡¯s recognized me as an enemy after his lil¡¯ showdown with Indra.

    I unintentionally let a sigh slip out. After casting a nce at me, the king fixed his eyes on the cunnin¡¯ bastard.

    ¡°Shadow, there was something you wanted to tell him, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­But.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the point in you making an enemy out of a hero? Or did you possibly forget why I¡¯m in my current position in the first ce?¡±

    ¡°¡­No. Sir Hero ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿, the other day I was extremely rude to you. My behavior on that asion had been inexcusable. Thus it is only natural for you to feel upset. But, please, I would be deeply indebted to you if you could find it in yourself to forgive my impolite conduct.¡±

    Whoa, what an incredible umtion of sarcasm.

    I sighed once more, ¡°No, my partner has been rude as well. My partner¡­please treat her kindly. If you trigger her, I will not be able to hold her back. As such, I would like to ask you to desist from doing something that would be equal to summoning a dragon over.¡±

    ¡­Seriously, gimme a break. That girl seems to truly love teasin¡¯ folk like that cunnin¡¯ sadist. It¡¯s way too dangerous to let these two meet.

 Chapter 118

    After I was led to a private room, Shadow cleared the people out. The Knight Leader did his utmost to be allowed to stay as a guard, but the king told him off, ¡°It¡¯d be rude towards our hero, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    And thus hepromised by guardin¡¯ outside the door.

    ¡°Oh man, it took that much time and effort to get the opportunity to talk with you,¡± the king spat out, havin¡¯ immediately switched to a casual tone as soon as the three of us were alone.

    I stretched on the chair, ¡°Gimme a break. ¡­It¡¯s you who wanna talk with me, not the other way ¡¯round.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so cold. I mean, while I¡¯ve been working my ass off, you¡¯ve been enjoying your life as an adventurer, haven¡¯t you? How about you give up on the adventurer business and be my aide? I¡¯ll even form a royal guard unit for you and let you be its leader.¡±

    ¡°No, thanks. I¡¯ve already found a partner and formed a party with her. Why would I need to drop the quality of my current lifestyle which is a lot morefortable than bein¡¯ somethin¡¯ like a royal guard leader?¡±

    The cunnin¡¯ sadist¡¯s eyebrow twitched up.

    ¡°Shadow, stop being so jumpy. ¡­You¡¯ve been weird ever since you came back from Sword¡¯s ce,¡± remarked King Hund, formerly Arkhide, while castin¡¯ a bewildered look at Shadow.

    ¡°Probably because he argued with my partner, lost, and came back like a beaten dog.¡±

    ¡°I did not lose. I am simply not childish enough to pick a fight with a brat,¡± he eximed, clearly showin¡¯ his emotions for a change.

    ¡°Seriously. You guys gotta be kept apart. You were quite close to havin¡¯ the pce together with king and all wiped out, you know?¡±

    ¡°Hah!?¡± Arkhide looked bbergasted.

    ¡°My partner is a sadist. A huge sadist who loves to torture folks. So I¡¯m sayin¡¯ our lil¡¯ sly Shadow here mustn¡¯t meet that cute sadist girly. I mean, he got totally trashed by my partner with her agitation skill at full throttle. Because of that, it resulted in mein¡¯ here, though¡­¡±

    ¡°Hoh, so she won a war of words against Shadow? That¡¯s incredible.¡±

    ¡°I have been telling you, I did not lose or anything like that,¡± Shadow spat out sullenly.

    ¡°But, you weren¡¯t ¡¯bout to win either, right? She was serious, just so you know. Even I don¡¯t want to see an acquaintance butchered in front of me. By the way, if you ask me who I¡¯m goin¡¯ to side with, it¡¯s definitely goin¡¯ to be Indra. Make sure to not get on her bad side, gotcha?¡±

    Shadow revealed an eerie smile, and blurted out, ¡°Of course I am going to crush her with all my power, you know?¡±

    Whoa, he doesn¡¯t get a thing, that idiot.

    ¡°Before that, you¡¯ll be crushed like a bug, physically. ¡­Don¡¯t lump her together with ordinary humans. She doesn¡¯t die even when directly hit by magma, let alone big rocks. Not only do deadly swamps not work on her, but she simply shrugs off a direct hit by an ice dragon by shakin¡¯ her body a bit. She¡¯s brimmin¡¯ over with vitality and health.¡±

    The two were lost for words.

    ¡°¡­Indra Springcoat was supposed to have been born between the first daughter of Duke Summersol and Earl Springcoat, though?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t heard anything about those two not being humans or some such. Or maybe they got some non-humans among their families?¡±

    Shadow shook his head, ¡°¡­Umm, I really would love to hear the story directly from Indra Springcoat. Also, Your Majesty, I did warn you about it, but by then it was already toote.¡±

    Once Arkhide snapped his fingers, Shadow prepared drinks.

    ¡°Ah, wait a sec. I¡¯ve got some with me.¡±

    ¡°What did you bring with you? ¡­This drink is of a fairly exquisite quality, you know? You mentioned that drinking is about the sole entertainment for you, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yep, that¡¯s why I¡¯ve brought some with me.¡±

    Shadow furrowed his eyebrows.

    ¡°¡­Come to think of it, I¡¯ve heard rumors that you¡¯ve started running your own brewery?¡±

    Nothin¡¯ less of the king¡¯s informationwork. So he already knew, huh?

    ¡°Aye, I¡¯m a brewery owner. By the way, I¡¯m also running a restaurant¡­a fancy eatery for richmoners based on a membership system, back at my base. Because of that I¡¯ve be pretty picky ¡¯bout taste.¡±

    ¡°Okay, then let me have a try.¡±

    Hey, is that somethin¡¯ a king would say? Look, Shadow is starin¡¯ at you, his face overflowin¡¯ with damnation and wariness.

    ¡°Your the king, so be a bit more careful ¡¯bout poisonin¡¯, will you?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯d be the idea behind you poisoning me at this point? Besides, if a man like ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿ nned to kill me, I¡¯d be lying in my own blood right now, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡±

    Figures.

    ¡°Then, only if Shadow permits it.¡±

    ¡°Shadow!¡±, howled the king.

    ¡°¡­Very well. Certainly, it would make no sense for him to poison you now after all this time.¡±

    With that out of the way, I took out an array of bottles.

    ¡°What do you wanna drink? Want some snacks to go with it?¡±

    The two were dumbstruck when they saw the bottles.

    ¡°¡­Listen, no matter how much you may like your drinks, that¡¯s way too much, isn¡¯t it? Why do you have so many with you?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t relinquish any of ¡¯em, ¡®kay? They¡¯re too awesome for sharin¡¯. ¡­Let¡¯s go with wine for starters.¡±

    I handed the wine bottle to Shadow.

    ¡°Hoh,¡± Shadow unintentionally grunted while smellin¡¯ for poison.

    The king swallowed audibly.

    Iughed, ¡°You can tell by the fragrance, eh? It¡¯spletely different from the usua stuffl. Genuine wine has that kind ofplex aroma, I was told. Moreover, that one¡¯s still ckin¡¯¡», it seems. Right now, we¡¯ve started growin¡¯ grapes¡­the raw material.¡±

    The two became speechless once more.

    ¡°I got it. Shadow, hurry up with the poison testing and pass it over to me!¡±

    Shadow put on airs. He¡¯s deliberately teasin¡¯ him, isn¡¯t he? I mean, that guy¡¯s a sadist on the same level as Indra, so yeah.

    He held the wine in his mouth, closin¡¯ his eyes and thus raisin¡¯ the suspense.

    ¡°¡­¡­This iscking?¡±

    ¡°Shadow!¡±

    Arkhide is ¡¯bout to snap, but that¡¯s okay with you?

 Chapter 119

    Shadow finally poured the wine in the king¡¯s ss, and we toasted.

    ¡°¡­Okay, just as I thought, this stuff¡¯s really good. The aromaes out when it¡¯s not cooled too much, huh?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s cool, isn¡¯t it?¡± Shadow retorted.

    ¡°If you cool it down a bit more, it¡¯ll be easier to drink. But, the aroma won¡¯t be able to fully unfold, I s¡¯pose. By the way, booze bes sour if you don¡¯t store it in a dark, cool ce or so I heard.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    While I talked with Shadow, Arkhide drained down his wine. While at it, he also wolfed down the snacks which hadn¡¯t been tested for poison yet.

    ¡°¡­Hey, wait a minute! I take my eyes off you for a moment, and then this!¡±

    Shadow had finally noticed the king¡¯s antics.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter anymore, does it? I¡¯ve been starving here, okay? This wine¡­it¡¯s frustrating to admit it, but it¡¯s really superb. ¡­Shit! Being an adventurer must be so nice! I¡¯ve be a king, and yet I can¡¯t drink such great wine, you know?¡±

    ¡°Very well, then we will have Sword offer it to you as a gift.¡±

    ¡°Wait a sec. Could you not steal my booze as you please?¡±

    ¡°Also, these snacks are great. Where did you get these?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? I got Indra to make ¡¯em for me.¡±

    Shadow froze audibly.

    ¡°You mustn¡¯t, my Liege! They are poisoned!¡±

    ¡°No, they¡¯re not. By the way, Indra was also the one who brewed the drinks. I just provided the cash.¡±

    Shadow stiffened up once more.

    ¡°Hooh! Indra Springcoat appears to be a fairly talented woman despite being born into nobility.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why we call ourselves ¡¾Allrounders¡¿. She also made the clothes I¡¯m wearin¡¯ today. ¡­At this point¡­I really wonder why Shadow would pick a fight with a girl like her¡­¡±

    If that girl seriously enters her S-mode, it wouldn¡¯t end with things just gettin¡¯ dangerous. You¡¯d get tortured on end, man. You¡¯d turn into a total cripple, you know?

    ¡°Okay, I am terribly sorry! I did not intend to pick a fight with her, however!¡±

    ¡°Either way. please don¡¯t piss her off, ¡®kay? That girl grew up in a shit hole of permanent abuse, resultin¡¯ in her bein¡¯ quite crazy. She¡¯s capable of bein¡¯ kind to frightened monsters, but she¡¯ll joyfully torture any human opposin¡¯ her. I mean, even you¡¯d hate to have your skin peeled off with the sole excuse that it¡¯d be curable with a special-grade healin¡¯ potion, right?¡±

    Not only Shadow, but even Arkhide became pale.

    ¡°She¡¯s crazy, seriously. The responsibility lies with her parents. Though I¡¯ve heard her mother¡¯s died already.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true. ¡­The marriage over there was apparently the worst. In the first ce, the present Earl Springcoat was famous for being an extraordinary womanizer and lustful man. His marriage with the youngdy of the ducal house caused a huge discord. But, Earl Springcoat belonged to the neutral faction during my enthronement, and since he¡¯s still loyal to me, I can¡¯t interfere.¡±

    I shrugged my shoulders, ¡°At this point, it probably doesn¡¯t matter ¡®nyway. It looks like she can lead a much better life with me than at the Springcoat mansion.¡±

    Ah, I remembered due to the talk about special-grade healing potions.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you these as a substitute for booze, so please leave my drinks alone.¡±

    I handed healing potions made by Indra to Shadow.

    ¡°Those are?¡±

    ¡°Indra¡¯s carefully produced, special-grade healin¡¯ potions. She said it can heal any injury, as long as it¡¯s bones or somethin¡¯ regarded as bones. However, if it also has to fix muscles, you apparently won¡¯t be able to move the body part well afterwards. You¡¯ll need to do rehabilitation, but that¡¯s still fine as long as you can recover, right?¡±

    The two were lost for words.

    ¡°¡­¡­Indra Springcoat can even produce special-grade healing potions, is what you¡¯re saying?¡± Shadow asked while bein¡¯ at a loss.

    ¡°Rather, she can do ¡®nythin¡¯. Is there actually ¡®nythin¡¯ she can¡¯t do? ¡­Oh, she mentioned she can¡¯t imitate how I ¡ºsomehow perceive an enemy without hearin¡¯ or seein¡¯ ¡¯em¡». But, since she¡¯s able to see stuff you can¡¯t see with the naked eye, it¡¯s basically the same in the end.¡±

    Which reminds me, she mentioned she can¡¯t simply follow orders and she¡¯s unable to go easy on others¡­yeah, ¡®kay, let¡¯s forget ¡¯bout those.

    Shadow sighed, ¡°¡­¡­¡­Is that so? So, you are saying almost nothing would be impossible for you, if you and her team up. Certainly, then it will not be a smart choice to be hostile towards you two,¡± muttered Shadow, apparently havin¡¯ grasped it himself, at longst.

 Chapter 120

    T/N: Short exnation about Brave and Hero. Sword is being called an eiyuu (Ó¢ÐÛ) while the one with the duty to y the demon king is called yuusha (ÓÂÕß). In English you could call both of them hero. But eiyuu is more like a great person who did good for their country and its people, or a great militarymander. You could call Gandhi or Martin Luther King eiyuu as well, for example. Yuusha on the other hand is mostly a gaming/fantasy term, pointing to someone needing to be brave (ÓÂšÝ) as the kanji already gives away.

    ¡°Is it really true that Indra Springcoat can bebeled as a great magician and, at the same time, great sorceress? No, if she can contort a special-grade healing potion through self-study, it is undoubtable that she¡¯s a great sorceress.¡±

    ¡°Yep¡­¡±

    I scratched my head, ¡°There¡¯s a clear difference between the magic we use and the one she uses. We cast spells that use our own mana, right? She doesn¡¯t. That¡¯s why she¡¯s never goin¡¯ to run out of mana. She can cast magic on end.¡±

    Shadow froze. He had apparently grasped how dangerous a trait it was.

    ¡°Plus, she uses spells based on theoretical principles only she understands. She doesn¡¯t chant like we do. For this reason, she probably can¡¯t use spells that she doesn¡¯t understand theoretically, even if she wants to. A good example would be how we release lightnin¡¯ and ice spells from ourselves. That¡¯d be the usual way how things work, but she lets ¡¯em fall from the sky.¡±

    Shadow became pale while the king¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°Is Indra Springcoat possibly the incarnation of a god?¡±

    ¡°Nah, she¡¯s not. ordin¡¯ to her, there exist theories for things to happen like that. And she releases her spells based on those theories. ¡­Sir Dungeon Core might be capable of understandin¡¯ what she does. After we defeated the boss on thest floor, he expressly invited us over and told her to teach him a spell she was usin¡¯. Immediately after she did so, he could reproduce it. If you had seen the magic she used, Shadow, even you wouldn¡¯t have said somethin¡¯ like that, you know? As long as she doesn¡¯t run her mouth, she¡¯s just like a divine manifestation of a goddess.¡±

    ¨D¨DAs long as she doesn¡¯t run her mouth, seriously!!

    Arkhide revealed a yful expression, ¡°My goodness, is that so? ¡­By the way, Sword, when are you going to marry Indra Springcoat?¡±

    ¡°¡±Haah?¡±¡±

    As I cried out in concert with Shadow, we looked at each other.

    ¡°What¡¯s with that reaction? So far as it goes, Earl Springcoat is known for being a womanizer, so she ought to be quite the looker herself, no? I don¡¯t know about her mother, but I didn¡¯t hear anything about her having been an extremely ugly woman either. You as well haven¡¯t changed much¡­or wait, don¡¯t you look younger than before? Anyway, with your appearance, she probably won¡¯t really feel the age difference, and you¡¯re so protective and full of praise for her because you¡¯re willing to marry her, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯m certain she must be a lovely nobledy, seeing how she made your heart sway so much.¡±

    Shadow and I waved our hands.

    ¡°¡­Shadow, did she look like a woman to you?¡±

    ¡°No. To be frank, I would not have considered her a woman if I had not heard about her being one. Though I still do not think of her as a woman, even after knowing that she is.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m with you on that. Even though I¡¯m aware of her bein¡¯ a woman, I can¡¯t think of her as one.¡±

    The king looked at us dubiously.

    ¡°¡­Oh well, whatever. But, you¡¯re quite popr, aren¡¯t you? Don¡¯t do anything that would make such a talenteddy cry, okay?¡±

    ¡°She won¡¯t cry. Both of us n to remain single. She says she¡¯s nnin¡¯ to spend her remainin¡¯ years by yin¡¯ ¡¯round with the golems she built, you know? Her sayin¡¯ that she wants to be surrounded by golems and not humans is what should make one cry, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­So she can build golems too?¡± Shadow spat out, desperation colorin¡¯ his voice.

    Yep, so you finally realized that you wouldn¡¯t win if you fought her, huh?

    ¡°The rumored spider and caterpir golems, eh?¡±

    ¡°Yep. She loves bugs. But, those are the only ones with a weird shape. The golem she built as a recement for a horse is really awesome! Ah, this here as well.¡±

    I showed them the wristband-shaped clock.

    ¡°It¡¯s a wristband with the functions of a clock! You see, this thing here allows me to talk with Indra and my Ryoku¡­ah, Ryoku is the name of one of her golems¡­from far away! Moreover! It can also disy maps! Look!¡±

    A detailed map of the royal pce emerged.

    Oops, that¡¯s slightly bad, isn¡¯t it?

    I quickly erased it.

    ¡°¡­¡¯nyway, it can also show your body information. And she said it¡¯d warn me if one of ¡¯em reached dangerous levels,¡± I rattled on to gloss over my blunder with the map, but Shadow narrowed his eyes, scowlin¡¯ at me.

    ¡°¡­Wait a moment. Mr. Sword, was that a map of the pce just now?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just your imagination. ¡­So, yeah, she¡¯s creatin¡¯ all kinds of toys.¡±

    ¡°Toys, eh?¡± Arkhide looked very envious.

    ¡°The one I like the most is a golem which drives on two wheels. She named it Bronko. ¡­Though, if I say it too loudly, my Ryoku might feel offended. That one¡¯s no golem ¡®nymore. He¡¯s one of myrades.¡±

    Somehow feelin¡¯ like he was listenin¡¯ in, I added a supplementary exnation. Or rather, I¡¯m damn sure he¡¯s hidin¡¯ out somewhere ¡¯round here.

    A map of the pce bein¡¯ avable inadvertently means that a Ryoku hase here and mapped out the ce.

    ¡°You see, I wanted to consult that genius girl Indra Springcoat about a certain matter¡­¡± Arkhide admitted with a sigh.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    The king suddenly straightened himself, ¡°The braves were summoned.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­..Hah?¡±

    The braves? Summoned?

    ¡°¡­As a matter of fact, braves are being summoned from an ancient magic circle set up in the royal castle¡¯s temple. Of course it¡¯s not like we wanted to summon them or anything. Or to be precise, we actually wanted to stop it. We looked for a way to stop the summoning over many years, but¡­to no avail.¡±

    ¡­¡­For real?

    ¡°The magic circle will start shining as omen of the summoning magic being invoked. As if it¡¯s being filled with mana. In reality, it might be just that, though¡­ And then, once the magic circle rises with all of its parts shining, ¡ºyou must summon¡». If you ignore it, the magic circle will run out of control, resulting in the pce being blown up.¡±

    ¡­Is that really true?

    ¡°Therefore, we¡¯ve summoned them. This time it was slightly earlier than usual. The summoned braves are apparently forcibly called over to this world. The conditions for how the braves are chosen remain shrouded in mystery too. For a time I thought we might as well relocate the capital and let the magic circle run out of control, but that thing is really old. It should be there for some kind of reason, and as long as we don¡¯t know that reason, we can¡¯t act carelessly,¡± exined the king with a grave expression. ¡°The books only mention a part about ¡ºsummoning someone to defeat the demon king¡», but we don¡¯t know why we would need to defeat the demon king and we have no means to stop the magic circle either.

    That part also includes a warning that ¡ºwe¡¯ll be destroyed if we divert from that procedure¡». That¡¯s why we must continue summoning braves, even if it¡¯s unfortunate for them. There exist no past records of the demon king having been defeated by a brave, and it¡¯s never happened that the demon king attacked the capital in retaliation either. So basically it has continued since there existed no reason to stop it.

    ¡­But you see¡­if the braves were someone like you, it¡¯d still be fine. If the braves were people who didn¡¯t unt their power, possessed a dutiful heart to save the weak, and had some character, you could regard braves and hero as equals. ¡­But, the real brave is¡­¡±

    The king sighed.

    Well, I get his feelings. The summoned ¡ºbraves¡» so far had many troublemakers among them. The previous generations seem to have suffered the same issues as well. Back when I was still a brat, a brave was selected as well, but¡­he was such an utter failure that he made me think that I never ever want ¡®nythin¡¯ to do with him.

    I thought that the braves got all stuck up after bein¡¯ chosen for their position, but I guess they¡¯ve appeared in this world after bein¡¯ summoned over from somewhere.

    ¡°The current brave is especially terrible. We had him train at the pce for a while, but he caused a mountain of problems, and thus we got him to depart quickly. ¡­Those apanying him aspanions basically are sacrifices. We had some of those who knew the situation follow the brave in exchange for a ridiculously high reward.¡±

    Whoa, that¡¯s quite the depressin¡¯ story.

    ¡°So, since you want to stop the magic circle that produces all those worthless braves, you¡¯re tellin¡¯ me to lend you Indra?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s someone who can use magic capable of causing an effect as they¡¯d be performed by a god, they might know a method to stop that thing, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¨D¨DMakes sense. That girl will most likely have a clue.

 Chapter 121

    After lookin¡¯ at the faces of Arkhide and Shadow for a while, I turned my face away.

    ¡°¡­Then it¡¯d have been better if you¡¯d simplye clean on that,¡± I sighed. ¡°Do you really believe that she¡¯ll readily agree to help you after you took such an attitude with her? You think a person, who can use divine magic, would simply obey after havin¡¯ been treated as inferior by a mere human? Wouldn¡¯t that be equal to makin¡¯ a god do your biddin¡¯?¡±

    The two froze.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you once more: I¡¯m Indra¡¯s ally. Don¡¯t try to use me, ¡®kay? I¡¯ve got no ns to shackle her down. Then I¡¯d rather break that magic circle of yours, blow up the capital, and leave this country for good with her. For me, she¡¯s my number one priority.¡±

    Sayin¡¯ just that, I got up from my chair.

    ¡°Bye bye. Don¡¯t call me ¡®nymore. I¡¯m an adventurer while you guys are the boss of a evil den with the name royal court and his right-hand henchman. Since the old days, both of us had different roles to y. I¡¯ll dly take the information ¡¯bout the brave along. You should tell him that he might end up dead in the worst case, in case we run into him. Take the wine over there as payment for today.¡±

    Once I opened the door, I ran into the knight leader.

    ¡°We¡¯re done talkin¡¯ so I¡¯m leavin¡¯.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    He ain¡¯t feelin¡¯ like movin¡¯ outta the way?

    With a cheerful smile, I slipped past the knight leader as he stared at me with what you could call a re.

    ¡°Sorry to say, but someone like you is no threat to me whatsoever. You won¡¯t be much of a roadblock either. You gotta train yourself a lot more, ¡®kay?¡±

    Once I started to walk away with a wave of my hand, that idiot loudly ordered, ¡°Arrest him!¡±

    ¡­Come on, man. You gonna treat me like a criminal?

    ¡°You sure got guts to treat me like somewbreaker after havin¡¯ called me over on your own ord. Well, that¡¯s also the reason why I didn¡¯t wannae to a shithole like this, though¡­ Rather, it was totally correct that you didn¡¯t summon Indra. In her case, she¡¯d be gleefully tearing your skin off ¡¯bout now.¡±

    Just as I clicked my tongue and was about to get ready for going on a lil¡¯ rampage, the king ordered, ¡°Knight Leader, step back!¡±

    ¡°¡­But!¡±

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard my order? ¡­Shadow.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty!¡±

    ¡°No, I did not intend to defy you by any means!¡±

    Some horsey has apparently started behind me, but I don¡¯t give a damn. But, when I remembered, thinkin¡¯ Oh, shit!, the wall got blown away.

    I pped my forehead. But, I s¡¯pose it can¡¯t be helped.

    ¡°Mr. Sword, is it an emergency?¡±

    ¡°Yes, because of what you¡¯ve done,¡± I spat out with a sigh, ¡°Well, whatever. Let¡¯s go back together then.¡±

    ¡°¡±Ayessir!¡±¡±

    I jumped on one of the Ryokus which had shown up. Or rather, why are there two of ¡¯em here? Did Indra send ¡¯em over to stand guard?

    ¡°Goodbye! If you don¡¯t want your castle t¡¯be destroyed any further, don¡¯t call us ¡®nymore!¡±

    After I waved a hand while biddin¡¯ farewell to the folks starin¡¯ at us bbergasted, the Ryokus went outside. They shot something simr to a rope from their hands, continuously hoppin¡¯ ¡¯round between roofs and walls.

    ¡°Haha! That¡¯s damn incredible!¡±

    ¡°Is it more amazing than Bronko?¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah, so you¡¯ve heard me after all, eh?¡±

    ¡°I did. Sword, you were such a meanie!¡±

    They repeatedly chanted, ¡°Meanie, meanie!¡±

    Okay, these guys are already livin¡¯ beings. No doubt ¡¯bout it.

    £ª

    The Ryokus brought me to a ce with a crowd of people who seemed to be awfully excited.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re back!¡±

    When I got suspicious of the whole situation, someone called out to me.

    ¡­Umm, what are they doin¡¯?

    Just as I wondered ¡¯bout that, the crowd split and Indra came over to greet me.

    ¡°Ah, did everything work out? ¡­Or not. Youing here on Ryoku means that you ran into some kind of trouble, huh?¡±

    Whoa, she¡¯s a sharp one.

    The Ryokus headed over to Indra, causin¡¯ her to stroke ¡¯em.

    ¡°Mr. Sword, state of emergency.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because you blew away a part of the wall. ¡­Well, not like it matters, though. It allowed me to see ¡¯em lookin¡¯ dumb and the folks of the knight order will likely receive a severe scoldin¡¯ for the wall havin¡¯ been broken through.

    But, rather than that¡­what¡¯s goin¡¯ on with the uproar over here?¡±

    I scanned the surroundings after retortin¡¯ at Ryoku¡¯s im. It¡¯s turned into somethin¡¯ like the festival of a small vige, kinda?

    ¡°I imagined that you¡¯d return after being mentally worn out from getting showered with sarcasm and malice by the devilish nobles over at the pce, so I made a stall together with everyone to reward you for getting through the ordeal!¡±

    The crowd cheered loudly.

    ¡­Wait, aren¡¯t they already drunk?

    ¡°You¡¯re overdoing the good boy act way too much. There¡¯s like no reason for you to silently listen and obey to what they tell you, is there? Come on, everyone. You tell him as well!¡±

    ¡°Now, now, I also think that ¡¾Thunder¡­ah, no, Mr. Sword is a bit too inflexible, but either way, let¡¯s drink!¡±

    ¡°You did well to return from such a dreadful nest of snakes like the royal pce. Here, eat some.¡±

    ¡­¡­

    ¡°Haha!¡± I burst intoughter.

    ¡­Seriously, my partner is an idiot, cheerful¡­and a gentle girl.

    ¡°Alright! I¡¯m totally pooped after havin¡¯ to deal with that super formal ce, and I got flooded with plenty of sarcasm and insults too! Shit! They even treated me like a criminal despite havin¡¯ called me over from their side in the first ce! I¡¯ll drink plenty and forget all ¡¯bout the nasty stuff!!¡±

    ¡°¡±Cheers!!¡±¡±

    After loudly shoutin¡¯ out myints, I toasted with everyone.

 Chapter 122

    ording to Ryoku¡¯s information, Sword had tons of insults hurled at him ¨C as expected ¨C then had a friendly chat in a private room with the king, and when he eventually tried to leave so as to cover for me, he shed with the knight leader and came back here after being rescued by the Ryokus.

    ¡°You¡¯re really good boys. Well done, you two.¡±

    ¡°¡±Yaaay, we got praised!¡±¡±

    The rejoicing Ryokus are sooo cute. My nose almost started to bleed.

    As everyone else apparently considered them adorable as well, they continuously approached them for a talk. Given that their way of talking had evolved into lovely, fluent speech instead of the previous stiff and mechanical one, it made them even more popr.

    I mostly handled the bills (a stall isn¡¯t for free, so it¡¯s only natural), but also made new food whenever we ran out or helped out when we were short of hands. The majority of those helping me were the shop owners who I had often visited for my shopping.

    Just when I thought that I needed to pay them wages, they told me that they were helping while drinking and eating themselves in exchange.

    I love that kind of attitude! It¡¯s kinda like a cultural festival at senior high or a festival in a small rural shopping district, isn¡¯t it?

    £ª£ª£ª

    ¡­¡­And then today¡¯s guest of honor approached me.

    ¡°Yooo! Indra, your gooooin¡¯ to drink!?¡±

    ¡­What? Is he drunk? Isn¡¯t he unusually cheerful?

    ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯d do that, is there? Drinking alcohol before the age of twenty has a bad influence on one¡¯s growth,¡± I replied with a serious expression.

    In response, Sword became serious as well, looked at my chest, looked at my face, and then blurted out, ¡°Aren¡¯t you unreasonable there?¡±

    Gahh!!!

    ¡°Youuuuuuu!! Come on, tell me, what exactly is unreasonable!? Hurry, give it your best shot!!¡± I grabbed his cor, shaking him violently.

    ¡°Stop, stop! I give up! I¡¯m goin¡¯ to barf any moment!¡±

    I stopped.

    ¡°Ah, it had such a gentle taste, but that¡¯s also why I downed ¡¯em bottles.¡±

    I sighed, ¡°Just for today it¡¯s fine even if you drink too much. But make sure to drink your medicine, okay?¡±

    ¡°I know, I know.¡±

    Is he really alright? I mean he¡¯s obviously reeling.

    Since the Ryokus started to sing in the middle of the party, I joined them, and things got really lively.

    ¡°Sword, you sing as well!¡±

    Hearing my order, the drunkard began to sing as well, heating up the party even more.

    £ª£ª£ª£ª£ª

    ¡­¡­.Things got very exciting, but since it soon became dark, we broke up the party. We collected the trash in one spot and left it there. It looks like garbage collection is a job around here.

    My helpers left after telling us that they had a st and that it was very educational for them. I had them take the leftovers with them as souvenirs. We also took the stall apart, so I guess it¡¯s about time to go back, huh?

    ¡°Good work.¡±

    When I looked back, Sword stood right behind me.

    ¡°Oh. ¡­You got nicely drunk, didn¡¯t you? It¡¯d be better to drink some water, you know?¡±

    ¡°I did so earlier. Together with the medicine.¡±

    That¡¯s great to hear.

    ¡­.Sword stroked my head repeatedly.

    ¡°I¡¯m really thankful, ¡®kay?¡±

    ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­This much is only normal.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­Did you enjoy yourself?¡±

    ¡°Yep.¡±

    I see. Then it¡¯s fine.

    When I returned to our house while holding hands with Sword¡­

    Only rubble was left of it.

 Chapter 123

    As might be expected, even I stood frozen in surprise. After rebooting a little whileter, I asked Sword, ¡°No harm has been done¡­at least not as long as we aren¡¯t told to reimburse them, but what should we do about this?¡±

    Sword scratched his head, ¡°For starters, we¡¯ll report it to the officials, I s¡¯pose. How we goin¡¯ to deal with it changes ordin¡¯ to who¡¯s done this.¡±

    When we heard a voice in the distance and looked in its direction, an official was rushing this way even without us calling for one.

    ¡°Did youe back just now?¡±

    Hmm, it looks like he¡¯s actually been looking for us.

    While pointing at the ruin of our rented house with a thumb, Sword asked, ¡°Who¡¯s done this?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­That¡¯s¡­¡­¡±

    The official was quite evasive.

    ¡°Someone with a higher rank than yours?¡±

    In response to Sword¡¯s question, the official answered in panic, ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. ¡­¡­.It was Sir Brave.¡±

    Hoh. Meaning, the brave, who was said to not have appeared yet, has actually shown up and destroyed the building.

    ¡°Hmm? Why did the brave destroy this building in particr? Did the demon king show up over here?¡±

    If not, there would be no reason for the brave to destroy the building, right?

    ¡°¡­I heard he came along after catching the rumors of ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿¡­ ¡­And then when you didn¡¯t answer his calls, he apparently tried to get you out by force.¡±

    Moron. Of course someone who isn¡¯t home can¡¯te out, duh.

    ¡°Though he heard that you were visiting the castle, and so he apparently headed over to the pce thereafter. ¡­Given that Sir Brave is the perpetrator, I think the entire matter will be dropped, however.¡±

    Is that so? The brave is getting quite the preferential treatment, isn¡¯t he? And, he seems to follow the doctrine of anything goes.

    ¡°We¡¯re fine, but is the owner of the building going to agree with that?¡±

    ¡°I doubt they¡¯ll have any say in this. Their only option will be to regard it as a natural disaster having struck. Good grief¡­such issues each time a brave shows up. Just what is the pce thinking when they choose their braves?¡±

    Oh, the official is bitching.

    ¡°Now, now, don¡¯t be so pissed off. Here, have some leftover fish and wine. Feel free to drink it with your friends once you¡¯re done with work.¡±

    ¡°Thank you so much!!¡±

    His mood immediately and drastically improved. Somehow, the people of this world really love their liquor, huh? And yet they¡¯re selling such junk themselves.

    ¡°Well, we¡¯re going to stay the night in Char then. Fortunately I¡¯ve stored all our luggage in there so that we¡¯d be able to leave this ce at a beck¡¯s call. After all, we¡¯d nned to immediately depart on a journey after eradicating the royal pce in the worst case.¡±

    ¡°Well, the timin¡¯ fits. I also nned to tell you, ¡ºThe brave has apparently shown up, so let¡¯s get outta here as soon as possible¡».¡±

    Since the cheerful official told us that he¡¯d show us to an open plot ofnd next to their lodging house, we went with him. On the way, I chatted with him a bit.

    £ª

    The official, his name is Yassi, has been serving as government official in the capital for a long time. He¡¯s still unmarried, but he does have a lover.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got pride in my work as an official, but she¡¯s the only daughter of a small store.¡±

    Apparently he can¡¯t agree with her parents who wish that they¡¯d inherit the business and manage it together.

    ¡°Oh, what a nice story!¡±

    ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t it rather a pitiful story?¡±

    Aww, Sword, please don¡¯t get on with the story on the premise that they¡¯re going to break up.

    ¡°No one says they have to run the store as a married couple, right? If she doesn¡¯t hate the idea of seeding the business, she just needs to work at the store. And Mr. Official can continue working as an official. Their ie will increase with Mr. Official working elsewhere, won¡¯t it? If she¡¯s short of hands, they can hire someone with the additional ie from his wages. Even if she can¡¯t work after bing pregnant, everyone in the family just needs to chip in. If it¡¯s for the sake of a child, even Mr. Official would do his best at his current job and her family would help out as well. It might be tough for a while, but it¡¯s a hardship everyone is going to bear happily. Their bonds will be stronger too, if they ovee it together, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    Mr. Official and Sword looked at me with totally startled faces.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? It¡¯s something that happens often, isn¡¯t it? Even our servants, for example the maids, marry and take a temporary leave if they be pregnant, but all of theme back again afterwards, no?¡±

    Even small children work in this world. It¡¯s not like they go to school, and its a custom for parents to fuss over their children as little as possible. Especially, if the business starts to go downhill, everyone will run dry on ie. Then it¡¯d be definitely better for Mr. Official to earn a wage somewhere else.

    ¡°¡­You¡¯re absolutely right! I¡¯ll try to ask for her hand while telling her all that!¡±

    He rebooted.

    Still, how old is Mr. Official anyway? He looks older than Sword before his skin treatment, so I thought he¡¯s at an age where he¡¯d already have older children.

    £ª

    Arriving at the lodging house, I got his permission to park Char on the vacant plot. Mr. Official told us toe inside as he¡¯d treat us to some refreshments as a thanks, but since we were tired at this point, we turned his offer down.

    ¡°It¡¯s already bedtime for good children.¡±

    ¡°You and your colleagues are goin¡¯ to feel nervous, if I¡¯m present, right? By the way, you gotta work tomorrow, so don¡¯t party too hard, ¡®kay?¡±

    Both of us said, and waved our hands at him.

 Chapter 124

    ¡°Thanks for today, ¡®kay?¡± Sword told me once more.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind it. I did it because I wanted to. But, are you really okay?¡±

    At once, depression washed over his face, ¡°Well¡­¡­ Let me tell you what happened, for starters.¡±

    He concisely recounted all that had pertained during his visit at the pce.

    ¡°Hmmm, I see. I don¡¯t particrly mind looking at it, if it¡¯s just that, but I won¡¯t do it for free. That much is sure.¡±

    ¡°Whoa, you¡¯d demand cash from the king?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Why would I need to ve away for him? It doesn¡¯t have to be money in particr, but I definitely won¡¯t move a finger as long as he doesn¡¯t fork over some kind of reward.¡±

    ¡°Ah yeah, that totally sounds like you.¡±

    ¡°Everyone would demand as much! Even Mr. Official actively offered us to stay over here because I gave him our leftovers as thanks, you know!?¡±

    Sword pped his hands together, ¡°Now that you mention it, your right.¡±

    Oh well, let¡¯s shelve this issue for the moment.

    ¡°If I run into the brave, I¡¯ll torture him, given the state of the building, and the rumors and stories I¡¯ve heard about him.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s no problem. I also told ¡¯em, ¡ºShe might kill him if she meets him, ¡®kay? So please take care of the rest afterwards¡».¡±

    Yaaay! Then I can go all out without any hesitation whatsoever!

    ¡°But, torture would be kinda pitiful, so could you kill him on the spot?¡±

    So he¡¯s telling me killing him is alright, but torture is a no-no.

    £ª

    On the next day, after bidding farewell from Mr. Official, we decided to depart. In the first ce, I¡¯d wrapped up most things until yesterday (including a visit to Sir Dungeon Core and the spirit world dweller to tell them that I might leave the country after annihting the royal castle out of annoyance). Well we didn¡¯t bid proper farewell from the folks who drank with us yesterday, but I unloaded all their grudges and hate on the brave by curtly telling them, ¡°Well, that¡¯s the life of adventurers. Farewell! All of it is the brave¡¯s fault!¡±, before leaving the capital.

    Still, I kinda wanted to meet that brave for a bit, but¡­I¡¯m with Sword right now. It¡¯d be quite heartless of me to cause Sword, who umted quite a bit of stress yesterday, even more stress. If I¡¯d been alone, I¡¯d have dly taken on the brave, though.

    ¡­Or rather, by all rights and means I should have normally encountered him, right? If I hadn¡¯te up with the idea of holding a wee-back party for Sword and rushed out of our rented house¡­

    How to describe it¡­? I definitely have no luck with trouble. It looks like I don¡¯t possess even the slightest disposition to get rolled up in trouble.

    Damn! So I¡¯m the type who can never be the heroine!? Disaster keeps avoiding me! Why!? Juste at me!!

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Sword asked just as I was immersed in my thoughts.

    ¡°Mmh¡­I was just wondering why I missed the brave yesterday although I should have met him under normal circumstances.¡±

    After rolling his eyes at me, Sword became super expressionless!

    ¡°I know, I know, I¡¯ll refrain from doing anything that would tire you out even more than you already are.¡± I held back Sword with my hand.

    ¡°Oh, really. Thanks for bein¡¯ so considerate then,¡± answered Sword in monotone, but then he suddenly rxed his expression, and chuckled, ¡°¡­But yeah, even though your always tryin¡¯ to draw trouble upon yourself, it keeps stayin¡¯ clear from you, doesn¡¯t it? Now that I think ¡¯bout it, you might be a rather unlucky fellow.¡±

    (¡ä?¦Ø?`)

    (¡ä?¦Ø?,¡¯;,¡¯;,¡¯,

    (¡ä?¦Ø,¡¯;,¡¯;,¡¯,

    (¡ä,¡¯;,¡¯;,¡¯,

    (,¡¯;,¡¯;,

    ¡®;,¡¯

    ¡°¡­¡­You¡¯re not wrong about that. I mean, all the standard events that would definitely involve any protagonistpletely evade me. Why is that so?¡±

    ¡°Because of your usual antics, I¡¯d say,¡± he retorted instantly.

    But, what does he mean by that?

    ¡°My usual, good conduct keeps trouble away?¡±

    ¡°No, you idiot. Since your always talkin¡¯ gleefully ¡¯bout how you¡¯d torture ¡®nyone messin¡¯ with you, that kind of trouble steers clear from you, idiot. No one in their right mind wanna make such a painful experience, idiot.¡±

    He called me idiot, over and over again~

 Chapter 125

    Everyone who was present stared at the big hole now adorning the hallway, dumbstruck. It was said that during the wall¡¯s construction the strongest soil was used after additionally enhancing it with spells, resulting in a wall that couldn¡¯t be damaged by mighty soldiers or great mages. And yet, that wall had been destroyed easily. During the demon attack, the wall got destroyed as well, although temporarily withstanding the dragon¡¯s attacks.

    As everyone was stunned, it was the king who came back to his senses first.

    ¡°¡­Shadow, arrange everything for the repairs. ¨D¨DAll of you, listen well to me. You¡¯re forbidden to mention this to anyone else. Make sure to never reveal any of it. That¡¯s an order. Got it?¡±

    The knights nodded in panic, but the knight leader pulled a sour face.

    ¡°¡­Very well, then we¡¯ll sortie to arrest the criminal¡­¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what His Majesty said, Knight Leader? His Majesty forbade us to reveal anything about this to others, didn¡¯t he? So what are you nning to use as material for using Sword after arresting him?¡± Shadow interrupted the knight leader¡¯s words, casting a frosty re at him.

    Annoyance spread on the knight leader¡¯s face. In reality, the knight leader was quite upset. He hated Shadow. He also was dissatisfied with the king, but Shadow throwing his weight around as the king¡¯s aide displeased him to no end. In secret, he¡¯d actually been nning to purge all those who didn¡¯t like him seizing the power, and Shadow stood in his way.

    ¡°¡­But, we cannot let a criminal go scot-free, can we!? That guy nned to destroy the royal castle from the very start! Hah, what <strong>hero</strong>!? He is just a measly scam¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you jealous?¡± Shadow interrupted him once more, apanied by a scornfulugh.

    In response, the knight leader¡¯s face became bright red, and he barked, ¡°What was that!? Watch what you are saying, bastard! If you don¡¯t want to lose your head thanks to your impertinentments¡­¡±

    He continued until the end but lowered his voice gradually before fading it out altogether. He was smart enough to know that saying any more in the presence of the king would be a bad idea.

    ¡°Hoh? So you¡¯re going to lop off my head because I¡¯m impertinent towards you?¡±

    Naturally Shadow was agitating the knight leader on purpose. He knew that his guy would head out to arrest Sword anyway, even if ordered to not do it. Shadow was well aware that the knight leader¡¯s loyalty towards the royal family was flimsy at best, and that he¡¯d act on his own as he prioritized his own pride and honor above all else.

    The knight leader doesn¡¯t understand. Even if the entire knight order, and not just the knight leader himself, fought against Sword, they wouldn¡¯t be able to win. It¡¯d have been different in the past, but it¡¯s unthinkable that Sword would obediently allow himself to be arrested nowadays, so it¡¯s a foregone conclusion that it¡¯d develop into a battle. Moreover, that arrogant partner of Sword is around as well. If she learned about an arrest attempt on Sword without any charges to back it, she might destroy the pce for real.

    All of this was clear to Shadow. For this reason, he instigated and tempted the hot-blooded, prideful knight leader so as to make him blurt out something imprudent.

    ¡°Knight Leader, you allowed intruders to enter the pce, went against His Majesty¡¯s orders, and made some improperments. Your authority as a knight leader will be stripped off you for a set amount of time, and you are ordered into house arrest. You are forbidden to leave your home for ten days. The other knights also failed at preventing the intruders from entering the pce, so you will be punished with a pay reduction and a strengthening of the pce¡¯s guard protocol. A document with detailed instructions will soon be delivered to you by a civil official. Until then you are to wait in your own rooms.¡±

    As soon as Shadow made that announcement, the knight leader stomped away, his whole body trembling with mortification and rage. The other knights quickly saluted at the king, before chasing after him.

    ¡°¡­What an ill-mannered and rude behavior in the presence of the king. Unbelievable, that man,¡± Shadow stabbed the knight leader with a sharp re as he was leaving.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so hard on him. ¡­Still, you were a big help. Obviously it¡¯d have been a bad idea to arrest Sword. There¡¯s the matter with the public opinion, but above that, I want to avoid turning him into an enemy,¡± the king breathed out in relief. And then he faced Shadow with a smile, continuing impishly, ¡°If it¡¯s ten days, Sword will probably have left this area. Even if the knight leader searches the capital after his house arrest and learns of him having left, it¡¯ll be impossible for him to catch up with Sword. ¡­But, I thought you¡¯d side with the knight leader and vie for Sword¡¯s arrest, you know?¡±

    Shadow cleared his throat, and then answered, ¡°I haveprehended that it would be a bad idea to have Sword as an enemy. However, since his abilities and poprity are boundless and extremely dangerous, I will keep a close eye on him. This country does not need a hero who threatens its king.¡±

    ¡°Sword is a man who knows his own ce. You¡¯re aware of that as well, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Shadow stayed silent.

    ¡­Yep, Sword is that kind of a man. I¡¯ve been cautious of him for a long time now, but he¡¯s a lot more humble than the worthless leeches around the king. But¡­

    ¡°I know as much. I have been acquainted with him for a long time as well.¡±

    ¡­Indra, the girl who became the partner of the loner Sword. He has changed after getting involved with her.

    When he knelt in front of the king during the pce, rage and discontent towards the nobles oozed out of his body. For an instant, Shadow felt a shiver travel down his spine as he thought Sword might ughter everyone in the audience hall then and there, regretting their decision to have forced him to visit. Previously, such a threatening aura would have been unimaginable for Sword. Him having be like this was definitely rooted in his acquaintance with her.

    ¨D¨DIn the past he¡¯d have neverughed off the golemsing to his rescue while destroying the pce with a shrug. The new Sword is scary.

    After the king had left with his guards, leaving Shadow all alone in the hallway, he muttered to himself, ¡°Now then, what would be the best thing to do about this?¡±

 Chapter 126

    Next up is port town Keyha! Yaaay! I¡¯m looking forward to it soooo much!

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s stock up plenty and plentyyyy!¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­thest time I went there and ate somethin¡¯, it didn¡¯t taste all that special, though.¡±

    He really doesn¡¯t get it. Fish is great even when eaten raw!

    When we switched to Bronko on the way¡­

    ¡°Ooohh! The scent of the sea hangs in the air!¡±

    ¡°Hmm? ¡­¡­¡­ Ah, this is what you call it, huh?¡±

    The ocean!!! I¡¯m so hyped!

    ¡°I want to make a swimsuit. I¡¯ll use the insect fabric for it.¡±

    ¡°Swimsuit? You mean clothes you wear ¡¯round water?¡±

    ¡°Indeed! Well, it doesn¡¯t really matter for men. As long as you wear a pair of pants that¡¯s not transparent and hides yourher region, the rest doesn¡¯t matter. But, for women it¡¯s different! I have to make a cute swimsuit~¡±

    Sword immediately poured cold water on me as I was in high spirits.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It won¡¯t make any difference if you wear the same as men. You not havin¡¯ ¡®nythin¡¯ down there is goin¡¯ to make it easier to sew as well, right?¡±

    ¡­¡­

    I CA-N¡¯T HE-AR A THI-NG!

    £ª

    Once we entered the town after passing the checkpoint, I eximed, ¡°Oohh! Oooooohhh! A seashore fantasy!¡±

    It was a town suited for houses made out of earth the most so far. I could also see masts in the background. Probably because sailing ships were anchored at the port.

    Once I squealed cheerfully, Sword said with augh, ¡°You sure got it nice. Everything¡¯s new for you. I¡¯vee here in the past, so I can¡¯t get so deeply impressed ¡¯bout everythin¡¯.¡±

    Seeing Sword so indifferent about it, I pointed a hand at the sun, ¡°Then, be moved from now on! The sea is close and there are no tall grasses, so the sunlight¡¯s reflections on the water are dazzling! The harmful sun rays are glittering!¡±

    ¡°And I should be moved by that? Listen up, just make sure to block the harmful sun rays, ¡®kay?¡±

    Since I¡¯ve been doing that, his skin has be quite beautiful. He¡¯s looking a lot younger these days.

    ¡°Touring¡­driving Bronko along the coastline rocks. It feels nice to feel the salty wind on your skin while watching the glittery sea, you know?¡±

    ¡°Yep, okay, I¡¯m deeply moved now!¡±

    I guess Sword has started to feel all excited too now.

    £ª

    First off, the guild. By now it¡¯d be a standard routine for a guild to be noisy once we named ourselves. And the guildmaster immediately showing up was amon urrence too.

    Behind us,

    ¡°That hero?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Ah, right, you don¡¯t know him, do you? He¡¯s a hero because¡­,¡± someone started to exin.

    But still, I wasn¡¯t the only one! In the end, there¡¯s people who don¡¯t know about Sword being a hero. Just like me!

    We were led to the guildmaster¡¯s room and shown the pending requests.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there something like a leviathan around? It¡¯d be quite thrilling! A giant squid would be nice too! Squids taste great!¡±

    The guildmaster became bbergasted upon my remark.

    ¡°Sorry t¡¯tell, but neither of ¡¯em can be found here. ¡­How about this here? It¡¯s somethin¡¯ simr.¡±

    He held out a request form.

    By the way, the guildmaster of Keyha was sunburned and his appearance totally screamed ¡°Man of the Sea.¡±

    ¡°Hmm! I see, I see!¡±

    ¡°Mmh? You like it?¡± Sword asked.

    ¡°This is tasty too.¡±

    ¡°¡±You n to eat (t¡¯eat) it!?¡±¡±

    The two men cried out in harmony.

    I mean, a Darking Octopus is an octopus that shoots out ink, no?

    ¡°Octopus is all about £ÛTakowasa£Ý! ¡­Gah, I don¡¯t have any £Ûwasabi£Ý, though¡­ Oh well, it¡¯s also delicious when roasted or fried. I¡¯ll make a superb dish out of it, so you should try it as well. Octopus eggs are great too, but I wonder whether we¡¯ll be able to find any.¡±

    The guildmaster stared at me with a nk look and his mouth agape. Is the jinx that otherworld inhabitants don¡¯t eat octopus really true? Sword seems to be fine with it, though.

    ¡°I see. It¡¯s incredibly grotesque, but your sayin¡¯ its tasty, eh? ¡­You seriously eat ¡®nythin¡¯, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t eat bugs, you know?¡±

    ¡°Figures. It¡¯d make no sense for you to eat ¡¯em, seein¡¯ how much you dote on them.¡±

    He told me, but I¡¯m not doting on them!

 Chapter 127

    I made a toy since we¡¯d be fighting out on the sea. Sword didn¡¯t stop me either. Far from it, he butted in.

    ¡°What you goin¡¯ to make?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll build a board that slides across the water. You can ride any kind of vehicle, and I won¡¯t have any problems either. I¡¯ve added a spell to the Ryokus¡¯s repertoire that allows them to float temporarily. The Ryokus back at the mansion can¡¯t do it yet, but I¡¯ll treat it like an option. As soon as we get back to the mansion, all of them will be able to use it. Also, I¡¯ll add ice magic as an option. It¡¯d be impossible to eat the target if we destroy it with explosion magic, and that would be a waste after I finally found it.¡±

    Sword rolled his eyes at me. For some reason.

    ¡°Whoa, your obstinacy with food is really incredible, to say the least.¡±

    Naturally. Why does he think we came to a port town?

    While nning a prototype, I groaned in worry.

    ¡°The speed regtion¡­if I install it near the hands, one hand will be upied, won¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°How ¡¯bout puttin¡¯ it at the feet?¡±

    ¡°Oh! That¡¯s a great idea. I¡¯ll take it.¡±

    Deciding on the board¡¯s size and shape as well as the location of the brakes and elerator, I built a prototype, tried to get on it, further adjusted it, finallypleted it, and built another one.

    It looks like Sword has finally grasped the fun of building stuff, too.

    ¡°The excitement ¡¯bout what your goin¡¯ build next sure is nice, but it¡¯s also fun to build it together,¡± he told me.

    ¨D¨DNow then, since we¡¯re done with this and that, let¡¯s go defeat the octopus while testing out the boards at the same time.

    When we stopped by the guild on the way, we were asked whether we wanted to rent a boat, but I shook my head.

    ¡°You¡¯d be troubled if the boat got destroyed because of the battle, right?¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no problem. Indra built somethin¡¯ amazin¡¯, so no need,¡± Sword refused with a wave of his hand.

    £ª

    Once we went to the port with everyone, a crowd of people formed for one reason or another.

    ¡­They said they gathered after hearing the rumors.

    I see, so basically, they¡¯re bored.

    ¡°Okay, we¡¯re off.¡±

    I took out the boards and we leaped into the sea. As soon as we stepped on the elerator, the boards gained in speed.

    It feels really great. Yep, it rocks!

    The Ryokus also jumped into the sea and started to race after us.

    ¡°Wai-! Aren¡¯t those £Ûjet boards£Ý, no £Ûreef boards£Ý!? Or rather, those spiders look just like Ta-¡­.¡± is what I could hear in the distance.

    ¡­Those terms¡­

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Sword looked at me quizzically as I was pondering.

    ¡°Just now someone among the people watching us used words from the other world.¡±

    Sword froze and then became unsteady.

    ¡°Hey! Stay focused!¡± I reprimanded him in a hurry.

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    Sword fixed his posture in a fluster.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m also sorry for surprising you like that. ¡­Anyway, we can worry about thatter. We¡¯re touring the sea at longst, so let¡¯s enjoy ourselves.¡±

    Sword pulled himself together.

    ¡°Your right, I s¡¯pose.¡±

    Once Sword tapped his foot, he leaped up like a jumping fish.

    Just for your information, it¡¯s no reef board, okay? I don¡¯t really know reef boards, but you regte this one with your forefoot, kinda like a car. Well, since it uses wind magic, it can also fly in the sky, though¡­

    £ª

    Oh, I spotted the octopus!

    ¡°Octopus, Octopus, so tasty! Octopus, deliciouuuuus!

    If you fry them crispy, it¡¯s going to be yummy fried octopuuuus~~!

    If you add wasabi to it, it¡¯s going to be takowasaaaa~~!¡±

    Since it looks so delicious, I couldn¡¯t help my hunger and started to sing.

    The octopus apparently discovered us as well, seeing how itunched tentacle attacks at us. The tentacles shot out of the sea apanied by loud sshes.

    But, we nimbly dodged all of them.

    ¡°Haha! This really rocks!¡±

    Sword enjoyed it the most, ying around while having a st.

    ¡°Sword, the legs are super tasty, so don¡¯t cut them off!¡±

    ¡°Whoa, you just raised the bar by a lot! As usual!¡±

    Just don¡¯t pick the option of lopping them off after you¡¯ve been dodging them tentacle attacks.

    For a while, we yed around by evading all its attacks. Sword kept delivering small shes against the octopus, but his attackscked fatality, and thus they didn¡¯t manage to kill the octopus.

    ¡°Do you know of its weak point!?¡± Sword shouted, apparently having grown tired of this game.

    ¡°Between the eyes!¡±

    If I remember correctly, they¡¯re being killed by stabbing them between the eyes in fish tanks. After hearing my answer, Sword jumped.

    ¡°Ro¡­ger!¡±

    When he skewered it with his sword, I apuded. Then I froze it with ice magic, and we headed back to the shore with the octopus in tow.

    It looks its eyeballs, suction pads, and ink sac count as materials, but either way, it won¡¯t serve as any proof for the request if we don¡¯t bring it first.

    £ª

    Once wended, people were still waiting at the port, kicking up a fuss.

    I jumped off the board, and went ashore while carrying the board. Immediately following, the crowd broke out in cheers. Sword did the same.

    Well, there was no other means to get back onnd, so yeah. The Ryokus also jumped andnded in the port.

    Just as I wondered what we should do next, the guildmaster rushed over to us.

    ¡°Nothing less of ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿. That was quick.¡±

    ¡°Allrounders!!¡± Sword corrected him.

    ¡°We don¡¯t need the suction pads, but we¡¯ve already cut off all the lower legs, so we¡¯re going to take them. Moreover, I want the magic stone as well.¡±

    ¡°¡­Your really goin¡¯ to eat it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, all of it is edible¡­supposedly, but the octopus is quite big. The tentacles are the tasty part, I¡¯d say. But, since the root is too big, we¡¯ll settle for the tips.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see.¡±

    Somehow he¡¯s looking at me with eyes full of disbelief, but octopuses are delicious, you know?¡±

    ¡°Whoa, it¡¯s frozen solid.¡±

    ¡°What we gonna do with this?¡±

    ¡°If you leave it like that, it¡¯ll melt sooner orter. You can give it time till tomorrow, I¡¯d say.¡±

    After telling them so, I entrusted the rest to them.

    Now then, I got my hands on an octopus, but I¡¯d like to procure other ingredients, too. The highest priority would be seaweed, but I wonder whether they have that?

    ¡­As I walked while pondering about that, I noticed us being tailed.

    Sword had already noticed, asking, ¡°What are we goin¡¯ to do ¡¯bout it?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s see. I¡¯d like to try having a talk with them. Can you sense any malice from them?¡±

    ¡°No, not at all.¡±

    ¡°In that case, the other side probably wants to have a chat as well.¡±

    We entered a random alley, and ambushed them once they came along.

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    Apparently they realized that they had been ambushed. They froze on the spot. I also realized at a nce. This guy is¡­

    ¡°Your¡­a brave, aren¡¯t you?¡± Sword kicked off the conversation.

 Chapter 128

    I looked at Sword. He was extremely on edge. Or rather, his hand was resting on his sword¡¯s hilt. He¡¯s up and about to ughter them in an instant!

    ¡°Hey, wait a moment. I want to talk with them.¡±

    ¡°¡­Your not doin¡¯ it would be better for my heart though, you see?¡±

    Not my heart but his, eh?

    ¡°You¡¯re not sensing any malice from them, so wouldn¡¯t a little chat be okay? You didn¡¯t sense any from the spirit world dweller and Sir Dungeon Core either, did you?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    With a deep sigh, Sword released hisbat stance.

    £ª£ª£ª

    Being called brave¡­the young man, who appeared to be in the second half of his twenties going by appearance, hadpletely frozen while repeatedly blinking his eyes in surprise, maybe stunned about being called a brave or shocked that he was almost cut down all of a sudden. Well, I feel you. Either of those options would be surprising, to say the least.

    ¡°You followed us ¡¯cause you got some business with us, right? Fightin¡¯ or talkin¡¯; which is it goin¡¯ to be?¡±

    ¡°¡­Talking, please.¡±

    ¡°Okay, hello then.¡±

    ¡°¡­Hello. ¡­¡­Umm¡­..just to make one thing clear, I¡¯m not a brave¡­¡±

    Sword interrupted with a scary voice, ¡°Liar. ck hair, a rtively t face, and a slender body; all of these are traits typical for a brave. I won¡¯t say that it applied to all braves throughout history, but it¡¯s been passed down that very many of ¡¯em had such traits.¡±

    Whoa. Seeing his face, I was surprised about him having the same features as the humans of the other world I used to live in, but those were actually the traits for braves, huh?

    ¡°¡­Certainly, I was summoned here and suddenly told, ¡ºGo and defeat the demon king as brave¡», but that was quite one-sided. Besides, the other guy who got summoned with me was all gung-ho about going along with it, so I thought it¡¯d be just fine to let him handle all of it¡­ Since it looked like I¡¯d be killed if I refused, I agreed with their demand for the time being, but after leaving the capital, I never called myself a brave. Look, I was suddenly told to kill a person I don¡¯t know¡­though I¡¯m not sure whether you can call them a person. In the first ce, fighting or murdering others is impossible for me since Ie from a world that has been peaceful¡­¡±

    Oh wow, someone with a super straightforwardmon sense (for an otherworld person) has shown up. Why has this guy been summoned, though? He seemspletely unable to kill others. Or turning it around, he¡¯s going to croak in no time in a world like this.

    Sword was dumbfounded.

    ¡°¡­So it wasn¡¯t you who tried to meet us when we were in the capital, intruded into the house we rented over there, and destroyed it?¡±

    Ah, something like that happened as well, didn¡¯t it? Ipletely forgot after getting all excited about the port town.

    Mr. Brave appeared to be somewhat puzzled.

    ¡°Eh? I don¡¯t know anything about that. Or rather, you were in the capital? I departed the capital right away after leaving the royal castle and came here, so I didn¡¯t know about you two being over there. Then again, I don¡¯t have any acquaintances who could have informed me. I know I¡¯m repeating myself, but I¡¯ve lived in another world. So I don¡¯t know anyone over here.¡±

    Sword apparently understood that he was telling the truth.

    Certainly, we came here while riding Char or Bronko, and I didn¡¯t see anyone following us during that time. To begin with, no one would be able to keep up with our speed anyway! In order to meet us, he¡¯d have been forced to leave the capital early toe here ahead of us. But, since we haven¡¯t told anyone about our destination, he wouldn¡¯t know whether we¡¯re actually going toe here or go somewhere else altogether.

    The one destroying our house in a desire to meet us wasn¡¯t this guy.

    ¡°There¡¯s a second brave?¡±

    He nodded at my question, ¡°He¡¯s a guy¡­who has slight issues with an adolescent hero-wannabe syndrome¡­ah, do you understand what I mean?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re talking about the thing where they start babbling about dark-something being sealed in their right arm, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that!¡±

    Sword blinked his eyes in surprise.

    ¡°Eh? Sealin¡¯ somethin¡¯ in your right arm? A demon or stuff like that? Isn¡¯t that dangerous?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s dangerous. In all kinds of meanings. ¡­So, that guy is currently in the capital, huh?¡±

    ¡°No idea¡­ But, since he couldn¡¯t memorize the chants of magic spells, he was given a sword decked with plenty of ornaments. unting around that thing, he challenged the knight leader.¡±

    Oof. Makes you wonder just how old that boy is. Or maybe he¡¯s actually a geezer?

    A wannabe-hero syndrome patient screaming stuff like ¡°I¡¯m way too old for this! It¡¯s been ages since Ist memorized anything!¡± ¡­ Isn¡¯t that the absolute worst?

 Chapter 129

    Mr. Amato, one of those summoned as braves, is, as expected, an otherworldler. As corporate ve, he¡¯d been tolling away at his job (apparently as a programmer) day and night for a week, and just as he was finally able to go back home and try to catch some sleep, he came to this world. At first he thought he was dreaming. Something I can totally understand.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯d have died sooner orter anyway if I kept working like that, but I sure didn¡¯t expect for things to turn out like this¡­¡±

    He thought that this light-novel-like development, where you¡¯re summoned to another world during a break or one of your rare days off, was dangerous, and thus he nned to at least avoid bing a brave, but with the king being a rtively decent man ording to him (and Sword had said so as well), and him not being able to see his status, levels, ranks, or jobs, as it¡¯d bemon in light novels, he couldn¡¯t find a good reason to escape.

    At the royal castle, they told Mr. Amato that all the people summoned by the magic circle are braves. They also informed him that it was the ancient magic circle selecting and summoning people on its own ord, without the kingdom itself actually wanting that. Given that it¡¯d be pitiable to throw them out on the streets just because of that, the royal castle offered to support the summoned people as long as they were willing to help the kingdom.

    Being told all that, he couldn¡¯t simply run away, exined Mr. Amato while slumping his shoulders in distress.

    ¡°I see. Well, I can understand where you¡¯reing from. There exist only few morons who would readily go along with something like ¡¸Go and defeat the demon king¡¹ like some sacrifice after being summoned against their will and being told so byplete strangers. Moreover, if you¡¯re told ¡¸It¡¯s not us who¡¯s summoned you¡¹ on top of that, anyone would feel like telling them to be left alone. The part about them not giving people any options other than going to defeat the demon king while forcing a debt of gratitude on you is really detestable.¡±

    ¡°Totally right! Ah, shit, I should have used that argumentation back then. Though it¡¯s now toote to change it anyway¡­¡± the summoned guy answered enthusiastically, but became quieter towards the end before fading outpletely.

    Sword seemed very sympathetic with the disheartened young man, ¡°¡­Well, the pce got its own circumstances why they¡¯re sendin¡¯ the summoned folks out to defeat the demon king. I don¡¯t think they actually wanna do it, but ordin¡¯ to some old documents, the capital will be destroyed if they don¡¯t do so, you see? In reality, there might also exist some braves who ran away, and in the first ce, I¡¯ve never heard ¡¯bout any of ¡¯em winning ¡®gainst the demon king, so, seein¡¯ how the capital¡¯s still standin¡¯, it might be possible to put a stop to it, but¡­the pce is a shithole. They¡¯re a gatherin¡¯ of nasty folks who would readily choose sacrificin¡¯ a bunch of folks over carin¡¯ ¡¯bout their well-bein¡¯, if doin¡¯ so helps the kingdom,¡± Sword started to exin.

    And due to that, the one in question here, Mr. Amato, looked shocked and upset.

    ¡°But, doesn¡¯t a king protect himself by sacrificing many? The military force called knight order will fight for the sake of protecting the king, and not the people, right? Even if he only considers his own safety and prattles to others about sacrificing themselves for the many, it¡¯s not very admirable, is it?¡±

    ¡°Yep! It¡¯s exactly as you say! He should just head out himself to defeat the demon king!!¡±

    Mr. Amato was super pissed off. But I wonder whether that¡¯s okay, seeing how he¡¯s got a young man standing behind him as a watchdog in the name of being an attendant.

    Once I stared at him closely, the attendant bowed at me.

    ¡°¡­I was sold by my family and assigned to apany him on this asion. I do not owe the king any respect, and I feel nothing but hatred towards my family. To be very honest, if I can get Sir Brave to stop being a brave and run away instead, I will not have to die in vain either, so I have been actively cooperating with him.¡±

    Whoa. The people who got summoned are pitiable, but so are their attendants, it seems.

    £ª£ª£ª

    Sword scratched his head with a troubled look on his face.

    ¡°¡­So? What¡¯s the point in tellin¡¯ us all that? It might sound cold-hearted, but we ain¡¯t in any position that we should hear about this to begin with¡­,¡± Sword said something surprisingly unfeeling, considering it was him.

    Well, he¡¯s got a point though.

    ¡°Ah, sorry. You¡¯ve misunderstood. I just objected since you called me brave. But, I want to talk about something else altogether. ¡­Umm¡­are you people from the same world I came from? is what I actually wanted to ask. Also, you were called a hero, despite not having defeated the demon king. So I was wondering whether there exists some loophole to escape being forced to fight the demon king¡­¡±

    Oh, I see. So basically he¡¯s thinking, I¡¯ve met someone, who seems to be from the same world as I am, while I¡¯m being forced to do my duty as a brave. But, that guy is highly celebrated by this country as a hero. In that case, it might be possible for me to also make a living in this country and world without having to defeat the demon king.

    ¡°No, not really. I¡¯m a local who only knows this world,¡± answered Sword and immediately cast a nce at me.

    ¡°I was born in this country as well. Since my birth is proven, there¡¯s no room for doubt about it. But, I possess memories of another world, though I don¡¯t know whether it¡¯s the same world you came from.¡±

    The summoned guy and his attendant froze.

    ¡°¡­A reincarnator?¡±

    ¡°Not quite, is what I¡¯d like to believe, but a spirit world dweller told me that I happen to have traces of a ¡¸Soul Crossing¡¹ in me. ¡­Still, the habits and character of the self in my memories and the habits and character of my present self arepletely different. You can easily say that she¡¯s not me. That¡¯s why I perceive it as no more than ¡ºhaving memories¡». So, as you can hear, I¡¯m sorry, but even if you question Sword, you won¡¯t find any loopholes. In the past I also asked Sword about it, but it looks like braves and heroes are different entities.¡±

    Comprehension bloomed on Sword¡¯s face, ¡°Oh, so heroes and braves are the same in the world you guys used to live in?¡±

    The summoned guy and I agreed ambiguously. I think it¡¯s usually just like that, though.

    ¡°Anyway, I managed to make a decision by talking with you, so it¡¯s okay now. As I thought, I won¡¯t be a brave. If I can get them to somehow overlook Mr. Rob, I think I¡¯ll run away and stay low in some ce.¡± He looked back at his attendant aka Mr. Rob.

    ¡°Go ahead. Please pretend that I have died as well. After making sure that you have settled down somewhere, I will go into hiding as well.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Looks like they reached a conclusion. Though, without us doing anything.

 Chapter 130

    How great for them, was my impression while treating it as someone else¡¯s problem as I met eyes with Sword.

    ¡°Okay, looks like everythin¡¯ got resolved, then we¡¯re¡­¡±

    When Sword bid a farewell while keeping his words ambiguous, Mr. Amato detained him, eximing in a hurry, ¡°A-Ah! Not yet! There¡¯s still more! Yeah!¡± and then he pointed at my Ryoku, ¡°¡­That¡¯s a Ta-¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s Ryoku!¡± I interrupted him to prevent him from using that name. ¡°He¡¯s a spider type multi legbat golem equipped with an artificial intelligence!¡±

    Ta-something is out! It mustn¡¯t be used! But even so, Mr. Amato grasped it anyway.

    ¡°Eh, so it¡¯s just as I thought after all, huh? Did you possibly build him while imitating those?¡±

    ¡°Of course! I was a huge fan of thebat vehicles employed by Public Security Section 9! It went even as far as me worrying whether I should cancel my time deposit to buy the 1/8th-scale figurine!¡±

    I carelessly went along with him, running my mouth as I pleased. And yet, you shan¡¯t use the Ta-word! The Ryokus are spider-shaped golems! They¡¯re spider types, that¡¯s why!! They have two arms, six legs, and three joints! Also, they got four eyes, lined up side-by-side. Their eyes are ck, round, and cute!

    ¡°Whoa, for real? And then you built them, in this world!? What cheat is that!? Please teach me how to do it as well! I beg you!¡±

    But, it looks like that was his main issue.

    ¡°That earlier too. A jet board? No, since it can¡¯t fly, I thought it might be a reef board, but dashing across the sea on a board¡­isn¡¯t that almost like out of anime? Maybe you also know how to show a status screen?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be unreasonable. If a status screen existed, this world definitely wouldn¡¯t be real, don¡¯t you think? We¡¯d be beings who would only perceive to be ¡ºalive¡» while actually being data. That¡¯d be the very definition of a digital world. Then again, I could make ¡ºsomething akin¡» to a status screen, but the data shown wouldn¡¯t be correct. It¡¯d disy fake values.¡±

    ¡°¡­Well, now that you mention it, it does make sense¡­¡±

    ¡°By measuring kic vision and physical strength, calcting the magic elements inside a body, and recording chanted spells, I could draw the results up as a status screen. But, all of those values would be quite apart from the real values owned by the people of this world. Sword¡¯s and my values shouldn¡¯t be anything incredible, if you express them as numbers. But Sword, you see, has his admired detection ability. He¡¯s a superman who can detect enemies while unable to see and hear anything, you know? On top of that, he can perform a genuine seal! Apparently he¡¯s done it in the past!¡±

    ¡°Eh!? Seriously!? I thought he¡¯s amer who uses some chuuni-like show-off nickname, but it sounds like he¡¯s totally incredible.¡± 1

    Sword seemed to get deeply stabbed by Mr. Amato¡¯s words. By now he was hunching.

    ¡°¡­¡­It ain¡¯t like I chose that nickname, ¡®kay¡­¡­?¡±

    He was getting emotionally hurt while not picking up any malice. Circling a finger, he opened a hole in a nearby wall.

    Stop! Learn how to moderate your own strength! Don¡¯t damage the building! Besides, you obtained the respect of everyone, didn¡¯t you? Mr. Amato and Mr. Rob are staring at you with sparkling eyes, don¡¯t you see?

    Trantion Notes:

    Last time I bypassed using chuunibyou, but this time the sentence is so full of JP ng that I¡¯d need topletely rephrase the thing, thus killing its tone I think. If any of you got a better idea how to localize it without using a JP term while keeping a casual ngy way to phrase it, I¡¯m open for suggestions.

 Chapter 131

    Going with the flow of the conversation, we invited them to the house we rented. But, moments after Mr. Amato went to the toilet, he rushed back.

    ¡°T-T-Toilet! T-The toilet flushes!!!¡±

    No need to be so surprised about it.

    ¡°I¡¯m a clean-freak. As a former noble, you see. I cannot tolerate a filthy toilet.¡±

    Toilets were, for the most part, outside the houses. Or to be precise, they were shared by themune, but I hated that, so I built them in the garden. Sli-rin was a very good boy since he started to go to the toilet and clean it up for us after usage at some point.

    Sword didn¡¯t like that at first, but because Sli-rin was such a nice boy, he stopped bickering before long. And then I also caught him secretly feeding Sli-rin while saying, ¡°Here, eat this as well. Not just our waste.¡±

    He¡¯s really too much of a tsundere when ites to monsters. Especially when he considers them as cute in reality.

    ¡°But wait, Mr. Amato, you also lived in the other world before, didn¡¯t you? Leaving aside whether we lived in the same ce, but didn¡¯t you feel disgusted by the smell and such when only hanging around people who don¡¯t take baths or having to use dirty toilets?¡±

    Mr. Amato shook with a start.

    ¡°Well, hahaha¡­ ¡­I was a programmer, right? Since I was a corporate ve, staying at thepany for a week was pretty much the norm. It was just normal for me to suddenly notice that I didn¡¯t know when I had taken a bathst, and since all those around me were the same, I didn¡¯t particrly mind the smell. And given that I was born in the countryside, I was often taken along on mountain climbs and such, so I was okay with dirty toilets or doing my business outside, you see?¡±

    Seriously? That¡¯s a huge shock.

    Swordughed while stroking my head, ¡°So it¡¯s just you after all, huh? ¡­Indra¡¯s desire for cleanliness is terrifyingly close to an illness. When I took her along to an inn for average adventurers for the first time, she started cryin¡¯ while tremblin¡¯ all over. All while tellin¡¯ me that it¡¯s dirty, narrow, and scary.¡±

    ¡°Eh? You¡¯d never be able to work as a programmer like that, no? Reaching a level where you¡¯dy out a cardboard under your desk for sleeping and not minding mice and cockroaches racing about is the true challenge of a real corporate ve!¡±

    No, it looks like my otherworld self wasn¡¯t a corporate ve. Though it seems like she used to be a system engineer. She took the first train to work and went back on thest train. When she continued to bring back home work even on her days off, she wrecked her health¡­is what I just remembered.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you overdone it a bit too much? If you continued doing something like that, you¡¯d die.¡±

    ¡°True, at first I thought I might havee to this world after dying. ¡­Ms. Indra, does your reincarnation point at you having died over there?¡±

    I folded my arms, ¡°I can¡¯t remember that part. But, I feel like I powerfully wished for something.¡±

    Mr. Amato looked at me with an undecipherable expression, ¡°¡­I see. Maybe those are memories better left forgotten then. Yep, it¡¯s better to avoid dragging them out.¡±

    Somehow he¡¯s talking like he¡¯s pitying me?

    £ª

    At lunchtime I made a dish using the fish we bought on the way back.

    ¡°Holy shit, that smells great! It makes me think that it¡¯s going to be delicious for the first time since I¡¯vee to this world!¡±

    ¡°Mr. Amato, can you cook as well?¡±

    ¡°Reasonably well, I¡¯d say. Since I was only eating out when staying over at thepany, it actually triggered a craving for homemade cooking in me, resulting in me making food myself. But, when I came to this world, I realized that I could only do it because all seasonings, tools, and materials were easily obtainable back in the other world.¡±

    Hmm, well, I guess that makes sense.

    ¡°Did you possibly recreate stuff like soy sauce or miso with your cheat as well?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say, but that¡¯s impossible. I made something simr to them, but¡­without £Ûyeast nts£Ý it¡¯s difficult to reproduce them. And the £Ûyeast cells£Ý used in the other world were mastered through the understanding of biotechnology after the techniques have been nurtured over a period of several hundred years. Besides, if you use soil fungus, it stinks on top of being inedible.¡±

    ¡°For real? ¡­Ah, my dearly desired soy sauce¡­¡±

    ¡°I have something simr. The taste is different though¡­¡±

    I grew the enzymes which change proteins and carbohydrates into amino acid and glucose, and supplemented them with digestive fluids of worms, but if you use yeast cells, they release something like a characteristic aroma and the taste is different as well. At present, I¡¯m using the reproductioning closest to it, but¡­

    Anyway, I made lots of fish dishes for lunch! But I had to rece rice with bread.

    ¡°Argh, what a bummer!¡±

    Mr. Amato apparently also thought that it¡¯d have been great to have rice for this. Once he eximed, two people looked at him with confusion written on their faces.

    ¡°ording to our peddler friend, he seems to have found £Ûrice£Ý, but he¡¯s going to procure it on the way back to our mansion.¡±

    ¡°Is it okay for me to be your manservant, Lady Indra?¡± He asked me in the next second.

    Another manservant applicant¡­

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t mind, but you¡¯ll need to make yourself useful, okay?¡±

    A brave as manservant¡­Mr. Rob is shocked, you know?

    Mr. Amato put his hands together, and after saying, ¡°Time to dig in,¡± he immediately ced the grated daikon on the grilled fish and started to eat.

    ¡­¡­¡­Then he cried.

    ¡°¡­Delicious. ¡­¡­¡­.Incredibly delicious after such a long time. I¡¯ve missed this so much¡­¡±

    While he said all that, Mr. Rob started to look like he didn¡¯t know what to say, hanging his head.

    I exchanged a look with Sword, and said, ¡°¡­You like it?¡±

    ¡°Yep.¡±

 Chapter 132

    After we finished dinner, Mr. Amato and Mr. Rob tried to leave, but Sword called out to them.

    ¡°If you guys got no ce to go to, head over to our mansion. ¨D¨DIf your goin¡¯ to be Indra¡¯s manservant, that ce will be perfect for you since its full of Indra worshipers. Especially as a summoned person¡­as someone possessin¡¯ the same knowledge as Indra, you might be able to capitalize on that. If the folks back in the mansion hear ¡¯bout it, they¡¯ll probably wee you with open arms. If you stop bein¡¯ a brave, my mansion will be safe for you since it¡¯s basically like an extraterritorial enve. Even if someone tried to invade that ce, it¡¯s bein¡¯ protected by several Ryokus, so I doubt it¡¯ll be that easy to break in.¡±

    I looked at Sword and then nodded, ¡°You got a point. I became like this through self-study, but Mr. Amato, as you should have experienced simr to me in the other world, you might one day be able to do the same things. It¡¯s possible that you own knowledge I don¡¯t, and if it¡¯s our base, you¡¯ll be able to do all kinds of stuff. Since I think that this world is way too harsh on people who follow the same rules as in the other world, it¡¯d be best for you to go there. However, we can¡¯t escort you there. If you manage to reach our mansion safely, we¡¯ll guarantee you the least amount of safety and daily necessities.¡±

    Mr. Amato stiffened up, and then looked at Mr. Rob. Mr. Rob returned the look. After they stared at each other for a moment, Mr. Rob nodded with a smile.

    ¡°We should take them up on it. ¡­Will you be as kind as giving me the same guarantee if I be your manservant as well?¡±

    ¡°No, you don¡¯t really need to be my manservant, you know? I won¡¯t mind as long as the other servants approve of you. Sword and I are adventurers, so there will be times when we¡¯re not at our base. So, if anything, I¡¯d make it dependent on you getting along with the servants.¡±

    ¡°Very well. ¡­Mr. Amato, let us go there. I am certain that you, as someone from another world, will be able to find things that make you feel at home over there.¡±

    Mr. Amato fixed his eyes on Mr. Rob, but he looked increasingly troubled.

    ¡°¡­¡­. I see. You¡¯re right. But, I¡­¡­to be honest, I can¡¯t kill anything. I came to this town because I thought that fish would be okay.¡±

    ¡°My strength falls behind you, but I have been chosen to apany you as the brave. I feel that I have a certain level of skill.¡±

    Hmm. I guess my feeling on Mr. Amato beingpletely unsuited for deadly battles was spot on, just as I thought.

    Well, in that case¡­

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll lend you some toys. You can give them back once you arrive at our base. I¡¯ll inform the maids of it.¡±

    I took the toys out of my magic bag.

    ¡°Eh? A water gun?¡± Mr. Amato asked something rude.

    ¡°It¡¯s a stun gun! If you press the trigger, a magic electro bullet will be fired. Since it only shrinks a target¡¯s muscles and paralyzes them, you¡¯ll be able to easily run away after shooting this. On top of that, here you have <strong>pepper bombs</strong> as you¡¯d call them in the other world. If you throw them into the face of an enemy, it¡¯ll blind them. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s just going to hurt, but there won¡¯t be any harm to them except for them writhing around for several days.¡±

    ¡°That clearly qualifies as harm, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Sword butted in, but I ignored him.

    ¡°Oohh! The standard equipment of any self-defense course!¡± Mr. Amato was delighted.

    For some reason, Mr. Rob¡¯s face cramped up, though.

    ¡°Just a sec, that¡¯s scary shit! Is it ¡®nythin¡¯ goes as long as you don¡¯t kill in that other world of yours!? Wouldn¡¯t gettin¡¯ killed be better than a pain where you writhe ¡¯bout for several days?¡± or some such, was Sword¡¯sment, but I didn¡¯t hear anything.

    Mr. Amato and I yed deaf.

 Chapter 133

    ¡°Which reminds me, was flyin¡¯ on brooms or some such a normal urrence in the other world?¡± Sword asked Mr. Amato at our parting.

    Mr. Rob blinked his eyes in surprise.

    Mr. Amato lightly answered, ¡°Ah, flying brooms? You mean the ones in fairy-tales? Or the courier service ones?¡±

    ¡°Both,¡± I butted in.

    ¡°They were amon thing, right?¡±

    ¡°¡±Right~¡±¡± Mr. Amato and I yfully answered as fellow other world friends.

    ¡°¡­Wow, that other world is really incredible. It¡¯s got golems like the Ryokus, you can do whatever you want as long as you don¡¯t kill, and people fly ¡¯round on brooms, eh?¡±

    Ah, Sword¡¯s image of the other world ispletely twisted.

    ¡°No, not really? Golems like the Ryokus are just owned by Public Security¡­I guess you can describe them as knight order¡­in other words, very few people. Even people flying on brooms isn¡¯t something you¡¯ll see normally. It¡¯s more like a legendary means of transport. Also, the part about anything goes as long as it doesn¡¯t kill is the same here and over there, but in the case of the other world, you¡¯d get caught by state officials. Public order in the other world is much, much better, and no monsters wander thends over there. That¡¯s why Mr. Amato is unable to kill. He lived in a world where it was unnecessary to kill. I gave the toys to him for the sake of self-defense. By the way, anything goes as long as it doesn¡¯t kill is my own rule for the sake of surviving in this world, regardless of my otherworldly knowledge.¡±

    ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡±

    ¡°Lady Indra, in the first ce, Ta-¡­oops, I gotta watch out¡­the Ryokus and flying broomse from fantasy stories like anime. They don¡¯t exist in reality, even in the other world.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    As soon as Sword¡¯s eyes became narrow, his iron w lunged at me!!

    ¡°Gyaaa!¡±

    ¡°Now I¡¯ve got it. Amato, you teach me themon sense of the other world. I was taught everything I know ¡¯bout it by this girly here, but your exnation just now told me that it might actually all be bogus. I¡¯m gonna write a few lines down so that your travel goes smoothly. Anyway, arrive safely, and then tell the folks at the mansion what¡¯smon sense in the other world of all the stuff installed over there.¡±

    Mr. Amato became bbergasted. By the way, Mr. Rob had been staring at us vacantly for a while now. It looked like he couldn¡¯t keep up with the conversation.

    Since Sword finally let go of my head, I caressed it.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s not that different, you know? I built transport vehicles and bikes, but those are¡­a bit shy, however it¡¯s not like they don¡¯t exist. Even this existed in the other world, right?¡± I held out my wrist to Mr. Amato.

    ¡°Ah! A smart watch!¡±

    ¡°This existed over there, didn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it did, it did. I didn¡¯t own one myself though. Did you also make a smartphone?¡±

    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. Smartphones require both hands to be operated. We¡¯re adventurers, so we must keep our hands free in case of attacks.¡±

    ¡°I see. I really want a smartphone. I made apps for smartphones, you see.¡±

    Hee. I never created smartphone apps.

    ¡°If you have an idea, think it over on the way and pass it on once you arrive at our mansion. So far as it goes, you were summoned as ¡ºBrave¡», so you gotta have some cheat specifications, no? Even if you being a weakling can¡¯t be helped, but if you throw you¡¯ll hit what you wanted to hit, if you shoot you won¡¯t miss, and as long as you¡¯re fast at running away, you won¡¯t die, right? ¡­Ah,e to think of it, here is a first-aid kit. Just in case.¡± I handed him a kit. ¡°The healing potions are from this world. But, take them only if you¡¯ve got a serious injury. Make do with the medicine for normal stuff.¡±

    ¡°Hee! So healing potions do exist after all.¡± He looked at it with curiosity twinkling in his eyes, and then stored the kit away.

    Afterwards, he bid us farewell while waving a hand and walking away.

    I¡¯d like him to reach our ce safely, but I¡¯m not as kind as taking him all the way back there. I mean, he¡¯s a guy I met only today. I¡¯ll simply pray that he doesn¡¯t be disheartened by the harshness of this world.

    £ª

    ¡°Oi,¡± Sword called out to me with a scary voice just as I was brooding.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Did you truly teach me ¡¯bout the other world properly!?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Sure, some thingse out of fantasy stories, but the knowledge itself is correct. I mean, the Ryokus exist in reality, don¡¯t they? That guy might not have known since he wasn¡¯t that much of a fan, but I read an article about a fan building a Ryoku and putting it on exhibition! Putting the exterior aside, Char¡¯s interior is like that of a tank¡­a carriage without horses used by the self-defense forces¡­folks simr to a knight order. I told you that I rode a Bronko myself to begin with, didn¡¯t I? Even if it might not be typical, I¡¯ve been building stuff based on proper knowledge!¡±

    In the first ce, what¡¯s the idea with him doubting my information of the other world, despite not showing an ounce of interest in the structure of this world. It¡¯s not like he¡¯ll ever be able to go there, even if he knows all about it. And even if he managed to get here, he won¡¯t be able to survive. What¡¯s he going to do as jobless, broke, homeless visitor with no passport in a world without magic elements?

    ¡°What ¡¯bout the flyin¡¯ brooms?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡± I averted my face.

    ¡­Just why is he fussing so much over the brooms? Sure, I¡¯ve never seen any myself! But, it¡¯s still the way it should be! Yep! I¡¯m 100% sure that some people riding brooms exist in a major country of Western Europe!

    ¡°Flyin¡¯ brooms!¡±

    He firmly grabbed my head. Another iron w!!!!

    ¡°Gyaaa! ¡­I¡¯ve never seen any, but I¡¯m sure they exist! Definitely!¡±

    ¡°As if!¡±

    ¡°Gyaaa!!¡±

 Chapter 134

    We stayed behind in the port town after seeing off the brave, who didn¡¯t want to be one, and hispanion, who wanted to run away. We gotta stock up!

    Given that everyone showed interest in eating the octopus, we made a stage show out of it! We let one of its big tentacles thaw outside, chopped it up and put it on skewers.

    Even the folks, who had previously drawn back after expressing their disbelief in us wanting to eat the Darking Octopus, started to be all fidgety after smelling the fragrant aroma.

    With Sword not being a picky eater to begin with (I mean he¡¯s eating monster meat that¡¯s a lot grosser and even drinks worm medicine), he was waiting for the grilling to finish while holding an ale.

    ¡°Here, it¡¯s done.¡±

    ¡°Yay! Thank you. ¡­Man, it really smells awesome!¡±

    ¡°Yeah. If we dry it for a bit, the vor will be even more prominent, but eating it fresh like this is great too, I think.¡± I tried a skewer myself as well, ¡°Uh-huh! Uh-huuh, mmmh! Good stuff!¡±

    Ooh, the nostalgic taste of octopus! I applied soy sauce to one part, and salt as well as herbs to another part, and roasted both.

    ¡°Sword, which do you prefer?¡±

    ¡°Both.¡±

    What a great guy for saying so. I mean it wakes your desire to feed people who call everything you make delicious! I feel like making lots of tasty stuff for him!

    ¡­No, as a cook, okay? Don¡¯t raise any weird gs. Even if Sword were to be a cute girl, I¡¯d feel just the same, got it?

    £ª

    The people watched from a distance at first, but then started to graduallye closer.

    ¡°¡­¡­If you pay for it, I¡¯ll give you some as well, you know? However, it¡¯s one skewer per person, including the ale as well.¡±

    They rushed in while rejoicing loudly.

    ¡°Calm down and form a line!!¡±

    Even if we sell some here and Sword eats plenty, we still got plenty of the octopus left. After all, the octopus tentacles are ridiculously huge!

    The skewers are selling like mad, but¡­to be honest, since the bit of profit from this doesn¡¯t matter to us, we don¡¯t really need the money. Even so, giving them away for free would be unwise. I hate charity since I believe that everything has its value. Even if it¡¯s not money, paying with intangible values like providing information, singing songs, or telling stories is just as fine. What matters here is to pay for what it¡¯s worth. That¡¯s the belief of myself in this world. By the way, since my otherworld self freely received and gave away stuff, she didn¡¯t hold that kind of belief.

    Sword helped me while drinking and eating on the side.

    ¡°Oh! It¡¯s got quite the chewy texture!¡±

    ¡°Amazing! What aplex vor!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s overflowing with delicious juices!¡±

    Everyone bit into it timidly at first, but soon started to enjoy it normally. And then they apparently reached the decision to go get the frozen octopus. After finishing their skewers, droves of people headed for the port.

    Saying you won¡¯t eat something because it looks grotesque is really weird. After all, people eat a lot more disgusting stuff in this world, don¡¯t they? Look, monster meat looks fairly gross during its processing.

    £ª

    Next up is seaweed! I¡¯m a huge seaweed lover, probably. At least my otherworld self used to be. That¡¯s why I want to get my hands on seaweed by all means.

    ¡°Hmm, if only the port town was a little bit closer to our base¡­ It takes several days with our legs, but since we have our adventurer job, it¡¯d be hard toe here every time to buy stuff.¡±

    ¡°Sure, it¡¯s tasty, but is there any need to fuss over fish? You can live on without it as well, can¡¯t you?¡±

    I shook my head violently, ¡°Mr. Amato also said that it¡¯s ¡ºnostalgic¡», didn¡¯t he? Mr. Amato¡¯s and my rootsy in seafood. The other world was surrounded by oceans. Anyway, we had a lot more fish than meat! And there was an abundance of seaweed! If Mr. Amato safely reached our base, he might be able to reproduce seafood dishes as long as he¡¯s got the ingredients. If possible, I¡¯d love to secure a supply route for seafood. ¡­Having said that, it can¡¯t be helped. For the present, we¡¯re going to buy up everything and deep freeze it. I¡¯ll freeze it so deeply with the ice spell I learned from the ice dragon that it¡¯ll be preserved for eternity.¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t the defrostin¡¯ be a damn chore then!? Your magic can¡¯t be canceled, right?¡± Sword worried.

    ¨D¨DHmm, he might have a point there~

    £ª

    After we stocked up huge quantities in Keyha, we zoomed along the coastline on Bronko.

    ¡°Mmh, I¡¯m deeply moved!¡±

    The coastline with the sea reflecting the sunset¡¯s sky was extremely beautiful.

    ¡°Well, just don¡¯t try too hard, okay? ¡­My otherworld self was someone withcking emotions, and she looked enviously at other people who got excited over small stuff, just as you suspect me to do. That¡¯s why I can understand your feelings.¡±

    Sword looked back over his shoulder, ¡°¡­Is that so?¡±

    ¡°My current self bes emotional over the littlest things. But, I¡¯m well aware that other people don¡¯t react like that. So, you don¡¯t need to be impressed by force. It¡¯s actually normal not to be. Rather, I¡¯m the odd one out for getting excited over the most trivial things.¡±

    Sword turned his face back to the front, and stepped on the elerator.

    ¡°¡­You ain¡¯t the odd one out. Your correct, your totally right here. I feel extremely happy ¡¯bout this scenery, ¡¯bout racin¡¯ on Bronko like this together with you. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever forget this scenery. Now and here I feel like I¡¯ve finally be normal by bein¡¯ deeply moved. ¡­I feel happy that I can sympathize with you who¡¯s emotionally moved by this scenery.¡±

    ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°¡­¡­..Okay.¡±

    I bumped my head against Sword¡¯s back.

    The sunset sky is incredibly beautiful and I want to ride on Bronko forever. I want to watch the evening sun sink beneath the horizon. I¡¯d like Sword to hold the same feelings as I do. That¡¯s my selfishness, and Sword doesn¡¯t need to go along with it. But, I¡¯ll be extremely happy if I can get him to feel the same.

    ¡°¡­You see, since I got you to feel like sharing my emotions, I¡¯ll also try to share your emotions.¡±

    Sword immediately responded to me.

    ¡°You can easily do, if you make delicious food or build fun toys for me. Like now.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­Hey.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°I think that it¡¯s truly great for you to have picked me up. I was extremely sad when you pushed me away thereafter. But, when I heard that you did it for my sake, it made me happy. I¡­feel super happy that you¡¯re calling me your partner.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Sword elerated even further.

    ¡°Silly girl! I think so as well! You idiot!¡± He yelled, probably believing that I couldn¡¯t hear him over the wind¡¯s howling.

    But, the Ryokus and I could hear him by shutting out the wind noise.

    ¡°Mr. Sword, do you feel the same about us?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re always doting on Bronko¡«¡±

    When the Ryokus suddenly started to talk like that, I unintentionally burst intoughter.

    £ª

    (Extra: Theter conversation of the two while sting along the coastline)

    ¨D¨DSince I suddenly recalled it, I added one more thing.

    ¡°Ah, Sword. While we¡¯re at it, you don¡¯t shout ¡ºIdiot, idiot¡» towards the sea. You use ¡°You damned foo~~~~~ol!¡±, you know?¡± 1

    Sword remained silent. And then he told me in a low, rumbling voice, ¡°¡­¡­.What does that mean?¡±

    Somehow his voice as he¡¯s hurling that simple question at me is scary.

    ¡°A ¡ºstupid¡» ¡ºman¡», I¡¯d say?¡±

    ¡°That makes it even lessprehensible. Why would I need to shout ¡ºStupid man~~~~!¡» towards the sea?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s manners! Those are the words you shout towards the sea. Period. In addition, ying tag along the coastline, I guess. That¡¯s something lovers, though. They chase each other whileughing and giggling.¡±

    ¡°¡­You lil¡¯ trickster, I¡¯ll remember this for when Amato safely reaches our base, gotcha? I¡¯ll question him ¡¯bout all of thister!¡±

    Whaa-! Sword has stopped believing in what I tell him.

    Trantion Notes:

    This is quite hard to localize. Above Sword had used ¡°baka¡± and here she corrected him to use ¡°bakayarou.¡± Former simply means idiot whiletter adds a derogatory touch to it.

 Chapter 135

    Hello, I¡¯m Oihori Amato. A splendid corporate ve at the tender age of 28. Lover? What¡¯s that? Is it edible? So yeah, not having a lover = age applies to me. Just a little bit longer and I¡¯ll level up to a wizard¡­

    Bah, gimme a break! Stuff like that doesn¡¯t matter anyway! My lover is mypany! ¡­or used to be since I¡¯m currently being jolted around in a carriage that¡¯s driving through a world unfamiliar to me.

    £ª

    On that day I staggered back home after finally, finally wrapping up all the revisions, finishing the tests, and releasing the program. As soon as it became bright despite me not having even turned on a light yet, my sleepiness and exhaustion was blown away all of a sudden since I found myself in some temple-like structure, just as I wondered what the deal was with all that light.

    At first I thought I might be dreaming. Or rather, even now I still feel like I might be stuck in a dream.

    ¡°Braves, how admirable of you to havee here.¡±

    When I heard that phrase you can find in countless light novels, I started to panic, thinking, ¡¸Uh-oh, this isn¡¯t good at all¡¹. But, someone else had been summoned together with me. So I felt extremely relieved.

    So, I followed the standard route of light novels, trying to turn them down by saying, ¡°I don¡¯t have any such abilities!¡±

    ¡­But, things were quickly proceeding on their own without me being even given much of a chance. Wait a sec! Don¡¯t they usually say stuff like ¡¸Very well, let us take a look at your stats with appraisal¡¹ in a situation like this? But there was none of that!

    And as things proceeded further, they told me I gotta go to defeat the demon king. That was the final straw for me and I cut in.

    ¡°Umm¡­¡­two were summoned. That means one of us isn¡¯t a brave, and so¡­¡±

    The other guy ¨C a middle school or senior high-school student, maybe? ¨C was the kind of fellow with that very specific type of illness, seeing how his right hand was bandaged, so he very likely won¡¯t turn down bing a brave. Making that estimation, I tried to get out of here by using him as a scapegoat.

    ¡°Everyone called by the brave summoning circle is a brave,¡± I was told.

    But! That¡¯s wrong, isn¡¯t it!? Look! That other guy looks totally pissed, doesn¡¯t he?

    ¡°I¡¯m more than enough as brave. An old dude like him will only drag me down!¡±

    ¡­Hey, just now you called me old dude, didn¡¯t you fuckin¡¯ brat!? is what I thought, but I¡¯m a full-grown, peace-loving working adult! I¡¯ll ignore his stab!

    ¡°Look, he¡¯s saying so as well. Hahaha¡­I¡¯m no brave, I tell you.¡±

    I argued, but they didn¡¯t listen. ¡­Somehow a spear-wielding, cocky, burly guy in a shiny armor red at me as if trying to stab me with his eyes, but when I still stressed that I¡¯m no brave, the aide guy, who was next to the king and looked fairly capable, stepped forward and gave me an exnation.

    ording to him, they hadn¡¯t summoned us. The magic circle called us over on its own ord! And after giving that brief rundown, he said they¡¯d have us head out to subjugate the demon king! But, what¡¯s with that dreamless and hopeless story!?

    ¡°As you might be troubled after being summoned without understanding anything, the royal castle will provide you the help you need. For the present, you can stay in the castle. After receiving a certain extent of training and us assigningpanions to you, we will have you head out. We would love to stop that magic circle, but ording to ancient documents, the entire kingdom will be visited by cmities if we try to cancel that old ceremony¡­ We are terribly sorry, but we¡¯d like you to defeat the demon king since the kingdom will offer you all its help.¡±

    I¡¯m finished. I¡¯m definitely dead meat. Old ceremony means they¡¯ve been doing this for a long time now, right? And yet the demon king hasn¡¯t been defeated, has he? That kind of story¡­¡­totally smells like them telling me to go and get myself killed.

    The other guy is totally rejoicing, probably because he doesn¡¯t get a thing.

    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely bring down the demon king!¡± He prattled.

    Rather, I might be jealous of his low intellect to not understand anything. For the time being, I guess I¡¯ll pretend to go along with it and then run away.

    ¡°Excuse me, well, since we¡¯re going to head to the demon king, could you give us some money? Also, doing it myself¡­¡±

    ¡°No? For the present, we will give you basic training in magic and swordsmanship. Even if you were to depart, you would not know left from right, correct? We will assign someone willing to defeat the demon king together with you, and have them act as your guide,¡± he said with a grin.

    Ah, it got exposed that I¡¯m trying to run away.

    As I couldn¡¯t help it, I attended their training sessions. The other brave seemed to be a bit of an idiot. Even I, whose ability to memorize stuff has dropped after graduating school, was somehow able to remember the spell chants, but he couldn¡¯t get them into his head at all.

    And, he¡¯s quite dangerous. He was full of himself on top of having that middle-schooler syndrome. He was painful to look at as he continuously ran his mouth about nonsense. He pissed off people all over the ce, always eager to pick a fight, apparently because he was awfully prideful on top of it all.

    For me it¡¯s impossible. Defeating the demon king together with such a nutcase is absolutely impossible!

    ¡°I already finished my basic training. Anyway, please spare me from fighting the demon king together with that guy! If not, could I have you go together with us? As a watchdog!¡±

    When I directly appealed to the guy who didn¡¯t let me run away, I received permission to head out first. And I immediately left.

    I had only onepanion with me. I didn¡¯t know whether to feel grateful for them making it easy for me to escape or get anxious¡­

    Mypanion was apparently called Mr. Rob. When I asked him whether there are any port towns since I¡¯d like to warm up my skills a bit, arguing that marine life would be easier to kill, he looked dubiously at me, but still acknowledged.

    £ª

    And then I met them at the port town Mr. Rob had taken me to.

    Everyone was saying, ¡°It¡¯s hero ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿!¡±, or, ¡°Whoa, he¡¯s so cool!¡±, but is that really true? Certainly, he looks like a fairly handsome man, but isn¡¯t that nickname really devastating? Doesn¡¯t he feel embarrassed?

    Or rather, the heck¡¯s a hero? If such a thing exists, wouldn¡¯t it be just fine for that guy to go defeat the demon king?

    When I asked Mr. Rob about the hero while wondering all that, Mr. Rob told me that he had repelled a dragon.

    Not the demon king, but a dragon, huh¡­? Both sound impossible for me. But, between the two, the dragon¡­ah, that dragon almost turned the capital into ash, and as for the demon king¡­there¡¯s still a chance I could win. I was told.

    Okay, I see.

 Chapter 136

    Mr. Hero was obviously from the same ce as me. No, seeing how his face and hair color differed, he might be from a different nation. The huge big robots with him, which looked like spiders at a nce, were spider-shaped, but he clearly used those as reference, didn¡¯t he? Also, the boards he used to travel the sea were definitely references from anime too. I¡¯m slightly jealous, but that cheat! I¡¯ll get him to teach me how to make those by talking it over for a bit!

    £ª

    When I chatted him up after making up my mind, I almost got killed. That was friggin¡¯ scary!

    ¨D¨DThis world is kinda frightening. Is it normal here for people to get killed on the spot?

    ¡­But, when I talked to them, they were nice people. It sounds like the other guy already caused trouble for them back at the capital. ¡­Just what the fuck is that guy doing anyway? I almost got killed because of his shenanigans!

    Once I asked, the reincarnator was the kid with him and not Mr. Hero! She seems to have an incredible cheat. But figures. I mean she built those awesome robots.

    £ª

    (T/N: Amato regards Indra as a boy here. Build up for the reveal at the end of the arc. I¡¯m tired of that gag, so I¡¯m scratching it. An otherworldler wouldn¡¯t be so prejudiced about boys having to be brawny anyway)

    I immediately found out that it¡¯d be impossible for me to imitate her when I asked about the details. There was a difference in the amount of basic knowledge between us. I know how to build a PC to some extent, but if I were to be told to build it from scratch, like even drawing up the parts for the motherboard¡­ Even when ites to cooking, it¡¯s limited to me knowing how to make mayonnaise (though I never made it myself)¡­ah no, making it entirely out of the raw materials is a no go. If it¡¯s just the ingredients, I vaguely remember them, more or less.

    However, she knew a lot. Of course she also knew the correct recipe for making mayonnaise. Apparently she even made soy sauce and miso. ording to her, she had some interest in fermented food, and thus investigated various foodstuffs and made them, driven by her curiosity.

    Oof, that¡¯s the kind of person you¡¯d call a cheat protagonist, no?

    She exined she created fake butter, cheese, and white roux out of beans when she couldn¡¯t get her hands on milk, all of it based on her knowledge on makingctose-free foodstuff. ¡­For me, that cheat is absolutely impossible.

    £ª

    When she made some of the dishes for me, I unintentionally broke out in tears. ¡­Just as she said, they had a somewhat different vor. But, so what? These dishes tasted just like the food I ate before I came here.

    £ª

    Afterwards, Mr. Hero told me that they¡¯d shelter me at their base if I managed to get there by myself. I immediately went along with that offer. Mr. Rob would apparentlye with me as well.

    Mr. Hero had been kinda fed wrong information about the other world by Lady Indra (I added the title to express my respect). Well, the things Lady Indra said weren¡¯t wrong. Yes, they weren¡¯t wrong, but it¡¯s nothing you¡¯d tell people not from that world! When I told her that, Mr. Hero asked me to provide him with the correct information.

    ¡­Certainly, spider-shaped, talking tanks didn¡¯t exist in my world. Though I just might not know about them. Flying brooms¡­did they build something like that? No, brooms don¡¯t fly, I¡¯m sure. What flies are helicopters, airnes, and drones.

 Chapter 137

    So, right now we¡¯re in the middle of heading for Mr. Hero¡¯s base. We rode a carriage up until partway, but you gotta cross the mountains to reach Ys, and no carriages would drive through the mountains. Mr. Rob worried about it, but since it¡¯d take around half a year to circumvent the mountains, we decided to take the direct way.

    It¡¯s not that we¡¯re hurrying, but¡­no, we are hurrying, aren¡¯t we? I wanna reach Mr. Hero¡¯s base before the other troublemaker starts some shit, resulting in Wanted posters of me appearing all over the kingdom. Mr. Hero said the mansion is almost like an extraterritorial enve. It also sounded like it¡¯s being protected by several of those intelligent tanks.

    Lady Indra, you¡¯re incredible.

    £ª

    Then we encountered a bear during our mountain crossing. And on top of that a bear which was far bigger and more ferocious than the bears in hunting games!

    ¡­I got scared, froze up, and couldn¡¯t do anything. I couldn¡¯t react to Mr. Rob¡¯s yells for me to run away. I just stood there. While almost pissing my pants.

    Mr. Rob protected me, fighting despite having his shoulder gouged out. But, Mr. Rob was losing quite a lot of blood and was soon reeling. It looked like he¡¯d get killed anytime soon.

    ¨D¨DEven though there was no need for him to cover for the likes of me. I¡¯m no brave. Mr. Rob doesn¡¯t have any obligation to save me.

    ¡°Mr. Rob!!¡±

    Finally, at longst, I readied the gun with my trembling hands and shot the bear. The bear copsed.

    ¡­The water-gun-lookalike of Lady Indra was amazingly effective. I ran away while somehow dragging Mr. Rob along.

    ¡°Sorry, Mr. Rob. I was scared¡­and couldn¡¯t do anything¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­In the end, I was the one to be rescued, though.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not true! I was about to get killed, then you covered for me, and then¡­¡±

    Mr. Rob¡¯s face had gone beyond pale. It was white as a sheet now. In panic, I took out the emergency kit.

    ¡­Ah, ites with proper instructions on how to apply the medical treatment. Moreover, she was so polite to use thenguage of the other world.

    ¡°First take the painkiller and antibiotics. Then, wash out the wound with purified water. There¡¯s also alcohol if you want to sterilize, so wash the wound with that.¡±

    I follow the written instructions to the dot. But¡­isn¡¯t this quite bad? The flesh is entirely¡­

    I washed the wound while pushing my urge to puke back down.

    ¡°If it¡¯s a serious injury or one requiring surgery, drink the healing potion. As long as the bones are still left, the part will regenerate, but rehabilitation will be necessary. Or so it says¡­ Mr. Rob, this wound is too heavy. Drink this.¡±

    ¡°Eh!? But, this is something you received from Lady Indra, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. You have to drink it since you¡¯re injured. I¡¯m uninjured, as you can see.¡±

    ¡°What are you going to do about the future?!¡±

    ¡°If something shows up again, I won¡¯t be scared and paralyzed anymore. It caused you to get injured. I¡¯ll properly throw the pepper bombs, and fire the gun. After all, it¡¯s clear that they work.¡±

    Yep. I didn¡¯t make up my mind. I simply hoped that no monsters would show up and thought I¡¯d just need to run away otherwise. But now I have a concrete idea of what to do when something appears, so I¡¯ll move forward. I don¡¯t want to get the unrted Mr. Rob injured any further.

    ¡­I¡¯m sure this person will cover for me again, even if it means suffering like this.

    In the end, I had to somewhat force Mr. Rob to take the potion.

    ¡°Whoa! ¡­Nothing less of Lady Indra!¡±

    The wound healed up in a sh.

    ¡°This is¡­a special-grade healing potion¡­! She gave away something so incredible so easily, huh? Thatdy is¡­!¡±

    Eh? Special-grade healing potion? Or rather, there existed a special grade for healing potions?

    £ª

    Although his injury healed up, Mr. Rob was still a bit unsteady on his feet. Since the kit also contained a blood-forming medicine, I handed it to him as well.

    ¡°¡­Say, Mr. Rob, why did you protect me?¡± I tried asking him out of curiosity. ¡°Mr. Rob, you have no obligations towards me. In the first ce, you became mypanion in a slightly forced manner, didn¡¯t you? Especially as I¡¯m going to quit being a brave, I don¡¯t feel like it¡¯s necessary for you to cover for me¡­¡±

    After bing bbergasted, Mr. Rob looked up to the sky.

    ¡°¡­Now that you mention it, you got a point¡­but, how to put it¡­when you were invited by Sir ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿, received their food and cried out of nostalgia, I felt like staying at your side until you get used to this world.¡±

    Back then? Well, he¡¯s right, I did be somewhat sentimental out of nostalgia, but¡­

    ¡°Both of us were forced against our wills to go defeat the demon king. But, you are much more of a victim here. After being forcibly summoned over from a different world, you have no way back. Moreover, you have been basically told to go die. And yet, you have been trying to grow ustomed to this world, and I got touched when you shed tears over a nostalgic taste of food. I felt pity for you who is yearning for a homnd he will not be able to see ever again.¡± He turned his face in my direction and smiled. ¡°That is why I decided that I would live with you. I do not have a ce to call home, so I n to make one from now on.¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°Okay, then I look forward to working with you, I guess?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the pleasure is all mine.¡±

    Once I held out my hand, he grabbed it firmly.

    ¡­Even aftering to another world, I still have no luck with women, but it looks like I managed to make a friend at least.

 Chapter 138

    Afterwards, we continued our journey while I pounded away with the gun when chased by monsters, and threw masses of pepper bombs whenever pursued by bandits. The pepper bombs were terrifyingly powerful and were endowed with a fearsomeness (and moreover abnormal painfulness) that not only affected the targets hit by them, but also involved those around them (truly making them thrash around), allowing us to roundup all the bandits.

    With all of this going on, we somehow managed to arrive in Ys safely. When I showed the note of Mr. Hero at Ys gate guard station, the official looked back and forth between me and the piece of parchment. And then, after being told to follow, we were brought to the guild.

    The official, who brought us here, whispered with someone looking like a guild higher-up.

    ¡°You were entrusted with a letter by Sword?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Guessing that he probably meant the note, I handed it over.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ you¡¯re from the same ce as Indrad¡­err, missy, huh?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. I share a soul home with Lady Indra¡­or rather, how to put it anyway¡­?¡±

    Much more important than how much I could actually reveal was the question whether he¡¯d believe me in the first ce. I kept it rather vague, but he still nodded.

    ¡°Got it. For starters, I¡¯ll guide you to Sword¡¯s ce. Do you have a note for the maids as well?¡±

    ¡°Ah, that should be Lady Indra¡¯s.¡±

    She should have been the one who wrote that one.

    £ª

    It was a huge, ptial residence we were led to next. The royal castle naturally was a pce, but this residence is at the level of a noble, isn¡¯t it? Oh wait, Lady Indra used to be a noble, didn¡¯t she? Incredible, that girl¡¯s truly a cheat through and through.

    I thought about all this while watching the guild¡¯s higher-up whispering with a woman who hade out from the mansion.

    After reading the document given to her, the woman looked my way and said, ¡°First off, please return the weapons you were given by Lady Indra.¡±

    I quickly did as told.

    ¡°I used up quite a few of the bombs¡­¡±

    Since they were extremely effective against bandits, I threw lots and lots of them.

    ¡°No problem. Please return the rest.¡±

    Once I handed over all the weapons I was given to Ms. Maid, I next held out the emergency kit to her.

    ¡°This is no weapon, so please keep it for yourself.¡±

    Eh? That¡¯s okay?

    ¡°Please allow me to guide you then.¡±

    I was led into the mansion while still confused.

    £ª

    My first impressions while being led around were: awesome and huge. The royal castle might actually be quite huge, but since I was isted from the public parts of it, I don¡¯t know most of the castle, I suspect.

    ¡°I shall give you a brief tour of the estate and then lead you to your private room.¡±

    After being told so, she made us walk the mansion all over. She also exined the facilities while at it, but when I thought that it¡¯d be impossible for me to remember all of it, it apparently showed on my face.

    ¡°You might have troubles finding your way around, but please feel free to address any of those walking in the mansion or the spider-shaped golems at any moment.¡±

    Oh, so the golems are okay as well? Then I¡¯m definitely gonna ask the Ryokus!

    £ª

    On the first day I quickly fell asleep on my bed after being guided to my room. The bed¡¯s padding was like urethane foam. Even the royal castle didn¡¯t have anything like that! Or rather, even the bed I used in the other world was made out of pipes with a mattress installed on top! Howe the one being used here is actually better!? While pondering about this and that, I fell fast asleep.

    £ª

    When I got up in a hurry on the next day, Ms. Maid soon after showed up.

    ¡°Sorry, I was so tired yesterday¡­¡±

    ¡°Do not mind it. You must be exhausted from your long journey, so please rest up over the next few days. Lady Indra has also ordered for it to be handled in such a manner.¡±

    Nothing less of Lady Indra! ¡­I thought and intended to take it easy, but Mr. Rob was already working. Knights are cut from a different cloth, as expected. I do feel like I¡¯ve grown physically stronger, but I think my exhaustion is actually of mental nature.

    ¡°Mr. Rob, it¡¯s just what you¡¯d expect from a member of a knight order. You¡¯re already working?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I was allowed to join as a member of the brewers over here!¡±

    When I chatted with him, he seemed extremely lively. He exined his new job with his eyes sparkling.

    ¡°¡­Huh? Mr. Her¡­Mr. Sword was brewing liquors?¡±

    ¡°The one brewing it is Lady Indra.¡±

    There it is agaaaaaaaiiin! Cheeeeeeeeeeaat! And Mr. Rob also started to add an honorific title to her name!

    £ª

    ¡°Magnificent¡­! Lady Indra, who made such wonderful liquor, is truly fitting to be the partner of Hero ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿! She posses an astounding wisdom and intelligence!¡±

    I don¡¯t think it¡¯s my imagination that I can feel a tinge of fanaticism from Mr. Rob¡¯s eyes. ¡­Somehow it feels like a friend has departed to a ce my hands can¡¯t reach any longer.

    £ª

    ¡°Come to think of it, I have heard that you possess wisdom simr to that of Lady Indra, Mr. Amato,¡± the one in charge of the brewery asked me after jumping at me as soon as he spotted me.

    ¡°No, no, no, not at all! That person is way too incredible for me! I certainly understand some of the things she mentioned, but it¡¯s not like I know that much!¡±

    I¡¯ll be in a bind if they expect too much out of me!

    ¡°I see¡­¡­ Lady Indra¡¯s letter mentioned that you might possess knowledge she doesn¡¯t have, and suggested that we could ask you to give us advice on the liquor¡­¡±

    Whoaaaa! Impossible! Doesn¡¯t that person understand just how amazing she is!?

    ¡°No, no, no, I wasn¡¯t kidding! Really! I can¡¯t make liquor. In the first ce, I don¡¯t drink alcohol often!¡± I insisted, but I think you know from my having epted the royal castle¡¯s pleas that I¡¯m weak against pressure.

    In the end, it resulted in me tasting the drinks and giving advice¡­

    £ª

    ¡°Beer¡­no, that¡¯s not it. It¡¯s what you call ale, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    I drank it while secretly wondering how those two differed anyway. And after tasting it, I immediately knew.

    ¡°Ah, this is no beer. I used to be a fan of low-malt beer, but¡­oof, the vor is quite strong. Okay, I got it. What has Lady Indra said about this?¡±

    ¡°She said she¡¯scking the ingredients, probably making it impossible to recreate the one in her mind.¡±

    Hee, I see.

    ¡°Umm, please ask Lady Indra whether she can¡¯t make low-malt beer or malt-free beer.¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡±

    All the brewers all went noisily into action.

    ¡°How about this here?¡±

    ¡°This is¡­wine? I¡¯ll taste just a bit. I¡¯m not strong against alcohol.¡±

    I drank a bit and immediately understood.

    ¡°Oh, okay.¡±

    ¡°I-Is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not totally sure since I¡¯ve only drunk cheap wine in the past, but if I remember correctly what I¡¯ve heard back then, the vor of wine changes with the quality of the grapes, or rather, its vor is decided by the grapes. This made me wonder how to categorize this here.¡±

    ¡°¡­In other words?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I think it might be better to lower the quality of the grapes a tad to match wine.¡±

    The aroma is weak and the taste alsocks depth, somewhat. All in all it¡¯s too thin. Sure, it¡¯s delicious, but if you ask whether it tastes like wine¡­I think it¡¯d be more urate to call it grape liquor.

    Once I looked at the brewer¡¯s face while analyzing the drink in my mind, he was flustered, his face being like he received a devastating blow.

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s definitely tasty! It¡¯s like grape liquor! Just, I thought it¡¯s different from the wine I drank.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Lady Indra mentioned something in that direction as well.¡±

    Figures. Good luck, Mr. Wine Brewer.

    £ª

    I was also asked to taste the whiskey and brandy, but I don¡¯t know much about these drinks. I¡¯ve never drunk them before. Oh, but if it¡¯s a highball, I have tasted it in the past, I suppose.

    When I told them, they immediately brought out a highball! So they want me to drink their liquor to such an extent, huh?

    ¡°Hmm, I think this mostly resembles the taste I remember? But seriously, I haven¡¯t drunk that much alcohol in the past, okay? It¡¯s said that expensive whiskey tastes like barley tea or some such, but you see, I¡¯ve never tasted it myself.¡±

    ¡°The taste of barley tea, right? I got it!¡±

    ¡­Just what did he get?

 Chapter 139

    I left the brewery. It was weird how I wasn¡¯t drunk despite having consumed so much alcohol. Is it because I¡¯ve obtained a high-spec body aftering to this world, after all?

    As I pondered about this mystery while walking, I came to a farm with deer? Cows? No, those gotta be deer.

    A deer looking my way said, ¡°Hello,¡± causing me to be extremely startled.

    ¡°Holy smokes! Deer talk in this world!?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m no deer. I¡¯m a monster called Charge Cow!¡±

    I got scolded.

    ¡°Hee¡­a cow, huh?¡±

    You look like a deer, though.

    ¡°Yep. Look, Master said I¡¯d look cute if she added this, and gave it to me as a present. An essory usable for cows!¡±

    Oh, certainly, a cowbell is hanging around his neck. That means Lady Indra is his Master?

    But wait a moment, I mean seriously¡­I was told this is Mr. Sword¡¯s mansion, and yet everything inside the mansion cries Lady Indra, doesn¡¯t it?

    ¡°Was Master doing fine?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Ah, yeah, she was fine. I came here after receiving help from her.¡±

    ¡°Ehh!? We¡¯re the same then! I also came here after receiving her help!¡±

    So I¡¯m on the same level as a monster, eh? No, I think I should simply consider Lady Indra to be a broad-minded person, yep.

    ¡­As we chatted like this, the monsters in the vicinity gathered around us.

    ¡°Hellooo.¡±

    ¡­Nothing less you¡¯d expect of the cows kept by Lady Indra. Being able to talk with cows and chicken. That¡¯s a different world for you.

    £ª

    When I came back to the mansion after chatting with the monsters for a while, Ms. Maid called out to me.

    ¡°Mr. Amato, how about you be the caretaker of the monsters?¡±

    Caretaker?

    ¡°Eh? Such a job actually existed?¡±

    ¡°No, it does not. Until now those who were free took care of them, but¡­for you to possess the ability to talk with monsters; as expected of the gentleman invited by Her Ladyship.¡±

    ¡­¡­¡­Eh?

    ¡°Those monsters talked normally, you know?¡±

    ¡°I could only hear mooing and clucking.¡±

    ¡­¡­¡­For real!?

    A cheat like that¡­¡­is it of any use? Well, it could be depending on how you use it, but¡­

    ¡°Lady Indra can, of course, talk with them, but no one else is capable of it. The Ryokus can also talk with them since they were built by Her Ladyship, but they cannot handle the finer parts of the care-taking, and since they are mostly in charge of patrolling the grounds, they are not quickly avable either. Therefore it would be a huge help for us if you could take over the care of the monsters, Mr. Amato.¡±

    ¡­¡­

    That makes me a bit happy. My value aftering here has finally risen! I had worried what I should do, seeing how Mr. Rob was already energetically working. I was anxious about being useless with my half-assed knowledge andck of his enthusiasm.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it! Please let me do it!¡± I dered while raising a hand.

    £ª

    And with that, I was inaugurated as the monster caretaker. Once I started to experience it, I found out that it was fairly difficult. After all, the monsters pushed me around without any reservations.

    ¡­¡­¡­Just what does that make me as the one being pushed around by monsters? No, it¡¯s going to be my loss if I dwell too deeply on it. I¡¯ve obtained a position allowing me to eat the milk and eggs produced by these guys.

    ¡°Haaah? You don¡¯t have enough food? Now listen, if you eat too much, you¡¯ll be fat, you know? ¡­Hey! Wait! Don¡¯t charge at me! Don¡¯t tell me that I¡¯m unpopr because Ick delicacy! I got it! I got it! I¡¯ll bring you your food!¡±

    ¨D¨DCome to think of it, what was a brave again? No clue! I forgot about it!

    Right now I¡¯m in charge of the animals!

 Chapter 140

    After we left Keyha, our next destination was a mountain. On the way, I gave Sword a sermon.

    ¡°You¡¯re pretty flirty, aren¡¯t you!? Be careful so that your Ryoku doesn¡¯t get fed up with you, okay?¡±

    ¡°Eh!? ¡­Wait a sec there! I ain¡¯t unfaithful or ¡®nythin¡¯. Ryoku is Ryoku, and Bronko is Bronko.¡±

    He started to make excuses, but just that alone was already proof of his guilty conscience.

    ¡°At the point of you not mentioning Char, which should be added in this line-up, it¡¯s been pretty much set that you¡¯re cheating, you know?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right~!¡±

    ¡°As soon as a new child showed up, you only concerned yourself with them~!¡±

    We swooped down on him. Sword quickly started to fidget, apparently aware of his own wrongdoings.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m tellin¡¯ you your misunderstandin¡¯. I make proper distinctions, ¡®kay?¡±

    All three of us scrutinized him with intense stares.

    ¡°Stop, don¡¯t torture me! Seriously, Bronko is a vehicle! Char is a vehicle too! Or rather a lodge! And the Ryokus are party members! Partners!¡±

    That seemed to cheer up the Ryokus.

    ¡°Yaaay!¡±

    ¡°Partner, partner¡«¡±

    They were dancing around. How lovely!

    ¡°Oh noes, my nose is going to bleed.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­Indra, seriously¡­your a pervert, aren¡¯t you?¡± Sword told me while rolling his eyes.

    £ª

    Now then, I¡¯ve heard our current destination is a mine town called Thobe. We were going there for recruitment as Sword seemed to think we should look for someone, who could build a distition apparatus, and invite them to our mansion in Ys.

    ¡°Since they¡¯re from a different race, I thought we might give it a try since we¡¯ve got nothin¡¯ to lose ¡®nyway.¡±

    Eh? Huh? Did he say <strong>race</strong>? Does that possibly mean¡­

    I immediately knew the answer when we reached the guard station at the gate.

    ¡°Ooohhh! A must-have for any fantasy world!¡±

    It¡¯s the appearance of earth fairies, or better known as dwarves!!!!

    £ª

    Indeed! The one looking like a guy, who stood at the gate¡¯s station, was still taller than me, but he was overall short and stout, had a dense beard, and a very rough face. That¡¯s a dwarven official! Definitely!

    As soon as the dwarven official saw me¡­no, that¡¯s wrong¡­as soon as he saw Bronko, he froze. And then ran over.

    ¡°Holy shit!? This is¡­marvelous!!!¡±

    He praised Bronko.

    ¡°Hmm, I see, you got good eyes!¡±

    ¡°No, wait a sec. How about letting us in?¡± Sword retorted just as the official started to get all excited.

    ¡°¡­Yes, Sir! Excuse us! Please,e this way.¡±

    We held up our adventurer cards above a magic stone.

    ¡°¡­Adventurers? Not crafters?¡±

    Mr. Official is puzzled¡­or rather, unhappy¡­no, something else? His face looks like the closest emotion might be disapproval.

    ¡°We build things, but we mainly focus on adventuring. We¡¯re versatile, so we haven¡¯t settled on a single way of life. We¡¯re living freely in a way that can¡¯t be summed up with some preset mold. In short, we¡¯re what¡¯s called adventurers.¡±

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s¡­forgive me then. Please have a safe journey,¡± said the official and let us through.

    Sword silently shrugged his shoulders, but Imented, ¡°Of course the path we tread can be nothing other than a good journey. Farewell.¡±

    I agreed calmly and stepped through the gate.

    £ª

    ¡°¡­Well, I guess he let us pass without makin¡¯ too much of a fuss.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Sword started to exin, ¡°It¡¯s a town where cksmiths gather. Humans live here as well, but dwarves are the majority. And almost all of ¡¯em have somethin¡¯ to do with smithin¡¯. Ah, artisans n¡¯ masons are ¡¯round as well, though. That¡¯s why your Bronko drew his attention, you see?¡±

    Why only Bronko? I made the Ryokus as well. They¡¯re slightly like bugs, though.

    ¡°Because of that, everything unrted to smithing is bein¡¯ looked down on. That official back then was part of a shift system at the gate. Otherwise, no one would do that job.¡±

    Whoa, they sure are thorough in their fixation on smithing. It totally feels like this town is a gathering of stubborn folks.

    ¡°Me having deliberately shown them Bronko followed the intent to tout its awesomeness to those folks. Well, I expected that he might believe we bought it elsewhere ¡®nyway, but your exnation was effective, I s¡¯pose,¡± Sword said with augh. ¡°Even in this city, you won¡¯t easily find someone with skills as high as yours among its highly prideful residents. In the first ce, I doubt they cane up with the idea to make somethin¡¯ like this.¡±

    Well¡­I¡¯m ripping it off from my otherworld knowledge, however. But, all things considered, the people of this world are inflexible, aren¡¯t they? It¡¯s a world allowing you to do anything with magic, so they should build a lot more stuff of different sorts. The people of this world, who always use the same methods they thought up once, don¡¯t even venture into new things despite the job of adventurer existing.

    £ª

    ¡°Hmm,¡± I folded my arms. ¡°If it¡¯s like this, it¡¯ll be extremely difficult to find someone we could take back to our base. They might disy their respect towards the things I built, but a flexible mind is necessary when ites to us having them build what we want. If they got lots of pride, it¡¯d result in us breaking it.¡±

    If their pride is high, it¡¯s fine for it to stay like this, I think. I¡¯m not into expressly incurring the resentment of unrted people¡­err, fairies.

    ¡°I ain¡¯t gonna stop you if your gonna break their pride, you know?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not necessary for us to expressly anger them. Even high pride is worthy of my respect if it represents zeal towards creating things.¡±

    Sword looked like he hadn¡¯t expected me to say this at all.

    ¡°I¡¯m a craftswoman as well. That¡¯s why I¡¯m proud of the things I made myself!¡±

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s what you mean.¡± He apparently came to terms with it. ¡°¡­In that case, it should be okay. But, this town is ¡ºthat kind¡» of town, so you might dislike it, ¡®kay?¡±

    ¡°I think that can¡¯t be helped since I don¡¯t feel like incurring their resentment. It¡¯s an attitude I can understand. They must consider the things they made themselves as outstanding, and I can fully understand their wish for others to use those items with love and care.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Sword caressed my head.

    ¡°Well, no helpin¡¯ it then. Let¡¯s go take a look from the start?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I agreed and started to walk.

 Chapter 141

    I called out to Sword who suddenly tried to head into a store.

    ¡°Which reminds me, is it okay to not go to the guild?¡±

    It had be a custom for us to visit the guild first, and yet he didn¡¯t do so over here.

    Sword scratched his head, ¡°Mmh¡­ This ce is special. It has a guild, but only folks with confidence in their physical strength gather over there, so there¡¯s almost no requests. Then again, it¡¯s not like there¡¯s no requests at all. Just, they¡¯re at the level of rescuin¡¯ an apprentice who got stranded after goin¡¯ to mine by themselves, or helpin¡¯ out with minin¡¯ rare metals if theyck manpower. So, it¡¯s kinda like¡­we don¡¯t really need to go. Of course, they¡¯d put up a request if there was a dragon ¡¯round or somethin¡¯ like that, but in such case, we¡¯d be called in to help, no matter where we might be.¡±

    Haaah, I see. In short, it¡¯s okay to not go as long as they don¡¯t call for us. In that case, we might as well go shopping.

    £ª

    First off, any shop with an imposing structure is off the list. I¡¯m pretty sure they won¡¯t be of any help for us. After all, they¡¯re already making big profit, so they won¡¯t need to work for us.

    We chose shops as small as possible, but only Sword could talk to them.

    But that makes sense. Going by my appearance, they probably see me as no more than Sword¡¯s attendant. Moreover, I don¡¯t look like a buyer whatsoever! I mean why would they regard a girl, who¡¯s not even wearing armor and has a wooden sword dangling at her hip, as a customer?

    ¡­But although I could fully understand their viewpoint, Sword apparently wasn¡¯t very amused about the shop¡¯s approach. He immediately grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the store.

    ¡°Wait, wait, wait. I understand the shop¡¯s attitude, you see? It¡¯s an unreasonable demand for them to consider me, who seems to have absolutely nothing to do with metallic goods, as a customer. In your case, they¡¯d probably think that you might buy a sword, even if you don¡¯t need armor.¡±

    Sword looked back at me, scrutinized me from head to toes, and apparentlyprehended what I meant.

    ¡°But, that gives ¡¯em no right to ignore or mock you, does it!?¡±

    ¡°Since I¡¯d do so in their shoes, I¡¯m fine with it.¡±

    Sword stopped walking all of a sudden.

    ¡°Would you be willing to shower someone, who doesn¡¯t feel like buying stuff, with courtesy? Normally, you wouldn¡¯t even feel like being kind to them, would you? But, if they don¡¯t do it, they won¡¯t be able to get any ie, and without ie, they wouldn¡¯t be able to make stuff. That¡¯s why they grit their teeth and do it unwillingly. And since I hate the idea of bing such a crafter, I¡¯m working as an adventurer.¡±

    Upon hearing my exnation, Sword apparently remembered me giving the same reply to the pharmacist.

    ¡°¡­So, a super sadist like you would hate sellin¡¯ stuff while butterin¡¯ up to customers, huh?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I only sell my creations to those whom I want to sell them, no matter how much people beg me. No, to be more precise, I just ¡ºlend¡» stuff. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve merely ¡ºlent¡» a Char and Bronkos to Ben and his friends, you see?¡±

    Sword burst intoughter.

    ¡°But, Ben that bum believes that he owns the Bronko, you know?¡±

    ¡°No matter what he thinks, I¡¯ve only lent it to him. You can¡¯t put a price on my creations anyway.¡±

    As long as Ben and his friends treat my creations with care, I won¡¯t mind lending it to them, though.

    Sword seems to have understood the shop¡¯s attitude with this, but then mused, ¡°¡­In such case, it doesn¡¯t look like we¡¯ll get ¡®nyone toe with us unless they¡¯re quite poor, don¡¯t you think? I thought that we might find someone here, seein¡¯ how many crafters with good skills have gathered in this town. Skilled crafters capable of not just makin¡¯ swords, but also armors and wares. But¡­in the end I hate people mockin¡¯ you. Even though your such a capable crafter yourself, why must you be ridiculed by folks with far inferior abilities!?¡±

    ¡­¡­

    I averted my face in a huff.

    ¡°I don¡¯t really give a damn about such things. ¡­Besides, if we don¡¯t find anyone, so be it. It¡¯ll be fine if I deal with it myself for as long as I¡¯m alive. And since I¡¯ll pass on the general concepts, someone capable of reproducing my stuff might show up someday. My basic interestsy with adventuring and sightseeing in this country.¡±

    Sword stroked my head.

    ¡°Gotcha. We¡¯ll just stroll ¡¯round a bit, and if you find somethin¡¯ you want, we¡¯ll enter the respective store.¡±

    When I nodded with my face still averted, Sword guffawed.

    £ª

    With that out of the way, I took a look at the handiwork for sale without paying any attention to swords or armors. The first thing striking me as odd was the question why no one was selling living-ware.

    ¡°Hmm, I thought that I¡¯d find stores producing living-ware in a town as specialized on metallic products as this, but I guess I was wrong.¡±

    ¡°If stores sellin¡¯ such stuff were around, they¡¯d probably not listen to your request either,¡± retorted Sword.

    Once I looked at him, he added, ¡°The folk in¡¯ all the way to this ce¡» to buy swords and armor are rich. No one would bother to travel here to buy living-ware. Handiwork is no more than something to stave off boredom, or rather, to show off your own skill, and so it¡¯s fine to sell it to the rich as souvenirs, right? Just as you said, they¡¯re makin¡¯ stuff to earn money with it.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    I stared at the handiwork. Certainly, you could call it beautiful, but the design was somewhat old-fashioned, or rather, boorish. Since I like delicate work¡­it¡¯s hard for me to judge.

    ¡°¡­Which reminds me, we got cut gems at Sir Dungeon Core¡¯s ce, didn¡¯t we?¡±

    Probably because I started this topic too abruptly, Sword got confused.

    ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s it all of a sudden?¡±

    ¡°I remembered it while looking at the merchandise here. Sir Dungeon Core seems to have cut the gems to stave off his boredom, but since it was an old-fashioned method, I taught him another cutting method.¡±

    ¡°Wait a sec, don¡¯t feed me such corrupt inside stories, girl. I¡¯ve been secretly idolizin¡¯ Sir Dungeon Core, ¡®kay?¡±

    So I¡¯m an idol crusher now, keke.

    ¡°Anyway, the inhabitants of this world have no mind for taking challenges. Once they learn something, they keep repeating the same method over and over again like idiots, never trying to achieve any progress.

    Even with a single cut of a gem, there exist various ways to do it, right?

    Sir Dungeon Core is no person, and basically a shut-in, so he might not have learned it from anyone else if I didn¡¯t show him another method. But, various people¡­.and even fairies have gathered in this ce, haven¡¯t they? Why don¡¯t they challenge the new? I wonder whether these guys even know what it means to cultivate one¡¯s character.¡±

    ¡°And you challenged the new a bit too much, turning the Ryokus and Chars into bugs, eh?¡±

    I earned myself a retort.

    But, that¡¯s not it! It just happened by chance!

    Sword scratched his head with a sigh, ¡°¡­Oh well, whatever. Let¡¯s wrap up things for today. Once we show our faces at the guild, we¡¯ll look for a ce to park Char. The inns over here would make you cry, so we got no option but to go with Char.¡±

    Whaaa. It¡¯s really a cksmith town. They¡¯re totally overdoing it with theck of motivation for anything other than smithing!

 Chapter 142

    ¡°Are the other people fine with such inns?¡± I tried to ask Sword.

    ¡°Whether they¡¯re or not, they got no choice. Besides, you shouldn¡¯t use your standards here. Other folks aren¡¯t as fussy ¡¯bout cleanliness as you. I mean, no one with such a clean freak attitude would go on a journey in the first ce. Your ¡¯bout the only adventurer who¡¯d start cryin¡¯ over dirtiness!¡±

    Is that so? Well, now that he mentions it, it might be just as he says.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I got Char with me. And Slirin, too.¡±

    When I pped my chest in pride, it earned me a re from Sword.

    £ª

    We went to the guild. It felt the most snugly among the guilds I¡¯d seen so far.

    ¡­Once we entered, I saw someone leaving in passing, and got startled. It¡¯s because that person was so delicate and beautiful that I immediately thought they¡¯re no human. Moreover, they had a tear-stained face, and their ears were tapered.

    Is this possibly¡­?

    As I wondered, our eyes met, but immediately afterwards she left the guild.

    When I looked at Sword, he was surprised as well.

    ¡°¡­That just now was an elf? Why¡¯s an elf here¡­?¡±

    Ah, so dwarves and elves are on bad terms, just as expected, huh?

    £ª

    We talked with the guildmaster (he was a dwarf too!), but¡­

    ¡°We don¡¯t have any requests requiring S-Ranks te here.¡±

    ¡­he said.

    ¡°I see, that¡¯s too bad. It¡¯d have been interesting if a rock dragon or some such had shown up, though. Well, I wanted to see a cyclops at least once, though those might not be as powerful.¡±

    The guildmaster¡¯s face cramped up when he heard my words. Swordughed soundlessly, and stood up.

    ¡°Anyway, even if a rock dragon or cyclops shows up, it probably won¡¯t be much of an issue. I mean, it¡¯s a city full of arms, armors, and tough guys, making adventurers unnecessary, right? As such I likely won¡¯t be called in either. I just showed my face at the guild for caution¡¯s sake. After all, the guild will be pissed if you ignore ¡¯em, even if they don¡¯t have any business with you.¡±

    Hmm?

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. If no interestin¡¯ monsters pop up, there¡¯s less and less reason to stay here. ¡­.Oh, I see, no interestin¡¯ monsters are around, huh? What a borin¡¯ town,¡±mented Sword atst and started tough.

    £ª

    After leaving the guild, I wanted to buy kitchen knives and cookware as souvenirs for the folks back at the base, but the town didn¡¯t seem to have that kind of atmosphere.

    essories are out either, huh¡­? Making them myself and giving them as gifts would make them delighted, wouldn¡¯t it? My otherworld self did metal carving in the past, and I¡¯d be able to choose a design I like.

    ¡°ording to my otherworld knowledge, goblins make jewelry with excellent design.¡±

    ¡°The goblins over at your ce are truly incredible. They run banks and make jewelry! The goblins over here are small, bipedal monsters, you know?¡±

    Ah, that type of goblin, huh?

    ¡°Do they kidnap women for breeding and such?¡±

    ¡°The goblins over at your ce are scary as fuck!¡± Sword yelled.

    £ª

    Going by Sword¡¯s exnation, people of different races apparently didn¡¯t have sexual rtionships with each other. They¡¯d die if they slept with each other, or something like that.

    I think that¡¯s actually much scarier, to be honest.

    ¡°So, even if a dwarf and elf love each other, they can¡¯t have any children, is what you¡¯re saying?¡±

    I guess it¡¯s a world where no halves are born.

    ¡°To begin with, those guys were incarnated as fairies. The concept for them should be as different as the question whether one could have a child with a human-shaped demon.¡±

    Hmm, I see¡­ I thought that men could sleep with anyone they want to as long as they¡¯re human-shaped and that some men with very special fetishes would sleep even with non-human-shaped people, but I guess that¡¯s not the case here. I wonder whether Mr. Amato is going to be okay. He¡¯s someone who¡¯d been summoned to this world from another world. He shouldn¡¯t know about the rule (you die if you have sex with other races).

    Or rather, I wonder whether Mr. Amato can be ssified as human. If a category for otherworld humans exists, he won¡¯t be able to have any sexual rtionships from now on. Is he going to be alright with that?

    ¡°Hrm¡­it¡¯spletely different from the other world¡¯s ruleset. In the other world, gods had sex even with non-human-shaped beasts, giving birth to all kinds of kin.¡±

    ¡°Whoa! What a terrifying world!¡± Sword drew back.

    Well, it¡¯s certainly terrifying. It might be a fictional story written up by ancient people, but how did theye up with it in the first ce?

 Chapter 143

    For the next day we had decided to take a look at everything, albeit halfheartedly.

    ¡°¡­Even if it doesn¡¯t go as far as¡­me being a sword and armor collector, I should have a bit more interest in this town as a normal adventurer. But, as unfortunate and depressing it might be, I can handle everything with my wooden sword anyway,¡± I grumbled.

    In response Sword grumbled as well, ¡°No kiddin¡¯¡­ I mean, look, once I got to experience yourser sword, I¡¯ve started believin¡¯ that I might be fine with that alone. You can¡¯t stab with it, but I got the guns for situations requirin¡¯ piercin¡¯. Somehow I¡¯m recently only fightin¡¯ with the swords I gathered ¡¯cause it¡¯d be a waste not to.¡±

    ¡°The feeling of waste is even stronger on my side. I¡¯m not finding any use for the toys I created myself.¡± I haven¡¯t even unveiled my long-awaited magentaser sword. ¡°Well, aser has its weak points. I haven¡¯t taught you, though. Mr. Amato might know them, but I doubt anyone in this world is aware of them.¡±

    ¡°Ehh!? Seriously!?¡± Sword was startled.

    ¡°That¡¯s why you shouldn¡¯t overestimate yourser sword as an almighty weapon working against everything. If you don¡¯t use it as a trump card, it might stop being a viable option if people find out about the weak points.¡±

    ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll keep it firmly in mind!¡±

    So he says.

    £ª

    We checked all the avable stores and entered those of interest, but the process of the clerks only dealing with Sword and him subsequently getting angry and dragging me out¡­repeated itself. Just as I started to get tired of this, we came out on a za-like street.

    Over here, vendors were selling their wares at stalls¡­no, even more amazingly, on cloths that had been spread out on the ground. It was kinda like running a flea market under the blue sky.

    Still, I found this method to actually be more fun.

    The prices were dirt cheap, and many of the items were, to be honest, trashy. For example all the blunt swords, even an amateur like me could identify.

    As we walked along the streets, the touting was really intense, but Sword and I made sure to shut them out with my soundproofing spell. While we aimlessly did some window-shopping, I suddenly spotted the elf I passed yesterday having their own little sale at a spot that was isted from the others.

    ¡°¡±¡±Ah!¡±¡±¡±

    They apparently recalled us as well, seeing how they raised their voice instinctively. The pretty elf (gender unclear while their age seemed to be close to mine) was an inhabitant of this town, huh?

    And what¡¯s the elf selling¡­hmm?

    I tilted my head in confusion, ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    ¡°U-Umm, e-err, you see, a-a wind magic tool¡­it cuts¡­paper¡­and whirls¡­up paper¡­with wind¡­that¡¯s all¡­¡±

    Paper scraps were fluttering about above a metallic te. They looked like butterflies, leaves, or falling cherry blossoms.

    ¡°¡­How regrettable.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Instead of just making paper scraps whirl around, it¡¯d be a lot shier if the paper had proper shapes. For example, butterflies¡­umm, what kind of monster is it over here?¡± I looked back at Sword.

    ¡°Eh? Are you talkin¡¯ ¡¯bout Poison Butterflies?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it! You should cut the paper in such shapes and let them flutter about.¡±

    ¡°Okay, but I doubt ¡®nyone other than you would buy ¡®nythin¡¯ like that.¡±

    Shut up!

    ¡°Then go with flower petals! Cut the paper into petals and add flowers and blooming trees as objects of art. With the bottom made out of metal, it won¡¯t matter whether those objects are made out of paper, cloth, or wood. If you do it like that, it¡¯ll look a lot prettier.¡±

    The pretty elf had stared at me with their mouth agape, but now it gradually transformed into a smile.

    ¡°¡­Right! That¡¯s the scenery I wanted to reproduce!¡±

    ¡°Be more borate about it then. No one can tell what it¡¯s supposed to be in its current state.¡±

    The elf nodded cheerfully. Their beaming face had a considerably destructive force. But, it immediately withered away.

    ¡°Ah¡­but right now, funds are more important¡­¡±

    ¡­..Hmm, I see.

    ¡°¡­So, dear beauty, what kind of gender do you have?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Me? Umm, so far as it goes, I¡¯m a girl¡­¡± (T/N: A girl referring to herself with a male pronoun. Or in other words, another gender pun by our author)

    Her words became quieter and quieter towards the end.

    I see. A boyish girl, huh? Her chest is as t as mine. That¡¯s why I asked about her gender, though.

    ¡°Very well, Ms. Pretty Elf, my name is Indra. As a matter of fact, we¡¯vee to this town to scout new personnel. Won¡¯t you consider working at the base of Sword ¨C the guy next to me? We¡¯re looking for people who can realize my visions, and as far as I can tell, you meet that condition.¡±

    Sword became dumbfounded. The elf too.

    ¡°Eh? Umm? Me? Are you talking about me?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m also a beautiful girl, but I¡¯m not an elf, so I¡¯m obviously not meant here.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Somehow she answered with another question, but I wonder what part she¡¯s questioning?

    ¡°Umm, my name is navayuh. Please call me na.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you, na.¡±

    ¡°Umm, that¡¯s¡­¡­¡­..were you telling the truth just now?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I do tell lies and joke around, but it¡¯d be pointless to do so right now.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s the part where you¡¯d usually dere that your not lyin¡¯ or jokin¡¯, you know?¡±

    That retort was stabbing!

    ¡°Umm, then¡­then! Err! You¡¯re adventurers, right!? Umm, we met at the guild, didn¡¯t we!?¡±

    ¡°Quite so.¡±

    ¡°Please help me then! I¡¯lle with you people! I won¡¯t mind what you do to me either! So please save my friend!¡± She said while bowing her head.

    I exchanged a look with Sword.

    ¡°My friend hasn¡¯te back from the mountains for three days now. I have no other friend than him and he has always been helping me out. That¡¯s why I thought it¡¯d be my turn to help him this time, but¡­¡­the request fee was too high for me to pay. For this reason, I was trying to earn at least a bit of money by selling this here¡­¡±

    How praiseworthy. For such a decent human to exist in this world¡­ah, she¡¯s no human, but a fairy.

    ¡°Then I must charge you with a request fee,¡± I heaved up her paper-whirling toy in front of her as she was gloomily looking downwards. ¡°Please sell this to me. It might crush your pride, but I want to customize this so that it suits my own taste. That¡¯ll be your request fee. ¡­How about it?¡±

    After pulling a surprised expression, na started to smile, ¡°¡­Okay! Please do!¡±

    Alright, I got permission. This is unexpectedly amazing, isn¡¯t it? It has been designed in a way that hindered the paper scraps to fly all over the ce. It¡¯s what you¡¯d call an electric snow dome, I¡¯d say? Moreover, the snow of such items is contained in a dome, but this item has no physical limitations. I really love such toys! I¡¯ll totally customize it to my heart¡¯s content!

    £ª

    As I thought all that, Swordughed out.

    ¡°So you finally spotted somethin¡¯ you like after we walked this cksmith town from one end to the other, eh? That¡¯s great to see,¡± hemented while caressing my head.

 Chapter 144

    Our client, the pretty elf, came with us as well. As a guide. She said she had a good idea where her friend ought to be.

    ¡°But, I¡¯m not really that good at offensive magic¡­ I¡¯m poor at archery, too. So I was always a burden in the elven forest. So I thought I could at least be of use, if only for making things, but just making things didn¡¯t achieve acknowledgement from myrades¡­¡±

    Her parents, the only ones who acknowledged her, passed away, and in their will they told her that it¡¯d be better for her to widen her outlook in the outside world rather than staying in the elven forest as it¡¯d certainly help her in finding friends, and thus she departed her home.

    ¡­Or rather, they probably thought her future would be bleak if she stayed in the forest. Was it such a terrible ce for her?

    ¡°Ah, I totally get it. It was the same for me as well,¡± Sword casually agreed with her.

    For real? Oh, wait a sec.

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it something simr for me as well?¡±

    I thought I¡¯d have no future at the earl¡¯s mansion, so I left that ce!

    ¡°Okay! If it¡¯s like that, we¡¯ll warmly wee you! However, just as I¡¯ve told you, I¡¯ll have you first help out with the creation of magic tools for the things I¡¯ve been handling with magic thus far. Afterwards I¡¯ll request stuff from you if I hit upon an idea. In the first ce, I expect that the magic tool creation will take quite a bit of time. If you finish it, the brewing team will probably rejoice. After all, they¡¯ll be able to make almost everything with their own hands at that point.¡±

    I mean, they¡¯re so passionate about the whole endeavor that they¡¯ve even gone as far as starting from growing the raw materials themselves.

    £ª

    na is gentle and has a nice personality. Sword seems to worry about her as well, resulting in him frequently helping her out in a casual manner.

    Hmm? How about her as Sword¡¯s partner?

    I considered for an instant, but she was an elf. If they had sex, they¡¯d die.

    ¡°How very regrettable¡­¡±

    They pulled puzzled expressions when I muttered that.

    ¡°What¡¯s up? Ah, you thought ¡¯bout somethin¡¯ weird ¡®gain, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    He ground my temples. How unreasonable!

    £ª

    Mr. Boyfriend¡­ah, I guess not. He¡¯s a dwarf, I heard, so they¡¯d die if they have sex. So, her friend seems to be a mason, a craftsman or something like that. She¡¯s been evasive about it.

    He apparently came here to get some y. He could have dug it up anywhere, but as far as I understand, it can¡¯t be used for magic unless it¡¯s collected from bare ground with nothing growing in it.

    Hmm? y? In other words, he¡¯s an earthenware crafter? I didn¡¯t see anyone like that in the town, though¡­ Is he going to make essories out of earthenware? Well, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s impossible to use earthenware for it, but I think metals are mostly used for essories.

    £ª

    As I thought about this and that, we arrived at the destination.

    ¡­The area had been turned into a real mess. The ground was gouged out, rocks were smashed, and somehow I felt a presence as if something terrifying had gone ballistic here.

    na became white as a sheet.

    ¡°Sahad¡­¡±

    ¡°No blood can be seen. So he¡¯s not injured at least.¡±

    No matter how much I looked around, I couldn¡¯t spot a single drop of blood.

    ¡°Rather, what showed up here? This is definitely a case for the guild, no? Or do dwarves only consist of skilled folks who can easily dodge somethin¡¯ like this?¡±

    Well, we¡¯re a team who can easily dodge most stuff, even by ourselves, however.

    ¡°Let¡¯s search the area for starters,¡± I suggested, just for a howling to reach us from the distance.

    £ª

    In an instant I carried na like a drowned person, dashing. Sword and the Ryokus also sprinted along.

    ¡°Do you have any memory of such a howling?¡± I asked Sword.

    ¡°It¡¯s what you wished for ¨C a cyclops.¡±

    Wohoo!

    ¡°Yahooo! My excitement is going through the roof!¡±

    ¡°Oof, your really a lunatic,¡± Sword guffawed.

    ¡°Is it true that a cyclop¡¯s eyeball is valuable?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Well, you just gotta lop off the head as usual while makin¡¯ sure to not damage the head.¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡±

    If a neck chop had been out, I¡¯d have attacked with a vacuum pack, but it¡¯d be troublesome if it thrashed around, hurting its own eye in an off-chance.

    £ª

    ¡°There it is!¡± Sword yelled.

    Whoa, it¡¯s huge! A bipedal monster with a height of a two-storied building? No, three-storied, I¡¯d say. Everything is in in sight since it¡¯spletely naked, but it¡¯s got no gender. It¡¯spletely smooth all over.

    It was going berserk, swinging arge tree it had uprooted. Good gracious, it was sending blood flying all the way to our current location.

    Just where is na¡¯s boyfriend?

    ¡°¡­na!¡±

    Once I looked in the direction of the voice, I saw a shocked, young dwarf staring our way.

    ¡°Sahad! You were safe! What a relief!¡±

    Oohh, it¡¯s a beautiful friendship scene!

    ¡°We¡¯re the S-Rank adventurers ¡¾Allrounders¡¿! Get away so that you won¡¯t get dragged into our battle!¡±

    As soon as Sword shouted, all the dwarves over there started to run in order to take refuge.

    Ah, one couldn¡¯t run since his leg was apparently injured. The cyclops homed in on him, trying to punch him.

    ¡°¡­Tsk!¡±

    Sword elerated explosively, lifting up the injured dwarf and running away. The cyclops¡¯ fist only hit the ground, but it caused an earthen tremor. Immediately following, the cyclops chased after Sword.

    Sword, on the other hand, couldn¡¯t gain much speed as rocks and the terrain¡¯s shape hindered him.

    ¡°Ryoku! Protect the princess! Deploy the magic element barrier! But, don¡¯t shoot!¡±

    ¡°Ayessir!¡±

    I tossed na in Ryoku¡¯s direction and headed over to reinforce Sword.

    £ª

    I kicked the cyclops¡¯ wrist just as it tried to grab Sword, breaking it in the process.

    Ooops! Damn it! I intended to hold back, but¡­no, it¡¯s still okay! If it¡¯s just broken, it¡¯s alright! Not like it¡¯s been torn off or anything!

    The cyclops howled while holding its wrist. All the while in a position as if offering its neck on a golden tter. Using that perfect opportunity, I jumped upon its neck.

    Once the cyclops noticed my presence, it tried to raise its body in a hurry, but¡­

    ¡°Toote.¡±

    One sh with my wooden sword. I somehow managed to grab its head mid-jump. The headless torso copsed, apanied by a shower of blood gushing out of the cut end.

    ¡°Heave¡­ho! Alright, the head is safe! What should we do about the torso, hmm? I seriously don¡¯t want Ryoku to carry something so filthy. I guess I¡¯ll just leave it here.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t leave it here. You¡¯ve cut through it easily, but usually a cyclops¡¯ skin is famous for not lettin¡¯ des pass readily.¡±

    Yep, it¡¯s because my wooden sword has no de!! And since it has no de to begin with, the question whether a de can pass its skin is moot!

    ¡°Eehh? Buuut! I don¡¯t wanna my lovely Ryoku to carry something so filthy!¡±

    ¡°Wash it with water n¡¯ dry it afterwards. This much is a piece of cake for you, right?¡±

    *grumpy* Sure I can do that, but don¡¯t you have anything to wrap it up with?

 Chapter 145

    5-6 minutes 08.11.2022

    Since I had no other choice, I washed the cyclops with cleaning magic (an electrolytic alkali water jet spray!) and dried it afterwards. Given that its meat was inedible, I stopped the bleeding by scorching the open wounds.

    After putting a cloth around its head, I tossed it inside my magic bag, but is my bag able to actually hold the torso as well¡­?

    ¡°I got it, I got it, you just need to wrap it up in a cloth, right? I¡¯ve just asked the dwarves to get us some cloth so that we¡¯ll be able to tuck the torso into them if folded.¡±

    Seemingly Sword had understood my plight, albeit looking super unwilling about it, and thus asked the dwarves to prepare some cloth. Hence, after waiting for a while, the necessary cloth was carried over, so I wrapped up the torso and stuffed the bundle in a Ryoku.

    Atst the dwarves realized that my Ryokus weren¡¯t tamed monsters but golems, resulting in them being surrounded by a horde of little guys staring at my Ryokus with keen curiosity twinkling in their eyes.

    Close to them stood a pretty elven girl and a dwarven boy, chatting. It seemed to be a pretty serious talk.

    ¡­Well, if I¡¯m told that they don¡¯t want toe along, I don¡¯t n to drag them with me either. Even if I forced them toe with us, they¡¯d just be a nuisance to our servants.

    £ª

    Once we brought the cyclops to the guild, it apparently turned out that they had put up a request for its subjugation. Just a little while ago, however.

    The dwarven boy had spotted the cyclops and defended against it with earth magic (What a surprise! He¡¯s an amazing dwarf who buried the cyclops inside a pitfall after softening the soil into something akin to a swamp!). While stalling for time, he rushed to a mine to report that a cyclops had shown up, but the miners over there didn¡¯t believe him. Instead they boasted that they¡¯d be able to somehow handle the cyclops, assuming one had shown up for real. And just as he managed to persuade them, the cyclops arrived at the mine after escaping the pitfall. And then a human, who understood that they wouldn¡¯t be able to handle the cyclops with their own strength, ran down the mountain and reported to the guild. The dwarves back in the mine intercepted the monster, but they had literally no chance, I heard.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you use your earth magic once more?¡± I asked the boy.

    ¡°If I had done it at the mine, the damage afterwards would be huge, and I¡¯d be forced to pay restitutions.¡±

    ¡ª¡ªWhat an answer. Life¡¯s tough, so die if you can¡¯t cope!

    Notwithstanding, the dwarven boy still kept defending with earth magic over and over again, causing the cyclops to howl in irritation, which then led us to him.

    By the way, when I was asked what kind of superb weapon I had used to lop off the cyclops¡¯s head, I showed them my wooden sword, resulting in everyone bing lost for words.

    ¡°¡­Yeah, sorry, I can cut most things with this thing here, and I can crush most things with my fists. Even if I run into a big rock, it¡¯s the big rock that crumbles. Since I can use magic too, I can protect myself from magma, ice, and snow without requiring any armor.

    Forgive me for being a weaponsmith crusher.

    £ª£ª£ª

    Now then, it looks like the dwarves won¡¯t overestimate their strength anymore and will rely on adventurers henceforth. Yep, I think that¡¯s for the best.

    ¡°If the strongest adventurers can y prey without even using swords, let alone masterpieces of weaponry, it¡¯ll be unnecessary for us to put our lives on the line to fight monsters. Providing sturdy armor and deadly weapons to adventurers until they reach that level will be our job,¡± one of them said.

    Aye, those are fine words for a crafter!

    As I nodded while repeatedly grunting my approval, Sword burst intoughter.

    ¡°So you think so as well?¡±

    ¡°Of course. You see, even I used all kinds of weapons and armors in the other world. I have been using the right tools for the right job such as earplugs against monsters which screeched loudly, and fire-resistant armor as well as ice-based weaponry when challenging fire-based monsters. In the end, after I obtained a superb weapon, I would be only using that for everything, but I used all kinds of weapons and armors until I obtained such exquisite items!¡±

    During a certain hunting game, that is. But, even in RPGs you wouldn¡¯t be given the highest-ss weapons and armors from the get-go. Starting with a wood stick and linen clothes while repeatedly farming slimes was the standard!

    ¡°Hmm¡­eh? Hey! Wait a sec! Didn¡¯t you say that there were no monsters in your previous world!?¡± Sword retorted.

    ¡°Well, they didn¡¯t exist in the real world, yeah¡­gyaaa!¡±

    An iron w!!

    ¡°So, it¡¯s again that dream world of yours, eh?¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a dream world! It was a game! A world of y!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s even worse!!¡±

    ¡°Gyaaaa!¡±

 Chapter 146

    We headed to the workshop where na and Sahad lived. Even while on the way, the two kept having a serious conversation every once in a while.

    Well, if he hates it that much, you don¡¯t really need to force him or anything, you know¡­?

    £ª

    The ce we arrived at was a small hut at the town¡¯s edge. However, it was still properly equipped with a st furnace and so on, even if a number smaller than usual.

    Tentatively I told them in advance, ¡°If you don¡¯t feel likeing along, I won¡¯t force you, okay? After all, you¡¯d just be a bother for the guys over at our base.¡±

    na jumped up in surprise, violently shaking her head.

    ¡°T-T-T-T-Th-That¡¯s not i-i-it at a-a-a-all!!¡±

    ¡­Oh really? If you say so¡­

    £ª

    na seemed to have almost no personal belongings. I heard she had Sahad let her freeload at his workshop. Since Sahad told me that he wanted me to take a look at his creations, I did.

    ¡°Ooooohhh!¡±

    ¡°Eh? This is¡­tableware?¡±

    He had produced earthenware tableware, something I hardly ever encountered in this world so far!

    You see, somehow, all of it was made out of silver. Maybe because nobles are worried about poison or because it doesn¡¯t sell otherwise. Rich folks actually use tableware made out of gold, too! But, silver is soft, gets damaged easily, and rusts if ites in contact with acid. In short, it¡¯s not really suited for being tableware.

    Why don¡¯t they make tableware out of ceramics, was something I had already wondered beforehand.

    ¡°Hmm! I see! I see, I see!¡±

    ¡°Do you like it?¡± Sword asked.

    I nodded, causing na and Sahad¡¯s faces to bloom.

    ¡°However, I¡¯d like it to be a bit more gorgeous. Have you worked with overzes? Do you know about ceramics painting? Also, the shape. I want it to be more borate, and a bit thicker. Though I also want thin ceramics,¡± I rattled down all I dreamed of.

    Both nodded vigorously. But then Sword stopped me.

    ¡°Calm down! You get really scary when excited!¡±

    I took a deep breath.

    ¡°¡­Forgive me. Oh right, you don¡¯t happen to have a ssmaker as an acquaintance? We¡¯re brewing liquor at our base. Of course it¡¯s fine to fill it into ceramic bins too, but if possible, I¡¯d love to use bottles where you can tell the liquor¡¯s color.¡±

    ¡°A-Ah, in that case I can make ss as well. I¡¯m capable of using earth and stone magic, that¡¯s why. Since ss didn¡¯t really sell while I could sell earthenware goods to curious collectors, I¡¯ve focused on thetter.¡±

    I grabbed the dwarven boy¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Won¡¯t youe to our base, please? I don¡¯t know whether you¡¯ll find soil that can be used for ceramics near our base, but I¡¯ll help you with the search for the right soil, and I¡¯ll also pay money for that sake. You might want to do your own creations, but I¡¯ll have you first finish the things I order. But afterwards you¡¯ll be able to do as you please.¡±

    ¡°O-Okay! I¡¯ll go!!!¡±

    He decided immediately.

    ¡°Yahooo! Sahad, we¡¯re going to be together from now on as well!¡±

    na put on a disy of beautiful friendship.

    ¡­Aahh, I get it. Her hesitation stemmed from her unwillingness of being separated from him. It¡¯s really disappointing that they can¡¯t sleep with each other. No, wait. Maybe they have no sexual desires because they¡¯re fairies?

 Chapter 147

    The scouting is done. But I must say, it was a really big haul this time!

    As expected, even I¡¯m not that much of a brute that I¡¯d tell them to head to our base by themselves after recruiting them.

    Now! With everyone! Back to the base!!

    £ª

    As the dwarven boy Sahad said that he¡¯d like to collect y and stones along the way, and as the pretty elf na mentioned that she wanted to gather ores if she was going to use ores for the magic tools I wanted, we headed to the base while stopping over in the mountains.

    In order to artistically upgrade na¡¯s dancing confetti device, I first cut paper in the shape of petals.

    ¡°Whoaa! That alone makes it already very lovely!¡±

    ¡°Kukuku, it¡¯s only the beginning!¡±

    na praised me with her beautiful face flushed, but I still hadn¡¯t achieved what I was aiming for.

    ¡°Wait a sec, your not nnin¡¯ to build some bug again, are you? As someone not used to seein¡¯ your bugs, na would cry, wouldn¡¯t she?¡±

    Someone said such rude things, but na answered, ¡°Ah, I grew up in the forest, so I¡¯ve got no problem with bugs. I think Char and the Ryokus are very cute, you know?¡±

    Hearing that, Sword dropped his shoulders in disappointment.

    Aren¡¯t you the only one here who isn¡¯t good with bugs?

    £ª

    I continued with a dyeing of the petals. And after that was done, I built a foundation. I got Sahad to help me out with this. Or rather, disregarding Sword, the three of us gathered and kept making things all the time.

    ¡°It¡¯s done!!!¡±

    ¡°Whaa-! Amazing!¡±

    ¡°Lady Indra, you¡¯re incredible! Even a skilled dwarf wouldn¡¯t be able to make something like this!!¡±

    When I was praised by the two fairies, Sword came closer as well.

    ¡°What did you fini¡­¡­¡­¡­.. This is damn awesome!¡±

    I made a cherry tree, looking like a mini-bonsai. I added petals to it and even created blossoms. I properly affixed delicate petals, which were pasted together lightly, and solidified the ground with soil before spreading petals on it.

    ¡°Now, it¡¯s tiiiime! Switch, on!¡±

    A wind started to blow with a quiet howl, causing the petals to flutter. Petals also whirled up from the cherry tree.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªIt was a sight just as it existed in my memories. The very image of spring, blossoming cherry trees, and cherry petals dancing through the air thanks to spring gusts.

    ¡°You¡­were also able to make something like this¡­huh¡­?¡± Looking at me, Sword swallowed his words.

    Probably because I¡¯m crying right now.

    ¡ª¡ªYep. This scenery, this sight moved me deeply.

    It wasn¡¯t as though my current self had actually seen that scene. I just knew of it as a memory. And yet, it deeply moved me emotionally. The regret of being unable to enjoy this scenery in reality and the beauty of it had touched me so much that I cried.

    £ª

    ¡­¡­Before I knew it, I was being hugged by Sword.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­I want to show¡­this to Amato. I¡¯m sure he will cry just like me.¡±

    ¡°I see. ¡­Is this a scenery out of your memory?¡±

    I nodded.

    ¡°¡­It was a ce where you would rarely find trees and forests as one huge house made out of stone and ss would line up next to another, but even so, this tree called £ÛCherry£Ý was special. They would all blossom simultaneously once the warm season arrived. And their petals would scatter due to the strong winds characteristic of that season. Each year many people would admire those petals as a local attraction while drinking liquor and having parties under these trees, or taking walks in order to simply admire the beauty.

    I don¡¯t know whether Mr. Amato was able to watch them every years since he was being worked like a ve, but he must have memories of it from the time before he started working.

    ¡­Spring¡¯s cherry blossoms, summer¡¯s fireworks, autumn¡¯s colors, and winter¡¯s snow. The country of my memories developed rapidly and foreigners said it was but a shadow of its former self, and yet, despite that, it was very pretty.¡±

    Sword caressed me gently.

    ¡°¡­¡­This sight might exist somewhere in this world as well, no? Let¡¯s go take a look together. Since we might find it if we search, let¡¯s go look for it together, ¡®kay?¡±

    ¡°Oki. ¡­Let¡¯s look for it since I want you to see it as well. And because I¡¯m going to brew liquor that fits for being drunk under this tree, we¡¯ll go back to the base, and I¡¯ll try to make it out of the grain Bennyboy procured for me.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    £ª

    Yep, I want to show it Sword. And then we¡¯ll spread out a red carpet under one of those trees, and while admiring the falling cherry petals with the Ryokus, Sword will drink sake and I¡¯ll drink rose juice as well.

    I¡¯ll make Inari-zushi and other sushi in a box. And I¡¯ll also make a multi-tiered food box.

 Chapter 148

    While making stopovers for various things, we eventually arrived at our base.

    Now then, I wonder whether Mr. Amato managed to get here. If not, I¡¯ll go pick him up. As long as he¡¯s not dead, that is.

    £ª

    ¡­As we entered the grounds, we were greeted by all maids and servants who had lined up in rows.

    ¡°¡±¡±Wee back, Master, Mdy!!¡±¡±¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re back. Did Mr. Amato arrive here?¡±

    ¡°Yes. They have been kind enough to help us out. Mr. Rob as a member of the brewing team and Mr. Amato as caretaker of the monsters.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so they got here safely, huh? Then again, Indra gave ¡¯em some toys, so I didn¡¯t expect ¡¯em to croak easily ¡®nyway,¡±mented Sword lightheartedly.

    £ª

    Still, monster-caretaking? Certainly, taking care of the monsters is an important duty. But, is Mr. Amato okay with monsters? I believe the ones over here can be regarded as the rather obedient types, but they¡¯re still different from cows and chicken, you know?

    ¡°Mr. Amato seems to possess a skill enabling him to talk with the monsters, just like Your Ladyship.¡±

    ¡°For real!?¡±

    Sword was totally shocked.

    ¡°Given that Mr. Amato has been the only human capable of understanding the farm monsters, we asked him to take care of that side.¡±

    Hee! So that¡¯s his spec as brave? As I thought, braves sure are cheats. I had to put in quite a bit of effort to reach a state allowing me tomunicate with monsters.

    £ª

    ¡°Oh well, all that matters is that you can get along well with those two. ¨D¨DLeaving that aside, we got even more new additions. The ones we scouted this time will delight the brewing team as they¡¯re ¨D lo and behold ¨D crafters who can make your highly expected magic tools to brew distilled liquor!¡±

    The brewing team pumped their fists in the air, loudly cheering out of pure joy and delight. na drew back from that, bing as white as a sheet.

    ¡°E-E-E-E-Ev-Even if y-y-y-you expect s-so much from m-m-me¡­¡±

    ¡°Live up to the expectations. I won¡¯t allow you to say that you can¡¯t do it. You just need to create! No one is telling you to seed in one go. Make the magic tools for us, even if you¡¯re going to fail a dozen or a hundred times. Elves live for a long time¡­right?¡± I looked back at Sword.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Or rather, don¡¯t ask me. It makes you sound disorganized, you know?¡±

    I can¡¯t help it, okay!? After all, I wasn¡¯t sure!

    ¡°If you live for a long time, you just need to capitalize on it and keep testing various approaches. Don¡¯t fear failure. Go at it with trial and error. I¡¯m not telling you to solely focus on making magic tools without taking a breather either. All I¡¯m asking you is toplete it someday.¡±

    Color returned to na¡¯s face thanks to that, ¡°Oki! I¡¯ll do my best!¡±

    She assumed a triumphant pose as athletes would do after winning apetition.

    Yep, she¡¯s cute. And cuteness is justice.

    I stroked her head.

    ¡°¡­Girl, you really love ¡®nythin¡¯, regardless of gender n¡¯ race, don¡¯t you?¡± Sword suddenly butted in.

    All¡¯s fine. Cuteness is justice after all.

    £ª

    ¡°Okay, on to the next. I think his work will be mostly rted to the restaurant team, the helpers of the cooking team, and a part of the brewing team. This guy can ¨D lo and behold ¨D create beautiful tableware out of y!¡±

    Everyone remained silent.

    ¡­¡­Huh? Isn¡¯t that deeply moving?

    ¡°¡­You¡¯ve been using silverware, right? It must have been a chore to polish the tableware whenever it darkened, no? That polishing will be unnecessary with his tableware. You won¡¯t need to worry about a color and shape change like it happens with wood either. Moreover, you¡¯ll be able to use tableware with colors and shapes matching the dishes. In other words, he¡¯s going to make tableware that will make the dishes look even more delicious!¡±

    Apparently I got them to understand.

    ¡°Oohh¡­!¡±

    ¡°I see. Nothing less of Her Ladyship¡­!¡±

    Hey, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to make them.

    ¡°And, this guy can also make ss. So far you struggled with the covers of bottles, didn¡¯t you? It¡¯s been difficult to get your hands on bottles and their shapes don¡¯t match. We¡¯ll have him resolve those issues!¡±

    Immediately following, the brewing team got all excited again.

    ¡°There¡¯s plenty of other things I want him to do for us, but I think we¡¯ll start with getting rid of all the existing issues first. ¡­Oh? Mr. Rob, you were present? How are things going on your end?¡±

    Mr. Rob was standing at the end of a row.

    ¡°Because of the blessings of your wisdom, Lady Indra, I have been allowed to spend very fulfilling and exciting days.¡±

    ¡­¡­Oh? Somehow, his atmosphere has changed?

    ¡°Until now I have not known that such wonderful liquor exists and thus I am extremely grateful to you for allowing me to be one of its producers. I shall offer my eternal loyalty to your deep wisdom that brought about this liquor, Lady Indra.¡±

    He performed a knight¡¯s bow towards me!

    Okay, I see, somehow we¡¯ve got here someone who broke because of excessive love towards liquor! What¡¯s going on? How did he end up like this?

    ¡°Ah¡­¡­the number of your devotees has grown again, huh¡­?¡± Sword blurted out dejectedly.

    ¡°Come to think of it, what about Mr. Amato?¡±

    ¡°He is being toyed with¡­no, pardon me, I meant he is taking care of the monsters right now.¡±

    Hmm? Another weird word hase up here? Why being toyed with?

 Chapter 149

    I headed over to Mr. Amato, just to find him yelling, ¡°Whaaa-! You, that was intentional, wasn¡¯t it!? Yeah, right, stop it with the barefaced lies! Wait, you¡¯re going to eat again!? I¡¯m telling you, you¡¯ll be fa¡­ Whoa! Don¡¯t charge at me!!¡±

    He was being toyed with by the monsters.

    ¡°Ah! Mistress hase!¡±

    When ck Fatty noticed me, everyone left Mr. Amato alone and gathered around me.

    ¡°Ooohh! My cute monsters! Are you guys doing fine? Anyints?¡±

    ¡°All fine~¡±

    ¡°A weirdo came!¡±

    ¡°Weirdo~¡±

    ¡°An unpopr guy~¡±

    Looks like he¡¯s being called unpopr and such.

    £ª

    ¡°Shut it! I can hear everything! Don¡¯t call me unpopr!¡±

    Whoa, Mr. Amato is full of life right now. He¡¯s much more suited to be a farmer than a programmer, isn¡¯t he?

    ¡°Above all, I¡¯m d to see you having arrived safely, Mr. Amato.¡±

    ¡°Thanks to you. That water pistol and the pepper bombs really saved our asses.¡±

    It¡¯s no water pistol!

    ¡°Or rather, the pepper bombs were terrifying! They caused not only the guy hit by it, but everyone around him to roll on the ground.¡±

    ¡°Eh!? They seriously rolled ¡¯round on the ground? Were they alright?¡±

    Sword, you¡¯re worrying about the attackers here, you know?

    ¡°Yeah, it looks like their lives weren¡¯t in danger. But, they were begging all the time to be saved. Since they were so pitiful, I couldn¡¯t help but to apologize.¡±

    ¡°Oh, how kind of you, Mr. Amato.¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­? In your eyes, as a super sadist, that¡¯s kind!?¡±

    Of course! The other party were folks who tried to kill Mr. Amato. Personally I¡¯d have tortured them a lot more terribly before ughtering the whole lot.

    £ª

    ¡°Oh right, Mr. Amato, there¡¯s something I want to show you. Pleasee to the dining hall if you have a moment.¡±

    Mr. Amato became dejected.

    ¡°If I have time? Well, as long as these guys don¡¯t get in the way,¡± he said, pointing at the monsters.

    ¡°Being able to talk with them is fun, right? Isn¡¯t that great for you? Being emotionally attached is a good thing, you know? Anyway, see youter.¡±

    After bidding him farewell for the moment, I set up the cherry bonsai in the dining hall. Thinking that I must show him the scattering of the blossoms, I pasted the petals back onto the tree.

    ¡­As I did, droves of servants gathered. Do all of them want to watch?

    ¡°You guys want to watch it as well? This is a toy where I bought the foundation from the beautiful navayuh and rebuilt it together with her and Sahad. It¡¯s quite well-made, and back when I watched it, I couldn¡¯t help but groan in admiration. Such ideas are important, you know? And this is a fine example of it. Sahad also made his y tableware after learning the ropes himself. You guys should also not fear failure and try out all kinds of things while always asking yourself why things are as they are without being too inflexible in your thinking.¡±

    ¡°¡±Okay!¡±¡±

    na and Sahad were embarrassed.

    How adorable. They¡¯re so innocent.

    As I gazed at the two while thinking so, Sword told me, ¡°¡­Seriously, your kind to everyone but humans, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Shut it! I¡¯m simply kind to everyone without making a distinction whether someone is a human or not!

    ¡­.Sword was standing right behind me, cing his hands on my shoulder and head. He¡¯s probably worried about the possibility of me crying again when I see this toy in action. But well, the one who¡¯s going to cry a lot more¡­

    £ª

    ¡°Whoa, everyone¡¯s shown up in full force.¡±

    Going by the voice I think Mr. Amato has entered the hall.

    ¡°¡­Wait! Isn¡¯t that a £ÛCherry Tree£Ý figure!? Incredible! Did you make this, Lady Indra?¡±

    ¡°Yep. The foundation was made by the pretty elven girl over here, but the whole panorama has been created by me and the friends I scouted this time!¡±

    ¡°Nothing less of you. You¡¯re really amazing, Lady Indra!¡±

    There¡¯s still much more toe.

    ¡°No, you see, it¡¯s not over yet. Take a good look.¡±

    I activated it and the wind started to blow. And then a flurry of falling cherry blossoms whirled around.

    I could hear everyone loudly cheering. But, Mr. Amato¡­

    £ª

    After standing frozen in silence, tears quickly began to spill out of his eyes.

    ¡°I made a blizzard of falling cherry blossoms. I reproduced what I knew from the memories inside me. Personally I haven¡¯t actually seen it, but¡­Mr. Amato, you saw it, right? How about it? Is it a proper representation?¡±

    Thereupon everyone noticed that Mr. Amato was crying.

    Meanwhile he nodded while sobbing, ¡°¡­¡­I recently hadn¡¯t gone to view the cherry blossoms as I was a corporate ve. But, when I finally made the release and went home, such a wind¡­blew. A cherry tree was blooming and I remember how I thought that it was finally that season again while looking up to it. It was incredibly beautiful. Dropping by a convenience store, I bought some low-malt beer, and aimlessly wandered around while drinking it. At that time, the petals danced in the air thanks to the wind¡­¡±

    Mr. Amato had closed his eyes, probably recalling the scenery of that time.

    £ª

    After a while, Sword tapped Mr. Amato¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°¡­¡­Indra and I are nnin¡¯ to go look for this tree. Well, while doin¡¯ some sightseein¡¯. ¡­¡­¡­Wannae with us?¡±

    After looking at Sword dumbstruck with his mouth gaping open, Mr. Amato shook his head.

    ¡°I¡¯ll wait. Over here. From the start, I haven¡¯t been such an active guy anyway. That¡¯s why I had no problem staying over at thepany and working all the time either. Right now I¡¯m taking care of the monsters, doing something like being an animal caretaker, I guess. If you discover cherry trees, bring back some saplings. I¡¯ll nt them in some corner of the garden and grow them. Once they turn intorge trees, I¡¯ll look at them with the monsters.¡±

    Swordughed, ¡°I see. ¡­Okay, we¡¯ll bring back a £ÛSakura£Ý as souvenir next time. Until then, feel free to gaze at this creation of Indra.¡±

    ¡°Gotcha,¡± Mr. Amato agreed, and directed his eyes back at the cherry bonsai.

    We made it with the materials on hand, but I guess we were able to reproduce it pretty decently. The cherry tree in our memories.

    £ª

    The servants prepared a dedicated ce and decorated it with the cherry bonsai.

    Well, I feel it¡¯s got a slightly different vibe if you look at it during summer, but well, I couldn¡¯t really tell them to only take it out when springes around, like it¡¯s done with Hina dolls.

    Or rather, they seem to like it quite a bit. Everyone has been considerably moved by it. They put back the petals in ce by themselves before making them scatter again. It appears to be unexpectedly popr.

 Chapter 150

    At first, during the introduction, Mr. Amato¡¯s reaction was dull because of the cherry bonsai, but afterwards he noticed the elf and dwarf, immediatelytching on to them.

    ¡°Whooaaaaaaaa! An elf and a dwarf! The height of fantasy! Moreover, the lil¡¯ elf is seriously way too cuuuute!¡±

    Right~

    It looked like he got totally infatuated with the pretty na, but I should warn him in advance.

    ¡°Ah, Mr. Amato, elves and dwarves are fairies, and in this world, you see, humans will apparently die if they sleep with any other race, so be mindful of that, okay?¡±

    Mr. Amato suffered a heavy shock when I informed him of this.

    ¡°F-For real? Am I possibly going to stay a virgin even aftering to this world?¡±

    A mutter I feel I shouldn¡¯t have heard reached me.

    ¨D¨D¨D¨DIs he a guy who¡¯s reached the stage of being a wizard?

    ¡°N-No, umm, I don¡¯t know about other humans. In the first ce, you¡¯re from a different world, Mr. Amato. Maybe you¡¯re excluded of this world¡¯s logic, so you might not die even if you have sex with other races. Possibly?¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean I could die as well!?¡±

    Well, yeah, it does.

    £ª

    Being urged by na and Sahad, I immediately built workshops for them.

    They¡¯re saying their creative drive is somehow overflowing and they want to build all kinds of stuff. I want to build stuff together with them if I get an urge to be creative as I think we¡¯ll be able to build great things.

    And so I constructed workshops allowing for various things to be built while keeping them at a reasonable distance from each other. At this point, several servants with interest in crafting volunteered to be assistants.

    Sahad immediately baked several tes for us, and we headed off to the cooks to ask them whether those would do.

    ¡°Oh, I see. These are simple and will look great if you put colorful dishes on them.

    ¡°Using silverware for everythingcks taste in my eyes. Even more so for gold. What¡¯s the idea behind insisting on glittering tableware if the food is supposed to y the main role anyway? Sure, you could argue it¡¯s for poison testing, but we don¡¯t use any toxic ingredients to begin with. So silverware is unnecessary.¡±

    As the cooks apparently liked the ceramics as well, they ordered various sizes and forms from Sahad.

    £ª

    Afterwards the brewing team joined in, and we began the preparations for distilled liquor!

    First I exined the concept of vaporization and taught them about the three states of gas, liquid and solid as the magic tools would be based on this. Then again, in reality, it¡¯d be fine even without magic tools. I mean, the other world didn¡¯t have any magic tools either.

    Given that it¡¯d be okay to heat the alcohol with fire, I first created a device for that, and once they understood the principle, it was turned into a magic tool. As long as they get the principle, they¡¯ll be able to reproduce it if it breaks, even if I¡¯m gone. And even without it being a magic tool, they¡¯d be able to build the device to brew distilled liquor.

    Sword acted as Sahad¡¯s guard and strolled outside Ys, apparently patrolling the area or gathering ingredients. Bennyboy hasn¡¯te back yet, but I¡¯m sure he¡¯s on his way back while selling goods and procuring all kinds of stuff.

    £ª

    ¡­Anyway, even after I came back, things were quite busy. And as I spent such busy days, one of the maids copsed.

    I hurriedly had her rest in her bed while nursing her. After listening to her symptoms and asking her about her recent lifestyle, I examined her tongue, measured her pulse, palpated her, and made a diagnosis.

    ¡°It¡¯s overwork, I guess. Your kidneys and liver have weakened from exhaustion. Your blood cirction is bad as well. You likely felt dizzy due to water poisoning.¡±

    Probably. I was taught about medical checkups directly, but it wasn¡¯t my main upation.

    ¡­As expected, we¡¯recking hands over here.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to strain yourself so much. I don¡¯t want you to work to the extent of copsing.¡±

    ¡°¡­I am terribly¡­sorry. It is my failure for not having taken good care of my own health.¡±

    ¡°In that case, get proper rest. If youck manpower, then leave the things you can¡¯t handle alone. You don¡¯t have to finish everything perfectly every time. In the first ce, once I get back, I can easily handle all of it with my magic, so it¡¯s okay to cut corners,¡± I preached to her while putting her to sleep. ¡°¡­Anyway, you¡¯ll be off work for now. For the time being, take a rest for a week. I¡¯ll check your state afterwards, and extend your rest if necessary.¡±

    Ms. Maid became speechless.

    ¡°Something like that¡­!¡±

    ¡°Something like this or that doesn¡¯t matter, right? Overwork can lead to death! Going by my knowledge, you might copse and not wake up any more if you ignore it. That¡¯s why,e back after properly resting your body to get your health back up. I¡¯ll be troubled if you copse again after forcing yourself!¡± I persuaded her, but she cried.

    Hmm, is this girl a workaholic? But, I won¡¯t permit overwork!

    Since it couldn¡¯t be helped, I temporarily interrupted all my projects and managed the mansion by myself.

    If I feel like doing something, I can do it! And since I got scolded that I shouldn¡¯t steal the servants¡¯ work, once I did, I simply didn¡¯t do any of it. Currently I can work as fast as ten ordinary people. ¨DNo, I could probably be even faster.

    I also handled the maid¡¯s nursing, but I was told by the other maids, ¡°Please stop since you are making Sally cry.¡±

    WHY!?

 Chapter 151

    ¡°I don¡¯t really intend to make her cry, though¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s her pride as a maid, no? She doesn¡¯t wanna take up her mistress¡¯s time,¡± Sword exined to me while soothing me by stroking my head when Iined to him.

    ¡°It¡¯s exactly because I¡¯m her mistress, wouldn¡¯t you say? When else would I take care of her if not during a time like this? ¡­And I just remembered, but we aren¡¯t supposed to have an employment rtionship. Rather, you should be her master since you called her here.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d really love to meet the servant who doesn¡¯t consider you their mistress under the current circumstances. Maybe Brave Amato. No wait, that guy¡¯s started callin¡¯ you Lady, too. I guess that means none.¡±

    I haven¡¯t hired her! The mansion is Sword¡¯s property and I¡¯m a freeloader here! Sure I¡¯ve done things like expanding the grounds, cultivating fields, and building a ranch, but I got Sword¡¯s permission for all of it!

    After puffing out my cheeks in discontent, I asked Sword, ¡°¡­Don¡¯t you dislike it if I act like the mistress of the house?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d rather use you as scapegoat than bein¡¯ called master, to be frank.¡±

    So he hates the term, huh?

    ¡°Your a former noble, so your probably used to bein¡¯ calleddy or mistress, but I hail from a small vige as someone who¡¯s worked up his way from a low standin.¡¯ I don¡¯t even feel great ¡¯bout being pampered as S-Rank adventurer, but bein¡¯ treated like a master is impossible for me.¡±

    ¡­Considering that, you were totally fine being called ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿, weren¡¯t you?

    Just as I thought that, he ground my cheeks with his fists.

    ¡°Hmm? I sure hope your not thinkin¡¯ that I¡¯m cool with being called by my alias, are you? ¡­Even I hated it at first! I couldn¡¯t even turn ¡¯round when someone called me by that name! But, since everyone used it, I had no choice but to make my peace with it! Even the king calls me like that, you know? Tell me, what should I do ¡¯bout it!?¡±

    ¡°Bmphbphbmmph.¡±

    I couldn¡¯t talk since my cheeks were being squished together.

    ¡°You know, I really hope you also get a name so embarrassin¡¯ that you won¡¯t be even able to react to it! It¡¯ll let you understand my feelings through the same pain, okay? Got it?¡±

    Sword has be super sadistic¡­

    £ª

    The sick maid apparently continued to gradually get better. However, it was just that she ¡ºcontinued to get better¡», not that she fully recovered. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t allow her to go back to work, despite her iming that she was perfectly fine. And once I forbade it, she cried.

    During the umpteenth time of me nursing her, she said, ¡°¡­Lady Indra, I want to take care of you once I recover.¡±

    ¡°Hmm? What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°I will tailor a beautiful dress, and then I would like to help you with your bathing, Your Ladyship. I want to scrub you thoroughly all over and then put the new dress on you. After fixing your hair a bit, I also want to arrange it. I want to apply a small amount of make-up, too. I would love to also add wonderful essories and ornaments to you.¡±

    ¡­¡­¡­

    What¡¯s with all those desires? Moreover, they¡¯re all directed at me and not herself.

    ¡°Okay, okay, I got it. Once you¡¯re healthy, you can do as you like. That¡¯s why, rest up properly now. I don¡¯t want you to ever copse again and I want you to recoverpletely as quickly as possible, not to mention that I don¡¯t want you to die. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes!¡±

    She finally stopped crying, huh?

    £ª

    The maid made a fulleback. And as she had apparently recoveredpletely for real, she worked at full throttle. But, girl, isn¡¯t that the reason for you to have copsed in the first ce!?

    I tried to stop her, but she only answered with an entranced expression, ¡°Lady Indra, do you remember your promise?¡±

    ¡°Of course. ¡­I understand, so don¡¯t work yourself to the ground. Call a tailor. The fabric¡­oh, right! I had some fabric in stock as well! Tell the tailor to use that.¡±

    I took out silk, err no, bug fabric.

    ¡°It¡¯s a souvenir for you guys. Feel free to use it as you please. It has a fairly decent touch on the skin. Thus I think it¡¯d be a good idea to wear it to cover your skin or use it as decoration while capitalizing on its gloss and thinness.¡±

    The maids all gathered and started to chat excitedly. Yep, women love their clothes, don¡¯t they?

    ¨D¨DStill, I must resolve thebor shortage urgently. Even though I¡¯m telling the maids that they don¡¯t need to do so much, they probably won¡¯t listen to me anyway. It¡¯s probably got something to do with their pride as maids.

    Hence, I have no choice but to increase the staff.

    £ª

    ¡­And just as I came to that conclusion, we had some visitors.

 Chapter 152

    ¡°It is an honor to see you again after such a long time, Lady Indra.¡±

    The ones bowing at me were the former head maid, butler, and moreover the veteran servants and maids.

    Given their not wearing any formal clothing, they¡¯ve maybee here on vacation? Good work in expressly troubling yourself to make the long journey.

    ¡°Long time no see. Are you in the middle of traveling? Well, no point in talking out here. Come inside,¡± I tried to invite them into the mansion, but they firmly refused to go beyond the entrance door¡¯s threshold. ¡°Don¡¯t be such sticklers to formality. I¡¯m already amoner and thus of the same social standing as you. And the owner of this mansion is Sword. I¡¯m something akin to a freeloader, but I¡¯m Sword¡¯s partner and as such he lets me do as I please. Anyway, follow me to the dining hall. I¡¯m sure the others must have missed you as well.¡±

    I forced them to enter the mansion.

    £ª

    ¡°Still, you guys are all going on a trip together, huh? For <strong>that</strong> Earl Springcoat to give you a vacation¡­ Did he eat something weird or something like that?¡± I asked while looking back at them, just to spot all of them kneeling. ¡°¡­What¡¯s wrong? A sudden stomach pain?¡±

    Did they eat something weird?

    ¡°¡­We havee here to confess to you, Mdy,¡± answered the butler for all of them.

    ¡­.Huh? Did they do something requiring repentance?

    £ª

    I called Sword over to have him listen to their story as well. He looked quite bothered, but still humored me by showing up. Well, in reality I tightly hung onto his arm so that he wouldn¡¯t escape.

    ¡°I got it, I got it, don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t run away,¡± he said and gently caressed my head.

    £ª

    So, ording to the butler, everyone present here had apparently served House Springcoat since the previous earl. The head maid and the maids under her came to the family as maids of my birth-mother, a former ducal daughter, whereas the butler and the servants had served under the old earl and decided to stay back out of obligation when Sword had invited them toe to our mansion, or so they said.

    Okay, but what about it? It¡¯s got nothing to do with me, has it?

    Those were my thoughts after having heard their exnation up until this point, but those senior maids and servants sure had a strong sense of duty towards their respective lords. Mother had been useless trash for me, but because she had gonepletely mad out of love for the earl, the maids attached to her had been tormented by their guilty conscience for having been unable to stop her or remonstrate her for this obsession.

    The butler and the servants of the Earl family had decided in their hearts that they¡¯d serve the family for their whole life as the old earl had been a man of character who possessed outstanding abilities in administration, but as it was often the case with such people, he had no eye for women. Moreover, the present earl was bornte, and rather than caring about the education of him as the heir, the old earl prioritized dotting on him. The butler warned the old earl about the issues with that, but at that point it was already toote, or maybe it was simply his character by birth, either way, the present earl turned out to be a useless yboy who only messed around.

    As that guy would be unable to run the earldom, the butler begged the old earl to adopt a son and bring him up as heir who would be able to protect the fief and House Springcoat. The old earl apparently sympathized with that notion, but just as he was about to put it into practice, he was met with an ident, suffering heavy injuries. Being told by the old earl to support House Springcoat and help his son where possible while on his deathbed, the butler and servants couldn¡¯t turn down the plea, agreed to it, and tried to reeducate the son by repeatedly admonishing him, but the son ran away.

    Winning over a ducal daughter while aiming for her dowry and marrying her was a good idea, but flinching away from his wife¡¯s deep jealousy, he ran away once again.

    In the meantime, the senior servants ran the territory. Despite the old earl¡¯s plea, they quickly gave up on the son and instead pinned their hopes on me. At a tender age of three mynguageprehension was perfect and so were my manners. They believed that I¡¯d definitely be a talented woman in the future¡­ They believed that I¡¯d be able to protect House Springcoat as long as I didn¡¯t get deceived by a weird man and married him, and as such, they apparently hardened their determination to help me wherever possible as a united front. Though I didn¡¯t have a clue about any of that.

    ¡­However, once his wife died, the husband returned while bringing the daughter from his lover into the house. He shunned me while dotting on his other daughter.

    After remonstrating him over and over again, they somehow managed to get the earl to manage the fief, but he didn¡¯t listen to their advice at all and treated me coldly as he hated to run the fief, wanted to go out to y, and was eager to spend money.

    While all of this was going on, I, as theirst ray of hope, almost died and then left the houseter on. The butler and servant apparently regretted and became terribly mortified by this.

    £ª

    ¡­¡­Ah okay, but now after all this time I don¡¯t really care anymore. I¡¯m happily living over here as Sword¡¯s partner. Besides, even I¡¯d have hated to manage a fief.

    ¡°Well¡­if it helps you to apologize, feel free to do so. Personally I don¡¯t mind the past either way at this point, and thanks to my meeting with Sword, I¡¯ve been having a st. Rather, I feel like celebrating over having been able to escape from being an earl¡¯s daughter. After all, I doubt I¡¯d have been able to get out if I had been dotted on like Primrose. ¡­Still, did youe all the way here to apologize? I can¡¯t believe that a guy like Earl Springcoat would readily let you visit me, though.¡±

    ¡°We were discharged.¡±

    ¡°¡±Haaah?¡±¡±

    Sword¡¯s and my voice ovepped.

    ording to the butler, the fief¡¯s management had recently gone downhill. The earl somehow managed to make Primrose enroll at the capital¡¯s academy with the objective of her finding herself a rich marriage partner, but the earldom itself was deep in the red. Earl Springcoat was apparently considering remarrying to sponge off yet another dowry, but he wasn¡¯t as young anymore, and since rumors about him had spread wide and far, he couldn¡¯t find a partner.

    And then it eventually reached following point:

    ¡°Hannibal, you failed at the administration, so I¡¯ll dismiss you,¡± the earl had said and fired all the naggy servants of the old earl¡¯s era in one swoop, the butler exined.

    Since Primrose was currently absent as she had gone to the academy and because the earl himself was almost never at the mansion, the earl dered that the least required amount of maids to keep up the mansion would do, and fired all the maids of his previous wife, the head maid exined.

    £ª

    In short, he¡¯s pulled off a downsizing. Apparently he couldn¡¯t pay them any severance pay either, though.

    In reality, those he dismissed had given up on the earl long ago and expected that they wouldn¡¯t be given a severance payment anyway, so they didn¡¯t feel salty or angry at that, but now without a job, they started to wonder what they should do next.

    The head maid said, ¡°I told everyone that, if possible at all, I wanted to meet Your Ladyship once more and apologize to you, before considering what to do about the rest of my life. Hearing that, everyone agreed.¡±

    Since they had heard from the servants and maids, who left first, that they were making liquor in Ys together with me, all of them apparently came to visit from afar and apologize.

 Chapter 153

    After we finished listening to their story, Sword and I looked at each other.

    ¨D¨DYep, so you think so as well?

    These people are trying to die, aren¡¯t they? You also somehow think that they¡¯re trying to die after lightening the burden on their hearts by crushing all seeds of regret, right?

    We conversed telepathically.

    I cleared my throat, ¡°I see. I¡¯ve heard something great there. ¡­As a matter of fact, this mansion is way toorge and thus it has be quite a burden for the servants and maids over here to manage the whole estate. Just the other day, one of our maids copsed from overwork¡­ To be frank, we¡¯d be able to easily maintain it if I were to lend a hand, but the maids have their pride, so I¡¯m immediately scolded by them if I try to help out, going as far as them starting to cry¡­ I¡¯m in a bind here. Anyway, it¡¯s an urgent matter for us to increase the personnel here, but we¡¯ve already hired most of the avable workforce in Ys.¡± Taking a look around me, I grinned broadly, ¡°You mentioned that you harbor feelings of repentance towards me, didn¡¯t you? Then show it through actions. Words are cheap. Work here. Pay back the debt you incurred towards me by working to your heart¡¯s content until those feelings of repentance have disappeared.¡±

    The butler and everyone else was taken aback.

    ¡°In the first ce, I had Sword buy this mansion for the sake of brewing liquor. That¡¯s why, you see, everyone has their hands full with brewing. It¡¯s my failure for having paid no heed to things like the mansion¡¯s maintenance. So do something about it so as to amend my blunder. ¡­With that out of the way, maids, your workforce has grown. Now you can get some rest, can¡¯t you?¡±

    Once I told so to the maids behind me, they answered, ¡°¡±¡±As you desire, Lady Indra.¡±¡±¡±

    In that case, take a break, will you?

    £ª

    That¡¯s great. It might be a pitiful story for the seniors, but thanks to that, we gained plenty of new personnel! I had already thought that I¡¯d need to head out with Sword to scout again!

    I mean, look, we don¡¯t really pay all that much sry, do we? Well, as all necessities of life are provided for, the costs for buying necessities falls t, and since we have most of the things to entertain ourselves gathered over here as well, they don¡¯t need to spend any money outside. I was told that they don¡¯t need any pay (even by Mr. Amato), but you see, it¡¯s a sum of money where I was told it¡¯s dirt cheap when I suggested the sry to a stranger.

    Either way, the mansion is spacious and we still have plenty of vacant rooms! is what I thought, but the servants insisted on living outside the mansion. I mean they told me they can¡¯t live in the same house as their master and mistress, and certainly not in some rooms of the mansion instead of something like a semi-basement. Probably because of their old way of thinking.

    ¡­Since it couldn¡¯t be helped I built a new building! A detached outhouse! And I also increased the number of guard Ryokus!

    I won¡¯t mention it, but that way took more time and effort than having them stay in the mansion¡¯s rooms! But, I won¡¯t mention anything!

    £ª

    I asked the head maid and butler to take care of the overall management.

    ¡°The maid probably copsed because of this. It¡¯s fairly difficult, and Sally is the type of girl who takes over work if she can¡¯t find someone else to do the job¡­ I told her to just leave things be if she can¡¯t handle a task, but it seems like that was not an option for her.¡±

    ¡°Sally has a strong sense of responsibility after all,¡±mented the butler.

    ¡°¡­Well, there are ways to adjust things in order to lower the amount of necessary work, but if youck manpower, your options are limited. I understand. I will keep an eye on things from now on.¡±

    ¡°Please take care of it.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I will pass some of the work to you as well, Sally. If I remember correctly, I didn¡¯t teach you about this kind of management work.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I am looking forward to your guidance.¡±

    Somehow Sally was standing straighter than usual. Are the seniors making her nervous after all?

    At that point, the head maid smiled wryly, ¡°No need to treat me like your superior. If anything, you are the senior in this ce.¡±

    ¡°That will not do!¡±

    Sally is quite the stubborn girl, isn¡¯t she?

 Chapter 154

    Since Sally said that she ¡°wants to doll¡± me up, I¡¯m currently in the middle of making essories for myself. If anyone else wants to have these as well, I¡¯ll put them up for sale. Because I also got gems, I challenged myself to do some sswork in order to be capable of swiftly bringing out a twinkly cut for gems.

    It¡¯s that one. You know. Kinda like Swarovski.

    Since I was able to satisfy the maids with that, I dubbed it fine to go with those imitations.

    £ª

    ¡°Does it look okay like this?¡±

    ¡°Yes! Aaahh¡­wearing these¡­Lady Indra¡­oh my¡­¡±

    ¡­¡­Why is she getting so excited about this? I mean, look, don¡¯t you have a pretty elven girl as material to work with nearby!? Of course I¡¯m a pretty girl as well! But, na¡¯s shape is more beautiful than mine!

    ¡­is what I thought, but since this was what she had hoped for, it can¡¯t be helped.

    £ª

    Once I¡¯d get dolled up, Sword would escort me and we¡¯d take a meal at my restaurant. When I told him that he¡¯d be able to drink as much as he wanted, he told me that he¡¯d tag along.

    By the way, I prepared a car for that sake! A carriage-styled automobile! It¡¯s moving without any horses! is what you¡¯d expect people to wonder about, but¡­only the neer adventurers among the people of Ys would actually think something like that. Now that they¡¯ve seen the Ryokus, Chars, and Bronkos, I guess a horseless carriage isn¡¯t anything that would draw their attention anymore.

    It¡¯s a digression, but the horses of this world are, naturally, monsters. Bicorns and unicorns who had their horns broken. I¡¯m told that white ones are rare with only the royal family possessing some. Or to be precise, you¡¯ll be stuck offering any white ones you possess to the royal family. That¡¯s all for the digression.

    Since this car prioritized appearance, I went with a ssic design. It only had a driver¡¯s seat in front with its rear being like a limousine. I made the tires big like those of a carriage, but a bit thicker. Given that it was for formal asions where traveling was required, the sheets were ultra-luxurious. I even made the driver¡¯s seat extravagant in order to trick people.

    Because it was for putting on a show, I colored it with Sword¡¯s white and my blue-green, usedcquered wood for some parts, and spent quite some money to make it look as pompous as possible. The driver¡¯s seat could be set to fake a coachman stand thanks to sliding doors and a convertible roof. All for the sake of appearance.

    £ª

    Our butler volunteered to drive this car. The butler actually seemed to like new stuff. Seeing how the old earl shared the same preference, the butler may have been influenced by him.

    ¡°Nothing less of someone who has inherited the Springcoat blood,¡± he told me, but I did intend to go with a fairly ssical design for this¡­

    Wanting to ride Char and Bronko, the butler took lessons from Sword, quickly picking up how to drive.

    ¡­Yep, it¡¯s great that he¡¯s having fun after his retirement. As far as I can tell from our conversations, his sess is the result of blood, sweat, and tears.

    £ª

    By the way, Mr. Amato, who should be familiar with cars, excused himself and instead suggested, ¡°Ah, I didn¡¯t have a driver¡¯s license. Rather than that, Lady Indra, you made an automobile? I¡¯m a fan of bicycling! A bicycle is much easier to make than a motorbike or car, right?¡±

    You idiot! Making a bicycle is much more difficult in this world! After all, its parts are staggeringlyplicated to make by hand!

 Chapter 155

    As I made and produced all kinds of stuff like that, the dress was finished and got delivered. And now¡¯s the appointed day!

    £ª

    I was put into the bath by several maids and scrubbed with brushes. With several people working on the scrubbing, no crook or cranny was left untouched.

    Somehow, you see, it feels like they¡¯re doing whatever they want at this point. I mean, even Sword never did anything like that to meee!

    ¡­Well, since Sword would get killed if I said that, I kept my mouth shut. After all, the maids attached to me really hate it when Sword gets too close to me.

    In the first ce, Sword is a great hero and seems fairly popr, but our maids don¡¯t even spare him a nce. On the contrary, the impression of Sword being treated coldly despite being theirndlord¡­ If you go even further, I get the impression that the whole town of Ys treats Sword in the same way¡­

    £ª

    After quite a bit of time had passed, the maids finally stopped moving their hands, apparently satisfied with the oue. But, once I stepped out of the bath, they immediately applied balm on me and started to massage me¡­

    By the way, I created the balm, so its fragrance was low-key. The ones sold on the market (for nobles) had a stunningly strong aroma, though I didn¡¯t know whether it was a measure to daub the oxidized odor or to prevent oxidation.

    ¡°You are truly and utterly beautiful. No one other than Your Ladyship has such pretty and unblemished skin!¡±

    They stressed.

    Yeah, I got it. Just do whatever you want.

    They put clothes on me, added essories, and applied light make-up. After seemingly being satisfied with their work, the maids all sighed in admiration.

    ¡°You are so very beautiful!¡±

    ¡°I see. Thanks.¡±

    It might be a bit blunt when being praised with so much verve, but my self of this world doesn¡¯t really like getting dolled up all that much, you see¡­? Rather, I like making the stuff used for dolling up much more.

    On my way to Sword, the head maid got startled, and moreover, started to cry.

    ¡°¡­A beautiful appearance just like Mdy¡­Lady Isado looked during her youth¡­¡±

    Whoa, that¡¯s no praise, you know? ¡­Still, we look simr, huh? That¡¯s a in shock.

    ¡­But, whatever. It looks like the people around me were happy. The servants also praised me as soon as they spotted me. When it came to the seniors, many of them cried like the head maid.

    The only one not satisfied was Sword who was pulling a ¡ºFull parade of crossdressing¡» face. Standing in front of him, I offered a hand.

    ¡°Sorry for having kept you waiting.¡±

    Sword shrugged his shoulders and grabbed my hand.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind it. It¡¯s not like you were the one who made me wait. Besides, looks like the people ¡¯round us are satisfied. This is yet another duty of a master, right?¡±

    I nodded.

    £ª

    After I paraded through the mansion while escorted by Sword ¨D Mr. Amato also said, ¡°Ah! You¡¯re crossdressing as a woman!¡± !! ¨D we boarded the automobile. The butler was acting as the perfect driver. And it also suited him.

    The car was extremelyfortable. Sword seemed to be very pleased with it as well. After getting in, he examined the whole interior and gently brushed many ces.

    Though he grumbled, ¡°¡­You know, if you can make somethin¡¯ like this, there ain¡¯t no need to make everythin¡¯ in the shape of Char, is there!?¡±

    It¡¯s okay like that! That one¡¯s a camping car that can intercept iing attacks!

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll christ this one Char Non-Violence. It means it¡¯s a Char without any means to attack.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see. Gotcha. I favor Char.¡±

    It sounds like he doesn¡¯t prefer a non-violent approach.

    £ª

    While having his meal, Sword looked my way and smiled bitterly, ¡°You¡¯ve got it tough as well, don¡¯t you? Even though you don¡¯t like wearin¡¯ such an outfit, you gotta go along with the maids¡¯ wishes.¡±

    Appreciation? Or something like that? I was told.

    ¡°Hmm. Well, you¡¯re not wrong about that, but it made them look sooo happy, you see. Originally they¡¯re servants of the nobility. They might have umted frustration as servants of amoner. As a matter of fact, they were taken off me when the lover¡¯s daughter showed up and got assigned to her. ¡­It sounds like things became tough for them afterwards. I guess they got weird from then on.¡±

    ¡°Whoa, that sounds terrible. Nobility is an absolute no-go for me. I¡¯d be troubled if they went crazy on me after they were assigned to me.¡±

    ¡°I think you¡¯d do unexpectedly well, you know? After all¡¯s said and done, you can read other¡¯s intentions. I think you¡¯d be able to handle most passive people with ease.¡±

    Sword drank his booze while pulling a super unwilling face. A littleter.

    ¡°Don¡¯t wanna!¡± He cried out like an unruly child.

 Chapter 156

    While waiting for Bennyboy¡¯s group to arrive at the base, I spent my time holding preparatory meetings, designing, increasing the facilities, and making all kinds of things. I also customized the Ryokus.

    ¨D¨DSo far it has been Sword¡¯s task to carry Char, but keeping it like this would be slightly inconvenient. Char had been stored away in a super special magic bag, but it only fits in there cause it¡¯s special, and that bag is pretty troublesome because it¡¯s huge. Either way, Sword kept getting stuck whenever we traveled animal trails.

    Therefore I adjusted the Ryokus¡¯s pods so that they¡¯d be suited for stowing away lots of things. As a gimmick, their rear ends would open up with a yawning like a spiderweb, allowing Char to enter the storage area from there. I was somehow able to achieve this with expansion magic once I made the front part bigger as well. The weight was no problem either because of the gravity control.

    Sword sighed a ¡°That¡¯s a huge help,¡± as he apparently also found it inconvenient to carry the huge magic bag all the time.

    I¡¯ll leave the capsule with the Poof! as homework for next time, but for now we will have to do with this.

    £ª

    Moreover, I also customized Char. Since we frequently had Char run on auto-pilot while we drove around on Bronko, I added a function, allowing Char to automatically extend magic cannons from its circr windows to defend itself. I must increase the offensive options, yep!

    Also, I checked the farms. This world has few seasonal changes, though that observation is limited to the ces I visited. Just like it rains, it¡¯ll also snow, and just like you have periods of cold days, you also have periods of somewhat warmer days, but fundamentally, you could sum up the weather as evesting spring. A bit like some ind countries. In this regard, it wouldn¡¯t be weird for the magic cherry bonsai to keep running all the time.

    I hear desert areas, tropical forests, and ds also exist. I¡¯d love to go there someday.

    If I¡¯m not mistaken, I feel like nts bud depending on the temperature¡­is what I thought, but as far as Ys goes, temperature doesn¡¯t y a role at all. The problem is the soil! The key point is the saturation with magic elements! It¡¯s no wonder that those are strange chemical elements!

    ¡­Wait, those aren¡¯t chemical elements in the first ce, I guess. I mean, I¡¯ve already said that magic elements aren¡¯t tangible.

    £ª

    By the way, our monsters have no gender. It seems like they suddenly came into existence.

    ¡­How were they born? I want to watch the moment they pop up.

    The propagation of incarnated fairies like na appears to be the same as that of humans, but then again it¡¯s different in various ways too, huh.

    ¨D¨DOops, I digressed. Anyway, since I was asked by the servants, who were growing wine grapes, to provide nutrients to the wine-growing area, I tried to have Mr. Fluff cover the field as if blending it with the soil.

    Thereupon the servants sowed something. No, they scattered something.

    ¡°Hmm¡­?¡±

    So far I¡¯ve never watched the sowing of seeds, but is that how it works? In the first ce, can you actually call that sowing seeds?

    ¡°¡­Those are¡­?¡± I asked a servant.

    Maybe they¡¯re scattering fertilizer.

    ¡°These are grapes!¡±

    ¡­¡­Eh? Grapes? So it¡¯s a fertilizer after all?

    ¡°Lady Indra, after we received your advice to make the wine with very sweet and sour, extraordinarily delicious grapes, we searched. And here are the pieces of the grapes we found!¡±

    Oh, so I was right. They¡¯re pieces, huh? But, those aren¡¯t even seeds. Just skin and other worthless scraps!

    ¡°Because you blessed thend with plenty of magic elements, they should sprout tomorrow!¡±

    ¡­¡­¡­?

    I tilted my head in total confusion.

    £ª

    On the next day, the pieces had vanished, just to be reced by sprouts.

    ¨D¨DOkay, this world is a lot weirder and miraculous than I thought!

    The pieces transformed into sprouts. To begin with, they¡¯re being tranted as grapes, but you see, there¡¯s no such miraculous produce like otherworld grapes! They¡¯re <strong>mysterious lifeforms pretending to be grapes</strong>!

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­Thinking up to this point, I noticed it.

    ¡­¡­Huh? Monsters¡­are they possibly born if you leave monster pieces in ces with a rich magic element saturation¡­¡­¡­¡­.?

    ¨D¨DYeah, okay, now it¡¯s be scary, so let¡¯s shelve thinking about this.

    £ª

    ¨D¨DAnd thus, as I was working on this and that while also making many new discoveries, I was summoned by the guildmaster.

    Rather than him summoning me, he came to our mansion, however. Well, he¡¯s a guy who would expresslye here to ask for liquor instead of tea. His aim in wanting to drink liquor is as in as day.

    ¡°¡­An emergency request has arrived from the main guild.¡±

    I exchanged a look with Sword.

    ¡°It¡¯s an emergency, and here you sit carefreely, drinking wine?¡± I retorted, but he waved my remark off.

    ¡°Emergency requests are just a means for the client to get hold of you.¡±

    I exchanged another look with Sword.

    ¡°¡­Oi, don¡¯t tell me¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just as you think.¡±

 Chapter 157

    Short Update:

    This chapter marks the beginning of a new arc and the end of a benchmark for me. I have released this series almost daily for half a year now, tranting almost half of the entire series in the process. All to see whether a daily release of a fun, lighthearted series would draw interest.

    And while my Patrons seem to like this series, the numbers of public readers it drew is somewhat neglible. I know that series without franchise support such as an ongoing manga or anime vanish within the flood of novels nowadays, but I think you¡¯ll understand that I, as a fan trantor, would like people to read,ment, and like my trantions, if avable for free without any ads or whatsoever.

    Seeing how that doesn¡¯t seem to apply to this series (except for one big fan to whom I¡¯m grateful for their continuousments and likes), I¡¯ll switch the release rate to twice a week (Monday and Thursday) for now. If you wish to keep reading it as a daily release, you can do so for the price of a coffee per month by following this link or clicking on the banners.

    Cheers,

    Shasu

    I was walking through dusty corridors.

    ¡­They sure are inattentive when ites to sweeping. Why is this country so indifferent to cleaning and hygiene anyway? Though I guess I should increase their rating somewhat for using ss windows.

    Well, who would open sliding windows without ss anyway? With the hallways being so wide, it¡¯d be impossible, right? I guess that¡¯s the underlying idea here.

    ¡­While thinking about all that, I followed an instructor, before entering one of the ssrooms.

    Ooohh, how do I describe it? It¡¯s a truly fantasy-like ssroom! It has that plenary-hall-like structure which I like so much.

    ¡°He¡¯s a student who¡¯s going to join us in the special ss starting today. ¨D¨DHe has extremely good academic results. An extremely talented student who passed all subjects, including magic and martial arts, with flying colors. All of you, follow his example and try to achieve new heights in your learning.¡±

    After being introduced by the instructor, I introduced myself.

    ¡°Thanks for this kind introduction. My name is Indra. I am pleased to make your acquaintance.¡±

    This spelled the start of my academy adventure arc.

    £ª

    The emergency request delivered by the guildmaster had been forwarded by the royal pce.

    ¡ºThere are rumors about a demon or demonkin having infiltrated the capital¡¯s academy which is managed by the royal pce. It¡¯s said that a high level of magic elements has been detected. Find out the truth and the objective of the perpetrator¡»¡­is the rather vague request¡¯s content.

    Sword and I narrowed our eyes, and then looked at each other.

    ¨D¨DOkay, our thoughts are on the same page here. We¡¯re both wondering what kind of request this is supposed to be, huh?

    Sword waved a hand, indicating that we¡¯d be turning down the request.

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible, no? How are we supposed to get in there?¡±

    ¡°It sounds like you¡¯ll be officially admitted as a special instructor, Sword, and Indra will be enrolled as a student on a special schrship.¡±

    ¡­Hmm. In that case it might be slightly fun, no? It might be alright to head in there as long as I can go on a rampage as I please.

    ¡°I¡¯m against it. I hate havin¡¯ to deal with fuckin¡¯ cheeky noble brats. And I¡¯d hate it even more to clean up after Indra goes berserk.¡±

    This time I shrugged my shoulders, ¡°What, it¡¯s no problem. You just need to go berserk with me. We¡¯ll be able to ughter the demon, demonkin or whatever it is, if we kill everyone, right?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m against it,¡± repeated Sword.

    ¡°¡­Having said that, is this a request we can turn down? Whether it¡¯s a demon or demonkin, no one can take this on now that there¡¯s no A-Rank adventurer around. If it¡¯s a demonkin, Bloody Witch would be hard pressed to deal with them, and if it¡¯s a demon, Peerless Strength would be ill-suited to handle them.¡±

    ¡°¡­Tsk!¡± Sword clicked his tongue.

    ¡°Now, now, isn¡¯t it fine to do it since they haven¡¯t added any restrictions to our actions? You don¡¯t need to tolerate things. After all, I¡¯ll take care of all that stands in our way.¡±

    Sword fell prostrate in response to myment.

    ¡°Why must I suffer like this?¡±

    The guildmaster looked at Sword with a face full of pity, and caressed his shoulder, ¡°I get your feeling on this, but no one can do it in your stead, right? Besides, it¡¯s be an emergency request because the first prince is currently enrolled at the academy.¡±

    Hmm.

    ¡°What do they want us to do if that first prince has been possessed by a demon? Indra is goin¡¯ to butcher him, regardless of whether he¡¯s the first prince or whatever, you know?¡±

    ¡°Bah, isn¡¯t that fine in itself? Give up. All of it will be the fault of the client anyway,¡± the guildmaster admonished Sword with a face as if he had attained some kind of enlightenment.

    ¡°Sword, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll protect you. You said that you decided to have fun yourself as well, didn¡¯t you? Let¡¯s enjoy academy life together. I¡¯ll do everything so we can have some fun.¡±

    Sword screamed while lying on the table, ¡°Don¡¯t wannaaaaaaaa!¡±

    ¨D¨DWhat should I do? Sword broke, didn¡¯t he?

    ¡­and thus as I soothed and persuaded Sword, who was initially against it, we enrolled at the academy.

    Not like I really care, but they sent me a male uniform for some reason. I wonder why? Are they telling me to search while crossdressing as a guy? I don¡¯t mind either way, but to be honest, guys smell a lot more than girls, don¡¯t they? Let¡¯s stay away from other guys as much as possible.

    £ª

    Okay, we¡¯ve arrived at the Integrated National Academy Fand. It was located in a rtively ssy area of the capital. As might be expected for a citybeled as capital, it was very huge.

    Generally noble children in the range of eleven to fifteen years would enroll at this academy (even if it¡¯s just for making connections or for the sake of social intercourse), but everyone, whose abilities had been approved of (be it through connections or pure talent), could enter this school as a schrship student. And after having their abilities recognized further, and passing the academy with excellent marks, divided by field, they¡¯d be able to take rtively important posts at the pce in the future. ¨D¨DI got such an exnation, but I didn¡¯t care since I¡¯m an adventurer anyway.

    ¨D¨DAt the ssroom I was led to, all the students were staring at me for some reason. Most of them were either wearing expressions full of ridicule or didn¡¯t seem overly interested in me.

    Hmm, but there¡¯s no demon or demonkin in this ssroom. Usually, any being would show interest if they saw me, except for humans¡­ah, dwarves are around as well, huh?¡­so except for humans and dwarves.

    na had apparently sensed that I have many magic elements (ording to her, she ended up staring at me in surprise when we passed each other at the guild because of that). She also mentioned that elves, who were a lot more sensitive than her, would show an even stronger reaction.

    I don¡¯t know about demonkin, but people should also show interest in me if their amount of magic elements is big.

    But, there¡¯s no one like that here.

    Sword had predicted that we¡¯d be able to either find such a person in the magician ss or the special ss, if they were at the academy. Since the mana of demons or demonkin is thick, they¡¯d stand out if they were in other sses, he exined. By the way, I can somehow grasp the density of magic elements (the presence of Mr. Fluff), but I can¡¯t detect anyone with a rich mana in here.

    ¨D¨DAww shucks, no helping it. It looks like we¡¯re being taught magic together with the magician ss, so I guess I¡¯ll take a look at that ss then.

    £ª

    The sses were in normal. Language, math, history, and manners. Music as a selective. Those who had their abilities recognized, had magic and swordsmanship as practical sses on top of that.

    I heard a special ss that focused on ady¡¯s training and thus only contained girls also offered embroidery.

    The educational material was all stuff I had already finished, albeit only if you also included my self-study. I was actively called out starting with the first day¡¯s sses, but I answered all of the questions with ease.

    When I even gave my opinion on the ss, the lecturer became teary-eyed. Quite bad with being outperformed, aren¡¯t we?

    ¨D¨DI wonder whether Sword is fine. That guy always picks up malicious intent right away. I have the Ryokus follow him, but still, I¡¯m kind of worried.

    ¡­just as I thought about that, sses ended.

    Good grief, how boring. There¡¯s nothing new about the lessons, or rather, it¡¯s all stuff that I finished learning close to ten years ago. This is the level of the special ss? Howughable.

    As I walked through the hallway while thinking that I should quickly wrap up the request and bid farewell to this dull ce, several nobles nted themselves in front of me while clearly having scorn color their faces.

    ¡­Nice! Maybe things have just be a bit more interesting.

 Chapter 158

    Following the usual pattern, I was taken to an empty ssroom.

    ¡°¡­Nooow then, I guess we should have a lil¡¯ wee party. Right,moner ve? We¡¯re going to start a fun event for you from now on, okay?¡±

    The one saying that stereotypical line of a viin noble while looking down at me was a freckled boy with dull ocher hair who seemed to be their boss. The boys around himughed scornfully, showing their allegiance.

    Since I finally got a rare chance for a fine performance, I tried to go along with them by pretending to be a frail boy.

    *tremble* I¡¯m no badmoner.

    ¡°First, take off your clothes. We¡¯ll mark you as our ve with a hot iron.¡±

    The boys approached me with sadistic smiles on their faces, and just at the moment when they surrounded me, trying to grab me,

    *SLAM*

    I locked the door with magic. Moreover, I expanded my soundproof magic.

    The boys jumped with a start in response to that loud bang.

    ¡°Hey, hey, don¡¯t get surprised by something of this level. Otherwise I won¡¯t be able to enjoy the wee party you were going to hold for me, right?¡± I kindly informed the boys with a smile. ¡°A ve mark, huh¡­? You guys sure got a nice taste there. Recently I was thinking that I¡¯d like to have some ves myself as well. ves are used as ythings before getting killed and thrown away like trash at the end, no? I¡¯ll turn you guys into my ves. Be happy.¡±

    The boys¡¯ faces were dyed by shock and surprise due to my sudden change in attitude. However, only the boss red at me full of scorn with an expression that made it very clear that he was totally underestimating me.

    ¡°Haaah? What are you yapping about, you little piece ofmoner shit?¡±

    ¨D¨DOh my, oh my, it¡¯s wrong for nobles to use such vulgarnguage, you know?

    ¡°Back at you, why is the likes of ¡ºnoble shit¡» talking back to me? It looks like you need thorough disciplining.¡±

    I closed in on the boss in an instant, and tore off one of his fingernails. A scream and a spray of blood whirled through the air.

    ¡°Hmm, looks like I wasn¡¯t able to tear off the skin as well,¡± I muttered while cing a hand on my chin.

    Then, I guess I¡¯ll go on with the next.

    Leaving the bawling boss alone, I looked at the boys around me, and said, ¡°Where¡¯s the hot iron?¡±

    ¡°Hiii!¡±

    The boys cowered in fear although I didn¡¯t even do anything to them yet.

    ¡­.I wonder why?

    While tilting my head in confusion, wondering whether it wasn¡¯t the normal procedure for them to leap at me after getting angry, I continued, ¡°Hey, I asked you a question. Where is the hot iron?¡±

    Because they started to run at once, I was sure they were hurrying to the ce with the iron, but instead they tried to open the door.

    ¡°I-It won¡¯t open!¡±

    ¡°WHYYYY!?¡±

    ¡°Let me try!¡±

    The boys were kicking up a fuss at the door.

    ¡°That¡¯s only natural, isn¡¯t it? Didn¡¯t you tell me that you¡¯d hold a wee party for me? You guys thought that you wouldn¡¯t let me get away easily, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Once I spoke to them, they jumped with a start and turned my way.

    ¡°Moreover, following that intention, you chose this ce so that no one would hear even if I screamed at the top of my lungs, right? And thus, out of pure kindness, I added soundproofing magic to this room! No matter how much noise we¡¯ll make inside here, nothing of it will leak outside. The door won¡¯t open. I even made sure that it won¡¯t be possible to open it from the outside.¡±

    I slowly walked towards the boys. The boys were frantically pulling at the door and drumming against it in an attempt to open it, but there¡¯s no way it¡¯d open like that, is there?

    ¡°¡­Now, let us continue the wee party. I¡¯ve been eagerly looking forward to such a development! No one who would stop me is present either! You guys will allow me to have some fun, won¡¯t you? Make sure to not break too easily, okay? Atst, my long-awaited ¡ºThe frail-looking, newmoner student is being bullied by the nobles who love to torment those weaker than them¡» standard event has been triggered! Inpliance with that event, I must squarely go along with the event as themoner representative!¡± I grinned broadly at the boys.

    Wee parties held by nobles formoners seem to be about branding themoners with a hot iron.

    With that out of the way, I found the hot iron and marked everyone!

    ¨D¨DI wonder about the original purpose of this hot iron. Moreover, they¡¯ve been as kind as making it a magic tool. You¡¯re not going to say it¡¯s a magic tool for torturing or something like that, right?

    Unfortunately, I easily broke the boys¡¯ hearts with this and they apologized to me, but as might be expected of the one calling himself boss, he alone had quite the will-power.

    ¡°Do¡­you be¡­lieve tha¡­t thing¡­s will end wi¡­th this af¡­te¡­r having done¡­a¡­ll of this!?¡± He told me!

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s how it has to be! Keeping at me! I¡¯ll return it hundredfold and add even worse torture¡­I¡¯ll hold another wee party! You show quite some promise, boy! Alright, I¡¯ll use torture that¡¯s even more painful¡­I¡¯ll wee you properly!¡±

    When I gleefully agreed to his words, he started to cry, ¡°A-As soon¡­people see these wounds, it¡­will be clear what you¡­did, and you¡¯ll be sente¡­nced to death!¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­so that¡¯s what you thought? Don¡¯t worry. You see, I can make healing potions, and I can also heal you with magic even without relying on potions, if I feel like it. ¡­Look, it¡¯s all back to normal.¡±

    I healed him with a snap of my fingers. And then I cheerfully smiled at the boss, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s start from the beginning again. ¡­If I remember correctly, you told me to take off my clothes, didn¡¯t you? Alright. Get naked. I¡¯ll press the hot iron on your prided dick and turn it into a pitch-ck lump of meat, okay? Cool, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    I informed him happily.

 Chapter 159

    ¨D¨DAnd then, just as I was nning to strip the boss of all his clothes, my wireless peeped, even though the timing sure was cruel.

    ¡ºIndra! Just what are you doin¡¯!?¡»

    Tsk. Sword, huh?

    ¡°The number you have dialed is currently not in use.¡±

    ¡ºWhat are you therin¡¯ ¡¯bout, you moron!? One of your ssmates visited me ¡¯cause they were worried ¡¯bout you! Your in the middle of torturin¡¯, aren¡¯t you!? ¡­Ryoku, is this the ce!?¡»

    Tsk. Ryoku, you betrayed me?

    ¡°It¡¯s all fine. I¡¯ve healed up everything. Besides, they said it¡¯s a wee party. It looks like you keep pushing hot irons on people at the wee parties around here. Since I was taught so, I just tried it out myself. I¡¯ve been just affirming my friendship with everyone!¡±

    ¡ºYouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu idiot!!!¡»

    I was told, just for the sake of it.

    £ª

    Haah.

    I dropped my shoulders, feeling disappointed.

    ¡°¡­No choice. It looks like we¡¯re going to break up the wee party at this point. It¡¯s extremely saddening, don¡¯t you guys think so as well?¡±

    Everyone felt lonely as obvious from their crying.

    ¡°You¡¯re totally right. I¡¯m sad as well. But, it can¡¯t be helped. After all, Sword¡­Instructor Sword is strong, so we can¡¯t go against him. Okay, let¡¯s go then, shall we?¡±

    When I opened the door while feeling dejected, I ran into Sword standing there dauntingly. And at once, I received an iron w!!

    ¡°Gyaa!¡±

    ¡°N-O-W L-I-S-T-E-N!¡±

    ¡°Look, they told me that they want to hold a wee party for me! And they taught me what a wee party was about! It¡¯s not my fault! Right, you guys?¡±

    Once I sought the agreement of the boys, who streamed out of the ssroom while crying, they got startled, just to immediately nod while quivering.

    ¡°¡­Well, you guys got your just deserts. You can be happy that you didn¡¯t die after messin¡¯ with Indra.¡±

    The boys became ghastly pale upon Sword¡¯s murmur.

    £ª

    It had been decided that I¡¯d stay at the boy¡¯s dormitory. Just for sleeping!

    I exchanged the sheets and everything else with my own stuff, and cast sterilization, cleaning, and sweeping magic on the room. It looked like I was sharing my room with another boy, but since he was out to ss when I was taught about weing parties, it should be safe. I think. Maybe?

    £ª

    I took a bath in Char and ate dinner, and when I returned to the room after receiving Sword¡¯s sermon, my roommate was present.

    ¡°You were safe, it seems,¡± he told me with relief coloring his face.

    ¡°Safe? In regards to?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    We stared at each other. Not romantically, however.

    ¡°¡­You weren¡¯t called out by Viscount Yearner and his friends?¡±

    ¡­.I see, so this guy tattled on me to Sword, eh?

    ¡°Yeah, they held a wee party for me. I enjoyed it since they came up with some nifty stuff. Sword¡­Instructor Sword stopped it, though.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    We stared at each other once more.

    ¡°I love such borate wee parties. You might have troubled Instructor Sword with it as you misunderstood something, but such things don¡¯t apply to me. You can inform him when another child gets invited to a wee party. Ah, I wouldn¡¯t mind epting the invitation in their stead, though,¡± I said with a broad grin.

    In response, he got all timid, ¡°A-Aahh, I see¡­. Sorry. I did something unnecessary.¡±

    ¡°You intended to be helpful, right? So you don¡¯t really need to apologize to me. But, I¡¯d be grateful if you could stop relying on Instructor Sword when ites to matters concerning me. That instructor is quite strict, so I¡¯ll suffer a fairly harsh punishment. I can endure his punishments easily, but anyone else would break if they were punished in the same way, you know?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    He, who initially interjected with ¡°Eh?¡±, also ended the conversation with ¡°Eh?¡±

    £ª

    On the next day nothing happened to me, although the boss boy had apparently filed aint about me. I hear he was told that there was no proof as he waspletely unhurt on top of the other boys all saying that nothing happened.

    How boring~

    The usual procedure would be me ending up stuck in an inescapable situation after getting framed with false usations!

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s so dull. Hey, couldn¡¯t you have put in a bit more effort in yourint? I couldn¡¯t even get my fill of joy out of this, you know? The standard for situations like this would be me getting caught in a dilemma after being falsely used of a crime by you, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    Once I bickered with the boss, the boys with him all furiously shook their heads.

    ¡°¡±Nothing happened!!¡±¡±

    They said¡­

    By the way, these guys have started to address me with ¡ºSir Indra¡», and would greet me with a knight¡¯s bow whenever they ran into me. But honestly, I don¡¯t need any of that. Rather, I¡¯d prefer it if they were to underestimate me and pick a fight.

    ¡°Those aren¡¯t any false charges! Do you have any awareness of what you did!?¡± The boss red up at me.

    ¡°What,pared to what you guys have done until now, my actions could very well bebeled as gentle stroking of your cheeks. ¨D¨DI mean, you¡¯ve never considered your actions towardsmoners as wrong up until now, have you? I let you go while even patching you up properly, so I believe I¡¯ve been much gentler with you than you had been with your past victims, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    Once I told him so with a broad grin, he shuddered with fear written all over his face.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so afraid. You¡¯re the only one whose mind didn¡¯t break. I¡¯ll admit that you¡¯ve got some backbone. Hence, let me have a lot more fun, okay?¡±

    ¡°¡­Give me a fucking break! Like hell I¡¯m going toe anywhere close to you!¡± He screamed just like a little brat and ran away.

    ¡­How boring~

    £ª

    Once I enjoyed myself a bit, I got scolded by Sword.

    ¡°Hey? Can¡¯t you understand my feelings of wantin¡¯ to quickly find out the intention n¡¯ truth behind this case?¡±

    My temples were ground again.

    ¡°I know, I know. But, it¡¯s been just a few days so far, no? The Ryokus and I are properly searching. The map of the academy and its surroundings ispletely done. There are several suspicious ces, but there are no hints of shady ceremonies being performed at any of those.¡±

    Nothing. Absolutely and utterly nothing. So dull.

    ¨D¨DThat¡¯s why I¡¯ll pep up things from my side!

    £ª

    ¡°Well, it might be difficult for the other side to move about after we¡¯vee here. In the meantime, I¡¯ll take over the control of this academy as the strongest. I¡¯ll be the strongest of £ÛSuzuran£Ý! ¡­Ouch!¡± 1

    I received a fist the instant I dered my determination. Why!?

    ¡°I¡¯m reeeally envious of your ability to amuse yourself so easily under any circumstances.¡±

    Sword acted envious while his face made it very clear that he didn¡¯t feel so in the slightest.

    While stroking my own head, I asked him instead, ¡°Are you alright? Your side is a lot more worrisome than mine. It¡¯d be fine for you to also let loose as you want, but if you act so obediently, it¡¯ll only invite the nobles to take advantage of you. Don¡¯t allow ¡ºthe likes of nobles¡» to push you around as they please. You¡¯re much better than them, in every aspect.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He hugged and caressed me.

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯d have been lots of fun to be with you back when I was allowed into this academy as a student.¡±

    When he was allowed into this academy? ¡­Ah, he means what he mentioned before¡­back when the royal prince pulled some strings, huh?

    ¡°If you were a student, you¡¯d havepeted with me for the seat of strongest!¡±

    When I told him so, he responded, ¡°Nah, I got no interest in somethin¡¯ like that,¡± with his ¡ºDon¡¯t confuse me with you¡» face.

    What was that!?

    ¡°Every man wishes to be the strongest, no!?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t make up rules as you please. Also, you seem to forget, but your a girl.¡±

    Baaah¡« Even though it¡¯s always Sword who forgets about me being a girl!

 Chapter 160

    Hmm, it¡¯s a problem that there are no movements whatsoever.

    I had been diligently parading through the academy during recessions, but I didn¡¯t find any ces where Mr. Fluff had gathered¡­ Or to be more precise, I was the one with the biggest umtion of Mr. Fluff¡­

    And even though I¡¯m looking so very, very frail, I couldn¡¯t form any fateful connections with anyone ever since that incident¡­ Although an academy for nobles should have a strict pecking order, why didn¡¯t anyone speak up to me, a inmoner?

    Especially since the usual development would certainly include me having some false usations thrown at me or being insulted with ¡°Why is a filthymoner walking in the middle of the hallway?¡± Another development would abide to the following scenario: ¡ºSomeone runs into me¡» ¡µ¡µ ¡ºThe other party falls over on purpose¡» ¡µ¡µ ¡ºThey¡¯ll pull a super, exaggerated show to frame me¡».

    But instead, I kinda feel like I¡¯m being avoided by the nobles who¡¯re walking the hallways.

    £ª

    When I came back to my ssroom, my roommate Swan Bally approached me. He was trying to get along with me, amoner, due to us sharing a room, it seems. But, since I wouldn¡¯t stay at the academy for long anyway, it¡¯d be totally fine for him to not pay me any attention, really¡­

    ¡°Where did you go?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nowhere in particr. I was just hoping for a development where I¡¯d get picked on by some noble after walking a few steps across the hallway as amoner, but no one confronted me with any false usations or anything. Believing that to be strange, I tried to walk all over the ce.¡±

    Swannyboy stared at me with his mouth agape. 1

    ¡°In the end, no one tried anything with me. I really wonder why. What do you think, Swannyboy? Why is that so?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­I don¡¯t know, but, still, if you walk around while nning for something to happen, it might lead to such situations unexpectedly avoiding you.¡±

    He said something that could havee out of Sword¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°But, why do you want them to pick on you anyway?¡± Swannyboy asked me timidly.

    ¡°Hmm? Because it¡¯s more fun that way!¡±

    In response, he looked at me with a face, clearly saying, ¡°Is this guy for real?¡±

    ¡°¡­Fun?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s no fun if such verymon developments are missing? A frail-looking, beautiful girl¡­err, boy is somehow being bullied while being told, ¡ºJust your existence is already a sore!¡» by stinky, ugly folks such as small-fry nobles! It¡¯s rather ordinary as a setting, but isn¡¯t that a story you hear fairly often?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Y-Yep. I don¡¯t quite get it, though¡­¡±

    Swannyboy is someone who doesn¡¯t read many novels?

    ¡°Oh well, whatever. I think it¡¯smon. And since I finally managed to enroll at the academy, I want to enjoy somemon developments as they happen so often!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Indra, you¡¯re definitely weird.¡±

    He brought our conversation to an end with those words.

    £ª

    ¡°In short, you¡¯re saying you have been acting in a way so as to deliberately cause some incidents, Indra?¡±

    When I turned around towards that voice, I spotted two extremely shiny boys standing behind me.

    ¡°That¡¯s nder, you know? I don¡¯t intend to do anything like causing incidents. It¡¯s just¡­oh right, I¡¯m aiming for the seat of the strongest in this academy. That¡¯s why I¡¯m walking around to make it easier for challengers to show up.¡±

    One of them became bbergasted while the other narrowed his eyes.

    ¡°The seat of the strongest in this academy? Wouldn¡¯t it be fine to challenge people to a duel during our practical lesson¡¯s mock battles?¡±

    ¡°Ah, that won¡¯t work. It¡¯s pointless, and I¡¯m forbidden from participating in any mock battles to begin with. I was told I¡¯d kill my opponents or block any attack my opponent threw at me, thus making it not much of a mock battle.¡±

    Even the squinting boy, who had questioned me, finally became bbergasted.

    ¡°¡­Even if it¡¯s just bragging, you sure are brazen. Don¡¯t you know the current strongest person in the academy?¡±

    ¡°I do. Sword¡­Instructor Sword, right? But, he¡¯s an instructor, so yeah¡­ If possible, I¡¯d like to narrow it down to students.¡±

    Everyone looked at me in shock. They started to whisper among each other, and some like Swannyboy became ghastly pale.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Was the answer so obvious that it became boring instead?¡±

    ¡°¡­The strongest in the academy is pretty obviously Prince Elias over here!!¡±

    Oh, he was a prince? No wonder he¡¯s so shiny.

    ¡°Hmm, is it that one? Those fixed matches for social reasons? Well, the surroundings have it tough as well. ¡­But, you¡¯re wrong. That¡¯s not the kind of position I want. I¡¯m attracted by developments that make my heart throb.¡±

    Swannyboy started to cry all of a sudden.

    Eh? Was this so moving that he¡¯d start to cry?

    ¡°¡­You did well to call them out as fixed matches for social reasons. You show some promise despite being amoner. Alright, I¡¯ll challenge you to duels during the next swordsmanship and magic lessons.¡±

    I shrugged my shoulders, ¡°Sure, if you can get the instructor to agree. I can¡¯t decide it on my own discretion. For this very reason I¡¯ve been walking around, searching for unauthorized duels.¡±

    An event where someone yells, ¡°I challenge you to a duel!¡±, isn¡¯t bad, but it doesn¡¯t seem likely for Sword to approve of that.

    ¡°I won¡¯t use any underhanded, cowardly means, okay? I¡¯ll definitely get permission, so just wait and see.¡±

    Since he told me all that, I answered, ¡°Well, go for it. By the way, I¡¯m fine with you using underhanded tricks, you know? That way would be more fun after all!¡±

    That caused him to fly into a rage.

    I wonder why?

 Chapter 161

    Sword headed straight for me as soon as our swordsmanship lesson started.

    ¡°You IDIOT!¡±

    ¡°Ouch!¡±

    He suddenly bonked my head. Why!?!

    ¡°Don¡¯t you possess a shred of sympathy with my situation!?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? I do sympathize with you! That¡¯s why I¡¯ll take care of all the troublesome matters mys¡­gyaaa!¡±

    An iron w!!

    ¡°If you sympathize with me, why did the prince approach me ¡¯bout allowin¡¯ him to have a mock battle ¡®gainst you!?¡±

    ¡°¡­Does it matter? You¡¯re free to allow it or not, aren¡¯t you? I don¡¯t mind either way. To be honest, since it¡¯ll be extremely difficult to hold back enough to not kill him, let¡¯s consider the rest after I kille¡­gyaaa!¡±

    He put the screws on me.

    ¡°Instructor Sword, please leave it at that. Otherwise he¡¯s going to excuse his defeat with him having been punished by you before the fight,¡± said the prince.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    With a sigh, Sword finally released me.

    The pain stings~

    £ª

    ¡°Sorry, but I forbid a mock battle. That¡¯s why you¡¯ll have your showdown in this way,¡± Sword dered and took something out, before dropping it on the ground with a thud.

    Screams filled the training field.

    ¡°The other day we subjugated a cyclops. This is a part of its arm. I¡¯ve been given it back after bein¡¯ told that its arm is no good for craftin¡¯. You guys, try to cut this up.¡±

    Hmm? Something so simple?

    ¡°I don¡¯t particrly mind, but¡­will this serve as any kind of contest?¡± I asked the prince.

    ¡­Humph! If not, I¡¯ll just challenge you to another match!¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    When I tried to draw my wooden sword, my hand was stopped.

    ¡°I¡¯ll designate the weapon, too. Cut it with this.¡±

    I was handed another sword.

    ¡°Cut, switch swords, cut again, switch again, cut again, switch again, and cut once more. We¡¯ll properly check the condition of your des. Anyway, give it a go.¡±

    £ª

    A sword, huh¡­? Well, it¡¯s not like I can¡¯t use one.

    ¡°Haaah!¡±

    Next to me, the prince brandished his sword widely, swinging it down with all his might. A ng reverberated across the area.

    ¡°¡«¡«¡«¡«!!¡±

    It looks like his hands were hurting from the recoil. And while observing him, I cut the cyclops¡¯s arm.

    ¡°It¡¯s much cooler with my usual wood sword. Do you know the technique of drawing your sword, shing your opponent, and sheathing your sword in one single stroke? I can perform that in a pretty nifty way, you know?¡±

    ¡°Okay, switch¡«¡±

    Instructor Sword didn¡¯t even listen to me!

    £ª

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    The prince appeared to be startled over me having already cut the arm.

    ¡°I¡¯m not ustomed to this sword, so I can only use it in a normal way,¡± I passed the sword to him while exining.

    ¡°W-We¡¯ll also switch the location! This spot was too tough!¡± The prince blurted out in a fluster.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind either way. How about you decide where to hit?¡±

    ¡°H-Hit the ce I hit!¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    I quickly shed at the spot, slicing it apart like ham.

    ¡°Can it be used for something if you strip off the skin and tan it?

    ¡°How ¡¯bout you strip the skin then?¡±

    Instructor Sword is so cold-hearted towards me!

    £ª

    While puffing out my cheeks in a huff, I skinned the cyclops¡¯s arm.

    It felt more like lightly scraping across stone than skin, didn¡¯t it? Aren¡¯t cyclops organic beings or some such? They don¡¯t seem to decay, though. I think tanning the skin might be kinda impossible.

    Next to me, I heard yet another metallic ng.

    ¡°Okay, switch.¡±

    Once we switched, I got scolded, ¡°Isn¡¯t there a chip in the de!?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing major, so don¡¯t make such a racket.¡±

    It doesn¡¯t matter anyway. In the first ce, if I feel like cutting it, I can always cut it with my wood sword.

    ¡°It is major! Your way of using the sword is¡­¡±

    ¡°Okay, stop there. Do you recall the time before the switch? Was there a chip in the de at the beginning when you switched for the first time?¡±

    The prince looked at Sword, and reluctantly admitted, ¡°¡­¡­No.¡±

    ¡°And now there¡¯s a chip in the de. ¡­Indra, show us the sword you received after switching.¡±

    I handed it over.

    ¡°Do you see any chips in the de?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    It was apparently chipped.

    ¡°Did you understand why I didn¡¯t want to let you fight ¡®gainst this guy? No matter how often we do this or how many swords we use, the result will be the same even if you hand a kitchen knife to him while usin¡¯ a sharp sword capable of cuttin¡¯ this here yourself. It won¡¯t be much of a duel. Give it a rest if you don¡¯t wanna die. The strongest in this academy is Indra,¡± dered Sword to the prince and turned in my direction. ¡°¡­¡­With that decided, Indra, could you settle down? Could stop involvin¡¯ His Highness the Prince, or n to kill people by makin¡¯ ¡¯em pick a fight with you through your agitation skill?¡±

    Somehow I¡¯m being told something terrible here?

    ¡°¡­¡­Ugh, but even the prince can¡¯t ept this, can he? Very well, let us have a duel with that much of a handicap. I¡¯ll use a kitchen knife while you¡¯lle at me with a masterpiece of a sharp sword. Like this you won¡¯t mind us fighting, will you? ¡­Gyaaaa!¡±

    An iron w!!

    ¡°Just what are you suggestin¡¯ after I¡¯ve brought everythin¡¯ so neatly to a close!?¡±

    ¡°T-The prince doesn¡¯t agree!¡±

    ¡°¡­No, I¡¯ll obey Instructor Sword. ¨D¨DBut, this was only the sword part!! Next we¡¯re going to have a match with magic!¡±

    ¡°Oof, and here he came up with somethin¡¯ where he got even less of a chance for winnin¡¯,¡± Sword mumbled under his breath.

 Chapter 162

    And herees magic ss next~!

    ¡°It¡¯s time for the duel!¡±

    ¡°Seriously, can you give it a rest? Your gonna die, you know? Do you wanna die?¡± Sword asked the shouting prince dejectedly.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be okay, Sword! ¡­Instructor Sword! I can hold back if it¡¯s magic!¡±

    With magic, it¡¯s possible for me to make minute adjustments!

    ¡°In short, your sayin¡¯ you won¡¯t kill him, right? On the verge of death is not an option either, ¡®kay? Rather, don¡¯t injure him at all!¡±

    ¡°I know, I know. ¡­Ouch! Yessir!¡±

    I was bonked on the head when I gave a half-hearted reply.

    Sword sighed deeply, ¡°¡­Whatever, have it your way. I won¡¯t give a damn even if you die.¡±

    Instructor Sword has be apathetic!

    £ª

    ¡°Now then, we got permission, so let¡¯s get this started. Come at me as you will.¡±

    ¡°Hah¡­how assertive of you. Certainly, you¡¯re superior when ites to the sword. I¡¯ll admit that. But, magic is my forte!¡±

    After acting all cool, he started to chant something.

    So long.

    ¡°Sword, err, Instructor Sword, your chant is much shorter, isn¡¯t it? Why is there such a difference between you and him?¡±

    ¡°You finally realized that part? I chant abbreviated spells. By the way, the only ones capable of that are people at the level of ¡¾Bloody Witch¡¿.¡±

    Hoh, I see, how fascinating. As I thought, Instructor Sword is an amazing guy after all!

    ¡°Ah, it finally activated.¡±

    The prince finished his chant atst, and the spell got invoked.

    Any enemy can definitely escape this, can¡¯t they? It¡¯s pointless if it¡¯s not at least as fast as Sword¡¯s, you know?

    What he shot at me was water. I disassembled its chemical elements. Done.

    ¡°¡­¡­Eh?¡± The prince cried out, dumbstruck.

    With his arms folded, Sword looked in my direction and asked, ¡°How did you do that?¡±

    ¡°Water is something thates into existence bybining elements that are included in the atmosphere. That¡¯s why I dissolved the binding and thus returned it to being part of the atmosphere.¡±

    ¡°¡­Somehow that¡¯s a logic I feel I can understand and then ¡®gain not. As always with your theories.¡±

    Certainly the canceling of atomic bonds isplicated, I guess? But, that¡¯s because all the Mr. Magic Element are so outstanding!

    £ª

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Keep going ande at me! If you¡¯re done, it¡¯ll be my turn next!¡±

    The prince looked incredibly frustrated when I challenged him to more.

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s unfair! You had Instructor Sword assist you, hadn¡¯t you!?¡±, or some such he said.

    ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯d get Instructor Sword involved in this, is there? It¡¯d just earn me another iron w or fist, right? I just want to try enjoying myself! ¡­Anyway, if you really think so, should I attack from my side? Since my and your magic are different, I doubt you understand why your water vanished just now, but maybe you¡¯ll be able to understand if Ie at you?¡±

    ¡°¡­Hey, seriously, don¡¯t kill him, ¡®kay?¡±

    Sword, you don¡¯t need to look at me with a face full of worry.

    ¡°I know. It¡¯s not like the prince attacked me with the intent to kill, so I won¡¯t kill him either. I possess at least that much kindness.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Instructor Sword, that¡¯s terrible!

    ¡°Okay, then here goes nothing.¡±

    The instant I said so, I activated st magic. It caused loud banging sounds right next to the prince. Since it¡¯d make noise from below and above as well, even if you tried to take cover, it was impossible to avoid.

    ¡°I think the injuries will be few with that. Well, he might have received a certain amount of burns, but he¡¯ll immediately heal up thanks to my healing magic. Since I¡¯ve been using it simultaneously just now, he probably healed in an instant.¡±

    Instructor Sword was speechless. Our surroundings as well.

    ¡°He hasn¡¯t died, okay? If we leave him like that for the entire magic lesson, he¡¯ll probably understand my true strength. Once that happens, he won¡¯t ever trouble you again, Instructor Sword. After all, he¡¯ll realize his own position!¡±

    I¡¯m such a kiiiind woman!

    I put on airs towards Instructor Sword.

    ¡°¡­¡­Yeah, just as I thought, your an extreme sadist.¡±

    Just when I thought that he might praise me, Sword responded with this, his voice sounding distant.

    £ª

    ¡°Stop it already! If you go any further, I¡¯ll take you on!¡±

    The other shiny guy nted himself between the prince and me.

    ¡°Sure, but do you really believe that you¡¯ll be a match for me if the strongest is such a weakling?¡±

    ¡°Who cares! Just give it a rest!¡±

    He tried to shield the prince from my eyes by spreading his arms.

    ¡°Hmm? It sounds like you¡¯re misunderstanding something. I haven¡¯t released any magic from my own palms. I can cause the effect to manifest where he¡¯s lying right now, so it¡¯s pointless for you to block my way. ¡­By the way, since I can see in ways other than the naked eyes, he¡¯s still <strong>in my sight</strong> even if you shield him like that. That¡¯s why I can clearly see how the prince started to bawl.¡±

    The second shiny guy looked back in a fluster as I took a pose of clenching my hands and not showing my palms.

    ¡°Just for your information, I tried to stop ¡¯em, ¡®kay? He¡¯s payin¡¯ for his own mistake. You should have warned him to not do it as the prince¡¯s attendant. Thus you also bear responsibility for this havin¡¯ happened.¡±

    Sword gave it the finishing blow.

    ¡°¡­Please. Stop it already!¡±

    The super-shiny, second guy prostrated himself on the ground in front of us.

    While looking down at him, Sword told me, ¡°¡­Indra, stop. If you don¡¯t, you¡¯ll eat a double fist bonk.¡±

    ¡°Yessir!¡±

    I stopped.

    £ª

    The attendant-like guy rushed over to the prince.

    ¡°Are you okay, prince!?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    He was staring nkly at the ground while heaving with sobs. They left while the attendant guy protected him.

    Or rather, they skipped ss.

    Instructor Sword pped his hands, and brought the lesson to a close by saying, ¡°Okaaay, I think this showed you guys how much of a sadist Indra is. Don¡¯t ever pick a fight with this guy, ¡®kay? It ain¡¯t like I came here to be called out for stuff like this each n¡¯ every single time, got it?¡±

 Chapter 163

    sses are over. Alright. Time to psyche myself up¡­

    ¡°I am the ¡¾Academy¡¯s Strongest¡¿, yeah!¡± I dered while pumping my fists in the air.

    ¡°Jeez¡­¡­¡­you seem to really enjoy life. How nice for you.¡±

    Instructor Sword was looking drained.

    I wonder why? Should I massage his shoulders?

    ¡°Instructor Sword, if you¡¯re tired, I can massage your shoulders, you know?¡±

    ¡°WHAT!? Your nnin¡¯ to pulverize my shoulders next?¡±

    He told me although I was just trying to be considerate.

    £ª

    Once I returned to my room, Swannyboy got frightened.

    ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s wrong, Swannyboy? You¡¯re trembling like the rare cockatrice subvariant I found the other day, you know?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­You scared a cockatrice? You¡¯re incredible, Indra¡­¡±

    I feel like he¡¯s getting increasingly scared of me, but it must be my imagination.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m kind to anyone who¡¯s not hostile to me, okay? It¡¯s not like the prince was particrly hostile, but since that was like a standard event, I simply epted his challenge. I mean being challenged to a duel by a prince is a very normal development!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Somehow I feel like the events you call verymon and normal aren¡¯t verymon and normal at all.¡±

    It¡¯s just your imagination!

    ¡°¡­¡­.Say, Indra, you don¡¯t seem to be a normal human¡­¡­ Ah! Sorry if I hurt your feelings!¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t wrong me in any way. My birth is undoubtable, so I¡¯m a normal human. My appearance is supposed to resemble that of my mother¡­. But, the environment was the worst! I was disciplined a lot! And then I became strong!¡±

    That¡¯s all I can say.

    ¡°Since nobles grow up while being pampered, wouldn¡¯t that make any discipline rather gentle? Commoners, and especially adventurers, can¡¯t make a living if they¡¯re weak. I mean, isn¡¯t Instructor Sword really strong? He¡¯s also a normal human¡­I think, but he got stronger through training, so I think it¡¯s a problem with your own way of training, no?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see. That makes sense.¡±

    Seeminglyprehending, he was nodding repeatedly.

    ¨D¨DBut, although I secured myself the seat of the academy¡¯s strongest, the all-important request shows no progress. I thought that the other side would act in some kind of way if I became the strongest in the academy, but isn¡¯t everyone averting their eyes from me instead?

    The boys, who gave me a ¡ºweing party¡» at the beginning, have bepletely submissive, and even somewhat fanatic, attendants of me, except for the boss. How really boring.

    Since they approached me, asking me to give them orders, I drove them away by telling them, ¡°I got no orders for you, so study.¡±

    £ª

    ¡­Oh right! Won¡¯t that unyielding boss and the prince join up ande up with something amazing?

    When I suddenly came up with that idea and searched for the two, I discovered the prince. He was sitting near the fountain in the courtyard.

    Ah¡­he¡¯s in the middle of flirting with a girl. Damn it.

    When I tried to leave quietly, the two noticed me.

    ¡°¡­Big Sister!?¡±

    Oh my god, his partner was the lover¡¯s daughter.

    £ª

    ¡°Rose, do you know him?¡±

    The prince was looking my way with a super annoyed expression, but I ignored him and greeted Primrose.

    ¡°Primrose, huh? Long time no see.¡±

    I feel like she¡¯s be really gaudy. Hermoner traits have mostly disappeared.

    Primrose was looking at me nkly. Well, I guess that makes only sense, seeing how her ¡°Big Sister,¡± whom she hasn¡¯t seen in a long while, is crossdressing as a guy.

    ¡°¡­You¡¯re my big sister, right? Why are you wearing that uniform¡­.¡±

    ¡°Well, as for this, I was enrolled here as a boy, probably due to some kind of mistake.¡±

    I had wondered why no one was doubting whether I might actually be a woman, but now it got exposed by Primrose.

    Alright, I wasn¡¯t suspected as a man, so I¡¯ll be a woman next and move to the female dormitory.

    ¡°I understand! So that¡¯s the reason!¡± She merrily pped her hands together.

    ¡°¡ºBig Sister¡» had been a ¡ºBig Brother¡» all along!¡±

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    How did ite to that?

    ¡°Indeed, I was convinced that you might be my big sister, but female crossdressing was part of the training you received from your mother, wasn¡¯t it dear Brother? I have fully understood now!¡±

    No, you haven¡¯t understood a thing, have you?

    ¡°No, I¡¯m your ¡ºBig Sister¡», you know?¡±

    ¡°I understand, dear Brother!¡±

    ¡°Hopeless.¡±

    This girl is hopeless, no doubt. It¡¯s been like that ever since we met; she never listens to what others tell her!

    £ª

    ¡°Please wait a moment. The Indra you mentioned earlier, Rose¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes! It was about my dear Brother!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you that I¡¯m your sister, damnit!¡±

    Why is she deliberately denying it! I¡¯m just crossdressing as a guy!

    ¡°¡­¡­I see. So the brother, who left home, was you, huh?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s ¡ºSister¡».¡±

    I corrected them each and every time.

    £ª

    ¡°¡­Still, you managed to reunite here again, but couldn¡¯t you have contacted Rose a bit earlier? Rose has been quite concerned about you, you know?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re unrted here, aren¡¯t you? Why are you butting in¡­or rather,ining at me? Or are you possibly Rose¡¯s boyfriend?¡±

    ¡°Wh-¡­!¡±

    The prince turned beet red.

    ¡°I see, so you already fell for Primrose.¡±

    ¡°What are you saying!?¡± The prince yelled at me in rage.

    Primrose fidgeted around while blushing.

    ¡°But, Primrose, are you alright? Although I cut my rtionships with the family, I¡¯ll tell you since we¡¯re half-sisters. This guy seems to be the first prince. In short, if you marry this guy, things will be super busy for you. You¡¯ll be forced to thoroughly train strict manners every day to such an extent that you¡¯ll think of learning noble manners as a poor joke.¡±

    Primrose immediately became ghastly pale.

    Ah, as I thought. She seems to still be bad with manners, huh?

    ¡°No need to worry! The simple and honest Primrose is going to bring a fresh wind into the pce!¡±

    ¡°Then you should give up on being a prince.¡±

    The two became speechless.

    ¡°Hating to learn manners and it being fine to not learn manners only works formoners. So bemoners. If you do, manners won¡¯t matter at all. If not, the queen will require manners if you intend to be the king. The ones losing face, being ridiculed, and being looked down upon won¡¯t be Primrose and you, but the entire kingdom. Other nations will think, ¡ºit¡¯s a country full of vulgar savages who don¡¯t know any manners¡».¡±

    The air froze.

    ¡­It looks like they hadn¡¯t realized. Come on, is it really going to be alright? Hasn¡¯t he be a horny monkey after getting too engrossed in his little love affair?

    ¡°I rmend you to step down as prince. Being amoner is nice, you know? I¡¯ve left the nobility, but I¡¯m living a veryfortable life! Whether I beat up the king or destroy the capital, no one can do anything about it! It¡¯s truly magnificent!¡±

    ¡°¡±Eh¡­?¡±¡±

    They somehow raised their voices in protest, but I didn¡¯t hear anything, so I didn¡¯t care.

    Once more, this time shouting, ¡°Call me ¡ºBig Sister¡»!¡±

    Then I turned around.

    ¨D¨DYep, if it¡¯s those lovebirds, they shouldn¡¯t be the one I¡¯m looking for.

 Chapter 164

    During today¡¯s ss in manners we¡¯d apparently learn about tea parties. Of course, I was also capable of doing the male part. After all, you wouldn¡¯t be able toprehend the female part if you didn¡¯t have a grasp on the male part.

    And yes, that sounds very reasonable and all, but please show somepassion for me who was taught all of this while basically a toddler.

    Then again, the one I¡¯d love you to tell about those feelings of mine is already rotting under the ground.

    £ª

    I escorted the woman, who had been partnered with me, and we sat down at the tea table. There would be various aspects that had to be observed, ranging from the way of drinking your tea to how to take a light meal, but having a decent partner, I¡¯d be able to pull this off easily.

    I mean, if my partner had been Primrose, things would have ended in disaster¡­ In my mind I screamed that I don¡¯t want to experience such a torture, no matter what, but I still expected that they might assign Primrose to me out of spite.

    Luckily, however, Primrose was invited by many others as she seems to be rather popr. Luckily because not having to deal with that girl is great news, really.

    £ª

    For some reason, tension hung in the air when my turn came about.

    But the instructor released that tension with herment after we were done, ¡°¡­¡­Marvelous! Despite being Lady Scarlet¡¯s partner, you performed perfectly. ¡­Though, I have heard that you were ofmoner descent¡­¡±

    I wonder what¡¯s this about?

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m amoner. But, I was harshly trained in manners during my early childhood. Being told that I had to understand the male and female parts, I was forced to memorize both to perfection when I was five years old.¡±

    The instructor and everyone else became speechless. I surveyed those around me and snorted augh.

    ¡°Your training iscking. Commoners do a lot, lot more training than ¡ºthe likes of nobles¡». Living gracefully is fine, but unless you train yourself, you won¡¯t be able to bestmoners.¡±

    The ones around me froze. My female partner was also taken aback.

    Now then, I wonder whether she¡¯s grown up ever since then?

    Once I scanned my vicinity elegantly, Primrose, who had apparently partnered with the prince, was being escorted¡­

    Oof, how horrible. It was so terrible that I felt like asking the prince how he could even dare to consider taking Primrose as a lover, let alone wanting to marry her.

    The instructor had her hands full guiding them through the whole process, her eyebrows furrowed all the while. She couldn¡¯te on too strong in front of the prince, but personally I believe it¡¯d be in the interest of the party concerned here if the instructor didn¡¯t care about reputation and went all out with the teaching.

    ¡­At that moment, I heard a sigh from my side. Or to be precise, from the young nobledy who had partnered with me ¨C Damsel Scarlet. 1

    She had dark brown hair and it was clear that she¡¯d be a stunning beauty in the future, but currently she was exuding a grim impression.

    Our eyes met.

    ¡°It was a big help that you kindly partnered up with me. If I had partnered with Primrose, I am sure it would have ended in tragedy. Of course I believed that it would have been the perfect opportunity for people to vent their anger against me, and I was actively hoping for them to just do that, but I guess it did note to pass.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Well, I have no doubt that it would incur the enmity of others if amoner makes such remarks¡­ ¡­Umm, do you happen to have some kind of rtionship with Lady Primrose?¡±

    Hmm? What does she mean? Is she asking me whether I have a ¡ºphysical rtionship¡» with Primrose as a guy?

    ¡°I am Primrose¡¯s ¡ºOlder Sister¡».¡±

    Damsel Scarlet became speechless.

    ¡°¡­¡­Err, forgive me, but what kind of metaphor are you speaking of?¡±

    ¡°I am her ¡ºOlder Sister¡» from a different mother. Well, a young nobledy such as you might not know about it, but I am the offspring of the marriage between a daughter of the Duke Summersol family and Earl Springcoat. Since I left home at an age of ten, our rtionship got cut off, but going by blood, I am her ¡ºOlder Sister¡».¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Is that so? But, now that you mention it, I did consider it odd that her elder sister did not enroll at the academy, but¡­I guess she had a sex change.¡±

    ¡°No, she did not.¡±

    Eh? That¡¯s the part she misunderstood!?

    ¡°I was merely given a male uniform due to some sort of mistake. At first I racked my brain about the meaning behind it, but since it seemed like it¡¯d be fun, I enrolled while pretending to be a guy. ¡­It¡¯s not like it brought about any particr problems either. But, since I¡¯ve started to grow tired of crossdressing, I¡¯ve recently begun to feel that I want to properly join the female dormitory as a woman.¡±

    ¡°Please give up on that. You will be mistaken as a molester.¡±

    I feel like I was told something awful just now.

    ¡°Ugh¡­I can see a female¡¯s body whenever I want by looking in the mirror, you know? By the way, since I¡¯ve seen many male bodies as well, I¡¯m fine with being exposed to either.¡±

    ¡°¡­Are you a pervert?¡±

    She said it! How cruel!

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t have any sexual desires, so I don¡¯t harbor any interest in neither man nor woman. However, I¡¯m told that my way of talking is way too straightforward. Swo¡­my partner scolds me about that part fairly often. So let me apologize in case I made you feel ufortable.¡±

    I mean, there are some girls who simply hate lewd topics, too. They might be the types who wait for their Prince Charming¡­ah, over here it has to be, ¡ºHis Highness the Prince who Bawls because of Firecrackers¡», kekeke.

    ¡°¡­You are truly a former woman?¡± She emphasized.

    ¡°Not a former, mind you. I¡¯m a genuine woman. This is just male crossdressing.¡±

    ¡°Aahh, it is still in the works, huh?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not.¡±

    Why would it be in the works!? Or rather, there¡¯s ces in this world where you can get it done!?

    When I looked at her full of suspicion, my partner stared back at me, obviously surprised.

    ¡°¡­¡­Umm, are you possibly¡­?¡±

    But, just when she started to question me, the bell rang.

    ¡°¡­Are you from the same ce as the braves?¡±

    She tilted her head upon my question.

    ¡°Braves¡­?¡±

    Hmm? Was information about braves being from another world confidential or something? I feel like Sword might or might not have said something in that direction.

    ¡°No, nevermind. Let¡¯s see¡­do you know the word sakura?¡±

    She reacted by getting startled.

    Ooohhh! For real!? I found someone from the same world and country as my otherworld self! Moreover, in her case, she might be following the same pattern I did.

    ¡°¡­Then allow me to ask from my side: do you know the term curry rice?¡±

    Curry rice, eh?

    ¡°Unfortunately I came to this academy before I could get my hands on rice. Currently I¡¯m making do with nan.¡±

    Her expression went through a drastic change, ¡°Y-Y-You can make curry!?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re selling the spice in the capital, you know?¡±

    ¡°I mean, it¡¯s no curry powder, okay!?¡±

    When her usual polite and formal tone fell apart, the people around us gave us a hard look. Startled, Damsel Scarlet covered her mouth.

    ¡­And then she cleared her throat, coughing, ¡°¡­Would it be eptable for me to invite you to a tea party?¡±

    I smiled cheerfully, ¡°I shall dly ept your kind invitation, Damsel Scarlet.¡±

    Now then, things have be slightly interesting!

 Chapter 165

    ¡°¡­So well, as you can hear, Damsel Scarlet seems to possess the same memories as I do. However, she¡¯s perfectly ying the part of being a youngdy of the Ducal House Chaudgal.¡±

    ¡°Makes sense. Most would bepelled to do so if born as a daughter of a ducal family.¡±

    I was speaking with Sword through the wireless transmitter, bringing him up to date on what happened earlier.

    ¡°I¡¯d love to have a long, nice chat with her, so I want to invite her to Char, but would that be okay with you?¡±

    ¡°Sure. Want me to stay away?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Swordughed, ¡°¡®Kay, then I¡¯ll sit in.¡±

    £ª

    First I epted her invitation to a tea party. Since I had been invited on a public asion, I received a written invitation, before I visited.

    ¡°Damsel Scarlet, you have my deepest gratitude for inviting me on this fine day,¡± I lightly kissed the back of her hand.

    I¡¯m a woman, but¡­it can¡¯t be helped since I¡¯m visiting as a guy. Normally you¡¯d have a maid ¨C or a valet if it¡¯s a man ¨C bring a present for her, but I¡¯m amoner.

    When I considered asking Sword to y that role, Swannyboy said, ¡°I must be someone¡¯s valet in due time, so how about I help you as part of my training?¡±

    So I asked him to take care of that part. His manners were clumsy at best, but he was unexpectedly suitable for being a valet.

    £ª

    ¡°Here you go. ¡­I somehow managed to reproduce some sweets. Though there existed some ingredients I couldn¡¯t get my hands on,¡± she exined and encouraged me to try her sweets.

    Hmm.

    ¡°Milk can be procured in a town called Gheenie. However, it¡¯s only consumed in Gheenie because of thecking means of transport. Malt sugar and honey are the only sweeteners I¡¯m aware of. For nobles it should be simple to obtain honey. Malt sugar is easy enough to produce, but it¡¯s a source of ie for me, so I cannot sell the production method.¡±

    Damsel Scarlet widened her eyes.

    ¡°¡­Milk is¡­I see. It does make sense, doesn¡¯t it? I mean, its shelf life is rather short. Still, malt sugar¡­even now that you mention it, I can only recall it as a vague memory that something like this might have existed¡­ ¡­The cheat is strong in you, isn¡¯t it, young man?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a man. Call me Ms. Indra, if you have to add any titles at all.¡±

    Why does she insist on treating me as a guy despite me denying it with all I have?

    ¡°Do you know anything about £ÛBaking Powder£Ý?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t make it. If you want to keep it simple, it¡¯d be a mixture of carbonated water and citrus juice, right? As a noble daughter of a ducal family it should be simple enough to procure natural, carbonated water, no? But, carefully creating it in a workshop would be morefortable on top of better-tasting.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ I did bake yeast-based bread in the past, but I never went as far dabbling with sweets. I liked the process of making sweets, however.¡±

    Her artiction was gradually bing more casual.

    ¡°I used to be crazy about fermentation. I made all kinds of stuff in that direction. As for £ÛBaking Powder£Ý, I was curious why something such as £ÛAluminum-free£Ý had appeared on the market, and investigated it further. As a result I found out that it used the creation of carbon dioxide through a chemical reaction between alkali and acid. That¡¯s why it¡¯s fine to use anything as long as it foams. Carbonated water will work as well.¡±

    ¡°Heeh!!¡±

    Hey, a young nobledy doesn¡¯t go ¡°Heeh!!¡±, right? Your maids are surprised (despite remaining expressionless).

    ¡°¡­Umm, if your cheat works to such an extent, there¡¯s another question I want to ask. ¡­¡­Did you create £ÛSoap£Ý?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°For reaaaaal!?¡±

    Hey, your maids have started to be unable to keep up their poker faces!

    ¡°Calm down. I brought it with me as a gift. £ÛCurry Powder£Ý, too.¡±

    ¡°H-H-H-How d-d-did yo-you m-m-m-manage t-to m-m-m-make s-s-s-s-soap!?¡±

    ¡°Ahh, I¡¯m the type who explores everything. At some point I also researched how to make £ÛCaustic Soda£Ý. I recreated that by using magic. ¡­It might be possible to produce it normally if you build the necessary tools and equipment, but magic will be indispensable for most parts of it. After all, you need electrolysis. By the way, it¡¯s also a truly strong poison.¡±

    Hearing that, Damsel Scarlet was dejected.

    ¡°¡­¡­Would it work with lightning magic?¡±

    ¡°No, it wouldn¡¯t. The lightning magic in this world is no electricity. And it¡¯s pointless if you don¡¯t use magical electricity.¡±

    She let her head hang, crestfallen.

    ¡°Now, now, I¡¯m nning to build the facilities and teach workers for selling £ÛSoap£Ý in the near future. I¡¯ll share my own soap with you until then, so don¡¯t be disappointed. I guess I¡¯ll pass you £ÛCaustic Soda£Ý, if you can make it yourself. It¡¯s very poisonous, though.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­If you have finished £ÛSoap£Ý, I¡¯d like to request that. To be honest, I never made £ÛSoap£Ý before.¡±

    I see. I suppose you normally wouldn¡¯t make soap yourself.

    £ª

    When I tasted the ck tea, I was slightly surprised.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ This is quite good,¡± I blurted out unintentionally.

    Well, it was tasty enough to make me do that.

    ¡°If you like, you can have some ck tea as my thanks for the £ÛSoap£Ý. It¡¯s a ck tea I had cultivated while using the full power of a ducal house.¡±

    In short, Damsel Scarlet acts as supervisor, huh?

    ¡°Thanks. ¡­As might be expected, I haven¡¯t gone as far as getting involved with ck tea. Our ce is all about making liquor. All my servants love their booze, and thus they¡¯re brewing while even growing the raw materials.¡±

    After looking astonished for a moment, Damsel Scarlet giggled, ¡°¡­Somehow you don¡¯t seem to be amoner at all. If I had to say, it reminds me of my chats with Prince Elias.¡±

    Mmh? Why does she bring up the crybaby-prince here?

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll tell you the rest at our next meeting,¡± Damsel Scarlet said with a meaningful smile.

 Chapter 166

    Damsel Scarlet and I frequently talked after our first tea party.

    ¨D¨DI was stopped by Swannyboy and Instructor Sword, but I didn¡¯t give up on parading around.

    ¡­is what I¡¯d like to say, but why is Sword stopping me anyway!? Has he forgotten about our objective here!?

    asionally, I ran across her during those parades of mine. Just like today.

    We exchanged greetings and started to chat.

    ¡°¡­Still, how were you able to make £ÛCurry Powder£Ý?¡±

    ¡°I ate £ÛCurry£Ý when eating out in the past, so I reproduced it bybining the spices myself. Well, I did buy the spices whole and not as powder. That¡¯s why I know about the shape and color of the ingredients. I also adjusted the spices used and their apportionment in various ways depending on my mood.¡±

    ¡°Whoa, I now understood just how important your original specs are when ites to a cheat,¡± she told me something that could havee out of Mr. Amato¡¯s mouth.

    And then she returned to her usual, polite way of talking.

    ¡°I would like to request you to sell me the soap and scalp shampoo. I shall willingly buy up everything while freely using the assets of the ducal house.¡±

    ¡°No, trade me for ck tea. I¡¯d like to also buy up the ck tea while using Sword¡¯s fortune.¡±

    Damsel Scarlet nkly stared at me, puzzled.

    ¡°Eh? What might be your rtionship with Instructor Sword?¡±

    ¡°At the academy, he¡¯s officially my guardian. That guy¡¯s an S-Rank adventurer, and a whimsical, unmarried wanderer. He possesses mountains of cash, and on top of that, we cleared the capital¡¯s dungeon the other day, obtaining so much riches that we won¡¯t be able to use them up in a lifetime. He¡¯s such a rich guy that some average noble can¡¯t even begin to hold a candle to him.¡±

    ¡°Ohh, as I expected, adventurers are dreamy after all. It would have been wonderful if I had been reincarnated as someone connected to that field, but¡­,¡± she said while keeping the rest ambiguous.

    ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s wrong? If you want to leave your birdcage, I¡¯ll dly help out, you know?¡±

    She shook her head, ¡°I do not particrly mind being a young nobledy of a ducal family. I could not rely on my knowledge from before the reincarnation like you did, Lady Indra, but even so, I changed things quite a bit. However¡­¡±

    ¡°Lady Scarlet, what are you talking about with thatmoner?¡±

    The one calling out to her was the second shiny guy.

    ¡°Oohh, you¡¯re the prince¡¯sckey, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s ackey!?¡±

    ¡°You,¡± I eximed while thrusting a finger at him.

    Damsel Scarlet, who had donned a sad expression, was taken aback. I tilted my head in confusion and looked at Mr. Lackey.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? The one calling out to us was you. Alright, I¡¯ll follow you anywhere in light of your courage. You know some good, deserted ce, don¡¯t you? You may bully me to your heart¡¯s content with a face full of disgust! I¡¯ll dly turn the tables on you! Yahooo! My blood is pumping!¡±

    When I pumped a fist in the air, everyone in the hallway simultaneously drew back.

    ¡°Don¡¯t cause any weird misunderstandings! Besides, I¡¯ve got no business with you! Don¡¯t make up things on your own while getting all heated!¡±

    Booo. What? How boring~!

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m telling you that I¡¯lle along with you, okay?¡±

    ¡°NO THANKS! Rather, stay away! I don¡¯t ever want to have anything to do with you again!!¡±

    How terrible!

    Mr. Lackey faced Damsel Scarlet, ¡°Lady Scarlet, why are you talking with such a freak!?¡±

    Oh, so he had business with Damsel Scarlet, huh?

    ¡°¡­Certainly, he is a rather peculiar person, but¡­since he possesses an extremely wealthy trove of knowledge, I felt very interested in listening to what he has to say. It looks like it could be very well connected to the future development of my house, you see?¡±

    She smiled sweetly.

    Mr. Lackey cast a nce at me.

    ¡°¡­Certainly, it sounds like his marks are outstanding. But! His character is the worst!¡±

    How awful.

    ¡°It¡¯s not as bad as that of nobles, you know?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from you! You won¡¯t find anyone as arrogant and heinous as you, even among the nobility!¡±

    Booooo!

    ¡°I just live my life freely. Besides, I only retaliated after being offended first, okay? While it may be true that the folks, who picked a fight with me, got paid back double, the character of someone speaking for the offenders is much worse.¡±

    ¡°You made them pick a fight with you on purpose, didn¡¯t you!?¡±

    ¡°A life without any thrills is boring.¡±

    Putting on airs, I brushed away my forelocks. Damsel Scarlet burst intoughter.

    This caused Mr. Lackey to re up at Damsel Scarlet next, ¡°¡­¡­Lady Scarlet, was there anything funny about what I said?¡±

    ¡°Oh my, forgive me. I just thought that Sir Indra is amazing for making ¡¾Genius of the Frozen Smile¡¿ change his expressions so rapidly.¡±

    ¡­¡­.What? What¡¯s that Frozen-something?

 Chapter 167

    Somehow I felt a chill travel down my spine. I wonder why?

    ¡°¡­¡­Just now, I felt like I might have heard something very pathetic¡­or maybe not¡­ I got a hunch that it¡¯s the first low-blow ever since ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿.¡±

    Damsel Scarlet tilted her head in puzzlement while staring at me.

    ¡°Oh my,¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿ is a very dashing name, is it not?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it rather so grating on the ears that you feel like weeping?¡±

    Both of us inclined our heads.

    Huh? It looks like we¡¯ve got different tastes.

    ¡°Damsel Scarlet, are you possibly the type of person who doesn¡¯t feel turned off when hearing something like ¡ºThe Evil Eye sealed in my right eye is throbbing¡­¡»?¡±

    ¡°No, not particrly.¡±

    For real!?

    The second shiny guy pulled a surprised face, ¡°¡­Would anyone actually seal an Evil Eye in their own right eye? Instructor Sword¡­hasn¡¯t done it, right? Either way, such a person would be incredible. I¡¯d love to meet them.¡±

    He was saying something in the same direction of what Sword had said.

    But, that¡¯s only reasonable! I mean, this world has genuine seals! But, in this case it¡¯s about something else!

    ¡°The current generation of braves seems to have someone afflicted by that kind of illness. I think it¡¯ll be very interesting when I meet him,¡± I said in total monotone.

    ¡°Sir Indra, you are truly overflowing with knowledge. For you to even know about the braves.¡±

    ¡°Ah, the house we rented during our stay in the capital got pulverized by the brave. He apparently wasn¡¯t happy about us not being present at the time of his visit.¡±

    Silence dominated the hallway.

    The second shiny guy said, while looking dumbfounded, ¡°¡­As expected of a brave. For him to take such action against you¡­¡±

    ¡°Indeed, he¡¯s the very definition of a ¡¾Brave¡¿. I won¡¯t be able to meet him unless I happen toe across him for some reason, but when I do encounter him, it¡¯ll definitely be his end.¡±

    ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡±

    Both stared at me nkly.

    ¡¾Genius of the Frozen¡­ugh, I¡¯m getting the chills! Mr. Lackey who seems to freeze others with his name, now Sir Genius, cleared his throat, and then looked at Damsel Scarlet while knitting his eyebrows.

    ¡°Lady Scarlet, I am well aware that you are putting in all effort into developing your ducal house. But! I would like you to refrain from doing anything reckless! You are¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh my, but it looks like Prince Elias has be fairly close to Lady Primrose, the younger sister of Sir Indra, you know? Is it not fine for me to also befriend her elder sis¡­err, brother?¡±

    ¡°No need to correct yourself there. I¡¯m her ¡®sister¡¯,¡± I corrected.

    Why did you correct yourself anyway? Just follow through with Big Sister! It¡¯s not wrong in any way!

    ¡°¡­This guy¡­is Rose¡¯s¡­no, Lady Primrose¡¯s elder brother? No way, something like that is¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re absolutely right! It¡¯s wrong. I¡¯m her ¡®elder sister¡¯!¡± I emphasized.

    Genius shook his head unnaturally, ¡°I heard about Rose having an elder brother. She mentioned that they had been separated for life¡­ For that to be this guy¡­such a freak¡­for Rose¡¯s elder brother to be such a¡­¡±

    I swiftly retorted, ¡°You¡¯re wrong! I¡¯m her elder sister! SISTER!¡±

    I¡¯ll say it as often as necessary!

    ¡°I AM HER SISTER!¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there some mistake here?¡± Genius continued with the conversation without even sparing me a look.

    The two were talking whilepletely ignoring me!

    ¡°Lord Genius, you must have heard about the rumors and name of Indra Springcoat, the noble daughter¡­err my bad, son of the Springcoat family, right?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t bad!

    ¡°¡­Somewhat, but¡­still, you¡¯re saying such a brokenmoner¡­such an arrogant man is the missing son of the Springcoat family? ¡­Ah, but, that¡¯s why his manners are wless, huh¡­? His speech as well. I already wondered why amoner had reached such a grade of perfection, but¡­as a former noble son, he must have received a special education in his childhood¡­¡±

    ¡°Hey, why are you going out of your way to make up shit? The rumors were about a ¡ºTragic noble daughter¡», weren¡¯t they!? I know that those things had also been said at the auctions in the capital!¡±

    Even though I tried to interject, the two ignored me unnaturally. Gaaaaah! It pisses me off so much!!!

    Genius looked at Damsel Scarlet while grimacing.

    ¡°Ugh¡­in that case, it can¡¯t be helped. I shall pass on to the prince what you told me just now. But, you should refrain from acting imprudently, nheless.¡±

    ¡°I believe I should return those words right back at you and the prince. Do you not think so?¡±

    Both smiled at each other.

    Yet I was being leftpletely outside the loop!? Gaaaaaah!!

 Chapter 168

    I invited Damsel Scarlet.

    When I led her to Char, the maid attending her almost screamed out. Meanwhile Damsel Scarlet bent her head slightly to the side, muttering, ¡°¡­Somehow, I feel like I¡¯ve seen that before.

    ¡°I made it while referencing a pillbug.¡±

    ¡°Ohhh! Now I remember, more or less!¡± She agreed, pping her hands together.

    ¡­Pheew, I haven¡¯t been told anything weird.

    £ª

    ¡°I built a multi-leggedbat transport golem for our traveling merchant, but since Sword pestered me about having his own as well, I made this multi-legged housing golem withbat capability. We¡¯ve got rooms inside, and since those are much morefortable than some random parlor, I thought it¡¯d be better for me to bring you here if I was going to invite you anyway. ¡­I took the liberty of allowing Instructor Sword to listen to our talk as well. I n to have a nice, long, in-depth chat with you today.¡±

    Damsel Scarlet nodded, ¡°Indeed, that has been my intention as well. I also came here while bringing a maid with me whom I have carefully chosen for this asion. ¡­This over here is Ann. She is the Head Maid of the maids exclusively attached to me. She has been with me since I was a baby, and even when I started to do erratic things, she kindly epted all of it. She is someone I trust from the bottom of my heart.¡±

    ¡°¡­Good day, my name is Ann, as Mdy told you. Please take good care of Lady Scarlet.¡±

    She gave me a beautiful greeting.

    ¡°I¡¯m Indra. For certain reasons, I have discarded my family name and be amoner. But, I have a hunch that my soul¡¯s home might be in a ce close to that of Damsel Scarlet. As such I felt a desire to form a friendly rtionship with her. I think some of the things you¡¯re going to hear will surprise you, but please ept everything as is.¡±

    ¡°Very well, as you wish.¡±

    Oohh, how promising. Our maids have the same feel as her, so it might have been better if they were actually working for a young ducaldy.

    ¡­Ah, somehow I¡¯ve ended up feeling pity for them.

    £ª

    Once I opened Char and invited them inside, they stopped dead in their tracks, being lost for words.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s equipped with furnishings like you¡¯d find at noble mansions, and it¡¯s a camping car to begin with, so I¡¯d be obliged if you could turn a blind eye to all the unsightly parts of it. It¡¯d be a big help if you could understand this as being the best oue if amoner does her utmost.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­ I feel like it¡¯s more luxurious than my room, though? That sofa, what kind of material does it use?¡±

    ¡°Mostly monster materials. I chose them for their durability and texture. Even the stuffing which is simr to £Ûurethane foam£Ý has been made after processing stic monster materials with a simr touch, so the level offort should be different.¡±

    ¡°For real!?¡±

    Damsel Scarlet, yournguage! Watch yournguage!

    £ª

    After having Damsel Scarlet sit down, I prepared ck tea and light snacks. Sword also showed up around that time.

    ¡°I know it¡¯s rude, but would you allow me to attend your meeting as well? ¡­Indra¡¯s otherworld stories contain a lot of fabrications, so I¡¯ve been working on back-checking them with folks who possess knowledge simr to Indra¡¯s.¡±

    Eh? What¡¯s up with that? He¡¯s on a totally different agenda, isn¡¯t he? How about asking for clues in regards to our request!?

    £ª

    Once I served the ck tea, Damsel Scarlet smiled, ¡°I see, you¡¯ve immediately put it to use. ¡­¡­Oh my? Is this possibly¡­?¡±

    I provided milk as well.

    ¡°Since it had been frozen, its quality has deteriorated, but well, seeing how it originally was delicious milk, please give it a try, if you like. Sword, you want this, right?¡±

    Brandy.

    ¡°Ah, is that possibly¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yep, it¡¯s £Ûbrandy£Ý. I guess you¡¯d call it grape liquor over here.¡±

    ¡°Which reminds me, you mentioned that you were brewing liquor, weren¡¯t you? ¡­Would you mind sharing some of it with me? I¡¯d love to use it for my sweets.¡±

    ¡°Sure. But, please think of something to trade it for. Money is fine as well, but¡­I¡¯d be happier with something else.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I understand.¡±

    Next to me, Instructor Sword drank a sip, topped it up with brandy, drank another sip, and topped it up once more. It looks like he¡¯s nning to eventually turn the tea into brandy-only.

    £ª

    ¡°¡­Indra, do you know about ¡¾Shojo Games¡¿?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I do. I never yed them myself. I preferred ¡¾Bishojo Games¡¿.¡± 1

    ¡°Aahh¡­I suppose men would prefer those.¡±

    Sword blew out his tea.

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you, I¡¯m a woman. Now as well as in my previous life. Instructor Sword, please give me a hand here. Anyway, I¡¯ve been mistaken as a man.¡±

    Sword choked for a while.

    ¡°She¡¯s right. She does look like a guy, but she¡¯s a woman.¡±

    He properly told her.

    ¡°¡­You¡¯re joking, right?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s the truth. Her curves are so t that you could actually pity her for it, but this one here is a woman. She¡¯s bein¡¯ properly called ¡ºLady Indra¡» by the maids and servants at our base, and she¡¯s also dressed up to cross¡­err, wear a decent, female dress.¡±

    SEE! What did I tell you!?

    But not only Damsel Scarlet, but even her maid Ann stared at us nkly.

    After finallying to her senses, Damsel Scarlet muttered, ¡°¡­¡­A girl ying bishojo games?¡±

    Sword tilted his head to the side while looking at her, ¡°Rather, what¡¯re those ¡¾Bishojo Games¡¿ ¡®nyway?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d say they¡¯re games where a male protagonist sleeps around with beautiful girls.¡±

    Sword stared at me dumbfounded after I gave him an answer.

    ¡°¡­¡­Hey, your not a guy by chance, are you?¡±

    Huh? Even Sword started to say that?

 Chapter 169

    The otherworld information I taught Sword was a terrible mess, but Damsel Scarlet actually topped it off.

    ¡°Before I got reincarnated, I have yed a shojo game called £ÛRose-Colored ¡î Princess£Ý, and this world resembles the game world.¡±

    Pardon?

    For a second there, I cleaned my ear, wondering if I didn¡¯t hear correctly.

    ¡°¡­¡­Okay? I wonder, did my trantor break or something like that?¡±

    ¡°Please listen to me without averting your eyes from reality!¡±

    For some reason I got scolded. I¡¯m sorry.

    ¡°Amoner girl called Primrose was the female protagonist, but in reality her father was an earl, and after the earl¡¯s wife, who had an iron control over the earl¡¯s house, passed away, she was finally allowed into the family. And then she lived at the family¡¯s mansion, but everyone other than the earl, who had taken her in, treated her coldly, and especially her elder sister Indra terribly abused Primrose¡­ Her elder sister excused it with it being Primrose¡¯s fault for her father, the earl, paying no attention to Indra.¡±

    ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡±

    £ª

    Whoaa¡­

    Sword reflexively became expressionless as he put down his cup. Still, that¡¯s a story we can¡¯t let the maids and servants at our base hear at any cost.

    Damsel Scarlet was surprised by Sword¡¯s action. The maid also started to be wary.

    I restrained both with a hand, ¡°Don¡¯t mind Instructor Sword. It¡¯s a story from another world¡¯s game. It sounds interesting to me, so please go ahead.¡±

    Damsel Scarlet nodded while paying attention to Sword, ¡°C-Certainly. ¡­And then Primrose would enroll at the royal capital¡¯s academy. Together with her elder sister from a different mother. Because her sister would act sweet in front of her father, the earl didn¡¯t notice her true character. That is why he sent off Primrose together with her half-sister, who had answered with a smile when he told her to take care of her younger sister. ¡­That is how the introductory part goes. The game genuinely starts after Primrose has enrolled at the academy. The capture targets are the prince, his aide, the son of the Knight Order¡¯s Leader, the prince¡¯s younger brother, a musician, and a teacher. But teachers were called instructors in the game.¡±

    I had listened up to here with an asional affirmative grunt, but her next words surprised me.

    £ª

    ¡°Moreover, it also included a hidden route with a demonkin boy who was actually possessed by a demon.¡±

    I unintentionally leaned forward while Sword stirred as he was apparently surprised as well.

    ¡°Primrose can use light and holy magic, and thus she would exorcize the demon¡­or actually, the evil spirit which possessed a deep grudge, followed by the demonkin boy confessing his eternal love and loyalty to her. That was the scenario for the hidden route.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that make the hidden route the only interesting route? Though his eternal love and loyalty are unnecessary.¡±

    An exorcism sounds awesome. I can¡¯t do anything like that. I should ask Primrose about it the next time I meet her.

    As I pondered about such things, Damsel Scarlet became upset. Moreover, using some weird words.

    ¡°¡­Men, who don¡¯t y shojo games, won¡¯t understand, but I was a big fan of the prince! But, then again, Cain of the hidden route was dreamy as well¡­¡±

    I¡¯m no guy. But, I didn¡¯t y any shojo games.

    £ª

    ¡°¡­Did you discover that guy?¡± Sword asked with a serious expression.

    Damsel Scarlet shook her head, ¡°Some discrepancies between the game and this world exist. In the first ce, Indra bing amoner, and moreover a man, before being admitted into the special ss is a huge derivation. The instructor, who should be a capture target, is missing as well.¡±

    At that point, Damsel Scarlet apparently noticed something and cocked her head to the side, ¡°¡­¡­Oh my? Come to think of it, as far as I remember, the setting described the instructor as amoner and famous adventurer before he came to the academy¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s about you,¡± I dered to Instructor Sword.

    ¡°Eh? That¡¯s impossible. Rather, if I should ever run into that Primrose or whatever, I¡¯m apt to kill her.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Damsel Scarlet blinked her eyes.

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s far from bein¡¯ a small discrepancy. Maybe the ¡ºreality as it¡¯s perceived by Primrose or whatever¡» might align with that. But, in reality, it¡¯s totally off,¡± Sword spat out.

 Chapter 170

    Sword rearranged his legs, and started to speak.

    ¡°¨D¨DThis girl¡¯s father is genuine scum. He¡¯s been known as a lustful yboy for a long time. He tricked a ducal daughter and married her, aimin¡¯ for her dowry. ¡­But, the youngdy had fallen in love with the earl for real. She put shackles on him, tryin¡¯ to tie him down, but hatin¡¯ that her father scooted, yin¡¯ ¡¯round at one ce after the other. The ducaldy, now the wife of an earl, had made this girl while havin¡¯ gone nuts, and bitched ¡¯bout everythin¡¯ her daughter did. Her education was nothing short of abuse. I mean, ¡®nyone would think that a five-years old havin¡¯ perfectly mastered readin¡¯, writin¡¯, and manners is weird as fuck, right?¡±

    It seems like not everyone thought so, Sword. I wanted to give him that retort, but gave it a rest.

    ¡°And then after his wife croaked, that bum of a father came back. Moreover, with a child from ¡®nother woman in tow. Up until then, that sucker hadn¡¯t done shit for his fief, leavin¡¯ it all to other folk. But then he shamelessly came back, had a st with the money of his wife, cruelly treated the child he made with his wife, and only dotted on the girl he made with ¡®nother woman!¡±

    Oh, right. Something like that did happen, didn¡¯t it? I¡¯ve already forgotten all about it.

    ¡­is what I want to say, but Sword was really pissed.

    ¡°Themoner girl, who had no education whatsoever, had been brought up to be very egoistic. Though I think that¡¯s a normal behavior among noble children? ¡®nyway, do you really think that a girl, who didn¡¯t receive any motherly love nor fatherly love, would grow up normally if she had to watch her half-sister gettin¡¯ pampered while only bein¡¯ med for all her half-sister¡¯s failings?

    Damsel Scarlet remained silent, casting her eyes down.

    In exchange, I distinctively answered, ¡°In reality, I grew up normally, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°Your obviously sick.¡±

    Whaa! Sword poured cold water on me. Rather, he arbitrarily decided things!

    ¡°She¡¯s got no mercy for those opposin¡¯ her, and even though she can be kind to monsters who fear her, she treats dumb nobles and adventurers as inferior to monsters. She tortures without battin¡¯ an eyelid, and abuses others without a shred of conscience, thinkin¡¯ all will be fine as long as she heals them up in the end while takin¡¯ no responsibility for ¡®nythin¡¯ she does. She¡¯s a crazy girl who boasts that she¡¯s goin¡¯ to destroy this world upon her death so that she won¡¯t be dropped into this world ever again. Do you know how deep her darkness is? So? That Primrose girl was bein¡¯ treated coldly by the family that took her in? Her older sister was cold to her? That¡¯s only natural, damnit!¡±

    £ª

    Sword talked himself into fury, so I soothed him.

    ¡°Now, now, it¡¯s inevitable from Primrose¡¯s point of view, isn¡¯t it? She grew uppletely selfishly after being allowed almost anything by her gentlemoner mother and her mother¡¯s lover. But then, she was taken to a new home against her will and was treated harshly by the people over there. So it¡¯s not weird even if she perceived that as being a cold reception, seeing how she was a little child back then, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    He suddenly red at me, ¡°Your the victim here! You should have destroyed that earl house rather than threatenin¡¯ to destroy the royal pce, right!?¡±

    ¡°But, as a result of that, I was able to meet you.¡±

    Sword stopped, being at a loss.

    ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s not such a bad story for me. Besides¡­well¡­as a matter of fact, I think the ¡ºIndra who desired love she¡¯d never be able to obtain¡» died when I was on the verge of death at an age of five.¡±

    Sword and Damsel Scarlet became speechless.

    I ced a hand on my chest, ¡°The me, who¡¯s here right now, was reborn as another person who had the memories of another world inserted into her. And since I don¡¯t desire any love, I¡¯ve got absolutely no problem not receiving any either. That¡¯s why I might have been sick before I was reborn, but right now, I¡¯m very normal, you know? Isn¡¯t this world full of people who only care about their own pain and think that their own deeds are no big deal while kicking up an exaggerated fuss if they¡¯re beaten at their own little games? Am I not slightly better than them, seeing how I believe that my own deeds and paying for my deeds are no big deal?¡±

    ¡°¡­Bah, your prattlin¡¯ stuff that¡¯s nowhere near normal, aren¡¯t you? Do you understand at least that much?¡±

    Whoa! He turned my own words against me.

    ¡°¡­I am terribly sorry. I have carelessly spoken of something without understanding the circumstances¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind it. Sword is at fault here.¡±

    ¡°Huh? It¡¯s my bad now?¡±

    I nodded, ¡°I wanted to hear her story. And her story is fictional. Even though some of the developments might resemble this world, it still remains no more than a fiction. Even in the other world, it was no more than a fictional story. She mentioned that at the very start, didn¡¯t she? The one who talked about it as if it was reality was you, right? Back when I talked about using the proper weapons in games during monster hunts, you got angry at me when I didn¡¯t tell you that it was about a game, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Ugh.¡±

    It looks like I hit him where it hurts.

    ¡°I wanted to hear it. And she only talked about amonce, fictional story where the names matched reality by chance. But, don¡¯t you think it could be quite beneficial information for us, if things here resemble thosemonce developments?¡±

    Sword nodded reluctantly, ¡°¡­Now that you mention it, you got a point.¡±

    ¡°Sword. I was able to meet you, and right now I¡¯m happy. So, you don¡¯t need to dig up my past each and every single time. I don¡¯t want you to always think back on it either. We¡¯re young, so let¡¯s look at the future awaiting us. Thinking back on the past is something we can leave for our deathbed.¡±

    When I told him off like that, Sword breathed out, visibly rxing.

    ¡°I guess your right. Sorry. Scarlet, you too. Sorry for scolding you ¡¯bout some fictional story.¡±

    ¡°¡­No, I must apologize as well. Even though I had somewhat heard about parts of her backstory, I did not pay attention to my wording.¡±

 Chapter 171

    Okay, enough of that.

    ¡°Let us move on. ¨D¨DAh, but before that. Did the Indra in your story y some role in the hidden route? Sword and I have business with that hidden route.¡±

    Damsel Scarlet brooded, and then answered, ¡°¡­As a matter of fact, I did not clear the whole game. The hidden route is hard, and you quickly run into a bad end if you make a little mistake. As for Indra¡­she does appear in all routes, but her role is one of making others look better, or rather, that of a truly malicious half-sister¡­but¡­I feel like she had an important role in the hidden route¡­¡±

    ¡°Then let me change the question. Damsel Scarlet, does your character have an important role?¡±

    Damsel Scarlet jumped with a start. Moreover, she started to look pale.

    I tried to give her a peace of mind by holding out a hand and saying, ¡°I don¡¯t intend to harm you in any way. I¡¯m very tolerant towards those who aren¡¯t hostile towards me. I can guarantee you that, so please don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°¡­But, I could also do something hostile without realizing, couldn¡¯t I?¡± She asked, clearly shaken.

    ¡°Definitely not. Being hostile without realizing it is no hostility. Hostility means you would consciously choose to be my enemy and attack me.¡±

    She seemed to calm down a bit upon my deration.

    ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯m the prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e, ying the role of viiness,¡± she muttered. ¡°In the end, I would be Lady Primrose¡¯s enemy. And after being med by the prince¡¯s valet Lord Genius for all the various plots that afflicted Lady Primrose, my betrothal would be revoked. Hearing of that, I would be chased out of the ducal family for my actions would sully the duke¡¯s reputation. That is¡­my role.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, what an ordinary story. Then do you believe that I might have been burdened with such a role as well?¡±

    Damsel Scarlet was taken aback.

    ¡°¡­You¡¯re right, I just remembered. Lady Indra was good at dark magic, and deeply attracted to the good-looking Cain, who was steeped in darkness himself. Thus she amplified Cain¡¯s darkness in order to make him her own. After learning about her elder sister being a dark magic practitioner, Lady Primrose studied holy magic to deter her sister at first. But, independent of that, she met Cain and then continued to diligently study holy magic. However, this time for Cain¡¯s sake. Her elder sister became jealous about her sister and Cain bing closer, and got swallowed by her own dark magic. ¡­But, since she has ended up bing a guy in reality¡­¡±

    ¡°She hasn¡¯t be a guy. I¡¯m a woman. Or rather, I¡¯ll go back to being a woman. Then things will be a bit more interesting¡­o-ouuuch.¡±

    My temples were ground.

    £ª

    ¡°¡­Right¡­ I¡¯m sorry, but I have actually been building up awork of alibis. I have always received lessons from instructors or held tea parties with influential people whenever it seemed like Lady Primrose would be involved in an event. As evidence to defend myself. Lady Indra, you are amoner, but since you have drawn the attention of the prince and Lord Genius upon yourself, I had also been expecting that the prince would pull back, if you, Lady Indra, put in a good word.¡±

    Sword lifted an eyebrow.

    ¡­I¡¯m thankful, but it¡¯s a bother if you react to each and every little thing.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind if it¡¯s that much. After all, I¡¯m going to use you for our objectives as well,¡± I said generously and looked at Sword. ¡°You¡¯re too tense. We¡¯re of equal status, aren¡¯t we? Besides, it¡¯s not like this has anything to do with you and me. When ites to other people, you use them and you¡¯re used by them. The same applies to monsters as well, doesn¡¯t it? Our cute monsters are fed at our ce and provide us with eggs and milk in return. It¡¯s a very reasonable give-and-take.¡±

    Sword breathed out, ¡°Certainly, you got a point. Though, I¡¯m scared of your idea of using others when I hear ¡ºI¡¯m going to use you for our objectives as well¡» out of your mouth.¡±

    I feel like the faces of Damsel Scarlet and Ann cramped up a bit?

    ¡°It¡¯s just your imagination. ¨D¨DNow then, I never yed a shojo game, but what has Cain done where?¡±

    Sword looked at me with a face as if asking, ¡ºyour still goin¡¯ to continue with this?¡».

    ¡°Wait, Sword. That¡¯s a story rted to our request. If we have to stay in this academy all the time, we won¡¯t be able to go on adventures. I want to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. I must go search for £ÛCherry Trees£Ý with you!¡±

    When I shouted so, Damsel Scarlet widened her eyes as she stared at us.

    ¡°¡­Come to think of it, we agreed on that, didn¡¯t we? Is that the reason for you keepin¡¯ to stir up trouble?¡±

    ¡°Of course it is, or what did you think!? Walking through the hallways, getting the seat of the academy¡¯s strongest, and everything else was all for the sake of flushing out the culprit! Seeing how you couldn¡¯t move freely, I had no choice but to be even shier in exchange, right!?¡±

    Sword ruffled up my hair, looking full of praise.

    ¡°I see, I see, I¡¯d already wondered what you were tryin¡¯ to pull there, but now that you mention it, it does make sense.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t know the other side¡¯s objective, you have no choice but to try to meddle with them, using various means. ¡­And yet, all of these actions didn¡¯t yield a result. At least it doesn¡¯t look like they wanted to have the seat of academy¡¯s strongest, nor use some ritual after getting their hands on a frail-looking sacrifice. Because I realized that it might not work unless the sacrifice is a beautiful girl, I was nning to go with being a woman next.¡±

    ¡°No chance. At this point, no one is going to believe that you are a woman!¡± Damsel Scarlet dered decisively.

    I puffed out my cheeks in discontent, but it can¡¯t be helped either way, I guess.

    ¡°¡­But, we obtained some valuable information. The possibility of a male demonkin student who¡¯s been possessed by a spirit, huh? However, there¡¯s no one with an overly rich amount of magic elements around, is there? Wasn¡¯t it said that demonkin have lots of magic elements?¡± I asked Instructor Sword.

    ¡°Your right. They got more magic elements than humans. But, ifpared to you, you might be the one suspected to be a demonkin.¡±

    Eehh¡­!?

 Chapter 172

    I asked Damsel Scarlet about Cain¡¯s profile.

    ording to her, he¡¯s a pretty boy with indigo blue hair and eyes, but in reality, both are red. He seems to usually disguise the true colors with magic.

    ¡­That¡¯s rather vague information, isn¡¯t it? Pretty boy¡­ I can tell a beautiful girl apart, but pretty boys are out of my league. Of course, I can easily tell that I¡¯m a beautiful girl as well!

    £ª

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t he have any other outstanding traits?¡±

    ¡°He was raised without being aware that he¡¯s a demonkin. Given that it is a shojo game, the setting is a bit half-baked, but him getting possessed by a spirit should have, if I remember correctly, happened during his childhood when he carelessly broke a seal. But, there was no mention of what kind of seal and where it was located.¡±

    Hmm, in that case, it¡¯ll be impossible to investigate the seal¡¯s location, huh?

    ¡°¡­In the first ce, isn¡¯t that guy harmless anyway? He hasn¡¯t caused any trouble, has he? It might be necessary to catch him if he perpetrated more than I did, but I doubt it¡¯s a problem to leave him to his own devices if he¡¯s just a boy with a slightly bigger amount of magic elements than usual. Although you said he was possessed by a spirit, we might as well let Primrose exorcize him if she¡¯s capable of it. I¡¯mpletely thick headed when ites to spirits. Which is extremely unfortunate! I can detect wraiths, but the same can¡¯t be said about spirits at the moment. If it¡¯s something I can¡¯t handle, it won¡¯t change my inability to cope with it, no matter what I do.¡±

    Somehow it¡¯s be a major pain at this point. I want to drop this whole matter, get on Bronko with Sword, and race out of here.

    In the first ce, I¡¯ve got plenty of unfinished business at our base waiting as well. So I want to get back temporarily, wrap up everything, and then head out to search for cherry trees~!

    £ª

    ¡°Please do not look sopletely unmotivated. If I am not mistaken, I feel like the kingdom might perish if the hidden route is not handled properly.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t particrly care whether the kingdom vanishes. Let¡¯s move to the demon king¡¯s country, Sword. We¡¯re going back to our base and I¡¯ll mass produce Chars.¡±

    ¡°Please wait! I will be troubled. I have finally managed to obtain a small cheat at great pains, allowing me to eat delicious bread and drink wonderful ck tea! I have taught my family about the concept of baths and my people have started to take a bath everyday, but if the kingdom perishes, all my efforts will go down the drain!¡± Damsel Scarlet cut in energetically. ¡°I will also try to recall a bit more, so please continue your investigation. ¡­Also, about Lady Primrose¡­¡±

    Since she looked like she was going toin, I waved my hand lightly.

    ¡°Ah, I won¡¯t ept anyints. That one is unmanageable even for me. She will either break up with the prince or he¡¯ll retire from his post for her. If the prince insists on turning that girl into his queen, he¡¯ll definitely lose his session rights.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­.Is that so?¡±

    Hmm? She¡¯s be somewhat gloomy.

    ¡°What¡¯s up? Did something happen with that perverted crybaby of a prince?¡±

    She red at me furiously.

    ¡°¡­I was a big fan of the prince in £ÛRosePri£Ý!¡±

    ¡°I see. ¡­And?¡± I tilted my head in confusion.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to be the viiness! I¡¯ve put in lots of effort into evading the bad ends, but I won¡¯t give up on the prince either!¡±

    Or so she says.

    ¡°I don¡¯t quite get the romantic matters, so I can¡¯t say much more than ¡°I see.¡± For me, this world is a ce I don¡¯t want to be ever born into again and I hate meddling with the humans of this world so much that I get goosebumps, so there¡¯s no way I could answer in any other way.¡±

    Once I told her that, Damsel Scarlet cast her eyes down, ¡°¡­So that is how it is for you. But since my life has improved as a ducal daughter, I like this world. Even in regards to the prince¡­I have thoroughly trained myself to be suitable as the prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e, so I will not give up on him easily.¡±

    She sure is a role model for hard work.

    ¡°Well, just like you have a type of guy you like, the prince also has a type of girl he prefers, and in his case it¡¯s that girl. I don¡¯t know how far you¡¯ll get with this, but since love bes stronger the more obstacles it faces, confront them with reality while moderating yourself so as to not meddle too strongly. Tell them about the training for a queen, or the training for a queen, and that they won¡¯t have any choice but to be poormoners, if she hates all that training.¡±

    ¡°¡­I understood. Thank you very much for having brought that to my attention,¡± she thanked me in past tense with an expression you could call anything but grateful.

 Chapter 173

    Our current mission is to search for Cain.

    Sword was apparently patrollingte at night and investigating all students, but he couldn¡¯t grasp a single clue whatsoever. The Ryokus also searched all over the ce during the time periods we couldn¡¯t move around ourselves, but this didn¡¯t yield any results either.

    I started to think that we should just leave him alone and let Primrose exorcize him instead, but Primrose seemed to have entered the prince route, or maybe the harem route. ording to Damsel Scarlet¡¯s analysis, Primrosecked the magic power to advance into the hidden route and had been charming various other guys besides the prince.

    Yep. That girl¡¯s an idiot after all. She won¡¯t study either.

    But, that part doesn¡¯t matter as Sword¡¯s capable enough to cover her part. Given that Sword is a magician proficient enough to state, ¡ºI can use any magic other than the one your usin¡¯¡», Primrose¡¯s support won¡¯t be necessary.

    Nevertheless, if we do it like that, we won¡¯t be able to leave this ce.

    £ª

    ¨D¨DAnd Damsel Scarlet seemed to be in the middle of her ¡ºIt¡¯s a jealousy operation! E-Even I have lovers of my own!¡» towards the prince. It looked like Sword and I yed the corresponding roles, but¡­is that really going to work?

    Or rather, using that as a reason, we were frequently invited by her. To lunch almost every day. To dinner every two to three days. As presents she gave us specialties of her dukedom and various goods that were hard to obtain under normal circumstances.

    ¡°This here is gem ore you can only mine in our territory. ¡­You¡¯re fine with ores, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    I nodded after epting the ore handed to me by Ann.

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll cut it after deciding on the design. ¡­Still, even if I make an essory with this, I¡¯ve got no one whom I could actually make a pleasure with it. Even if I pass it to one of our maids, she¡¯ll probably demand that I wear it instead.¡±

    ¨D¨DAt that point, the taciturn maid Ann spoke up.

    ¡°It is amonly shared feeling among all maids that they wish their master or mistress to be adorned with expensive gems rather than wearing them themselves.¡±

    Or so she said¡­

    ¡°They¡¯re really a handful. Even this girl here, who¡¯s already half a guy at this point, had been dolled up and shown off, just because she wanted to answer the demand of the servants and maids who had been servin¡¯ her in the past, although she told ¡¯em that she became amoner.¡±

    Swordmented while unwinding over a cup of wine.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯d be troubled if it happened all the time, but I don¡¯t mind if it¡¯s once in a while. In reality, they¡¯ve been harshly trained by the Head Maid for the sake of serving me, and I¡¯ve been warned that it might be inevitable as they could be less capable if they have no opportunities to put to use what they learned.¡±

    ¡°Oh my? Do you hate being dressed up?¡±

    ¡°I prefer looking at dolled-up women over dressing up myself. That¡¯s all.¡±

    I like making clothes and essories, but I¡¯m the type who¡¯s satisfied to leave it at the level of making them.

    £ª

    And then, as for the matter of Cain¡­

    ¡°The swiftest method would be to ughter all the guys in the special and magician sses.¡±

    ¡°¡±Out of the question!¡±¡±

    I was refuted in chorus.

    ¡°¡­As for me, I¡¯d love him to cause some trouble, though. Why is he so careful anyway? If he possesses enough power to destroy the capital, he should just go ahead and use it.¡±

    Damsel Scarlet pondered.

    ¡°¡­I feel like Cain had been fighting the spirit inside himself. Usually¡­the spirit behaves when in front of other people. But, the spirit should be active under certain conditions.¡±

    Hee, that¡¯s very game-like. ¡­Wait, it was a game plot anyway, wasn¡¯t it?

    ¡°Also, I recall that the spirit became active after having its power amplified through Lady Indra casting her dark magic¡­.¡±

    ¡°On top of us not knowing who he is, I don¡¯t have a clue what dark magic is supposed to be.¡±

    It¡¯s not about creating a ck hole, is it? I think such a spell would simply vanish after beingpressed. Maybe magic that erases light would count?

    ¡°Instructor Sword, what¡¯s dark magic?¡±

    Sword furrowed his eyebrows, ¡°It¡¯s magic to increase the negative feelings of its target, I¡¯d say. ¡­It¡¯s what your doin¡¯ naturally.¡±

    I see. I certainly seemed to be a dark magic practitioner.

    When I nodded solemnly, Sword responded while rolling his eyes, ¡°That was obviously a joke. It¡¯s a magic that turns brightness into darkness. Basically the opposite of light magic. But, a spell said to darken a heart was discovered as derivation of that. It¡¯s the exact opposite of the light magic¡¯s spell system. And there are even further derivations, allowin¡¯ one to enve and dominate demons and evil spirits. The dark magic mentioned by Scarlet gotta be ¡¯bout that. Havin¡¯ your enved evil spirits or demons possess your target, you manipte and alter their negative emotions in your favor. But, if the target¡¯s already possessed, they¡¯ll employ those stray demons or evil spirits, tryin¡¯ to manipte and amplify the negative feelings so as to twist things to their advantage. By the way, so far as it goes, that¡¯s a taboo spell.¡±

    There¡¯s no way I¡¯d be capable of anything like that.

    ¡°¡­This world, where you can pull off such things with nothing more than a spell, is truly weird. I don¡¯t get the principle behind dark magic at all. Even the methods of a marriage swindlers to cheat money out of the opposite sex make more sense to me.¡±

    Sword and Damsel Scarlet looked at me with expressions full of tant disgust.

 Chapter 174

    I cleared my throat, ¡°Well, if my role is to amplify Cain¡¯s power, it should be impossible for his powers to be stronger with me being unable to use dark magic on top of not knowing who he is. However, it¡¯s certainly true that we won¡¯t make any progress at this rate. I guess we¡¯ll gather the whole lot and do an exorcism. You should be able to do that, right Sword?¡±

    ¡°...You, what are you takin¡¯ me for ¡®nyway?¡± He answered me.

    Eh? Why?

    ¡°Casting it on one person or a hundred makes no difference, does it?¡±

    ¡°That might count for you,¡± he told me.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Sword sighed at me tilting my head in confusion, ¡°...It¡¯s difficult to exin my magic to you, but normally the chants are different if you cast a spell on one person or a hundred. Also, I¡¯d like you to not forget that while you don¡¯t use the magic power in your bodymana, I power my spells through mana. If I use a spell on a hundred people, and moreover, chant several spells at the same time, my life¡¯s gonna be in danger.¡±

    For real?

    ¡°But, you haven¡¯t said that you can¡¯t do it, eh...? Nothing less of a great hero.¡±

    Oh? Damsel Scarlet has also heard about his exploits as hero?

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that Sword is a hero, but is it normal for nobles to be aware of it after all?¡± I asked Damsel Scarlet.

    For some reason she looked troubled, answering, ¡°Umm... In my case, my father has been a huge fan of Sir Sword.¡±

    ¡°¡±Huge fan?¡±¡±

    Sword¡¯s and my voices ovepped.

    ¡°My father also participated in the battle at the capital. Because I had evacuated with my mother, I only heard the details from my father, but ording to him, father challenged the demon to buy time for the king to escape, and got saved by the hero who had rushed over moments before he would have been killed, or some such... He mentioned that the extremely gruesome battle had burned itself deeply into his mind. I cannot even count how often I heard him praise ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿ for being as fast as a god of lightning with his attacks being as sharp as the fangs of a war god.¡±

    Sword turned around, and blocked his ears. He was apparently embarrassed.

    ¡°Therefore, he broke out into great cheers when I informed him of having formed a friendship with Sir Sword and his partner. Anyway, he kept saying that he would prepare anything, if only you asked him to.¡±

    He he he, that¡¯s really amazing. And it looks like there¡¯s quite many of Sword¡¯s fans around.

    ¡°You heard her, Instructor Sword.¡±

    ¡°Shut up! I didn¡¯t hear a thing!¡±

    It seems he¡¯s embarrassed.

    *

    Damsel Scarlet appeared to like curry. She constantly wanted to be invited to dinner, and kept requesting curry.

    Usually, her maids would serve her dinner. But, this was something made by me, amoner. And although she let her maids test for poison, Damsel Scarlet¡¯s request was always about curry. Because curry was too different from what they usually made, the maids couldn¡¯t prepare it for her.

    Hence, it resulted in me serving her dinner. Using that opportunity, I suggested that the maids should eat with us as well, but since they had their pride as maids, they didn¡¯t dine with us, and decided to take their meal in the same ce after our dinner, but with a partition screen set up in advance.

    ¡°Pheew, as I thought, curry is a food loved by everyone!¡± Damsel Scarlet eximed in satisfaction.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t what you¡¯d call the ¡°standard-type¡± of curry, but is that okay with you?¡±

    ¡°There exists no bad curry!¡±

    So she loves curry that much? But then again, wouldn¡¯t it be fine for her to sample all spices and try to create abination she likes?

    ...seemingly guessing what I was thinking, Damsel Scarlet closed in quickly and decisively.

    ¡°Let me tell you: I reincarnated after dying fairly young! I had passed the entry examination for a woman¡¯s university, and just when I thought things would get started from there, I died after falling down the train station¡¯s stairway! For this reason, I have not done anything like cooking and so on! At most I was allowed to help my mother when she made sweets and bread, so I vaguely remember how to make those!¡±

    Hmm,e to think of it, do your parents make the food unless you like cooking yourself quite a bit? I really don¡¯t remember that part overly well.

    ......For some reason, a weird memory suddenly revived in my mind. A memory of small pieces of steamed chicken dished out on a te which were extremely delicious. I ate them with great relish ¨D¨D I think?

    Shaking my head light since I got caught up in silly thoughts, I asked Damsel Scarlet with a serious face, ¡°Can you smoothly solve [sine, cosine, and tangent] functions then?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I was all liberal arts!¡± She told me crisply.

 Chapter 175

    I got an earful ofints while sipping on ck tea,

    ¡°...As for me, I consider you, Lady Indra, to be odd, you see? In the first ce, since I have some otherworld knowledge as well, I was nning to use it to my advantage. But, I kept running into walls like starting from growing yeast when I tried to make bread, or having no scales when I tried to make sweets! Even for cooking, I wascking soup stock! No consomme either! Making things taste totally nd!¡±

    You¡¯re getting too excited, allowing your tone to gradually be more casual, you know?

    ¡°If you cook various kinds of vegetable skins and scraps for a long time over a very low me while adding bones and pieces of your favorite meat, you just need to keep adding water every once in a while. Then, after filtering out the ingredients, you just need to cook the broth until a third or half of its original amount remains while paying attention to not get it burned in order to obtain Western soup stock. Though it won¡¯tst long if you don¡¯t have any freezing or refrigeration magic.¡±

    ¡°Seeeeee! That¡¯s the kind of cheat knowledge you blurt out like it¡¯s nothing!!¡±

    Damsel Scarlet hadpletely returned to her natural way of talking.

    ¡°Your handling of spices and herbs is amazing, too! The sandwiches during lunch are super delicious! I mean, they¡¯re even tastier than the convenience store sandwiches I ate in the other world!¡±

    Well, that¡¯s of course. The ones I¡¯ve been aiming for are the trendy sandwiches of high-ss bakeries.

    *

    Sword joined the conversation.

    ¡°...That means, Indra got a plethora of otherworldly knowledge?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not at the level of just a plethora. Look, it¡¯s not like I¡¯d ever know how to make liquor! With cooking, you could easily gather the seasonings and whip up stuff right away! Of course I¡¯ve never even tried to think of something like me being unable to make the dishes because I don¡¯t know how to make the seasonings! The biggest deal is the soap! I¡¯ve got no soap, and I don¡¯t know how to make it either! I heard that it uses some strong poison or some such, but I don¡¯t have a clue how to even obtain that strong poison! In the first ce, the poison doesn¡¯t even have a friggin¡¯ name!¡±

    Damsel Scarlet broke.

    ¡°Now, now, calm down a bit. How about another serving of ck tea?¡±

    ¡°...dly.¡±

    While at it, I cheered her up, ¡°But, you also perfected the ck tea, didn¡¯t you? This tea is truly great, you know?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I instructed them on how to make it. At most I inspected the whole process and trained the workers to do it properly by cracking down on them when they cked off. I even went as far as meddling with the selection of the tea leaves.¡±

    I see~ So it depends on the raw materials after all, I guess.

    ¡°...When it came to the bread, I was super shocked about them not using yeast, but although I didn¡¯t quite know the principle behind yeast, I recalled that Mum had crushed strawberries and used the juice after keeping it in a bottle, and that proved to be a good idea by chance. However, it¡¯s far from perfect, okay? The bread stilles out somewhat hard.¡±

    Makes sense. They don¡¯t use fermented stuff for anything but alcohol in this world. The bread is unleavened as well. And yet, they dare to have so many booze drinkers, right?

    If I remember correctly, my otherworld self also became a heavy drinker when she started to make all kinds of liquors herself. No, I suppose she simply liked fermentation.

    ¡°That¡¯s already an issue with wheat, so I cannot help you with that either. Damsel Scarlet, you¡¯ve probably noticed it yourself as well, but this ce has only one type of wheat flour like the other world in the distant past. You should make a clean cut and ept that it¡¯s like that.¡±

    This world doesn¡¯t know the concept of weak, medium-strength, and hard flour.

    *

    Now then, when I finished the meaningful chat with Damsel Scarlet, I returned to my mission of searching for Cain.

    I wonder what I should do, assuming I can¡¯t use my ¡ºstrategy of randomly ughtering all guys¡»?

    ...Just as I started to wonder about that, there was some movement.

 Chapter 176: Who Is The Mastermind?

    {???}

    ¨D¨DIn the morning¡­having said that, the sun still hasn¡¯t risen¡­I quietly got out of bed. He wasn¡¯t in the room anymore.

    I had known that he was always going somewhere for a while now. Today, I must determine where he¡¯s going every morning.

    Once I peeked out of the window, I spotted him head into the woods behind the building. Hurrying, I ran after him into those very woods.

    ¡­..Suddenly, my mouth got blocked, I was restrained, and taken somewhere at a ridiculous speed. I experienced an overwhelming fear as if I had been swallowed by a demon and kidnapped into their world.

    ¡­It means the stories about the existence of a demon in this academy, who would kidnap and eat you after they spelled you, were all true.

    £ª£ª£ª

    I brought my catch to a deserted storage house, and there I released that guy¡­¡¾Swannyboy¡¿.

    Swannyboy awkwardly looked at me while trembling, ¡°¡­¡­Indra.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the first person I¡¯ve actively taken somewhere with me, you know? Feel honored. After all, I¡¯m basically a passive person. Except for me repaying everything ten-fold, that is,¡± I closed in on him with a broad grin. ¡°Now then, I¡¯ve been aware of you secretly snooping around me. But, your magic elements are way too thin. To be honest, I have my doubts whether you could actually be even counted as a magician, so I didn¡¯t expect you to be a demonkin. In the first ce, your marks are questionable at most and your noble rank is low as well, so I don¡¯t understand how you¡¯ve ended up in the special ss. That¡¯s a clear sign that ¡ºa special reason must be at work here¡».¡±

    Swannyboy jumped with a start.

    ¡°I can¡¯te up with a solution other than that it¡¯s been ordered by someone. So, I let you run free in order to determine the mastermind. But, at this point, I got tired of waiting,¡± I nted myself in front of him, and peered into his face, ¡°You see, I didn¡¯t really want toe to such a boring academy. The sses are boring, and moreover, they keep repeating stuff I¡¯ve finished learning close to ten years ago. I¡¯m not allowed to get serious in my magic and swordsmanship sses either. Hence, I¡¯ve got nothing to do here. That¡¯s why I decided to bring things to a close as quickly as possible.¡±

    Swannyboy was visibly shuddering.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have you spit out the truth about your objective. I cannot use anything like hypnosis and so on, and thus I¡¯ll adopt a method which will urge you to speak very quickly. Moreover, if I don¡¯t return soon, not only Instructor Sword, but the other folks will notice my absence. That¡¯s why, okay? It might hurt somewhat, but I¡¯ll thoroughly discipline you so that you¡¯ll willingly tell me everything I want to know.¡±

    ¡°Sorry! Sorry! Forgive me! Please spare me since I¡¯ll tell you everything! Please! I¡¯ll tell you all I know!¡±

    He rattled down while crying and prostrating himself.

    ¡°Hmm¡­but I won¡¯t be able to tell whether you speak the truth, you see?¡±

    ¡°I promise you, I won¡¯t lie! I won¡¯t mind even if you collect evidence to prove my words! Please, just spare me from torture! Please!¡±

    Baah¡­.I can¡¯t torment scared, trembling living beings¡­

    ¡°¡­Then, out with it. First, what¡¯s the aim of your employer?¡±

    ¡°My¡­my parents were saved by my employer, and so I was told to repay the kindness. It was my first time to be ordered by my employer, but he told me to keep informing him of any information at the academy, where I¡¯d be enrolled, no matter how trivial or silly it might be. ordingly, I pretended to write letters to my parents while actually sending letters to my employer.¡±

    Hmm. In short, it¡¯s someone who knew I¡¯d be enrolled here, huh?

    ¡°What¡¯s that guy¡¯s name?¡±

    ¡°¡­Sir¡­Shadow.¡±

    Shadow¡­¡­¡­ah, that guy, eh? The cunning-looking middle-aged dude who intruded upon our rented house in the capital as Sword¡¯s acquaintance, right?

    I see. So that guy was an enemy, huh?

    ¡°Got it. Then I¡¯ll have you write a letter for me instead of torturing you. What did you n to write this time?¡±

    ¡°¡­That you were waking up before anyone else and vanished somewhere, just to return soon after, and that I headed into the woods today to determine where you were going since I saw you from the window, guessing that something had to be hidden in the woods.¡±

    I see. It makes sense that anyone would suspect me doing something shady, if watching my actions from the side, I guess.

    ¡°Leaving aside magic, my swordsmanship would be rusty with the half-assed training taking ce several times a week at the academy. I¡¯ve been training myself everyday since I was five years old, and I never missed out on it either. Rather than sniffing around, you should put some effort into training yourself after writing some random reports to get yourselfbeled as ¡ºuseless¡». You told me that you¡¯re going to be a valet, but that¡¯s out of the question with your low level of strength, you know? Our maids and servants are far stronger than any low-level adventurer. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t be able to protect their master, right? Isn¡¯t that the pride of a valet?¡±

    Swannyboy apparently suffered a shock.

    ¡°Write that I¡¯ve been doing sword training in the woods. It¡¯s a fact known by Instructor Sword, too. And then lend me your letter for a bit. Once I give it back, put your seal on it and send it out. ¡­You don¡¯t want to be tortured, right?¡±

    He nodded with such a force that I thought he was head-banging.

    ¡°Then do as told. Even if you consider to trick me, I¡¯ll immediately find out, you know? Well, I don¡¯t mind if you prefer learning it the hard way, though. Feel free to try underestimating me.¡±

    In no time, he yelled while bawling, ¡°I won¡¯t! I definitely won¡¯t go against your orders! I¡¯ll do as I¡¯m told! So please, save me!¡±

    He said¡­

    He makes it sound as if I¡¯m the viiness here!

 Chapter 177: A Sudden Inspiration!

    Unfortunately, Swannyboy was a dud. Well, I now know it¡¯s wrong, but I wanted the mastermind to be Cain. The reasoning of him gathering information about me by using a pawn out of caution towards my magic elements would be ideal, but since Swannyboy¡¯s story sounds a lot more coherent, I¡¯ll ept it as a truth ¨C unwillingly.

    Me being put in the same room as Swannyboy was intentional as well. Swannyboy¡¯s eyes when looking at me were full of fear, and thus he shouldn¡¯t normally approach me if that much would be enough to scare him, but he still approached me actively from day one.

    Having me crossdress as a boy was probably for cing me in the same room as Swannyboy as well. It¡¯s a trick a cunning guy like that would likely pull. If I remember correctly, he said that he¡¯s an aide of the king or some such, so he should have more than enough authority.

    The request itself was already plenty fishy, but while this is yet another disappointment, Damsel Scarlet hasn¡¯t lied. That¡¯s why Sword and I have been likely set on this matter.

    ¡­Anyway, I just need to pay him back ten-fold.

    £ª£ª£ª

    {Shadow}

    ¨D¨DA letter was delivered to Shadow. After clearing out all the people, Shadow opened the letter in his private room.

    The letter didn¡¯t mention anything significant.

    ¡°¡­This time the contents are unusually tame. For her to train herself everyday means she has a fairly diligent side to her as well, huh?

    ¡­.Still, her befriending Damsel Scarlet is a very troublesome matter. Duke Chaudgal is generally known to be a big fan of ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿. Sword himself didn¡¯t pay any heed to it since he hates such things, but I wonder how she will act¡­¡±

    The instant he threw the letter into the firece while talking to himself, a loud voice suddenly boomed at him.

    ¡ºShadow or whatever you¡¯re called! You have be my enemy, right!? Forcing a debt of gratitude on Swannyboy¡¯s parents, you threatened the boy into snooping around my matters, didn¡¯t you!? I have been provided evidence of it! If you want to be my enemy to such an extent, I¡¯ll humor you! And pay you back ten-fold! I will also threaten and subjugate those you love and respect to have them monitor you! If you think I can¡¯t do that, you¡¯re heavily underestimating my abilities! I¡¯ll make you fully realize that!¡»

    As soon as the yelling stopped, an explosion urred.

    £ª

    Someone was loudly banging against the door.

    ¡°Lord Shadow! Are you alright, Lord Shadow!?¡±

    While listening to the voice and banging, he reconsidered that he made a huge blunder.

    ¡­¡­.I belittled the one called Indra Springcoat. I underrated her far too much.

    Shadow stood stock still in his room that had turned into a ruin.

    £ª£ª£ª

    Now then, it looks like it¡¯s going to be fun if Shadow bes my enemy. I¡¯ll be able to torture him to my heart¡¯s content without a pang of guilty conscience, right? I sent a deration of war, but I wonder how he¡¯s going toe at me?

    I¡¯d love him toe up with many, many meticulous and sly ns.

    Either way, who¡¯s Cain? Even Damsel Scarlet has been saying that she hasn¡¯t found anyone resembling the Cain from her memories¡­and now that I know the request¡¯s client, wouldn¡¯t it be fine to wrap up this request by saying ¡ºThe mastermind are you! Shadow!¡»?

    While at it, I¡¯ll go and beat up Shadow ck and blue. He¡¯s just your average, sly, middle-aged dude with a somewhat good-looking face anyway, isn¡¯t he¡­?

    ¡°Ah,¡± I had a good idea how to find Cain.

    ¡­¡­Whenever I catch sight of that girl, some guy is always with her, sheesh.

    While thinking so, I called out to her, ¡°Primrose!¡±

    ¡°Oh! Big Brother!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s wrong!¡±

    It¡¯s going haywire from the very start. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t want to talk with this airhead. I really don¡¯t want to do it, but this method should work.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to rely on your appraising eyes.¡±

    ¡°Huh? You want to rely on me, Big Brother?¡± She answered while turning red.

    ¡­¡­Why are you turning red, girly?

    ¡°Primrose. Tell me the names of all male students you currently consider as desirable.¡±

    Primrose immediately became dumbfounded.

    ¡°¡­¡­Big Brother? Are you possibly jealous?¡±

    Just what¡¯s this girl thering?

    ¡°Stop it with the nonsense. You seem to have a discerning eye for boys. For this reason, I¡¯d like you to name all the guys you regard as lovely. Given that I¡¯mpletely ignorant of such matters, I want to use you as reference.¡±

    To identify Cain.

    Primrose was dumbstruck for a moment, but immediately rebooted, and nodded.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­Umm, okay, I got it! First off, Prince Elias!¡±

    ¡°I know about him.¡±

    ¡°Lord Genius.¡±

    ¡°Him as well.¡±

    ¡°I heard that Lord Direck over here is the son of the Knight Leader, but he¡¯s wild and lovely,¡± she said while pointing at a burly man behind her.

    Eh¡­¡­.this bundle of muscles is cool? His height is rather short, and so are his legs. Somehow he¡¯s ring at me, but he¡¯s no good, considering he loses in swordsmanship against that perverted crybaby of a prince.

    ¡°Also, Lord Shell. We attend music sses together, and he¡¯s a very dreamy man.

    Hmm, that means he¡¯s the musician capture target, huh?

    ¡°Anyone else?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Hmm¡­ Ah, Lord Karent! He¡¯s the younger brother of Prince Elias, but he¡¯s a very adorable boy!¡±

    Okay, that boy¡¯s background should be pretty clear, I suppose. So if I had to force a guess, it¡¯d could be the Shell guy.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there anyone else?¡±

    ¡°Ah! Most recently, Instructor Sword¡­¡±

    ¡°That guy¡¯s out of the question. Isn¡¯t there anyone else?¡±

    Hmm, I guess I¡¯ll give the Shell boy a whirl¡­

    Just as I ced my hand on my chin, pondering, Primrose continued, ¡°There¡¯s one more. Someone that piques my interest. But¡­I never talked to him before. He¡¯s always so quiet and inconspicuous, so I feel like I should maybe talk to him, but he quickly runs away as soon as my attention is diverted by something else. He¡¯s almost like a fleeting dream¡­¡±

    ¡­¡­What kind of person is that supposed to be?

    ¡°If you ask me, he sounds like a wraith, but whatever. So? What¡¯s his name?¡±

 Chapter 178: Letéˆ¥æ©² Have A Chat With Cain

    {???}

    I went down the stairs on a stairway in a deserted area with no one nearby. Recently I¡¯ve started to avoid other people even more than before.

    ¡­¡­If I have to live in such fear, I might as well¡­¡­

    Just when I thought, someone suddenly showed up in front of me. Even though I didn¡¯t even sense theming up the stairs¡­

    ¡°Found you, ¡¾Cain¡¿. No, you were called Smith around here, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    The one chatting me up with a smile was that famous boy.

    £ª£ª£ª

    The name Primrose mentioned at the end was likely his true name. But, she probably couldn¡¯t capture him since her magic power was toocking to challenge the hidden route, if you put it into game terms.

    ¨D¨DThat means, Smith must be Cain, if you leave out Sword who¡¯s no member of her reverse harem. ¡­But, was such a boy attending this academy?

    When I asked Sword while tilting my head in confusion, he confirmed it, saying that the name is listed in the student register.

    ¡°Good job! I wouldn¡¯t even have dreamed of findin¡¯ him by referrin¡¯ to the boys your sister likes. Well done, really,¡± he praised me and stroked my head. ¡°A member of the magician ss, huh? He¡¯s frighteningly good at erasin¡¯ his presence. At this rate, he can easily be an assassin, can¡¯t he?¡±

    I mean, even my detection skills didn¡¯t identify him. And since he didn¡¯t leave any impression on Sword either, he¡¯s truly not to be underestimated.

    ¡°However, once I catch him, he won¡¯t be able to get away anymore,¡± Imented with a broad grin.

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t go and kill him all of a sudden,¡± warned Sword.

    I answered with a nod, ¡°I don¡¯t know his objective. No, I don¡¯t even know whether he has an objective to begin with. But, for the time being I¡¯m going to have a chat with him and if he proves to be harmless, I¡¯ll let him go. As long as he hasn¡¯t abandoned his body, things are going to work out one way or another.¡±

    ¡°Wait, that would be equivalent to him havin¡¯ died, you know?¡± Sword retorted.

    ¡°That¡¯s not set in stone. If a demon is the wire puller here.¡±

    £ª

    ¨D¨DAfter that conversation, I caught him, and brought him over to Sword¡¯s ce.

    ¡­Somehow he¡¯s looking like he¡¯s about to be pulled on the executioner¡¯s block any moment¡­

    ¡°¡­Hey, isn¡¯t it kinda harsh for you to have tortured him out of the blue?¡±

    Smith trembled with a start.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything like that. Or rather, I haven¡¯t done anything to him at all. We haven¡¯t even talked yet.¡±

    With that as the impetus, we had a chat.

    ¡°Hello, you¡¯re a member of the magician ss, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯m Indra. A student of the special ss!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s with that fishy introduction?¡±

    The peanut gallery should stay out of this!

    ¡°As a matter of fact, I came to this academy after being used by a heinous viin! On the pretext that something is urring in this academy! Do you have an idea what that might be?¡±

    Smith shook his head while quivering.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know either? I¡¯vepletely given up all hope in finding out as well! But, the viin, who¡¯s using Instructor Sword and me, won¡¯t let us leave this academy unless we find ¡ºthat something¡». For this reason, I¡¯ve been thoroughly trying everything around here! I meddled with the guys, who picked a fight with me on the first day, the prince, his valet, Damsel Scarlet, Swannyboy, and now you!¡± At that point I peered into Smith¡¯s face, asking, ¡°Say, are you a demonkin?¡±

    Smith widened his eyes, the blood visibly draining from his face.

    I fixedly stared at him, ¡°Hmm, I imagined demonkins to be surrounded by a far denseryer of magic elements, but you¡¯re different. Or is the evil spirit, who had been sealed before possessing you, concealing your magic elements?¡±

    Smith was gawking, so frozen in his movements that I started to wonder whether he was still breathing. And he didn¡¯t talk to me at all.

    ¡°¨D¨DIn reality, you see, it was apparently nned for Primrose, my dumb younger sister, to exorcize the evil spirit haunting you, but look, my sister is stupid to the core, you know? Even if she might possess the talent for light and holy magic, she can¡¯t use them as the dumb mutt she is. ¡­Because of that, I called Instructor Sword! The instructor will carry out your exorcism!¡±

    I pointed a hand at Sword full of pride. Once I looked at him, he was pulling a miserable face, though.

    ¡°Indra, somehow I¡¯ve started to pity Smith, so could you leave it at that?¡±

    No look, I was talking because he hasn¡¯t said anything, okay!?

    And then, just when I thought Smith was trembling, his magic elements gushed out.

    ¡°Oh? The real deal is making its appearance?¡±

    ¡°Rather, ain¡¯t that a normal demon?¡±

    We had such carefree talk, but in the meantime the magic elements kept gaining in intensity.

    ¡­But to be honest, it¡¯s no big deal¡­the amount of magic elements is lower than the guy I met during my A-Rank exam, not to mention thest boss of the capital¡¯s dungeon.

    The magic elements took form.

    A fleeting demon in the shape of what seems to be a woman? If anyone asked me to describe a ghost, she¡¯d perfectly fit the bill.

    ¡º¡­¡­Please wait. Smith hasn¡¯t done anything wrong¡»

    She covered for him!

    Hmm? She doesn¡¯t really seem to be an evil spirit, does she?

 Chapter 179: Primroseéˆ¥æ©² Mind Eye Was Amazing

    ¡ºI¡¯m a nameless demon. Smith is certainly a demonkin, but he had been picked up as a baby and then raised by his foster parents. He always worried and suffered about being different from the other kids around him. Only his parents supported him. ¡­I had been sealed in a cave where he got locked up by the children as a prank. His wish of ¡ºwanting to go back home¡» resonated with me. I also want to go back home¡­ Having been summoned into the material world and sealed away, I always wanted to go back to the spirit world¡»

    Hmm, I see, I see? So Smith wants to go back to the demon king¡¯s country?

    ¡ºBecause I resonated with him, I became able to upy Smith¡¯s body. But, we haven¡¯t done anything. We just wish to ¡ºgo back home¡»¡»

    Sword scratched his head, asking me telepathically, ¡°What we gonna do ¡¯bout this?¡±

    ¡°Okay, it¡¯s true that you haven¡¯t perpetrated anything, I suppose. Well, Miss Nameless Demon, I have heard and understood your wish. Sending you back is easy enough. ¡­¡­It is, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, light magic would normally work on a demon,¡± Sword chimed in.

    ¡°So, Smith, where¡¯s the ce you call home? Guessing from the story just now, it¡¯s not your parents¡¯ home, is it?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Smith finally spoke up for himself, huh?

    ¡°But, I always felt that this isn¡¯t the ce I belong to. I feel grateful towards my parents for picking me up and raising me. But, everyone other than my parents shunned me, so I always thought that I want to go back to some ce I can call home,¡± he exined to us while squeezing the words out through his tears.

    £ª

    After pondering about it for a while, it suddenly hit me.

    ¡°I got it. In other words, you want to be an adventurer!¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it.¡±

    I was denied in no time.

    Bahh¡­then what?

    ¡°I nned to leave the mansion which was the root of all persecution and abuse by my parents, but I didn¡¯t have a ce I wanted to go to, you see?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­If one is as strong as you, I think it¡¯s possible to build your own home even without going back, but I¡¯m not as strong as you are.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re just not training enough, right? Your negligence in putting forth effort to train yourself is grounded in your parents pampering you, isn¡¯t it? ¡­I see, that¡¯s the reason why you should be able to get along with my sister, too.¡±

    Cain, now Smith, lifted his face, and stared at me, ¡°¡­¡­Eh?¡±

    ¡°My sister Primrose, you see, was raised by her mother, the lover of Earl Springcoat, while being spoiled. Earl Springcoat yed around while using the fortune of my mother, and generously spent money on his lovers. Using that cash, Primrose and her mother were able to lead a luxurious life in town despite beingmoners. But then my mother died, and at almost the same time, Primrose¡¯s mother died as well, resulting in my scummy father marching back into the mansion. With Primrose in tow. The mansion¡¯s servants and maids tried to teach manners to the overbearing, willfulmoner girl, who had received a culture shock, but it was bound to fail for that spoiled, forgetful retard, leading to Primrose¡¯s father ming me for the inabilities of hismoner daughter.¡± I raised a finger at Smith. ¡°In other words, in the eyes of Primrose, she had spent a happy life of being pampered in a way that she didn¡¯t need to learn anything about being amoner, but then was suddenly tossed into the world of nobles, just to get treated coldly by anyone around her other than her father. Believing her father¡¯s words, sheined about her elder sister being at fault for everything,mented about her gentle mother not being with her anymore, and grieved over her own misfortune. Hence, I can easily guess that Primrose would certainly sympathize with the story of your life, believing that she had experienced the same.¡±

    I see, I see. Primrose¡¯s ability to see through trashy guys, who got pampered to no end, is not to be underestimated.

    ¡­¡­But wait, if that¡¯s true, her having zeroed in on Instructor Sword means¡­he also has such a part to him?

    When I looked at him, I immediately received a grounding of my temples.

    ¡°Your thinkin¡¯ some weird shit ¡®gain, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    I shook my head violently.

    Once I turned my eyes back at Smith, he seemed to have suffered a shock. I smiled at him, ¡°Isn¡¯t it wonderful that you were kindly raised by parents who didn¡¯t give birth to you? I was disciplined by my birth mother to the extent of abuse and torture, and the man, who appears to be my father, told me, ¡ºWe don¡¯t know who might have fathered you, so it¡¯s not said that I¡¯m your father¡», you know? Well, ever since the age of five I¡¯ve lived afortable life without having to think about not having a ce to call home, though. The trick to that was me discarding all expectations towards other people. Because you want others to act as you hope, you harbor that ridiculous dream of wanting to go back to some ce where you belong someday. Other people live their own lives. They act in a way befitting themselves, so you have to act in a way befitting yourself.¡±

    Smith had listened to me while being dumbfounded.

    ¡°Now that we¡¯ve confirmed that Smith is a pampered boy, who hasn¡¯t even put in any effort into anything, without possessing any relevant power either, it¡¯s time to exorcize him. Sword, I leave it to you.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Your truly meticulous in shreddin¡¯ other people¡¯s hearts to pieces, aren¡¯t you? Even I felt like cryin¡¯ there.¡±

    Why!?

 Chapter 180: I Reformed Smith!

    ¡°P-Please wait! I don¡¯t have any friends other than this demon! If the demon is gone¡­I¡­¡±

    bbergasted, I spoke up.

    ¡°¡­And for that reason you¡¯re going to tie down a spirit world dweller who wishes to go back home? You let the demon possess you willingly, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Smith jumped in fright.

    Okay, this time I got it right.

    ¡°Give up. If you really consider the demon your friend, see her off with a smile, even if you might miss her. If you only want to satisfy your own needs while clinging to that demon as your only friend from now on as well, I won¡¯t mind you letting her possess you. But, I¡¯ll need to report it, and if something that could be rted to you happens in the future, you¡¯ll likely be killed without any questions asked. Bind the demon to yourself while being resolved for that.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­..Eh¡­¡­.?¡±

    I shrugged my shoulders exaggeratedly, ¡°You¡¯re no threat whatsoever for Sword and me, but a ¡ºdemonkin who let himself possessed by a demon¡» will likely be seen as threat by people not knowing your circumstances. We want to leave this ce as soon as possible, so if we inform the request¡¯s client that we allowed the demonkin boy to remain possessed upon his own request since he¡¯s no threat to us and that we leave the rest to the discretion of our client, he¡¯ll likely dispose of you in one way or another.¡±

    Smith became ghastly pale and cast his eyes down.

    ¡°¡­Your truly a sadist to no end.¡±

    Why!?

    I think I just told him about reality and what to expect in the future.

    ¡ºYou won¡¯t be lonely if youe with me to the spirit world, you know?¡»

    The demon tempted as you¡¯d anticipate from a proper devil, but Smith shook his head.

    Figures! I mean, that would mean he has to die!

    ¡°Okay, then bid farewell to her. I wanna get on with this and exorcize her as soon as possible.¡±

    Despite ming others for this and that, Sword is trying to smoothly wrap up the whole matter as well.

    ¡°¡­¡­Thank you for everything up until now,¡± Smith muttered.

    ¡ºSmith, please widen your view. I¡¯m sure there are people out there who understand you, so don¡¯t give up¡»

    After giving that sound advice, the demon let herself being exorcized by Sword.

    The End.

    £ª

    ¡°She wasn¡¯t strong or anything like that, so I kinda pity her for having been sealed away.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s the level of strength for normal demons, but that¡¯s also seen as threat level A-Rank. Your threat level as the one describin¡¯ her strength as weak should be beyond S-Rank, I¡¯m sure.¡±

    Like U (Ultra) or some such?

    While thinking that, I looked at Smith.

    Oh, his outward appearance has changed somewhat. His eyes have be crimson. And the amount of his magic elements has gone up a tiny bit as well, I feel. But, it¡¯s just a weeny bit.

    ¡°From now on, train yourself and foster your abilities so that you won¡¯t need to rely on anyone else. Give it a rest and graduate from being pampered by your parents and depending on others. You¡¯re a guy, aren¡¯t you? If the thing dangling between your legs isn¡¯t a fluke, then stand on your own two feet.¡±

    As soon as I finished speaking, my head was hit by a fist.

    ¡°Ouch!¡±

    ¡°Your really vulgar! No wonder that you yed games¡­with pretty girls as a male protagonist despite bein¡¯ a woman yourself!¡±

    Nothing less of Instructor Sword, that was a beautiful retort.

    ¡°Yep! But, I don¡¯t like harems. I¡¯m the type who ys with just the pretty girl I like! The exact opposite of Primrose!¡±

    ¡°Oh really. To be honest, I don¡¯t give a shit, so can you stop with the vulgar remarks?¡±

    He emphasized.

    Meanwhile Smith was standing stock still with an expression as if having suffered a shock.

    ¡°¡­¡­Certainly, it¡¯s vulgar.¡±

    It got emphasized once more!

    But, apparently having understood what I wanted to tell him, he lifted his face after obviously brooding for a bit.

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t have a demon as a friend anymore. You¡¯re right, I¡¯ll try to be a bit more assertive. So far I¡¯ve spent every day erasing my presence so as to not have my true identity exposed, but since some people seem more demonic than demonkin, and others have been possessed by a demon much stronger than me, I¡¯m sure that someone like me is no big deal.¡±

    ¡­¡­..

    Hmm? What does he want to tell us with that?

    After saying all that, he briskly left.

    £ª

    When I saw Smith again several dayster, he was being swarmed by cute girls. He had apparently acquired a skill to buy their sympathy with his own trademark routine (stories of his suffering and unhappiness). Showing a devastated expression (out of calction), he led the girls around by the nose.

    ¡­Okay, he¡¯s standing on his own two feet, and he appears to enjoy his school life. That¡¯s great to see.

 Chapter 181: Letters From Swan 1

    I¡¯m Shadow, a close aide of King Arkhide. I¡¯ve been serving King Arkhide since early childhood. I overcame many difficulties for the king after deciding as a little boy that I¡¯d serve him for life. I devoted every day to that very task.

    £ª

    ¨D¨DWell, my king was a bit of a rascal during his younger days and developed a hobby of roaming the city. He kept me on tenterhooks as I couldn¡¯t get him to listen to me, no matter how often I warned him, and sure enough it soon led to an incident where he got caught by crooks.

    While being ced in such an extremely dangerous situation, he was saved by an adventurer boy who witnessed the whole affair by coincidence. Ever since then¡­my king took a liking to that adventurer¡­Sword, and favored him.

    As a result of that partiality, Sword turned into a slightly troublesome man as he wasn¡¯t only outstanding at martial arts, but was even well-versed in magic arts.

    Moreover, he became even more troublesome when he was hailed as a hero after overachieving in the attack on the capital ¨C although it was great that he protected the king, of course.

    But, it was only until then I could have crushed him whenever I felt like it.

    Then he became even more of a pain after finding a partner and forming a party with her. I had heard the rumors about her, but although I called her over after being asked by the king since Sword and her had achieved the great feat of clearing the capital¡¯s dungeon¡­the human, who became Sword¡¯s partner, was bad news on all ounts.

    She¡¯d be a major source of trouble, if she became hostile to us. Given that Sword himself had dered that he¡¯d support his partner, I had no choice but to discover her weaknesses and tame her by using those weaknesses against her before she turned on us.

    Fortunately, an interesting rumor reached my ears, and so I used it for my purposes. Because I had the perfect pawn at hand as well, I decided to put up a request and use that pawn to have him investigate her.

    I installed my pawn in the special ss, had her be his ssmate and roommate, and ordered my pawn to sound her out while acting as if he couldn¡¯t overlook a troubledmoner.

    The pawn was an amateur in all respects, but that¡¯s because a professional would have likely been found out by them in no time.

    And then, several days after I instructed my pawn to send me letters describing even the smallest trivialities, a letter arrived on the day they enrolled at the academy.

    £ª

    ¡º

    Month ¡ð Day ¡Á

    The student admitted into the special ss was amoner with the name Indra. He¡¯s a very pretty and delicate boy.

    But, even in my eyes as a child of a poor baron family, his attitude was daring and boldpared to themoners I met so far.

    He surveyed the entire ss with a smile that could be perfectly described as fearless. Are active adventurers people who feel so menacing?

    When our eyes met, I immediately ended up looking downwards.

    Indra was called out by Viscount Yearner and his followers after school. I couldn¡¯t stop them.

    In a hurry, I searched for the only one who might be able to do something about this¡­the other adventurer, Instructor Sword, and informed him about it.

    Hearing my exnation, Instructor Sword pped his forehead.

    ¡°Ugh, it¡¯ll be great if those guys¡¯re still alive¡­¡±

    I thought I might have misheard his muttering, butter I realized that I didn¡¯t misunderstand at all.

    ¡°Ryoku! Do you know where I can find Indra!?¡±

    ¡°Aye Sir!¡±

    ¡°Hiii!¡±

    I got startled by a monster suddenly popping out of nowhere, but got pacified by Instructor Sword. ording to him, that thing is a golem.

    Then Instructor Sword roared at a band coiled around his wrist.

    I was surprised since I could hear Indra¡¯s voice out of that band. But, I guess adventurers, who are hailed as heroes, naturally possess incredible magic tools. Amazing.

    Since Instructor Sword went over to rescue him, I returned to my room, believing that things would work out one way or another.

    Just in case, I prepared some emergency medicine, but Indra came back without a single scratch or dirt on him. We had a chat, but somehow we talked past each other. I didn¡¯t understand what he was telling me. But, somehow it looks like I¡¯ve done something unnecessary.

    ¡»

    £ª

    ¡º

    Month ¡ð Day ¡Á

    Viscount Yearnerined about Indra, saying that Indra used violence to torture him.

    ¡­¡­Isn¡¯t it the other way around? was what I wondered, but either way, hisint was rejected. If Viscount Yearner had been tortured as he imed, wounds should be still left on his body, and yet nothing like that could be seen anywhere.

    Viscount Yearner seemed devastated by that verdict. Seeing him like that, Indra said with a bored look:

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s so dull. Hey, couldn¡¯t you have put a bit more effort into yourint? I couldn¡¯t even get my fill of joy out of this, you know? The standard for situations like this would be me getting caught in a dilemma after being falsely used of a crime by you, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    I doubted my own hearing. Just what was Indra saying there?

    Viscount Yearner got upset at Indra, but his followers all shook their heads, saying, ¡°Nothing happened.¡±

    Even when being asked by Indra, ¡°I don¡¯t mind you guysing at me as well, you know?¡±, they only answered, ¡°We will never defy you, Sir Indra.¡±

    Nobles added an honorary title when addressing amoner. Anyway, Viscount Yearner screamed that he would never get involved with Indra again, and ran out of the room while crying.

    Indra watched that happen with a very bored look. I don¡¯t know just what happened between them, but Indra seems to be strong enough to win against those troublemakers.

    ¡»

    £ª

    ¡º

    Month ¡ð Day ¡Á

    As soon as break started, Indra would stand up and leave the ssroom. I followed him several times, but he was merely walking through the hallways. Well, maybe he found out about me tailing him.

    ¡­¡­Still, it bothers me quite a bit how he was walking in the middle of the hallways while acting like he was owning the ce.

    Everyone else was afraid of him, and avoided crossing his path as much as possible. Some people even escaped into their ssrooms.

    Because I got scared as well, I decided to stop tailing him.

    ¡»

    £ª

    After massaging his temples, Shadow tilted his head to the side in confusion.

    ¡°The part about her merely walking through the hallways bothers me. Very likely she¡¯s looking for the demonkin mentioned in the request, but why is she using that method to do it? Let¡¯s have my pawn find out the reason. ¡­Still, torturing a noble on the first day of school, huh¡­? Maybe I should say that it¡¯s just as expected of her¡­? Moreover, she possesses magic going beyond Sword¡¯s that allows her to heal wounds without a single scar or trace so that the victim¡¯sints are regarded as nothing but exaggerations¡­ I guess that makes it even more clear just what a troublemaker she is.¡±

    Shadow was relieved that he wasn¡¯t at the academy as a student right now.

    ¡º

    Month ¡ð Day ¡Á

    I asked him about the reason why he was walking through the hallways like that. In response, I got a surprising answer.

    ording to him, he wants nobles to pick fights with him!

    Though, I doubt anyone would pick a fight with him, if he walked around while looking at everyone with such a threatening, domineering attitude! At least I would never be able to call out to him or anything like that!

    He told me that he wishes to experience themonce story of a frail-looking, pretty boy being bullied by an intolerable noble, but I think Indra is incredible for calling himself a ¡°frail-looking, pretty boy.¡± Certainly, he is pretty, but why does he believe he¡¯s frail-looking? I think he¡¯s the one being intolerable, and not some noble, but even though I think so, I would never be able to honestly tell him so.

    After we had that conversation, he drew the attention of Prince Elias and Lord Genius. I told him to behave for mercy¡¯s sake, but my prayers were in vain. Indra told the prince, who¡¯s the strongest in the academy, that he¡¯s aiming to take the seat of strongest.

    Seeing how veins popped out all over the prince¡¯s temples, I became ghastly pale. It was clear that the prince was pissed. Since Indra gave it the finishing blow by calling the prince¡¯s matches prearranged when Lord Genius told him about the prince being the strongest in the academy, I started to cry for real, expecting that this was doomed to end very badly.

    ¡­In the end, the prince challenged Indra to a duel, and Indra epted it indifferently, saying that Instructor Sword would need to agree first.

    To make matters worse, Indra told the prince that he was free to use underhanded means when the prince told him to not use any foul means.

    It made me acutely feel that I really don¡¯t want to be here anymore.

    ¡»

    £ª

    Once Shadow finished reading, he massaged his temples.

    ¡°¡­Well, why not. Prince Elias opposed the king¡¯s enthronement. He¡¯s a fool prattling about usurper behind the king¡¯s back. It might be just perfect if she and him crush each other. At least it¡¯d be much better than them bing friends,¡± he muttered with a sigh.

    Does she have no weaknesses? Amoner making the nobles scared of her at a nobles¡¯ academy isn¡¯t normal by any means¡­or rather, she¡¯d be the only person to do something like that.

    Even Sword had his fair share of troubles at that academy. Since he was backed by Prince Arkhide back then, he simply avoided being harassed publicly. But, for Indra, who has no backer, to make light of even the prince while being even more domineering than nobles..

    Shadow sighed once more.

    Anyway, I¡¯ll wait and see what the next report tells me.

 Chapter 182: Letters From Swan 2

    Chapter 182 ¨C Letters from Swan 2

    Month o Day x

    Instructor Sword apparently approved of the duel against the prince. It was carried out during our swordsmanship lesson.

    But, with both being forbidden to fight directly, Instructor Sword took out a huge chunk of an arm. It looked totally disgusting.

    Instructor Sword called it the "Arm of a Cyclops." ording to him, it was very tough, and sure enough, it did look solid. Then again, I didn''t really want to look at it all that much.

    As might be expected of the prince, he wasn''t perturbed by it at all. The same applied to Lord Genius as well. And of course, Indra, too.

    Indra reluctantly epted the sword handed to him by Instructor Sword, and quickly chopped up the arm in an indifferent manner as if cutting through soft, boiled vegetables.

    The prince...readied his sword in a cool way, and swung it down. It was a beautiful sh, perfectly following swordsmanship theories.

    But, the sword was repelled after nking shrilly.

    ...Huh?

    So it''s hard after all?

    With Indra it felt like he was cutting through something soft, though...

    They switched swords and also locations. The prince hadined that the ce where Indra hit the arm was softer than his.

    I don''t think I was the only one believing that he was probably wrong about that.

    Indra might not be a human, was a thought crossing my mind. At least, I couldn''t consider him to be the same human as I am.

    Then again, I can''t really consider the prince or Lord Genius to be humans of the same kind as I am either...

    Indra felt like some other kind of creature. That''s why I felt like Indra would be able to cut the monster arm, which was described as "very tough" and couldn''t be cut by the prince.

    And that feeling came true. The prince couldn''t cut the area Indra had cut earlier while Indra easily cut the arm at the new spot. Then he went on to even skin the arm with nimble, practiced hand movements.

    "Even a monster, which was hard enough that it would cause chips in the de if hit by the prince, can be easily cut by Indra with a kitchen knife," Instructor Sword exined.

    Apparently the prince coulde to terms with that.

    Limited to the sword, that is.

    Next, he challenged Indra to another duel. But this time during magic ss. The prince was number one in magic at the academy, so he probably believed that he''d be able to win with magic arts.

    Personally, I expected that he wouldn''t stand a chance, though. After all, it sounded impossible that Indra, who was brimming with so much confidence, wouldn''t be able to use magic.

    In reality, Instructor Sword tried to stop the prince, but had to give up in the end. Still, the instructor told him something as crazy as "I won''t give a damn even if you die.

    I wondered whether the prince would be alright.

    Indra yielded the first move to the prince, and stood still while carefreely chatting with Instructor Sword.

    It sounds like Instructor Sword can use abbreviated spell chants! I''ve heard about such people existing, but I didn''t think that Instructor Sword would be one of them!

    When I stared at Instructor Sword full of respect and awe, the prince finished his chant and invoked his favorite water magic spell.

    In the brief time I worried that even Indra wouldn''te out unscathed from this, if he got directly hit by that spell, the magic vanished.

    " Eh?"

    Everyone''s voices and hearts synchronized. No one understood what happened. Only Instructor Sword had expected that oue, and asked Indra how he pulled this off.

    Indra answered with some iprehensiblyplicated exnation. Sorry, I couldn''t understand any of it, so I won''t write about it here.

    I tried asking Indra after everything was over, but I still couldn''tprehend the exnation. Still, it''s clear that Indra is a very smart boy.

    Prince Elias imed that Indra had relied on Instructor Sword, but at this point everyone else knew that he was wrong about this. Indra told him that he''d show proof, and the instant he finished speaking, Prince Elias got attacked by magic.

    Even as I''m writing this, I still don''t know what happened. Explosions urred next to the prince, and the prince was mercilessly tormented by those. The prince was swallowed by the sounds of explosion, unable to dodge them.

    I was dumbfounded. It looked like Indra had used magic, but...lndra didn''t chant anything. He didn''t even use any gestures or anything like that.

    And yet, the prince was toyed with by a magic attack I''ve never seen before and which seemed to originate from Indra.

    Indra said with a broad grin, "If we leave him like that for the entire magic lesson, he''ll probably understand my true strength."

    ...I froze in ce due to Indra doing something like this while saying all that to the prince.

    I was scared. I don''t know what''s going to happen to me, if Indra should ever find out about me spying on him. Am I really going to be alright?

    ...After this, Lord Genius begged Indra to stop the magic against the prince while prostrating himself, and thus Instructor Sword had Indra cease the duel. Instructor Sword should have been able to stop Indra as he''s the hero [Thunderp

    Whitefang], right?

    Indra is someone who can''t be stopped by anyone other than a hero. I feel like that means he''s as strong as a dragon or demonkin at this point. Isn''t Indra more powerful than the demon said to nest in the academy?

    Indra, who caused even cockatrices to be frightened of him, innocently rejoiced over bing the strongest in the academy.

    *

    Shadow rubbed his eyebrows, and ended up unconsciously putting too much strength into it.

    " Sword uses abbreviated chants, and she goes beyond that, using no chants at all, huh? This is...very troublesome. On top of that, she can cancel out magic ? I knew that she''s strong, but for her to go beyond any human boundaries to such an extent "

    Shadow had be increasingly frightened as he read the letter. Swan''s fear was palpable from them as well. Shadow was uncertain whether it was good or bad that the prince had been beaten so devastatingly.

    If the prince finds out about me having sent her into the academy, it might give his faction an excuse for a purge.

    "...Alright, I got it. Anyway, I''ll have themplete the request. No matter what result it might yield, it''ll be fine as long as it has some kind of oue. And then it''ll be fine to have them quickly exit the academy. Let''s get him to put a bit more effort into his spying. Since she''s been carefreely aiming for being the strongest at the academy, she''s most likely not even suspecting that she''s being spied on."

    He encouraged himself and Swan.

    *

    Month o Day x

    Everyone was nervous since it''d be Indra''s first lesson in manners today. We had the lesson together with another ss.

    The nobledies of that ss were receiving education indyship as their main objective. Prince Elias''s fianc¨¦e, Lady Scarlet, and the rumored Lady Primrose were in that ss as well.

    Having the lesson together with a ss like that and teaching manners to Indra themoner...everyone was dejected, wondering what kind of punishment game this was supposed to be.

    Anyway, everyone in our ss prayed so that Indra wouldn''t go berserk and treat the manners instructor kindly.

    Indra''s partner had to be, of all people possible, that ducal youngdy...Lady Scarlet!

    Everyone became ghastly pale. Though Lady Scarlet seemed to be unperturbed as she probably hadn''t heard any of the rumors about Indra.

    ...Lady Scarlet was famous for being strict and not even shying away from giving Prince Elias her opinion. Of course, her conduct and manners were perfect as the prince''s fianc¨¦e.

    I couldn''t fathom what might happen. And to make matters even worse, Indra and Lady Scarlet had to start off the lesson! At this point, I was already sitting at the edge of my seat, praying with all my might.

    Yep, I fully understood just how much we had underestimated the man called Indra. We thought he was some randommoner. I didn''t realize the depth of Indra''s abnormality.

    He perfectly escorted Lady Scarlet in a much more refined and stylish way than I could ever hope to pull off, and achieved perfect grades on all ounts. His whole performance was perfect, from the beginning to the end.

    Even the instructor couldn''t help but to shout, "Marvelous!"

    It was my first time to hear that instructor use such a term. And yet he was an instructor who nitpicked even when it came to the prince''s manners...

    Once the instructor asked Indra while being surprised about her outstanding manners, Indra told him that he''d been taught the manners of men and women wlessly until the age of five.

    I doubt you''d find such people even among the nobility.

    And then Indra looked down on us with a sneer as if scorning some lowlymoners, andughed.

    "Your training iscking because you nobles ck off too much," Indra dered bluntly and walked away while escorting Lady Scarlet.

    --Incredible. Is Indra really amoner? Personally, I can''t believe it.

    Month o Day x

    Indra seems to get along well with Lady Scarlet, his partner during the lesson in manners the other day. After being invited over for tea by Lady Scarlet, he was in a bind about a valet attending together with him, and thus I offered my help.

    Seeing him thank me with an innocent smile made it hard for me to believe that he''s a scary man, but...

    Starting with the greeting, Indra was perfect during the entire tea party. I doubt that this person has any weaknesses. Though, I couldn''t understand many of the things he talked about with Lady Scarlet. But, it sounded like most of it was about foodstuff. At least, he spoke about things such as where he obtained certain ingredients and so on.

    Even Lady Scarlet appeared to be astonished by Indra''s wealth of knowledge. The rumors stated that Lady Scarlet has been contributing a lot to the development of her family''s fief, but even she couldn''t help but reveal her true face out of total surprise when she heard Indra''s replies to her various questions.

    I was worried that I might be persecuted by Lady Scarlet for having witnessed her unguarded moments, but it was a big relief that she didn''t seem to mind it. Lady Scarlet also said that Indra doesn''t seem like amoner at all and that talking to Indra is simr to talking with Prince Elias.

    I think both have be very close.

    *

    Shadow massaged both temples.

    "Things sure have be troublesome. So she became friends with Scarlet Chaudgal, huh? ording to gossip, she''s a very perceptive and strong-willed girl, but...if she forms bonds with Indra and Sword, I fear that the duke will immediately get on board as well. Or rather, I''m sure he will force his way in. Assuming the duke hasn''t changed, it''s pretty much set that the Duke Chaudgal family will back her."

    Lifting his face, Shadow looked in the distance with unfocused eyes.

    "...Seriously, this whole request is aplete failure. Now that it''s turned out like this, I don''t care anymore as long as I can get at least some gain out of this. Rather, things have started to gradually develop to her benefit, haven''t they? Damn it...doesn''t she have any weaknesses whatsoever?"

    He sighed for the umpteenth time.

    *

    Month o Day x

    Lady Scarlet and Indra appear to get chummier by the day. This time it looks like Indra has invited her over for tea, but it sounds like they''ll have their tea party at a ce other than Indra''s room.

    Given that Lady Scarlet and Indra have been chatting with smiles whenever they run into each other, it''s clear that Lady Scarlet doesn''t hate or fear Indra. That makes her an amazing person in my eyes.

    As I thought, the mental fortitude of the prince''s fianc¨¦e is not to be underestimated.

    Every once in a while, he also exchanges greetings with the rumored Lady Primrose. Indra always looks very unwilling whenever it happens, but Lady Primrose looks at him all smiles.

    I''ve also heard her use ''Brother DearestA, but that must be my imagination, right?

    I think Lady Primrose is amazing as well. ...Or is Indra possibly kinder to women?

    Also, I realized it only very recently, but Indra''s mornings start very early. He appears to get up long before I do. And he''s doing something in the time I need to sober up.

    As soon as I wake up, he''s already gone or has alreadye back, so I have no idea where he''s going every morning.

    *

    Shadow brooded.

    "Weak towards women? As a weak point? But, she''s a woman herself, isn''t she? Well, I suppose it means she''s treating women like a gentleman. I''ll ask him to keep watching the situation for the time being. It''d be great if I could have Scarlet Chaudgal be her weakness, but Also, I''ll have him investigate just what she''s doing so early in the morning. Then again, I doubt it''s going to be a weakness, considering her lifestyle."

 Chapter 183: Letters From Swan 3

    Chapter 183: Letters from Swan 3

    T/N: A small apology for yesterday¡¯s release as the lettering was indeed too small and the contrast a bit too weak. I fixed it today morning.

    ¡º

    Month ¡ð Day ¡Á

    Atst I was able to wake up right after Indra left. Because I spotted him heading into the woods behind our dormitory, I rushed out of the room in a hurry, following him.

    Indra was doing morning practice. Apparently training his swordsmanship.

    As the rtionship between Indra and Lady Scarlet had continued to grow closer, everyone started to gossip about them. But, since Prince Elias was sharing a happy rtionship with Lady Primrose, it seemed to be tit for tat.

    ¨D¨D¨D¨DLastly, I don¡¯t think that Indra has any particr weaknesses. He¡¯s as fearsome and strong as demons while being a human.

    A demon can be defeated with light or holy magic, but the same cannot be said about Indra. I think it¡¯d be the smartest choice to avoid angering him, or even worse, turning him into an enemy.

    ¡»

    £ª

    The letter this time didn¡¯t contain anything overly interesting. I¡¯m worried about hisst lines, but overall it was a normal letter.

    ¡°¡­This time the contents are unusually tame. For her to train herself everyday means she has a fairly diligent side to her as well, huh?

    ¡­.Still, her befriending Damsel Scarlet is a very troublesome matter. Duke Chaudgal is generally epted to be a big fan of ¡¾Thunderp Whitefang¡¿. Sword himself didn¡¯t pay any heed to it since he hates such things, but I wonder how ¡°she¡± will act¡­¡±

    The instant I tossed the letter into the firece while speaking to myself, ¡ºShadow or whatever you¡¯re called! You have be my enemy, right!?¡» thundered a loud voice, ¡ºForcing a debt of gratitude on Swannyboy¡¯s parents, you threatened the boy into snooping around my matters, didn¡¯t you!? I have been provided evidence of it! If you want to be my enemy to such an extent, I¡¯ll humor you! And pay you back ten-fold! I will also threaten and subjugate those you love and respect to have them monitor you! If you think I can¡¯t do that, you¡¯re heavily underestimating my abilities! I¡¯ll make you fully realize that!¡»

    As soon as the yelling stopped, the letter exploded.

    £ª

    ¨D¨D¨D¨DSome time passed with Shadow having been confined to his own room.

    A letter was delivered to Shadow who was being tormented by regret. It had already gone through an inspection.

    Shadow opened the seal, slowly pulled out the paper, and started to read.

    ¡º

    Month ¡ð Day ¡Á

    I thought I wasn¡¯t qualified anymore to send you any letters, but I got worried what might have happened to you, Lord Shadow, so I have taken the liberty to send you onest letter.

    Lord Shadow, please forgive me.

    Indra caught me before I sent thest letter, and as he threatened to torture me, I spilled everything and agreed to his conditions for sending that letter.

    Indra apparently added some trick to it, but I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s done with it. Therefore I cannot tell whether you¡¯re alright.

    I spent my days in fear of what I should do if Indra or you did something to me, butter on I received a simple message telling me to stop the investigation, and after my parents visited and spoke with me, my heart calmed down somewhat.

    ¡­To be very frank, from the very start it was unreasonable for someone like me, who isn¡¯t brave, careful, smart, and trained, to spy on a superman like Indra. As I spent my days feeling guilty and frightened of Indra, I started to resent you who forced such a life on me, but it¡¯s also true that you helped my parents. As such, I want to end this work after writing to you what kind of person Indra is in my eyes.

    Indra always seeks the thrill. On top of his spirit, body, and magic being ridiculously strong, he finished all his education during his early childhood, so he¡¯s always bored.

    For this reason, he tried to pick fights with nobles, got involved with the prince, and sought experience anyone else would regard as crazy.

    But, deep down he might be a generous and gentle boy. He¡¯s undoubtedly kind towards women and he apparently forgave me for spying on him when I honestly apologized, going by him interacting with me normally.

    Because of that, I think Indra is going to forgive you as well, if you apologize, Lord Shadow.

    ¨D¨D¨D¨DI don¡¯t know whether this is something I should tell the aide of the king, but for Indra¡­status doesn¡¯t matter, I think.

    Indra is the strongest person in this world, and not only this country, who can¡¯t be caught by anyone. I think it¡¯d be in the best interest of the kingdom to get along with Indra.

    Please excuse me for writing all kinds of impertinent things. I¡¯ll pray for your safety, Lord Shadow.

    ¨C Swan Bally

    ¡»

 Chapter 184: I Accepted A Request From Damsel Scarlet!

    Chapter 184: I epted a Request from Damsel Scarlet!

    Our request finished without a hitch. The matter with Smith was reported by Instructor Sword, and I waited for Shadow to make a move.

    Currently I have a Ryoku stand watch. I was wondering how Shadow mighte at me, but since he was summoned by the king after his room blew up, he talked about his blunders, and requested his own dismissal and additional guards for the sake of the king''s safety, but the king rejected all of it, dering that he''d personally apologize, if I should ever show up in front of him.

    Shadow became ghastly pale when he heard that, and insisted on offering his head to me, but the king had him withdraw without hearing any of it.

    Shadow wasn''t dismissed nor imprisoned, but given that it was still a fact that he made a mistake (everyone should have heard my voice as I made sure that it''d be yed back very loudly before the letter would explode, if the letter should be burned), he was confined to his own quarters.

    The part of him sitting on his chair with his shoulders slumped and his face covered by both hands in full despair was truly nice! As long as it wasn''t him acting.

    Because food couldn''t pass through his throat either, it looks like he suffered quite a bit of damage.

    I''d like him toe up with a few more, borate schemes, but...well, whatever.

    Let''s send him another loud voice mail when he calms down a bit!

    ¡®When I went to Damsel Scarlet to bid my farewell, since we''d finally leave this ce, she suddenly grasped my hands with her bowing deeply at me.

    "Please! Consider it an act of mercy! With the end-of-term ball beforesummer vacation, the route for my downfall will be set!"

    She frantically begged me to stay just a bit longer.

    Because I was one of the people who could prove Damsel Scarlet''s alibi and the only witness who wouldn''t yield to the authority of the prince and his noble friends, she wanted me to be a witness stating that I was always with her, if the prince and his people should use her falsely.

    "...If Lady Primrose has entered the prince or reverse harem route, it''ll spell my bad end. In the case of the other routes, and especially the Cain route, it''d develop into Lady Indra experiencing a bad end, but given that you''ve enrolled here as male student, I can''t believe that this will happen. In case of my bad end, they should attack me, aiming for me to break off the engagement. Otherwise, a marriage with Lady Primrose will be impossible, so..." Damsel Scarlet exined while looking pained.

    "Hmm, I got it ...Well, I''m an adventurer. If there''s a request, I won''t turn it down, depending on the request reward, you know?"

    "I will shower you with money!" "No, I don''t need any money. Let''s see... We''ve opened a restaurant at our base. You''ll preferentially sell your ck tea to that ce at a cheap price."

    Damsel Scarlet nodded with a prim face, "I understand! If that is the price to have you help me out, I will make it happen by any means necessary!" "I see. In that case I''ll pitch in and help you."

    With that said, I epted a new request. And while at it, I secured myself a steady supply of delicious, ck tea!

    Once the end-of-term & graduation party is over, we''ll head back to our base as I have to work on everything I neglected once again...ah, but before that, we''ll head over to the sea! I gotta stock up on ingredients once

    more!

    Sword went to the guild and was currently absent. Maybe he ran away as he didn''t want to attend the party.

    When I looked around me, surveying the party venue, I spotted Smith who was being swarmed by chattering girls while donning a sad look. Once our eyes met, Smith grinned broadly and came over.

    "Thanks for the advice."

    He even thanked me, but I wonder why?

    I tilted my head in confusion, "...Did I give you any advice worth mentioning?"

    "You said that I don''t like being popr with multiple members of the opposite sex like Lady Primrose, and you also mentioned that Lady Primrose and I share simr circumstances. ...In other words, I''d be able to do the same as Lady Primrose."

    Oh, I see!

    I understood Smith''s point, pped my hands together, and said, "Now that you mention it."

    "Once I actually tried it out, it went extremely well. ...But, could you keep it a secret?"

    "It''s not like I n to gossip about you anyway. Rather, I''ll dly cheer you on as you stand on your own two feet, you know? I hate pampered brats, but I''m able to kindly watch over those who are independent."

    Smithughed at my remark without answering, put on a sad expression again, and left.

    Okay, I guess he''ll be fine from now on. It''s great to see that he''s enjoying himself.

    The one approaching me next was Swannyboy.

    ¡ª¡ªEver since having his true identity exposed, he''d been suffering with his fear of me growing even worse, but he told me (with a quivering voice) that a letter had arrived, telling him to stop the investigation.

    Afterwards, his parents visited for an emergency meeting, and talked with several people, resulting in his behavior normalizing.

    "...I experienced various shocks after meeting with you, Indra. Looking at you, you seem very free as amoner. I talked with my parents, and since we have some people in our family who becamemoners and started their own business, we decided that I''d go to their ce after my graduation."

    Swannyboy opened up to me about his life story, "...I''m bad with social stuff, and my grades aren''t overly good either. I was able to enter the special ss thanks to Lord Shadow''s influence, but I felt very out of ce over there. That''s why I''ll be transferred to a ss fitting my status and academic abilities during the next ss change. I think I might be able to spend a more rxed time from now on. ...Sorry for tricking you and investigating you behind your back."

    ¡ª¡ªSwannyboy truly reminds me of the cockatrices living at our base. They also looked at me with such upturned, frightened eyes when we met for the first time.

    "Why? I had fun with it. Your roommate being a spy is a verymon story, after all!"

    Swannyboy revealed an ambiguous smile at my cheerful answer.

    "...I''ve always been thinking so, but Indra, what you considermon isn''tmon at all, is it?"

    "Don''t mind the small stuff. Some of the Fthrilling storiesa I know simply go like that."

    "...I see... Indra, you always looking for exciting things stems from you not understanding how exciting you are, right? I was very excited, always wondering what you might pull off next. But, in the end, I think I had fun."

    "Oh! That''s what being a man is about!"

    As Iughed together with Swannyboy, the friendly chatters around us suddenly stopped, and the looks of everyone focused on the stage.

    "Ladies and gentlemen, please listen! I want to use this opportunity today to talk about a single, pitiful victim, the crimes done to her, and the criminal whomitted those very crimes!"

    When I turned my eyes in the same direction as everyone else, I saw the spoiled crybaby prince whining atop the stage.

 Chapter 185: Witnessing The Site Of A Judgment (Despite Also Being A Villainess)

    Chapter 185: Witnessing the Site of a Judgment (Despite also Being a Viiness)

    After the venue exploded into a flurry of whispers and stirs, things calmed down, and everyone stared at the prince.

    ¡°The victim is Primrose! The girl standing right next to me! She had to experience all kinds of harassment!¡±

    The prince put an arm around Primrose¡¯s shoulder while fervently exining everything in detail. All of it pertained to insignificant incidents such as her being pushed down a stairway, her chair being dirtied, and her being thrust aside.

    I tilted my head in confusion.

    ¡­.They didn¡¯t brand her with a hot iron or some such? The bullying of girls sure isme. Yet, the noble boys had tried to mark me with a hot iron and turn me into their ve, no?

    ¡°¡­The criminal¡­who schemed all of these atrocities¡­is you! Scarlet!¡±

    Once the prince finally reached his punch line, a loud chattering filled the venue while everyone simultaneously stared at Damsel Scarlet.

    £ª

    Damsel Scarlet¡¯s face went pale, but even so, she boldly lifted her face, and responded to the prince, ¡°Prince Elias, what kind of farce is this supposed to be?¡±

    ¡°You are a farce! Scarlet! Fearing that your position as my fianc¨¦e would be stolen by Primrose, you harassed her so as to keep her away from me, didn¡¯t you!?¡±

    ¡°¡­Do you have any proof? You are not using somemoner here. using me, the daughter of a Duke, without any proof whatsoever would be preposterous, even for you as first prince, do you not agree?¡±

    Damsel Scarlet¡¯s voice was trembling. It looks like things were proceeding in the same way as in the shojo game.

    ¨D¨Dording to the story I¡¯ve heard from her, Damsel Scarlet will be expelled from the academy, moreover beaten up by the male students who bear a grudge against her, andmit suicide, or she¡¯ll be disinherited by her family as someone who brought shame to her family¡¯s reputation, get banished to a foreign country under the pretext of studying abroad, and die on the way after being murdered by bandits, if Damsel Scarlet appears as viiness.

    By the way, in case I y the viiness, it looks like I¡¯d die after some secret maneuvering in such a wretched state that it¡¯d only invite pity.

    I see. A battle, huh? If the pampered crybaby prince were to be the strongest in the academy, he¡¯d likely be able to kill everyone with ease, even if they all came at him at once. Ah, if the capture target Sword also fought, it might be possible to have a slightly more gorgeous battle, maybe?

    ¡­is what I thought while watching the usation scene with my arms folded. Now then, I wonder when¡¯s the perfect time for me to enter the stage?

    After listening to Damsel Scarlet¡¯s words, the prince smiled in a way like a horse that was having a flehmen reaction. ¡­I can only see him as the viin here. That¡¯s really a prince? Seriously?

    ¡°Of course, I do! Primrose witnessed it! Until now she had remained silent as she feared you, but atst she opened up to me with a heavy heart! And I, as the first prince, will be the backer for her testimony. With this you won¡¯t have any objections, right? ¡­Direck, arrest Scarlet!¡±

    ¡°Please wait! I¨D¨D¡±

    ¡°¨D¨DYes, Your Highness! Shut up, you wench! No one is going to believe your nonsense anyway! Realize the pain you caused Rose!¡±

    The muscledckey took big strides towards Damsel Scarlet while interrupting her words and hurling insults at her.

    Whoa, he¡¯s definitely a sadist who loves to torture those weaker than him. He¡¯s totally looking down at her with a sadistic smile on his lips.

    The muscle buffoon tried to grab Damsel Scarlet¡¯s shoulder who was trembling despite remaining steadfast.

    ¡­.It¡¯s now or never!

    ¡°!!¡­Gyaaaaaa!!¡±

    The muscle buffoon crouched down while holding his hand.

    I had burned his hand as he was about to touch Damsel Scarlet!

    ¡°¡­Could I have you desist from touching Damsel Scarlet with your filthy hands?¡±

    At once, everyone¡¯s eyes focused on me. And everyone simultaneously drew back.

    ¡­Hey, why are you pulling back FROM ME!?! Well, whatever. It¡¯s stylish if you look at it like a drama act.

    £ª

    Damsel Scarlet looked back at me with a face on the verge of tears, yet full of relief.

    ¡­Still, her face immediately cramped up as soon as she saw me being all smiles. What¡¯s going on?

    ¡°¡­Indra¡­¡± The prince groaned.

    ¡°Damsel Scarlet is my friend. If she¡¯s being treated as a criminal for no reason, I¡¯ll adopt appropriate measures, you know? Luckily, Instructor Sword isn¡¯t present right now. ¡­So there¡¯s no one here who could stop me, you see?¡±

    The instant I said so, everyone tried to get away from me as far as possible for some reason. Somehow everyone has gathered near the doors. Why?

    Hmm, it¡¯s kinda like I¡¯ve be the leading part of a drama, but this doesn¡¯t really sit well with me.

    £ª

    The prince kept rambling, apparently flustered, ¡°R-Rose is your little sister, isn¡¯t she!?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s why I know her quite well. Did you hear the tragic story of the Earl¡¯s noble daughter Indra Springcoat¡­and do you know why she became amoner?¡±

    The prince remained silent. Meaning, he knows about it.

    ¡°Primrose being unable to keep manners is all because of Indra, Primrose being unable to properly greet others is all because of Indra, and Primrose¡¯s way of eating being a total mess is all because of Indra¡­well, everything and anything was med on me. And once I was gone, Damsel Scarlet became the new target for all those ridiculous ims, I guess.¡±

    I walked up to the stage while keeping my eyes on the prince. The prince gradually retreated while looking uneasy as if he lost all of his earlier eagerness.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you way too conceited about being loved by Damsel Scarlet? It¡¯s pretty much set in stone that a pampered crybaby prince¡­a brat, who can¡¯t beat me in anything, will be removed from the session line and be ¡ºamoner who might have been a prince in the past¡», and yet you say you¡¯re going to back Primrose? Don¡¯t make meugh, snotty brat. ¡­Your reason for ming Damsel Scarlet really pisses me off as it reminds me of Primrose¡¯s trashy scum of a father.¡±

    ¡­Recalling the events from back then still makes me furious.

    ¡°¨D¨DThat guy truly med me for each and every little problem. Even when Primrose tripped over her own feet, I was faulted for having been too far away to catch her. I remember how he expressly visited my room and barked at me, ¡ºYou dumb bitch. Didn¡¯t Primrose get injured because you weren¡¯t by her side to prop her up!?¡». And right now you¡¯re trying to do the very same to Damsel Scarlet, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Probably understanding that my anger level had risen sharply, Primrose¡¯s little goonies drew back when they saw me climbing on the stage.

    A small boy swiftly hid behind Primrose, and a boy with a delicate face fell over and peed himself.

    And from behind, I heard¡­

    ¡°¡­As I thought, Indra is much scarier than any demon or demonkin¡­¡±

    ¡°I fully agree with you on that¡­¡±

    ¡­such mutterings.

 Chapter 186: Lying Is Wrong, Okay?

    Chapter 186: Lying Is Wrong, Okay?

    The one being steadfast was his underling. While the others drew back like scaredy cats, hiding behind Primrose, he stepped forward.

    ¡°¡­It is true that we have proof. An eyewitness gave testimony.¡±

    I folded my arms with a faint smile on my lips.

    ¡°¡­Hoh? Then you won¡¯t mind letting me hear that testimony as well, right? And I¡¯ll have them answer my questions. If they can¡¯t answer fluently, I¡¯ll determine it to be all lies.¡±

    ¡°¡­Got it. Witness,e forward.¡±

    But, no one stepped forward.

    ¡°Looks like there¡¯s no witness to begin with. So it was all nonsense after all, huh? ¡­Lying to me like this sure is gutsy.¡±

    Once I caused a window to burst with my magic, people all over the venue screamed hysterically.

    ¡°Wait! We¡­we have a witness! We really do! She just doesn¡¯te out because she¡¯s scared of you. ¡­Hey! Show yourself! ¡­¡­You!¡±

    The underling dragged a female student out by force, but on top of crying, that girl was mostly sitting¡­looking like a puppy who wants to crawl back into its dog kennel at this very moment.

    ¡°Come on, tell us the truth. You saw it, didn¡¯t you? You just need to honestly recount the events you witnessed. ¡­I¡¯ll protect you.¡±

    The girl finally seemed to calm down a bit due to his whisper, and started to speak with a trembling voice.

    ¡°Repeat it once more.¡±

    I had her repeat her words.

    ¡°Repeat it once more.¡±

    She repeated a third time while I checked that her statement remained the same.

    ¡°Then, let me ask you: what was your objective in being over there at that time?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Eh?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m asking for the reason ¡ºwhy you were there in person¡». No one would go to such a deserted ce without any cause to do so, right? So, why did you go there?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Umm¡­¡­¡­ ¡­¡­For some reason¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°For some reason? ¡­Hoh? I see. Then let me ask you next, what time is it now?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m asking you what time it is now.¡±

    Appearing panicked, she looked around herself.

    ¡°You don¡¯t own a watch?¡±

    ¡°There are clocks installed all over the academy. It¡¯s not strange for her to not have any on her, is it?¡± The underling butted in from the side, seemingly unable to bear it any longer.

    ¡°I see. So basically, she doesn¡¯t have the habit of always checking the time, does she? ¡­In that case, why <strong>could you precisely tell the time</strong> when the crime happened?¡±

    The witness became ghastly pale.

    ¡°Come on, tell me so I understand. From your position, where you had been during the time, <strong>you couldn¡¯t check on the time</strong>, and yet <strong>you precisely identified the time</strong>, repeating it thrice. Why?¡±

    She started to tremble violently.

    To be honest, it¡¯s clearly a leading question. But, this reaction shows that she¡¯s lying, doesn¡¯t it?

    The underling apparently realized that she was making it up, too.

    ¡°Hey! Be honest! If you tell us the truth, you¡¯ll be forgiven, I¡¯m sure. If you lie, you¡¯ll be doubtlessly killed by the monster in front of you, however.¡±

    Who¡¯s a monster!? Who!

    £ª

    She broke down crying, crying, ¡°Sorry! I lied! I haven¡¯t seen anything! I was told to say this! I was told by Lord Direck to say this!¡±

    ¡°What was that!?¡± The underling raised his voice while the prince lightly clicked his tongue.

    ¡­¡­Hmm, so the prince knew, eh?

    ¡°He told me to act as witness since it was clear that Lady Scarlet was the one behind Lady Primrose¡¯s plight, just that they werecking the proof for it. He told me to be the witness because Lady Scarlet is the noble daughter of a ducal house and that Lord Genius mightin about there being no proof! My father enlisted in the Royal Knight Order, and I epted this task because it was the request of the Knight Leader¡¯s son, but if I had known¡­if I had known that it¡¯d be so dangerous, I would have turned it down!!¡±

    Dangerous, she says¡­lying is wrong to begin with, girl.

    ¡°For you to readily help out so that someone else can be attacked through your lies¡­you sure seem to be a dumb birdbrain. ¨D¨DIn that case, let¡¯s have the same done to you. I¡¯ll dly test out whether you¡¯ll be able to cheerfully say, ¡ºAww, we¡¯re the same now?¡», when you see how the folks, who spread lies about you, frivolouslyugh while you despair over being unable to get anyone to believe you that you¡¯re being tricked and that it¡¯s all untrue.¡±

    ¡°Sorry! Forgive me! Please, forgive me!¡±

    ¡°What, you don¡¯t need to apologize. After all, you¡¯ll experience the same from now on. I¡¯ll use all my power to have you fall in the same dilemma, okay? Look forward to it,¡± I gently admonished her.

    But, she only kept apologizing like a broken record.

    ¡°Look, if everything could be resolved with apologies, state authorities wouldn¡¯t be necessary, right?¡±

    She was repeating herself even while I made that remark. Maybe she¡¯s actually repeating her apologies to prevent me from speaking.

    ¡°Shut up.¡±

    In the end, I silenced her with a vacuum pack. After wing at her own throat, she copsed.

    Atst I got her to be quiet. It¡¯s wonderful how silent it has be all of a sudden. ¡­Ah, but, I might have ended up silencing her for eternity so it could get a tad difficult to have her experience the same, I guess. What a bummer.

 Chapter 187: Iéˆ¥æ©ªl Resist, Even As Villainess

    Chapter 187: I¡¯ll Resist, even as Viiness

    ¡°Now then¡­Hmm? Did I mishear? I felt like you said you had a witness? Let me ask one more: You did say that you¡¯ve got a witness, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Hearing my questions, the underling admitted with a distressed look, ¡°¡­This was my failure. But! It¡¯s a fact that Primrose came to harm!¡±

    I told him with a broad grin, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure. Back when I was still at the earl¡¯s mansion, Primrose apparently met the same harm. And ording to Earl Springcoat who doted on her, it was all my fault. You heard about that as well, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°gh! ¡­¡­What if¡­what are you going to do if Primrose really came to harm?¡±

    What¡¯s this guy saying?

    I asked him in return, ¡°What did she do when I actually came to harm?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    The underling suddenly fell silent. ¡­I see. So he does know howmoner students are being treated over here.

    ¡°The harm you say befell Primrose isn¡¯t, to be frank, anything noteworthy in my eyes. ¨D¨DDid you know? Whenmoners enter this academy, they¡¯re forced to undress, get branded with a hot iron, and are treated like ves; all in the name of a ¡¾Wee Party¡¿. Did Primrose experience anything like that?¡±

    Hearing that, his expression immediately changed, and he thundered, ¡°I would never allow anyone to do something like that to her!¡±

    ¡°Shut your trap. I wasn¡¯t asking about what you¡¯d allow or not, but whether Primrose had it done to her, idiot. Learn to listen and understand what you¡¯re told.¡±

    After the underling knitted his eyebrows, he cast his eyes downwards while answering, ¡°¡­She didn¡¯t.¡±

    I shrugged my shoulders, ¡°Then she didn¡¯t experience anything of note. No need to get angry over small things, is there? By the way, I almost had a hot iron pressed on my body on my very first day here, but I don¡¯t view it as a problem whatsoever, you know?¡±

    ¡°You paid them right back, didn¡¯t you!?¡±

    Given the underling¡¯s retort, I asked him, ¡°Then, what about the other folks who couldn¡¯t fight back? Did you people do anything for them? Did you use the perpetrators of their crimes like you¡¯re doing now? ¨D¨DCome on, tell me, Prince of Overflowing Justice and His Highness¡¯s Little Goonies. What did you do about folk who experienced a lot worse than Primrose? Did you call out on the criminals? And why did you allow them to carefreely repeat their crimes with smug faces until I gave them their due revenge?

    Rather than that, why did you treat only Primrose, who hasn¡¯t even suffered all that much, like some tragic heroine while framing Damsel Scarlet to be a criminal like those noble brats who branded others and abused them as ves? Now, don¡¯t hold back and tell me so that someone like me also gets it, my dear Heroes of Justice.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Genius hung his head in silent shame, looking very awkward, while the prince averted his eyes with a snort in apparent annoyance.

    Seeing their reaction, Iughed scornfully.

    ¡°What incredible sense of justice you guys have. It makes me feel like puking. Primrose failed in everything and anything all by herself. But, that girl¡¯s fatherid the me for everything on me, and because of that she grew up to be a pampered little princess. Since she always needs someone to take responsibility for her own failures, she¡¯s just trying to find a new victim to me,¡± I spat out, ¡°So? I guess the lot of you chose Damsel Scarlet as that new victim. ¡­Humph! Wouldn¡¯t you just need to me me for all her blunders instead of Damsel Scarlet? I mean, I¡¯m already used to it anyway!¡±

    The instant I said so, the prince and his underling stared at me bbergasted.

    ¡°So, isn¡¯t it fine to just continue with the well-established practice? There¡¯s no need to expressly choose Damsel Scarlet for that task. I¡¯m right here, you see? I won¡¯t run or hide either.

    ¨D¨DHurry up, you who brandish that fake justice of yours! Unload all of Primrose¡¯s blunders on me! I¡¯ll take it all on, fair n¡¯ square! All of you,e at me! I¡¯ll turn the tables on you so easily that it¡¯ll beughable!¡±

    ¡°¡±What are you talking about!?¡±¡± The prince and his underling retorted simultaneously.

    I wonder why. Even though I seem to have been on the brink of bing the viiness here, isn¡¯t it just fine for me to be one for real?

    ¨D¨DOh right! I¡¯ll be a viiness and use the ensuing cmity to toy around with these guys in all kinds of ways!

    Yahoo! Finally it¡¯s be interesting!

    ¡°Viiness Indra, here Ie!¡±

    When I made that deration, not only the two, but everyone else as well, became dumbfounded.

    £ª

    ¡°¡­¡­Lady Indra, I feel terribly sorry to march on your parade when you are enjoying yourself so much, but please allow me to state my own rebuttal before that.

    ¨D¨DLord Genius, did you not dispute¡­no, talk with me about a matter of the student council during the time span mentioned in the testimony?¡± Damsel Scarlet interjected calmly.

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Mr. Underling looked dumbstruck when he heard Damsel Scarlet¡¯s remark.

    ¡°I have been keeping a diary. Since people are targeting me in various ways, I have made it a habit to note down every event in detail with time stamps so as to avoid being used or tricked like this. It is all based on my knowledge as one called a ducal daughter. ¡­Lord Genius, should I ask you to be my alibi witness for that time span?¡± Damsel Scarlet grinned at the underling.

    In response, he was first taken aback, before starting to look very awkward. Apparently he did remember it.

    ¡­And at that point, the birdbrain stepped forward.

    ¡°Don¡¯t me Lord Genius and the prince! It¡¯s something the two did for my sake! Lord Direck also acted on my behalf! Please, don¡¯t me the others,¡± or some such she thered.

    What¡¯s with that heroine-styled ¡°Please stop fighting¡«¡±?

    The prince, his underling, and the muscled buffoon all seemed very grateful, though.

    ¡°In short, you¡¯re saying you instigated all of them, Primrose?¡±

    Primrose froze upon my words.

    ¡°But you¡¯re right. Men would find it hard to refuse doing things they usually wouldn¡¯t do, if asked by their crush. In other words, you made everyone pull this stunt, didn¡¯t you? You instigated the prince and his little nobleckeys to entrap Damsel Scarlet in an attempt to turn her into a criminal. In short, you¡¯re the true culprit here!¡±

    Tadah!!!

    I nailed it perfectly. Just like it¡¯s done in detective manga.

    ¡°There¡¯s always but one truth!¡±

    ¡°Please stop this phony parody,¡± Damsel Scarlet retorted coldly.

    Everyone else appeared to be unable to keep up, staring at us with confused gazes.

 Chapter 188: The Villainess Loves A Useless Bum

    Chapter 188: The Viiness Loves a Useless Bum

    Damsel Scarlet loudly pped her hands together.

    ¡°Now then, it was quite interesting as an idea. But, unfortunately it was toocking to entrap me. Are you still going to continue with this farce despite that? I will not mind it, but Lady Primrose, Lord Genius, did you resolve yourself for the consequences? If you go any further, I will take up the challenge and fight you as the daughter of a ducal family. ¡­Also, Prince Elias.¡±

    The pampered crybaby prince looked really reluctant.

    ¡°¡­¡­What?¡±

    ¡°Lady Indra ispletely right. If you are unhappy with me as your fianc¨¦e, you do not have any other choice than stepping down as a prince and bing amoner, you know? Once you are amoner, how about bing a manservant to my family?¡±

    ¡°What was that!? Before I have to do any of that, you just need to step down from being my fianc¨¦e, don¡¯t you?! Yield the position to Primrose!¡±

    ¡­¡­Eh? Damsel Scarlet, what do you like about scum like that? There¡¯s plenty of much better men around, I¡¯d think.

    ¡°It sure looks like you like useless bums, Damsel Scarlet. Such amer would be no option for me whatsoever. I¡¯d totally feel like breaking him by trashing the body and spirit of this conceited weakling, before training him so thoroughly that he¡¯d m his face against the grow to bow whenever he caught a glimpse of my face.¡±

    ¡°That is because you are an extreme sadist, Lady Indra. You normally wouldn¡¯t use terms like training and breaking when talking about people,¡± she said in my direction with a broad grin.

    I see. Then Sword and I have an extremely sadistic adventurer party going, I guess!

    £ª

    Damsel Scarlet focused her attention on the prince again.

    ¡°I have not been considering to ¡ºyield¡» anything to someone who is inferior to me. Besides, could you please say all this after obtaining permission from the present king, his aide, and my father first? Otherwise, you are really going to be a ¡ºformer¡» prince, you see?¡±

    ¡°Before that, you¡¯ve¡­¡±

    ¡°Shut up.¡±

    As soon as I kicked the prince¡¯s shin, he started to roll around on the ground while whining. It was just a light tap, so he¡¯s clearly exaggerating.

    ¡°He¡¯s the type of guy I detest. A big hubris and a cluster of pride while being unable to see reality and believing that it¡¯s only natural for him to be pampered. He scorns the people who spoil him. He isn¡¯t used to having people talk back to him, and if someone does, he resents them without any justification. Because of his life where it¡¯s only normal for him to be given everything, hecks all consideration towards others. It¡¯s the same even with his fianc¨¦e. He believes you belong to him because you¡¯re ¡ºsomething given to him¡», but if there¡¯s something he dislikes about you, he¡¯ll try to get rid of you. Even though you¡¯re a human and a ducal daughter, he merely regards you as ¡ºgiven object¡» and not a ¡ºfianc¨¦e¡»,¡± I spat out towards Damself Scarlet while looking down on the prince. ¡°Even though he just needs to give up on everything, including the throne, grab Primrose¡¯s hand, and elope if he dislikes it so much, he wants everything, be it the throne, his status, or you, to move ording to his own selfish whim as he ultimately regards all of it as his rightful possession.

    ¨D¨DIn short, he¡¯s a spoiled brat who hasn¡¯t been educated properly. While it goes against my will, I¡¯d rmend you to go along with this man¡¯s words, quickly tear up the whole betrothal matter, and switch to another guy. ¡­It hasn¡¯t to be this thing of all things, has it? It¡¯s way too disgusting and repulsive, wouldn¡¯t you say? Or were you possibly famous for only loving useless bums?¡±

    Damsel Scarlet sighed, ¡°¡­You are right, I have been trying to avert my eyes from reality. I mean, he was so cool in RosePri.¡±

    That¡¯s a game, no? It looks like I drastically diverted from the game-Indra, so you should just do the same, shouldn¡¯t you?

    ¡°This thing and the game character are different people. If you say that this thing is attractive, it¡¯ll just oust you as a woman who genuinely loves trashy scum.¡±

    Damsel Scarlet shook her head, and answered with a gloomy tone, ¡°He might be a different person, but my affections towards the prince of RosePri supported me up until now. ¡­I¡¯m a ducal daughter and someone who has been appointed as Prince Elias¡¯s fianc¨¦e. No matter what kind of person Prince Elias might be, I have no choice in the matter.¡±

    Hmm, I see. Now that she mentions it¡­a noble woman is seen as a political tool for her family. The feeling of protecting your heart by projecting a loser like him into a cool character from a game, who has a simr outward appearance, after being forced to marry him is¡­nothing I want to understand.

    ¡°¡­¡­Being nominated as the fianc¨¦e of this thing means you¡¯ll have to retrain thismer from scratch in a way that he can be allowed to sit on the throne in one way or another, you know? Otherwise, I for one will blow up the entire royal pce if such a failure bes the king.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I understand. I will somehow handle that part, so please do not blow up the pce.¡±

    Well, if I had a say in the matter, I¡¯d actually prefer this guy to be disinherited after he elopes with Primrose, though. I¡¯d totally hate it to be connected with trash like him through Damsel Scarlet after finally having obtained a steady supply of wonderful, ck tea.

    But, for the present, I¡¯ll shelve that issue.

    I clearly stated, ¡°The false usations against Damsel Scarlet have been cleared with this, right? ¨D¨DNow then, it¡¯s time for the long-awaited punishment! Let¡¯s think about how we should make these guys repay their debt for the crime of having tried to trick you with false charges!¡±

    I wasn¡¯t able to y viiness, but I¡¯ll get my fill of spanking.

    ¡°Should I brand them with the hot iron, which the noble folks like so much, after making them kowtow while stark-naked? Hmm, in that case, I think I should go with an imprinting of ¡ºI¡¯ll never defy a ducal daughter again!¡» while making sure that it can¡¯t be removed even with healing potions. In addition, I guess I should have them experience pain so excruciating that they¡¯ll naturally fall prostrate whenever they see Damsel Scarlet. Yep, sounds good. I¡¯ll go with these two.¡±

    I got all cheerful and excited.

    ¡°¡­Lady Scarlet! I promise to never approach Primrose again! So, please save me!¡±

    The one frantically imploring while crying in fear was the peeing music boy.

    ¡°I do not really mind if you approach her, you know? Leaving that aside, could you stay away from me?¡± Damsel Scarlet admonished him while casually retreating three steps.

    But that¡¯s only logical, since he stinks from all the pee.

 Chapter 189: The False Charges Were Cleared (The Real Fun Starts Now)!

    Chapter 189: The False Charges Were Cleared (The Real Fun Starts Now)!

    ¡°In the first ce, it is nothing I suggested. If Lady Indra says that she wishes to go through with it, I am not one to stop her,¡± Damsel Scarlet said with a shrug after casting a fleeting nce in my direction. ¡°The usations against me seem to have been resolved, and with this it has be clear <strong>for all time</strong> that they have been false charges. Former Noble Lady Indra Springcoat kindly proved my innocence. Above all, Lady Indra herself is a live witness as she became amoner due to false usations. I hope you keep all that took ce here in mind, Your Highness, Lord Genius. Also, Sir Direck?¡±

    At this point, Damsel Scarlet exposed her anger for the first time, ring at the muscled buffoon, ¡°¡­Do you not think you went a bit above your own station in regards to me, Sir Direck? Despite being no more than the son of some lowly Knight Leader, you dared to try pinning me, Scarlet Chaudgal who has her name entered in the register of a ducal family, down with brute force, did you not? ¡­It is well within my right to call this an improper behavior if you are someone with the heart of a knight, and even more so, when ites to conduct towards a woman. Have you resolved yourself for the consequences?¡±

    Being told all that, the muscled buffoon red back at her.

    ¡°¨D¨DHoh? This guy¡¯s spirit has broken yet, huh?¡± I grinned broadly. ¡°It¡¯s the face of a guy not intent on giving up on his little plots. Hihihihi, that¡¯s how it gotta be!¡±

    ¡°Lady Indra, could you please not rejoice over this? I would hate it to be kept in constant suspense.¡±

    Damsel Scarlet looked at me with a rather unwilling face, but isn¡¯t it boring like that?

    I cracked a smile at the muscled buffoon and said, ¡°You listened to everything up until now, right? You created a fake witness in order to me Damsel Scarlet with wrong usations. But, you didn¡¯t expect that one of the guys, who used her, would be a proof for her alibi, did you? In other words, she¡¯s innocent and you¡¯re actually the criminal here. ¨D¨DNow then, Mr. Criminal, how are you going to defend yourself?¡±

    The muscled buffoon ground his teeth, ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s all lies.¡±

    Haah?

    ¡°All of it is a lie! It¡¯s a fact that Scarlet Chaudgal loathes Rose, and she¡¯s the one who harrassed Rose in various ways! Your so-called proof is made-up nonsense!¡±

    ¡°In other words, you want to say that Lord Genius lied in order to cover for me?¡± Damsel Scarlet asked the shouting buffoon with a frosty tone.

    Mr. Underling also stared at the buffoon with a appalled look.

    ¡°No, I certainly remember. ¡­Ah, I see, that¡¯s why the time got stuck in my head¡­ I didn¡¯t want to remember the conversation since it wasn¡¯t an overly pleasant one, but I did look at a clock. That¡¯s why I can precisely recall the time. I can vouch¡­for her alibi,¡± he said with an incredibly vexed expression.

    I guess he¡¯s the type of person who can¡¯t lie. Then again, that kind of type is still better since they tend to have some backbone.

    Still, he¡¯s an underling, and a useless bum remains just that, a useless bum.

    £ª

    The muscled buffoon howled with a mortified expression, ¡°¡­Then, what about the other days!?¡±

    Damsel Scarlet elegantly retrieved her diary, showing off her grace.

    ¡°Why not. I will take you on any time. It is not as if Lord Genius would be my only witness.¡±

    Going by his look, the buffoon apparently grasped that he had no chance of winning this, but even so, he continued his useless resistance.

    £ª

    ¡°¡­On that day I had a tea party with Lady Indra. Since our attendants were present as well, they can also testify to my alibi, in addition to Lady Indra, if you wish.¡±

    As a result of that, Damsel Scarlet presented alibis for every day he mentioned.

    ¡°¡­Guuh¡­¡±

    He was at a loss, groaning in frustration.

    ¡°It¡¯s no time for you to ¡ºGuuh¡» around, is it? What are you trying to act all cool for? Apologize, dipshit.¡±

    I stepped up to the muscled buffoon, kicked his ass, and grabbed his hair once he started to roll around on the ground.

    While peering into his face, I bluntly told him with a smile, ¡°In the end, you merely attempted to act violently towards an innocent woman of a rank higher than yours, and tried to gloss it over by creating some false charges. Moreover, you did all that for the dumb reason of ¡ºdrawing the interest of the woman you love¡».¡±

    The muscled buffoon became bright red.

    ¡°You want to charm your crush with how superior you are, and because of that vanity of yours, you tried to set up some false usations! Is that something the knight order of this country does!? What a wonderful country. If themoners hear of this, they¡¯ll look up to the heavens full of despair!¡±

    I let go of him, lifted my hand, andmented exaggeratedly, fully relying on my acting skills.

    ¡°In short, it means the knight order of this country will do anything to satisfy its own desire for vanity! I see. Now I know why Instructor Sword is being hailed as ¡ºhero¡»! If the knight order only consists of trash like you, the knight order will be seen as nothing more than a group of foul cowards by the nobles and citizens, making a hero the only one they can rely on!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s wrong!¡± The buffoon roared, but I made him shut up with a scornfulugh.

    ¡°You yourself are the perfect proof. Look, you were praised by my sister Primrose, weren¡¯t you? ¡ºHe did it for my sake, you know?¡», she said! How nice for you. Your beloved Primrose affirmed your disgusting, violent treatment of a frail woman after fabricating some lies about her, and your nasty disys of cowardice!¡±

    As my tone gradually became louder and rougher, the buffoon started to be at aplete loss. And then he looked at Primrose with a face that showed his helplessness.

    ¡°Rose¡­¡±

    Primrose returned his look with condemnation written on her face, ¡°Lord Direck, it¡¯s wrong to lie and act violently, you know? How about you apologize to Lady Scarlet? I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll forgive you!¡±

    Yep, you can count on my sister for such things.

    Thanks for your worthless opinion where any ordinary person would doubt whether you¡¯re in any position to say that. Your beloved musclehead is despairing now, you know?

    ¡°Of course I shall not ept any apology nor will I forgive it. Please resolve yourself and get ready to pay for the crime of having made a fool out of a ducal daughter, okay?¡± Damsel Scarlet responded with a smile, despite the veins popping around her temples, once she heard Primrose¡¯s statement.

 Chapter 190: The Flash Of A Hero

    Chapter 190: The sh of a Hero

    ¡­And just as we were having some fun, Sword showed up.

    ¡°Indra! Your up to somethin¡¯ ¡®gain, right!? Your the one behind the broken windows, aren¡¯t you!?¡±

    Tsk. He got wind of it too quickly. Now he¡¯s already here, huh¡­?

    ¡°¡­I haven¡¯t tortured anyone so far. Rather, I was looking forward to some fun time from now on.¡±

    ¡°¡±¡±Eh?¡±¡±¡±

    I heard several people gasp, but I was just talking to myself, so please don¡¯t pay any attention to it.

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong. This here is the ¡ºDamsel Scarlet vs. Primrose and her goons¡» stage. I¡¯ve been just defending Damsel Scarlet.¡±

    ¡°¡±¡±¡±¡±Eh?¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±

    This time even more people grunted at my reply, but that¡¯s my take on this!

    Because of my remark, Sword suddenly came to a halt.

    ¡°¡­¡­Primrose?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. She was apparently trying to push the responsibility for herself tripping on her own two feet on someone else again. This time she chose Damsel Scarlet as her target. One of her goons, the son of the Knight Leader, fielded a fake witness after constructing some false usations, and on top of that, tried to get rough with Damsel Scarlet, so I burned his hand. And since I caused skin and muscles to melt together while he was gripping his hand, he probably won¡¯t be able to ever open his hand again, let alone hold a sword.¡±

    Everyone was startled. And the musclehead also got startled by that, staring at his own hand.

    ¡°My hand¡­my haaaannnd!¡±

    ¡°Shut it. Where did all of your earlier haughtiness go? Didn¡¯t you loudly bark until Sword came around? But, leaving that aside, apologize to Damsel Scarlet. You were also told to do so by your beloved Primrose, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡­While I was talking, Sword walked on stage.

    ¡°Instructor Sword!¡±

    My little sister looked at Sword with teary eyes for some reason, but¡­does Sword also enter the category of useless bums? Well, I guess he does pick up malice right away and gets all depressed over it. And there¡¯s also him being a drinker, I suppose.

    As I was worrying about this, Sword came to a halt right in front of Primrose.

    ¡°¡­So your Primrose?¡±

    ¡°Yes! Thanks for always looking after my big brother! ¡­I longed for the opportunity to have a good long chat with you. Did my brother cause you any troubles? Back at home, my brother often put me on the spot with his carelessness and got regrly scolded by our Father because of it.¡±

    Hey!? What¡¯s with those fabricated memories? It¡¯s true that your father yelled at me, but I never acted carelessly and I didn¡¯t put you on the spot either. The only one blundering was you, and the only one causing trouble was you as well.

    ¡°¨D¨DYeah, I know,¡± Swordughed in a scary way while staring at Primrose. ¡°I met Indra when she was seven years old. I¡¯m also aware ¡¯bout the circumstances at your home. Even though Indra should have been the noble daughter of an earl, she was runnin¡¯ ¡¯round with an appearance that made me mistake her for a poor brat back when I saw her for the first time. She wore the tattered work clothes of amoner that didn¡¯t match her size at all, and her hair had been trimmed down like that of a boy. ¡­I hear you were the one who cut her hair?¡±

    ¡°Eh? ¡­Yes, indeed! Ehehe, it¡¯s embarrassing since I wasn¡¯t good at it¡­¡±

    For some reason, Primrose started to bashfully fidget around.

    ¡°So, who cut your hair?¡±

    ¡°Me? My father called a barber to the mansion and had him cut my hair!¡±

    *freeze*

    Due to her words, most of those present apparently grasped how I was treated at the earl house. But I wonder why? Most look frightened as if asking, ¡°How gutsy of them to have treated this guy like that!!¡± It must be my imagination.

    £ª

    ¡°So, Young Lady Primrose Springcoat, you lived a life of no need, wearin¡¯ pretty dresses and havin¡¯ your hair done by professional barbers, always bein¡¯ pampered by your father. But your elder sister, Indra Springcoat, did special trainin¡¯ in the backyard, wearin¡¯ shabby rags and havin¡¯ her hair messily cut short by her little sister. Everythin¡¯ she had owned was stolen by her father, who came back to the mansion after her mother died, and an extremely harsh life was forced on her. So extreme in fact, that she obtained her current strength after single-mindedly trainin¡¯ herself with the goal of leavin¡¯ her home as fast as possible.

    ¡­You see, I know all about it since I had been there back then. I¡¯m fully aware of your and your father¡¯s treatment of Indra!!¡±

    ¡­¡­I got startled. Sword was seriously angry.

    And right now he was gathering magic elements in a densityparable to me¡­no, going beyond me. He¡¯s even stealing some of my Mr. Fluff.

    Primrose, and even the prince and his underling froze due to Sword¡¯s serious mode, cowering in front of him. All those around us also held their breath while paralyzed.

    £ª

    ¡°¡­Yeah, I was finally able to meet you, Primrose Springcoat. I cannot help but find it strange n¡¯ a shame that Indra didn¡¯t kill you n¡¯ your father with her own hands, but luckily I vowed that I¡¯d take care of it in her ce. I¡¯d nned to get rid of you when leavin¡¯ this ce, but fortunately I ran into you right now n¡¯ here. Well, I guess it¡¯s just a matter of your life havin¡¯ been shortened a bit. ¨D¨DBye bye.¡±

    Sword drew his sword and shed it.

    ¨D¨DI blocked it with a single stroke of my wooden sword.

    ¡°¡­¡­Indra¡­¡­¡± Sword groaned while scowling at me with a gleam in his eyes.

    ¡°Calm down, Sword. Why are you getting so heated anyway?¡±

    ¡­Sword¡¯s serious blow was terrifying. My wooden sword would have been shattered if I didn¡¯t get quite serious myself¡­

    ¨D¨DBah, the wall in the back has been cut by the aftermath! Sword, you went way too far!

    £ª

    ¡°¡­..Hey, tell me!! Why are you forgivin¡¯ this wench!!¡±

    To make matters worse, he shouted at me.

    ¡°It¡¯s because I was able to meet you,¡± I answered while looking straight into his eyes.

    ¡°¡­¡­Meet me?¡±

    I nodded, ¡°I was able to meet you. That was a miracle which would have never taken ce if I had lived normally with my father not being such scum and this girl over here not having entered my life. Even me having obtained all this knowledge probably stemmed from me being on the verge of death after having been unable to procure anyone¡¯s affection. If not for that, all the knowledge and memories would have likely been too straining and expansive to recall. All of that was a necessary miracle for me to reach this ce now and here. I¡¯m happy right now, and that¡¯s because I was able to meet you. It might have been fine to live my life as a normal, nobledy, but living the life of a caged bird is nothing for me, I think. So, it¡¯s good that it happened as it did.¡±

    Sword¡¯s anger faded and his magic elements dispersed.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t regret having met me and me having be your partner, and if you don¡¯t think that it¡¯d have been better for me to remain a noble daughter of Earl Springcoat, then please stop being so obsessed about this. I¡¯m d that I became your partner.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­gh.¡±

    Sword drew his sword back and sheathed it.

 Chapter 191: I Witnessed A Jumping Dogeza!

    Chapter 191: I Witnessed a Jumping Dogeza!

    Pheew, that was tough work.

    When I suddenly looked down at my wooden sword, I found a crack running through it.

    Oof, a little bit more and my sword might have snapped. How dangerous.

    ¡°¡­Hey, you got way too serious there. You almost shattered my wooden sword.¡±

    ¡°¡­How ¡¯bout you put yourself in my shoes as the one who had his full-power blow blocked by a wooden stick?¡±

    What is he talking about? Sure, it looked like he was slightly upset, but it¡¯s not like he put that much power in his blow, right? His opponent was just a dumb bird-brain, no?

    ¡°¡­Anyway, with this, everything over here has bee¡­¡±

    ¨D¨DJust as I started to say so, Ryoku peeked into the hall through the sted window, and waved his hand at Sword and me.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Ryoku?¡±

    You¡¯re really adorable, but haven¡¯t you been watching Shadow?

    As soon as I thought that, I heard a voice that seemed vaguely familiar.

    ¡°¡­Lady Indraaaa!¡±

    When I looked in the direction, Shadow ran up to me and performed a jumping dogeza.

    ¡°Whoa!! It is my first time witnessing a jumping dogeza!¡± Damsel Scarletmented.

    Yep, it¡¯s a first for me as well.

    ¡°Forgive me! Please forgive me for having been so rude to you! I made a mistake! Never again shall I do anything that goes against your wishes, Lady Indra! Please! Please be so kind as to forgive me for my transgression!¡±

    ¡­What¡¯s this development now? Rather, why is he apologizing to me all of a sudden?

    ¡°If I remember correctly, you should be against me.¡±

    ¡°No! Absolutely not! I am definitely not against you! I was just a tiny, tiny bit interested in you! That is all!¡±

    Why is he justifying himself so frantically?

    Sword was looking bbergasted, too.

    ¡°¡­Is there ¡®nythin¡¯ you¡¯ve been hidin¡¯ from me?¡±

    ¡°No, not in particr? ¡­Oh, I see. Did I already tell you that this guy was the wirepuller behind the guy spying on me? I found out the other day after getting tired of waiting and interrogating the spy myself.¡±

    The instant I finished speaking, my cheeks were pulled.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t mention a word ¡¯bout this. Your really¡­!¡±

    ¡°Sowwy. I tohstallshy vorkkot¡±

    Isn¡¯t the one who spied on me to me!? I¡¯m the victim here!

    Once he let go of me, I was finally able to talk normally again.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything about it, but you had noticed it yourself, hadn¡¯t you? And because of that you let him go free, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    In response to my questions, he averted his eyes.

    ¡­¡­Hmm?

    ¡°Hey, Sword! You noticed, didn¡¯t you? You¡¯re much more sensitive to other people¡¯s presence than I am. You realized that a spy was reporting back on me way before I did, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­Sorry, I didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡­¡­

    Eeeeeeh!? For real?

    ¡­When my shock showed on my face, he started to line up excuses.

    ¡°No, I mean, I had braced myself. But, that concerned everythin¡¯ besides you and me. It looks like I underestimated the possibility of you and me bein¡¯ targeted.¡±

    Why!? Being an adventurer is about carrying out your requests while considering all kinds of situations, no!? ¡­Hmm? No, maybe it¡¯s somewhat different?

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine, but I thought you had realized that a spy was up and about and let him roam freely. And then I got tired of waiting and interrogated him myself. Once I did, I found out that this guy was the mastermind. It was an unexpected revtion, but I gave him a proper warning so that he wouldn¡¯t think of doing any further mischief. ¡­I didn¡¯t tell you all of that earlier, but I think I told you about the spy.¡±

    If I¡¯m not mistaken, I mentioned Swannyboy¡¯s spywork.

    £ª

    ¡ºYour roommate being a spy is quite cliche, really¡»

    Sword, who had been rxing on his sofa, rose up in surprise.

    ¡ºWhat? Roommates are your enemies in the other world?¡»

    I shook my head at Sword¡¯s question, ¡ºI wouldn¡¯t go as far as calling them enemies. But, it¡¯s prettymon for you to be best friends after growing close over time or open up to them after they draw close to you, although it¡¯s pretty obvious that you should stay clear of them, just to be betrayedter on¡»

    Sword stared at Damsel Scarlet in shock, ¡ºWhat the hell? Your former world is scary as fuck. ¡­Scarlet, is that really true?¡»

    Damsel Scarlet answered with a troubled face, ¡º¡­Yeah well, I¡¯d like to deny it, but it might be rtively close to the truth, if it¡¯s this world. The other world was peaceful, so such cases were limited to fictional worlds, but¡­in reality, something simr happened to me in this world as well¡»

    I took over from Damsel Scarlet, and added, ¡ºIn other words, this world is much scarier¡»

    ¡º¡­You gotta be kiddin¡¯¡» Sword looked totally dumbstruck.

    £ª

    It¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t tell him. It¡¯s just that Sword didn¡¯t take it seriously.

    Shadow prostrated himself in front of me. After leaving him like that for a while, Sword timidly asked Shadow, ¡°¡­¡­Hey, Shadow, are you aware what your doin¡¯ right now and where you are currently?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­If I do not go this far, Lady Indra¡¯s anger will not abate,¡± Shadow obstinately insisted on this.

    Sword looked my way, troubled.

    ¡°¡­Indra, what do you n to do ¡¯bout this?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Me? Of course I feel like eradicating the royal pce altogether to give him a proper lesson.¡±

    When I answered like that, Shadow cried out, ¡°Please! I do not mind bing your ve! But! But, please spare the pce!¡±

    I cocked my head in puzzlement as I wracked my brain, ¡°Hmm¡­¡­ But, you see¡­you¡¯re the kind of guy who doesn¡¯t mind even if I harm you, aren¡¯t you? The only way to punish you effectively is by punishing your master. That¡¯s why the destruction of the pce is the easiest solution. The king is fully intent on apologizing for your failure as well, so I want to destroy the pce since it¡¯s boring otherwise.¡±

    ¡°Please! Please show some leniency and change your ways just this one time!¡±

    He told me, but well¡­

    ¡°People like him tend to bite back if you¡¯re too lenient with them. If you don¡¯t punish them severely, they¡¯lle up with even more borate schemes.¡±

    Hearing my words, Damsel Scarlet bent her head to the side while looking at me somewhat doubtfully.

 Chapter 192: I Must Abide By Common Practice, Right!?

    Chapter 192: I Must Abide by Common Practice, Right!?

    ¡°Oh my? Lady Indra, are you not the kind of person who rejoices over having even worse schemes set in motion against you?¡±

    I blinked in surprise.

    Sword added, ¡°¡­You keep tellin¡¯ me, don¡¯t you? That it¡¯s fun if things get even more twisted. Or were you lyin¡¯?¡±

    *snap*

    ¡°You¡¯re right! Now that you mention it!¡±

    He opened my eyes! He¡¯spletely right! I forgot!

    ¡°Shadow or whatever you¡¯re called, I¡¯m the type of woman who seeks thrill. In short! It¡¯d be the standard route to acquit you here, ostracize you, and desire revenge! All while acting kind on the surface!¡±

    I¡¯ll carry out my initial n! I must abide by themon practice, right!?

    ¡°¡­So as you can hear, Shadow-or-whatever, this one time I¡¯ll be generous and overlook your evil deeds! You¡¯re free to hate me for this, and seek revenge while snickering at my gentleness for letting you go free! I¡¯ll wait in anticipation for your next move!¡±

    When I told him all that in tion, Sword poured cold water on me, ¡°Hmm, I think it needs someone with quite the backbone to take their revenge on you after you¡¯ve said all that. At the very least, I doubt that Shadow got that kind of backbone. Especially when ites to a fight with the life of his lord on the line.¡±

    It¡¯ll be alright! If things proceed ording to theory, Shadow is the type of guy who doesn¡¯t learn his lesson.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. This fellow is someone who¡¯d answer ¡ºOf course, at once! We¡¯ll hurry right away!¡» when being told ¡ºGo and search for the Doskull Stones ~dabeee¡»!¡± 1

    It earned me ament from Damsel Scarlet: ¡°Hmm¡­I kind of feel like I somewhat understand what you are trying to tell us and then again not.¡±

    It didn¡¯t get through! What a shock!

    ¡°Uugh¡­I¡¯m sure Mr. Amato would have understood.¡±

    ¡°Oh my? So there are others like me around?¡± She asked me.

    ¡°Indeed. We¡¯ve been sheltering a brave. I guess you can describe him as ¡ºActive Otherworldler¡». He¡¯s a pitiful guy whose physical body got pulled into this world from our previous world.¡±

    Shadow lifted his face in surprise, staring at me. Seeing him look at me like that, Sword knitted his eyebrows, and called out to me, ¡°Oi.¡±

    I cast a grin at Sword and then looked back at Shadow, ¡°Come at me whenever you want, Shadow. I¡¯ll answer with all my power and destroy everything that¡¯s dear to you.¡±

    ¡°Please find it in yourself to forgive me.¡±

    He prostrated himself once more.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter at all, even if he¡¯s aware of it. Damsel Scarlet also possesses the same knowledge. Me too, and Mr. Amato, as one of the braves, too. But, all the people possessing that knowledge are under my control, and the one very likely possessing the biggest pool of knowledge is me. Neither Mr. Amato nor Damsel Scarlet will be able to build a Ryoku.¡±

    I gently pped the Ryoku who had drawn close to me.

    ¡­Damsel Scarlet looked at him with a somewhat doubtful face for some reason.

    ¡°¡­Ryoku? You are talking about that thing next to you? ¡­Sorry, but to me it looks like no more than a spider monster.¡±

    Another shock! For there to exist people who don¡¯t know Ryoku¡­how unbelievable!

    ¡°¡­Humph, whatever. I¡¯m pretty sure, you¡¯re the type of person who would yell out, ¡ºOn behalf of the moon, I will punish you¡» and things like that.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, okay, I will not say anything like that, but I know that line.¡±

    Pheew, so it looks like she at least knows that line.

    ¡­¡­With that said, I let Shadow get away for the sake of future thrills. I¡¯m expecting great things from him. I¡¯d love him toe up with all kinds of meticulous schemes from now on. I¡¯m so looking forward to it.

    Given that it was the perfect opportunity, I also told the prince, ¡°Tell Shadow now and here that you¡¯llpletely cut off all contact to Primrose and put all your effort into bing king, or that you¡¯ll be amoner while at the same time announcing your betrothal to Primrose.¡±

    After looking at Primrose, Shadow probably guessed most of the circumstances, and med the prince with the corners of his eyes lifted, ¡°You didn¡¯t have to choose Lady Indra¡¯s sister of all things, did you!? Do you intend to ruin this country!?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it! It¡¯s just that the woman I fell in love with was that guy¡¯s sister by chance!¡±

    Blood veins popped around Shadow¡¯s temples.

    ¡°¡­Hoh? You think such an excuse is going to fly? I had such a disastrous experience just because I carelessly investigated her background a tiny bit, and yet you believe that there¡¯s absolutely nothing wrong with you making a move on her sister, who¡¯s the main cause for her character to have be like this!?¡±

    That¡¯s wrong. You¡¯re mistaking the point in question here. Moreover, this character of mine is to be rather med on her father than Primrose herself. And my mother as well!

    I¡¯m not that much of a brute that I¡¯d attack a little girl who doesn¡¯t understand her own situation. I can¡¯t get along with her since we¡¯re not on the same wavelength, but it¡¯s not like I hate her since she never gets discouraged, no matter how much sarcasm or cruel words I throw at her. That¡¯s the very reason why I¡¯ve been cruelly showering her with sarcasm, though!

 Chapter 193: The Time To Decide Is Now! ?

    Chapter 193: The Time to Decide Is Now! ?

    The prince waspletely at a loss due to Shadow¡¯s misguided snapping. Shadow¡¯s soul scream-like confession seemed to have moved the prince¡¯s heart.

    ¡°¡­Prince Elias? Our King Arkhide was enthroned as acting king, but he has been carrying out his official duties splendidly. Lady Indra, are you unhappy about anything¡­in regards to his rule?¡±

    Since Shadow sought my opinion, I answered him, ¡°No, nothing! Except for you being his aide!¡±

    ¡°You heard her! Assuming we change the aide at once, you can say she has no issues with the king! ¨D¨DLady Indra, what will you do in case he bes king instead?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll destroy the pce alongside its king,¡± I replied to Shadow¡¯s question within a split-second.

    ¡°¡­Doesn¡¯t that mean that I will be destroyed alongside them?¡± Damsel Scarlet calmly retorted, causing me to falter.

    ¡°Y-Yeah? ¨D¨DBut, in case the prince marries Damsel Scarlet and gets properly trained by her, I would be willing to spare him. I don¡¯t wish to take a hostile stance against Damsel Scarlet as someoneing from the same ce as her. Still, my biggest priority is Sword, so if this country bes an obstacle to Sword¡¯s life, I¡¯ll immediately destroy it and install Sword as king.¡±

    ¡°Hey, wait a sec. I really don¡¯t wanna be king or ¡®nythin¡¯ like that, ¡®kay?¡± Sword cut in and rejected my idea while looking super reluctant.

    ¡°Ugh¡­okay, then I¡¯ll ask the capital dungeon¡¯s core to act as king at such a time. That seems to work with the demon king country. In short, a country where Sword can live without any hassle takes priority. But, I do have the leeway to also consider other people. The people in our mansion, and Damsel Scarlet, for example. I¡¯ll at least arrange things so that it¡¯s easy for them to live on as well. However¡­¡± I looked at the prince and sighed, ¡°¡­Damsel Scarlet. I feel like that pampered crybaby prince will be too much for you to handle, you know? It¡¯d be better to send Shadow as a messenger to exin the circumstances to your father, and have the engagement with the prince revoked.¡±

    Damsel Scarlet smiled at my words, ¡°Everyone has times when their brain stops working temporarily, right? I am a tolerant person. Even if he lost his mind because of Lady Primrose for a short period of time, I believe that I will be able to bring him back on track and get him to think about the Kingdom first and foremost.¡±

    She said something cool there, but¡­

    ¡°Yeah, okay, everyone¡¯s free to believe what they want. But, the time to decide is now. ¡­Shadow, have the prince make his decision. If he doesn¡¯t feel like separating from Primrose, look for another prince who¡¯s unlikely to marry Primrose, and yield the rank of crown prince to that person. At the same time, disinherit Prince Elias.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°Shadow!? You think you have the authority to decide something like that as a mere aide!?¡± The prince roared at Shadow.

    I told the prince with a smile, ¡°Isn¡¯t that great for you? Even if you won¡¯t be king, nothing will stand in the way of your marriage with Primrose, right? Rather, the obstacles for a marriage with her, who¡¯s incapable of adhering to etiquette, will be less when you¡¯re amoner. ¨D¨DHowever, let me warn you: The financial situation of the Earl Springcoat family is dire and they don¡¯t seem to be in any situation to wee some pennilessmoner. Their house is burdened with debts, and her father has been trying to woo rich mademoiselles for their dowry, but since he neglected his former wife, wasted her dowry, and fooled around like a horny stallion, causing his previous wife to eventually die in insanity, he¡¯ll likely find it hard to find a benevolent woman who would be willing to marry an old man with such a track record.¡±

    I wonder what would happen, if he actually finds such a woman? If he does, she must be quite the masochist, to say the least.

    ¡°Moreover, he also made his daughter entice rich boys with the goal of marrying into wealth, and you guys are the oue of that little plot, Prince Elias, Mr. Underling¡­and also, the spare personnel to finance her. It seems like she secured herself a viiny guard who would do anything for her, and several pretty boys for show and as spare coffers. Apparently Sword was yet another of those extra coffers to finance her life at the academy, but that got her almost killed,¡± I looked at the prince and shrugged my shoulders, ¡°¨D¨DWell, That¡¯s how it is. Feel free to try bing a brokemoner and see if Primrose is still going to follow you. If what I said just now isn¡¯t true, Primrose probably won¡¯t hate you bing amoner. So, if you believe that I¡¯m lying, feel free to give it a try. Put your love to the test to see whether Primrose, who mes others for tripping over her own feet as she was educated to be a bully and brought up as pamperedss who always lived in luxury by birth, is going to follow you even after you be amoner and endure poverty for you.¡±

    The prince silently cast his eyes down upon my words, trembling.

    £ª

    ¡°¡­¡­Prince, I shall always follow you anywhere you go.¡±

    The one saying that wasn¡¯t Primrose, but the prince¡¯s underling.

    But, look boy, you¡¯re going to be disinherited as well, if the prince gets disinherited, you know?

    £ª

    Seemingly having made up his mind, the prince lifted his face, and looked at Primrose.

    Primrose stepped back in fear. Doing that now and then was a minus ten points. The prince probably thought so as well, but he superbly ignored it with his skill of pretending to not have seen all that¡¯s inconvenient to him, and nted himself in front of Primrose.

    ¡°¡­¡­Rose, are you going to follow me through thick and thin?¡±

    My dear little sister showed a meek expression upon his question, ¡°¡­Prince Elias, I¡­since I¡¯ve be an obstacle for you, I¡¯ll swallow my sadness and pull back here. The position of queen was beyond my station as one who has risen frommoner status. Please bury the sweet memories we shared together in your heart and marry Lady Scarlet. But, if I could have you remember me just a tiny bit, every once in a while¡­¡±

    She gave her farewell speech with teary eyes while unting how torn she was by the difference in status between them.

    Yep, that¡¯s what you¡¯d expect of my sister.

    She wrapped it up beautifully. Yet, blue veins popped on Sword¡¯s forehead as he ced a hand on the hilt of his sword.

    I made a sound argument in order to calm him, ¡°Now, now, lies and tears are essential when ites to separations between men and women.¡±

    ¡°¡­Lady Indra, is that not a bit too much of an old man thinking?¡±

    I earned myself a retort by Damsel Scarlet, and not Sword? Still, having heard all that, Sword let go of his hilt and started tough.

    ¡°So you think so as well, eh? Meaning I wasn¡¯t the only one, huh?¡±

    Don¡¯t agree with her!

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